Why Mazda Miata Owners Are 3D Printing Their Own Parts From Scratch

Once upon a time, making aftermarket parts for cars was a serious business. You generally needed a machine shop or a full fiberglass setup to make stuff, and that usually entailed being in the business to make it financially worthwhile. These days, things are different. We’re seeing all kinds of DIY parts popping up out of the Miata community, and it’s all thanks to 3D printing.

Of course, people are 3D printing all kinds of parts for all kinds of purposes. But in the car scene specifically, we’re seeing a ton of these builds coming from Miata owners specifically. Why? My theory is that the Miata has always been a great, affordable, entry level enthusiast’s car. Owners are often looking for a way to get parts on the cheap, and in turn, that’s created a great DIY ethos.

Whether you’re looking for a style upgrade or something actually functional, you could find 3D printing to be a useful tool in your arsenal. There’s a whole lot that you can do, and you can do it all yourself at home.

Winging It

This week, I spoke to Luke down in Adelaide, Australia. We first bumped into each other years ago in the local MX-5 scene. These days, he’s doing great things with 3D printing, whipping up some tight parts for his first-generation NA MX-5 track car.

“I’ve custom made parts for the Mazda over many years but normally via traditional methods,” Luke told me. “I’ve been interested in graphics and 3D modelling since undertaking my engineering degree, but when I bought my first printer a few years ago I could finally turn my concepts and parts into reality at a faster rate and get it near perfect first time.”  He’s experimented with designs for all kinds of useful parts. 3D printing has helped him whip up simple things like GoPro camera mounts and gauge holders, and he’s experimented with making his own turbofan wheel covers, too. But he’s also explored more performance-oriented parts—brake ducts, aero pieces, and even various front bumper air dam designs.

For him, price has been a huge motivator to pick up 3D printing. “The parts I’m wanting aren’t really available, and if so, they aren’t cheap,” he says. “I get a real kick out of turning a concept into reality so just decided to spend my evenings designing and building my own parts.”

This is the thing about 3D printing—it’s cheap. Printers are cheap, filament (the plastic you print with) is cheap, and you can download tons of free stuff to print online. You can also design your own parts to do whatever you need them to do. Honestly, the biggest investment ends up being your time. If you’ve got plenty to spare, you can do all kinds of stuff.

Luke’s latest headline project is a 3D-printed rear wing. It’s modelled after the one Mazda delivered on the 1995 RX-7 SP, but he redesigned it to suit the original Miata. It’s got a proper has a gurney flap, too, just like the real deal. “Physically, the key ingredients are 3D-printed plastic components, aluminum internal spars for rigidity, and automotive adhesive,” he explains. “Along with the adhesive , it’s physically jointed using a number of plastic welding methods with basic tools and uses simple mounting bracket hardware on to the boot lid.”

“The wing performed well at The Bend as I’d hoped,” Luke explains of his recent outing to Australia’s longest racetrack. “It’s a solid build with minimal flex and mounts firmly to the bootlid.” As his track car isn’t a fully-instrumented race build, he’s honest but conservative on its benefits. “Whilst I don’t have aero data on the wing, compared to previous sessions it definitely gave confidence to my rear end and [I] now require more front end downforce to balance it,” he says. Initially, he’d contemplated skinning the 3D-printed parts in carbon fiber, but thus far, he hasn’t found any need—it’s held up fine on its own. He’s already got plans for a larger version in the works.

Under the name 3DRX, Luke is currently offering his wing design for purchase for eager owners in his local area. His current plan is to produce the 3D-printed parts and sell those, so the customer can assemble and fit the wing themselves with the aid of some off-the-shelf hardware like aluminum angle and fasteners. For other parts, he sells digital files for those that want to print their own parts at home.

You might think that this takes high-end gear, but that’s anything but the case. “I use entry-level hobbyist printers, which are widely available,” Luke explains. He’s currently making parts on printers from Creality’s Ender 3 series. You can buy them all over the world for just a few hundred bucks. Their print volume is limited, but that’s not a problem. The trick to producing bigger parts is to break them up into smaller components to be joined together later.

