My first car (Maisie) - '92 MX-5 feat. Sleepy eye mod tutorial!

[Frisky]

Hi guys, I got my first car today which was a present from my Grandad. It's a little MX5 with a few Eunos parts and a Momo wheel. It's not in perfect shape, but it's (mostly) rust free and is a project car as I'm only 16. My first job is to get a new back window (as it's lacking one ) or buy a hard-top, which my mum is kindly paying for. I need to get a job to fund the car though, I can't rely on the bank of mum forever! Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the talking, everyone loves pictures. (Excuse my phone's poor camera quality.)

Gonna give it a good wash tomorrow and see if I can find some decent wax. 👍
Thanks!

 

[carracerptp]

Nice, great car! Congrats.
The NA is a great first car, very fun to work on.

 

[Frisky]

Nice, great car! Congrats.
Then NA is a great first car, very fun to work on.

Thanks! I like your NA too, they do look good in black.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

Congratulations! Launching life the same way we launch our Gran Turismo profiles, eh?

Very nice. 👍

 

[Frisky]

Congratulations! Launching life the same way we launch our Gran Turismo profiles, eh?

Very nice. 👍

Hahaha, too right! Shame I have to pay insurance, unlike in GT6!

 

[GDII]

That's a great car for your first one. It should be fun, I've never driven one but I hear they are.

 

[Frisky]

That's a great car for your first one. It should be fun, I've never driven one but I hear they are.

Thanks mate, means a lot because I'm a big fan of your SW20

 

[GDII]

Thanks. I'm quite jealous of your valve cover. So clean and bright.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

Awesome to see another Miata as a first car! I own one too, and it's a blast. Probably the best first car a car enthusiast can get, and one of the best sports cars you can buy as well. Have fun!

 

[Frisky]

So, I managed to get my hands on some polish/wax. It really did bring out that red colour, it was like a matte salmon pink before.
102K miles and still running strong!

Shot of the interior, needs some TLC especially round the centre console. It has an aftermarket radio which works too.

Only had time to polish the hood, front, and boot. Not bad to say this is the first time I've polished a car in my life

Boot was by far the grubbiest, this car has a lot of stone chips.

Quite happy with the result actually!

I'm thinking of replacing the whole roof with a hardtop? What d'ya think?

 

[homeforsummer]

I'm thinking of replacing the whole roof with a hardtop? What d'ya think?

Depends what you want from the car.

I like the idea of having a hardtop for winter, but ever since owning my MX-5 I've been jealous of other convertible drivers, without fail, every time summer comes along and I don't have a car where the roof comes off.

You could remove the hard-top of course, but that can be a bit of a pain in the arse as you need somewhere to store such a big thing. And when I had mine, I did drive roofless in the winter occasionally too, just because it's fun and the heater is more than strong enough to make up for cold air whistling into the cabin.

By all means buy a hardtop, but I'd not scrap the regular roof entirely. Sometimes it's just nice to drive around with the top down yet have one there just in case it starts raining. And since you're in the UK, it will start raining...

On the other hand, if you like the MX-5 but really aren't fussed about convertibles and always wanted a coupe, go for it. You'd be insane, but it takes all sorts to make the world go round

 

[Frisky]

Depends what you want from the car.

I like the idea of having a hardtop for winter, but ever since owning my MX-5 I've been jealous of other convertible drivers, without fail, every time summer comes along and I don't have a car where the roof comes off.

You could remove the hard-top of course, but that can be a bit of a pain in the arse as you need somewhere to store such a big thing. And when I had mine, I did drive roofless in the winter occasionally too, just because it's fun and the heater is more than strong enough to make up for cold air whistling into the cabin.

By all means buy a hardtop, but I'd not scrap the regular roof entirely. Sometimes it's just nice to drive around with the top down yet have one there just in case it starts raining. And since you're in the UK, it will start raining...

On the other hand, if you like the MX-5 but really aren't fussed about convertibles and always wanted a coupe, go for it. You'd be insane, but it takes all sorts to make the world go round

Hmm, The current hood is pretty tatty and I'm not sure how long it'd last. But I saw a 25th Anni. NA at my local Mazda dealership, and that had a hard top and it looks pretty nice. I like the idea of being able to put the roof up when I leave the car, but can the original hood really stand up to the winter wind and rain?

 

[homeforsummer]

can the original hood really stand up to the winter wind and rain?

Yup, as old convertibles go the MX-5 is pretty leak-free. Mine used to dribble a bit in really heavy rain or as snowfall melted off it, but that was with a hood that wasn't in A1 condition. With a brand new hood, and the new seals that entails, I expect it wouldn't really be an issue.

Obviously you'd be advised not to pressure wash it, but that's just common sense. As far as regular weather conditions go you should stay fairly dry.

The other thing you do have to consider is security. A hard top does make the car slightly more secure. How much I'm not sure - my old MX-5 got stolen, but the thief hadn't so much ripped the hood as basically pulled the side window back a bit and got something into the car to unlock it. A hard top does mean someone can't stick a knife through the roof just to be an arse, but on the flip side if you go out for a roofless drive having removed the soft top and park it somewhere, you'll have even less security...

