Skip to main content

Gently massage the rubber a few inches at a time with a heat gun on low.  A hair dryer on high might get it to move but it'll take a looong time.  Don't get too aggressive with the heat or the rubber will blister - you just want to warm it up about a foot at a time and then pull it straight away, rather than trying to slide it along the length of the aluminum piece.

Chris: Were you able to get the bumper aluminum deco ends to lay flat against the FG bumper?  In past builds, I've used a block of wood and a C' clamp to draw the aluminum down, occasionally a small gap would remain. My fix, a self-tap 5/15" hex head screws every 2" ( do a small pilot hole ) it draws down and the heads are hidden by the rubber deco strip. I used a cut off wheel to remove the screws extending through the back side of the bumper.

Last edited by Alan Merklin

@El Frazoo, yes, my brother was a great help.  And yes, I did give him the task of drilling into beautiful paint on new fiberglass.  In my earlier life, I was a big air cooled guy, but he was much more serious.  He spent three and a half years in Zuffenhausen in the late eighties, early nineties as an apprentice at Porsche.  But he could only be here one weekend so now I’m drilling holes in my rocker panels and bumper.   The CV joints and axles are EMPI, came in the hardware kit from Carey at Special Editions.  And yes, Saranac is a great NY beer.  Unfortunately I cannot find it in SC.

I recently had "some issue" with my left-side drive line, documented in another thread.  Long sad story having to do with loose castle nut.  Anyway, "while I was at it" I decided the CV joints needed to be replaced. I was not sure that the ones there (EMPI) were OK or not, but upon removal, it seemed to me not everything was kosher.  I shopped around and found a pair (Chinese made, but AB-SO-LUTELY, gauran-fking-teed to be better than OEM, finest possible materials used, exceeding all specs, and etc. etc.)  And a very favorable price where some other suppliers cost more and were "out of stock". Upon receipt, I had to admit they looked pretty good and I can say they turned very smoothly by hand vs. the EMPIs I took off.  So that was a hard lesson learned: those damn castle nuts need to be tight as can be, plus another 25 ft-lbs -- 250 is not too much, they say.  And retourqued from time to time as a maintenance item.  Just so you know.

PS and BTW: your car is gorgeous.

@DannyP yes, we are transplants from NY to SC.  I grew up in Duchess county, we raised our kids in Orange County in Cornwall, NY.  We love the Adirondacks, spent many Summers camping up there. We still visit on a regular basis as one of our daughters lives outside Albany.

Down here we spend a lot of time on the “upstate” of SC, that is the Northwest corner of the state.  Great driving roads there and into Western NC.

Another update.  Followed Alan’s advice and the front bumper trim went on much easier.



  93D92394-78AE-4319-9768-1031006AEAF55B97114C-D17E-498B-B7A5-0FED184BA7E0

Installed a floor jack in the spare tie well with leather straps to hold the tool kit.  Also added bracket and belt for spare tire.

718654B2-C0C1-4FB2-9C21-60DCBAE6B05E8F655551-9061-4506-8D61-30705F97C49B

Major milestone today, it is now registered and on the road in SC!

5D954113-A0C7-43C3-BE8E-040CB31DB3B6

I would like to thank everyone on this site who offered great advice and support, it is much appreciated.  Special thanks to Carey and the team at Special Edition for the great support.  And last but not least, thanks to @Lane Anderson with all of the assistance getting the engine installed.  

Attachments

Images (5)
  • 93D92394-78AE-4319-9768-1031006AEAF5
  • 5B97114C-D17E-498B-B7A5-0FED184BA7E0
  • 718654B2-C0C1-4FB2-9C21-60DCBAE6B05E
  • 8F655551-9061-4506-8D61-30705F97C49B
  • 5D954113-A0C7-43C3-BE8E-040CB31DB3B6

Lane, no problem, just let me know when you want to get together.

So, some observations after taking the car on a “confidence run” today.  I filled the tank, certainly tricky with the short filler neck `AWZtrying not to get any on the trunk carpet.  I think it was full but the fuel gauge only went between 1/2 and 3/4.  Probably cannot expect big accuracy when it is at the corner of the tank.  I put about 90 miles on it today, bringing the total to just over 100.  That’s more than some of the Speedsters sold on BAT…

Driving it at speed (two 30 minute legs of 65-80 mph) makes it clear that one is quite exposed to the elements.  It makes the Miata feel large and quiet.  

It is a blast to drive, very quick.  It has a great rush from 3,800 rpm to 5,000 when accelerating hard.  The webers sound very nice.  I was impressed with how much “push” I felt when hitting the gas while cruising at 75-80 mph.  80 mph is just over 3,600 rpm.  After arriving at work I got out to hear a dull roar, now I have confirmed that the oil cooler fan thermostat switch is functioning!  

