DIY mods.
 

I thought maby we could help each other out and post you ideas or even things you have done to mod your NA in a cheap and easy DIY way.

Personally I have only painted my valve cover red Wich only cost the price of a rattle can. And my next mod that I'm going to get around to hopefully some time this week is, I hate having the aux cable for my phone/iPod to the deck running around the shifter so what I'm going to do is run a USB iPod cable threw the center console from where the cup holders should be up to the back of the he's unit and connect it to the USB port. I'll take many pics and post a full write up soon as I can.

Any other useful ideas?

Coroplast heat sheilds and ducting. Epic win, and free after election time.

Replaced door speakers and made shields using plastic bowls glued to the backside.

here is a mod i wanna do but havent done yet

i hate how the car buzzes while the keys are in and the door is open its soooo annoying when im trying to listen to the radio sitting in my car waiting for it to be time to work

and i hate how the car doesnt buzz when i leave the headlights on

maybe this weekend i will get the haynes out, look at the wiring diagram, and fix this dumb buzzer

its easier than that. put your key in the ignition and get under your steering wheel and feel around until u feel something seriously vibrating. there 2 boxes unplug the one that makes it stop buzzing.

enjoy!

The few mods I've done were cutting through the firewall to draw the cold air through a series of plumbing elbows into the stock airbox.
Built my own adjustable endlinks, added cruise control, Pilot D shape steering wheel.
But, the best mod has got to be shortened and raised shifter. No need to drop the the elbow now, and, shifting is literally done with the finger tips.

http://www.miataturbo.net/showthread.php?t=59377

soon this mod will be available here.

How do you use it as a heat shield and not have it melt?

Did this years ago..... Best under $5 mod EVER!

Camera Mount for your style bar.....

(1) - 2.5" exhaust clamp - $<$3.00
(2) - 1/4 x 20 nuts - $from your parts bin or chump change
(1) - 1/4 x 20 x 1 1/2 bolt - $from your parts bin or some more chump change
(1) - about 12" of silver duct tape (you HAVE to use duct tape in all projects, right?)



https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1312386834

The Camera screws onto the 1/4 x 20 bolt sticking up. The second nut tightens it so it doesn't swivel. With this setup you can point your camera in any direction. You can watch your gauges, aim at your feet, the road forward or backward. Put it high on the hoop or low (like I have it) on the crossbrace.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1312386834

And there will be much rejoicing!

For use on the intake. Also for radiator ducting. It doesn't melt. Craig has had his for like 3 years

more on this please? Did you buy an OEM cruise control goodies from another Miata? Or aftermarket?

The Goodness!

OEM.
Added the pedal assembly as well. The hardest part was figuring out how to splice in the main cruise control switch into the harness.

Got a spare manifold and valve cover so I could take my time refinishing them. I "shaved" both of them - removing all casting flash lines and the lettering off the Valve Cover. Also cut the front of the valve cover off to expose the adjustable cam gears.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315420887

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315420887

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315420887

I also took the time to completely clean the EGR and intake manifold out, plus replace all the injector seals. I also polished the inside of the runners and matched the gasket with a hand file.

Only cost me some time, primer and paint.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315420887

Nice work. I don't think I've got that much patience but the results are beautiful.

That manifold looks amazing! That is how I want mine to look when I'm done :D But I'm not going to spend a ton of time on it. I'm fairly lazy when it comes to looks.

Thanks, y'all! Yeah, this was pretty much ALL time. I did it with hand files only - would spend 30 minutes on it a few times a week till it was smooth.

Here's a cheap DIY I did recently - I'm the 4th owner and sitting at 204,000 miles on the clock. My rocker panels were badly scratched up. Went to home depot and found this garage door seal for less than 12 bucks.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315502964

before:
https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315502964

after:
https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315502964

used some glue for the edge - will end up removing the "dots" of adhesive and laying down a single continuous bead.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...n/IMG_3273.jpg

got tierd of not being able to see in the center at night. 2 white led indicators from auto parts store. used ash tray light, a switch iss going to be addd so they are only on when the lids open, but it makes it easier to see in with these.
https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315516735

thats a nifty cool idea
where are you drawing power from?
are you going to manually hit the switch or will it come on automatically when you open the console.

im drawing from the ashtray light, i havnt found a switch to put in yet. but it will be set up so when you open the center the lights wont come on unless the parking/headlights are on. but when you close it the lights wont have power.

