Michael Smitasin

Rebuilding a NB Miata’s Rear Brake Caliper

smitasin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:36:48 +0000

Disclaimer: This video is provided for educational purposes only. I accept no liability for expenses/injuries/fatalities caused by the failure of equipment as the result of following these instructions.

I couldn’t find any DIYs or full tutorials on performing a caliper rebuild for an NB Miata, so I decided to make a recording of my process. Note: I’m not an expert, so if the terminology or procedures I use are incorrect, please let me know and I’ll gladly update the video.

If your calipers are leaking and you’re unwilling to spend ~$160 to replace each caliper, you can buy a rebuild kit for $60 for both rear calipers. I purchased mine from Moss Miata, part # 904-451. This contains all the dust covers and seals that you’ll need to rebuild it.

The process is not terribly difficult, just time consuming. I was fortunate to not have any seized or stripped parts, and everything came apart pretty easily. Most of my time was spent cleaning dirt/brake fluid/grease off the caliper. If all goes well, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to do both.

Be sure to adjust your brakes and bleed your system after re-installing the calipers!

Many thanks to bluemeany06 for his video on rebuilding an NC Miata’s front caliper.

The Ridge

smitasin — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:53:49 +0000

Ridge Racing School hosted the first commercial event at The Ridge Motorsports Park this weekend and it was nothing short of awesome. I’ll have a more detailed write-up soon.

Many thanks to Fred Wright for organizing the weekend, and to Dave Conover and Ryan Hieronymus for helping me learn the track!

EESCC Ice Breaker Autocross

smitasin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:41:52 +0000

First event in the Miata! It was a lot of fun, and as much as I miss the M3, this car is much more predictable and forgiving. Even though I like the idea of going turbocharged, it’s obvious that I have plenty of room for improvement with my current power, so there’s no rush to add more. Next up, a High Performance Driving Event at The Ridge Motorsports Park on March 17th.

New Job: Lane Transit District

smitasin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:47:05 +0000

On January 30th, 2012, I began a new job with Lane Transit District as an IT Support Technician. LTD is the public transportation agency for Lane County, providing service to the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area and surrounding cities. So far, it has been a very exciting and educational experience, and I’m happy to say that everyone I have met has been very nice and welcoming.

Sunset Time-lapse

smitasin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:06:55 +0000

I’m spending a week in San Diego for the Winter break, and decided to try out some time-lapse with my new GoPro HD. This is a quick one from the La Jolla Shores Hotel:

Tilt

smitasin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:47:28 +0000

I rented a 24mm Tilt Shift lens from RentGlass.com a few months ago and spent the afternoon in downtown Eugene. Lots of fun, but very difficult to focus manually. I highly recommend RentGlass to anyone interested in trying out lenses before you buy them, they’ve got a good selection and are very easy to work with.

Filament

smitasin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:29:35 +0000

I’ve been drooling over the Restoration Hardware catalogue for a few months now, and finally decided to pick up some of these incandescent bulbs:

All I need now is some decent fixtures for them.

Almost Done

smitasin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:17:59 +0000

Thanks to Bryan Avery at A Street Automotive for his help with painting my hardtop! All of the major modifications to the Miata are done for the time being, I just have a few minor things to take care of and it should be ready for the EESCC Ice Breaker autocross in March. It’s too bad the next 3 months are going to be cold and rainy, I’m starting to miss driving with the top down!

Making Progress

smitasin — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:17:17 +0000

The Miata is finally coming along. Hardtop, rollbar, Flyin’ Miata coilovers, Kosei K1s and Bridgestone Potenza RE-11s. Next up: Hardtop paint!

Congrats to Josh & Caroline!

smitasin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:16:39 +0000

Congratulations to Josh & Caroline Means, who were married on October 1st, 2011. You guys are a great couple, and you make a beautiful family.

Gabe & I aren’t quite done processing all of the photos yet, but here’s a preview from my batch: