MatosMiata

Jan 13 2018

I also took my heater core out since it was bypassed by the previous owners. I wanted to see if it needed replacing or just a patching. Seemed to be the bit of hose that was holding one of the pipes was swollen, so I replaced it. The core itself has no damage.



PF160 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Some mods were needed for the thicker hose to fit

PF161 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



PF162 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



This being such an old car, the foam on one of the HVAC clamps was breaking off, so I replaced it with chemically resistant air hose lol!

PF163 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



It came on much tighter and worked better than before. Plus, this hose will not go bad the way the foam did.

PF164 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



This meant I could finally use the two OEM heater hoses that came with the kit I got from Moss years ago [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]

PF165 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF172 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

Gee Emm

Are you sure the reason that the PO bypassed the heater wasn't that the core was leaking? FWIW I would not put a core that looks like that back in the car unless I had pressure tested it, and if it looks like an old core, I'd just replace it anyway. IMHO replacing heater cores is not the funnest part of working on cars, but YMMV.

MatosMiata

The core had no damage. I put it back in and it has been working without issue the last few years.

MatosMiata

Jan 13 2018

With the core sorted, in went the dash

PF167 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF168 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF169 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF170 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



I also tossed in some freshly painted interior pieces

PF171 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



PF173 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



PF178 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF179 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



and cleaned up my filthy mirror

PF176 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF177 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 13 2018

I also added fuel hose to my windshield washer setup, connecting the two sprayers in the middle(parallel) with a T-fitting such that they spray evenly. The factory setup connects them in series, so the driver's side always has a slightly weaker spray. Added fresh washer fluid, tested the setup, and achieved success!

PF175 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



PF174 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 13 2018

Unfortunately, upon putting all my tools away, I stared at my Miata parts pile and made a horrifying discovery. I had forgotten to reinstall the ducting for the AC that goes under the dash! So... the dash must come back out. However, I had also discovered that the copper tube from my heater core was actually leaking from the top now (hairline fracture), so this will give me the opportunity to replace it with a rubber hose. Despite what you will read on the forums, you do NOT want to work on a Miata heater core without removing the dash.

MatosMiata

Jan 15 2018

I came home from work and quickly removed the dash. The AC ducts are now on. Now, I just need to fix the issue with the cracked tube on the heater core and I can reinstall everything.

PF180 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 18 2018

Keeping the project going, I found more cracked plastic: the glove box. So I patched it out back as I did with the dash. I also ran some epoxy in the front seam.

PF181 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Moving beyond that, I got the dash in and started putting the column bolts in first, big mistake. Make sure that you bolt your dash in before doing the column. Otherwise, the alignment of these bolts will be off and they will feel as if they are going in but will just ruin the thread in the hole and on themselves. I could not believe how soft these bolts are! I ended up having to repair the thread from the opposite side as I could not get the repair tap in from the bottom. This also required cutting out the useless plastic structure under the hood as it was in the way. I ran the bolts through a die to clean their threads up as well.

PF182 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



With that fixed, I was able to get the bolts in

PF183 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 18 2018

That's that, hopefully I get some time this weekend so I can finish the interior up.

PF184 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 23 2018

I spent Saturday with the girlfriend and Sunday was the first autocross out in the Camaro. Needless to say, no Miata work was done this weekend lol. Here are some pictures from the event, enjoy!



A pic my friend snapped of me on course

C1 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Some of the cars in my squad (from Camaro onward, don't know the jetta behind it)

C2 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



A couple of guys I wouldn't mind making friends with

C3 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

C4 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

I really wish the Performante had run in the event!



Some heavily modded Subarus

C5 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Porsche GT4

C6 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



My two friends in run group 3

C7 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 23 2018

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming. This weekend, I'm hoping to do the sound deadening on my doors, install the bluetooth mic and put the pillar trim back in, bleed the coolant, diagnose why the compressor isn't coming on, and clean my window cranks(the shop covered them in overspray smh).

MatosMiata

Jan 27 2018

Having cut the little bars on the top dash vents out, I needed something to replace them, so I made these

PF185 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF186 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF187 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



I placed them about 3 inches apart

PF188 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Here is the finished product, I may print more out to fill the area more fully

PF189 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 27 2018

Another area I started fixing is the doors. I decided to sound deaden them the same way I did with the doors on my truck

PF190 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Test fit the speaker

PF191 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 27 2018

Then, I set about relocating the bluetooth mic. The wire for the old mic became brittle and broke somehow. The old location on the column was also hit and miss for call quality and I wanted to set the mic on the pillar. So, I drilled the pillar trim to the size of the mic mount and epoxied it to the back. The first epoxy I tried didn't adhere well to the pillar so I scored the surfaces with an Xacto knife and used the white epoxy I had used during the dash repair.

PF192 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF193 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF194 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 27 2018I then ran the cable and finished modifying the pillar by making a hole and slit in order to run the wire

PF195 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



The finished product

PF196 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 28 2018

Having completed that, I went and bled the coolant. The system leaked some fluid when I disconnected the bypass and re-integrated the heater core, so it was likely to have some air bubbles. It was cool to take it outside and place it next to the Camaro. I loved seeing my two white sports cars together.

PF197 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF198 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



I followed the standard Miata.net procedure for bleeding the coolant (running the car with no cap on the radiator so it would overflow periodically whilst cycling the fan on and off) and got it sorted in a short while

PF199 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

PF200 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



From there, I poured the remaining coolant into the reservoir

PF201 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 28 2018After that, I started doing the sound deadening on the passenger door, trying a different approach with it in order to guarantee a cleaner outcome.

PF202 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



That was how I ended my Saturday. Now, I need to replace the crash pad for the dash(damaged it upon removal), and obtain a new window regulator for the passenger's side (the wire to the window crank snapped somehow smh).

PF203 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 31 2018

My friend agreed to convince his little brother to trade me the crash pad off his Miata in exchange for mine in suede, so I wrapped mine in suede. I had already removed the cracked vinyl. I sanded the foam a bit and reshaped some areas to make it more friendly to wrap.

PF204 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Here it is coated in headliner adhesive

PF205 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



The finished product

PF206 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



I placed it in front of my dash to see if I like the all suede look, I'm not set on it. I'll probably still trade for the vinyl.

PF207 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Jan 31 2018

In order to convince my friend's brother to trade, I had to do the top of the door panels as well. So, I peeled the vinyl off mine and wrapped them in suede as well.



PF208 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



The curves weren't all that hard to do. Just make sure to press the material into this section before pressing down the rest.

PF209 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Here they are with the window trim on

PF210 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Now, they sit in my pile of Miata parts until I have some time to drive over and trade.

PF211 by Jose Matos, on Flickr

MatosMiata

Feb 6 2018

I threw the suede parts in the trunk and headed over to my friend's house to get the swap done

PF214 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



It was kind of sad to see these nice parts in this jank Miata lol, it reduces their luster. I almost wish I had kept them

PF215 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



Anywho, I got the parts I came for. I washed them at home and hit them with black shoe wax. Then, they sat in my Miata parts pile.

PF216 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



My garage is such a junkyard right now. I may sell this Probax Elise seat. Shoot me an offer if interested.

PF217 by Jose Matos, on Flickr



This same friend had once asked me to rescue his wife, who was stranded with a flat tire while he was at work. Since she had an EG Civic at the time, I was able to use my Miata's spare to get her home. Years later, he provided me this nicer condition spare, with a brand new tire [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]

PF218 by Jose Matos, on Flickr