Gram's 1990 Red - No FI

[gludlow]

Hello everyone.
My name is Gram and I am a Miata Addict.

This weekend I hit a new low... I was unable to resist the temptation and bought a second Miata!

My new/used car (so far named "Little Marvin," since our 2001 is just Marvin) is a red 1990 B package (power stuff) with a little over 128k miles. MANUAL transmission (obviously), engine is strong but he's got a host of little "issues" I can't wait to start fixing.

I'm thinking about trying to restore it to original-but-better condition (no FI/rollbar, but better radiator, stainless brake lines, better water pump etc). We may even get some body work done and get a complete repaint, the exterior is in poor condition.

I'm selling the HT, I don't need two. It was repainted a couple years ago and is in perfect condition! Look for it in the FSBO thread soon.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

That looks pretty clean from here. How does it run?

No FI? :(

[gludlow]

That looks pretty clean from here. How does it run?

No FI? :(

It run great! Engine pulls hard, shifts well (far as I can tell) and it doesn't make any weird noises, hesitate or throw CELs. No fast fluid leaks, but the engine bay is dirty enough that small ones might go unnoticed. That will change the first nice day we have!

I'm going to keep THIS one stock, at least for now. That's not to say a 1.6 Hotside isn't in its future, but right now it's serving to fulfill my tinkering itch (read: obsession).

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

My favorite way to clean the engine bay is to take it to the quarter car wash, rinse it down good, spray well with Simple Green, let sit for about 5-10 minutes and rinse. Repeat as needed. That stuff works wonders.

[99mx5]

Be careful not to wet the spark plug cables at the plug holes. Water can get in and short the plugs. I always clean the top of the engine with a wet rag.

[gludlow]

Thanks for the tips! I may buy some rubber plugs, pull and bag the wires, and plug the holes, or I'll just cover the valve cover with silver foil (a tip I read online) along with some other choice electrical connections.

I like the idea of going to a manual car wash... maybe I'll post some Before and After pics!

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Only problem I had was once when water got down the plug holes. The 01-05 seems to do a better job of plugging those holes. Ari is right though, that is the only problem I know of.

[gludlow]

Great! Sounds like a fun time at the car wash to me. But first I gotta get the parking brake adjusted. I don't want a car rolling away while trying to wash simple green out of the engine ;-)

No problems getting that on the paint as long as I wash it off, right?

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Simple Green is great for washing any part of your car. Don't worry about the paint.

[FormerDatsun510Man]

Very nice!!! One of these days I would like to find a clean '90-'93 Miata in either red or blue. I think I would be able to keep it stock :biggrin: That, and also get my green '72 Datsun 510 back. Pics below from back in 2000. Can't believe its been 8 years :biggrin:.

Bill

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

That 510 looks to good to drive. ;)

Mike (Mike's Place) always seems to have a couple of the pre-99 Miatas for sale. Good cars at good prices.

[FormerDatsun510Man]

Thanks! I grew up with that 510. My parents bought it new in May of '72 (month after I was born) and I'm told that I used to ride around as a toddler with my mom. Later, right around when I started junior high I got interested in cars and my dad showed me how to work on it. I remember well, adjusting the dwell on the single-point SSS distributor, doing valve lash adjustments every oil change (which was easy actually), having a great big oil filter right there in front of you on the side of the engine. Was a great car to work on and it was a lot of fun to drive. My car modification madness started on it. I was a member of UFO, Five and Dime and then 510 Again. I had always dreamed of restoring it, and had collected many parts from junkyards over the years. Finally that dream came true, when in the late '90s I got my first "real" job and my parents decided to hand the 510 over to me. About $7000 and a year later, it was done and in the condition you see there in the pictures. Like a dummy, I later sold it in late '00. I shouldn't have listened to my gf at the time. 510s last, gfs don't :biggrin:.

Sorry for the thread drift... :biggrin: I get carried away if I get the chance to talk about 510s. I am thinking though it would be really cool to put a Miata 1.8 Coldside in one :). Either that, or make a Coldside for the Datsun L18 engine. The only problem with that is a Coldside would actually be a Hotside LOL (intake and exhaust are on the same side).

[gludlow]

That engine bay is amazing... so simple and clean! Must have been a breeze do work on it.

[BlownMX5]

That is a beautiful 510! Just to drift this thread a little bit more... I had a '72 Datsun 1200 (B110) fastback when I was about 20 years old (would have been in about 1977). Man, I loved that car. It was so easy to work on and parts were dirt cheap. I rebuilt the motor (pistons, rings, bearings and gaskets) for about $60 and then put another 80k miles on it. I used to bowl competitively in my teens and twenties and with the rear seat folded down, you could put 16 bowling balls (4 x 4) perfectly on the rear deck, lol. That car was pretty fast too, and handled great (when the bowling balls weren't in it, lol). I used to work graveyard shift and drove over a very fun twisty road every night on my way to pick up a buddy that I worked with. One night as I was heading up the hill into this section of road, I came up behind a 924 Porsche. He took off so I took off after him. We were really flying. As you crest the top of the hill, there is this quick left/right section. I'm like five feet off his rear bumper and he loses it, noses it into the hill and ends up upside-down in the ditch, blinker and wipers going, lol. I stop and run back to make sure he's OK. I give him a ride back to his girlfriend's house, drop him off and never see him again.