Sixstring's Miata Discussion/Build Thread

thefirstzukman

Finding Utah
Supporting Member
Did you ever get a roll bar for your car Steve? Also it would be cool to get a group to do a ride up to Yellowstone this summer, hitting camp spots up through West Yellowstone and down through Jackson hole.
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Nope, no roll bar yet. I still want one, but I probably won't get around to it 'till spring. We did a similar yellowstone trip last year, I'd love to do it again with friends.

[video=youtube;FKTzOGYNbm0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTzOGYNbm0[/video]
 

thefirstzukman

Finding Utah
Supporting Member
I bought some seat covers for mine, full leather replacements for $500. I want to do a roll bar too but still not sure what one. Ill have to take a ride in yours this spring and see the difference in the coil overs, if all goes well I will have a few grand to throw at it this summer and want to do it right.
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
With a hardtop you won't be required to have a roll bar on your miata to take it on the track, but a roll bar is still a good idea. I absolutely love my XIDA coilovers. I think you'll love them too. I'd love to plan a few drives in the spring.
 

jentzschman

Well-Known Member
Location
Sandy, Utah
Nope, no roll bar yet. I still want one, but I probably won't get around to it 'till spring. We did a similar yellowstone trip last year, I'd love to do it again with friends.

[video=youtube;FKTzOGYNbm0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTzOGYNbm0[/video]

While I don;t have a miata, I would be down for the trip anyway. I can be the support vehicle for the sport car kids :)
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I just got the car out of winter storage and ready for summer. Man, I had forgotten how much fun driving can be!

Upcoming changes:
- stereo (since the stock one got ruined when I parked near a sprinkler with the top down. oops.)
- seat swap
 

thefirstzukman

Finding Utah
Supporting Member
I just picked up a Pioneer AVH-X2600BT DVD receiver for mine, I bought the Radio,install kit and Adapter to use my Bose amp and speakers for about $270.00 I bought the cable to run video to my Iphone and have been playing with the apps that will work for it. The deck makes it sound better than than it did stock and It fits like it belongs there.

IMG_4412.JPGIMG_4413.JPGIMG_4414.JPG
 
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sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Nice!

I picked up a cheap alpine HU (CDE-143BT). I've never had bluetooth before, but I like it! I also love the ability to run all my songs off a thumb drive.

20150410_075714.jpg



I also picked up some new speakers since my old ones were damaged from water. I was initially going to go for some infiti kappa components, but then I remembered this is a convertible with high theft appeal, so I went cheap. These lanzars are 8" and fit perfectly in a miata once you remove the plastic 6x8 adapter. For $50, I figured I couldn't go wrong. The reviews sound like they should be just fine for my needs. Apparently they're really popular with the miata crowd. I'll loose my standalone tweeter, but that thing sucked anyway, and I question if Mazda even uses a crossover at all with those. I wish there were a way to combine the power from the unused rear speaker outputs from the deck. I'd love a 50-80 watt RMS head unit, that'd be awesome. No plans to run an amp in this car, but it would be nice to have some decent sound when driving around with the top down.

20150410_075846.jpg


I also got some XTC 8" foam baffles that'll hopefully prevent water damage from above at least.
 
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sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I've been wanting to install a rollbar so I can take it on the track at miller. Before I install a rollbar, I need to replace my seats with something that is tall enough to prevent me from whacking my head on the rollbar in an accident. Even though I'm plenty short, my head still sticks up a good 4" above the stock 99 seats. The 01+ seats were supposedly taller, but even those aren't famous for being awesome seats. Some people in the miata world believe that it's safer NOT to have a roll bar for DD. They figure you're more likely to get rear-ended or in a collision than roll, and whacking your head on a rollbar without a helmet could mean instant death. Personally, I'm more afraid of sliding off a curve in a canyon and rolling the car, so I want a roll bar. Plus I want to take it to Wide Open Wednesdays at miller.

My seats are starting to show their wear too, so it was time to replace them either way.

There aren't many seat options that fit a miata. There isn't much room in there, between the seatbelt tower and the trans tunnel. Factor in that the roof is really low on these, and your roll bar can't be super high or the top won't close over it. So the goal is to get a narrow, comfortable seat the still reclines, has good support and bolsters, doesn't cost a fortune, and sits as low or lower than the stock seats. The most popular options include:

- lotus elise seats: $$$$$, brackets to make them work are spendy, not much padding for extended periods of time in the car, but they're thin and sit nice and low

- FD RX7 Seats: $$$ tough to find, tough to modify (though being mazda seats gives you a couple options like being able to reuse the female end of the seatbelt), but they look amazing. I question if these are tall enough to protect your head from the rollbar

- Porsche 914 seats: not much bolstering, most are hammered, but they fit

- Honda S2000 seats: fairly cheap, leather (which I don't love in a sports car), they fit close enough, but require custom sliders. Unfortunately these get stolen from S2000s all the time, so if you can, try to verify that these are legit takoffs.

- JDM Mazdaspeed Miata (Japanese only) recaro seats: fit awesome, no mods required, super rare, super expensive, and tough to import from Japan.


Almost every seat requires custom modification to make it fit. These mods are simple when compared to the 4x4 world, but they're still more complex than a bolt-on solution. Since this is still a daily driver, I didn't want to go with a full bucket seat with a fixed back.


Last night I picked up a pair of seats from a s2000. I assume they weren't stolen since he had 2 s2000s there in various states of repair. They come to the top of my head, which is great. And if I had to, I could use a 4-point harness with them. I don't plan on tracking this car much, but I'd like to take it out once or twice a year, and I may want a true harness then. The only thing I don't love about the S2000 seats is the leather and how much you slide with leather. I may consider reupholstering the center seat pad to keep my butt in place, but I'll have to try them out first before I do that.

20150410_075759.jpg



So this weekend I'll be building some custom slider mounts to get them as low as possible in the car.
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
we'll see. I'm stealing the sliders from the miata seats, so they won't exactly be a bolt in swap. I was thinking $40 for the pair.
 

BlueWolfFab

Running Behind
Location
Eagle Mountain
Hmm I may have to try and find a pair. The bottom is where I need it to be skinny. Throwing a cage in the 3 and there isn't enough room in between the stock seat and the B Pillar to tie the A and B pillars together with a tube.
 

ricsrx

Well-Known Member
its funny i have been looking for seats for Hunters rx7. and looking at the same seats as you are and had all the same thought about them. i wish i could locate some sti seats for a good price
 

blznnp

Well-Known Member
Location
Herriman
those seats look real nice, I wouldn't mind getting some that will hold me in a little better, but those wont fit my look as good as my current ones. I need to do a couple things to get mine able to run on WOW at miller. looking good steve.
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Thanks for stopping by, it was good to see you and your amazing camaro. I'll let you know when it's bacj together so I can take you for a spin around the block. Though I doubt it'll be that exciting when compared to your car.
 
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