Miatatude

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Thanks to Dave Harp I now have exorcised the brushed aluminum interior tidbits and replaced them with black. Dave’s 2001 red base model has an all black interior and it really benefited from the silver vent rings, radio surround, shifter surround and interior door handles. Really nice when that happens, two people made happy at no cost (but a little sweat equity.)

While the dash was apart swapping aluminum for black, I pulled out the passenger airbag switch and popped in a nifty little pocket that goes there in the Japanese Miata. Not sure if anything will ever go in there, but it looks better than the switch. The switch is tucked up under and behind the glove box for now. I’ll have to secure it somehow, maybe tomorrow.

The new muffler is on with only one slight injury to me and none to the car.boo-booThe title of this post has to do with the sound of the new muffler. After all the subjects of Miata.netland had been effervescing over it, it just didn’t live up to my expectations of what it should have sounded like. Right now it doesn’t sound much louder than stock. At idle and cruise it is just as quiet with only a slightly louder tone under acceleration, I guess I expected it to be about two notches up instead of just barely different. So I hate to be the one to point this out, but the Emperor’s new clothes are nothing. (Get it, clothes, muffler?)

The first two Miatas never acquired names like so many of the Miatas out there. It was always “Our Car” or just plain “The Miata.” Occasionally it was “His Car” when it needed something done. The wisdom was you never forced a name on the car, it would always name itself. Well, that never happened. I think somehow that today this new car just got it’s name. Since the beginning with it we have treated it differently because of the color combo and it’s quieter, smoother ride, treated it a little like royalty. Henceforth the new Miata will be known as The Emperor, long may he reign.

Still No Mats

As a mat-ter of fact the last known scan was – 3/5/04, 8:01 am, Processed at Sort Facility, Wilmington, OH – so much for the estimated delivery of 3/4/04. I’ll be lucky If I see them on Monday.

I’ll be getting my muffler installed tomorrow by hook or crook. It is Master’s Miata Club Tech Day and if we don’t get it on there, I’m stopping at a muffler shop and paying somebody. I hope it doesn’t rain (Weather Channel says 50%) and scare off some people, especially not Dave Harp, as he is supposed to swap my OEM brushed aluminum interior bits for his black.

Speaking Of Mat

I got an email yesterday letting me know my cocomats shipped. They hopefully will arrive tomorrow. I say hopefully as that is what the email said. The email also said that I could click on a link and track my shipment with DHL, but when I click on the link DHL says that number doesn’t exist. I even got a second email today, same as yesterday, tried the link again, still doesn’t exist.

Update: clicked on the tracking link just now and ta-da, there is info. Although if I’m reading it right it is coming by ground from Danbury, CT to me here in Aiken, SC via truck and expected delivery is tomorrow, but it didn’t get picked up until this afternoon at 4:30. According to Yahoo Maps that is an 833.5 mile trip and it should take 12 hours, 49 minutes. He must be coming door to door.

What Is This Stuff

I was a beautiful day and after our walk in the woods in the morning, I figured a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon would be to wash and wax the car. Before I started, I cleaned the windshield with the FM water spot remover stuff that I brought back from Rader yesterday. Good thing I used it today, when I opened up the glove and pulled out the dixie cup, the waxed paper was getting very soft. There were stains up the sides and the bottom of the cup looked a little weak. If I had waited until Monday I think there wouldn’t have been anything left of the cup. Now I just have to wait until it rains to see if the windshield looks even when wet.

I saved what of this precious fluid I didn’t use. Filled up a very small Tupperware bowl with lid and of course labeled it, FM. There was about an ounce or so left in the paper cup and not wanting to waste it, I drank it right down. Tasted kind of lemony….just kidding Scott, I tossed it in the trash.

Mod Mania Strikes Again

I added the CarArtz.com caricature, including it’s cost, to the list of Mods, AKA the btr equipment package even though it doesn’t go on the car, I wouldn’t have got it if I didn’t have the car. I’ll add the cost of framing too, once it has been done.

#5 under ugly in my list of what is Good, Bad and Ugly about the new Miata was the plastic “Brushed Aluminum” trim surrounding the shifter, radio and vents. That will get fixed on tech day next Saturday. I found a Club member with a base 2001 with the all black interior who is going to swap pieces with me. While I have the dash apart I thought I might as well get the nifty little JDM pocket that goes in place of the passenger air bag switch. Ordered it from R-speed yesterday and it arrived today. I was going to link you directly to the product on their site, but they must have pulled it off the page as I got the last one they had. Here is picture of what it looks like in some one else’s car. I’ll add the cost to the list when I install it in the car next Saturday. That’s when I’m putting on the muffler too, so the total will probably hit the 4 digit mark then.

Ran the Master’s Miata Club newsletter through the postage meter at Rader today. While we were there I got Scott to go get me some of that water spot remover he used to clear up the outside rearview mirrors. I needed some more because I wanted to clean the whole windshield with it. When he did the job back then I was teasing him about cleaning some dead bugs or something off the glass while he had the rag in his hand. Being the obliging fellow he his, he rubbed a couple of spots clean on the driver’s side of the windshield. Well whatever that stuff is, it cleaned the window so well and/or left behind a coating, that the water beads up differently on those two spots. Not necessarily better or worse, but just mismatched enough that it is noticeable when driving in the rain. It seemed to be taking him a while to return, so I had Donna wait for him and I went upstairs to where they have the postage meter. When he finally came up there, he started towards me, Donna said, “You have to promise,” I saw what he was carrying and cracked up, “not to laugh.” He couldn’t find a bottle or anything so it was in a dixie cup and the cup was inside a latex glove. Because we had a 25 miles drive home Scott had to seal it somehow, so the glove was secured at the top with a small tie-wrap. The way he was holding it, the little fingers were dangling so that it looked sort of like a cow’s udder. How could you not laugh. But it worked, the FM made the trip back with out spilling a drop. Scott, you can put my name down as a reference on your application for the next Survivor series, because I can regale them with your feats of MacGyverisms.

One Week Later

Well Miata Caricature #2 arrived today, fully 7 days after the mouse pad & key chain even though they were mailed on the same day. I wonder what stories this mailing tube could tell if it could talk?

Off to the framing place tomorrow. I’m going to frame it using the same mat and frame in the same colors as the first, so I can hang them on the wall next to or right below each other.

MMM…Time

This afternoon was a MMM…Time with the Master’s Miata Club. MMM stands for Miatas, mingle and munch. We meet at a local restaurant and maybe eat there or decide to go somewhere else or whatever someone in the group comes up. Tonight we opted for a drive around the lake and back into town. From there most of the group went to Tony Roma’s for ribs for dinner.

We had a new to the Club couple show up and join us for the drive portion, they declined the dinner invite. Hope they decide to come out again, they were quite a bit younger than the average age of our most active members, hope all the gray hair didn’t frighten them off.