My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

[zco]

Hello All,
After owning 18 Honda's over the last 13 years, (EK/EG/DC2/AP1&2/GD/CD/CL, even a Zoomer/Ruckus! ), I thought I’d try a non Honda..

My fav build has got to be this little turtle.. slowest thing ive owned lol

Before



Akrapovic muffler, 13x8” billet wheels, shaved and stretched frame, gy6 150cc motor + big bore kit, 30mm OKO carb, new sussy all round, front disc conversion kit, and a range of billet bits and pieces..







And now it sits in the new owners garage


Anyway, here’s my 19th car lol
It's a 1994 Mazda MX5 Clubman Edition.. These come standard with 1.8L, 4.1FD, LSD, Bilstein shocks, larger brakes than the 1.6L, Aircon was optional, which the original owner has opted for.

Here's a photo after i drove 980kms home from QLD lol


The car came with 15"BBS wheels & RE003's, Bilstein PSS9's, OEM Hardtop, aftermarket axleback muffler, Brown Davis Rollbar, Whiteline F&R swaybars, & Momo Prototipo steering wheel.

Usually when i buy a car, I try and look for a car with original panels and paintwork, even though the paint may not be in the best condition, at least i know it hasn't been in any accidents.
Nothing worse than having a car that doesn't line up.. I personally find mechanical issues easier to address than paint/structural/body related issues

The car itself has original paint, however, it does need some work (especially on the rear bar and boot, its a common problem)
The hardtop was most likely from another car as i can see some patches of red on it, its been repainted to Crystal white which i believe is from 1989-93, so it doesnt match the car's Chaste white (closer to Championship white for 1994-1997 models).

Being a 24 year old car, i guess some things have just been worn out over the years.

Some issues I've identified so far incl:
-fuel odour in gas cabin/rear boot - fixed by replacing fuel inlet hose - Click here
-slow power windows - fixed by replacing window roller bushing, and cleaning/regreasing tracks - Click here
-sloppy shifter feel - fixed by rebuilding shifter - Click here
-worn wheel bearings - OEM replacement, $85 each side. Excl. labour
-crashpad on the car needs replacing - replaced
-bunch of exterior window/door trim/seals that need replacing - work in progress
-aftermarket short antenna - replaced

Impressions so far:
-Parts are much cheaper than Honda, both OEM and aftermarket mods
-Plethora of spares/replacement parts available locally and internationally
-Car is gutless in its top end, but still feels zippy! guessing its due to the weight of the car

Anyway, haven't really done a build thread before, so lets see how long this lasts lol
If you guys have any recommendations, would love to hear from ya!

Zico

[zco]

My first non-honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

Got the car registered few days later. I couldn’t stand the side mount number plates..



So I swung into MX5Mania and grabbed myself a license plate mounting bracket. The previous owner gave me the original one but it looks rooted.. no thanks



Whilst I was there, I also picked up some gear to rebuild the shifter..

Before




Old vs. New


And all back together with a new shift knob.


Shifter feel corrected, feels tighter, smoother, and throw is shorter from the low seated knob. No need for a short shift kit

Front turn signals were also fogging up. Upon closer inspection, it seems like the oem wiring harness & plugs behind it had cracked and water was leaking/building up behind it.. Nothing an OEM harness can’t fix..


Tackled the slow power window too..
Pulled the door trims off..


.. and replaced these rollers. Tracks cleaned, regreased, and reassembled.


Here’s a bunch of redundant wiring I pulled from the car.. cleaning is therapeutic lol


Stock antenna back on, and I ended up removing those dodgy mudflaps too.
You can see here the difference in colour between hardtop and the car, something to address soon.

[zco]

My first non-honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

Being a 24 year old car, some things just naturally wear out.

I booked the car into MX5Mania for new oem rear wheel bearings on both sides.. $85 a side, +$200 labour. Would have done it myself but cbf without a press.. some things aren’t worth wasting your time on..



Took it for a test drive, and couldn’t believe how much smoother and quieter the car was! I figured I’d go home and continue making the car even more comfortable.
I removed the Brown Davis roll bar and posted it for sale! Admittedly, the car does feel a little more sloppy without it, but I rather be comfortable! Must be getting old




These came back in stock at MX5Mania, so i picked one up. Black leather w/ black stitching replacing the 24yo one.



Also picked up a new OEM dipstick- the old one was a little brittle, and another turn signal harness to replace the plugs on the passenger side.



Some kenauto door bushes too!
These were very easy to install, definitely makes the car feel ‘connected’ with its doors.. door closes solidly.




Next was to remove this shonky looking exhaust. Press bent? Why would you even bother



I found a leak too haha



Into the bin it went..


I sleep a little better now knowing I’m slowly getting rid of these little gremlins, one at a time!

Ive got the stock exhaust back on for now, enjoying the quietness until new exhaust arrives.

Printed off the Mazda parts catalogue at work lol 200+ pages of diagrams and part numbers and used it to place an order with Amayama for a bunch of OEM bits and pieces.