Getting the mirror adjustment right is tricky, they are small mirrors and this car does not have any square edges for reference when backing up.  

Brakes are very good, not having power brakes brings back memories of my old beetles, though the four wheel disks on this car have much better bite.

When going over a bridge at speed in windy conditions, it did remind me a bit of sailing, the front feels light.  I have the tire pressures set at 28psi rear and 20 psi front.

Checking underneath, noticed some seepage from the valve covers onto the heater boxes.  The gaskets will get replaced in 200 miles when I do the 300 mile initial oil change and valve adjustment.

Lots of attention at the gas station and thumbs up from people in the street.  The car just makes people smile.  Looking forward to the madness!

36D4B969-2DC5-4ED0-A6A0-C8E46BA49B2A67AEE3ED-E8D9-4CC0-AE75-4121E7304773

Attachments

Images (2)
  • 36D4B969-2DC5-4ED0-A6A0-C8E46BA49B2A
  • 67AEE3ED-E8D9-4CC0-AE75-4121E7304773

So the typical 90 degree bent arm fuel float is notoriously inaccurate because of the way the tank is set in the frunk. As you discovered a full tank reads at a 1/2 tank and it won't move for a while then it takes off and seems to empty rather quickly. You can remove the sender/float assembly, bend the arm a little more and reinsert the float assembly so that it reads closer to full. Be careful though with the amount of fuel in the tank so it doesn't spill out if it's full. It might actually be easier to empty the tank and put in 2-3 gallons and get it to read empty. At least that way when you have 2-3 gallons left it will read empty but with a 2-3 gallon reserve and you'll want to go get fuel. You can do this with whatever amount of fuel makes you comfortable.

Last edited by Robert M

The reason I keep posting the how to eliminate the blind spot is that it is particularly handy with smaller mirrors like my VW GTI 2020 where they shrink them because you need to buy the BSM Blind spot monitor module.  but on my IM it works really well for me but then I have all my cars set up that way (helps to remember )  except the new Atlas 2023 where BSM blind spot works pretty well and seeing the side of the vehicle is imperative as VW has not yet figured out how to dip the mirror on the passenger side like my MDX Acura did in 2012.    BTW My 16 Honda Odyssey had side view mirror with a camera for lane changes.

Sometimes the Germans are asleep.

Last edited by IaM-Ray

Thanks Stan. That’s the perfect solution for my Spyder. For some reason, my lexan screen sits lower than most and any mirror that is dash mounted underneath it is too low to see over the hump in the clamshell. I’ve been contemplating drilling a hole through it to mount one at the top.

Since they’re so cheap, I think I’ll get the rectangular one, too, and see which one I prefer.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • mceclip0
Last edited by dlearl476

@IaM-Ray Thanks for mention, Ray!

On my previous VS, I used this detachable  mirror to eliminate passenger-side blind spots when I had my surfboard in the car. Click on pics to enlarge.

Mirror 1Speedster SurfboardMirror 2

On my currents VS, this is the detachable mirror I use when surfboard is in the car.

Mirror 3Speedster Surfboard 2

Both mirrors also helped eliminate passenger-side blind spots when the top is up (with or without side curtains).

Hope you find these visual references helpful.

Attachments

Images (5)
  • Mirror 1
  • Speedster Surfboard
  • Mirror 2
  • Mirror 3
  • Speedster Surfboard 2
@IaM-Ray posted:

The only other option is to install a 911 rear tail light pod but make it a camera of sorts and have a screen under the dash that flips up

I have a Rexing rearview mirror dashcam on my wife's SUV and putting the rear mount camera in the 911's tail light pod maybe an interesting way to get a full camera view in the Speedster.

This will eliminate any issues seeing what's behind, backing up, and it'll record any accidents both front and rear.  Interesting thought.

@dlearl476 posted:

Thanks Stan. That’s the perfect solution for my Spyder. For some reason, my lexan screen sits lower than most and any mirror that is dash mounted underneath it is too low to see over the hump in the clamshell. I’ve been contemplating drilling a hole through it to mount one at the top.

Since they’re so cheap, I think I’ll get the rectangular one, too, and see which one I prefer.

I got my mirrors today. The clip is kind of hard plastic so I’m going to put some of my vinyl protective tape over the edge of my windscreen, both to protect it and give it a softer surface to grip onto.

Also thinking the suction cup might work. It’s cheesy plastic, but it will work.  

Post Content
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×