I've been an MX-3 owner and member at MX-3.com since the summer of 04'. I'm known there as Wytbishop. I'm not sure why I used a different handle when I signed up here...wasn't really thinking I guess.
I've had the current SE since 07'. I'll give you all the high points...
December of 2007: I bought the car from another MX-3.com member. We haggled and he hummed and hawed...then I hummed and hawed...and finally the stars aligned and I flew to Vancouver and drove it home. I plan to drive this car for many years. I could have bought a new car last year if I had wanted to, but nothing I looked at gave me the feeling that the MX-3 does.
Here are some pictures...
A fair winter's day the week I got her home...
The very nearly perfect interior...
The car's interior was in phenomenal condition. The engine had 285,000km on the clock. It still ran well and burned surprisingly little oil for it's age, but getting tired and noisy. The suspension was basically worn out. Springs soft, bushings loose, it was a 15 year old car.
So I installed a cold air intake which I patched together from an Integra kit...
...and converted the ignition to the ZE distributor with HEI mod and Blaster 2 coil...
I spent the next year and a half or so just driving it and collecting parts to rejuvinate the suspension.
Sometime in late 2008: ZX2 shocks and Eibach springs...
March of 2009: The ZE swap. This is a bit of a read...sorry.
I set aside a long weekend to swap the engine. The plan was...Friday, old engine out, new engine prepped. Saturday new engine in and everything hooked up. Sunday, first start and troubleshoot. Monday, off to the exhaust shop and then home. What could possibly go wrong?
After a number of issues and 40 hours in the shop by myself, the engine is in and I'm ready to fire it up. Turn the key....CLICK!!! NOTHING!!! Get me home. I'm done. (I'm actually doing the swap at my parents place in another city because that's where the engine I bought was and my hoist and stuff are there.)
The following weekend my wife and I went back down to my parent's place. I confirmed the timing, installed the Optima battery I bought and it cranked like a champion. Still didn't start. I went online and dug around and figured out after an hour or so that I had the fuel lines reversed. Anyway with the lines on the correct rails, the engine fired right up. Ran pretty well too. The HLAs were LOUD...but after several minutes they quieted down. Permanently relocated the battery in the cargo area and called it a night. It was about 11pm and it was just starting to snow. The next morning there was more than a foot of snow on the ground so I had to leave her there for another week...but it was a done deal.
Straight neck KL31 ZE with pretty much all new everything, Mazdaspeed motor mounts, modified MX-6 brake booster, relocated the battery to the back of the car.
Also installed the new projector headlights while I was at it.
The Purple Beast is now the Purple Monster.
May 09': This finally arrived...
It took me a loooong time to get it painted and installed because I needed to get my hands on some other UK parts to make it possible to install without hacking anything.
This is what it looks like installed...
November 09': Miata Rear Brake Upgrade. Pretty straight forward.
I've had the current SE since 07'. I'll give you all the high points...
December of 2007: I bought the car from another MX-3.com member. We haggled and he hummed and hawed...then I hummed and hawed...and finally the stars aligned and I flew to Vancouver and drove it home. I plan to drive this car for many years. I could have bought a new car last year if I had wanted to, but nothing I looked at gave me the feeling that the MX-3 does.
Here are some pictures...
A fair winter's day the week I got her home...
The very nearly perfect interior...
The car's interior was in phenomenal condition. The engine had 285,000km on the clock. It still ran well and burned surprisingly little oil for it's age, but getting tired and noisy. The suspension was basically worn out. Springs soft, bushings loose, it was a 15 year old car.
So I installed a cold air intake which I patched together from an Integra kit...
...and converted the ignition to the ZE distributor with HEI mod and Blaster 2 coil...
I spent the next year and a half or so just driving it and collecting parts to rejuvinate the suspension.
Sometime in late 2008: ZX2 shocks and Eibach springs...
March of 2009: The ZE swap. This is a bit of a read...sorry.
I set aside a long weekend to swap the engine. The plan was...Friday, old engine out, new engine prepped. Saturday new engine in and everything hooked up. Sunday, first start and troubleshoot. Monday, off to the exhaust shop and then home. What could possibly go wrong?
After a number of issues and 40 hours in the shop by myself, the engine is in and I'm ready to fire it up. Turn the key....CLICK!!! NOTHING!!! Get me home. I'm done. (I'm actually doing the swap at my parents place in another city because that's where the engine I bought was and my hoist and stuff are there.)
The following weekend my wife and I went back down to my parent's place. I confirmed the timing, installed the Optima battery I bought and it cranked like a champion. Still didn't start. I went online and dug around and figured out after an hour or so that I had the fuel lines reversed. Anyway with the lines on the correct rails, the engine fired right up. Ran pretty well too. The HLAs were LOUD...but after several minutes they quieted down. Permanently relocated the battery in the cargo area and called it a night. It was about 11pm and it was just starting to snow. The next morning there was more than a foot of snow on the ground so I had to leave her there for another week...but it was a done deal.
Straight neck KL31 ZE with pretty much all new everything, Mazdaspeed motor mounts, modified MX-6 brake booster, relocated the battery to the back of the car.
Also installed the new projector headlights while I was at it.
The Purple Beast is now the Purple Monster.
May 09': This finally arrived...
It took me a loooong time to get it painted and installed because I needed to get my hands on some other UK parts to make it possible to install without hacking anything.
This is what it looks like installed...
November 09': Miata Rear Brake Upgrade. Pretty straight forward.
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