The front wheel bearings aren’t even noisy, but considering how much of a difference replacing the rear ones made, I ended up ordering new oem koyo front hubs/bearings as well. At $110 each, you cant complain! I love Mazda parts LOL

Will post again when I pick up my order!

[stephen8512]

Hey Zico! nice pickup man! I think my friend bought the BD rollbar off you haha. small world!
If your old EK is anything go by, I can already tell this is going to be awesome once you start properly modding.
Cheap OEM parts + cheap aftermarket parts too. But be careful...since theyre so cheap its easy to get carried away, then all of a sudden you've spent more than what you were budgeting for hahaha.
Happy to help if you have any questions or queries

[zco]

Hey Zico! nice pickup man! I think my friend bought the BD rollbar off you haha. small world!
If your old EK is anything go by, I can already tell this is going to be awesome once you start properly modding.

Yo Stephen! I still remember that Mugen kitted Euro you had!
LOL yeh, i sold the roll bar to Fatih- small world indeed!
I wont be doing much to the car tbh, wont be chasing any power thats for sure. I think the extent of it will just be a catback lol Having seen people spend 10k on turbo kits and still running 13sec 1/4mile is quite depressing haha

Cheap OEM parts + cheap aftermarket parts too. But be careful...since they're so cheap its easy to get carried away, then all of a sudden you've spent more than what you were budgeting for hahaha.
Happy to help if you have any questions or queries

I'm quickly learning that lesson haha I just picked up two orders from Amayama, and already i have another 25 items in a cart with them lol
Thanks for the offer to help! Will def send you a message soon

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

The cleanup / restoration continues. I picked up an order from Amayama the other day full of OEM equipment, its quite rewarding fixing things tbh.. Anyway, i'll shut up and just post pics

Third brake light:



OEM replacement:



Rear brake lights:



New vs Old:

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

A very common problem in the MX5 is a fuel odour in the boot/cabin. The most likely culprit is the fuel inlet hose in the boot. The odour leaks into the cabin because it is not a sealed / separate compartment from the boot. The second item that may fail is a blocked fuel check valve which sits on top of the fuel tank, where the excess fuel vapour is channeled to the Charcoal canister and then burnt off in the motor. I guess if the valve is blocked, the excess vapour would escape elsewhere.. I decided to replace the fuel inlet hose first, whilst i wait for the check valve to arrive.

Its the larger of the two hoses.





Comparing the old hose with the new replacement, it is considerably harder, or stale? Doesnt seem to have shrunk or anyhting, not sure how but anyway, after driving 120kms with the replacement hose, the odour has definitely decreased. I've got some aeroflow t bolt hose clamps coming to replace the oem ones, should be a good tight seal! Part number displayed for those interested in ordering a new hose.

Installed

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

Cleaned the Dead pedal, and replaced the worn Brake and Clutch pedal rubbers with some new OEM ones.

Old


And installed



Accelerator assembly N001-41-610A confirmed discontinued, but i found a very similar part number N001-41-610B that I'm waiting for a response on.. fingers crossed! If not, i'll just sand it down and give it a few coats of paint.

Part numbers of covers if you need.



Carpet isn't in the best condition either. The NA carpet tends to fluff alot easier compared to the later models. Instead of buying aftermarket carpet, i opted for OEM replacements from a newer year model.
I'm hoping to score some carpets from a 2004 NB8C, which will be 10years newer than mine, but the material would be closer towards Honda carpet, much more harder wearing.
OEM Floormats can still be purchased brand new for $80 or so, but I've got my eyes on some aftermarket ones. Will post when i get them

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

Tackled some more of the interior. The old HVAC panel numbers and logos were discolouring, and a replacement was so cheap, so why not.

Tombstone console pulled out, Dashboard CrashPad didnt need to come out, but its getting replaced tomorrow, so i thought i'd just remove it now.



New on top with the protective sticker.



The fan speed knob had some dirt and grime that had been caked on. Bit of degreaser and a rag got it all off



Same with the slider knobs. Cleaned them with degreaser, didn't really come out White, but good enough. Unfortunately they're discontinued, or else I would have just bought some new ones



Next was the Hazard switch. Degreaser and a rag, and brushed the excess off with a paintbrush.





I think in Australia, we get the red Hazard button. It's a bit of an eye sore in the interior for me, so I'm thinking of swapping out for a JDM one. Here’s a pic I found off google



I'm aiming to keep the interior clean and simple, so that should help. Brand new is AUD$160, might wait for a second hand one on Yahoo auctions lol

Anyway, got me a replacement handbrake handle and button as well. There were some limited edition models that came out of japan with black leather + red stitching, and even a woodgrain handle, but i just opted to keep it black.



The leather on the old one has hardened and gone shiny. Theres a layer of grime that has embedded itself into the grooves in the leather, which i cant seem to get out. Even if i did, the leather is just shiny now so a replacement was needed. Wasn't too expensive anyway.

