When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I'm an old car guy (73) and i bought the Gateway Monster Miata (Orlando FL) last Thurs... April 26... and drove it home to New Jersey.
Thanks for your post!!
Driving it from Florida to New Jersey right after buying it.
That took some nerve.
Now that you have proven it is good and reliable, what are your future plans for the car?
HA!... yup, probably wasn't to smart... but at 73... it had been a looooong time since i set out on a road trip in an 'iffy' car... and i wanted both the experience and challenge (and i did stop to visit family in VA). I hadn't done anything like this since my early 20's... and probably won't again. And it was both fun and liberating... as now facing my graying retirement years, i feel confident i could get a small RecV and do some touring to visit friends and family... and sites of interest.
As for the car... being a '96 Miata chassis/body... with a 302... using a monster kit... sold by a 'dealer' (consignment)... i figured i was on the 'high side' of the odds.
The good news is i made it in one piece... and thanks to the Miata's 'formula' which is very civilized with no quirks. (My wife and i owned a brand new '91 Miata.)
And the good news is the car is a reasonable 'monster' build; body, wheels, tires, top, seats, etc... all in great shape... and at $17K i'm please... and will go about fixing the 'bad news'.
And the bad news as i learned more about the car that you don't experience from photo's or even a test drive... like the potential to overheat in traffic (even with two electric cooling fans); the fact it will not start when hot (starter 'sounds' like an almost dead battery attempt) and i needed to wait 15-20mins before re-starting (so i rested at gas stops and took much need walkarounds); and i blew a 20amp fuse on the cooling fans (and electric windows) so with no tools or fuses... i finished the 100 miles to VA 'at speed' (with the top down!) using the 70mph 'wind' to cool the engine... and found and replace the culprit fuse during my family visit. AND i found it leaks large amounts of oil.
Plans!? In 2008 I re-started my car collecting/ driving experiences/ going to shows hobby after job and family responsibilities were over and have owned, wrenched.. and sold.. a series of fun cars from my youth including 2 dune buggy's; a baja; a corvette; 2 TVR's and my beloved '87 Porsche 911 'wide body' (which sadly is now a 'garage queen' and will go up for auction very soon on BaT). The 911 is very valuable($$); in perfect condition and expensive to maintain... and i decide i want a car that was less expensive to buy and maintain; a blast to drive; will hold it's own against local parking lots... yet still unique at shows and stop lights... ergo, the 'monster'. I also wanted a car that could replicate the Cobra, Griffith, Tiger experience i never had because of their price!
So right now i'm 'looking it over' and making a list. First, fix the start problem; fix the oil leak(s); investigate the potential overheat issue; and get a good tune up and all fluids changed. And I've already bought a 5spd pattern shift **** (to replace the '8 ball' ****); two interior door panels (eBay) and a center console arm rest... and i plan to repaint the strip into two 'shelby-like stripes'... and simply enjoy the awesome ride!!!
Cooling issues are somewhat of a known issue with V8 Miata's.
So far I haven't had that particular problem but there is a bunch of information on dealing with it.
Other than good quality radiator and cooling fans, which you might or might not have, the common fix seems to be to add hood vents to allow the air an actual flow path rather than simply pooling in the engine compartment.
Flyin Miata has right and left hood vents that look good to me without being too large.
One big thing that some do is to wrap the headers inside the engine bay to cut down on secondary radiant heat.
I did not do that cause I prefer the look of the headers over some wrap but am keeping the idea in the back of my head.
You might read over some of the Ford builds as I seem to remember several do mention common areas of leakage and how to take care of them.
Much easier than doing some random gasket or sealer that you hope will address the problem.
My car is a daily driver so leaks and cooling and reliability are the top of my list on issues I am not willing to put up with.
Specifically addressing your radiator fan fuse blowing;
You might check into simply changing from a 20 amp to a 25 or 30 amp fuse.
My dual fans were listed as being around a 13 amp draw each so when I installed them I used 15 amp fuses.
Both fuses blew the first time the fans tried to kick on.
As a result I backed up and checked on the internet to see what was going on.
My information could be wrong since we all know the internet is full of incorrect information but here is what I figured out from checking various internet references.
First, the 14 ga. wire used on my fan wiring is good for at least a 40 amp fuse because fuse maximum safe amperage is usually based on the wire gauge.
Second, fan draw rating is at the steady speed after they are going.
They draw more initially due to the increased load of getting the fan up to speed.
The fuse should be designed to kick in before the motor or wiring melts but be above any normal acceptable load.
My fan installation instructions did not say what fuse to use so I worked my way up thru 15 to 20 to 25 to 30 before the fuses quit blowing.
Hope this is of some use to you.
Starter issue is commonly associated with header pipes running right next to the starter and causing it to overheat.
Sounds like your problem.
If so, you need some sort of heat shielding between the header and the starter.
I addressed mine via two methods.
First was to get some header wrap and use it on the header where it is close to the starter.
Second is that you can get a starter blanket that wraps around the starter itself to shield from outside heat sources.
Awesome information... and thanks for sharing so quickly.
One of my TVR's ('72 2500M) had a 302 installed by a previous owner... and it too came close to overheating on hot days (like were beginning to get right now... 90 in New Jersey today). And that car had a vapor lock problem where it would just quite at high temps.... and it took, again, 15 to 20mins before it would start again.
As for the oil leaks... yes, their unacceptable and yes, as with all my questions and problems, i plan to inquire in the forum for guidance. I pulled the dip stick and it show the level about 1quart or more over filled which i know for ANY engine is not good. So i drained the old oil... and added 3 quarts (spec calls for 4 without filter... 5 with new filter). And even with 3 the level is little high on the stick... but i'll run around the neighbor hood to see if the leak subsides... and if not... on to the forum. (AND get under with a flashlight as I did wipe it all clean and will hopefully be able to spy were the leak is if it continues!).
This is all brand new so all this will play out of the weeks ahead. Right now i'm installing new standard 3 point belts vs the racing 4 points that came with the car... as i'm not racing and it's a bear to keep clicking the 4 points!
On the overheating, I fought that battle for many months. The solution was a Griffin radiator from Summit. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/GRI-1-26222-X/
The radiator above along with hood louvers (required to get air through the radiator and out the hood so hot air doen't just stack in the engine compartment made my car Cool. The images below show the louvers. If interested I'll find the vendor. Lots of options from used Pic-N_Pull to actual punched louvers in your hood.
04-17-2018, 09:07 PM
Found one on Gateways site...
