A Dozen Tiny Updates

Updates. I got ’em.

This post is a collection of updates to past posts that I’ve been meaning to do for months now. There are so many that I thought I’d make a post about it. I’m actually rather embarrassed about how many updates there are and how far back they go… the first was an update I meant to post in April.

Anyways, enjoy. Click on the headings to see the full articles.

G-String Bikini

Original buckles...

Original buckles…

New and improved Bikini Buckles!

New and improved Bikini Buckles!

Since installing my G-String, a whole winter and most of another summer have passed. In that time, Project-G has updated their bikini top slightly. The above photos tell the story. The official name of that gorgeous chrome blob is the Bikini Buckle.

And holy crap is it awesome. The fit over the factory frankenstein bolts is perfection. The finish is great. It really makes the old D-clips looks horrible. And yet there’s nothing wrong with the D clips. They worked great, held on fine, and had no problems at all. But the Bikini Buckles… they kick it up to the next level.

Sharka has been wearing the G-String and Bikini Buckles since April of this year. I cannot recommend this top enough. It really is a must-have for any Roadster.

949 Racing 7075 Forged Alloy Lugs

949 Racing Lugs

949 Racing Lugs

Nut detail

Nut Detail

My buddy Stoly sent me these lugs as a gift. I thought I’d add them to this big lug nut review. Thanks for the pressie Geoff!!!

As you can see, these are not security nuts. They are meant for racing. They’re easy to take on and off and accommodate an extended lug stud. And they’re very light weight considering how beefy they are.

Chances are if you’re reading this review, you have these nuts already. They are wildly popular in the Miata world. They are found on turbo track Roadsters everywhere. If you’re looking for something for a non-street car, look no further. Go to 949racing and order a set.

949 lug weights

949 lug weights

They're not heavy.

They’re not heavy.

As you can see, they’re quite light. Not the lightest nut in this review, but impressive by themselves. Light enough for Small Prime to hold in his arm. That’s pretty light.

As the name suggests, these things are made of 7075 T6 aluminum. There’s some debate on miata.net about what the best alloy is for lug nuts. I’m gonna put my faith in the folks at 949 to have come up with the right one. And they just happen to be the same alloy that Project Kics used in their nuts I reviewed above.

949 vs Project Kics

949 vs Project Kics

They beg to be compared. Really, they’re very very similar. The Kics nut is not open ended, so it won’t work with an infinitely long lug stud like the 949 can. But the Kics nut IS quite sufficient. The factory studs could protrude twice as far as they do and the Kics nut would still work.

Security? On the 949 nut, there isn’t any. But it’s meant for a track car that might not be parking at a dark bar parking lot on the weekend.

Weight? The Kics nut is lighter. But what if they were the same size? You can see that the 949 nut is a bit longer. Were they the same length, I think the 949 would be lighter. There’s not that cap at the end, after all.

Scorecard
Price: B+
Durability: ? (probably A- to A+)
Weight: A
Ease of use: A+
Lock security: F
Overall: ? (probably B to B+)

NA6 Crash Pad with Gauges

Cup fitting guide!

Cup fitting guide!

As promised… err…. somewhere… here is a cup fitting guide! This is exactly how the gauges in Sharka’s crash pad fit. And everything is CAD-perfect. I wish my sad cardboard template had been this nice. You can download a PDF of this guide here. Don’t try to print the above jpg. You’ll only be frustrated. Go for the PDF and print with page scaling set to None.

Also…………..

U-clip design

U-clip design

A quicky sketch of my U-clips. There’s really not much to them. A bent metal bracket with holes in the right spot. But I thought this little guide would help. As above, grab a PDF of the file here. Use the little square to verify that your print is the correct size.

Enjoy!

Spotlight: Flipper

Just a few pix that got snapped here and there that managed to not get uploaded. But they NEEDED to be seen. Such good times…

Zoomin'

Zoomin’

Panning

Panning

Like a boss.

Like a boss.

Did I mention that Flipper got THE best panning shots out of all 3 cars?

Did I mention that Flipper got THE best panning shots out of all 3 cars?

Flipper and Stoly as one.

Flipper and Stoly as one.

<3

Guest Blog – Racing the Sun

Rev here. There’s a few more pix that wanted to be a part of this post. They deserved better than to hide on my hard drive.

Spotlight: Rooster

Spotlight: Rooster

Bathed in the downtown light.

Bathed in the downtown light.

At the top of the mountain.

At the top of the mountain.

Sharka needs to go visit Texas so he can hang out with these folks again…

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  • Stoly says:

    Thanks for the additional pictures! Can’t wait for Steve and I to play host to you and Sharka!

  • Mackenzie says:

    Your rock-hard abs performance underwent “voice editing” after filming.

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