+1 ^^ for sure. These cars have more road noise in them than any convert I have ever owned by a long shot including several old Jeeps. I had a bunch of left over floor insulation and just started stuffing every place I could find and was amazed at the way it made the car feel more solid. I went back and put a 2nd layer in the doors and they close like a new Cadillac.
Exhaust note is a very tricky business with the tiny headers and pipes we have to run but road noise adds another layer of complexity to it that is no fun at all.

I only used a reflective insulation (leftover from some Crown Victoria Police Interceptor exhaust recalls) in the trans tunnel. Car is much quieter than my Cobra with open side pipes.

Well, another disappointing day dealing with Martin at Monster Miata. I have been planning my next big step (getting the car to the body shop) around the arrival of the wide body kit from Monster Miata. I ordered the kit on 12/27/2013 and was told that the parts were in the molds and I would receive them in 3-4 weeks (due to the curing process). I asked for a ship date and he said the 24th of January. So, yesterday (the day before said ship date), I emailed to check in and see when I would get a tracking number. But I was told that one of the molds needed repair and the front was just laid up. Uh, WTF? I thought the parts were in the molds a month ago. At what point over the last 3-4 weeks did you know that I was going to have to wait another 3-4 weeks. How come I was not informed?? Now, all the work I have went through working with the body shop (which I will tell that story in a minute), was premature and makes me look like an idiot. I swear, I don't know how some people stay in business. My experience with Martin has been this way the entire time. It's always the same scenario, A Promise/Deadline, The missing of that deadline, The apology, The new deadline, product arrives after new deadline (you may have to repeat steps one and two to get to this point), Then the product is really good quality, so that dulls the pain enough for you to order something else. I'm pretty tired of it.

So, the body shop. I have been wanting to use a specific body shop in the area. But for the last few months, I have not been able to pin down the owner long enough to talk about the project. So, my normal reaction to that is "if they don't want the business, I'll go somewhere else". But everyone I asked that knows about this sort of thing, sent me right back to that company saying that they are the best at custom work like this. So about two weeks ago, I went on a mission to nail down this arrangement and finally got him on the phone during his lunch. Good thing, he is really excited about the project. His shop assembles and maintains a Porsche Cup race team out of Charleston. So he is very experienced in the fender flares and the wheel well work that needs done to make it right. So I had time scheduled for the second week of February for them to get started, but, crap.... Now I need to give him a call and reschedule. Which sucks, because his shop is booked up and it was hard enough getting this time slot.

I was planning on spending the weekend finishing the seam welding, sealing and priming. But now I'm slightly depressed about this situation. :vash:

Sorry to hear about the delay, but it might be a good thing. I have found that the best thing to do with fiberglass parts is to let them sit outside in the sun for a while before they are installed so they can cure & season. The longer the better. I did this with my front bumper & side skirts & they came out great & stayed that way. My hood was done within a week & cured in a paint booth before painting. After about 6 months, the fiberglass started to shrink, making the surface look wavy. My bodyman/painter & I took it by to a guy that specializes in Corvettes. He said that it was not cured enough before the bodywork & paint, & that it needs to be blocked & re-sprayed.

Oh, I understand and don't want to rush the process. That is why I agreed to wait 4 weeks for it to cure in the molds. The problem is that this whole time I have been waiting, they weren't in the molds, now they are (at least I hope they are) and instead of the body being on its way, I get to wait again.

I understand. I recommend that you let them cure in the sun for at least a few months, after you receive them, before you try installing them.

I am in no way interested in bashing the pioneer of the V-8 Miata kit, but if Martin knows the cure rate of the new body, would it not be wise to pull a few kits and have them curing? I might have 2 or 3 kits done and then as one sells, make a new set. This way there are always a couple ready to sell. I am sure that this takes space/time/money but if you are going to offer a product that needs this kind of lead time, it might be the smartest thing to do, no?

This seems like the way he does everything. Even the conversion kit itself. He orders the parts as he gets orders in. And this is only the third body kit he has made and I do believe the first one was for himself. I'm pretty sure that the monster Miata stuff is just a side business and he doesn't keep much tied up in it. But so far in my experience, he doesn't run it very well, but you get a great product. So if you are going to work with him, have a very loose schedule and make sure you check in with him often. Believe me, I don't want to bash him either and what you have read in this thread is only small pieced of the entire story. You would be feeling like this too if you knew it all.

Well, currently I have put this project on hold. When I got disappointed with the body kit delivery, I got put off on the project. So I have temporarily redirected my toy fund to my Jeep in preparation for the spring trips (new front axle, new tires and wheels, etc). But I will be doing small things on this project while I wait. Especially now that the weather is nicer.

Well, something showed up today that will get me motivated again.

My Hood!
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps68297dbe.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psb24187e0.jpg

It will need to go to the body shop with the rest of the body and get some sanding and polishing, but I think I'm in love.

Wow that is EPIC!! I love it!

Could you share more information on the trunk lid and hood? They look great. Where did you get them? Did you just have your stock trunk lid covered? Where did the hood come from? Thanks and great build thread!

Really enjoyed reading all the posts! Great work and great reference for others too.

The trunk is a complete carbon fiber trunk lid. Not a cover. It is from VISRacing. It is amazing how light it is. The hood is a slightly different story. The trunk lid you can get easily. The hood is a custom piece. It is a carbon fiber version of the Simpson Design cowl hood. Which was never officially offered in their line of products. They don't even make the hoods any longer. I seen one carbon fiber one on another project and decided that was the one I wanted. So I began the process of trying to get one done. It took a while and was not convinced I would get it (that is why I didn't post any details before). But I was told by Jim Simpson himself that he had 2 more boxes to ship hoods in and after they were used he wasn't ordering any more. My hood was one of them. He said the chances of him doing another one like mine is almost zero. But who knows. I absolutely love the hood. There is a little wave in the carbon fiber right at the start of the cowl, dead center in the middle of the hood that I don't quite like (but I am a perfectionist). But after the journey it took to even get the opportunity to get it, I'm not complaining. I am considering a body colored racing stripe to cover it.

Thanks for sharing. Again, they both look great...

Got an update from Martin today. He said my body should be shipping on Friday. So hopefully next week/weekend I will be able to finish the seam welding, test fit the engine and mock all the body panels. Then get my body shop visit back on track.

Finally. A pic of the body out of the molds. Should have tracking number on Monday.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps9ebc8950.jpg

Oh, and I picked up a color chip book from the paint shop (when I went to pick up some parts for my jeep). Now I get to browse the colorful pages and try to find the color for the Mazda.

Good luck with that! I have been agonizing over that for months and changed my fav a dozen times! I could probably just do a coin flip if I could ever get the fav list down to 2... :vash: My advice start with an aftermarket paint chip set like SEM or Kirker because then you only have about 50 colors to start with.

Well, for the 5th time (or so, I have lost count), I was told my body kit for the miata would be shipped on the 5th (tomorrow). But we will see.

I went by the body shop that I will be using for the car to pick up some items for my jeep and they had one of the cup cars in there repairing the rear quarter. This is why I am taking the miata to them.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psa95f2533.jpg

Also while I was there, I saw that they have a big stack of wheels and tires in the back. I am going to take advantage of that when the car is in there. Will give me a chance to see what the car would look like with some of those sizes under it.

Not at all surprised ... no tracking numbers yet. I can't tell you how upset I am. How can one man totally wreck someone elses goals? Empty promises, total disrespect for other peoples schedules. I just don't know what to say.

That sucks dude, I know around here the winter has been absolutely horrible. Most shops make their money from winter time crashes, all that insurance money is hard to pass up. Hopefully you'll get them soon!

Sent a slightly nasty email yesterday morning to try to kick this in the butt. Then after not hearing any reply into the afternoon, I followed it up with a call. He said he everything would be shipped today (yesterday) and he would have the tracking information to me by the end of the day. Didn't hear back until the evening and he said he got it all packed up and shipped via a freight company. I asked for tracking information and he said he would send it right over. That was last night, still no tracking info. I'm sure he is just a flake, but you just can't avoid the feeling that you are being jerked around. SOOOOO, once again, I get to chase after the info again today.

10 weeks in after ordering this body. Even though I was told it would be shipped in 3 to 4 weeks.

Oh Joy.

Being a business owner myself, I hate to talk badly about a business because I know how hard it is to earn the trust of the public and how easy it is to loose it. So, whenever I have something bad to say, I want to make sure the whole story is told so anyone that comes across the story, has all the information. I sent Martin an email asking once again for the shipping information from yesterday and it only took a few minutes to get a response. I wouldn't normally share something that is considered a private communication, but it will at least help express his side. I don't think he handled the whole transaction properly, but I do understand and respect the work he does. If it wasn't for the exceptional quality of his product, I never would have waited so long. I hope the body carries the same level of quality as all the other parts I have received. I would think that since this is such a small market, he would keep tabs on these forums, so if he does come across this thread, I hope he feels I represented the transaction fairly and welcome any comments.

