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MattL

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Everything posted by MattL

  1. MattL
    Thanks, guys. I’ll have to check out the Scirocco wheels as well.
  2. MattL
    I feel like I saw a mention of MR2 wheels somewhere, but I can’t find it now. Has anybody tried mounting Gen 1 MR2 steel wheels on their 02? They have kind of a period alloy look. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163705097103 14x5.5 and 4x100, and from what I can find, offset of +35-ish. Not sure about the center hole diameter.
  3. MattL
    Dang it! ? second in line if OhGodNo passes on the rear bumper for some reason. Need to get rid of this diving board! (^ I’d be interested in the front bumper too in that case.)
  4. MattL
    I was actually looking at the 14-inchers, which are listed as et20. So, they'd be pushing a little further out. Half the price of the 15s, though!
  5. MattL
    Reviving this old thread in the hope that someone, somewhere might have tried these CMC-03s on their 02. I'm with you, Tee: those Alfa wheels are pure sex (especially on a good-looking GTV). Similar to the Dunlop works alloys on old British racers. So, has anybody given these Miata wheels a try, despite the bananas name? If not, can you tell whether they're likely to fit from the published specs?
  6. MattL
    Nice swag! Emailed about the 5 speed.
  7. MattL
    I have one of these wired to my LED third brake light. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FADDOL4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8GT7Cb376M7P3 It was very easy to install, especially in conjunction with the light itself. I chose this one because you can customize the flashing. I didn’t like how prolonged the sequence of some of the other modules was: I was worried it would annoy anyone behind me in traffic. I have mine set to flash quickly twice and then stay solid. Enough to catch the eye.
  8. MattL
    For anyone still tuning in, I made some more observations on a drive tonight: 1. The shaking happens mainly as the car is just getting moving. In other words, as the clutch starts to disengage and the torque transfers to the wheels. 2. If I start off in 2nd gear, there's no shaking at all. Can I assume this narrows the list of suspects down to the engine, clutch, and transmission? Or would the fact that 2nd gear = less torque mean the other possibilities are still...possible? Any further diagnosis from you all? I hope to get the car up on stands at some point this weekend and give it a real good poke-around.
  9. MattL
    Is this in reference to the magnet? Because it's not the buckle sliding down the webbing that's the issue. It's the fact that the belt doesn't retract back into the reel reliably. So, when I exit the car, there's frequently a pile of belt still slack next to the seat, meaning the buckle drops to the floor whether or not there's a stop or clip on the belt.
  10. MattL
    Not even 24 hours after my post, and I'm equipped with a hefty list of potential solutions. You guys rock. Love this community.
  11. MattL
    Thanks for the ideas, guys. Steve: I don't know how recently the clutch was replaced, although I think the throwout bearing is in need of replacement at the very least: there's a tinny rotational rattle at idle with the clutch depressed. There's also some general rotational/rattle noise coming from somewhere in neutral independent of the clutch, but I need to do some more elimination to find that. Mike: I recently cleaned up the distributor and made sure the vacuum advance is operational, but I didn't disassemble completely enough to check the weights. If it's an engine issue, though, it should happen even when parked, right? Paul: I took a look at the guibo when I rebuilt the shifter a few months back. Looked pretty fresh to me at that time, but I'll check it again. I'll look at the transmission mount and center support bearing and bolts as well. One thing I neglected to mention: my mechanic has indicated that a pinion bearing in my open diff is at fault for the grinding sound I hear over 20 MPH. So, I'll be putting in a new-to-me LSD pretty soon, along with the CV axles to match. Could the vibration be related to the diff? Thanks again!
  12. MattL
    Definitely a good point, Greg. Thank you. I should have clarified that when buckled the general tension and lock are fine, just as Steve describes above. It's just that the reel doesn't have enough tension to pull the belt and buckle up to the loop when exiting the car. The magnet is mainly just to save me the 15 seconds of rooting around for the buckle every time I get in the car.
  13. MattL
    My car shakes whenever I take off from a stop in first. It’s only as I transition from clutch to throttle, and it only happens in first. Doesn’t happen if I rev up to 3k or so and ease off the clutch as the revs come down, as long as they don’t drop too low. This has been an issue since I got the car last summer. Any my thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.
  14. MattL
    I had the garage open yesterday as I tackled some house and yard projects. As frequently happens on our busy corner, the sound of an interesting engine (“Is that a carbureted four?!?”) perked up my ears and dilated my eyes. By the time I made it outside, I just caught a glimpse of a green (Tundra, maybe?) roundie pulling away from the stop sign. I expect the driver didn’t see my 02 over the comparatively enormous RAV4 parked in our driveway. Was that driver anybody here?
  15. MattL
    Thanks, Steve. I’ll have to order a couple, as mine are certainly missing. Even if they weren’t, though, the lack of tension that remains in my reels means that my buckles would generally still fall to / remain near the floor.
  16. MattL
    Just thought I'd share this easy solution to an annoying problem. My seat belt buckle always slides down to the floor when unfastened and removed. A tired retractor, I guess. In any case, I had a few rare earth magnets, and slapped one up there below the shoulder loop. It stays firmly in place and grabs and holds the buckle there with just a touch. I expect I'm far from the first to do this, but I didn't see a similar post up already.
