Garage carnage

I am finally back in the garage after the holidays and making some progress on the #12 car. All the body panels and doors are off in preparation for paint. I am trying to cut some corners by not completely stripping the engine bay before painting to reduce what I have to reassemble.

I have gotten in the habit of putting screws and bolts back in their holes after removing things so I don’t have to figure out what goes where. While you could almost dismantle an entire Miata with a 10 and 12mm socket, I am hoping this strategy will keep me from wondering exactly which bolt belongs to each hole.

Grabbing lunch now and then going to yank a few more things before dropping it off the jack stands on to four Harbor Freight moving dollies and then it will be pressure wash time. I am pretty sure I will clean about 10lbs of dirt off the shell!

Almost all of the parts are in (and taking up space waiting installation). The tranny is at Mr. Mazda across the street, diff is off to East Street in Memphis and the motor is being built by Haag Performance in Martinez. Once the shell is clean, it will be painted inside and out a light gray and then everything will be cleaned and we will start bolting parts back on.

First official outing target is the SCCA Double National at Thunderhill in March but I am hoping to get it out a couple of times prior to shake it down. I am focused on Regionals this year so the double will be a good chance to see what kind of overall pace we have. As I search for open track days, I finally have a reason to start using the MotorsportReg.com calendar!