Email from Martin. 3/7/2014

Greg
Central transport shipper label is ###-#######-#
Bill of lading # ########
WWE# ##########
Arriving next Friday
I feel bad I left you without parts for so long
This is supposed to be a fun experience . Hopefully the fun will start now.
I was fortunate to have a lot of sales at the same time you placed your order. Soon to find out that I was not prepared to manage this sort of volume. I feel your frustration and hate it when this happens to me.
I'm making changes to the way I do business with better inventory control and customer service. Unfortunate you had to be the customer that felt the crunch
I will be available to help in any way as your project goes on.
Feel free to call anytime
Sincerely
Martin

I hate to bash on the guy too because he has done so much good for our cause but he told me a month or two for 7 months and I just went V8R instead when it was obvious it was not going to happen. I've heard comments that this is kind of the norm with new products from him.

The main thing I will do different when I build again is not relay on anyones fabricated or custom parts but my own.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy ... I didn't think the day would ever come. Look what showed up 2 days before I was told it would be here! (with no call ahead, lucky I was there)

Guy heading to the front to roll it out.
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps2c759086.jpg

Couldn't wait so I jumped up in there and took a pic.
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps30a3f9ae.jpg

The first time I get to see it in the sunlight.
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse093de3f.jpg

And finally it is mine, in the back of the truck. :D
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psd65a2a16.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps4f75ae29.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psc8fdd25f.jpg

Cool!!!

Gratz dude! Looking forward to seeing them on the car!

Proud Papa has lots of "Baby" pics! Keep up the good work!!!

They look great. can't wait to see them on the car too.

I was delayed soooooooo long waiting on that body kit, that I lost motivation and started working on my Jeep. So now I need to finish that project (for a trip in a month) and will then be back full force on this car. I will get a little work done between now and then, but it won't be a lot. Thanks for the interest guys!

OK you just totally pegged my envy meter!!! That is sooo cool!

Greg
 

I do read all the post.
Thanks for not mentioning I sent your oil pan to Florida.
M

Welcome Martin. Looking forward to starting my project shortly.
Brad - the dude from Canada

That oil pan is a work of art. Just like everything else I got from you. I can't wait to get back on the project.

North Carolina residents, please chime in. I will be moving to the Charlotte area in the next year. My Miata will be joining me. I have recently found that NC has annual vehicle inspections. SC (where I am) does not. I am wondering if I will be having any issues getting my Miata (with a 1979 carberated 302) through the inspection process. Or if I will just have to leave it registered at my SC house and avoid the whole deal.

I'll let you know within the next 3 days when I get my '94 inspected in Wake Co (Raleigh area) for the first time with its new-to-me LS2. Don't hold me to it, but I think 1995 and older (pre-OBD II) are exempt from emissions testing. So the older pre-95's should just get an approx $10 safety inspection - not the $30+/- emissions and safety inspection. I have 6.5 miles on mine as of RIGHT NOW - drove it home from the shop 6 miles away about 2 hours ago. These cars are crazy-fun... just plain nasty. :)

Nasty Fun!,,,,it's amazing how my lit'l car always wants to leave friends houses,,,,sideways.

Well, as reported in my build thread here on V8M.net, I took my Mazda in for NC state inspection. Wake County, which utilizes the most stringent emissions testing along with the other major NC counties, had my 1994 only go through a safety inspection. ...Check lights, horn, and confirmed it had 4 round tires -- that's about it! $13.51 was the total damage to my wallet. I think pre-OBDII cars are exempt from emissions testing in this state... :)

Just a quick update ..... no changes. I have spent the last couple months working on my jeep while I waited for my Monster Miata body kit to arrive. Well, I'm done with the Jeep for now and I'm about to get back to work on the Miata for a bit. But unfortunately, not for long. In about 2 months, I will be pausing to move my shop to the Charlotte area. So it may take me a bit to get organized and back on track. I am hoping to have the shell of the miata to the body shop before the move so it is there being worked on while I go through the moving process. That way not a whole lot of time is wasted. I'll keep you posted.

Finally back to work. After the Body Kit delay, I got side tracked working on my Jeep. Then had to take time to remodel the new place in Charlotte. Now that is done, back to work on the Miata. Went to the shop tonight and spent some time cleaning up, then got to work on finishing the seam welding. Got that done. Now I just need to clean up the mess and put down some seam sealer. Then prime. After that I think I will continue on the body work. Fixing some small dings and I think I am going to try my hand at replacing/repairing the rear corner damage. If I get bored with the body work, I will pause to mock up the engine and trans so I can massage the tunnel where needed.

It's good to be back at it. I will be spending at least two evenings per week at the shop from now on. So we'll see how the progress goes.

Add another 3 hours of my time to the clock.

My Time: 92 hours
Friends & Family: 6 hours
Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata)

Found a nice rear quarter section on eBay and purchased it. It should be here right as I finish the cleanup and sealing of the seam welding. That will be my next project on the body.

Completed the clean up of the welds and put down the seam sealer. That was my first time dealing with that stuff. No fun. I know that my seam sealing job is probably embarrassing but I don't really care. I'm just glad it's over. Here is a pic of one section.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psa2ba38e6.jpg

I then took the car off the cart so I can mock up the engine and trans while I wait for the rear corner to show up.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps9fc6e8d5.jpg

Add another 4.5 hours of my time to the clock.

My Time: 96.5 hours
Friends & Family: 6 hours
Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata)

Some lacquer thinner on a 1" paint brush will smooth that seam sealer like butter.

Had a great day at the shop. It's nice to be moving forward.

My main goal was to temporarily install the engine and trans to see what kind of trans tunnel modifications I needed to do. So, I first put the new bellhousing on. I just put it on for this mock up. You may notice that I didn't install the new dust shield yet. I will do that after the engine is painted and ready to go in for good. I didn't feel like taking the clutch and flex plate off.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps2dee85f8.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps0cab480e.jpg

Then the new transmission

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psd56cc5f3.jpg

I'm going to split this post up into a few posts because I have quite a few pictures. After these pics I took a few moments to remove some stuff that would get in the way (mechanical fuel pump, fuel line, Oil pressure sending unit, distributor cap). And I pulled the chrome oil pan and installed the modified pan (temporarily, I didn't have the new pickup, I must have left it at home).

Now time to see if it fits.

I don't know how this would be done without the little attachment on the hoist that allowed me to tip it in. At least not by myself.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psf6148d15.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps5d72f1b0.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psbf3248c8.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psb5e91698.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps93b2c355.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps8e648d4d.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps149f719a.jpg

At this point, the shifter was hitting the tunnel because I had not enlarged the hole for the shifter yet. I was waiting until this point so I didn't over do it.

Wolf, you are doing a lot more than most people do so the seam seal looks great. Once painted no one will even notice it. That in itself sucks because of the time you have into the job.
As for inspection, most emissions goes by the newer of either the engine or body. The older engine will have to meet the body's emission standard so you might be looking at adding hi flow cats to run clean. Check local laws to be sure...that part is free!
Nice work, keep it up!

So I hopped in the car and used a cutoff wheel to enlarge the shifter hole. (I didn't take a picture of it when the trans was in, but here is one from later)

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps665bb023.jpg

After the cut, I was able to mock up the transmission support and level the engine off.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psc32ea6dd.jpg

So now I was able to look around the engine, bellhousing and transmission to see what needed to be modified and I was surprised to see that I wasn't even close to contacting the body anywhere. Not even close. The only thing that I saw that didn't look right was that the oil pan was sitting on the k-member. A small shim will fix that. So since I didn't have to clearance anything, I moved on to adding the headers to make sure everything looked good (and also help myself visualize the exhaust routing), I lifted the engine a bit to allow me to get the headers in there. And here they are...

Driver
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps53ad54f2.jpg

The exit on the Driver side
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psfd5ad285.jpg

Passenger
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psd8887a18.jpg

I then pulled the engine out and primed all the seam sealer (OK, actually before I pulled the engine I had to get in and pound through a few gears making my best v8 noises). Then I cut off the radiator tabs.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps6d0ac78e.jpg

I heard you.... you have a bad plug on 7...or you were eating sunflower seeds it was hard to tell!

I was on a roll and wasn't ready to stop yet so next up was the rear diff. I needed to weld on the supplied diff support bracket. I bolted the diff to it so I could make sure it was in the proper spot. Centered up the front support and noticed the same thing that many others have commented on. The brace that needs to be welded on sits about 3/8's away from the actual support brace. Of course you can weld along the bottom and that is pretty substantial, but if you look at the pictures in the manual it shows that the support is welded up the sides too. But the way it lines up there is no way to do it. So I welded the bottom (top when flipped and installed) and then pulled out a little trick.

I am noticing now that I didn't take any pics of the main welding. But here is what I did to fix the edges. Once the main weld was done, I jammed a 3/8" socket extension in the gap and C-clamped it tight. This would give me a spot to bend the bracket. Then I just worked it with a sledge to bend the tip to meet the main support. Then welded it up.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psc458568c.jpg

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps10f759fe.jpg

Then I threw some primer on before I remembered to take a pic but the welds turned out pretty good (for my limited welding experience). There was nice discoloration on the thick metal showing good penetration. I was pleased.

http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pseaa083e4.jpg

And that concludes the day and week. I will be back at it next monday when I will most likely be working on the rear quarter panel. The new one is supposed to be arriving tomorrow.

Add another 5 hours of my time to the clock.

My Time: 101.5 hours
Friends & Family: 6 hours
Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata)