Newbie Coming Through!

[thenewvessel]

Miatas are fun little cars to drive but only if they`re manual


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Definitely. Especially when they have a V8


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[Arrow]

I have a `99 as well. Mine is the 10th Anniversary Edition with a 6-speed manual and a really sweet sapphire blue mica paint (it was my favorite color of all NAs/NBs)...

Too bad that the previous owners were not too kind to the paint though. I`m going to have to repaint it before I really do much to it from a polishing standpoint - clear is delaminating from the front bumper and badly across the hood and there`s some burn through behind the driver`s door. So I am not sure how close the rest of the clear is to burn through and add in some rock chips that went down to the metal and I think it`s just best for a high quality respray.

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[thenewvessel]

I have a `99 as well. Mine is the 10th Anniversary Edition with a 6-speed manual and a really sweet sapphire blue mica paint (it was my favorite color of all NAs/NBs)...

Too bad that the previous owners were not too kind to the paint though. I`m going to have to repaint it before I really do much to it from a polishing standpoint - clear is delaminating from the front bumper and badly across the hood and there`s some burn through behind the driver`s door. So I am not sure how close the rest of the clear is to burn through and add in some rock chips that went down to the metal and I think it`s just best for a high quality respray.

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Awesome! Those are very rare to see in good shape and stock condition.


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[Arrow]

I drove 750 miles to pick mine up and trailer it home. Bought it for what I thought was a good price (it had a seized engine). But since then I think I still overpaid - nothing I can do now haha.

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[thenewvessel]

I drove 750 miles to pick mine up and trailer it home. Bought it for what I thought was a good price (it had a seized engine). But since then I think I still overpaid - nothing I can do now haha.

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True. Yeah mine was posted as an anniversary edition... Got him down 2000 on the price which is nice. He thought just because it was a 99` it means it`s an anniversary model even though it`s obvious it doesn`t have any of the features lmao.


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[Arrow]

True 10AE`s in good condition seem to command a premium price. I have seen many that will list any `99 as one though. Still to this day I kick myself about getting outbid on an auction for a 10AE in TX that was sold for $1900. It had 120k miles and an original factory hardtop! To this day, that`s the cheapest NB in good condition that I`ve ever seen.

Back on topic though! Did the emerald green (just the base emerald green color) actually have flake or mica in it? I always thought it was a plain solid color with no additions.

I am hoping to take a few before and after shots of my trunk and polish it good sometime soon. Just got to find an hour or so sometime soon since it`s too hard to actually find enough time in a day to do more than 1 panel in a day (for me) haha.

As far as what equipment you should get, I highly recommend getting a DA buffer. Recently I used my PC DA to polish the headlights on an old Taurus and it only took me about 20 minutes a side. A few years prior I did the same job with a DIY kit in which I did it all by hand. That job took me about 1.5hrs each side! The results are so much quicker to achieve with a DA that it just doesn`t make sense not to get one. I cannot compare the PC to anything else, but I haven`t found it to bog or to be underpowered as long as I`m not putting too much pressure on it. Maybe that is where the GG or some others excel.

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[thenewvessel]

WHAT!? $1900 is such an amazing deal.. Sorry to hear you lost out on that one..

But yeah the emerald green looks like it has some silverfish sparkles in it or something? It could just be a bunch of silver overspray lol

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Paul@Autopia]

Not sure how I didn`t see this thread until now but Welcome to the Family! (Autopia & also Miata). Seems like we`ve been getting a lot of new members with Miatas recently

Nice looking BRG - easily my favorite color on a Miata.

1. For Vinyl tops I prefer the 303 Aerospace Protectant - for Canvas I prefer the Raggtopp.

2. I would not bother trying to remove defects on clear coat by hand, you can get very slight improvements but not much. If you want to work by hand than I would go with something like Poorboys Black Hole or their Natty`s Black Wax. If you want to go machine than we have some open box Porter Cable 7424xps, shoot me a PM if you`re interested and we can put together a good kit for you.

3. Good luck on the build! v8 Miatas are awesome - there are a few around here for sale for around 10K (one has a Ford 5.3 and another has a Lexus 1uz). I`ve driven one with the Ford 5.3 and it was a riot, handling suffers but usually the extra power more than makes up for it.

[thenewvessel]

Not sure how I didn`t see this thread until now but Welcome to the Family! (Autopia & also Miata). Seems like we`ve been getting a lot of new members with Miatas recently

Nice looking BRG - easily my favorite color on a Miata.

1. For Vinyl tops I prefer the 303 Aerospace Protectant - for Canvas I prefer the Raggtopp.

Awesome I have some of the 303. I thought it was intended only for interiors but I guess it makes sense since a majority is vinyl anyways..

2. I would not bother trying to remove defects on clear coat by hand, you can get very slight improvements but not much. If you want to work by hand than I would go with something like Poorboys Black Hole or their Natty`s Black Wax. If you want to go machine than we have some open box Porter Cable 7424xps, shoot me a PM if you`re interested and we can put together a good kit for you.

Awesome I have some Black Hole as well!
Ill be sure to try it out when I get off work tonight and post some pics of the results.

3. Good luck on the build! v8 Miatas are awesome - there are a few around here for sale for around 10K (one has a Ford 5.3 and another has a Lexus 1uz). I`ve driven one with the Ford 5.3 and it was a riot, handling suffers but usually the extra power more than makes up for it.

Thanks. I`m stoked. I`m primarily looking for a 5.3 myself but going GM instead. Anything from 5.3-6.2 will do nicely.

[Civicclutch]

Thanks. I`m stoked. I`m primarily looking for a 5.3 myself but going GM instead. Anything from 5.3-6.2 will do nicely.

You should start a thread on this Miata build so we can follow along with you fun and frustrations


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[thenewvessel]

You should start a thread on this Miata build so we can follow along with you fun and frustrations


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Nothing has happened quite yet. Here`s the thread

Need to get the shell, the welder, all the steel to fabricate the conversion, and of course the motor assembly, transmission, differential, axles, etc.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/car-ma...ight=lsx+miata

[thenewvessel]

This is after a shampoo and some black hole. No wax or rubbing compound was used. Doing it as we speak





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[thenewvessel]

Well here`s the finish product.. I know I obviously need more knowledge, equipment, and higher quality products but I don`t think it came out too bad with the condition of the paint, in fine detail..

Heres what I used:

Turtle Wax Wash and Shampoo, Poorboys Black Hole, Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax, 303 Aerospace Protectant on the top, and
Turtle Wax Tire Shine.






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[Arrow]

Looks real good in my book considering it`s a 17 yr old car!

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[Civicclutch]

Not bad at all


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