Hi all-

I am back after a couple of years hiatus from owning a Mazda (although I still lurk here frequently!).

I just picked up a little Miata this past weekend- she was very cheap but needs some love.

Stats:

91 "A" Package
Faded white
torn roof/ window
175k
new clutch- yay!!
newer tires
hail damage
left front fender needs replaced d/t an ugly pole hit
nice Alpine HU with Ipod cable- woo-hoo!

Although it does not sound that great, it drives beautifully and does its job as designed.

I am looking for a fender and roof if ya'll have any leads- that would be great!

My boys are really excited about the car- here is a quick picture after our arrival home Sunday...

Happy to be back- looking forward to be back in the group again!

D

Welcome back!
You should have waited a bit You could have gotten roninsoldier's '90 Miata with some nice mods already done and in good condition for a 21 year old car
http://www.coloradomazdaclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7372

Yeah, I just saw that. It's a bit out of my budget for a toy- although it looks like a great ride!

Welcome back!!!!! It's been a long time! Glad to see you back on here.

Welcome back. Haven't seen you in a while.

94mx5 may have the parts you need.

Welcome back. I love my little NA Beater. Mine got its hail damage after I bought it, heh.

A new top is going to be a bit pricey, depending on which one you get. I replaced mine last year and got one with a glass window and it was about $650. But you can find cheaper ones. Robbins makes high quality tops. Make sure you get a new rain rail with it. If you install it yourself you can save about $350 in labor too. I didn't because I didn't want to risk it leaking.

For the fender check junkyards. Roninsoldier on here was able to find a hood in good shape. Perhaps the same place has a fender in good shape too.

Also pull your center console out and check your shift boots. Most likely both of them are torn. Replacing them is fairly inexpensive and will help cut down on some of the transmission noise and heat coming into the cabin.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/store/product.php?productid=16545&cat=296&page=6

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/store/product.php?productid=16546&cat=296&page=6

Thanks guys.

Erod- I am looking at a new roof from flea-bay for about $200. I just need something to keep the sun off of my head at times. On bad wx days- the car will stay in the garage. I plan on installing the roof myself. I am also going to do the timing belt since the most recent owner of the past 5 years has not done it.

Might as well do the water pump while you're at it then. It tends to go out every 70k miles or so. I have all the stuff to do a timing belt/water pump on mine when the time comes. Bought it when I thought it was leaking coolant but then it turns out it wasn't leaking after all. I do think my valve cover is leaking though so I may be doing that job sooner than later.

Yes, I'll do that when I'm in there- thanks for the tip! My valve cover is leaking badly- that will happen at that time too! My buddy is coming up to visit next month from AZ and he has done this before on his 92. He says it is an easy job... we'll see!

From what I hear it isn't too bad, just time consuming. And keeping the camshafts from moving while you do the whole thing can be tricky. I'll probably use the multiple vice grips trick. One on each camshaft and another to hold those two so they can't rotate independently.

Welcome back. I love how the Miata is making a comeback.

Whatsup watsup! Welcome back!

Update: I scored a used (new to me!) soft top with full frame in nice shape for $100 tonight. Woo-hoo!

I replaced the damaged left fender with a white and slightly less damaged one this weekend.

Now I need to mount the new top, detail the interior and debate about repainting the car. I figure that since it is white, and I have a HVLP sprayer- I may go for it in my garage... It can't look much worse than it is now!

Also, I am thinking about pulling the seats & carpet and powerwashing all of them since it will be hot and dry this coming weekend. Has anyone ever powerwashed seats? I have shampoo'd seats many times, but feel a strong spray may clean them better- they do not have speakers in them.

What say you CMCZ'ers?