This is Charles Katz and his 1992 Mazda Miata:
(Posted 5/11/09)

Check out Charles Profile: CLICK HERE

Ok we, that is my wife and I, started off with her red 1992 Miata MX5, which I had always liked and wanted when they first came out. It was a nice little red car with body and paint damage everywhere. The interior had been wet from a leaking top and as a result the interior had, well, you know, a funny smell...ooooHew!, and the seats were dry, cracked, brittle and all black, but still in sound condition. The windshield was badly pitted and cracked as was the front end. I admired this little car, ‘cause she had battle scars everywhere which indicated “wow, this little lady is a seasoned veteran that has seen some real action in her 16 years of service.” Her steering was a little shaky. Her broken and cracked front-end and back panel gave her a rather sorrowful expression. She had a smooth but not entirely stable ride at higher speeds; still a lot of fun to drive even though the acceleration lagged. The engine was great even though later I found out that I was only running on 3 pistons because a spark plug cable had cracked, dried and fallen off but looked connected so it was hard to catch. My wife had decided she would rather have my much newer Corolla DX which was kept in excellent condition and was easier for shopping being a fully-automatic 4-door sedan. So that left me with a car that could use a little work but was worth it, cause even in this condition before all the modifications had been done, it was still fun to drive.

But now…wow!!! Let me tell you what I have done so far. I had the opportunity to mold this little car into a really sweet ride and try to bring back a nostalgic look from the 60's James Bond/Jimmy Dean era. Just picture this little gem back in the 60's on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood... here’s what I did.

Starting with the SUSPENSION: Front Sway Bars by Racing Beat, and Rear Sway bar, using upgraded Heavy Duty Mounting Brackets from Racing Beat and their Heavy Duty sway Bar End Links, with the Heavy Duty Sway Bar Brace Kit. I also added the Front Lower Control Arm Brace, which really tightened up the overall chassis. In the engine bay I used the Cobalt 3 point Shock Tower Brace and the PPF Power Kit for stability. I also installed the Frog Arms in the front fenders by Boss Frog which eliminated the front end shimmy to a large degree. Then to complete the suspension package I used the Advanced Handling Suspension Kit from Tokico's 5-way adjustment Shocks and Springs, which lowered the car at all 4 corners an entire inch. And of course with new Shock Boots to keep my shocks-investment clean and free of road dirt. Now at this point she is as solid as a rock. I have stability and maneuverability like I have never known, and I’ve driven some real road beasts in my day.

Now for BRAKES: I used the EBC Sport Grooved Rotors with EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads for track-like stopping power while maintaining street legality and the Stainless Steel Brake Line Kit to remove any spongy braking that’s common with rubber stock brake lines.

And for the DRIVE TRAIN: I used Racing Beat’s Aluminum Fly Wheel which really freed up acceleration lag.
For the CLUTCH: I used the ACT "XT" XTREAME Racing Clutch Kit which really grabs the road and from gear-to-gear gave me max torque in every gear especially off the line. With a 100% pressure increase over stock, it leaves your eyeballs spinning at the back of your head. A good idea was to also replace the Slave Cylinder at the same time so I used the Slave by Tokico as well as the Teflon Stainless Steel Clutch Line.

Now for the ENGINE: I used the JACKSON RACING HEADER, which pulls hard through a wide power-band without that head-throbbing resonance. And it features heavy gauge steel mandrel-bent tubes, CNC-machined flanges, and a ceramic coating and it’s carb-approved. I also used the MIATA OIL COOLER AND REMOTE OIL FILTER KIT, reinforced in the back with a REMOTE OIL FILTER MOUNTING EXTENSION. And Filter Mags to keep metal out of my engine oil.

For the INTAKE: JACKSON RACING COLD-AIR INTAKE SYSTEM.

For IGNITION: NGK "V-POWER" SPARK PLUGS with NOLOGY "Hot Wires"; grounded IGNITION WIRES having a capacitor for intense sparks providing you with some incredible performance.

And the POWER CARD TC2 FUEL INJECTION CONTROLLER to tie all your modifications together so you can really enjoy her high performance!

For enhanced ENGINE APPEARANCE and functionality…So far, to raise the hood, I used the ULTIMATE HOOD LIFT KIT by Cobalt in CHROME! (HEE! HEE!) And so sorry but had to have it! Also its little brother to pop up my trunk. Then, to enhance her appearance even further, I used the POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL WIPER COWL COVER; wow! It really gleams in your engine bay! And perhaps just a little thing, but also had to have the Mazda Speed OIL FILLER CAP as well as the CHROME OIL DIPSTICK HANDLE and the RED-COLORED SILICONE VACUUM HOSE KIT.

For air turbulence and front-end stability, the Miata BeatRush Aluminum Under Panel which made a huge difference in the front-end lift problem at high speeds. The ride is now steady and solid at any speed.

EXHAUST: the BORLA SINGLE TIP-CAT-BACK-EXHAUST SYSTEM. And she growls like she is much bigger then she is. Also the Jackson Racing SS High-Flow Catalyst to complete the exhaust system. And to provide more acceleration advantage, I used the JACKSON RACING HIGH-FLOW FUEL PUMP. I am still not finished with this engine.

At this point, the only problem remaining was those stock wheels. Well as a surprise, ‘cause I was a very good boy, my wife bought me Dayton’s 16" Direct-Bolt Cross Well Lace Chrome Wire Wheels with the 3-ear cap. Of course I did a lot of hinting, but just look at the results!

