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Lighting
Dealer Alternative FM Strut Brace
Hardtop/Side latches/defroster
"EUNOS" and "Roadster" emblems
Some more reference material for people contemplating these pieces.
The pieces were ordered from Tommy @ Roebuck Mazda and arrived in record time. He's highly recommended by everyone for Mazda parts. Excellent prices and service.
Pieces ordered: front airdam, all 4 mudflaps, rear skirt, and prepainted rear lip spoiler. Everything came in a box approx 10 feet long x 18" square. I'm glad I didn't send it to work!!!
All that extra packing paper were useful to prevent you from getting dirty sitting on the ground.
You might want to have these handy: screwdriver (lg. philips), drill/bits, jacks, masking tape, pen, center punch, hammer, some sockets (metric) and wrenches.
Read instructions FIRST so you understand the procedures. And wash your car or at least clean the area you'll be attaching the pieces.
No-brainers. 1/2 hour each pair, tops. Requires screwdriver.
Helpful tools: drill/bit, cordless screwdriver, socket/extension, wrench.
Not difficult. Approx 1 hr w/no helper. Jack up your car to make assembly easier, or get it on a lift. I used two hydraulic pallet jacks in my brother's garage since they were easier to get under the car's low chassis. The instructions are clear with good illustrations. It does help to have someone/something support the other side of the airdam while you fasten one end with a longer bolt supplied. After that, attach a few clips, drill a few holes, install bolts/screws and you're done! A Black & Decker cordless screwdriver with the drill bit attachment is cool for starting holes, then I used a DeWalt 18V cordless drill to finish drilling.
There is a noticeable increase in high speed stability.
Need: Masking tape, screwdriver, some (6) small washers (6mm), socket/extension (10mm?). Touchup paint. Read directions several times first.
Takes more than one hour, including time needed for paint to dry. Make sure you're not in a rush!!!
Take out the center brake light cuz you don't want to drill into it :) Lay some newspaper in your trunk to catch the metal shavings.
Finding point A to drill isn't hard, even w/o template. All you need to do is measure the width of the trunklid at two points along the L&R edges (same two points of course) I measured mine, starting at the forward edge, maybe 4", and 18" down the edge, then measured across to corresponding points on the other edge. Use masking tape. I measured the width in cm because I find it easier to divide 116cm than 45.67". Find the center of those two widths, mark them. Lay another tape down the center of the trunk, draw a line and measure the required distance from the forward edge. There's the hole you need to drill. Center punch (nail, whatever) it slightly, and drill a small pilot hole. I started at 1/8" just to be safe then worked my way up.
Touch up the bare metal with paint. Let it dry. Go on a coffee break - the paint takes a while (30 minutes?) too dry.
If you've done your research, you'd know NOT to overtighten the nut holding the spoiler down. Maybe we should change that to FINGERTIGHT and LOCTITE it. Also, some archives suggest 2 washers (not 3). In retrospect, I should've used ONE. I noticed a SLIGHT gap at the center. I hope the trunklid is not dimpled. AAARRRGHH!!!
The bottom of the spoiler has self-stick gaskets. DON'T remove the backing until you've positioned the spoiler.
The Z-clips could use a few washers underneath to level things out, so I added three 6mm washers each side.
Read the paragraph below carefully. It will be EXTREMELY difficult to move the spoiler after you stick it down.
Finally, you need to measure the distance of the spoiler from the forward edge of the trunklid (both edges). Make sure they're the same, then you can stick things down. BEFORE you peel the backing paper away, make sure the gaskets will seal up against the trunklid, and make sure the rubber washer(s) won't dimple your trunklid!!!!!!!!!!!!
The gaskets on the spoiler stuck on the leading edge, but not the trailing edge. I'd buy some thin sealing gasket from hardware store if I can do this over again.
The reason (I think) for the rubber washers is to prevent water from going into your trunk. If they are so prone to dimpling your trunklid by overtightening, I would use neoprene and make my own washers. Also not even tighten the nut more than fingertight, then loctite it.
Remember, once it is on, it is on!! You will have a hole in your trunk so this is not easily reversible.
3/8/97: I re-installed the spoiler. You can take off the piece carefully, either thru lifting slowly to break the tape's adhesion, or help it along with some dental floss. I then took off all the original gasket and replaced with 3/16 x 1/4 rubber foam gasket (weatherseal) which can be found in most hardware stores (Home Depot). I also used some double-sided adhesive tape as well since the gasket is only single-sided. I also enlarged the hole drilled in the trunk by a bit (it wasn't straight down) so the spoiler sits (tilts) a little further back. I took off one more of the rubber washers (now down to 1) and replaced it with a piece of neoprene approx 1/8 - 3/16" thick. It looks and sits perfectly now.
