Cold day yesterday, cold night, cold day and now an even colder night planned for tonight. Had to go to the bank and cash a check at lunch and stop by the bike store and drop off March's Aiken Bike Club newsletter. After not putting the top down at lunch yesterday I was going to do it today. As I left the building the sun felt warm. As I got half way accross the parking lot I stepped from behind the protection of the building and felt the wind. By the time I got to the car I was cold enough that the warm interior felt so good that I just left the top up. Spring has got to be just around the coner....

Started up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 35

Put the top up before backing out of the garage this morning. Cold day, so cold that I had to run an errand at lunch and even though it was sunny I left the top up. That doesn't happen very often

Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 35

Braved the chill this morning on the way to work. When we get in the car in the morning it is relatively warm from sitting in the garage all night which makes the first part of the commute OK. Today we wanted some Hardee's Biscuits 'n' Gravy for breakfast. So while we were inside the car was outside cooling off. Turned on the heater for the 6 miles, no big deal, but I'm sure we look nutso to the environmentally challenged. I had the boot on because there was no mention of rain for the next couple of days (just cold and we scared of no cold.) Fortunately I had to run an errand at around 9, because as I was coming back to the plant it started to spinkle. When I got in the lot I quick like put the top up. As I walked back into the building from the far corner of the lot I actually got a little wet. As fast as the errant shower appeared, it dissapeared just as fast. By lunch and for the rest of the day it was mostly sunny. Dropped the top for the ride home. Probably be up for the next couple of days, weather folks are predicting 40 degree days and teens at night.

Started down, went up, back down for the ride home, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 34

Drove to work as usual with the top up. There was frost on the fields, but we are going to get to 70 this afternoon. Spring is slowly approaching though, almost don't need the barndoors up for the morning commute, getting lighter every day. I really should be working on the next edition of The Driver, but instead I am posting on RoadsterChat, Miata.net forum and blogging about my dull day. I don't mail it 'til Thursday, so I probably won't start working on it in ernest unit Wednesday. :-)

Started up, went down for the ride home, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 32

Bike ride in the morning, grocery shopping and lunch out with Donna and her Mom, afternoon in front of the computer doing newsletters and the evening in front of the computer goofing off. The Miata sat all day.

Started up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 31

We had our first little MMM...Time with the Miata Club. 10 Miatas and one RX-7. We met at the Sno-Cap Drive In in North Augusta. We popped the hoods and chatted outside. We chatted inside nearly filling all the booths. We pretty much over ran the joint. Before we over stayed our welcome, Stacey Timmerman lead us on a 20-25 mile drive around north of the Interstate. Fun time.

Got up this morning and put the top up so I could wash the car in preperation for the afternoon Miata event. Put it down for the trip over to North Augusta. Kept it down for the loop drive, but when we stopped to break up, the top went up for the drive back to the house. The sun never did come out and consequentially it never reached the promised 60 degrees.

Started down, went up, went down, now up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 31

Note to self: Never make a snap decision on the tire you buy.

If you need a set of tires because one is irrepairable, put on the tiny spare and go home, check Miata net. Back in December when I needed tires in a hurry and the guy told me what tires he had, they sounded like a tire I had read favorable reviews about on MN, but they were not. Turns out 910 is a lot farther away performance-wise from 930 than the numbers let on. The tires I bought were 3 performance levels down from the ones I thought they were and 4 levels down from where I was. The Pole Positions I now have are at the top of the street tire line and one step *up* from where I was when this whole mess started. I think that next time I will know, I ended up wasting the $270 I spent on the 910's. I got my money back on them and they took it off the price of the S-03's but I still ended up paying as much additional for them as they would have cost outright from the Tire Rack. If I don't get out and look at the scratches those chuckleheads put on my rims installing the tires and just drive, I'll be fine.

Started down, went up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 28

Started out even warmer than yesterday and it is supposed to be a couple of nice days, so I put the top down and the boot on. Really starting to feel like spring (I know it is early, but the pine pollen was back today.) New tires, the bad is over on the rant page, the good is here. These tires, Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions are more like it. They may be even better than the RE-71s I replaced. I just don't know as I am not a tire expert, but I do know the Miata once again handles above my fear limit. I can hardly wait to wear these things down halfway, woohoo!

