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Which front lip should I install?

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MX5 2NR's Miata build...

68K views 264 replies 62 participants last post by  GreaseMonkey2000 
#1 · (Edited)
EDIT 5.17.19 - So i apologize if there are missing pics or the pics are jacked up. I have been using Photobucket to host images and I'm going to be migrating to some other image hosting service that doesn't suck. It's going to take a while, cause I have a billion other things going on, so please be patient... If there's an image that you would like to see and it's not loading up or whatever, let me know via DM/PM... BTW - my instagram is mx52nr, and it's obviously where you'll see the latest ****.. it's worth checking out since the car is getting painted as I type and all the items to finish up the interior (for good) are currently en route to the garage....


(back to the original build thread...)

So here is the story of my Miata project. A ‘lil background is in order… After a few years of not having a “fun car”, I grew a bit annoyed. I had sold my NB 2 or 3 years prior due to financial issues. Originally I was looking at a few various project cars I’ve kinda always wanted – Conquest/Starion, E30, ’80’s Mini-Truck, FB (1st gen RX7), C3 Corvette, an old Datsun 240Z, or a Miata. The Miata bug had already infected me & I felt a relapse brewing…

Eventually (Feb 2k11) I came across this Miata in a Houston Craiglist that was square in my price range ($2k) & had a good friend who is also one of my old Miata buddies check it out for me on a Friday. He called me that night after looking at it & mentioned that it was really “ricey”. It had the full Fast & Furious treatment aside from Altezza tails & Troy-Lee graphics. It had an awful aluminum wing bolted into the trunk, black painted style bars, & the plastic window was held on with zip-ties. It smelled like ass, looked like ass, but it drove really really good. Overall he said that the drive train was good, & if I can get a few dollars knocked off it’d be a good deal. I talked to the owner over the phone & agreed on a $1800 price. The next day I grabbed my girlfriend (edit: now fiance; edit: now wife) & was on my way to Houston to pick up my new toy.


--Pic from the Craiglist Ad


So after I picked up the car I decided that there’d be no way I’d make the trek back to San Antonio with that gawd-awful wing on, so I whipped out my tools & removed it – the first step to saving this car from the clutches of ricedom. One of the things that I had noticed & that my friend had pointed out was that somewhere in the life of this poor car the paint had been changed to some sort of grey’ish color. Kinda a bummer since it’s an original 1990 Silvertone, of which there was only like 3000 made (don’t quote me, IIRC I read it on M.net). One of the things that will need to be addressed in the future will definitely the paint – that’s later…

First thing’s first , I got it back to my garage in San Antonio to assess what I had bought. Aside from the horrible smell, it actually drove pretty good. The shifter had a little grind, but really, other than that it wasn’t bad. I went ahead and changed all the fluids – oil, tranny, turret, diff, etc.. and the spark plugs. It felt much much better.

Next after a few weeks I went ahead and deleted my top & attempted to find the culprit of the stank that had started to permeate my garage.



--interior ripped apart


In the process of deleting the top and ripping out the interior, I got inspired & decided to do a headunit-less stereo since the stereo that was in it was some horrible “Pyle” stereo that had a Scarface dvd stuck inside.





--Yes that’s a 6x9 speaker sitting in the tunnel behind the driver’s seat.

I went ahead and installed a JL Audio e2150 amp & Polk db65 6.5” 2-way coax door speakers. I hooked it up direct to my old Ipod. It sounds good & recommend doing it if you’re looking to do a stereo without showing it off to potential thieves.

So I found the culprit of the horrid stench – the top had been rained on with it’s disastrous rear window repair, leaking water into the interior. The water had dried into the foam sound-deadening/heat foam stuff, turning it moldy. I ripped all of it out & steam cleaned every piece of carpet 3 times. I went ahead and steam cleaned the seats a few times to make sure the stench was gone for good. I cleaned every panel by hand before I reassembled them.

A month or two passed & I decided to go ahead and detail the engine since it had like 21 years of crap on it & looked atrocious. After a few passes of Simple Green it really didn’t change much, but it was noticibly cleaner, pictures don’t do it justice…

I went to the local Pick N’ Pull and found a few interior bits that were damaged in my car, a spiffy (ha!) mesh grille & a valve cover that I would later repaint when I change valve cover gaskets. I also went to town with engine paint, toothbrush and Simple Green.



I wanted to redo my interior panels ‘cause I always dug the plaid look on older VW’s, & I never got to redo panels on my old GTI in plaid so I found some fabric at a local Hancock & recovered them…


<pic of door panels>

It was really easy (the panels), and makes a difference in the look of the cabin. I made my own door pulls based on some of the DIY’s on the forum. I used the leather handles off a purse I found at a thrift store. All in all I think I spent like $10 and an hour doing the panels.

So a few months passed and I had been saving pennies for coil overs & wheels, I went ahead and ordered them, but as I was online ordering them, I got a little click happy & decided that I needed to replace the bug-eyes with something updated... So I did the sensible thing & decided that modifying a 240 exposed headlight to fit a Miata would make sense. Yeah. So being that my logic was flawless I went ahead and picked some up off ebay & with some metal flashing, a dremel, some bondo, some primer, a lot of sandpaper, and a drill I came up with this:



It started life as this:



*** Props go out to SPRSTA & 97_M-edition for helping me out & replying back to my pestering private messages on their 240 headlight conversions. ***

I'm going to go ahead & post this up for now. More to come soon - consider this part 1. As of typing this I've already installed coil overs, fitted the wheels, and am finishing up the stereo. And at the time of typing this, I've already ordered my "Canadian" Bride seats, & am on the hunt for a hardtop....
 
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#37 ·
Thanks man! :D

When I took that pic where all three were together, I seriously thought about molding them to the finish panel. I'm thinking about the best way to go about doing it - should I bolt them all to the car, then start bondo'ing? Should I use fiberglass, would that be stronger? For right now, I think I'm going to leave them separated to see if I really like how the tails blend with the rest of the car. If I am diggin' it, molding them in will more than likely happen at some time. If not, I'll grab a stock driver's side tail (the current one is cracked) & keep it stock-looking until I come across a GV rear that I can afford.




Question/opinion needed - Should I "fill in" the reverse light on these tails & install a separate reverse light elsewhere on the rear, like under the bumper or something? Looking at the pics of the tails, the main reason I'm not 100% on the modified tails is that I feel like the reverse light is making it look cluttered. I feel like it'd look better without them. Whaddya' think?
 
#39 · (Edited)
IMO if you knock out the reverse you have to mold them together. No point in going "cleaner" with that big ol seam there. Fiberglass or filler could do the job. I'd use rage over bondo though, bondo is too brittle when dry. Mounting them on the car, then molding it would net the best results. That way you can smooth them out And block them down perfectly.
 
#40 ·
I agree that molding the lights and panel together would be a clean look. Another idea on the reverse lights would be to remove one and keep one. Remove and fill in the passenger side and just have one reverse light on the drivers side. Or for a euro look, find a red rear fog lamp that fits the passenger side and put that where the reverse light is.
 
#42 ·
Rage is a brand of body filler and putty. Rage extreme has some flex to it, Rage gold is like bondo but better. Both sand better, are stronger, and less brittle. They're poly based. Bondo sucks, specially for molding two pieces together.
 
#44 ·
Looking good J.

+1 on the molding, and since bulbs are changed on the inside of trunk guess it shouldn't matter what you cover up.

Personally I think the reverse lights are in a good spot, just wish they weren't so close to the brake light. Almost as if the reverse light was a smaller diameter and where its edges didn't touch the brake lights.

I think there are some good suggestions here.

I would just look at the car as a whole and try and see what would look best for your direction of the car. Just like me I like a few different styles but sometimes it doesn't always work well to mix up so many.

But looking forward to the project as it evolves.
 
#45 ·
Really really good suggestions guys, I really appreciate it - a LOT...


I'm taking a lunch break right now, & also waiting for my Dremel tool to recharge (one of these days I gotta get a corded Dremel). I went ahead and cut my bumper, and I fit a spot for the reverse light that I picked up from Harbor Freight (for a mere $12!).

I'd like to trim up the rear bumper support, but I've got to deal with rusted bolts like these:


I can't stress enough how much I don't want to deal with this at the moment, it's like a whole can of worms that I'd rather not open right now. I know it's not a "choice" look, but for the moment I'm gonna leave it be. I'll clean it up later...


I didn't want to begin molding in the reverse lights on the modified altezza's until I found a decent location to mount the new reverse light, for obvious reasons. I located a bolt that I could use that places the light about where I wanted it - opposite the exhaust pipe. I thought about installing it in the tailpipe location & running a center exit exhaust, but i decided to keep the exhaust in the stock location. Sometime in the future I'm planning on installing a trailer receiver to lug around track wheels/tires & a toolbox...

Anyway, here's a pic of where I mounted the bracket for the reverse light.




Before I came back in, I did a "mockup" of how it all should look. I duct taped the areas together where the pieces are to be filled in.





I need to figure out how to wire up the reverse light - there's a red wire coming out of the Harbor Freight light. I haven't looked at the Mazda wires, but I'm assuming it can't be difficult...

--- right?
 
#47 ·
You're probably right. I wanted to be able to clear a much meatier tire (for future track days), and I liked the "flattened flared" look on the rears (I dunno if that's a term - flattened flare, I like it). It was also my first time using a fender roller & I got "in a zone" while rolling them. In hindsight, I may not have rolled them as extreme as I did, but I'm happy with how it looks now.
 
#48 ·
Been workin' on the ass end some more, progress pics...


I fixed all the little bumps and bruises on the bumper & layed down a layer of primer...




I filled in the reverse lights, this is before I sanded them down...



While I was sanding the passenger side down, I noticed a small gap between the red reflector & the taillight (the area not taped up). I haven't done it yet, but am thinking about carefully sealing it up with caulk & sanding it smooth. Good idea or should I do something else?



Here's a few pics of the taillights sanded down & everything mocked up again...






I've already started wiring up the new reverse light, I'm about halfway through, should have the wire done over this weekend. Gotta spend time with the g/f & her parents so I probably won't get to finishing up the rear end until Monday or so... The goal is to get the tails & finish panel molded together, painted, and installed before next weekend...
 
#52 ·
Thanks for the kind words guys! It keeps me pushing along... Phantomxrider, you don't happen to have the link to the other guys' Altezza mod? Just wondering if I've done it first...


So back to the car. I've been working on the car all last week to get it to a point to where I can have a "driveable project" again & I veered off the path a lil' bit. I have kinda always liked the clean smooth look (no body lines), so I got to workin'.... (BTW props to 1vicissitude on the Rage Body Filler tip, thanks mang!)


So anyway, I filled in the belt line on the rear bumper...


... and the rear bumper lights...



I wired the reverse light by tapping into the wires on the back of the driver's side tail light - I set it up so it could be reversed back to stock easily (bullet connectors).



I went ahead and mounted up the tail lights & finish panel. Just a word of warning - I'm using an R-Speed finish panel (stock). The panel does not bolt up and line up perfectly like a Mazda factory rear finish panel, I don't know if it's just the one I have, or if all rear finish panels are like that. I had to modify the key hole & I had to shave down the edges of the finish panel where it meets the rear 3/4 panel (rear fenders). Also a pictured below the lines are all outta wack - good thing I'm molding-in the tails....





After a bit of fill & sand I went ahead and sprayed a quick layer of primer. I still need to smoothen it out a bit and finish it out proper. All in all I think I spent about $225-$250 on the finish panel, tail lights, body fill, primer, clear coat, sandpaper, filler applicators, extra hardener, and random hardware. Pic of where it stands at this point....







