billye's Blog

Re: 2009 Bartlett Christmas Parade

That's a good idea.  You have the car for it too!

Re: Official cars for Pat thread

That's a beautiful car.  If it were a 5-speed I would be bidding on it lol.

Re: SOME AUTOCROSS VIDEOS!

Excellent video and good music.  What kind of camera do you have, and how is it attatched?  As for the time thing, I'd start by suggesting you push harder.  You have to get a feel for the place where your tires lose grip.  The closer to that place you get in all situations, the better you will be at controlling your car.  A slick pad is perfect for finding that place but since most people don't have one of those in your back yard, I suggest a parking lot that isn't frequented by police...  Also, there will be many autocross schools in the spring.  Go to all of them that you can.

Re: 2009 Bartlett Christmas Parade

Depends where the parade starts and where they end up wanting us to stage.  I'm definately up for a meet afterwards.  Especially in these colder months, we'll need to take opportunities to group up and keep in touch.

Re: Thursday Night Hot Rod Night at the Blue Plate

Got a spare battery for a Miata if you need one.

-wtn-miatas

Might take you up on that.  Have to make sure it's the battery and not something worse first (alternator etc.).  It's a westco I've had about a year.  They're not supposed to go bad this fast.  What kind of battery do you have?

Re: Thursday Night Hot Rod Night at the Blue Plate

They should be out there but i doubt i'll make it. Even if I am I won't be in the Miata since it's giving me battery troubles.

Re: Got the seat installed

Wow that looks huggingly tight.  Do you have to have a roll bar for the top part of the harness?

Re: 2009 Bartlett Christmas Parade

That actually makes sense as an option, if we have that much interest that is.

Re: Lifter Noise

I've thought about doing events just getting rides with people but when it comes down to it I decide to pay up and drive :) . Hey it works for me!

Re: Hey Billy

Bald Azenis on lightweight wheels. Thanks guys! Sticky tires vs. street tires is a huge difference so fix that wheel stud! I'm sure you'll catch up in that car with good tires.  I don't mind giving rides at all, but I can't promise I'll be able to tell you what I'm doing for good times, I've only been doing this about a year but I can try.  Also not sure yet if I'll be able to make the MS or AR races later on but if I do I will be happy to do rides.

Re: need to sell a 96 M edition

Yes, milage, maintenance records, modifications, body condition (rust/dents/paint), interior, everything comes into account, but it really depends on the market more than anything, and this is a bad time of year to sell a convertible.  Unless you need the money now, I would wait till spring.

Re: Lifter Noise

You looked like you had fun out there, glad you got it straightened out in time to thrash the course. :)  Will you go to the Arkansas or Mississippi events?

I didn't get a chance to introduce myself but I'm Billy and I have the other red Miata that was out there.

Re: 2009 Bartlett Christmas Parade

I'll attend if nothing comes up.  I don't mind riding shotgun either since my car isn't exactly show quality, if we end up with 8+ cars.

Re: 2009 Bartlett Christmas Parade

We need to have a banner anyways, so as long as it would last more than one event, I have no problem chipping in.

Re: Lifter Noise

Sure is.  Glad you found it, I didn't have time earlier.  I would do it now if taking off everything wasn't such a pain.

Re: Rear seal

If you end up doing this and a clutch job, I'd like to volunteer my help (so I can learn for when I have to do this).

Re: Lifter Noise

The twisty flush has caught my eye before too.  People say it could be risky though cause you're cleaning out 100,000+ miles of gunk, especially if maintenance wasn't always spot on, and that can cause leaks.  My ticking is only noticeable after a hard run and then a quick cool down (like in autocrossing).  Someone on Miata net has a signature that says HLA ticking is like a stupid kid.  You can make it be quiet for a while but you can't fix stupid.

Next time I change my timing belt, I'm going to go ahead and remove the camshafts and manually clean the HLA's out.  There's an EXCELLENT write up for that somewhere.

Re: Cars & Coffee - Saturday, Nov. 7

If i'm up that early I'll head over.

Re: It's official

Yea, the red comes off, no clear coat for the first few years.  That was a fantastic deal.

Re: Cordova NA owner....

E stock in a 90.  Start stock.  Especially in these cars. Stock class at the pro level is dominated by the Miata.  That should tell you something.  There are mods you can do but some little things that change very little will bump you out of stock class so if you have modified much at all you might want to grab a rule book.

Re: Cordova NA owner....

You have to come!  I have to have aspirations of who to beat even though my car's aspiration is a little less exciting than yours...

Re: Bringing dull, faded, splotchy Classic Red back to life.....cheaply!

EXCELLENT advice.  I hope to follow in your footsteps one day.  Any advice on the plastic front bumper though?  Mine is pink and splotchy looking and everything I read says conventional methods will not fix it, and everything I've tried (wax/polish compound) has only helped a little.

Re: Cordova NA owner....

I don't have any advice for removing the plugs.  Just take it easy!

Re: Cordova NA owner....

Welcome!  Come hang out with the rest of us Miata folk sometime.  I think the next thing some of us are doing is an Autocross on the 8th of November.  You don't have to drive (but you should), but you could come meet some of us and get a couple ride alongs.  Aside from that we'll probably have another Miata drive followed by dinner before it gets too cold to put the tops down.  Heck, someone will probably even mention a polar bear run after the new years but we'll see.

Your car looks gorgeous by the way.  I cannot believe you have 60k miles and the original wires.  Do you get any hesitation or stumbling?  They say 60k is about time to change the timing belt as well.

Re: 2009 Bartlett Christmas Parade

So it sounds like plenty of interest in it.  Any news on getting in at all?