Maintenance. Poly bushings work great until they run out of lube. Then, if you're lucky, they squeak. Or they just seize up and your suspension becomes really hard to move. This takes a couple of months. To properly lubricate them, you need to pull the suspension apart.
Meanwhile, rubber is maintenance free for the next 100,000 miles.
kazoospec wrote: Less expensive exhaust here: http://www.yonaka.com/Yonaka_1990_1997_Mazda_Miata_NA_Catback_Exhaust_p/ymcb-mia9097.htm Although you can never really go wrong with FM. Quality peeps and quality products. EDIT: Totally agree with the "refresh the suspension" sentiment. Just spend a couple hundred extra and actually upgrade a little rather than OEM replacements. I have Koni Yellows on mine. It made a HUGE difference. A front sway bar, set of Star Specs, and performance alignment and you're good to go.
Thanks but I need a cat and the part that connects the cat to the header.
JohnRW1621 wrote: I would drive it, as is, for a while. I would hold off on the repaint and first get it up to perfect running condition. You mention that you have little mech skill. A Miata is the perfect place to gain some skills. Working on the Miata is simplistic and rewarding. In addition, it's repairs are well documented and supported on the Internet so there is tons of guidance online. I would start with fresh fluids and generally making sure the engine is right. From there I would refreshing the suspension. One of my first steps on the suspension would be some 15" rims and 205/50/15 tires. You can shop used for these rims since the Miata is a popular 4x100 size. Anything with 4 lugs from any year Miata will fit. Congrats!
Agreed but my other excuse is time. I work two jobs, seven days a week. M-F I'm on the road 4 hrs a day plus 8 hour work day. But the first thing I did was have the oil/filter changed, brakes checked, that's when I noticed the rusted exhaust. You're all correct though, if I'm going to gain some skills this is the car to learn on.
Keith Tanner wrote: If you're sticking with the stock springs, Koni STR.t (orange) are a good option. Same valving as a yellow on full soft and a lifetime warranty. But yeah, Miatas are sensitive to shocks. Assume anything on the car is worn out unless it's a Koni. If you're going to do bushings, do rubber and not poly.
Why rubber?
Keith Tanner wrote: Maintenance. Poly bushings work great until they run out of lube. Then, if you're lucky, they squeak. Or they just seize up and your suspension becomes really hard to move. This takes a couple of months. To properly lubricate them, you need to pull the suspension apart. Meanwhile, rubber is maintenance free for the next 100,000 miles.
Gotcha
Drove the answer today after getting license plate. While merging onto the highway, the top flew open,plexiglass rear window blew apart, shards went everywhere. Managed to pull over and get it re latched. It was a cold ride to work. Along the way, even though I wasn't driving the piss out of it, I went over some train tracks and the left headlight began to raise up and down over and over again. Found that shutting off the car cured it. Still had fun though. Did I mention it was cold?
Didn't you turn on the heat?
open the passenger window for the ride home. A little counter intuitive but that way air tends to just flow by you and out the busted rear window rather than getting sucked in the rear window and freezing you out.
Likewise, with the top down, drivers window half to fully down and pass window up results in less wind buffeting to the driver.
That's a memorable first drive! BTW, that rear window wasn't plexiglass, it was flexible plastic. But not when it's old and the air is below freezing...
Yeah... Miata tops really don't like it when it's under 40 degrees. If you're sick of the zipper/plastic rear window, you can swap in a roof from a newer car for cheap, frame and all. Alternately, Robbins makes a pretty good top for a pretty good price, though install is a serious pain. If you DIY, make sure you don't overtorque the rain rail bolts and follow a sensible pattern. A broken rain rail makes any top pretty worthless pretty fast.
Jerry From LA wrote: Didn't you turn on the heat?
All the way.
RedGT wrote: open the passenger window for the ride home. A little counter intuitive but that way air tends to just flow by you and out the busted rear window rather than getting sucked in the rear window and freezing you out.
U playing a trick on me redgt?
Don't laugh but this morning I taped a clear shower curtain to the top. I left the bottom untaped because I thought that would allow air to escape. I thought about taping it on the inside too but it didn't look like that was going to work.
The shower curtain blew off in less than two minutes.
Ok. You can go ahead and laugh, I did.
In reply to plance:
Better tape?
RedGT's comments are not bogus, I can't speak to the one about the air going out the back window as mine is molded in, but with the top down, I get buffeted much less by rolling down the drivers window.
If it won't buff out, $400 Maaco paint job time. Get the same color so the door jambs etc match.
On my last Miata I bought a top off eBay, super cheap and when I put it on, it was actually not bad at all! Obviously way better than what was still left of the factory top, the rear window was bigger and bonded not zippered. I want to say it was about $100, obviously not as good as say a Robbins top but for cheap, it kept the rain and wind out.
Don't waste money on paint, the thing has 185k miles on it and it's a 1.6 car. Just drive it.
When my Miata top flew down going 70mph, I needed to replace the lock cap as they and turned brittle and broke off: https://www.flyinmiata.com/90-02-top-lock-cap.html
I also used Robinson for a new top too. It was fiddley but was pretty easy. Just schedule a little extra time. I think I did it over a couple of afternoons.
Harvey wrote: Don't waste money on paint, the thing has 185k miles on it and it's a 1.6 car. Just drive it.
You're telling a guy on the grassroots motorsports forum not to modify his car? Who let this guy in here??? Seriously, I put it in the $2015 classifieds so you could say I'm "conflicted" about what to do with it lol.
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