racer2c
01-10-04, 11:51 AM
My nephew ran across a very tired little '90 that the owner said was ready for parts because they didn't know why the batteries kept dying (duh) and the radiator leaked and their was a horrible grinding coming from the front. When my wife, doing her best 10 year old kid in a toy store impression demanded I go tow this thing home so that I can "fix it" in the coming year for her. She's always wanted a Miata.
So off I go, trusty tool box in the truck, thinking maybe I can throw a new battery in it and JB weld the couple of spots on the radiator just so I can get it the 35 miles back home. I make the deal with the owner who has totally washed his hands of the car. Obviously not the shade tree mechanic type. He tells me it's "dead", but would make a good parts car. I ask if it ran at all and he said "runs like a top, just drains the battery after about 20 minutes." Of course I think "alternator". Not wanting to throw a new alternator on it in the guys driveway I think "tow or sacrifice a battery". He said "we can jump start it so you can hear it run". Which we do and she started right up and purred like a kitten. No valve noise, no smoke, I'm thinking "cool". I make the sale and go to remove the guys jumper cables and do some closer inspection of the alternator (it sits down below the engine and is quite difficult to see). Hey! There's no belt on this thing! I ran around the corner to a parts store, grabbed some JB Weld and an alternator belt and 30 minutes later I'm on cruising down the road with a big grin on my face. Until antifreeze started spraying all over the windshield that is! I pull over (my nephew is following in my truck) and examine the situation. The JBweld worked on the spot the guy said it was leaking from, it's just that the entire seam in the top tank was split! I let it cool for a few minutes and topped it off with some water. I noticed that it didn't appear to be circulating while running. Of course, it's been sitting for 13 months. The thermostat is probably frozen shut. I pulled it out and sure enough she starts to circulate. Ok, 15 miles to go. Let's just keep going!
At 40 mph the grinding noise coming from the front is so loud you could barely talk over it. Great, I think to myself, the bearings are so shot the hub will fall off before I get it home. So there I am, spraying antifreeze and grinding down the road. Hey this 5 speed shifts like a dream! The clutch feels great. No play in the steering. Holds a straight line. The grin returns to my face. What a hoot this thing is! Barely road worthy and it still brings a smile and the top isn't even down! I'm hooked.
I limp into the driveway and the wife hops out to take a look. She's disappointed that I drove it but won't let her drive it. So, of course I say "ok, give it a spin around the block.". She does and she too is "hooked".
So I pull the seats out and she dives in the cockpit with rags and a bucket of water and expels the 13 months of grime and dirt and crumbs and whatever else that stuff was. A thorough vacuuming and hey, this little guy has a perfect interior!
The next weekend I put a radiator in it. A whole story by itself. I had to order one and verified with the salesman that it was a 5 speed, not an automatic. The part comes in, I open the box and there are the trans cooler lines for an automatic. I say, "what's up". He says, "go to Home Depot and get blank off inserts". I say "go to ...". Actually, I say "that's your solution?" After some back and forth, the manager hears and says "they all come with the trans lines now, just unscrew them". Ok.
Radiator in. She runs cool as she should. Next task, front grinding.
It was obvious to me that the sound was text book worn bearings. It got worse under heavy corner load etc. It sounded like it was just the right side, so I pull the wheel thinking I'm gonna pop those puppies out and take a look see. Hey, where are they? I hit the internet and find the end all Miata site and find out you have to replace the entire hub assembly. No prob. Off to buy one. Can't buy one, must order one. How much? $120. Well, what if it's not the problem? Take it to a mechanic to verify? Then I have to pay him, and still get the part. I trust my old shade tree gut feeling and buy it. Installed it in thirty minutes and now the big test. It works! She's quite as a bunny.
So, $500 for the car. $200 for the radiator. $120 for the hub assembly. $10 for an alternator belt. $5.00 for the thermostat that comes to a grand total of $850 not including tags and insurance.
I'm driving this thing every chance I get. "We need milk, I'll go get some in the Miata!". I have a '01 Eclipse GT with 205hp and a 5-speed and we just bought a '04 Dakota four door pickup at Thanksgiving that the wife drives and all I can think about is this fourteen old, 140k Miata. Cars are funny. Or is it us car guys/gals?
