This write-up describes the process of replacement of a soft top for a Mazda Miata. My vehicle is a 92, but I think that this might be very similar for many model years of Miata. I refer to this as “removal and installation” because removing the old top can be (at least was for me) a task requiring as much effort as installation of the new top. This is particularly true when you are not an expert at removing convertible tops, or have no previous experience replacing Miata tops. Without adequate instructions this can (and did for me) turn into a job taking 15 to 20 hours and requiring a few trips to the hardware store. Instructions from Mazda or from the people who sell you the top might claim that the job will “take you an afternoon with a few common tools”. Good luck with that! I’m writing this in hopes that someone else will not have as much difficulty as I did.
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One Of the oldest traditions in racing and road-tripping is Targa competition. Invented in Italy in 1906 as the Targa Florio, a Targa is an extended road trip with speed competition sections mixed with transit and endurance sections. The “Targa” name comes from the Italian word for a crest, or plate — the emblem traditionally bestowed on the winner. After the Targa Florio became famous, other nations took up the practice of high-speed races over public roads. Thus, the event was imitated in Britain, Mexico, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. You might wonder what a 102-year-old Italian goat-trail race has to do with us? Just ask any racer or rallyist for a short list of the races he or she hopes to enter in this lifetime, and you’ll get your answer. Targa Newfoundland is one of the most exhilarating challenges in the world, and it’s tailor-made for a Miata.
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Miata introduced in fall of 1989 with a base price of $13,800. Originally designed as a $7,500 sports car, dollar-to-yen fluctuations drove the price up a couple of years before its introduction. The Miata Club of America is started months before the auto’s release in anticipation of the reaction the auto will provoke. Demand far surpasses supply. Some dealers are asking and receiving twice the sticker price for the first six months. Because of the Miata’s introduction, Automobile Magazine starts an annual tradition of naming one car the Automobile of the Year. The first award goes to the Miata. “Most Fun” Autoweek, Chicago Auto Show Road & Track names the Miata one of the five best cars on Earth, along side of a Mercedes, BMW and Porsche.
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This month’s column is the short version of an article I wrote for Miata Magazine about a Mazda Miata cylinder head and intake manifold project we were contracted for by Bill Cardell of “Flyin Miata”. Flyin Miata is a Miata high performance specialty house located in Grand Junction, Colorado. The full text version, pictures and dyno charts of this article are in the magazine version out this month. The cylinder head and intake manifold was from a Miata 1.6-liter engine that had undergone a bit of Bill’s turbo add-on magic. The subject in question is a streetcar and would be a daily driver. We would remain conservative here; this is not an all out race engine or car. Still, we could and would help make it stronger.
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The Secret To Suspensions
At most, you’ve got 4 strips of rubber keeping you connected to the ground. Keep this in mind at all times when considering how a chance will affect that tire/ground interface. An optimized suspension will take into account how each suspension components affects the vehicle in acceleration, braking, cornering, over rough terrain (even race tracks have berms) and especially at the limit of adhesion when encountering any combination these at the same time.
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The KraftWerks Mazda Miata Supercharger kit is designed and engineered to install with ease. If you are a competent mechanic with a good set of tools the installation will be relatively simple. This is a general installation guide for the KraftWerks Mazda Miata kit however each installation may vary slightly. Please keep these key factors in mind before installing: Please review the entire installation guide before attempting install. If you have any questions about your ability to perform this installation, we recommend you take your vehicle to a performance shop for installation.
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For both front and back bowtie make sure to clean surface with rubbing alcohol before applying replacement bowties to the car.
Front Bowtie: Reach both hands underneath the factory bowtie housing (whole chrome piece) on each side. Feel around for the two clips on the back of the bowtie housing. Pull both of the clips down and forcefully pull/wiggle the bowtie housing out. Flip over the housing and poke out the gold bowtie through the back using a flat head screwdriver and the four holes on the back of the bowtie housing unit. Clean the area and replace with the DefenderWorx Bowtie. Snap the bowtie housing back into place on the grill and enjoy your new DefenderWorx Replacement Bowtie.
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The Boxster is now in its sixth model year and proving to be one of the most popular models Porsche has ever built. The used market is proving to be good and many fine early examples can be found reasonably priced in comparison to other marques. I am of the mind that a used Porsche is still a much better buy than something new and cheaper for other Read the rest of this entry »

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Installation Note: This vehicle is designed with 2 different radio styles. Each radio design requires a completely different method of installation for a new replacement radio. The most important thing to understand is the difference between the plastic dash panel that surrounds the 2 different radio styles. This plastic dash panel actually dictates how you install your new replacement radio. Read below to find out why.
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STEP 1: The Ford radio is snapped into the vehicles dash. With the proper tool, known as Ford radio removal keys, the Ford radio can be pulled forward out of the dash. A clothes hanger can be used instead of actual Ford radio removal keys. Cut the clothes hanger and bend 2 pieces in the shape as shown in the photos above. For more information on how to remove the radio, see the diagram below.
STEP 2: Pull the radio from the dash. Unplug the antenna cable from the rear of the radio. Unplug the 2 wire harness connectors from the rear of the radio.
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