Sometime in the next couple days, the newest addition to the fleet will begin its journey from VA to OH.
The car has a Midd-Tenn headlight conversion, which I kinda like a bit, but there are a couple things I don't like about it. First, there are no plexiglass covers, and from what I can see in the second pic, there's nothing to protect the intake from injesting water if I'm following someone in a downpour.
So how much of a PITA is it going to be to yank the pop-ups from my '92 and return the '94 to stock? I mean, how hard can it be???
Shouldn't be too hard, everything should bolt in. Those fixed lights are cute, but if you believe the role of headlights is to actually light up the road, they're a big downgrade. While you're at it, throw in an H4 headlight conversion and bask in the night vision.
honestly, I think you are TOO worried about ingesting water. If that opening sucks in enough water to damage the engine, you have MUCH bigger problems to worry about (no, Miatas do not float)
I would keep the lights and either fab up some lexon covers, or finish off the openings to make them look better.. preferably both
Agreed, a bit of rain on the filter isn't a big problem. But going back to the 7" reflectors is going to be a performance upgrade.
well, I know nothing about those lights... can you fit hella projectors in their place? They would be an upgrade from the reflectors
I think you can use 90mm lights, and Hella might have some projectors in that size. Of course, they're often mounted below the top of the bumper which chops off the lower edge of their beam regardless of the magic lenses.
Cool, thanx guys. I already have H4's in the '92, so I will probably swap the barn doors onto the new car. It may look a little strange for awhile, though. The car is in whiite primer, while the hood is black primer. Toss on Mariner Blue headlight covers and hardtop, and it should look quite odd!!!
Plus, even if the current lights DO have a fairly wide pattern, I don't think it would matter with them sunk so far into the recess. I bet it's really bright under the hood, tho!!!
After awhile, I think I'd miss being able to see the sides of the road.
I had a set of those lights on one of my '90 models. I had to install a set of driving lights to get any light down the road. They dont sit up high enough on the chassis. The H4 conversion is much better.
+1 for barndoors and H4s. If Miata is the Ultimate Answer, then this is the Ultimate Answer for Miata headlights. 
I admit, the other options look great, but I'm all for function over form. Plus I grew up in the 80s, when ALL real sports cars had pop-up headlights.
I agree on popups.. I was just trying to save Graf some hassle. I personally loved the pop ups on my old 914.. and the ones on my Lancia were just neat
I always wanted to see a flush mount light kit that pushed the lights forward and up, like a C5R Vette or late NSX. If they could race 24hrs. of Le Mans, it had to throw some light around, right?
you could probably do it with some modified Fiat Coupe' parts. (I am talking 90s and early 2000s here) their headlights were similar to what you describe
