[Jormungandr]

Hi guys!

So this' my ongoing build thread for my 92' miata. It'll be both as a means to hear feedback from other more experienced miata guys and to gauge my build progress.

I purchased the formerly named 'Smurf' in December 2013 and drove it stock for about 2 months until I decided I wanted to mod whatever I saw fit. That being pretty much everything. About 7 months have passed since I started saving up and buying parts for its "first phase". I have so much in mind for it, so here's to a glorious build!

So far I've broken down the car into the following phases:

1st Phase (Most Engine Maintenance, Most Suspension Work, Braking Upgrades)
2nd Phase (Interior Mods)
3rd Phase (Exterior Mods)
4th Phase (?)

Also taking into account that i'm a full time student with a part time budget during school and 7 day a week work budget during break, this build may take a year or two. But the 1st phase should be done by december of this year or early next year.



Here's the car the day after I bought her.
DSC_0445 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

DSC_0476 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

DSC_0483 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

DSC_0488 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

So no build doesn't have its share of setbacks, and those setback came about pretty early.

First one came around May when LA was having a pretty major windstorm. I had parked the car outside since I was heading to work later on that day, when suddenly my alarm started to go off. I hesitated for a second, suddenly realized I had parked the car under the tree. I fearfully, expecting the worse, rushed outside and found my girl under a 15ft branch which weighed a good 50 pounds.

I took the damn thing off to see the damage dealt and thankfully it wasn't as bad as I had initially thought. But the hardtop, passenger window pillar, passenger mirror, hood, and passenger pop-up headlight were scratched. The hardtop took deep scratches that went through some paint and the passenger mirror broke. I was devastated, but brushed it off and went on.

DSC_0548 by Bromungandr, on Flickr
DSC_0577 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

A month passed until the horrible happened. It was another saturday afternoon at work. I was fixing a bike when suddenly I heard a deafening soul crushing crash outside the shop. Again, at that moment, I realize my car was parked outside where the noise had come from. I ran out to see the crash. It was a train wreck involving 6 cars in total. Some old fart fell asleep at the wheel at 3pm in the FUCKING afternoon and swiped the first parked car, then ending up behind the second one. The second car created a domino effect and hit the car in front it, which was mine. Which hit the one in front of it, which then hit the car in front of that one. Old fart totaled his car and car #2. 1st,3rd,4th, and 5th were moderately damaged.

My Hitch bike rack saved my cars life from being totaled. The hit was hard enough to bend the solid steel receiver insert, resulting in only the rear trunk lid, rear bumper, Garage Vary tail lights, and bending the receiver hitch welded to the car.

The car sat at an auto body shop for 2 months. But thankfully the chassis was straight and I picked it up in the end of August.

IMG_5177 by Bromungandr, on Flickr
IMG_5187 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

Thankfully I was parked in dirt which diffused the hit by having the car slide.
IMG_5192 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

IMG_5174 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

IMG_5218 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[aarrow]

Damn!!! As of 48 hours ago, I know exactly how it feels to be that close to having a totaled car.

Love the stuff you've done so far. Sub'd!

 

[Jormungandr]

Damn!!! As of 48 hours ago, I know exactly how it feels to be that close to having a totaled car.

Love the stuff you've done so far. Sub'd!

Oh no! Hope all is well!

And thanks, i'm excited to put everything on paper (digital paper haha).

 

[Grumbles]

Damn. Sucks when your car is so clean and nice and uncontrollable forces screw everything up. Looking forward to the fixing-up of this! That first picture looks fantastic!

 

[Jormungandr]

Bad things aside, the car has been a great canvas to explore different ideas. I have decided in going the vintage route. Less is more right?

The car came with a busted drivers side window motor cable, so I was able to source one locally and went through removing the door card and black goop filled plastic cover underneath to get to the motor assembly. Now she rolls nice and slow, just how it left the factory.

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

The car also came with a torn soft top and cracked plastic window. And so I decided to totally remove it and have the care set up as a coupe. I began taking off the top without even researching how to do it, I just unscrewed/unclipped where it looked right and by some miracle, it turned out right haha lucky me.