I was so good she also gave me TOYO PROXES T1Rs exceptional wet and dry performance TIRES! Amazingly they have a firm grip of the road under any condition just about.

I also installed two new front FENDER LINERS ‘cause the old ones were so torn and worn.

Now before I painted her the stunning Crystal Blue Metallic you see, I changed her body style just a tad…For BODY STYLING AND FUNCTION, I used the CARBON FIBER "NACA DUCT" HEADLIGHT COVER for cooling and the looks as well as the TURN SIGNAL INTAKE KIT for added cooling. The RACING BEAT TYPE-1 NOSE KIT started to create the look I was after without being over-done. Additionally, the Racing Beat Miata Lower Side Skirts which gave her a more rounded, tied-together appearance with the front end. And for some real visual attitude, the Simpson Design Miata open Louvered Cowl Hood, which really balances-out her looks and helps in dissipating heat from the engine bay. To give her a special, unique look and style, I used the Simpson Design Miata Side Louvers which were inspired in part by some of the great limited-production sports cars of the 50’s and 60’s. They are fully functional louvers and require a hole to be cut into the fender. I connected the louvers’ side marker lights to my turn signals. I just had to have the DUAL "LOW-PRO" HEADLAMP KIT; I think the lights are really much brighter and more functional than stock.

And to be just a bit more silly, I had to have the LED-LIGHTED WINDSHIELD WASHER NOZZLE KIT W/ 7-COLOR CONTROL MODULE. You should see the effect at dusk or dawn with the blue LED’s on contrasted against the color of the car…wow!

The ROUND SHAPE CYBER-WHITE DRIVING LAMP SET emits a piercing high-intensity Dichroic "SPOT PATTERN" that enhances vision at extreme distances. The spot pattern is tight so it can be aimed to avoid the vision of oncoming drivers. And if you are going to do the front like this you must do the back, so I used CLEAR "ALTEZZA" TAILLIGHTS which really gleamed against the Crystal Blue Metallic for an absolutely striking appearance. Of course I used the chrome surrounds to enhance them even further. Then for the center light on the trunk lid, I used the CLEAR EURO-STYLE 3rd-BRAKE LIGHT with 6 brilliant LEDs and clear marker lamps all around with Light Surrounds, which is precision cut from durable Stainless Steel. Polished they provide the same kind of unique styling and flair found on some luxury European cars. Whooo!! I just had to have it!

I installed the CLASSIC FUEL LID KIT to hearken back to those days of yesteryear, when "Cobras" ruled the track, and fuel lids like these were a sign of pure performance.

Most convertible tops are either black or camel…not bad I guess, but just a bit common and boring, in my humble opinion. Because of my color choice and the styling I selected, I had to have WHITE! It added to the entire look and it kept the scheme cool like the rest of the car. And…if you are going to do the car and top like this, you must put in a new windshield, which I did with new factory rubber seals on all the windows and added the 3M chrome accents to finish off the look.

I had to completely redo that smelly carpet and I wanted the old 60’s styling for the seats. As you can see, the interior color had to compliment the exterior to continue to tie her all together. Therefore, I had to chrome as much as possible in the inside to tie in her chrome from the outside and to add that extra elegance that only chrome can give. I used the GAS, BREAK, and CLUTCH PEDAL SET by MOMO which gives a real firm grip of the pedal and has that slight slant to the right which conforms to your feet positioning along with the steering wheel, as you can see.

I wish you could see how wonderful the instrument cluster is, especially at night. I used the ELECTRO-LUMINESCENT GAUGE FACE SET. Widely popular on new luxury sedans, Electro-Luminescent Gauges offer the best night-time visibility as they provide ultra-crisp lighting with a soft glow that is easy on the eyes. And with my already blue interior, it looks fantastic! But of course, I had to add some effect-lighting as well for interior night time driving fun, so I used (3) BLUE NEON INTERIOR 2pc KITS: 1 under the passenger’s and driver’s dash, under the forward front bottom of the seats and behind the seats in the furthest most back on the floor to cast the light up, and under the seats, successfully illuminating the entire back of the seats, front floor and bottom of the seats, which looks spectacular at night…and BLUE!

I also had to go with a complete new stereo system so I used the Pioneer FH-8000BT CD Blue tooth Receiver as the head unit because of its wealth of features. With slight modification, it fits nicely, filling the double-sized slot that the Miata has, giving my Miata a more finished look. Inside the head rests, I used (4) 3.5" Infinity Kappa 32.9 cf, with a Frequency Response of 85-25k Hz and in the doors, I used 6.5" Infinity Kappa's. For the amplifier, the Profile AP1040 (4) Channel 80 watts RMS x (4); way more power then I will ever use ‘cause at 1/4 power level, you can hear the car in the next block! But wait! I also used the built in 70-watt amp with an 8" sub Blaupunkt THb 200A compact powered subwoofer behind the passenger seat, which really thumps my wife, and for some reason, she is always happy, quiet and full of smiles when she is in that seat!

Even though I am still not finished with my Miata, she is an absolute joy to drive, especially at the beach with the top down and the music entertaining the crowd, or wherever we venture to go. To all my Miata brothers and sisters I want to say if you’re going to do it, then do it, and happy motoring!!!

Check out Charles Profile: CLICK HERE

Check out Charles Profile: CLICK HERE