+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.