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Oh yeah - and the Donor has changed!

It was a bit of an impulse decision. I listed my spare parts for sale that i wasn't going to need, and ended up trading for a 1993 + $850. Thinking about it now i sold myself short. I lost the 1.8, the LSD, and the car was worth more in parts as this one has small front end damage as well as a bad top. Oh well, it's done now!



On a bright note - the 1.6 is still plenty for the weight of the car, and i'm only out $350 before i've even sold any of the extra parts. The plan was to break even, so i've got to be happy where i'm sitting. I'm going to run it for a couple of weeks to iron out the bugs and get it running good and then it's to the chop shop

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

Life has been slowing things down here of late - feels like I've been so busy - yet it seems like little has actually been accomplished.

I got the new Donor all tuned up and running good. Decided to get it pulled apart and sold off. I thought everything would sell quickly, but it wasn't the case & I still have some parts to get rid of.

The donor tear-down took 2 days. It all went really well & it was straightforward. I pulled the engine & gearbox together through the top. If i had to do it again, i would definitely just cut the front panel off & pull it straight back.



Sub-frame & gearbox brace was a breeze.



This gave me a great idea for a "next time" What about lifting the body off BOTH sub-frames and breaking it down like that with plenty of room A quick Google search revealed that this was a well known way of doing it that has been done countless times before

I assumed that there would be a good chance that i would be able to sell the shell - but after a couple of "almost's" it never happened. Not being one to horde stuff I called around to get it picked up for scrap. I'm not sure how everything is going to go as far as registering the car, so i took the VIN plate off the dash & cut out the shell stamp to keep with my title - The problem with that was that all the scrap companies wanted the title to take it away. Speaking to a helpful guy at the metal yard - he advised me to cut it into 1/4's and there would be no questions - so out came the demo blade on the sawzall and 30 mins later had it loaded into the back of the truck. Scrap value.......$46 - so 2 cases of Stella and lunch on the road all paid for

The garage workbenches and build table ended up just covered with parts & bolt's etc - It looked like Al-Qaeda's training ground



I also spotted a nice wet saw listed for sale and snapped it up! Had to make a 160 mile round trip to Baltimore to get it - but well worth it. I started having a bit of trouble with the HF one's guide bearings so i planned to exchange it under warranty. When all was said & done it cost me an extra $20 on top of the price of the HF saw to step up to a Jet wet model - not bad considering this is a $1000 saw!



Funny thing is - you would swear the same Chinese children are making these saws! The Jet has some nicer finishing touches, but the gist of the whole thing is virtually identical.

Back to the car - I think I'm going to have fun with this little number, all 30lbs of it




I want to retain as much of the Miata harness as possible - just shortened & containing relevant circuits - that way I have all the plug's/relay's & a factory schematic can be used for troubleshooting down the line.

I don't know who the biggest clown is - the person who designed it - or the one that goes out & buys it Transferring the engine to the stand was not as straightforward as i thought..........



Oh well - I'm going to hook up some ceiling joists so that i can hang a block & tackle - should make it simple then. I decided to have a quick look at the engine so that i could get the required parts on order. Pulling the cam cover showed no signs of sludge - Happy days!



It definitely needs a belt/pump kit. I saw the new stat housing & hoped that everything had been done - but no such luck - You've also got to love the exquisite technique the person used to install it



I decided to make a start on the rear section of the frame. I have decided against the complete sub-frame approach - it's big & heavy, as well as quite rusted. Even if it was in good condition i wouldn't use it - I just don't think it would look good.

Starting with the Y,V,RU sections I set up part of the build table to use as a Jig & tacked it together (apart from the round bar which i had forgotten to purchase - I'll get some over the weekend & order some pipe benders)



Wooden blocks & shims put it into position for tacking



Until..........I do some final measurements - With the tubes @ 10 deg I'm sitting 5mm to high at the back. RU1 & 2 are Exactly 660mm long to the rear of V as shown in the plans.



At this point i had things to do and just called it a day - but only after the kids went for a drive - you'll notice i made sure they were protected before they set off - as there is no windshield yet an all

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

You're doing great. Looks like your family is on board with the project too!

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Looks good so far! Don't know what your plans are, assuming IRS, but the way your building the rear, with the back end angled up is typical of a solid axle design.

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Trochu Motor League

I'm curious about that as well. I prefer a live axle setup myself, but don't think it'll work well with the rest of the Miata gear.

Correct. It was past 1am when i wrote all that out - just forgot to add that detail. I have been getting numerous requests from people wanting the rear end assembly from the donor - and at the same time had a customer offer me a complete D35 for free. Sure, it's not light, but it should be fairly straightforward & look at lot more pleasing to the eye than the subframe route. It seemed trying to get hold of a rust free rear subframe was going to be costly & i also needed new front & rear hubs/uprights as they were also badly corroded. I added that to the fact i can get decent money for the Miata diff & axles it seemed to make most sense.

