[Guest]

Watch here for photo updates:

http://billwilner.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php

WHAT I GOT FOR $500:
1990
Silver Stone Metallic
"A" package
260,000 miles

HISTORY:
original owner was in Las Vegas
car was crashed
insurance company totalled it
now has salvaged title
it was bought and towed to Los Alamitos (near Long Beach)
second owner pulled hardtop and sold it, making their money back
I am now the 3rd owner

"A" PACKAGE FEATURES:
manual windows
manual mirrors
fixed radio antenna
7-spoke "daisy" alloy wheels
leather-wrapped steering wheel
AM/FM cassette deck
power steering

OPTIONS:
A/C
floormats

FLAWS:
left-front end damage
radiator looks like a pretzel
left headlight assembly is toast
instrument hood smashed
airbag popped
steering wheel leather shredded
left side of driver's seat worn through
driver's armrest foam exposed
soft top is rotted from water damage
vinyl rear window is gone
scrapes in middle of rear bumper
paint on mirrors flaking off
missing ashtray (or cupholder) in center console

PARTS I'M NOW ON THE MARKET FOR:
radiator
radiator mounts
coolant hoses
headlight buckets and lids (both sides)
nose
structural supports behind nose
front cross-members
hood
L fender
accessory belts
driver's seat (black)
driver's seatbelt (black)
instrument hood (black)
aftermarket chassis braces
aftermarket bushings
hub for Mazdaspeed steering wheel

TRIVIA FOUND ON MIATA.NET:
Silver was the least-produced of the four available colors in 1990 (red, white, blue, silver)
Out of 51,636 total Miatas made in 1990, only 3481 were silver = 7%
VIN # = car 54,054 made in 1990
(How can my car be #54,054 if only 51,636 were made? Could Miata.net be wrong? :shock: )

PICS:

 

[asianrice02]

you where in vegas!? didn't stop by and say hi. thats some project btw

 

[benthevegan]

Re: My new beater project car!

That should keep u busy for a little while....can't wait to see it running. Are you planning on keeping it or are you gonna sell it once your real one is finished?

 

[sonique128]

That is some mad front end damage... good luck with it. :O

 

[Guest]

Re: My new beater project car!

That should keep u busy for a little while....can't wait to see it running. Are you planning on keeping it or are you gonna sell it once your real one is finished?

Call me crazy but my plan is to keep both and build them each in two very different styles:

THE 90:
Lightweight/stripped/slammed with a few tasteful minimal JDM touches, following the lead of my local SOCAL heroes Dave/MRWOOLERY, Chris/KICKINOUTYO, Peter/CE28N, Paul/DJSQIGGLES, Tam/EXHONDAMAN, and Andrew/CRIMSONMX5. Hop-ups I'm dreaming of once it's in reliable running condition: Betrayed's bolt-on flares, SportMaxes or Rota RBs, R-package trim, KYB AGX/Ground Control fake coilovers, new carpet, Barchetta shorty console, small side mirrors, short shifter with extension, my own customized valve cover and intake manifold, DIY cold air intake, coolant reroute, racing bucket seat, a rollbar of some kind, plain ABS door panels with DIY pulls, no stereo, eBay header, loud/cheap exhaust, someday IRTBs? My initial goal is to whip this car into being driveable ASAP so I can participate in local events and no longer have to ride shotgun or drive my SUV.

THE 95:
The monster show car that I've been gradually building for four years :shock: : 2033cc stroker, beyond-FM DIY turbo, programmable ECU that can control N2O (not my current Link), my own customized valve cover and intake manifold, coolant reroute, FC TII trans and diff, custom exhaust, Stage21 hood, AWR widebody, RB nose, WW rocker panels, RAS bumper, Mega Monster rear spoiler, wide/deep custom wheels (TBD), Hard Dog roll bar, FM chassis bracing, urethane bushings, suspension (TBD), custom chromed and polished stuff up the wazoo, interior touches from JDM OEM teardrop speaker grilles and door sills, AWD, IL, KGW, Nakamae, custom consoles and gauge pods, 2001 OEM seats, engine bay items from Joy Fast, Maruha, Jubiride, Carbing, FM Twincooler, insane audio system, gauges everywhere...

