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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: February 14, 2016, 11:28 am 
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I like your build and am following it. I use cardboard to mock up as well! Looking good.


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PostPosted: February 15, 2016, 3:32 am 
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Location: British Columbia, Canada
JackMcCornack wrote:
I like how you frenched the door handles. Very smooth.

mainlandboy, I PMed and emailed you a couple questions, but other folks here who are considering using Miata rear subframes may be curious too, so here they are again:

There are two rows of three bolts holding the Miata rear subframe to the chassis. How far apart are those rows (the right row and the left row) from each other? Also, how far are the forward holes of those rows forward from the axle? And how far are the front hole from the back holes? And while we're at it, how high is the top of the subframe (where it bolts to your chassis) from the bottom of your chassis?

I'm not home right now or I'd measure one myself.

I'm loving your build. Your willingness to start afresh on the chassis was brilliant.

Regards, Jack


Hi Jack, thanks for the compliments.

Of the 6 mounting holes that are on the Miata rear subframe, I only used the front holes and the back holes to bolt it to my frame. I didn't bother using the middle holes on the Miata rear subframe. The left to right distance between the front holes is 31.5". Same with the rear holes. Although I didn't use them, it appears that the left to right distance between the middle holes is 31.1". For reference, these measurements are shown at the bottom of this page:

http://www.miata.net/garage/alignment/

I'd have to double check the measurement for how far the forward holes are forward from the axle. The front holes are 14.75" forward from the back holes.

The distance from the bottom face of the chassis frame rails to the bottom face of the kicked up rear rail that the Miata rear subframe mounts against is 11.5". My planned ground clearance to the bottom of the frame rails will be 5" so this puts the top of the Miata rear subframe at 16.5" above the ground.

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PostPosted: February 15, 2016, 3:40 am 
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Location: British Columbia, Canada
By the way, thanks for everyone's comments! I have to admit that after taking a few months break from it over the cold winter, I was finding it very tough to get motivated to get back at it after losing the momentum. It doesn't help that I have to drive 15 minutes to the shop to go work on it, as my garage at home is too small.

Reading your comments/encouragements has definitely helped to light the fire again! Now that the weather is warmer (albeit, still quite wet), I'm going to make more of an effort to work on it regularly.

Mark

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PostPosted: February 15, 2016, 12:19 pm 
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Thank you for the measurements, mainlandboy, that was just what I needed.
mainlandboy wrote:
I'd have to double check the measurement for how far the forward holes are forward from the axle.
A single check will be close enough for me. I'm out of town but my brain remains in Locost-land. It's horrible to lose sleep 'cause one can't recall the dimensions of a Miata rear subframe, but I'm at the sketches-on-cocktail-napkins stage of development and won't hold you responsible if my drawings come out crooked.

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PostPosted: February 15, 2016, 3:41 pm 
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This build reminds me of an Austin Bantam station wagon.
There was also a 4 seat Speedster.


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PostPosted: February 15, 2016, 10:01 pm 
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Fantastic build. I keep being amazed by the quality and thinking all along the thread.

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PostPosted: November 10, 2016, 10:16 pm 
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Omterry wrote:
Fantastic build. I keep being amazed by the quality and thinking all along the thread.


Thanks Omterry!

Sorry for the long hiatus. I haven't been able to put as many hours into the car this past year as last year, but progress is being made. I was able to put a good few hours into it today. Here is a picture of how it currently looks.


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Last edited by mainlandboy on January 26, 2020, 4:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: January 23, 2017, 1:10 am 
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Time for an update. I've started working on the doors now. I looked for a while for hinges to use, and was surprised at how expensive they can be. Because cost is a big factor, I ended up grabbing these gate post hinges from Home Depot, which were less than $5 each. What I like about them is that they have non-removable pins (for better security) and the pins and leafs have no slop in them. In order to make them look less like the gate post hinges that they are, I made some 1/8" thick plates to cover the pre-drilled holes in the long leaf of the hinge. I will then drill two new holes through the cover plates and the hinges, to attach the hinges to the doors using two hex socket button head bolts per hinge.

The short leaf will bolt to the inside of the front door jamb and the long leaf will bolt to the outside of the door, similar to the door hinges on Jeep Wranglers. Here are some shots of them mocked in place.


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Last edited by mainlandboy on January 26, 2020, 4:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: February 24, 2017, 3:01 pm 
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A bit of progress to report. I got the door frames welded up and hinged. Next step is to install the latches to the door frames and striker pins to the door jambs.


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Last edited by mainlandboy on January 30, 2020, 10:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: March 27, 2017, 3:45 pm 
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A small update. Becasue a grille insert for a 1932 Ford grille shell is more than I wanted to pay, I decided to have a go at a cheaper solution. I started by buying this grate off Craigslist for $10. After some cutting and bending, I ended up with this. I still need to clean off all the surface rust and paint it, but I'm happy enough with the result.


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Last edited by mainlandboy on January 26, 2020, 4:36 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: March 28, 2017, 9:05 am 
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That grill came out really good. :cheers: :cheers:
Dave W


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PostPosted: March 28, 2017, 10:10 pm 
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Thanks Dave! I wasn't willing to shell out $250 for an actual one from Speedway Motors.

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PostPosted: July 31, 2017, 4:35 pm 
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Here is a picture of some work I got done on the back panels:


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Last edited by mainlandboy on January 26, 2020, 3:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: January 23, 2018, 7:38 pm 
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Got some work done on the dashboard. First I made a frame to bolt to the inside of the car. Then I made tabs to bolt the Miata instrument cluster to the dashboard frame. Since I am not using retractable headlights, I removed the headlight retractor button from the Miata switch before mounting the hazard switch to the dashboard frame. I then made a hardboard panel for the dashboard, which will eventually be covered in black vinyl. Here are the pictures:


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Last edited by mainlandboy on January 26, 2020, 3:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: January 24, 2018, 8:52 am 
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mainlandboy wrote:
Thanks Dave! I wasn't willing to shell out $250 for an actual one from Speedway Motors.



My wife's uncle is an old time hot rodder (his 32 HiBoy was bought by the Henry Ford Museum) and he too couldn't afford 7.00 back in 1949 for a 32 grill so he made a set of dies that stamp out one vertical panel at a time. Pretty dang cool.

Tom

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