'99-'05 year Miata mods and questions...

I have an '03 Miata...great car...love it..however, I would like some
better back support and, of course, more leg room. I have seen many a
thread discussing removal of seat back foam, removal of the driver
side arm rest, removal of the driver side foot rest. However, I'm not
sure if these mods were done on the prior body style or the 99-05 year
Miatas. Could anyone please let me know if they have done any of these
on their 99-05 Miata and how things turned out?

Also, has anyone else had problems with rust developing around the hub
of their Miatas wheels? I know the brake (rotor/drum?) area gets rust
on it that is removed after you drive for a bit; however, this rust is
on the actual hub and will not come off...even if you try to scrub
it...has anyone else encountered this and, if so, how did you fix it?

Lastly, my factory soft top seems to have some kind of white oxidation
which has developed on some of the metal in the convertible top. The
metal latches and screws which attach the convertible top to the
windshield have this as well as some of the springs in the back of the
convertible top...has anyone else seen this on their car?

Thanks for the help!

I've got a 99 so I'm not sure about your 03 but I've found that I can slip
some lumbar support in behind the seat pad on the back rest. In fact I
really like to put one of the small freezer gel packs in there, ads lumbar
support and keeps you cool at the same time! No simple fix for the lack of
lateral support in my seats though. With a bit of effort you can swap in
some old NA seats for a big improvement.

As for removing the dead pedal, why don't you just do it and see what you
think, how hard can it be? It won't be the same for any two people. I can't
imagine removing seat foam and getting an acceptable result. Others may know
better.

On the brake drums, you can remove them, clean them up with a wire brush (on
a drill) some rust remover, good cleaner (brake cleaner or wax / grease
remover) and paint them. I did mine with high temperature gloss black spray
paint. Looks 100% better.

I have gotten that white residue on the black metal latches and such, I
think it's mineral deposits from condensation trying to escape the interior
when the sun's heating up the interior. Seems to me I used WD-40 and it
worked pretty well on that and of course the little springs too.

Chris
99BBB


> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I have an '03 Miata...great car...love it..however, I would like some
> better back support and, of course, more leg room. I have seen many a
> thread discussing removal of seat back foam, removal of the driver
> side arm rest, removal of the driver side foot rest. However, I'm not
> sure if these mods were done on the prior body style or the 99-05 year
> Miatas. Could anyone please let me know if they have done any of these
> on their 99-05 Miata and how things turned out?
>
> Also, has anyone else had problems with rust developing around the hub
> of their Miatas wheels? I know the brake (rotor/drum?) area gets rust
> on it that is removed after you drive for a bit; however, this rust is
> on the actual hub and will not come off...even if you try to scrub
> it...has anyone else encountered this and, if so, how did you fix it?
>
> Lastly, my factory soft top seems to have some kind of white oxidation
> which has developed on some of the metal in the convertible top. The
> metal latches and screws which attach the convertible top to the
> windshield have this as well as some of the springs in the back of the
> convertible top...has anyone else seen this on their car?
>
> Thanks for the help!
>