Emily's 04 VR SE

[hks_kansei]

Nah the core was taken out.
As was the fan and carpet and door cards.
Some weight saving bullshit I dunno.
Previous owner was an idiot, as usual.

Ah, yeah in that case it just sounds like the old "look at me, I'm a racecar, I saved 200 grams in my car by taking out the ashtray, look how hardcore I am"

And when asked about laptimes they admit that they've never been to a racetrack but instead quote times it took them to get down X local twisty road..

am I close?

[emily_mx5]

yes haha spot on

[emily_mx5]

Now that is was running noice, was time to focus on the interior.

Because that dash had to be taken out for all the a/c + heater core stuff, and nearly everything else was missing, and I had a spare NB dash that never sold, I figured why not do a NB interior transplant!

The dash bolts in place 100% plug and play.


Wiring not so much haha.
You need to have an NA harness with NB plugs soldered on, so they plug into the:
NB HVAC
NB power mirror switch
NB hazard switch
NB power windows

and a custom headlight pop-up switch.

Wasn't too hard, most info was available on the internets, had to figure out the power mirrors on my own, all working now

Here is the final dash loom


and led strips that sit up in the footwell as the NB dash doesnt have any lights.


figuring out the mirrors wiring, you can see the NA switch and wiring, and the NB switch with stripped wires.


Hazard switch wiring, half the NB ones arent used.


Custom NA pop up switch, mounted in the back of the single din pocket.


Cheap bluetooth stereo for now, might put an iPad mini in later on.


Even got an NB dead pedal


Centre console with new leather boot, stock NB 5spd gear knob, and JDM auto window switches.


Still trying to source a non-exploded air bag cover

[A.Chen89]

nice work! interior looks the goods

[Lokiel]

Very nice work.

Are you going to do something custom with the vacant airbag slot?

Suggestion: Find an original fascia and mount 3 gauges in there horizontally, angled towards the driver. They're actually too far away to be seen easily while driving so it's not really practical for the important gauges but putting in (from left to right) a clock, voltage meter and A/FR would be useful and look good.

IMO, the NB dash is the best MX5 dash so far, it's not too dated and not too plastic like the NC's (aside from the NC's bloated look, the interior just looks too cheap with all that shiny plastic for me).

[markwid]

Am very impressed by the level of your DIY. Respect!

[PaulF]

IMO, the NB dash is the best MX5 dash so far, it's not too dated and not too plastic like the NC's (aside from the NC's bloated look, the interior just looks too cheap with all that shiny plastic for me).

I disagree with you so much that one day I will buy an NB and put an NA dash in it.

[NitroDann]

LOL.

The NA dash is amazing because of it's simplicity.

Its like nail clippers, it's just a simple cheap design that does everything you want and need and no more.

Dann

[AntHarmer]

Emily - you never cease to amaze me with the work you do on your cars. Good work


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Okibi]

Looks great Em, I can't find a picture but im sure either NoPro or AutoExe make a part that replaces the passenger side airbag with a 3 gauge holder.

You could design and build something similar or a glove box style area.

[MrRevhead]

In this instance, fibreglass is your friend!

A 7" tablet integrated into a fibreglass mould might suit a few different purposes..especially if you plan to run MSDroid or RaceChrono etc on the tablet...even a GPS

[Okibi]

A few years ago now but this is what Rod did

[emily_mx5]

I agree with Dann and Paul, I love the NA dash and door cards so so so much, but I was so used to the tan stuff that the black colour scheme was very dull and depressing haha. Also a lot of it was missing so may as well do something different.

I have an original fascia that has been deployed so it is ripped, thinking of just covering it in a black vinyl for now.
Having gauges would just stress me out when being rbt'd etc, it draws attention.

[Lokiel]

I agree with Dann and Paul, I love the NA dash and door cards so so so much, but I was so used to the tan stuff that the black colour scheme was very dull and depressing haha. Also a lot of it was missing so may as well do something different.

I have an original fascia that has been deployed so it is ripped, thinking of just covering it in a black vinyl for now.
Having gauges would just stress me out when being rbt'd etc, it draws attention.

Agree with you on the "too much black"- type comment, the NB interiors suffer from this too but that's easy enough to "fix".

I actually removed my A-pillar DM-6 gauge when a friendly RBT cop pointed out that "it might be a good idea to remove it" so I can understand that you don't want to attract any unwanted attention.

[Nevyn72]

Loving this thread Em, being a bit of a mad tinkerer myself, I'm very impressed with your work, keep it up!
As much as anything it's the pace at which you're going that is remarkable.

Have to agree with others here that the standard NB interior is a bit heavy on the black..... Something I plan to address on mine when I get to the stage of starting to do a few things on the interior.

As for the passenger side airbag, I'd be inclined to making it into either an additional glovebox (if you can somehow make a door that looks fairly OEM) or a pocket/cubbyhole as a little extra storage on any MX5 would be a useful thing.

Cheers,
Nev