Luke’s got enough experience now that he knows what works in 3D printing and what doesn’t. He didn’t jump right into complex parts, though—first he learned how to properly use the tools. “I started simple, which enabled me to learn how to troubleshoot common printing issues and learn a lot about printing parameters and different materials,” he explains. He’s also found ways to level up his practice. He purchased a Revopoint 3D scanner, which allows him to accurately capture the complex geometry of the car and import it into his 3D modelling software. This helps him make parts that fit the car properly right off the bat.

Luke’s not stopping anytime soon, either. The way he spins it, building your own 3D-printed parts almost sounds addictive. “I’m planning a rear diffuser, side skirts, rear spats, a fastback roof, other bumpers, body panels and a widebody kit… just because I enjoy the process,” he chuckles.

Topping It Off

Luke’s just one of many Miata owners playing in this space. Back in May, I spoke to Brent Foster, an architecture student armed with a printer of his very own. He’d started out on building a wild widebody kit for his Miata, the more outrageous the better. He was making a damn fine go of it, too.

Brent’s build drew from the LTO kit for FD Mazda RX-7—the rotary legend being a common source of inspiration for members of the Miata community. He whipped up his own version in CAD software for his university thesis project, printed out the parts, and stuck it all together on his car. We haven’t seen it go through final paint or panel yet, but even just tacked on, you can see the promise.

Indeed, Miata heads seem to be very keen on the whole concept of 3D-printed bodywork. Again, price seems to be a primary driver in this area. For example, official Mazda hardtops for the Miata are always going up in price. What was a $1,000 part a decade ago might cost two to three times as much today. That has driven members of the community to produce their own designs for 3D-printed hardtops that are, ideally, cheaper and easier to lay one’s hands on.

As covered by The Drive, Xavier Lipscomb published one of the most popular 3D-printed hardtops on Etsy last year. It largely apes the shape of the original Mazda part. The entire hardtop frame could be printed in 44 pieces on a regular consumer-grade 3D printer. Indeed, the pieces of the design were sized specifically for that purpose. Xavier sold the design on Etsy so other owners could print their own at home. Finishing the hardtop involves assembling the parts, skinning with fiberglass or carbon fiber, and adding in fittings and a plastic window of some kind. It’s an involved project, but very possible for the eager home builder.

In Xavier’s design, the 3D-printed shell is used as a base on which to produce a fiberglass part. It’s a lot of work.

The cool thing about 3D printing, though, is that you’re not limited to copying the manufacturer’s original design. To that end, HutchinsRacing designed their own fastback-style hardtop for the Mazda Miata. It completely changes the character of the car in a way which particularly appeals to those that resent the roadster design and wish it was a coupe instead.

The fastback model can similarly be purchased on Etsy for those that want to print one at home. It comes with a YouTube guide that covers how to assemble and finish the top. Total cost is estimated at under $500, though one suspects that’s without paint and panel work to fully integrate it into the body.

For bigger or more structural components, it’s desirable to make them stronger by using them as a base to produce composite parts. It’s a lot more work, though.

Go Forth And Print

A lot of these projects are pretty involved, and can be daunting to a newcomer. However, few to none of these people started out printing giant bodykits and hardtop roofs for their car. Like most every 3D printing enthusiast, they started out small. They printed a few Pikachus, a few clamps, trim pieces, and adapters. These small projects are a great way to learn 3D modelling techniques and how to produce good parts that don’t turn to a gloopy mess on the printer.

Master these techniques, though, and the sky is the limit. You can 3D print small things, big things—just about anything you can imagine. If you’re creative, you can even 3D print stuff that gets hot, wet, or messy—you can use your 3D-printed design as a base for making carbon fiber parts, for example, or print forms for making metal parts, too. You don’t have to be a Miata owner, either. The church of 3D printing welcomes all comers. Good luck, and have fun out there.

Image credits: 3DRX/Luke Drx (supplied), Brent Foster (supplied), Xavier Lipscomb via Etsy, Xavier Lipscomb via YouTube screenshot