Varjak's Ultimate NA

[Varjak]

Hi guys, thought it might be nice to share my project with you all. In June '10 I bought a '97 NA8 which is slowly being transformed into my ultimate MX-5!

Firstly, a bit of my MX-5 history. Bought my first in 2002, a 1991 NA. Previously an MG nut (2 Midgets and a BGT), I needed an everyday equivalent that didn't need a garage or tinkering to keep running. I haven't looked back.

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6 years and 120,000 MILES later (and it had 90,000 miles on when I bought it!) I found myself in Australia starting a new life. Most excitingly, I needed a new car. Some familiarity was sought so rather predictably, I found my English NA's long lost Aussie cousin, an '89 NA6 with a new paint job and some blingly wheels.

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Yeah, the wheels looked great but they knackered the ride and it was.. so.... s-l-o-w. So in late 2009, as a 30th birthday present to myself, I decided to buy a shiny new (used!) NC!

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I duly sold the NA and congratulated myself on having saved hard and upgraded to a faster, newer, more comfortable and slightly more practical model. But something was missing. The NC is a fine machine and arguably, more capable in almost every respect over the NA. But we all know, a car's character is so much more than the sum of it's parts. It just wasn't as fun as my NAs. So after a few months I started to think about going back to the tried and tested formula.

Come June '10 I had heard of some bargains to be had at auction, following the hail storms we had in March. I took a look and followed a couple of auctions on line. Hail damaged repairable write-offs indeed were going for thousands less than their dent-free equivalents. I spotted what seemed on paper to be a hidden gem of an NA coming up the next week so I traipsed down to a muddy field in Melbourne's north west to take a look. Amongst the Corollas and Falcons, this is what I found:

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It was in a sorry state but beneath the muck and the hail dents was a '97, last of the line NA8, limited edition Neo Green with 88,000kms on the clock and in original, unmolested condition. If I could snap it up for a bargain price, I would have a very nice basis for a restoration job and the chance to own, in my humble opinion, the best and most desirable of all NAs.

The hammer went down at $3800 and it was mine. Bidding at auction is a blast, I highly recommend it! I hadn't dríven the car and had only spent 20 minutes doing an inspection, I wasn't sure if it would even start but start it did and much to my relief, everything worked. I drove it back and cleaned it up to inspect my purchase properly.

The good: all original, no nasty mods, full working order, strong mechanicals. The bad: neglected, damaged paint on most panels, clear coat gone in some areas, hail dents all over, not too bad but enough to need some work on each panel. Water damage due to cracked rear screen. Plenty of work then!

It looked like it had been sitting outside under a tree for many months, there were leaves composting in the fenders and under the hood, it needed a lot of clearing out. Here is how it looked when I got it home:

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Grr, 5 pictures limit per post! More to come!....

[Varjak]

Part 2.

The state of things once I got it home:

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And after a weekend's worth of elbow grease:

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[Varjak]

Part 3

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A roadworthy, service, Vicroads inspection and some rego later, it was back on the road. It felt like a real luxury to have a choice of MX-5s to play with.

Fast forward a few months to where we are at the time of writing, the car is currently undergoing a full body restoration. I decided anything less than a proper job would leave me disappointed. I sourced a few quotes for the job and decided to use the professional car body painter at my place of work. He was keen to have an after-hours job and I was keen as I knew the quality of his work was outstanding. The body was disassembled, bumpers, doors, hood, bootlid, roof, windscreen, all of the trim off. All of the dents have been tapped out, body flatted, a light fill and the body primed.

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[Varjak]

Part 4

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I asked for the stone guard to be re-applied as it was patchy in places so the body was taken back to bare metal to do so.

I thought long and hard about choosing a new colour, seeing as it was going to be a complete respray. I decided that to maintain the originality and to compliment the tan leather, the Neo Green paint colour was the best choice. I struggled to better the choices of the Mazda colour design department as when applied correctly, it is a wonderful, deep and lustrous colour. Ultimately, this is going to be MY ultimate NA so I decided, what ever my preference was, resale value aside, I'd go with that.

As of now, the car is being re-assembled. I've taken a look at the off-the-gun paint finish before any de-nib or polishing has taken place and it is already outstanding. I was promised a "better than new" finish and I don't doubt I will get it.

That's all for now folks, an update will come on here once I get it back and I can take some photographs that show the car off at its best.

[lee]

Sounds like a great restore! I'm looking forward to seeing how the paint work goes

[snshami]

I second that. Its a great read and I too cannot wait to see the final result.

[Bizi]

x3!

I am also very, very interested in your thoughts about the pros and cons of choosing a NC 'daily+' vs a LE plus a daily car.

Thanks for this thread and I think I'm leaning toward doing someting like this, if the right car comes up.

Please explain the pitfalls, if any, too.

[Bizi]

I second that. Its a great read and I too cannot wait to see the final result.

Maybe do a photo shoot together, one day?

Good eye for a great NA8 LE buy x2, guys!

[Varjak]

x3!

I am also very, very interested in your thoughts about the pros and cons of choosing a NC 'daily+' vs a LE plus a daily car.

Thanks for this thread and I think I'm leaning toward doing someting like this, if the right car comes up.

Please explain the pitfalls, if any, too.

Hi Bizi and all,

I think it comes down to personal preference. The NC has been 100% reliable and hassle-free with no nasty surprises come service time. It's fast, steers and handles like a dream and is practical enough for a shopping trip or week away. It's somewhat more flashy (especially in stunning Winning Blue!) and of course, the status you get with driving a current or near current model is somewhat different to driving a 20 year old design. Of course, that doesn't matter to me one bit (secretly it does, I'd never put that in writing though shhh). On the flip side of the coin, I think the NA is coming to an age where it is really only appealing to people who know about cars. The undeserved "hairdresser car" tag will surely disappear over time as die-hard motor enthusiasts seek out this model for its merits. Most non-car people will avoid a car of such an age due to perceived unreliability, which I'm all for as it makes them that bit more accessible for those of us who know their onions!