Time to trade the Eclipse in on '04 Miata? Actually, I think the old age adds to the whole experience. I used to switch cams in V8 muscle cars as a young Virginian redneck. Now I want to switch gears in old sports cars. Hmm, I wonder if that '73 911 is still for sale down on Harrison Rd?
So off I go, trusty tool box in the truck, thinking maybe I can throw a new battery in it and JB weld the couple of spots on the radiator just so I can get it the 35 miles back home. I make the deal with the owner who has totally washed his hands of the car. Obviously not the shade tree mechanic type. He tells me it's "dead", but would make a good parts car. I ask if it ran at all and he said "runs like a top, just drains the battery after about 20 minutes." Of course I think "alternator". Not wanting to throw a new alternator on it in the guys driveway I think "tow or sacrifice a battery". He said "we can jump start it so you can hear it run". Which we do and she started right up and purred like a kitten. No valve noise, no smoke, I'm thinking "cool". I make the sale and go to remove the guys jumper cables and do some closer inspection of the alternator (it sits down below the engine and is quite difficult to see). Hey! There's no belt on this thing! I ran around the corner to a parts store, grabbed some JB Weld and an alternator belt and 30 minutes later I'm on cruising down the road with a big grin on my face. Until antifreeze started spraying all over the windshield that is! I pull over (my nephew is following in my truck) and examine the situation. The JBweld worked on the spot the guy said it was leaking from, it's just that the entire seam in the top tank was split! I let it cool for a few minutes and topped it off with some water. I noticed that it didn't appear to be circulating while running. Of course, it's been sitting for 13 months. The thermostat is probably frozen shut. I pulled it out and sure enough she starts to circulate. Ok, 15 miles to go. Let's just keep going!
At 40 mph the grinding noise coming from the front is so loud you could barely talk over it. Great, I think to myself, the bearings are so shot the hub will fall off before I get it home. So there I am, spraying antifreeze and grinding down the road. Hey this 5 speed shifts like a dream! The clutch feels great. No play in the steering. Holds a straight line. The grin returns to my face. What a hoot this thing is! Barely road worthy and it still brings a smile and the top isn't even down! I'm hooked.
I limp into the driveway and the wife hops out to take a look. She's disappointed that I drove it but won't let her drive it. So, of course I say "ok, give it a spin around the block.". She does and she too is "hooked".
So I pull the seats out and she dives in the cockpit with rags and a bucket of water and expels the 13 months of grime and dirt and crumbs and whatever else that stuff was. A thorough vacuuming and hey, this little guy has a perfect interior!
The next weekend I put a radiator in it. A whole story by itself. I had to order one and verified with the salesman that it was a 5 speed, not an automatic. The part comes in, I open the box and there are the trans cooler lines for an automatic. I say, "what's up". He says, "go to Home Depot and get blank off inserts". I say "go to ...". Actually, I say "that's your solution?" After some back and forth, the manager hears and says "they all come with the trans lines now, just unscrew them". Ok.
Radiator in. She runs cool as she should. Next task, front grinding.
It was obvious to me that the sound was text book worn bearings. It got worse under heavy corner load etc. It sounded like it was just the right side, so I pull the wheel thinking I'm gonna pop those puppies out and take a look see. Hey, where are they? I hit the internet and find the end all Miata site and find out you have to replace the entire hub assembly. No prob. Off to buy one. Can't buy one, must order one. How much? $120. Well, what if it's not the problem? Take it to a mechanic to verify? Then I have to pay him, and still get the part. I trust my old shade tree gut feeling and buy it. Installed it in thirty minutes and now the big test. It works! She's quite as a bunny.
So, $500 for the car. $200 for the radiator. $120 for the hub assembly. $10 for an alternator belt. $5.00 for the thermostat that comes to a grand total of $850 not including tags and insurance.
I'm driving this thing every chance I get. "We need milk, I'll go get some in the Miata!". I have a '01 Eclipse GT with 205hp and a 5-speed and we just bought a '04 Dakota four door pickup at Thanksgiving that the wife drives and all I can think about is this fourteen old, 140k Miata. Cars are funny. Or is it us car guys/gals?
Time to trade the Eclipse in on '04 Miata? Actually, I think the old age adds to the whole experience. I used to switch cams in V8 muscle cars as a young Virginian redneck. Now I want to switch gears in old sports cars. Hmm, I wonder if that '73 911 is still for sale down on Harrison Rd?