New one on the left, i would say the handle has a more softer/plump feel with a matte finish.



The handbrake cover, part number FB01-44-062A and FB01-44-061B is also discontinued, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Not entirely sold on a leather cover at the moment.. I'll figure it out.

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

Here's some of the new seals i picked up for the exterior..

New antenna nut, cap and seal. If you look closely, you can see the discolouration



Also picked up new door to window seals as well.


New vs old



Before



After



This is by far the largest impacting replacement I've made to the car! The car instantly looks better, definitely bang for buck!

Will keep the rest of the seals storage for the day i respray the car

Picked up some simple black Mazdaspeed steel lugnuts, made by Rays, to replace the boy racer long anodised blue ones that are currently on the car lol didn’t have a long 19mm socket to remove the current ones so back in the box these went, I’ll deal with it next week lol



Some of the parts I haven’t installed yet. Will get around to it!

[iwearmoccos]

I like where this is going.
OEMISBEST.

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

An MX5 owner wrote his car off a few weeks ago, and decided to part out his car. I took the opportunity to salvage some parts that were in better condition than my car.

Below are pictures of the crashpad from the dashboard, where the foam has expanded and pushed itself out from the dash.



The bottom one is the one i picked up, it just needed a clean.



Comparison of the two, the left one came off my car



Replacement installed. I dont see this lasting long, but it'll do until i figure out what i want to do regarding retrimming options.



My rear view mirror wasnt in the best of conditions either, looks like oxidation? The one on the left came from the wreck.



Also dropped by bunnings to pick up a long 19mm socket to remove these lugnuts.



Replaced by these Mazdaspeed ones made by Rays Eng. Much better!



And a pic for good measure


Placed another order with Amayama.. Should have another update in a few weeks.

[stephen8512]

I like where this is going hahaha and the attention to detail is something I can definitely appreciate!

Re: the hazard button, the earlier models got the red button, then somewhere between 95 and 96, they changed to the black one with the red triangle. Mine came with the black from factory.

[zco]

I like where this is going.
OEMISBEST.

I like where this is going hahaha and the attention to detail is something I can definitely appreciate!

Re: the hazard button, the earlier models got the red button, then somewhere between 95 and 96, they changed to the black one with the red triangle. Mine came with the black from factory.

Thanks guys It's self motivating and rewarding fixing these little issues. Definitely enjoying the process, cant wait to tackle the rest of the car

Small update: The new part number i found for the accelerator pedal (Mazda N00141610B - PEDAL) was also confirmed as discontinued.. Looks like I'm going to have to pull out the pedal assembly and refurbish it myself. I'm quite lazy tbh, so i rather just replace than repair, but looks like I've got no choice now.

Good news is though, I found out that i could order a brand new dashboard and crash pad! Mazda Japan have confirmed they have stock of both items, I just need to pull the pin and confirm the order. A bit hesitant because it ain't no chump change either ($818.54), and I can live with mine at the moment. Doesn't include any bolts, screws, clips or foam backing/cushions Might be better off directing my funds to other things that would have a larger impact to the car.

I also found updated part numbers for a new OEM handbrake boot cover, order placed and parts being delivered. Part numbers: Mazda FB0144062B, Mazda FBY144062, Mazda FC0144063A, total $52.97. Not bad considering an aftermarket leather cover goes for about the same price.

Bought a black hazard button on ebay too, should come before xmas!

[zco]

My first non-Honda - 1994 NA8 Clubman

A couple of weeks ago, I dropped my car off at MX5mania in Dural for a major service.

Service included:
-Gates Timing belt
-GMB Tensioner pulley
-GMB Idler pulley
-OEM Water pump + gaskets + O ring
-OEM Rocker cover seal
-OEM Camshaft seals
-OEM Crank angle sensor seal
-OEM Woodruf key
-OEM Tensioner spring
-OEM Oil filter & sump plug washer
-OEM Thermostat O ring
-Penrite Coolant 8 Year
-Penrite Engine oil
-Redline transmission fluid
-Redline transmission fluid

Fuel filter was changed not too long ago so I didn’t need to do that again. I also picked up an OEM hardtop rear windscreen seal and a Maruha stainless steel coolant pipe. Here’s the damage



It was only a couple of days ago that I went through the receipt again and realised that the service didn’t include spark plug change and air filter change lol I have never done a major service before without changing air filter and plugs, so it was natural to assume it was all included. Turns out, it wasn’t haha

Anyway, decided to just buy a drop in panel filter as I want to keep the engine bay stock looking. According to the k&n website, the part number required is KN33-2676, so I picked one up.





Old vs new



When I went to install it though, the filter sat in the box nicely, but the lid didn’t fit. Taking a closer look, I realised the rubber sides were too big, it overhung the dimensions of the airbox. Instead of going through the whole rigmarole of getting a refund and trying to find the correct number, I decided to just trim the side rubber edging off. Was just annoying to deal with but got it sorted in the end.

Picked up new iridium plugs to replace the existing copper plugs as well