Woah, nice job! Wish my paint was still that good. It's a "strobelight honey" now.

 

Cut my valve cover to expose the adjustable cam gears. Thinking about removing the middle piece, kinda looks weird? Opinions?

 

I'm new to Miatas from a lifelong British affair and most recently, a Datsun 240-Z project. I replaced the alternator on my '96 M Edition and watched a few videos in case there was any helpful information therein. I found it necessary to remove a brace from the side of the block near the oil pan to the underside of the intake manifold in order to get the bottom alternator bolt out...yet, not one of the videos mentions this being necessary. Two bolts at the top of the brace, one on the bottom (which someone had forgotton to replace the last time the alternator was done...!). Once I figured it out, a straightforward replacement and back on the road...