Wheeeee.

"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
12/17/2018 at 10:11 • Filed to: None

I’m going to look at a Miata this afternoon . It’s a mint looking !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , looks pretty mint too.

I did some numbers too, it be way cheaper to run overall (S treet/Auto-X).

DISCUSSION (15)

Nick Has an Exocet > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:21

Snazzy. One of us! One of us!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:22

And you’ll get rid of the juke or keep it?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
12/17/2018 at 10:24

At the rate the Juke is eating my money (in electrical issues ) it will probably go, The Miata would also be 1/2 the running cost for consumables.

WilliamsSW > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:24

If there’s really no rust ( gotta crawl under it to check it out) you should just do it!

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > WilliamsSW
12/17/2018 at 10:26

The door jambs look pretty good, I have a PPI on it.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:27

whoa. Big moment!

WilliamsSW > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:28

Great! Good luck- hope it works out!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:34

What steering wheel is that? Also, pretty rare to find a used Miata for sale with decent looking aftermarket wheels on it rather than stupid ones. Nice find, looks pretty clean. I am not a fan of 1.6 , its just too slow but its really a moot point since its not like the 1.8 is a rocket. Since it is a 1990, there are a few well documented issues with the earlier NAs. You should probably look into the Shortnose crank issue since that one is the biggest I can think of. If not corrected, it can be a bit of a headache. I believe its not too hard to fix though.

Tapas > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 10:46

OOoh the want is strong!

I want to get one too! Just need to save up again...

Aremmes > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/17/2018 at 10:47

That’s the stock non-airbag steering wheel. As for the crank nose issue, a workaround exists that consists of installing a new Woodruff key, crank bolt, and crank gear with red Loctite .

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Aremmes
12/17/2018 at 11:00

Sweet, you found the links without me having to go look lol. But yup, that is exactly it!

I guess the non-airbag wheel is a Canadian market thing? I think all of the USDM ones have the giant gen1 airbag ugly wheel. That looks pretty sweet though, i kind of want that wheel on a future Miata!

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Aremmes
12/17/2018 at 11:18

My mentor owned a miata shop. The workaround is only a bandaid fix that may, or may not, buy some time (and you’re still out the cost of a timing belt job to maybe buy that time). The only actual fix for a bad keyway is welding and machining a new key way or a new crank, and at that point either way you’ve spent more than a new crate motor to pull apart and rebuild. The only solution to that problem that makes any financial sense is not buying a short-nose crank car or swapping in a later engine.

Aremmes > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
12/17/2018 at 11:33

Agreed, hence why I called it a workaround and not a fix like in the linked page. I would also doubt the durability of this workaround if it used JB Weld or some other high-strength adhesive.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/17/2018 at 11:34

That looks pretty good, but be wary if that is an early short-nose crank car. My mechanical mentor owned a miata shop. The bandaid fix to that problem is just that, and it may or may not buy some time. The only solutions to that problem are welding and machining a new keyway or a new crank, either of which you’re out more than the cost of a crate motor to pull apart and rebuild. The only solutions that make any financial sense are not buying a short-nose crank car, or buying a non-running one for cheap with a junk engine and swapping in a later motor.

Aside from that, use the usual miata failure points as negotiating leverage: Pull back the boot on the clutch slave cylinder and note the leaked fluid behind it (if it hasn’t been done recently, its leaking). They require rebuilding (easy and super cheap) or replacement (easier and still cheap) every few years. Pull the center console and note torn shifter boots. They also only last a few years at a time on a miata, and they’re super cheap and easy to fix. Last time I did them on one of our miatas, it was ~$70 for the set of inner and outer boots.

If that is an LSD car, the diff warrants a close inspection. The viscous LSD on 1.6 cars wasn’t ideal, in either performance or longevity. Eventually the viscous assembly fails (and it will, later on a street car, and much, much sooner on a track car) and the contamination will take the rest of the diff out with it. If that in an LSD car , assume it will need a diff swap at some point in its future (which also provides the opportunity to add the rear sub frame bracing not present on 1.6 cars) .

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Nick Has an Exocet
12/17/2018 at 11:48

You think I be on here this long & not cave?