The first person to try and send me money via PayPal for the 2" stickers was using a credit card. PayPal wants money for me to accept credit cards. (2.9% + 30 cents) That amounts to 36 cents on $2 and 45 cents on $5, I declined the payment because I'm cheap. But now that I think about, I was never in this for the money, just the fun. Maybe I was too quick to decline? Yeah, I think I'll change it so I can get the Credit Card money...

Started up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 26

Did manage to eek out the trip to work in the morning with the top down. Put it up when we got there as it was supposed to rain, and rain it did. Had to ride home with it up as it was still sprinkling. Dropped the car off for it new tires, read all about that on my Rant Page.

The sticker folks emailed back to let me know that they goofed by showing me and approving a design that they could not print. They need 1/8" of non-printed border and we had agreed to a design that left only 1/16", that is why the image was smaller. It was off center by a 1/32" and they told me they would reprint them, but couldn't gaurantee any better centering as 1/32 was within "industry standards." Because the image size was their fault, they offered to knock 25% off the price charged, to which I agreed. The stickers are now on sale in the Barndoor Fan Club Store along with all the other club merchandise.

Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 25

To work with the top up and home with it down. Didn't feel as warm as it really was because the clouds moved in early this afternoon. The bad news is there are supposed to be afternoon showers tomorrow, the good news is with the clouds the temps are only supposed to fall into mid 40's tonight and depending on the mood the top may stay down for the ride to work tomorrow. The latest edition of Miata Magazine came in the mail today. I think I have become just a bit jaded with the mag. It has been 12-1/2 years of, first quarterly and then bi-monthly, issues and while I'll still going to read it cover-to-cover it won't happen in one sitting like it used to.

Tomorrow is new tire day. After living with the RE-930's for a month I realized they aren't enough tire for me. For me the Miata has always handled above my fear factor, but with these tires the car loses traction before I lose nerve. Going with some Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions. They are highly spoken of on Miata.net and rack way up there on the Tirerack survey.

Started down, went up and now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 24

Back to the pattern. Put the top up for the morning commute, put it down for the return trip. A busy day in Miataland. Took the makings of my switch/light panel to work and wired it up. After work I installed it. Looks good, still need to fill about an 1/8 below the HU. I may try and butcher up most of the silver trim piece that came with the radio...

The blue 194 bulbs were a waste of $3. They are real blue when out, but on they look white with a hint of blue, so the ODO is still white. Gotta find them blue buld "condoms."

The 2" Barndoorfan Club stickers came in today. That's the good news, bad news is that they aren't exactly right. Emailed the place I got them from (websticker.com) and they said they'd check into it. They are almost good enough, but after going through 4 different proofs and thinking you got it right, they come in with the image smaller and slightly off center.

Started down, went up and now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 22

Usually the Miata sits on Sunday, but today was different. Donna's mom didn't want to lunch out, so we got to drive the Miata with the top down. After eating we went grocery shopping for the week. I had to revert to actually planning where the grocery bags go and in what order, etc. instead of just tossing them in as I get to do with the Honda Civic. No problem, now 2 weeks worth of groceries might require some real planning and maybe even a bag at the passenger's feet.

Finally bought switches and lights for the console. Ended up back at the place I went to on lunch Thursday. Radio Shack had more kinds off toggle switches than you could shake a stick at, but they were all pretty black or colored plastic...I wanted plain old silver. The other parts stores only had one switch like I wanted and no lights.Tomorrow night I'll take the console out and see about mounting the stuff and wiring it up. While I was at the store I found some 194 bulbs in blue. I bought two and will stick them in the dash and see if they will make the ODO numbers blue.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 20

Really nice day here, upper 60's not at all like winter. Drove over to Wagner to meet Ron and sell him the CD changer. We met at the Dollar General and he led us out to his house, a lot easier than him trying to give me directions. He and wife Chris and daughter Stephanie live in a new modular home north of town. Really nice place, cathedral ceilings through out and the thing probably has more square footage than our house. The only downside is it is 1/2 mile in on a dirt road. Ron is mechanically minded, but not so electrically minded, so I was going to show him how I had set up the changer in my car. He already had the console out of Steph's car. Seeing as the car was already disassembled it was easy to just install it as I showed him how. We wired it up and tried it out - worked like a charm. He had picked up a replacement front center console from a salvage yard to replace her damaged one. It was nearly brand new. We figure the previous owner must have put a new aftermarket radio in the car just before he wrecked it. When he pulled the console out to put in the new radio he must have broke the original and then replaced it with this new one. The aftermarket radio was gone and the OEM one was on the front floor. All he had left to do was put everything back in place and drill 4 holes to mount the unit in the trunk.

I showed him my new install with the toggle switches in cardboard and he said, "I got just what you need laying on the living room floor, I was going to throw it away." Sure enough, he had pulled out the spacer from under the aftermarket stereo that was left in the car and it is just what I needed for under my new head unit. Cool! I offered to give him $10-15 off the price of the changer and he said, "No, helping me install was worth that much." Thanks Ron.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 20

There was a 20% of rain in the afternoon and it sure looked higher than that on the way back to work from our lunch at McDonalds. So the top went up and down an extra time today compared to the last 5 days. I forgot about the lunch "date" with my wife, so Radio Shack will have to wait another day. Driving to Wagner tomorrow to drop off the CD player and give some pointers on the install, hope the prediction of mid 60's holds....

Started down, up, down, up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 20

Instead of actually working this AM, I did redesign the left side to include some links. A few Laguna related and a couple of blogs.

Made a lunchtime run to the auto parts store to shop. Two bucks a piece for the lights, your choice green or yellow and $3 a piece for toggle switches for a total of around $20. Going to check Radio Shack tomorrow. Now I need to figure out what to make the panel out of....aluminum sheet or can I get some plastic with a similar grain at a stereo install shop? For now the cardboard stays in.

Might redesign the left side of this blog to include some other links. Found one to a web cam at Laugua Beach, CA for starters.

Five days in a row, same pattern, started down, went up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 16

Dull February day here in Miataland. Got some more ideas for the toggle switch labels from FillG over on RoadsterChat: Smoke Screen. Nails on Road. Passenger Eject. Only other news is I've got a buyer for the CD Changer I yanked out of the trunk. A fellow Master's Miata Club member wants to put it his daughter's 90 Miata.

Once again, started down, went up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 14

Predictably, I put the top up the ride to and put it back down for the ride from work.

Man those guys in the Trussville Mazda parts department are good. Ordered the cubby hole yesterday and got it today via UPS ground. Bad thing was it was too big for the hole. When I checked Miata. net Garage section there was mention of some trimming required to use bigger cubby that I ordered, but to the extent I thought. This thing needed, in my opinion, major rework. About a 1/4" off the bottom had to be removed and there was no way I was going to get a straight line across the 7 inches or so of width. I sent it back. They were real nice about taking the part back, I'm just out about the $10 it took to cover shipping in both directions.

My next option was $80 for one of those Really Nice CD Caddys from Serious Auto. But before I did that, I went and visited the company's Mad Scientist in residence and borrowed 4 toggle switches. Wanted to see how they would look in my temporary cardboard blanking plate before I spent that much on something I could only "see" on the web. Made up a couple of labels and stuck them on there too. Here is what it looks like, not too bad for a first attempt. I don't like the labels yet, maybe I can find someone who still has one of those old dynomo pressure labelers. I think maybe I need lights too. Just wire the lights through the switches so they come on when the switch is up... Maybe get one as a momentary on to use as the garage door opener. I can see this mod getting out of hand.

Started down, went up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 12

Cold morning, so the top got put up before leaving the garage. Warm afternoon, so the top went back down for the ride home. This is the time of year where that pattern will get repeated for a quite a while. Average lows at night mid 30's and average highs in the afternoon mid 60's.

Mazda doesn't make a blanking plate in the correct size to fill the spot in the console, so today I ordered a Mazda little cubby hole thing. It will fill up the majority of the gap and I'll have to fabricate something out of aluminum and paint it with some black crinkle-coat paint to fill the rest. Thinking maybe of getting some retro looking toggle switches to put in the plate. I won't hook them to anything, just label them things like, 50 Cal. Gun, Oil Slick, NOS, Bat Hook, etc. Inspired by this, but they wat way too much for them. They also make some for the power window switches but I could never use them as I sometimes hit them with my elbows and those switches would probably hurt.

