Today I... "Redux Edition"

[5th T/A]

Casey,

I am pretty sure this is still the busiest thread on the Forum. Since I see your picture every time I opened it I have wondered how things are going. Glad your still getting enjoyment out of the Miata and you are still part of TAC.

[Casey]

Casey,

I am pretty sure this is still the busiest thread on the Forum. Since I see your picture every time I opened it I have wondered how things are going. Glad your still getting enjoyment out of the Miata and you are still part of TAC.

Now that I'm back again(again, again) I'll have to make sure I stay active.   All is better than ever I think, so there's that.  Still have a ways to go to be where we need to be, slowly but surely though.  Yush I love driving the Miata more than ever now, though I still hate the rollbar and would like to remove it sooner than later.

[79GoldnTan]

Glad to see your back and good!

[Casey]

Glad to see your back and good!

Thanks!  Glad to be back! 

[roadking77]

Those Lexus cars are nice, and if you go back a couple of years are AACA eligible. But you know as well as anyone here, get the best you can. They will nickle and dime you like crazy.

[Casey]

Those Lexus cars are nice, and if you go back a couple of years are AACA eligible. But you know as well as anyone here, get the best you can. They will nickle and dime you like crazy.

The only real problem areas are front lower ball joints, door lock actuators, gauge needle LEDs, and the starter.  Oh, and power steering pumps on pre '98 models.  Otherwise they're solid cars good for 200-300K+ miles with just routine maintenance.

I had thought about a SC or GS a few years ago, but my stubborness and the scarcity of manual SC kept that from happening.  That's ok, they're too big for my tastes anyway.

[Casey]

Well my brother is going to sell his 2-owner '94 MX-3 5-speed with 150K miles on it to her for $1,500, which is really sweet of him.  So that solves one dilemma.

[Casey]

Bae's new-to-her car we picked up yesterday:



I polished the headlights earlier since that was easy enough, will test fit the factory wheels from the Miata once it's nicer out since she likes how they look.

[ryeguy2006a]

Those doors look a lot like the RX-7 doors. Cool car.

[Casey]

Those doors look a lot like the RX-7 doors. Cool car.

It definitely has FD RX-7 and NB Miata vibes, in fact I think the door handles are exactly the same as my Miata.

It has a lot of potential for coolness, the higher up GS model had a 1.8 K8 V6 which is easy to swap for the Japanese market 2.5 KL-ZE V6 that made 200 hp.  Then the base like her's with the 1.6 B6D are stupid easy to turbocharge with B6T parts, or you can swap in a BPT from the Japanese GTX.  You can also swap in the AWD setup from said GTX.

Though we'll likely just fix up what's needed and leave it alone, leave shenanigans for something else once we're settled down.

[Casey]

I did a thing, GK Tech 1.75" steel sphere on a 1320 Performance 3" brass extender.  Between the 5X Racing bronze shifter bushing kit, Red Line MTL, and this I'm now a very happy girl:

[Casey]

One more thing, because having these be the only chrome pieces triggers my OCD.

[Casey]

New glasses!

[ryeguy2006a]

I like the trendy look Casey!

Well yesterday this happened to me! Wish me luck.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1968-chevrolet-camaro-123/

[Jack]

Good luck, do you have anything else in the works?

[roadking77]

Good Luck Ryan, I will be watching this. Im surprised that there is no title though. That would make for a no sale in my state.

[Casey]

I like the trendy look Casey!

Well yesterday this happened to me! Wish me luck.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1968-chevrolet-camaro-123/

Thankies! :3

Good luck on the sale!  I've contemplated putting the Miata on there should I decide to sell it, since BAT seems to bring more money than you'd normally get.

[ryeguy2006a]

Good Luck Ryan, I will be watching this. Im surprised that there is no title though. That would make for a no sale in my state.

There is no "title" in NYS for cars prior to 1973, but there is a transferrable registration that goes with the car. Basically instead of having a title, the registration will be transferred with the car. That's how all vehicles are in NYS prior to 1973, so you would have no issues transferring to any other state.  Feel free to bid Kerry. 

[Nexus]

So this finally happened!!

2022-03-22_02-05-29 by Charles Marson, on Flickr

2022-03-22_02-05-39 by Charles Marson, on Flickr

2022-03-22_02-05-59 by Charles Marson, on Flickr

Third times the charm!!

First two sets of crank bearings did not fit when ordered them from Summit. Once was my own fault, second was theirs. MiniTA at 301 garage pointed me in the right direction!!

[5th T/A]

Charlie, looks like you have been a busy guy, glad you got it sorted out.

MiniTA at 301 is knowledgeable and always willing to help out. He lives less than 20 miles from me. One of these days I will try to meet him.

[roadking77]

Looks good Charlie!

[Casey]

Woo hoo, the right parts!

[Nexus]

Where have I been lately you ask?

Well, in February my wife and I thought it would be a good idea to open a karate school in my community as there isn't one here and the nearest one is a drive into the city. So that's what we did and my intent was to run the school in Lively and go into the city and continue teaching at Sudbury MMA. Well after almost 30 years of dedication to that place, I was told by the owner and long time friend, that I am no-longer an instructor there and that I need to be focusing 100% of my attention to my own dojo. I really thought I'd be doing both but I guess it's a blessing because I have more time on the weekends now. I am happy to say that I think most of the legwork is done and I should be good to go for my "meet & greet" this coming April 1st. Classes begin April 4th.

On top of that, I have started re-taking all of my high school math as it's been 30 years since I've done it and this is to get me prepared for the Electrician Technician course I am taking in September. All of this because I've been off from the Jail since February of 2021 and I'm not going back. I am getting sponsored by the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB). There is still a chance that the Ontario government can offer me a job somewhere else in the ministry and I do have the option of taking their offer if I want too.

I am trying to iron out time in my schedule to work on the car but that has been hard the last few months. Now that engine is back on track, I want to have it sitting in the frame rails by the end of summer so that I can redo the transmission next.

Lots of changes and excitement happening and once it becomes a normal routine, I can find my daily rhythm again.

Thanks for reading!!

This is the logo I created

RYUSYOKAI INAKA KARATE DOJO CREST by Charles Marson, on Flickr

[nas t eh]

Wow, that is a lot of change in a rather short time, hope it all works out for you.

[ryeguy2006a]

Logo looks great Charlie! My oldest son is taking tae kwon do and is loving it. It's great to see his confidence level up and he is excelling at it which is great.

[Jack]

The logo kinda looks like a screaming chicken... I like it.

[Casey]

Yes, hope all works out Charlie and I third the sentiment about the logo!

Finished up valve stem seals on my fiancée's MX-3 earlier this afternoon which has the 1.6 B6D(more or less the same as the Miata B6-ZE and BP family) in it. Working on a familiar engine made things even easier, and yay no more James Bond smokescreen on start-up!

[roadking77]

Sounds like thing are moving in a positive direction Charlie. We will keep up on you to get that 'bird on the road, LOL. I know what you mean though, I havent touched mine since last summer.

[Nexus]

Thanks and I hadn't thought about the nod to the hood bird but I like it even more now!!

Casey, that's good news!

Did it take long to do the valve work?

[Casey]

Casey, that's good news!

Did it take long to do the valve work?

Took us about 2 days taking our time, with plenty of breaks because I needed them.

I imagine most could do it in a day.

[737driver]

Not today but yesterday I bought a 2000 TransAm. Last month, I sold my 72 Lemans and paid off a lot of bills and what not. With that sale I had some extra money. Instead of doing the smart and responsible adult thing and save some money, I found a very nice TransAm at Cars and Coffee in Las Vegas.
For a while now I have been looking for a 3rd or 4th Gen Firebird. Specifically I was looking for a 3rd Gen GTA. I was also interested in the 4th Gen also. I didn’t think I’d buy anything soon but was certainly looking.

I found a 2000 TransAm for sale Saturday morning at Cars and coffee. I looked it over and it had all the things I was looking for. This one was all original with only 21,100 miles. All factory, no changes completely stock .

I’m very unsure of what I am going to do with it. Nothings broke, everything works, no issues. I don’t need to clean anything, there is nothing I want to change and I don’t have to spend 2 years restoring it. I honestly am clueless as what to do with a car that doesn’t need any work! 😜

It will be a few weeks until I can drive it some more because I am in Dallas for 3 weeks of training. I am going through Captain training for Southwest.

I do love the way it drives, it is a very fun car !

Jim

[5th T/A]

Jim,

Congratulations on you 4th Gen TA. Beautiful looking car and nice color, look like a brand new car in the photos! Hope it brings you lot of enjoyment.

I have never driven or even sat in a 4th Gen but got in a pretty good discussion with Rocky Rotella about how refined and advanced the 4th Gen TA’s are. He did mention he got a pretty good horsepower increase just by doing some ECU tuning.

Also congratulations on the Captain training, I am assuming you were promoted from 1st officer.

[Casey]

Congrats Jim!  It's nice to buy a car that needs nothing done to it besides basic maintenance and driving.  If I recall correctly the later 4th gens like to split their door panels due to a difference in how they're stapled together versus earlier years, something to look into anyway as prevention.

[Casey]

I have never driven or even sat in a 4th Gen but got in a pretty good discussion with Rocky Rotella about how refined and advanced the 4th Gen TA’s are. He did mention he got a pretty good horsepower increase just by doing some ECU tuning.

They're nice for what they are, probably one of the best solid rear axle pony cars out there.  Still I never really clicked with mine, between not seeing past the dashboard and the floaty feeling of the SRA I never felt confident pushing the car dynamically.  The Miata is a much better fit for my driving style, but I still have a soft spot for F-bodies.

[Jack]

Congrats Jim, that is one nice car.

[roadking77]

Nice car Jim, my wife had a 96 z 28 6 speed that colour inside and out. That thing was a beast and very fun to drive. It is nice to have a car that all it needs is to be wash and waxed once in awhile!

Congrats on the Captain training!

[ryeguy2006a]

Great car and great color! That will be a car that appreciates in value over the next 10 years for sure. Nice find.

[737driver]

Thanks for the comments! My impressions of driving it was that it is a lot of fun, I really like the performance in the car. I really love the T Tops!
I realized I will probably need new tires though. The tires are original which means they are 22 years old. So when I get done with training and get back home I will get a new set put on.
I’m still making progress on my 77 TransAm and hoping to put it back on all four wheels in the next few weeks/ month or so.
Right now I’m stuck in Dallas until the end of the month for ground school and simulator training. Pretty much standard training , stuff I have been through several times before, but when I’m done I will be flying as a Captain for SWA. It’s a nice milestone achievement as a pilot , with additional responsibilities it does come with a bump in pay, so that means more car parts and stuff!

Jim

[737driver]

Great car and great color! That will be a car that appreciates in value over the next 10 years for sure. Nice find.

Ryan,
 I may be asking you a lot of LS questions in the future, since you seem to be the TAC LS expert,😊

Jim

[scarebird]

Nice!

Only thing I did with my low mile 98 was change the exhaust.  The driver side pipe is really flattened.  Given what I know now I would just have replaced that one restrictive section and not do the whole thing (true dual 2-1/2" pipes with end resonators - loud!)