Now weather that remains the case is yet to be seen!



Why? What have i overlooked with my decision?

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

Anything can be made to work with anything. It just might take a little more effort is all, mostly with compatability issues. What's the bolt pattern on that axle?

It's 5x114. With me also needing to find front hubs it will work out well as mustang ones are ten-a-penny with the same layout.

I also have the prop flange for it, and would have had to have the original propshaft changed regardless

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

Now i'm second guessing weather this is the right path

I did consider - but very very briefly - if i should just fab the IRS myself. If I'm honest it was a bit daunting. Like i said at the beginning, this is not going to be a build that is done over a few years - I need my garage in the summer time. We are moving again in less than 18 months to somewhere more permanent, fingers crossed. There I will probably do another one that i can go off track with and really take my time. This one is just a fun thing to do with the kids that i would like to keep as easy as possible to avoid it becoming a rush job. The SRA seemed to be the ticket.............

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

If you want to have fun with the kids for years to come then dont try lifting engines from the garage rafters. Get yourself a cherry picker and live to build another day. Please!

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The biggest thing in motocross.

What are you talking about?

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

Oh well - I'm going to hook up some ceiling joists so that i can hang a block & tackle - should make it simple then. I decided to have a quick look at the engine so that i could get the required parts on order. Pulling the cam cover showed no signs of sludge - Happy days!



I believe these are your words?

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The biggest thing in motocross.

Yes - but not to lift a drivetrain out! - It is to pull the motor that is suspended by the cherry picker that i do have, over to the side just a few inches so that the engine stand will line up and not collide with the legs. This was the issue i was referencing. I have not or would not suspend anything of any mass weight from a ceiling joist. I also never stated that i would.

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

As to be expected during this time of year with the run up to the holidays i have not managed to get anywhere near as much done as i would have liked to. I really want to get the frame completed & fully welded so i can paint it in a protective primer over the winter. The steel is already starting to look a bit shabby.

The first thing that held me up since last posting is the rear end debacle. I went to get the D35 to find the input bearing collapsed & the gear-set well and truly shafted. Fixable - yes, but gear-sets are a fair chunk of cash + i do not have the tooling to install one properly. Back to the drawing board

I needed to make a decision if i wanted this frame done - so after a bit of searching & wanted ad's, i ended up with a bare Miata subframe in much better shape than my donor's. Fortunately I had not sold the original rear end parts yet just in case. I still need to buy new uprights, or find some clean used ones - as well as the differential mount caps, but i can at least get going figuring the frame mounting out.

Starting the process:



Measure once, then twice - then just go nuts - who thinks all these levels were bang on??????



I decided using 1"X1" would not be ideal once it's drilled for a M12 mounting bolt, so i picked up 1" X 2" C channel and used that for the mounting section.



Removable lower rails



Basic outline welded in place



Rather than finish the rear end i wanted to get the engine & gearbox secured properly. I aimed for the motor to sit 1.25" below the rails. I sat the motor up on some 1" box steel and then started the process. I figured in that once the mounts were compressed it would be where i wanted it.

I had a section of 3/16 tread plate so i used it.



Once everything was lined up I tacked some suports together and them finished them on the bench.



Tacked in place:





Once they were in I lifted the frame onto 1.5" supports. Engine sat dead level & had about 1/4" clearance under the sump.

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”

Next up was the tunnel & drive-line mounts. I was toying with various options using the original PPF





While i found that i could make use of the rear section i cut off, the front was just a bit too awkward so I used 2" X 2" 1/8" angle and made my own. I wanted something that would not be in the way if the box ever had to come out. The mount was made with 1/2" nuts welded to the rear side. Bolts will go through 2"x1" C channel from the passenger footwell.





For the rear I used the PFF section and them made a bracket for the frame that secures it - with the removable rails & this mount i should be able to drop the subframe in no time at all if needed.





I'm debating making the diff mount from the 1/8" angle as well - but that is not a big job to change at a later date if i decide it's not working out to well.

That's about it for now. I will be yanking the running gear and tacking in all of the cross-bracing. From there i'll slowly fully weld the frame before starting on the front suspension. My thinking is to get any distortion problems accounted for before i start the front end, that way i'm working with a solid frame that will not change my suspension measurements vs. if i wait until afterwards to fully weld it. Maybe i'm over thinking that one.....

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My Build Log : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14019&start=15

Cost so far : - $1371.12

“I hate being Bi-polar - It's Awesome!”