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I recently got my NA interior completely redone in the NB fitout by MX5 Mania. I love it!!! It cost me a bundle but now its done theres no regrets- it looks hot! I know MX5 MANIA told me mine was the first they had done and there is 2 other mx5 owners that they know of in australia that have done this (one in QLD, one in WA i think) but am i the first in NSW???

Check out my other photos in my garage including other mods etc and let me know what you think.

And i need a few opinions on what else i should get done too.

Enjoy

That's the important thing, that you're happy with it. Looking at the photo, it looks like it fits like a glove.

So what did you end up using the airbag container on the passenger side for? Or is it just blank?

Welcome to the forum.

I made a blak airbag cover actually (with great difficulty). basically i used the original cover, ripped out the airbag etc, glued the flat down and sanded it back so it all sits flush.

My first attempt at recovering it was poor- i was recommended to use padding under the new vinyl so it didnt look stiff- big mistake!!! It fitted ok but was so puffy it looked sus eg secret compartment, drug runner sus. Scraped that idea quick. MX5 Mania have a reupholstered on they sell but i think it will be the same problem.

2nd Attempt ripped of foam and used a very thin layer of clear silicone, sanded it smooth, before covering with vinyl- looks a fair bit better now but still sits a bit higher than the surrounding dash. Im a perfectionist so im going to go to bunnings in a few days and get rubber in different thicknesses test out a few more things to see if i can get it looking better than perfect.

Any ideas???

What about using it as some sort of storage area?

I was thinking that but i still want a cover on it at the very least so it doesnt look like a open glovebox. Ive have a few suggestions from friends about putting audio visual components etc there but im not looking for showy.

I'm with Craig. I think you should use it for storage, or a 2nd glovebox. You just need to line the inside. Maybe use it to store a CD stacker, or iPod/MP3 connections etc.

Can you somehow use the orginal cover and place some inside hinges and a lock?

looks great buddy

Hammer wrote:I'm with Craig. I think you should use it for storage, or a 2nd glovebox. You just need to line the inside. Maybe use it to store a CD stacker, or iPod/MP3 connections etc.

Can you somehow use the orginal cover and place some inside hinges and a lock?

the problem is that the original cover was slightly warped when the airbag deployed so it wont sit flush no matter what. Im thinking i will make a fibreglass over thin mdf compartment for the hole, then do a rubber mat covered with black vinyl over the top. Hinges wont work because theres simply not enough space to keep the top sitting flush- it would stick out even more. I actually thought of using something like a very thin strip of velcro and providing i used a good glue for the vinyl not just contact adhesive maybe something a bit more stiff, i think it would work. As long as you cant see the velcro because that would just be tacky.

There is gauges panel that fits that area.
Sorry cant remember the name of the company that makes it.

I'll look around if I can find it again.

cheers, that would be great

Looks good, I like.

AB7 wrote:There is gauges panel that fits that area.
Sorry cant remember the name of the company that makes it

NoPro japan i think

I would have thought that vinyl coated fabric might be an option. VCF can be quite thin much less so than seat material and reasonably easy to work with.Shift boots or handbrake boots often are vcf. It will be hard of course to match the skinned dash but maybe not so far off the mark. A trimmer would be able to do this work ( cost might be reasonable) and maybe enough material to do it if you go diy. Clark's carry some vinyls and rubber of course. I do not think rubber will get anywhere near your dash appearance and it is going to be very hard to get it to conform to shape. When you are covering with vinyl and the material is not thick you can cut v sections on corners to assist in shaping. You can also get polyurethane foam in thin sheets if you wanted it lightly padded. Standard glues such as Selley's Quick Grip are perfect for upholstery.
If you look at any hot rod or modifed you can see that a trimmer can virtually do anything.

A hair dryer can assist in the shaping of vinyl around tight corners.

Here is an alternative option that I did. It is made out of styrene plastic and adds a extra place for caps & glasses