IMG_1880 by Bromungandr, on Flickr
IMG_1887 by Bromungandr, on Flickr
IMG_1892 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

And I bought some spec miata brackets w/stainless torx bolts to stiffen up the mounting points, quite down the HT squeak, and theft prevention. Painted them with blue plastidip to match the body. They add a nice touch to the interior. Taking off the QR latches on the lower part of the hardtop were pretty easy, but the ones that connect to the window pillar were a PITA! I managed to break 1 in half which I still haven't drilled out yet.

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr
IMG_1902 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

Got vanity mirror delete caps since the mirrors were useless anyway. Cant find a picture though. Ill post one later.

 

[Jormungandr]

Damn. Sucks when your car is so clean and nice and uncontrollable forces screw everything up. Looking forward to the fixing-up of this! That first picture looks fantastic!

Yeah I was pissed about both incidents but there was nothing i could've really done about it so I took the situations in a glass half full mentality, since I knew it could've been much worse.

And thanks!

 

[Jormungandr]

I also forgot to point out that after the crash, one day I noticed a blue jay around my house as I was leaving for work and came to the realization that 'IF' I were to ever get my car back, since I didn't know if insurance would've deemed it a total, that I would rename 'Smurf'. For some reason that blue jay put my mind at ease surrounding the incident so I thought it was make a good resurrection name haha.

I believe the first things that I bought and installed for Blue Jay were a pair of Flyin Miata Frame Rail braces, hitch receiver, Yakima Hold Up 2 bike rack, and a HardDog Harcore Double Diagonal Rollbar. The roll bar and frame rails stiffened up the ride quite noticeably.
image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

In front of Playboy with my mountain bike in the back.
image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Got sick of the white wheels since plastidip sucks to clean. I didn't powder coat the wheels since I was already planning on picking up a new set of wheels anyway. So I got a some cans of m. black plastidip and started pealing.
What a PITA!

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

Painted the Rear brake calipers since I picked up a Stage 1 Flyin Miata BBK
image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Picked up a pair of smoked turn signals. They totally changed the look of the front end. I love them.
image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

And by some miracle, I was able to find a set Garage Vary Tail Lights. Iv'e always loved how they looked and thought they would be perfect with my vintage style build.

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

So the the previous post was a few weeks before the accident happened which made the car sit at a body shop for 2 months. Here she is repainted and fixed the day I went to pick her up.

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

It came out awesome! Notice the Revlimer custom badges. Adam changed the stock color from a semi dark blue to lighter color to match the mariner blue paint. He also made me a matching keychain.

image by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Got a great combo deal from GoodwinRacing for this:
37mm Koyo Radiatior
Samco Sport Hose kit
Koyo Racing 1.3 Bar Hyper Red Radiator Cap

DSC_0961 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

I ordered a custom Liberal shifter boot & BeatRush shifter collar from Rev9, and after waiting a few months, my package arrived.

JDM Mail haha
DSC_0959 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Picked up some things from TrackDogRacing

-Magnacor 8.5 Spark Plug Wires
-Gates Alternator Belt
-Gates Power Steering & AC Belt
-Gates Water Pump
-OEM Heater Hoses
-Royal Purple Power Steering Fluid
-TDR Heat Shield
-OEM Cam Angle Sensor O Ring
-OEM Valve Cover Gasket
-Gates Racing Timing Belt
-Timing Blet Idler and Tensioner Pulleys
-OEM Cam Seals
-NGK Iridium Spark Plugs
-OEM Crank Seal
-Oil Cap Gasket
-O2 Sensor
-OEM Fuel Pump

DSC_0957 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Picked up a set of 15x8 Matte Black Rota Grid V Wheels
DSC_0955 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Prothane polyurethane suspension/differential bushings from Flyin' Miata

DSC_0954 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

From Flyin' Miata
-OEM Alignment Bolts
-Polyurethane exhaust hangers
-Racing Beat EndLinks
-Napa Thermostat
DSC_0953 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Boring MagnaFlow Carb Legal Catalytic Converter from Moss
DSC_0952 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Flyin' Miata Catback Exhaust

DSC_0950 by Bromungandr, on Flickr

 

[Jormungandr]

Flyin' Miata Big Brake Kit with the new DynaPro Calipers
Redline MTL Oil
Redline Gear Oil
Redline Motor Oil (not pictured/installed)
Bosch double capacity oil filter (not pictured/installed)

DSC_0925 by Bromungandr, on Flickr
DSC_0932 by Bromungandr, on Flickr