Gladiators '90 MX5 NA6

[Gladiator]

Heaps of progress was made this weekend. All body panels except for the front bar & bonnet are on the car. Carpet & dash are in, so is the steering column. And after much swearing, cursing & then more swearing the soft top is back in. I have four female plugs hanging down from the left hand side of the steering column that don’t appear to have partners. They don’t feature in any of my photos, which may mean I never disconnected them.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Any bits of black trim got a pretty-up as well.



I’ve got this 1960’s boat antenna. I’d like to find a way to fit it.



It’s getting closer!!


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[Magpie]

That dash looks out of place, get rid of it!

[Lokiel]

:
That dash looks out of place, get rid of it!

+1
The gauge faces should be orange/gold to go with the "Sexual Chocolate" theme
(Bronze rims too)


- You can tell everyone your car's a "Ferrero"!

As for the spare female plugs, your best bet is probably to use wriring diagrams and the wire colours to figure them out if no-one else can help:
http://neomiata.com/garage/index.php?path=Wiring+Diagrams%2FWiring+Diagrams+1990-1996/
https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90how.pdf
https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90diag.pdf
https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90sys.pdf
... lots of reading there (start by writing down the wire colors on each connector)

[Gladiator]

:
That dash looks out of place, get rid of it!

+1
The gauge faces should be orange/gold to go with the "Sexual Chocolate" theme
(Bronze rims too)


- You can tell everyone your car's a "Ferrero"!

As for the spare female plugs, your best bet is probably to use wriring diagrams and the wire colours to figure them out if no-one else can help:
http://neomiata.com/garage/index.php?path=Wiring+Diagrams%2FWiring+Diagrams+1990-1996/
https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90how.pdf
https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90diag.pdf
https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90sys.pdf
... lots of reading there (start by writing down the wire colors on each connector)

Gauge faces - yes I know. I have a stock cluster I can through in. If I put clear led bulbs in it it’ll light up green. Custom faces are out of the question.

Electrics - Lokiel, me reading an electrical diagram is like me reading a Chinese dictionary. I’m thinking that if something doesn’t work when I turn key then I’ll know what’s not plugged in. But I’m guessing they weren’t ever connected to anything, or I’d have taken photos.

We will see.


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[Lokiel]

It's easier to read these wiring diagrams than you think so don't dismiss it as too hard - it'll come in handy later on too if you need to diagnose electrical gremlins.

eg. For https://www.miataforumz.com/1990-200-Miata-Wiring/90diag.pdf

You have a connector with 5 wires, 2x Blue with White stripe, 1x Blue with Red Stripe, 1x Blue with Green stripe and 1x Blue with Yellow stripe.

On this wiring diagram, these colours are written as BLU-WHT, BLU-RED, BLU_GRN and BLU-YEL respectively.

If you look for a component on the wiring diagram with all these wires, you'll find the component on Figure 3 at coordinates D-8 (Blower Unit).

[Magpie]

Fabricate a fitting something like this for your 'boat' antenna?

[Gladiator]

Fabricate a fitting something like this for your 'boat' antenna?

Nah, I’ve decided after a bit of a poll with a few friends that I’ll stick with my carbon fibre stubby. It keeps with the theme created by my CF cluster hood & tombstone, & my recently acquired CF mirrors.


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[Magpie]

Still it needs a nautical touch to fit in with your past.

[Gladiator]

Still it needs a nautical touch to fit in with your past.

I’ve also decided that the blue gauges can stay so, “blue as the ocean”.


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[Lokiel]

[KevGoat]

I'm not sure, but I reckon the blue instruments might work quite well with a couple of other subtle matching blue highlights around the cabin somewhere ... too early to tell.

[Gladiator]

The interior is all back in bar the center consol & seats.

My chrome fuel lid & clear blinkers turned up the other day from the UK.


Today I’ve got the engine almost ready to go back in. I’ve decreased it & the gearbox. sh*t it may a difference.


Then I pulled the box off & ripped out the old but still a fair bit of life in it clutch & flywheel. Next I put a new rear crank seal in even though it didn’t need it, then bolted up my lightened flywheel & newish clutch. I don’t have a clutch alignment tool, so I made one. A cut down 16mm spark plug socket in a 19mm in a 27mm, all packed out with chem-tape.

The gearbox went straight back into place too, so it worked.

I’ve only got a few hrs tomorrow so I’ll be fitting my braided brake lines. I also have a spare valve cover & inlet manifold that will be done in wrinkle black, hopefully tomorrow.

I’m hoping that in two weeks I’ll have the engine in & running. Then I just need to rub the paint back & polish. I’m getting excited.


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[Gladiator]

SWMBO had different ideas about what was going to happen yesterday morning. Hence nothing got done.
However, when I woke up this afternoon ( I’m on night shift) a parcel from Beavis Motorsports has arrived.



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[Gladiator]

Now that’s what I call progress!! The engine is in. The drivetrain is bolted up. The exhaust is on. New braided brake & clutch lines are in. As long as my throttle body gasket arrives in the morning as promised, & assuming I can bluff my way through the wiring, I may have zoom zoom noises tomorrow arvo. Fingers crossed.

I also painted my valve cover & inlet manifold with wrinkle black. I’m going to do the lettering white.





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[Lokiel]

Looks great - consider painting the thermostat cover Wrinkle Black too to kelp make it "disappear".

If you do, mask off the barbs enclosed by the hose when painting since you don't want it flaking off into the coolant.



^ Old photo of Gina's engine bay (pre GM CNPS, FlatTop manifold, Skunk2 TB and TSE radiator)