Usability wise, the NC is a bit harder to squeeze in my driveway and thread around traffic, the cabin is not perceptibly larger than the NA (in fact, I find the NA more comfortable over great distances) but the boot is notably larger on the NC.

Driving wise, I find the NA is more lithe and alert, mainly due to the louder road noise. The gear shift quality is better in the NA by quite some margin (but the NC is still excellent).

Equipment and features wise, the NA has everything you need, the NC has everything you might want. Having said that, it's not difficult to install and MP3 player, heated glass rear screen etc. The efficiency of design and simplicity of the NA appeal to me but I'm sure that lack of conveniences such as remote central locking would be impossible for some to live with!

The perceived quality in the NC is excellent, door shut sounds, quality of plastics, grains, panel fits etc are all superb and what you would expect of a contemporary Mazda. The NA is of a different generation of course but the simplicity of design and elegance of line more than makes up for any perceived quality shortcomings in my opinion.

Attractiveness of design is an emotive subject but for me, the stance, proportions, surfacing and detailing of the NA are astounding. You don't have to look at many of the NA's contemporaries to see how well the design has stood the test of time. The Lotus Elan, Spitfire etc. I know were benchmarked but I'd say the NA is superior in its body surfacing to those cars, along with many other more expensive and exotic classic and modern cars. The NC is also a stunning design but the specialness of detail is missing in some areas. I get the impression that the NA was designed by a small group of focused designers, the NC likely a result of a team with many more interested parties.

Speed? The NA is not a fast car but with a bit of thought, time and money, it can be made to go adequately fast. By the looks of things, the only limitation is time and budget! I'll be happy with a K&N filter and a cat-back exhaust system. The NC is a swift machine, punchy and powerful and able to get you out of trouble should you need that extra shove.

You mention an LE + a daily driver, I have considered this too but have come to the conclusion that any additional purchase (such as a super-economical car like a Fiesta Econetic) would not pay me back in any fuel economy savings once purchase cost, depreciation, extra servicing, rego etc. are taken into consideration. In addition, well it's just another car I'd have to drive instead of the NA!

No doubt the NC is a safer bet in an accident, an important consideration for many.

I don't intend on losing any money in depreciation on the NA, I wish the same could be said of my NC!

These are of course all my own personal opinions, I'd be interested to hear any other discussions on the topic.

Oh, and I know a VERY nice NC for sale in Winning Blue should you decide an NC is the car for you (damn, should have done a harder sell!).

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[Bizi]

Thanks so much, Varjak!

That is a very detailed and useful case for each car.

You will have scope for the best of all worlds.

I suppose my original idea is still possible - a nicely sorted NB8b, but as you say, the ideal may well be a very well sorted and upgraded NA8, since it can take the best of the NB and build on the NA's fun factor.


PS. Thanks for the offer... I'm yet to drive an NC, so will hopefully take up the offer with some Sydney people to join them at Pie In The Sky to discuss and then see for myself.

I really enjoyed the NB & NB8B experience there; it's just a matter of timing. In the meantime I'll continue to appreciate and enjoy this commentary of yours.

[snshami]

That's a very objectively and nicely written comparison between an NA and an NC from someone who has both. I agree with everything.

[Varjak]

Time for an update! Got the NA back from the body shop after the repairs and a full respray a couple of months ago. Pre clean-up and detail, it looked like this.




After a weekend of detailing, the result was this:




The work on the body is flawless. You'd never guess it was the victim of heavy hail. The fresh paint is also superb. Deep and rich and free from orange peel, a better than new finish and with excellent attention to detail; door, bonnet and boot jams, bonnet underside all with a great finish. The body shop even bought some new under-bonnet stickers to maintain the original look!

The tyres were original and rather tired (pun intended!) so this gave me the perfect excuse for a new set of wheels too! After a lot of consideration and research, I decided on the Rota RB 15x7 for the classic look which compliments the green exterior and tan interior. Purchased new from Ebay in the US, the as shipped price was considerably less than buying here.

The Bridgestone RE002s were launched the week I started tyre shopping and I followed up a good recommendation from here to try Ray at TyrePower in Reservoir for the fitting and wheel alignment. He gave me a great price and did an excellent job, I would highly recommend them and was delighted with the result.



For the finishing touches, I fitted clear side markers and repeaters (clear headlamps yet to come). The interior is tidy and all original but the driver's seat was rather tired so I decided to get it re-trimmed. I was recommended Axion Motor Trimmers in Dandenong and they have done a first-rate job. They used a Bride Of Weir hide (as fitted to Aston Martins no less) and the colour match is perfect.

Before:

And after:


That's it for now! Next stages will be some new carpets (with a decent quality cut or loop pile instead of the nasty standard rat fur), a new air intake and a cat-back exhaust system, once I'm a bit less broke!

[Hjt]

You saved it's life, great rebuild Nice rotas also!

[gslender]

Love the wheels. Exactly what I'd like for my NA6 LE.

So did the eBay seller give you a price for posting/shipping all four or was it per order?

G

[BadBong]

That's an excellent restoration job mate

I've always had it in the back of my mind that every car will require a full respray in due time.

Mind if I ask how much did it cost you? (I'm assuming it was only the exterior without removing everything inside the engine bay)