BTW the trunklid was not dimpled.
You need: ramps, wheel chucks, 8mm/10mm wrench/socket (deep and standard), drill and bits, electrical and masking tape, Dremel tool or good trimming knife.
We all know that the rear skirt is not compatible with rear mudflaps. Here are some instructions and templates courtesy of Stan Endlich. They are also in miata.net archives (Sept '96). I used them for my install,but still spent 3 hours/side and my results can be better. YMMV.
If you're not using it with the mudflap, you can get all this done in less than an hour.
I spent like 3 hours each side cutting with the Dremel tool. I ended up with 1/8" - 3/16" gap between the pieces which I filled with black silicone from Home Depot. Start with the right side (short piece) because it is easier to work with. If you cut too much you can at least move the skirt forward without it looking funny. I chopped off the mounting tab and drilled another hole for mounting. Another thing to do (optional) to fill up the gap is to use black electrical tape. That way light does not shine thru the gaps (tape both sides if you want to).
I thought about making a better template but it really needs to be a 3D thing to work well - like a molding of the thing. I think you'd need something like this:
1 set of original rear skirt.
1 set of modified skirt.
Make a mold of the chopped-off section of the modified one (maybe use alum. foil as a mold).
Apply that to the unmodified skirt and make another mold/template to determine the section needed to cut off. This might not even be necessary if we can get a good accurate ref. point to place the previous mold (say xxx cm from the tip slip this mold over the skirt)
Once we have that, anytime someone needs to modify a skirt they would just slip the template on the section to cut off, mark it and cut away. Does anyone want to help?
I installed the PIAA 1253 Ion-crystal driving lights. The install was fairly straightforward, thanks to the help from various articles gathered from Miata.net (such as Drake Daum's and Bob Wallis'), and the Factory Shop Manual, which has proven to be invaluable.
The +12V power came from the fusebox (right side of engine compartment). Most of the wiring was located there as well, except one long wire (relay control) which ran across along the firewall to get to the OEM foglight wire (green/yellow wire that is around the brake master cylinder). I enclosed the wires to the lamps themselves in a wireloom for abrasion resistance. The lamps were mounted inside the front intake opening on the top of the mouth. Two screws each and no doublesided foam.
The hardest part was controlling the lights. All the underhood work can be completed in 1-1.5 hours. If I can route the PIAA switch harness inside that would be ideal but (1) I did not find any convenient holes and (2) I did not want to drill any holes. That's why I used the infamous OEM foglight wire. I did some more minor mods to be able to operate the lights independent of the headlight.
Control:
I made use of the factory foglight wire (green/yellow) under the hood on the driver side by the brake master cylinder to avoid drilling thru the firewall. The PIAA only use one wire to control the relay, so the green/yellow will work just fine. Underdash, I originally extracted the foglight lead (green/yellow) out of the defroster connector and connected PIAA switch harness' relay control wire. I then connected the other wires: ground, and to IG2 on the ignition switch terminal (so I can turn on the PIAAs whenever the ignition's on). You can accomplish that with the power wire for your power windows switch.
Switch:
I originally used the PIAA switch because (1) it is lighted (on or off) and (2) I'm sick of rewiring anything else after all that work. It was velcro'd on the defroster switch, where the foglight switch could've been IF Mazda had one in the U.S. Now I have an OEM combination defroster/foglamp switch from Japan. I did make one modification - I cut the red/black wire in the foglight/defroster harness (next to the green/yellow) - that wire is tied into the headlamp circuit - and connected the connector side into Power Window +12V (or IG2) instead to run the PIAAs independent of the headlights. The switch is not available in the United States for some odd reason, so I had it brought in from Japan. It is approx $60.
All this sounds simple but try working under the dash and you'll know why it took several hours.
These are replacement bulbs for your aftermarket H4 headlights (such as Hella Vision). I saw them advertised in the Japanese car mag "Option". I called PIAA USA and they told me they have no plans to import these (yet...) so I had a friend get them from Japan.
The primary feature is the light output: The light color temp is 3800K, which is very close to HID lights (4300K). I think normal halogen light is 3200K. On the street, these lights are noticeably whiter than the Hella H4 bulbs I had previously.
They're also supposed to be more efficient. The 60/55W is supposed to be equivalent to 110/100W and the 80/80W is equivalent to 135/115W. I have the 60/55W version, as well as the 80/80W. I'm using the 80Ws right now. Amazing.
Again, they're not available in the States (yet?). Highly recommended, if you can get them. I have some spare sets available too.
