BrokeAssSeven wrote:
Spent the day while the wife was away! Disassembled the front sub assembly from the Miata... really really really wish I had diassembled the front and rear while they were on the car. Was just trying to get the car stripped to get rid of the shell. An hour spent would have been 5 hours saved. Loosening bolts that have been rusting for 17 years, on a movable assembly = NOT EASY. Thank god I have air tools, a 2' breaker bar, and contortionist legs. -- I have someone coming hopefully this week to take the subframes out of the yard.. I think he was offering some 100 each for them w/ upper and lower control arms. I took the rear uppers (well.. the outside mount from them), and he was fine with that. I think 200$ is a decent deal - no? I'm not sure what they go for in the aftermarket, so anything is better than them taking up space in the driveway.
I took pictures and measurements all over them, from side to side, front to back, mostly of the mounting points for the suspension (though, it likely won't matter in the end), but also to get total width, etc. I may not need it, ever, but I figured better safe than sorry.
Now, I think I knew the answer to this at some point, but I'm gonna throw it out there anyway. The rear track width is likely going to stay the same as the miata, otherwise I'd have to lengthen/shorten the axles, right? I didn't take actual width measurements to see if the stock width will fit, but I assume it will.
That being said... the front track width should match the rear track width (this isn't a drag frame), so, if the rear is staying stock, the front should be staying stock width.. which means, the stock steering rack would stay.. well, stock length. Yet, people are shortening them some 6". ... Why? -- Unless of course, the stock miata width far exceeds that of a book frame, and the axles get shortened 3" on each side, resulting in an overall 6" shortening up front?
I'm building +442, so I assume I'd be only shortening the rack.. 2" (or whatever the norm -4 is)?
Taking a month off from doing any research made me dumb. I feel like I knew more about this car before I ever started it than I do now.
Thanks in advance for any advice/answers you've got!
Just because the front track is stock doesn't mean the steering rack should stay stock. On a 442 the frame is much more narrow than a stock Miata, therefor the chassis mounting points are not stock. Your control arms will be much longer than a stock Miata.