Started down, went up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 10

So busy writing about all that other stuff I did to the car yesterday that I forgot the real first thing I did. In Friday's installment, I mentioned a ticking noise emminating from the heater/AC fan. I knew it was from behind the glovebox somewhere, so the first thing I did was take out the box. As it turned out I didn't need to, no big deal, it is only two screws... Unhooking 3 wiring harnesses and removing 3 screws is all it took to drop the fan from its housing. Lo and behold inside near the squirrel cage was a dried out oak pollen cluster. It had taken about 11 months to work its way from up near the winshield and the fresh air intake down to the fan motor. While I had the fan out I looked inside where it came out of and sure enough there was one more pollen thing waiting to take the others place as soon as I buttoned everything back up. No more noise. :-)

Drove over to Evans, Ga to check the Miata Club mailbox. The Weather said the temp was 57 so we left the house with the top down to enjoy the ride. Problem was the sun was covered by the clouds and their was some lingering fog around. After about 10 minutes we put up the windows, in 10 more we turned on the heater and after 10 more we put up the top, just too cold feeling. After stopping and checking the mail and then driving a bit further to make a donation into our retirement fund (Lotto South and Big Game tickets) we stopped at the North Augusta Greenway and took a mile or so walk. After walking we were warm enough to put the top back down for the last 1/2 hour of the trip.

Started down, up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 8

Busy Miata day today.

First on the agenda was to remove the remove the "old" Sony CD changer from the trunk. Ever since installing the Blaupunkt MP41 San Jose MP3 player in the dash at Christmas the Sony has not even been on. Trunk space being at a premium to begin with in a Miata, a CD changer eats up a big chunk of it, it is nice to reclaim that room. All I have to do is fill in the carpet where I cut out a couple holes to mount the changer.

Second up was prettying the Blaupunkt install. When I first got it, I was so excited about installing it that I just used the kit that you get from Crutchfield. Functional, but it just didn't look right, made the unit stick out of the dash about 1-1/2" and was dropped down about 3/4" from the top of the opening. Also I had a tendancy to hit the face with my knuckles when shifting into 3rd gear. Took out the center console (removed 5 screws, remove the shift knob & unhook two wiring harnesses.) Took out the center radio surround (pop out the eyeball vents and remove 3 screws.) Then I could pulled out the radio and the Crutchfield mounting plate. I then pulled off the trim piece from the head unit. measured carefully to see if this would work. Yup. Pulled the bracket off the stock radio and screwed the Blaupunkt into it and put it back in the dash. One down side was I now had a 3/16" gap on either side of the unit (the trim piece hid that.) No hill for a stepper. Got an old stock blank off plate I had laying around cut 2 slivers of it and epoxied them to the console, not bad. The other down side to this was now I had a DIN and a half opening in the dash. I think Mazda makes some stock blank off plates in that dimension, just won't be able to get one until at least next week. I would have ridden around with the hole there, I'ma guy, but my wife felt I should hide it some how. Used some of that old redneck multi-purpose construction material - cardboard. Sprayed it flat black and it doesn't look too bad.

Third was finishing the dash lighting. It used to have green backlighting and all that is left of that is the light shining on the ODOs spots in the indiglo blue gages. Decided to make that light blue to match. Pulled the dash apart and popped out the bulbs, I then removed the green plastic condoms and exposed the bare bulbs. When I started to apply the blue glass paint I had bought this afternoon, it didn't stick too well, but I kept at it. Two coats consisting of two applications of paint later, it was time to put them back in and try it out. They lit up sort of blue, but still looked greenish. SH$T. Pulled the dash apart again. Fortunately, because the paint didn't stick too well in the first place it was realatively easy to remove. Put the bare bulbs in and now I have white light illuminating the ODO which is better than the green stock or aqua painted.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 6

The sun reappeared this morning. Lunch out was at Mi Rancho, guess what kind of food it was. :-) Top down to and fro. I broke my rule for the new top too. I said that I would never leave it down in the parking lot unless I had the boot on. Didn't have it with me so I rationalized that it is still winter and the angle of the sunlight would cause less damage than raising the top and then putting it right back down for the ride home. After 3 days of top up and A/C on, it was nice to ride in the fresh air. We turned our 6 mile commute home into a 30 mile jaunt through the wilds of Aiken County and the exciting towns of Couchton and Montmorenci.

It was also nice to hear wind noise as opposed to the ticking sound that is eminating from the heater blower motor. Because of the rain we have been riding around with the A/C to keep the windows from fogging. Going to have a look at it tomorrow, hope it is easy to get to and it is just that missing screw from the center console bumping the fan and not a bad bearing or something.