  17. MattL
    Just bought a 3.9 LSD from RussTii. The price was very reasonable, but I mentioned to him that I was taken off-guard by the prices for half axles, etc. required for the swap. Russ threw in (at no charge!) full, already-modified axles to make the unit a ready-to-bolt-in swap. And he wouldn't even let me pay him for the additional shipping cost for the extra 40 pounds of parts! The parts arrived exactly when he said they would, and in a really sturdy (heirloom quality, even) wooden crate. I can't wait to get everything installed, and I have no doubt the unit is exactly as Russ described. What a great guy!
  18. MattL
    I'll soon be removing my stock open diff -- which has a bad/grinding pinion bearing -- and replacing it with a non-rebuilt 3.91 E21 LSD. I plan to use mlytle's awesome how-to to walk me through the swap. The new unit is said to be noise- and leak-free, with good backlash. I don't doubt those assertions, but is there anything I can and should be checking or preemptively replacing before I switch the covers, fill with oil, and bolt it up? Thanks, Matt
  19. MattL
    That's true about the e21 bolsters, I hadn't considered that. It's mainly the seat bottom I was thinking of, though. The 9C3 - from what I've seen - has a very flat bottom, probably because it's a police car seat. (I expect duty belts and high bolsters don't mix.) Unfortunately, vinyl doesn't appear to be an option for Corbeau seats: unless Simeon is right, and they do offer custom coverings, it's cloth, leather, and suede only. The 9C3 seats are a light blue/gray cloth, almost certainly dingy after many years of neglect. Thanks for the input, all. If I find a solution or pull the trigger on anything, I'll post an update.
  20. MattL
    The stock seats in my '76 are getting pretty darn uncomfortable. My recent upgrade to (much) stiffer suspension means I now feel the frame through the well-compressed padding pretty much all the time. The blue vinyl is pretty brittle too. New padding and covers for the fronts seats gets pretty spendy pretty quickly. So, I might as well just get new (or new to me) seats. The only (ha!) requirements are that they be affordable, not garbage, and fit the style of the car. I love the way the interior of the 2002 looks, and want to find something that will (at least eventually) look like it belongs there. E21 Recaros are obviously awesome, but affordable and plentiful they are not. I saw some used 9C3s available not too far from me, but they look like they have zero bolstering. By the time I get new foam and covers, we're right back up to e21 money. The Corbeau GTSII seats look like a good deal. They're clearly modeled on the Recaro classic design, but they're <$800/pair. The only problem is they don't come in blue. It wouldn't have to happen right away, but has anyone ever re-covered Corbeaus? What about with one of the many cover kits available for Recaros? (I know it's a long shot that they'd fit, but a man can dream.)
  21. MattL
    Thanks for the reassurance, everyone. I'll adjust the shocks down as suggested. Thanks for the tip on cutting the stock springs, too. I'll be keeping the H&Rs on, though. I chose them not just for ride height, but handling as well. Depending on how well the damping adjustments go, I probably just need to get used to the new ride, which is fine with me.
  22. MattL
    Well, here's the picture I was just able to get before I had to run and get the kids: I know: it's on a slope, which is not great. I also didn't get one of the other side in its entirety. I did get a close up of each rear wheel, though: Left: Right: The right side looks a little higher than the left, but I expect that's the sloped driveway or something. I do like the way the height looks! And just pulling it out of the garage for two minutes hooked a passerby. It's a real conversation starter. The general consensus among you pros seems to be don't be concerned about how compressed the tops of the springs are. Is that right?
  23. MattL
    Yeah, if I have the fronts and backs switched, then H&R needs some serious help localizing their product labeling. The springs I put on the front are marked with a big ol' "F" and the rear have an "R" of similar magnitude. That seems to be a constant across applications, whereas the letters next to the H&R logo (e.g. "V/O") are not. Thanks for the ideas, though. I'll get a profile shot of the car tonight, hopefully. Something tasteful. Thanks again.
  24. MattL
    Thanks for the feedback and suggestions, all. I'll dial down the damping as suggested. In the meantime, I'll get a photo of the ride height for reference. Thanks for the photo above, too. It makes me feel much better. To clarify the no-pads state I mentioned: I had removed only the upper 2-Dot pads, but put vinyl tubing on the first couple top coils in its place. I left the bottom perch pads in place.
  25. MattL
    I recently replaced my stock springs with H&R Sports. I also removed the 2-dot pads in the back at the same time. The result was a way-low rear-end that felt like it had no travel whatsoever in the springs. Very harsh. And goofy negative camber. The other night I took the springs back off, and put the 2-dot pads back on. At the same time, I made sure my Koni Yellows were adjusted alike, at 50% rebound. Now the height and camber look much improved, but the ride is still very harsh, like it's bottoming out all over the place. Here are some shots of the springs after the second installation: On stands, freshly installed: (The springs looked too compressed to me, once they were installed.) Back down on the ground: Should the springs be that compressed? Are those just dead coils? Or do I have them in upside down or something? If I'm just being a wimp with my harshness complaints, that's fine. I'd just like to be reassured that all is right with the (rear suspension) world. Thanks, Matt
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