Kims NB8A

kimsbored · Postby **kimsbored** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:58 pm

G'day guys,

Again I'll say a huge thanks to all of the members here, I was obsessively reading as many threads as I could for a few weeks before taking the plunge and buying the mx5, mainly because I was agonising between this and them MR2.

But I have to admit, the more I read and looked at the car, the more I liked the mx5.

I've just bought a 99 NB8A in silver (or highlight grey?). Of course it was raining on and off for almost the entire week after I bought it. Still, I have to admit I have been extremely happy with it. Find myself smiling just sitting inside lol.

It appears to be in good mechanical condition, moderate mileage with 160 odd thousand kms, but importantly with FSH. The body has a few small scratches and dings, but otherwise is ok.

One of the first things I did was make sure the drain tubes weren’t clogged. One was good, the other had a little bit of crud which was cleared with the very gentle prodding of a chopstick lol.

The soft top is vinyl with glass window. After almost a week in the rain there are no signs of leakage anywhere inside the cabin or in the boot. It is a little faded and in need of reconditioning, and I am waiting on my 303 protectant and cleaner to arrive in the mail. The demister is working well.

Briefly thought about restoring the colour with ‘Forever Black vinyl dye’ but will give it a good clean first and see how it goes.

I am also waiting on other supplies at the moment so that I can change all of the fluids for my piece of mind. Have the redline MT90, 75W90, mazda oil filter + filter wrench coming in the mail, and will pick up some synthetic engine oil once everything else arrives.

Other things on the ‘to do’ list include restoring the yellowed headlight lenses and then to do some basic tall guy mods.

I haven’t dríven it hard yet, been getting a feel for the dynamics of the car. It is my first rear wheel drive car (apart from a 1975 Mercedes 280S) and I am seriously considering taking up some defensive driving lessons just to make sure I know what to do if things go awry.

Pics to follow

Kim

Old Dude · Postby **Old Dude** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:05 pm

Welcome Kim, you sound like you have some good plans for the car and yourself

I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as the rest of us here do

Cheers
Dale

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:37 pm

kimsbored wrote:I was agonising between this and them MR2.

Must admit to being tempted by a mid to late 90s Bathurst model MR2, but I've heard engine access is a bit of an issue. So while a 2 litre 3S-GE motor would be nice, I think the MX5 is a better all rounder.

kimsbored · Postby **kimsbored** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:09 pm

Yeah the limited access was definitely an important negative, I enjoy tinkering around so luckily I've seen the light!

japester · Postby **japester** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:16 pm

I did the headlights on my nb8a, which has also suffered through the ravages of Perth sun
Writeup is over here
In short, do it! It's a cheap thing to do, and your headlights will love you!

The mx5 is a very nice, and very playful car. I was considering an mr2 as well, but after discovering that one of my workmates had one, and we talked about them, the mx5 was definitely a better choice for me.

kimsbored · Postby **kimsbored** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:52 pm

hehe would you believe I actually already have your headlight thread bookmarked

I'll be picking up the kit sometime this week. Hopefully they'll be in stock somewhere.

The thing I will have to be conscious of is not to rush the process, I can imagine I will be itching to hop back into the car for a drive.

kimsbored · Postby **kimsbored** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:39 am

303!

Used the cleaner and a soft horse hair brush, left it to completely dry before applying the protectant.

Before

Half-half

All done

Also managed to get the seat foamectomy done.
Didn't take photos during, but the aftermath remains.
I shaved about an inch from the backrest, and just trimmed some from the bottom of the seat cushion, using an electric knife.
Seat feels comfy and I think it's made a bit of a difference, but I may trim a little bit more from the backrest

I've got an idea for 'thinning' the door pulls to give my right leg some more clearance, will have to get my hands on a spare drivers side door pull to see if it will work.
Do any Perth guys know any autowreckers in Perth that stock parts for the mx5?
I called 4 from the yellowpages which were supposed to stock mazda parts, but none had any for the mx5.

japester · Postby **japester** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:53 am

kimsbored wrote:hehe would you believe I actually already have your headlight thread bookmarked

Also managed to get the seat foamectomy done.

I've got an idea for 'thinning' the door pulls to give my right leg some more clearance, will have to get my hands on a spare drivers side door pull to see if it will work.

Headlights - brilliant! Glad my work is helping others already.

Door pulls - you might be luckier talking with some of the guys who've stripped their cars for track work. Door trim is just excess weight to them

The internal door cover comes off very easily, but I've not pulled the armrest assembly off mine. Thinking about it, with the right tools, it shouldn't be that hard, just be careful to not cut the vinyl as you trim excess foam away.

There is also a thread somewhere here, of some lads who have removed the armrest completely, and just have straps to pull the door closed. If you're tall, then I'm guessing the armrest may also in the wrong place for you. A completely flat internal door might fit better?

Sounds very much like tinkering with the '5 is just right for you. You will fit in well here, with this crowd.

kimsbored · Postby **kimsbored** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:22 pm

I've checked out some of the door panel threads, there's been some really nice custom work done.

At this stage I'm going to try and keep things as simple as possible, in terms of not making custom panels etc.

I've got a spare door pull on the way, and the plan would be to remove almost all of the ?abs plastic? underneath the leather, which gives it the shape.Keep the very top and bottom bits which mount into the door trim. Thread some thin chain or wire cables between the 2 to give it strength, and then reinstall it to have a 'collapsible' but externally stock appearing door pull.

Maybe it will work, or it will turn out like rubbish, but that's why I'm getting a spare to play with first hehe.