Started up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 6

Raining in the morning. I don't know if the Weather Channel got the stop time right, but it had stopped by my 4:00 quitting time. Still too cold for dropping the top, either for the ride home or the trip to Augusta. Tonight was the Master's Miata Club monthly business meeting at the Shangi-Hi Suprise chinese buffet. I was much better in that I only ate 4 plate fulls unlike last month's 5. Next month we will meet at a BBQ buffet, I feel a five plater coming on...

While we were there, I put 4 dollars down on my 2002 Special Edition Miata in Titanium Grey with Saddle Brown interior...bought some Lotto tickets. :-)

Started up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 5

Winter returned to Aiken today, not the snows like January 2nd, but more typical for here, rain and 40's with a 15 mph wind. Ugly stuff. Update on the Weather Channel's prognostication, close, real close. They had the time right on, started to rain at 4:45 AM. Maybe, just maybe there was a bit of frozen stuff as I thought I heard a slightly different tone on the skylight once or twice. It is 17-1/2 hours later and it is still raining. WC says it is supposed to quit at 1:00 PM tomorrow, will they be right again, I hope so.

Started up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 5

Up the top goes as it is just to cold to enjoy trip to work. For the first time in a long while, it was too cold to put it down for the ride home, lower 40's and no sun. Tomorrow it probably won't go down at all, they are predicting rain/freezing rain for the morning and then rain through out the day. The weather channel says that the freezing drizzle will start at 5:00 AM, the rain/freezing rain starts at 6, rain/sleet at 7:00 AM and by 8:00 it will be just rain. I'll let you know how they did.

Started down, now up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 5

I'm so vain, I'm so vain, I probably think this internet is about me. *

I'm in the The Mirror Project again. See me reflected in the hood of the Miata this time here.

* Appologies to Carly Simon

Winter returns. Too cold to ride with the top down so we put it up before we left the heated garage for the commute. After work it was still chilly, upper 40's and windy, but it was sunny so the the got dropped for the ride home. I feel a pattern coming on. Tomorrow will probably be a repeat of today. There was a hint of pine pollen coating the car this afternoon, I'm sure the pine trees thought we were going to get an early spring there with last weeks warm weather. Wonder how they are going to react to the next few days with nights in the upper 20's lower 30's....

Started down, up, then down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 4

On the seventh day the Miata rested. As is typical for a Sunday around the Bogardus household, the Miata never left the garage. We usually do things as a family and when we do we all pile into the MSV. Sunday is weekly shopping, go out for lunch, etc. and the three of us use Donna's Mom 4-door Civic. I spent the afternoon ripping CDs for the next MP3 disc for the Miata.
10,000 Maniacs - Love Among the Ruins
Bangles - Greatest Hits
Beth Orton - Trailer Park
Dido - No Angel
Fine Young cannibals - Fine Young Cannibals
Jerry Goodman - On the Future of Aviation
Marc Cohn - Marc Cohn
Mark Knopfler - Cal
Republica - Republica
Seven Mary Three - American Standard
Sixpence None The Richer - Sixpence None The Richer
Spin Doctors - Pocketfull of Kryptonite
Suzy Bogguss - Something Up My Sleeve
Van Morrison - The Best of

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 2

Man, my wife is cool. I don't know how I got so lucky. Tonight was the night of the Master's Miata Club's 9th anniversary dinner over in Augusta. She got all dressed up, fixed her hair and face, but didn't bat an eye my request to keep the top down for the ride over. Dinner was at 5:45-6:00 and the sun was still up, but it was probably only 50 degrees, no problem she just put on a coat. After dinner of the 8 Miatas in the lot (a few folks came in the MSV) there were only 2 tops down for the ride home in the near 40 degree temps at 9:00 PM. One was Rudy, Club President, who never puts his up and ours. Donna just said roll up the windows and turn on the heat. :-)

Started up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 2

The top was down once more for the trip to work. This may be the last morning for a while though, they are predicting a return to normal winter temps again, 30's in the AM and 50's in the afternoon. Once at work the top was put up because there was a chance of rain during the afternoon. Still hadn't rained at quitting time, but the threatening skies made us keep the top up for the trip home.

Started down, now up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 1