Stay tuned!

 

[CrimsonMX5]

glad to see you picked up something you will be driving to events with in the near future. Gonna be quiete a project but it will be worth it.

 

[phinz]

Re: My new beater project car!

I hope that was a $200 car. :shock:

edit: $500? Eek. I've seen several $600-700 cars that you could drive home after a little bit of TLC. That thing's wadded up! A friend of mine picked one up in Florida for $600 that needed an intake and an exhaust and drove it back to Tennessee.

 

[boogie van]

sweet. silverstone is probably one of my favorite NA colors

 

[clshrckr]

nice bill
new daily driver right there!

 

[Mr.Woolery]

Re: My new beater project car!

I'll see what I can cough up for you by way of needed parts when you come to the tech day today.

 

[VtecMX5]

Nice car... looks like you have plenty of work to do on that one. $500 does seem like a lot for it, but I guess all miatas are special in their own way.

wouldn't it be better to weld a new front clip on the car? Maybe from the shocks forward?

 

[freedomgli]

Re: My new beater project car!

FLAWS:
soft top is rotted from water damage
vinyl rear window is gone

So it looks like you're going to make this car a TRUE Roadster and run topless forever? Cool. That's also the cheapest repair route - just yank the old stuff out and you're done. I think the only down side to running no top in a warm climate is the inability to escape the heat with the top up and air conditioning running (assuming it still works after the crash and 260,000 miles).

(How can my car be #54,054 if only 51,636 were made? Could Miata.net be wrong? :shock: )

I think VIN numbers aren't always in numerial sequence and not all numbers are used for some reason. Also, the Miata.net figure might only be counting US production and not North American production. To make things easier vehicles sold in Canada use the same 17-digit VIN system as the USA.

 

[Miatadam]

Re: My new beater project car!

I sold a 93 last year JUST LIKE IT, even w/ out a top, 150,000, for 1200 on ebay. IMO i dont think you to do to bad.

 

[Guest]

Re: My new beater project car!

So it looks like you're going to make this car a TRUE Roadster and run topless forever?

Nah, earlier this year I bought a silver hardtop for my 95 that's been sitting in my garage, so I'll have shelter this winter :mrgreen:

I will yank the frame of the softtop to "lower the center of gravity for better handling." (Of course, the hardtop will raise the CG back up again...) :roll:

Now that it's daylight I can't wait to check the VINs on the motor to see if it's possibly the original motor with 260 grand on it :shock:

 

[Dicker]

damn ron told me the car had front end damage but man that thing got whacked.

 

[Guest]

damn ron told me the car had front end damage but man that thing got whacked.

Yeah, he hadn't seen it in person. There were a lot of things we didn't know until it showed up like the high mileage, that it was a 90 not a 92, that the soft top was shot, that the radiator was toast. But it'll do the job.

:mrgreen:

 

[phinz]

Re: My new beater project car!

Now that it's daylight I can't wait to check the VINs on the motor to see if it's possibly the original motor with 260 grand on it :shock:

The guy with the $600 car also has a '90 with 350k on it that *finally* gave up to the lightweight crank ghost. =D>

 

[sonique128]

Sportmaxes Bill??!? You fallen into the trap too!

What color would you get anyhoo?

 

[Guest]

Sportmaxes Bill??!? You fallen into the trap too!

What color would you get anyhoo?

This is my beater, remember?
:wink:
I'm thinking gunmetal, silver, or black would all work with the silver.
As I'm taking off the damaged parts this morning, I'm finding there is wheel well damage. And it's a bad respray, they painted right over the black rocker panels. That's why the paint is flaking off. Haven't gotten to the motor VINs yet...

The left fender is already in the dumpster before 10!

 

[Mr.Woolery]

Re: My new beater project car!

I'll give you a good deal on my Sportmaxes...I just found out that the fronts won't fit with the Pitcrew clip. Can't turn the wheels. :lol: