[MSCW list] New Top and Wheels Recommendation

[Scott W]

Re: wheels
Try Eagle One Mag Wheel Cleaner spray for most of the heavier grime. Set
the center caps aside, lay the wheels flat, spray on, wait 5-10 min before
proceeding to scrub & rinse. The brake dust & pitting that remains can
probably be cleaned up with something like Eagle One Wadding Polish and
some elbow grease and spare time. You could also try the drill-powered
polishing balls and cones. I did the wadding polish routine on the original
14" hollow-spokes on my 94. Looked great for most of a year, then after 2-3
years the pitting was back. This was several years ago, around the time
when 14" tire options really started drying up, so I never quite got around
to cleaning them up again.

Up to you and how original you're trying to keep the car, but before
spending too much effort/time/money I'd recommend perusing the handful of
tires available in Miata 14" sizes and making sure that one of them is
viable for how you use the car. A set of 15" wheels would give you many
more tire options, and the paint and/or clear coat on most new wheels makes
them more resistant to pitting. You could also paint the daisies if you
decide that 14s are adequate. There's a Duplicolor paint that's supposed to
be a near-exact match for the original color that some people on miata.net
have used, and it will keep the pitting at bay in the future.

-Scott

On Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 3:58 PM, John Baione via MSCW <mscw at lists.mscw1.com>
wrote:

> <<<<<  www.MSCW.com  Mazda Sportscar Club of Washington (DC), Inc.  >>>>>
> **********************************
> I'm looking for recommendations regarding the following:
>
> - I need to replace the original soft top on my '90 Miata B.  What type of
> top (brand, etc.) should I consider and a recommended installer?
> Approximate cost?
> - The original wheels are pitted with brake dust, etc.  Can they be
> cleaned, restored, or do they need to be replaced?  Recommendations on
> which alternative to consider?  Service providers?
>
> Thank you
> John
>