1993 Mazda MX-5 Miata

1.8

Manual

JM1NA3513P0404555

This is by far the most fun vehicle I have ever owned. Add to that the fact that I have a boatload of blood, sweat and tears into it, and it is going to be very difficult for me to part with it. However, I have some family responsibilities that must come first. The car: As the post says, the vehicle is a 1993 black and tan. The chassis has 146,xxx miles on it. I am still driving the car, so the mileage changes every week. The engine: The vehicle has a completely rebuilt, 1995 1.8 engine in it. I'm going to try to do this rebuild justice, but it will be difficult. I purchased the engine and completely tore it down to just a block. The block was hot-tanked and all specs measured by a professional machine shop. The cylinders were honed - they did not require boring. The oil and coolant galleys were cleaned and stripped of all buildup. ALL of the freeze plugs were replaced with OEM parts. The freeze plugs were sealed in with the appropriate gasket material and then epoxied in place for added security. Any threaded galley plugs were removed and resealed with PTFE tape. The crank was inspected by a professional machine shop and the bearing and main seal surfaces were polished. The head was completely rebuilt by Clearwater Cylinder Head. The build started with all new bearings in the bottom end - main and rod. All bearings were from Flyin' Miata and (ACL bearings I think). I replaced the rings with premium Beck Arnely, OEM spec rings. I replaced the head bolts with ARP head studs (see photo). Bore taper was measured to ensure cylinder wear was within tolerances. All bearing caps were first assembled with plasti-gauge to ensure tolerances were within spec. Everything was WELL within spec and I was extremely impressed at how little wear the block and main engine components actually showed. From there, I replaced the oil pump and the water pump with premium Beck Arnley parts. Alternator and starter were replaced with remanufactured parts. Every single gasket, o-ring, seal or other internal wear item was replaced with new, OEM parts. I did not reuse a single seal or gasket on this entire rebuild... all the way down to the o-ring for the oil dipstick tube. Obviously front, rear main seals and camshaft seals are all brand new. Engine also has all new belts including the timing belt. All new hoses and vacuum hoses as well. New plugs, plug wires, PCV valve, etc. In short, the engine is all new components with the exception of the crank, rods, pistons, block, head and oil pan - all of which measure well within their life expectancy. For all intents and purposes, this is a brand new engine. The engine does not leak or burn a drop of oil. At the same time, I replaced the clutch with a brand new, OEM clutch from Mazda. I went ahead and replaced the clutch master cylinder and installed a stainless steel slave cylinder line as well. ** IMPORTANT ** Since the engine bay photos were taken, I have installed a Racing Beat cold air intake and relocated the cruise control actuator. Upon request, I will be happy to take a couple of pics to show the new intake. I'm sure I have forgotten something, but that should give you a picture. The engine runs absolutely beautifully. I have installed a wide-band A/F gauge in the car and determined that it is cruising at 14-15 to 1. Under heavy acceleration, it drops down to 12 to 1. I suspect that an RX7 AFM and some fine tuning would eek out that last little bit of power under full throttle. For the record, I broke in the engine (set the rings) according to Flyin' Miata's instructions for their brand new motors. I'm so anal about this kind of stuff that I refilled the cooling system with distilled water - because little details like that make the difference. Also for the record, I have - no kidding - nearly $3,000 into the rebuild alone. The engine has approximately 3,000 miles on it since the rebuild and, as noted, it is running exactly as it should be. Exhaust: OBX 4-2-1 stainless steel header with Track Dog heat blanket, brand new Magnaflow hi-flow cat, Borla catback. Transmission: The transmission is in great shape. Shifts smooth, no grinding, slipping or funny noises. I changed to Royal Purple synthetic and love the way she shifts with the synthetic lube. I found no debris or metal in the fluid when I switched over. Differential: The differential is also in great shape. Also changed over to Royal Purple gear lube. No debris or metal when I changed the fluid. Brakes: All new (less than 700 miles). This is the Flyin’ Miata brake upgrade kit with Power Slot slotted discs, Porterfield pads, all stainless steel brake lines, completely flushed brake system with DOT4 fluid. Brakes like a champ now! Suspension: Flyin' Miata's 2.5 suspension package with Tokico Illumina shocks, Flyin' Miata springs, Flyin' Miata rear upper shock mounts, urethane bump stops, Flyin' Miata sway bars with urethane bushings. The suspension is simply awesome. 'Nuff said. Interior: Look at the pics. I've added some tasteful updates to the interior. Genuine Momo wheel and shift knob. New leather shift boot, aluminum "roadster" pedals, vent rings, etc. What you can't see is the AEM wideband A/F gauge just below the radio. That thing is awesome. Very happy with the information delivered by that piece of equipment. Wheels: Brand new TRM-C1M wheels and Yokohama S-drive tires. 205-50-15. Great setup. I am thrilled with the looks and performance of this package. Less than 700 miles on them. Mechanically, this car is all set, ready to go. Because I am incredibly anal, I still think the car needs the following: Top - the top works and it doesn't leak... but it's not new. No holes, rips or tears, but I would like to see a brand new, cloth top on the car. I just think it would make the car "pop." Body - the paint still shines and overall the car looks very good. But it has 19 years worth of road dings and door dents. I would personally repair all the little dents and dings and get it painted. No rust at all and no major damage... just lots of maddening little dings. It has lived its entire life in Florida, so again, there is NO rust on this car. Interior - the driver's seat shows some wear. To get it right, it needs to be recovered. Which means, to me, both seats need to be recovered so they match. That's it. I have nearly $10,000 into this car total. I know that I will never recoup that. So it goes when you dump your cash into a hobby. Take advantage of my hard work and get a great car that could EASILY be a 10 out of 10 with just a little more effort. Please Note: This car is for sale locally. I reserve the right to end this auction at any time if the vehicle sells locally.