I sort of did something similar. Just wanted more light in general. It was hard to see the ignition to get the key in when really dark outside, even with the dash light on. I just soldered two LED strips into the same circuit - now the LEDs in the footwells come on when I open the door. Great addition. Was thinking about trying to integrate one into the hard top as well, as a map light.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1315578790

I would like to encourage everyone or anyone to put these mods in how-tos in the How-To section!

DIY Dynamat!

This is one mod I have done to every car I have owned. I love what it does for the interior and the Miata is no exception; especially with a hard top.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1316548807

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1316548807

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1316548807

I guess this qualifies as DIY install?

My gauge hood has baked in the sun for 208,000 miles and has cracked in several places. The mounting holes were broken when I bought the car, so I glued a couple of washers on either side of the broken hole. The top of the hood had a crack that broke the whole hood in half when I tried to remove it. I got this cover, glued the hood back together and then glued the leather to the hood. There's no taking this off now.

I used 3M supertrim adhesive. You spray on a couple layers, let it dry for five minutes, then press the two surfaces together to bond them. I used about 30 metal binder clips as mini-clamps around the edges until the cover was in place, then removed one section of clips and glued down that edge. It was easier than I thought it would be, but definitely messy.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323270348

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323270348

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323270348

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323270348

Installed it last night - too dark for photos, but totally pleased with the look. I also installed some matching door handle grips. Will take some photos in the car soon.

Looks Good, need to do something with mine soon.

Got the hood installed. For the price - I like it! Otherwise I would have been looking for a new hood.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323472761

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323472761

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1323472761

I don't want to sound dumb :ohnoes: but what will applying all that Dynamat do for the sound/ride?

S S O B (me)

reduce road noise, improve acoustic properties of the "room", add weight. Possibly extra insulation, but the stock stuff is sufficient as long as its intact.

Cool, Thanks.

Since I keep the HT on most of the time, think this will make a difference I might notice?

Shove car wash sponges in the tunnels around the gas tank for noise reduction

Remove the steering column access panel and disconnect the little two-wire connector under the steering column. Easy peasy!

Check out: http://www.miata.net/garage/buzzer.html look for Q) How do I convert this buzzer into a "light minder"?

I've done this mod and it's come in handy a few times.

ive had to roll start my car a few times becuse i left the parking lights on by accident, always feel like a retard when i do it. :bang:

You can remove the buzzer or put tape over it to quite it down considerably. Its located in the gauge cluster in the odometer circuit. I can get Alex to post his quick how-to for it, if you guys like.

Er, maybe in an NB, not certainly not in an NA. It's a separate unit disguised as a relay under the dash. Easiest way to find it is grab everything when it's going off, it'll change pitch when you touch it.

yea. probably, didn't think about that.

i will grab a picture of the NA buzzer when i get home.

nvm i removed it from the car when i unpluged it. i think i tossed it in the trash

Hmmm I dunno if this just newer NB specific or MSM specific. But mine does a light ding noise. It's so subtle I rarely actually hear it. :(

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1329686878

Upper door panel trim, center console bezel trim, pillar trim and header trim.

This car is my first attempt at any kind of DIY upholstery and it's been a great learning experience. Not sure what I would do without the forums and Youtube.

3M Supertrim adhesive - spray on two layers on each bonding surface, let it dry for a minimum of 4 minutes (max of 30) and press them together. As I rounded the corners, I trimmed some excess material away. I tried to bond all the way to the edge of the material on the back of the panel. I purposefully left the old trim on the panel to act as batting.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1329686878

I also cut out part of the door panel to uncover the DB651 speakers I recently installed. Attached the grill directly to the speaker and used a silicone hose split lengthwise to act as trim. I think I might paint the grill black and I need a longer piece of hose, plus enough for the driver's side.

https://www.miataforumz.com/attachme...ine=1329686878