Some actual progress on my Miata build

"CKeffer" (KefferCameron)
02/06/2015 at 09:56 • Filed to: None

Ok, finally a progress post rather than just pics of parts lying around in my house. Mostly what I've been working on has been getting the suspension, bushings, and zerk fittings installed. However I've also currently got the interior pulled apart including the driver seat completely disassembled due to the foamectomy I performed on it, and also have the IM taken apart so I can clean it out and hopefully not have to replace the EGR solenoid. I'll get into all the other stuff going on in the car in another post, in this one I'll be focusing on the suspension work I've been doing as well as showing a few shots of the car in her current hovercar mode.

So, lets start with disassembly.

And we found out later (after acquiring a rattle gun), that someone who previously worked on this car put thread locker on the damn suspension bolts!

Eventually we did get the thing taken apart, then it was time to use my new toy to get the bushings out

12 ton hydraulic shop press, holy crap this thing makes the job so easy and is worth every penny

Nice new poly bushings waiting to go in, but we don't want then to squeak in 6 months to a year, so we'll need to modify the controll arms a bit

drilling and tapping holes for...

Zerk fittings! These wonderful little things let you attach a grease gun to them and inject grease into the bushings without having to take anything apart.

1 down....a bunch more to go. For such a little car it sure does have a bunch of control arms (8 in total).

Press out the old soft rubber ones so we can make room for the new poly ones!

Time to start putting stuff back together.

And what are brothers for if you can't put them to work every now and again?

One corner done, 3 more to go!

Fronts are done too!

shot of the engine bay in it's current state

Also decided to pull the poor plastidip job the PO did on the wheels off

Ah, that's why he did it....looks like I'll be cleaning them up and giving them a good coat of paint. I'm thinking that a glossy metallic gunmetal will look good with

this color plastidip, how bout y'all?

That's what I've got for now, Should have the rear brakes done this weekend as well as that IM cleaned and buttoned back up. So, I'll try and post pics of that next week.

DISCUSSION (14)

MonkeePuzzle > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 10:04

awesome! not looking forward to doing bushings on my car. congrats, I'm guessing a good car has just been made better :D

Scary__goongala! > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 10:07

cool idea with the zerk fittings. My NA really needs a suspension overhaul. What are your plans for the interior since you have it all ripped out?

CKeffer > Scary__goongala!
02/06/2015 at 10:18

pretty much just clean it up really well then reinstall it. The car will be seeing a good bit of road trip duty with my wife and I out to the hill country, so a stripped interior isn't really an option.

CKeffer > MonkeePuzzle
02/06/2015 at 10:23

That is the general idea; Take the things that make the miata great and improve them without totally sacraficing comfort. The car is going to be firmer to sure, but I didn't go crazy with super stiff springs, and the dampers are set to a relatively soft setting for now. As for the bushings, I highly suggest a press like mine, makes the job actually pretty quick and painless. Got mine on Amazon for ~$170 and it had free shipping (hooray Amazon Prime), which is less than a shop would charge me to do the job for me. It'll be getting a small bump in power this year from the full exhaust and intake cam I have coming my way, but nothing crazy for a while (that said a supercharger is in the plans eventually, just not for a while).

Scary__goongala! > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 10:25

Gotcha. I plan on making door cards for mine to clean up the looks a little and ditch the door pockets. Mine just collect trash.

CKeffer > Scary__goongala!
02/06/2015 at 10:29

this year, aside from the cleanup, I've got a Kenwood bluetooth headunit, and a pair of Kenwood 3 way door speakers going in. Nothing crazy, just something to be able to play music on road trips. I'm thinking of possibly picking up a FRP panel for the parcel shelf that's made to accept the same kind of speakers too. Best part about that one is that the carpet will still fit over it normally and thus look totally stock.

MonkeePuzzle > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 10:33

that is a deal, doubles the price of just the bushings, but certainly would speed things up.

well not until summer anyway.

CKeffer > MonkeePuzzle
02/06/2015 at 10:42

Trust me, tried doing it without the press several times,and had only frustration and broken hardware to show for it, this though got it done in an afternoon with no fuss. If you were in Houston, I'd say bring the stuff you need pressed over and just use mine.

Nothing > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 11:14

Fun times, I did mine this summer on the Miata. I took me a while to find the source of a mysterious clunk. I noticed the rear upright bushings were completely shot on both sides. As to how I didn't notice it when I did either the brakes or swapped out the suspension, I don't know.

It's a good deal firmer now.

I've got a big order on the way, ACT flywheel, clutch kit, timing belt, water pump, other odds and ends. My suspension work is done for now. Seems we have a lot of similar parts on the car, just checking out your prior post. Mine's an NA, though.

With the 70 degree weather today and tomorrow, I'm going to head out to the garage and begin prep for the engine pull. Colorado winters are fun.

CKeffer > Nothing
02/06/2015 at 11:23

Ugh, it's in the low 40's here right now or I'd be in the garage at the moment working on finishing up the rear brakes (got an unexpected day off due to an issue with the FoST requiring me to take it to the dealer this morning unexpectedly). And yeah I've got a bunch of parts on the way for this year too, can't wait to have the car done and back on the road, should be a ton of fun to drive now that it has a proper suspension and good tires under it rather than the worn out stock shocks, and worn out crappy touring tires. The bump in power should be nice too, though I'm not expecting anything huge on that front.

Nothing > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 11:59

So we're both FoST and Miata owners. Good taste in cars.

MonkeePuzzle > CKeffer
02/06/2015 at 13:15

I was thinking that come summer I may have to find a local jalop with the right gear to help me

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > CKeffer
02/09/2015 at 08:22

That zerk idea is awesome. I really want some poly bushings, but people always tell me they squeak.

CKeffer > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
02/09/2015 at 09:32

Thanks, I wish I could take credit for the idea, but it's pretty well documented with guys that track miatas. Poly bushings only squeak when they aren't greased enough, and they need to be regreased every 6 months to a year depending on usage and climate. So, guys who track miatas have taken to adding the zerk fittings so they don't have to pull their suspension entirely apart in order to assure everything is properly lubed up. It's pretty easy to do, but you do need to ensure proper clearance for the fittings under full compression and droop so you don't sheer them off with use.