http://specthismiata.com The story of Derek and Zack's Spec Miata. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:42:15 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Usually after about 20 minutes in the car on a hot day, I start making mistakes. Nothing horrible, but I know that it's fatigue setting in that makes my brain work less well. Driving a Miata is a physical experience, but less physical than doing something really physical ... http://specthismiata.com/2008/08/03/homemade-cool-shirt-system/ Derek and I pulled the head off the car last week. Among the list of to-dos while the head is off is to service the fuel injectors. Like most cars, the Miata has sealed injectors, but there's still a bit an average person can do to keep them ... http://specthismiata.com/2008/06/15/injector-cleaning-at-home/ Our Miata came with power windows, which are nice.  However, not having glass inside the doors is better than having it -- not only for a weight savings, but for safety reasons too.  Because we have an open trailer, and the Miata sometimes stays outside overnight, it needs windows.  So ... http://specthismiata.com/2008/04/27/window-mechanism-removal-step-by-step/ I drove the Miata down to Laguna Seca raceway yesterday, following pop and Arti in the wagon.  The Golden Gate Chapter of the BMWCCA was holding a Driver Education event there, which I thought was a good choice for the Miata's first outing since they hold the safest and sanest ... http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/23/initiation-complete/ Here are some photos of the car after I got the dashboard back in. Below are some photos of the sweet exhaust that Tony fabbed up for the car. Now it is in "Laguna" (quieter) mode. There is a downturn that bolts to the flange in the rear ... http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/16/61/ I took some photos of the car this morning and posted them here: http://www.thenobot.org/pictures/20070112-miata/ http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/13/new-photos/ Picked up the car from Tony this afternoon. He did the cage, fabricated an exhaust (with "Laguna" and "non-Laguna" configurations), mounted the seats, aligned, and corner weighted the car. TC Design's work is known for being the best around, and I think this car is a great example of that! Alignment settings are: Front: ... http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/11/delivered/ Tony had pre-cut and pre-bent most of the tubing for the roll cage last Friday, so he was able to get most of the cage together yesterday. I went over this morning to figure out the best place for the seat, and I took some photos of the cage. ... http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/09/roll-cage-update/ Today I embarked on a string of small projects for the SM. First (and most exciting) was my "cheap-ass Intake" project. I had raided Home Depot on two occasions to stock up on tubes, adapters, and flanges so that I could build an air intake system for the car. ... http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/06/intake-spark-plugs-wipers-and-blower-hose/ Installed the "R" Chin Spoiler this morning. It ended up being fairly easy, there are just lots of clips and bolts that hold it to the existing bumper cover. http://specthismiata.com/2007/01/01/r-chin-spoiler-installed/