More body work to come....
 
#53 ·
Looks great!
 
#56 ·
Man, thanks guys! It's really cool to put in a ton of work into something that you, yourself, appreciate & other guys in the scene appreciate as well.


Phantomxrider - I found John's foam build thread. That guy is nuts with the foam! He did his a few months before I got mine done, but we took different paths to modify the lights. Kinda cool, we both had an idea to modify the light, but we never saw each others threads - lol! Man, I never thought I'd ever tell to anyone to buy altezza lights, but...
 
#58 ·
I got about an hour today to get back to work on the rear. I sanded out the areas to expose the low spots.



Another shot...



I'm really trying to get the rear totally smooth & painted & also get the trunk smooth/painted within the next 2 weeks. I'm gettin' kinda busy with other things, which is hindering progress.

I picked up a fender from an NA & a cowl/front window trim panel off an NB this past week. THe fender has a slight dent where it meets the bumper, but I think it's workable. The cowl looks like it's the same for an NB & NA, mine was broken at the passenger side.




pics of the dent, it's hard to see in pics... Sorry about the camera strap floating in the frame on the second pic...



I've got my eye open for a new steering wheel, I've grown sick of the diaper of a steering wheel that came from the factory. Any recommendations?
 
#60 ·
That is what is sitting in a box on my desk right now awaiting the arrival of my Works Bell hub. ;)
 
#62 ·
Thanks mang!


Prototipo. The end.
That is what is sitting in a box on my desk right now awaiting the arrival of my Works Bell hub. ;)
I can't lie, in my 10 minute search, the Prototipo struck me as the wheel to get. I noticed that it comes with either black or white stitching, no red? Kinda trivial, but I was hoping to get something that matches with the red stitching on the seats. Definitely not a deal breaker, but kinda' a downer...


Well, Monday night before I went to sleep I noticed that the local PnP had 2 Miata's on the lot. So Tuesday morning I dropped everything to scavenge what I could off them before they turn into carcasses. I picked up a straight trunk lid for $35 & 3 window/door trim pieces for $15. Why 3? One of them had the tabs ripped off, but it was in good condition otherwise. Either way the 3 I picked up are in far better condition than what's on my car now. I'm having a **** of a time sanding off the clearcoat on the back of the trunk - the stuff does not want off. I'm using 80 & 100 grits & doing it by hand with slow results. The paint on the top of the trunk was already faded & the clear was gone so sanding was a joke on that.

Pics of my booty... not what you think, pervs...




I smoothened out the tails/rear panel & sprayed a layer of primer, waiting for it to dry....


I'm no graffiti artist, but my spray can skill jumped like 10 points since I started this project.
 
#67 ·
That's what I like to hear, I need to decide which style I like more. They're all so damn' nice! I'm thinkin' I'll be ordering the a/c panel plate thing at the same time...


Well... bodywork continues....





I wanna get to a stopping point asap - the weather out here is too damn' nice to not be driving!
 
#68 ·
Got done with the rear 3/4! It's not perfect, but I'm no painter. I had huge runs in the clear that I tried to wetsand out, you can definitely see them... anyway pics...






One from a quick cruise to Starbucks...



I'm gonna commence bodywork next week, I need to rest & drive while it's nice outside...
 
#69 ·
Best DIY taillight mod ever.

I'd love to see a photoshop of the rear panel in all black or just the light housing in black.
 
#71 ·
Thanks bro!!!! THose are mighty words. Man, that'd be cool (blackout rear panel), unfortunately I lost Photoshop when my last laptop bit the dust. Maybe someone can help?



car is simply amazing bro! ive seen you around here in san antonio. looks crazy good! very different at the same time! cant wait to see more!
Snap bro - where in SA are ya? You're kinda lucky - I rarely cruise it out. Hit me on the PM's, I just saw your intro thread.
 
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