Apparently, they have both H3 and H4 types. Prices? I got this from their Japanese ad:
| H4 | H3 | |||||
| Description | Item # | Price/pair | Description | Item # | Price/each | |
| 60/55W -> 110/100W | WC1 | 6500 Yen | 55W -> 85W | CB1 | 1900 Yen | |
| 80/80W -> 135/115W | WC2 | 7500 Yen | 85W -> 135W | CB2 | 2400 Yen |
At 120 to 1 exchange rate, and 5% tax (yes, there's sales tax there), the 55W H4 bulb is approx $57 a pair. This is on top of the $80 for your typical Hella Vision H4 headlights.
In Japan, PIAA just came out with "Plasma Blue" halogen bulbs, which burn even whiter (bluer?) at 4500K or 5000K, depending on model. I have some. The white/blue light sort of get absorbed into the asphalt, etc so while it is bright, it does not illuminate as effectively.
I still have some spare sets of 80/80W SuperWhite.
Dealer Alternative FM Strut Brace
I think the instruction sheet says 1/2 hour. Nothing is ever as simple as the instruction says. Took me 1.5 hours.
You can do this in 1/2 hours IF you have a plain stock Miata with no alarm or cruise control. I have a '96 M-edition (read: all options) with the factory alarm. The alarm siren is mounted on a bracket which is bolted to the right strut tower exactly where you need to mount the strut brace tower bracket.
Disconnect the siren. Two wires - a negative attached via a grounding bolt (easy) and a positive going somewhere. DON'T CUT THAT POSITIVE WIRE!! There is an inline bullet connector which was hidden because it was routed next to the fusebox. I cut the wire but I didn't feel too bad because you'll have to make that wire longer anyways.
I took the siren bracket inside, filed/sanded smooth all sharp edges and wrapped the bracket with electrical tape. I don't want this bracket to cut any other wire harnesses under the hood.
Now I install the strut brace tower bracket. I think I then attached one side of the siren bracket to one of the bolts. Tighten down to specified torque spec (wasn't that high).
Driver's side strut tower brace bracket: The cruise control actuator cable is in the way. I disconnected it per instructions, installed the bracket and routed the cable thru the bracket. The diagnostic plug bracket will get in the way. I unbolted that, flipped it over, turned it 90 degrees and mounted it back.
That was the hard part. Installing the crossbar is easy.
I'm not sure if I felt any of the benefits (tighter handling was one claim), but it does look good under the hood.
My observations:
Get the car on ramps. I used cheapie steel ramps. It did kinda just barely cleared the lower left edge of the bumper (no airdam installed... yet) but you can just stick some masking tape (1-2 layers) to protect it.
I can't remember what size wrench (14mm???) I used both a openend/box wrench (if that's what it's called - the closed end has 12 points) and the socket with extension.
Since the right side is easier to get to, I used the socket which is quicker. 3 bolts. Hook slides out from the back. Takes <5 minutes.
Left side is another story... 3 bolts. Use the wrench. You can get to one of them easily, but the other two are a real bitch. You'll have maybe 3" of travel or less to work with. One of them you can get to from underneath, the other one (rearmost?? can't remember) best accessed through the mouth (I hope you don't have a grille). I had to flip the open-end back & over to loosen the bolt because there's so little room. Takes 10 minutes or so.
That's the most difficult part.
Now, to remove the hook: I originally tried to chop the hook portion off with a dremel (but didn't succeed - takes too long and I slipped and cut into the plastic :-o ) It is not possible to remove from the back w/o disassembling the front end. While I was positioning the hook for the most stability I guess somehow I worked it almost out from the front. All it took was a tug and it's out. So the moral of that is: You can get the left hook out from the front given a bit of tugging/maneuvering.
I kept the rear hooks on. They don't bother me and I might need them to protect from scrapes. Now they're hidden by the rear skirt.
I put together my own RF package: Sony RMX-59RF controller and Sony CDX-81 changer. I need to stay with Sony 10 CD for cartridge compatibility reason and I also want to keep the factory headunit. Since I chose Sony I also wanted Custom File as well as the ESP 3-second shock protection.
The RF controller was installed in the trunk, in the passenger side tunnel behind the spare tire. That location was chosen because I can tap into the FM antenna wire at the base of the power antenna and the close proximity to a good power source - the battery.
To connect the RF unit, Just pull the original antenna cable off (the connector is wrapped in foam) and connect the RF unit inline. The constant +12V goes right to the battery +12V terminal and ground is connected to one of the grounding points right by the neg battery cable. I had to pull the carpets covering the rear bulkhead to get the other power wire (ACC) and the Display Panel cable thru the passenger side trunk tunnel. The Unilink cable and the RCA lineout cable goes through the driver's side tunnel.
