Now to make the noise. I did find a fun thing whilst unpacking all the rally gear. I have a couple of Coralba rally computers and the last time I had them out, we were prepping an ND Miata for Targa Newfoundland. And I found this in the box - a new GPS unit. I'd completely forgotten. The one in the Targa Miata runs off a modified ABS sensor, but that was going to be a PITA to arrange for the ND so I guess we decided to go GPS. This makes for a unit that can install in just a few minutes, which opens up some interesting possibilities. Like an instant recce setup. Hmm.
Anyhow, the main Coralba is already installed and wired in, so that's just a potential toy for the future.
First, mount the amp. I added a couple of 1" straps running from the dash bar to the firewall so I could bolt it down. Even with the tack welds, it's one solidly mounted unit. Ideally I'd put it down low in the car to keep the CG as low as possible, but if we were going for pure function the car wouldn't have an amp! I mounted it horizontally like this mostly to keep it out of sight. Since I don't need access to it for anything, that's fine. It's just sitting on the mount, it's straight when done. Seriously.
Wired up the speakers which involved a lot of screwing around with the wire loom but is fundamentally just a matter of running a couple of wires.
I was worried about protecting the speakers until I realized that the stock speaker cover still fits. Just, but it counts.
Then it was time for an inner door panel. I picked up a sheet of 0.025" aluminum and traced out one of my not-too-badly-damaged door cards. A bit of work with the cutting wheel and a hole saw and a stepped drill bit and this happened.
I'm pretty chuffed with that. The stock door panel attaches with plastic clips. I put rivnuts in a few of the holes in the door that the clips went into and used screws to hold this thing down. I'll probably put a bit of foam on the backside to avoid rattles - I hate rattles - and maybe give it a brushed finish. But it looks cool.
The toggle switch is for the electric window. The knob is the bluetooth receiver. I am going for maximum minimalism so I don't want switches etc on the central dash. This is very accessible but subtle, perfect.
Door closed. The red glow means it's powered on.
Falls readily to hand.
Making some real progress here, at least mentally. Next step is to start cleaning up the metal tub - there are lots of holes and leftover things here, and it needs a fresh coat of paint.
Question - do I leave the door panel bare alloy? The crash pads will be blue, the tub will be white. Do I paint the door panel white to match?