What to look for on a cheap Miata

Got a lead on a sub$1K Miata, first gen, 1990 - 1992 range.  The owner knows nothing about cars other than the car no longer runs and it is a 5-speed.  No pictures, but the friend says it is in really good condition, which around here means minimal rust.  Going to look at it today and make a cash offer to get it out of their way. 

1. Other than a lot of rust repair (which I will never do again) what else should I look for on the body?  Any subframes that fail or major problem areas to check?  Hidden rust areas?    

2. If the motor looks like it SHOULD run, what happens to make them stop?  I am OK swapping out the motor at this price, but if I can just reconnect a hose or something...

3. I can't test the transmission because it doesn't run, odds that it is toast?  

4. Should I swap in a 1.6, 1.8, 5.0, or 21.0L V12?  (I am kidding about that last one)   

I vote 21L V12!

There's very few things that will keep a 1.6 from starting, off the top of my head it's either the coils (look for spark), the CAS (Cam Angle Sensor) located on the passenger side back of head (jumper the diagnostic connector and count CELs), or the timing belt snapped (it's a non-interference engine, so other than inconvenience, it's not a big deal).  Other than that, if it starts and then dies after 3 seconds, it's probably the MAF (mass airflow sensor, the flappy-door thing attached to the airbox) has failed and won't trigger the fuel pump on after air starts flowing (jumper the fuel pump plug, which is a black 2-prong plug on the drivers side shock tower), OR there's a restriction where the flapper door got wedged shut so you can't get air into the car. 

If it's not one of those things, you'd probably have to really bugger something obvious up like spun a bearing or something.

That's about it, rust will be the biggest concern, with the lower rockers in front of the wheel wells being the most obvious spot, and inspect it like any other 25 year old car inside the trunk and whatnot.  There's no real big areas of concern, but at this point, rust can be anywhere.

Good luck!

Wonko hit the high points.  The other thing to look for in the early cars is the "short nose crank"... some of the early cars had keyway issues that lead to balancer wobble.  If it gets bad enough, it'll take out the crank, but it's unusual for that to go long enough to get that bad.  Unimportant if you're swapping, more important if you're trying to get it to run and want it to live forever.  5 speeds were the same through NA/NB, and rarely have problems behind a stock 1.6.  It should be OK, barring something crazy like water in the case.

IMHO, easy button swap is a 1.8 out of a later Miata.  I swapped an NB2 1.8 into my NA (VVT engine), and it's a riot.  150rwhp is within reach with I/H/E and a standalone.  Beyond that, the sky's the limit...

Got some input from the owner, let a relative drive it and they shifted into reverse at high speed.  So that may mean the motor is fine and the transmission is shot, or the motor over-revved and blew up, or both.  

Sounds like a 1.8 swap.  With a supercharger. 

VVT 1.8 will feel like a lot more motor in an early Miata, you may want to wait on the blower

Took a look at the car, the body is very straight, only some rust on the usual spots in front of the rear wheels.  Underneath, it looks pretty good, no rot through anywhere, looks like it was undercoated and preserved well.  Suspension is good enough for a flip, replaceable for a keeper. Exhaust is good as well, stock wheels and decent tires, looked well looked after.  The interior is in really good shape for the age, a new top and no signs of water intrusion.  Cloth seats have been under covers and are tip top.  So overall, good for its age in PA.  

No one seems to know anything about the mechanicals however, could be a blown transmission, blown motor, or both.  The motor looks great from the outside, but that means squat.  I offered a fair cash price considering the unknowns, with the offer to tow it away today.  At that price, I can get it on the road and inspected and flip it for a little, or have fun with it for a summer.  

They accepted my offer, but can't locate the title.  Might have to wait for a duplicate, doh! Fate shall decide I suppose.  

One thing that WILL keep a 1.6 miata from running is grounding issues... ask me how i know. 

