Ricklandia

Headrest speakers were not standard items, and were not offered until '94 (fairly sure). I've listened to the stock speakers, and they are "okay". You can get aftermarket speakers for them, the Miata.net site shows you the conversion. Great site for all your Miata questions.

Thanks for the heads up Allan! Been so swamped at work I haven't had a chance to get anything done, at least not the fun stuff!

plugs? wires? does this "hiccup" sound/feel like it is only one cylinder missing a beat? Or is it many successive cylinders missing?

Well, that's sorta the problem. The funds might be there if it's a necessary replacement, but otherwise it's just taking money away from OTHER needed items! In all seriousness, how would I know if the inner ends need replacing?

Sweet! Love the body color too. Mine was repainted, but I can see that it was that color originally. I've considered a color change (as best as I can describe the PO painted it what I call "Metallic Campbell's Tomato Soup Red"), but when I showed my wife the ORIGINAL color the car was painted, and I suggested I might like that, she literally threw something at me.

If you dont mind my asking, why would you want to do this? My daily driver is a Miata (91) and I don't find the seats to be any more confortable than the Z seats. They might provide just a bit more side support, but then you're sacrificing the originality of the Z.

Well, I couldn't wait to get tags on the car, so I took it for a quick jaunt around the block. The PO warned that he thought it may need new ball joints as the front end felt "loose" and had a vibration. Well, he wasn't foolin. I haven't had a chance to jack it up yet to check the ball joints, but I did crawl down to have a look at what might be going on. The passenger side tie rod end is completely shot; I could wiggle it a good 1/4" using just my hand (remember, the car is NOT jacked up). The driver's side end looks to be okay, but again I havent gotten the wheels off the ground yet. So here's my question: I see that you can buy just the outer tie rod ends (makes sense), but also available are the INNER tie rod assembly? How can I test this to see if it needs replacing? The price for the entire assembly is pretty steep (for my pocketbook), however if I'm gonna grab my wrenches, I would like to get it all done at once. As for the ball joints, a simple verticle wiggle (one hand on top of the tire, other on the bottom) should be enough to tell me if the ball joints are good/bad, correct? Please excuse the newbie type questions, I haven't seriously wrenched on cars since my High School days, which is longer ago than I care to admit.

Another newb question: Although I havent had a chance to look yet (just got the car and I'm so swamped at work I cant even get free to register the car! ARGH!), when did they stop using the seat support straps and got to a more fixed base (springs?). When I sit in mine, the seats feel awefully sunken. I dont remember my 260 seats feeling that way.

Well, I did learn one thing, it's much easier to crawl under the dash after diner and a small cocktail, rather than first thing in the morning! Pedal and linkage are tight as a drum. Thinking to check the fluid level, when I pulled the cap off, the hydraulic fluid looked like... pond water, muddy pond water. The PO drove this car very rarely, and lord only knows when or if the fluid has ever been changed. It it possible that the fluid has picked up enough moisture over the years that it is losing it's "strength"?

I've got a similar situation (me thinks): Clutch grabs strong but the pedal is damned near on the floor before fully engaged. I tried poking my head up under the dash to inspect the pedal pivot point/hole for wear but I cant see it (I am DEFINITELY not as limber as I used to be). Question: Are the pedals grouped as an assembly, and/or does the pedal need to be pulled in order to inspect this? Or do I just need to get my son (infinitely more limber than me) to crawl under there to see it properly?

Hehe, I was thinking that very thing. Living in FL, the cloth might just be a better option for summertime, those seats can get might hot. Thanks to all for thier input.

Question: I've added a link to one of my gallery photos (hope that works). My 240 has seat covers with cloth in the center section (base and back). The stitching pattern appears to be exactly as it should be (from other 240's I've seen). Was this a factory/dealer option. or are they aftermarket? The driver side cover is going to need replacing, and before I got the car I was sure I would go with the traditional all vinyl covers. However, now that I have the car, these cloth insert seats are kinda growing on me. If they're original (offered from the factory, or even at the dealer), I may consider trying to hunt one down as the passenger seat is in great shape. Anyone have any ideas on this? http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=14587&cat=500&page=1 Sorry, not the greatest angle on the photo to see the seat, but that's all I have right now.