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Girlfriend's 2001 Mazda Miata "Shelly the Manatee" revival

2001 Mazda Miata SE

Mazda MX-5 (Miata)

Shelly the Manatee

Read the full write-up at Shelly the Manatee ↗

Photo: Shelly the Manatee

Reviving a neglected 2001 Mazda Miata SE as a learner's daily driver

Andy documents fixing up a high-mileage 2001 Miata SE bought for his girlfriend as her first manual car. The thread covers tackling deferred maintenance like brakes, clutch, shifter and cooling, plus unexpected spider infestations and a later collision repair. Coverage here is partial, based on 12 of the author's starter posts.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Clutch
Exedy stock replacement clutch with ACT HD pressure plate
Brake lines
949 Racing stainless brake lines
Wheels
Stock 2001 SE wheels (replacing Ozzy Racing RS-GT wheels)
Paint
Original single stage factory paint, polished rather than repainted

Parts used

Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.

Fuel & Ignition 2

Gearbox & Drivetrain 5

Brakes 1

Wheels & Tyres 1

  • Stock 2001 SE wheels

    Used to replace the Ozzy Racing RS-GT wheels that came on the car

Body & Trim 3

Photos

20 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Shelly the Manatee. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Andy · 2018-05-30T02:12:08-0400 2this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

Andy · 2018-06-03T07:31:22-0400 4this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

Andy · 2018-06-04T08:16:21-0400 2this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

Andy · 2018-06-05T22:13:05-0400 1this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

Andy · 2018-06-07T02:14:37-0400 2this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

Andy · 2018-07-01T10:58:40-0400 1this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

Andy · 2019-06-23T20:01:37-0400 8this post at Shelly the Manatee ↗

ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee
ImagePhoto: Shelly the Manatee

How it was done

Starting condition

The car was bought from its original owner with 108k miles and years of deferred maintenance: worn-out rear brake pads, a shifter needing a rebuild, a questionable clutch master/slave, an undone timing belt, a failing radiator, and tired wheels and window/door mechanisms. The soft top and seats had been redone by the previous owner.

Mechanical work

Andy swapped in stock wheels, sourced a clutch and flywheel set for a future swap, replaced spark plugs, an o2 sensor, rebuilt the shifter with new bushings, flushed the transmission fluid, and began fitting a larger radiator, while dealing with a brake master cylinder issue.

Brakes

New pads, rotors, and stainless brake lines were fitted at the rear and partially at the front, with bleeding completed, though the master cylinder was found to be failing afterward and a replacement was ordered.

Unexpected pest problem

Removing the belly pan and radiator revealed spider infestations, suspected to include black widows, requiring spray treatment and a bug bomb for both the engine bay and the car's interior.

Paint and bodywork

The car's paint, assumed to be a prior repaint, turned out to be original single-stage factory paint that responded well to machine polishing, restoring its shine after being oxidized. Later, the car was hit and repaired with a color-matched replacement door and fender, plus rust repair on the pillar, by the same body shop that previously worked on the car.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Shelly the Manatee ↗

Shelly the Manatee

forum thread: 1 of 1 pages and 31 of 37 posts inspected; 12 unquoted updates by Andy used; 19 replies excluded; coverage is partial on 2 November 2026. The original write-up and photographs remain with their creators. This page is a catalogue in our own words, and a signpost to the source.

Read the full write-up at Shelly the Manatee ↗

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