If you can see the wheel well rust, it's probably worse than you think, but not at all unexpected for a low $ Miata. Sounds like it could be a fun project.  I know you said "no rust repair", but there are stupid cheap replacement fender panels which fit surprisingly well.  If you've never owned one, don't judge the handling until you get tires and suspension sorted out.  When I first bought mine (with its blown shocks, oversized, dry rotted tires and all off kilter alignment), I thought it was terrible.  A set of Koni's, a competition alignment and some Star Spec's later, I understood what all the fuss was about.  

As for power, a turbo/supercharger seems to be where it's at.  Having driven both, I wouldn't go through the trouble to do a 1.8 swap.  The gains are minimal and the cost would get you a long ways down the road to forced induction.

The good news is parts are plentiful and stupid cheap whether new or used.  

Check the rockers for rust. There are two bolts way down low, near the pinch rail, just behind the front wheels. These hold the bottom part of the fender on. You can pop those two bolts, then pry the fender away to get a quick idea of how bad the rust is, without having to remove the wheel/fender liner/entire fender.  

Sounds like the title is on the way and I will do the deal next week.  The front wings seem to be pretty good, the rears show surface rust, and I am assuming they will be worse underneath.  I am planning on two patch panels for the rear.   

What could be lurking under there?

More importantly, what is wrong in there? 

With 136,000 on the clock, I think putting in a zero-miles rebuilt is the answer. 

The seats look rough, but they are covers.  The fabric underneath is in great shape.  Shampoo and elbow grease is all I need in there.  Maybe a new plastic piece for the center there.  

That'll be a good project!  I just did the rocker repair on a NB, it's not too hard to do, and the nice thing is that your rust seems localized to the rubberized bumpy coating at the bottom, so it'll be easy to blend in your repair.   I bought the NB panels from Raybuck although I think Blake with isellmiataparts.com might have smaller ones that would cover what you need.    Plan a solid weekend worth of work if you have access to a MIG, or two weeks of after work/home/life.

So does the engine sound okay as it's turning over?  Does it start?

I would go with a good condition 1.8 rather than rebuilding the 1.6...

pinchvalve said:

 

What could be lurking under there?

 

That's about what mine looked like.  Because I'm a giant wuss, I had a local body shop weld in a pair of these el cheapo ebay quarters

According to my "body guy" they fit so well he gave some thought to using just body epoxy to attach them, but ended up welding them too because he's "old school".  That was about 6 years ago, and I still haven't had any rust punch through them.  He ended up using the wheel arch from each panel too, not just the rocker, because the inside of each wheel well lip was pretty crusty when he got in there.  I saved a fair amount of money by just giving him the car and telling him he could use it as filler work around insurance jobs and get it back to me whenever it was done.  I don't recall the exact amount, but in the end it was pretty reasonable.   I sealed it up with rattle can paint, then did some proper body work and a paint job in the spring. 

BTW - if you can get the engine running easily, don't be scared of the miles.  I've seen boosted Miata motors do twice that.  On the other hand, 2nd hand 1.6's are so cheap it almost doesn't make sense to tear one apart. 

Thanks guys.  I have not heard it run, or even tried.  I am buying it on the assumption that the motor and trans are toast.  If that is not the case, then I may get a nice win.  I have no issue swapping in a new bottom end, a replacement 1.6 or a 1.8 and a trans if needed.  I am going into this project as a flip, fully aware that I may fall in love and keep it.  :) 

For the rust, I plan to buy patch panels and weld them in. I have all winter to get it right.  

This is all dependent upon getting a clean title however. 

The seller finally found the title, and we made arrangements to get together and make the deal.  Then she suddenly went quiet, and when she finally responded to an e-mail, she informed me that she sold the car.  If you got a better offer, fine.  But don't make me patiently wait for a week, then schedule a time to do the deal, then go quiet when I ask for a location, then sell it out from under me.  At least ask for a counter offer!  Oh well, I'll wait for another opportunity to drop in my lap.  

Next time pay for the car or some significant portion of the car, get a bill of sale, and then take possession of the car (get it towed to your place) instead of waiting for the title. Pretty much eliminates the risk of having it sold out from under you. 

That car had been repainted and may have had the rear fender rust repaired before. That may have made your repair more challenging.