I got switched +12V at the ignition switch harness (ACC). It used to come from the power window harness but I decided to rewire it.
The CD changer will be mounted behind the driver's seat right against the bulkhead. The multi-angle adjustability of the changer is a plus, otherwise this won't be possible. I might relocate this later on. I did not want this behind the passenger seat because the car's computer is already there, although that may make changing magazines easier for me.
I really don't like Sony's idea of separating the display panel from the controls. Since I don't have the display panel mounted permanently every time I use it I have to velcro it someplace where I/remote control can see it AND I have to have the remote control handy. The car's interior is small enough as is. The pre-unilink RM-X2 is much better. I just hold the wired remote/display in my hand when I need it, and stuff it somewhere when I don't.
After living with this setup for a while I'm beginning to think about a Sony headunit w/changer control for better sound quality. I expected the sound quality to suffer due to the FM connection. The sound is okay but not great, and is inferior to FM reception. I can live with it though, until I get some money for the headunit, amps, etc.
Hardtop/Side latches/defroster
The hardtop is a used black Mazda unit with defroster. I ordered all necessary hardware (4 bolts, 2 side latch strikers, defroster relay and dash switch) from Tommy at Roebuck Mazda.
For the installation of the side latch strikerplates, I basically followed articles posted by Richard Dekker in rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata. For your convenience, I have them available here and here. They contain pretty much the same info, but I have them both.
I used a Dremel Tool to do the cutouts in the side panel, which made the job very easy. One hint is you MUST cut out all the area within the pattern otherwise the side latchplates will not fit.
The defroster is plug & play. Remove a blank dash switchplate (easy to remove if you do it from behind the dash and squeeze the two retainers), pop in the defroster switch and connect it to the appropriate harness behind the dash. Open the trunk, remove the back liner (the one behind the rear license plate, attach the relay to the harness and bolt it down. Done.
The black hardtop looks fine on starlight blue mica body. The hardtop also makes the car feel more solid, not to mention the added benefit of defroster and better rear vision. A nice thing to have for inclement weather. I like it.
I'm really glad I got this at 1/2 price before they discontinued it. This is one quality piece of hardware and it really works. This will really extend the # of topdown days during the cooler months. I actually drove topdown during a 40 degree day for most of the morning. If you roll the windows up with this unit in place you will not feel much draft and it will retain heat (or a/c) better. I still haven't really tried to use the boot cover with this unit tho. They say you can but somehow I don't think so. You can put the top up with the WindStop installed, but you can't zip up the rear window easily because there isn't enough clearance to fold it down once the top is up. You can still do it, but you'll have to do it from outside the car with the top half-up. Driving with the top up/WindStop in place is actually okay since it will keep the interior cool during the summer. I've parked the car for short periods of time that way as well because it sort of acts as a barrier to deter people from reaching in to grab stuff while parked. However, the mesh screen may prevent you from quickily identifying cars behind you (eg a cop car) while driving.
"EUNOS" and "Roadster" emblems
These are the two emblems found on Japanese-market MX-5's rear panel. The "MAZDA" is replaced with "EUNOS" and "Miata" is replaced with "Roadster". They used to be available from Typhoon and Wiz Performance but I heard Typhoon does not sell them anymore (don't know about Wiz). The cost is around $20-25 each depending on the source.
I pulled off the whole rear panel to install. The emblems are made of chrome plated plastic held down with very sticky double-sided foam tape. The "MAZDA" one has two pins going thru/melted into the panel, so I had to do some grinding with the Dremel to free it. You'll have to carefully pry the "Miata" emblem off with a jeweler's screwdriver and simultaneously cut the foam with a sharp knife (X-Acto or razor). Be sure to surround the emblem with masking tape, both to protect the paint and mark the position. The Miata/Roadster emblem does not have locating pins, so you definitely do not want to stick it on crooked.
You can expect a lot of trouble getting the Miata emblem off. There will be a lot of the foam tape left on the rear panel and they are very difficult to remove. Use paint thinner and try to rub/peel them off. This will probably take you an hour.
Before sticking on the new emblems, clean the paint underneath to remove all dirt, etc. You want these emblems to stick permanently. The whole job took me approx 2 1/2 hours.
According to my friend. Mazda has two other separate lines (or divisions?) - EUNOS and efini. EUNOS include the Roadster and the (MX-3). efini includes the RX-7 (still alive and well) and one or two other cars. I have their full line brochure and most of their cars look nothing like ours.
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