 

[Frisky]

Yup, as old convertibles go the MX-5 is pretty leak-free. Mine used to dribble a bit in really heavy rain or as snowfall melted off it, but that was with a hood that wasn't in A1 condition. With a brand new hood, and the new seals that entails, I expect it wouldn't really be an issue.

Obviously you'd be advised not to pressure wash it, but that's just common sense. As far as regular weather conditions go you should stay fairly dry.

The other thing you do have to consider is security. A hard top does make the car slightly more secure. How much I'm not sure - my old MX-5 got stolen, but the thief hadn't so much ripped the hood as basically pulled the side window back a bit and got something into the car to unlock it. A hard top does mean someone can't stick a knife through the roof just to be an arse, but on the flip side if you go out for a roofless drive having removed the soft top and park it somewhere, you'll have even less security...

Ah man, some people are arses, sorry about your MX5. I thought about the security thing too, it's a hard decision because a new hood or roof are around the same price. The ability to put the roof down in a seconds at traffic lights might just be too good to lose. I reckon I'll keep the soft top for now.

What do we think about de-badging?

 

[homeforsummer]

a new hood or roof are around the same price

I've not looked at prices for some time, but I'd be very surprised if that's the case. When I last checked, you could get a new vinyl hood, fitted, for around £250. A hard top though was upwards of £500, and I might even be being generous with that figure.

What do we think about de-badging?

Depends on the look. I don't mind badges on the back of cars, and on a standard, original car they're all part of the look. But if you went for a more retro appearance then de-badging would work pretty well.

 

[Frisky]

I've not looked at prices for some time, but I'd be very surprised if that's the case. When I last checked, you could get a new vinyl hood, fitted, for around £250. A hard top though was upwards of £500, and I might even be being generous with that figure.

Depends on the look. I don't mind badges on the back of cars, and on a standard, original car they're all part of the look. But if you went for a more retro appearance then de-badging would work pretty well.

I've found roofs on eBay for around 300, although they aren't in particularly good condition. The vinyl hoods I'm looking at are brand new, mowhair/mohair ones tend to be a lot more expensive but look quite nice.

Gonna finish polishing the rest of the car tomorrow, and finally doing the inside, it has a lot of sand in for some reason?! Expect more pics

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, after posting I had a look at eBay and I have to say, hard tops are cheaper than they used to be, perhaps because more and more MX-5s are being broken for parts.

Mohair does get quite expensive but it's a bit of an investment. Looks better, it's higher quality and should last longer if looked after. Also doesn't go hard in cold weather so it remains easy to open the roof!

Incidentally, given your location you're perfectly placed for MX-5 City. You're probably unaware but I've written a book on MX-5s, and MX-5 City was hugely helpful when I was researching it. Would thoroughly recommend them if you ever need work doing to it.

 

[Frisky]

Yeah, after posting I had a look at eBay and I have to say, hard tops are cheaper than they used to be, perhaps because more and more MX-5s are being broken for parts.

Mohair does get quite expensive but it's a bit of an investment. Looks better, it's higher quality and should last longer if looked after. Also doesn't go hard in cold weather so it remains easy to open the roof!

Incidentally, given your location you're perfectly placed for MX-5 City. You're probably unaware but I've written a book on MX-5s, and MX-5 City was hugely helpful when I was researching it. Would thoroughly recommend them if you ever need work doing to it.

Yeah MX5 City is extremely close to me, they were where I was getting my prices from I'll definitely check out your book! Thanks for helping with my questions by the way! 👍

 

[Frisky]

Just completed the sleepy eye mod, I'll post some pictures and a little tutorial later, just incase anybody wants to try it!

Later on:
For this version of the sleepy eye mod you don't need any tools, this is extremely easy to do.

First, you want to find your fuse box and open it, just give it a good pull and it should come off easily.

Now, you need to pull out the one called 'HEAD 30A' different MX5's have them in different places so make sure you look at the diagram on the fuse box. Removing this also removes your ability to use the pop up lights, but they don't light anything up anyway.

Now we get to the fun bit! above the pop up lights there should be a tubular component with a rubber cap on. Remove the rubber cap and start twisting the red knob clockwise. Doing this should raise your lights. Once you've done this to the other light, you can close the bonnet and see how it looks.

Here's a couple of pictures of a very sleepy Maisie

If you want to get your lights back and reverse the process, just put the fuse back in it's place and the car's computer will recognise that the lights need to be down and will instantly adjust, so make sure you don't lose the fuse!
Hope this helps! 👍

Update: We own a bit of land where the MX5 is so I gave it a little drive. I got a bit carried away and got it sideways (loose gravel) and I'm still smiling it did give a bit of a funny smell, but it hasn't been driven in 9 months so I think it's fine. I also noticed that it doesnt have an LSD, someone obvioulsy scrimped on that!

Naughty Maisie!

 

[homeforsummer]

I also noticed that it doesnt have an LSD, someone obvioulsy scrimped on that!

UK 1.6s didn't have LSDs. I can't even recall whether the 1.8 did or whether it came in with the NB.

Eunos Roadsters do have LSDs though, viscous on the 1.6 and Torsen on the 1.8. Or the other way around. I can't remember.

Also, sleepy eyes?

 

[Frisky]

UK 1.6s didn't have LSDs. I can't even recall whether the 1.8 did or whether it came in with the NB.

Eunos Roadsters do have LSDs though, viscous on the 1.6 and Torsen on the 1.8. Or the other way around. I can't remember.

Also, sleepy eyes?

Ah, never knew that. The guy it was from had a black JDM Eunos import. I've actually got the radiator from that, apparently it has two fans, the extra one is for AC that I don't have. I'm still waiting on the shiny yellow strut bar he promised me, along with an assortment of body panels. Don't worry, the lights are back to normal, I just wanted to see what she looked like

 

[Frisky]

Back again, managed to get my hands on an adjustable strut brace and a few body parts. I had to un-bolt the air filter to put it on, but it was relatively easy. Here's a cheeky pic of the strut brace, pictures of a few body parts will come shortly 👍

Looks sexy if I do say so myself. Need a K&N air filter cone now, then she'll be looking sweet. Not keen on paying £100 for one though.

 

[carracerptp]

Back again, managed to get my hands on an adjustable strut brace and a few body parts. I had to un-bolt the air filter to put it on, but it was relatively easy. Here's a cheeky pic of the strut brace, pictures of a few body parts will come shortly 👍

View attachment 210510
Looks sexy if I do say so myself. Need a K&N air filter cone now, then she'll be looking sweet. Not keen on paying £100 for one though.

Have you give the bar a good test? I was looking at them and it seems ( based on suspension geometry ) a stock car may just understeer more with one on.

But still, it looks nice, are you going to paint it red ( or black ) so it matches or leave it yellow for the contrast?

 

[Frisky]

Have you give the bar a good test? I was looking at them and it seems ( based on suspension geometry ) a stock car may just understeer more with one on.

But still, it looks nice, are you going to paint it red ( or black ) so it matches or leave it yellow for the contrast?

Oh, I haven't tested it yet, no. I've read that they were a pretty good and cheap modification to do which is why I did it. It's be hard for me to tell anyway, I only have a relatively small area to drive around on. I might powder coat it red in the future, but I think that it looks alright in yellow for now.

 

[Clark]

@homeforsummer I have two friends with MX5s and one has an Na with a factory fit Torsen LSD.

Upon asking my other MX5 friend he told me that the Torsen came on 1.8s from '97 onwards.

 

[Frisky]

A day of doing little jobs today. I took out the front and back reflectors and gave them a good clean. The front ones had a rubber gasket which seemed to have melted inside or something, gave them a good clean and they fit back in nicely. I had a look through my spare panels and found a left headlight cover that was nicer than the one on there. So I went about fitting that, taking the black cover off, then the actual panel itself which had very rusty bolts. I didn't have a socket small enough so I used an 8mm spanner, needless to say it took a good 40 minutes. I kept wiggling the spanner to clean the thread on the bolt as I was taking them off. I got to the last bolt, then:

Ugh, you can see how rusty they were though. Anyway, I sprayed the rest with WD40 and put them back on. That's all for today 👍

 

[carracerptp]

A day of doing little jobs today. I took out the front and back reflectors and gave them a good clean. The front ones had a rubber gasket which seemed to have melted inside or something, gave them a good clean and they fit back in nicely. I had a look through my spare panels and found a left headlight cover that was nicer than the one on there. So I went about fitting that, taking the black cover off, then the actual panel itself which had very rusty bolts. I didn't have a socket small enough so I used an 8mm spanner, needless to say it took a good 40 minutes. I kept wiggling the spanner to clean the thread on the bolt as I was taking them off. I got to the last bolt, then:

View attachment 210902

Ugh, you can see how rusty they were though. Anyway, I sprayed the rest with WD40 and put them back on. That's all for today 👍

Get new bolts!

Really, WD40 won't help now, maybe some anti seize. Still get new bolts and or washers so you will not just keep snapping them ( I speak from experience ).

 

[Roo]

Re: Security - it would be worth thinking about getting a Disclok. Whilst it's £85 to buy, last week I saved £48 on my car insurance for a year just by mentioning I'd bought and fitted one.

 

[Frisky]

Get new bolts!

Really, WD40 won't help now, maybe some anti seize. Still get new bolts and or washers so you will not just keep snapping them ( I speak from experience ).

Yeah, they're in pretty rough condition, WD40 will have to do for now until I can find those specific bolts.

Re: Security - it would be worth thinking about getting a Disclok. Whilst it's £85 to buy, last week I saved £48 on my car insurance for a year just by mentioning I'd bought and fitted one.

Hmm, definitely sounds like that's worth looking into. We probably have one laying around anyway, thanks 👍

 

[Frisky]

Just been down the tracks and taken these, needs a good clean again though!
Enjoy!