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build diary August 1, 2004: Test drive! The exhaust is loud but sounds great. There's no tinniness or rasp at all, just pure sports car sound. Is it too loud? Well, earplugs would be required for long distance travel. But this isn't a long distance kind of car. I think it's fine - it's certainly quieter than any Harley. The suspension is surprisingly soft - the car will roll around a bit if you "slalom" down the street. Not such a bad thing as suspensions are meant to move. I did hit the rear stops at one point when I hit a bump mid-corner so the rear might want a little raising and stiffening. No problem, that's what it's all adjustable. The worst news is that the transmission has no synchro on second gear. I had noticed the crunching on the first test drive but had figured it was the clutch. I only briefly managed to get out of second gear on that first drive, remember. After hitting third and fourth, there's nothing wrong with them. There's also no drag when you're at a stop. That's a bit of a bummer. We have a stack of transmissions at the Flyin' Miata shop but I'm not sure I want to disassemble the car again. I could probably change the transmission in a couple of hours - maybe I'll do that after it's road legal. I'm used to double-clutching my Land Rover so dealing with a lack of synchros isn't too bad for me. Electrically speaking the car was a bit rough. The engine runs nicely and is strong. The idle's a bit high but that's just tuning. The tachometer and oil pressure gauge don't work but I have an idea about what's wrong there. A bad crimp stopped the Seven on the side of the road until I found it. The alternator wasn't charging so I had a closer look. It appears to be one from a different Miata and does not have an internal regulator. Strange because it has the V-belt pulley that was only used on the 1.6 cars. I swapped in a spare alternator and it works now. That's weird. I also found I need some lights to show that the turn indicators are on. They're not self-cancelling. Maybe I just need to train the driver. Overall, it was a very successful drive. Stu pointed out that VW Beetles use fender welting. You can pick up extruded rubber welting at JC Whitney for a very low price. I had expected to find this sort of thing locally but ended up getting some sewn up at an upholstery shop. If I'd known about the Beetle I would have stopped by the local aircooled VW shop! And now, the hood. I've cut out the shape, now I just have to bend it. I'm nervous about this as I don't really get a second change and a poor fit will not look good. Wish me luck! entry 539 of 1439 |