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91 Monster Miata - 302 carb - t5or6
Starting this thread to keep track of my Monster Miata conversion. I have been wanting to do this for a while and made the leap today. First a look at the car.
91 Miata, white, bad engine, bad body, bad top. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps748b771c.jpg I bought the car because the guy that had it said it had a bad engine. I thought that would be perfect because I wouldn't be paying for anything that I didn't need. The body is rough. I don't think there is any panel on the car that isn't dented. But I got two good doors with the deal (not on the car). The car has a good transmission, clutch and rear end. Upgraded springs, strut tower brace and borla stainless race exhaust with header. I noticed later that the rotors are slotted and drilled. New stereo and speakers. Got it in the shop and looked it over really good. One thing I didn't notice before is that the passenger side rocker panel is dented. That is irritating because I'm pretty sure that is a structural piece (feedback and suggestions highly welcome). Looked at the engine and it had no oil in it! So I figured what the heck. I'll throw $30 at it. Went and got a filter, oil and oil stabilizer and did the oil and filter change. Started it up and once the oil pumped up (about 3 seconds), the knock went away. Yay! Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's fixed, I'm pretty sure the damage was done. But it sounds much better and the engine, tranny and rear end may bring a little of my money back when I take them out and sell them (recommendation on what $$ to ask for on these pieces would be helpful). My plan is to get the Monster Miata DIY kit and transplant the built 302 (approximately 320 hp) from my 68 Mustang into this car. Put a new Tremec 5 or 6 speed behind it and upgrade the rear end. Then get the Monster Miata body kit along with new, wider tires and wheels. Then upgrade the safety equipment (seats, belts and roll bar) and go have a blast at the track. I have a somewhat aggressive timeline for this build and hope to have it ready for the track in the next 3 months. I don't know if that is possible, but we'll see. I look forward to this build and getting to know a lot of you here. I will post up more pics this week. I will be keeping detailed records and notes on what has been done and what has been spent. I will post up as much as I can. If you would like to know anything that I haven't posted, just ask. |
Since the engine I'm putting in is coming out of my old 68 mustang, the transmission is the old 3 speed manual. I am actually really surprised it lasted the entire time I drove it. I really was hard on it and it never failed me. I guess those old trannys are pretty darn strong. But I'm not going to limit myself with it so I just picked up a T5 with bell housing with a Hurst short throw shifter (I didn't want to drop another 2-3k on a T56, especially when I found this deal on the local craigslist ... $250). Should be plenty strong for this engine .... for now. I am hoping that the Centerforce clutch that I already have will work in that setup, but I couldn't find anything that would tell me. I guess I'll just have to see after I pick up the trans.
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You may want to change the ratios in that T5 to those of a T5-Z.
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I am quite the novice at the trans thing. Are you talking about going from the 2.95 first gear to the 3.35?
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Actually, I may have gotten that backwards. But to clarify my situation, I purchased a "T5" that is out of a 79-93 5.0 Mustang. After doing some research on that line, all transmission codes listed for that year range and engine size have the 2.95 first gear ratio. According to other research, the ones with the 2.95 first gear are known as the T5-Z. So, I guess that is what I have. He just listed it as a T5. I was paying more attention to the fact that it had the proper input shaft and bellhousing. The hurst shifter and the gear ratio is a bonus!
If any of my rambling does not pan out, please point it out. In no way am I claiming that I know what I am doing. This is all research and can always be wrong. |
All of your T-5 stuff can be found here: Ford Mustang: Mustang Tech: Transmission and Drivetrain: Borg Warner T5 Transmission data
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Actually, I have spent days researching T5's and kept coming across that little piece of information. But it is incomplete and was driving me nuts. My transmission is a 1352-065 and is not on that chart. This chart on the other hand has a complete list of T5 numbers starting at 1 and was very helpful.
And no, it turns out my is not a T5z but it does have the 2.95 first gear. |
Well, a couple small updates. I ordered a set of AeroCatch flush locking hood latches yesterday. Have been trying to get in touch with Martin at Monster Miata since Monday and got a call back today. Talked to him for a bit but I guess he had better things to do because the conversation felt quite rushed. I will email him with my questions and hopefully should have the primary conversion kit on order next week. And the big news of the day is that my awesome T5 deal fell through. Drove 25 minutes out into BFE and the bastard wasn't their. He called me when I was all the way back to work. I told him to keep it, quit wasting my time. Went to SummitRacing and picked out a Hurst T5.
Hurst Driveline Conversions TCET-4615 - American Powertrain Tremec TKO 500 Manual Transmission Part Number: AWR-TCET4615 Can handle up to 500 ft/lbs. Should be good for a while and will bolt right up to my engine. Will order it the week after next unless I get a wild hair. |
Did you look at this:http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fms-m-7003-z I think you might find that it has a more "useable" 1st gear.
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More usable in what since? This car will spend most of it's time on the autocross track or road coarse. I honestly don't know what gear I will be in most of the time but I'm assuming second. I don't have any experience with this type of setup so any input is appreciated.
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Spent some time in the shop tonight and started to clear everything from the engine so in about a week my brother will be in town and we are going to remove the complete drivetrain from the car (engine, transmission and rear end).
I started by clearing the radiator and fans. Then began working my way around the engine labeling wires as I removed them. Also removed the headlight assemblies so I can get to the fasteners for the front facia. Here are some pictures of the progress. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psc57a425d.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps554794eb.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps22e4359c.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps1cfcf1fb.jpg And a quick question. What is this little thing that was tucked up under the hood latch? http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps7f14a7da.jpg And what is this vacuum driven device that pushes and pulls a cable that goes behind the gauge cluster? http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps18a05816.jpg Thanks for the feedback. I'm having a blast planning this out and finally getting to do the work. Once Martin (Monster Miata) gets back from vacation, I will have the kit on order. Should be about the time I get this car emptied out. |
Airbag crash sensor & cruise control servo.
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Ah, thanks for the info.
A nice little piece showed up today to add to the parts to be put on later. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps5cbd267d.jpg |
Another night in the shop. Today was productive, but irritating. I first removed the power steering pump and A/C compressor from the engine. Then I figured I would remove the front facia (bumper) to make it easier to get to the condenser. So I worked my way through that slow and painful process (bolts are hard to get to). Then I found this:
The front crossmember that is hidden between the bumper and the condensor is damaged like someone hit something at one point and just replaced the bumper to cover it up. This is a shot of it from the drivers side. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps2617c581.jpg Here is a shot straight down at the frame rail that would normally be under the light on the drivers side. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps408f7d7a.jpg This explains why the hood was not fitting right. I knew something was up but couldn't nail it down. Now I know. The part of the frame that the drive side light is mounted to is bent in toward the center of the car. So that was pushing the headlight into the hood. Also, the hood hinges looked tweaked. Most likely when the collision happened, it shoved the hood and bent the hinges. Well, now I know what is going on. So now I can fix it. The good thing is that it just looks like I'll need to replace that crossmember and straighten the tip of the drivers side frame rail. Nothing else looks out of wack (yet). Onward. So I moved to the trunk just to do something else. And.... Under the carpet .... What the heck is this crap? http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pseafad46b.jpg A black tar like substance that stinks like a paint can. Then under the battery where it appears is a nice little bracket that holds the battery I find the first rust I have come across on the car. The picture makes it look worse than it is. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps337a6133.jpg But the bolts were so corroded I wasn't able to get them out ... yet. I loaded them with penetrating oil and left them for next time. So I commenced to cleaning the black crap out of the trunk. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps2c5d9126.jpg I plan to put dynamat throughout the interior floor so I guess I'll throw some back here too. After inhaling the black sludge for a while, I figured I would start emptying the interior starting with the seats. Up to this point I have been rather amazed that I have done pretty much all of this work with just 10, 12 and 14mm sockets and wrenches (except the A/C lines) and everything has come off rather easily. The seats changed that. I fought with every bolt and won each battle until the 7th one (out of 8). It was stuck and I managed to round the head. So I drilled the head and was going to chisel it off. But when I started to chisel it, I discovered that the heat that drilling it added, it broke loose and I was able to get it out. But during this journey to the carpet of the car, I found another surprise. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps6ab31a1f.jpg This is the bottom of the drivers seat (sorry about the blurry picture). The whole bottom of the seat was rusted away. The entire seat tray was gone. And to my surprise, the seat cushion was wet on the bottom. Nice :sly: But I got them both out and here she is seatless. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps6289da3a.jpg And one last item. I see that this is a common issue but under the car on the drivers side, this is what the framerail (if that is what you'd call it) looks like. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse493a7bc.jpg I'll tell, tonight was like getting a decently wrapped present and unwrapping it to find a turd (I hate it when that happens). After these discoveries, I have come up with a couple questions for suggestions. I was thinking about replacing the seats anyway with some that would accept a harness, but was worrying about finding some that would fit. Suggestions? Also, I have seen where people are putting the frame stiffeners that basically bolt over the stamped rail on each side. Thoughts? Suggestions? On my way home I thought it would be a good idea to wrap up each entry with a summary of hours spent so far on this project. My Time: 8 hours Friends & Family: 0 hours Paid labor: $0 |
And one last item. I see that this is a common issue but under the car on the drivers side, this is what the framerail (if that is what you'd call it) looks like.
Technically, that's a floorpan stiffener. The frame rails are part of the rocker panels, the pinch welds that you see hanging down along the edge of the car are the edges of the unit construction "frame" rails. Those stiffeners take a lot of abuse. Speed bumps and off-road incidents can be hard on them; sometimes they get jacked upon, which is what looks like might have happened to yours. They can be straightened enough to cover up with reinforcements. V8 Roadsters sells some nice reinforcements, as does Flyin Miata, or if you're so inclined, a local sheet metal shop can bend some up for you. It's a relatively simple hat section. The reinforcements are a good idea not only because they look better than what you have and make the car stiffer, but they also provide a place to hang the transmission crossmember. Again, the crossmember is available from V8R and FM, or see some of the build threads here and on Miata.net for ideas as to how to make your own. Mike |
Please keep up the posts including the hours spent. I'm picking up my Miata this week with no engine/trans and plan on using Martins kit also. Was wondering if it"s possible to mini tub the rear to fit a slightly larger tire.
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cvx20: "Floorpan Stiffener". That's funny. Not that I doubt what you are saying, that's just a funny thing to call them. I appreciate the info.
caymantrackrat: Must be nice not having to remove the engine and trans. When you get started, do build thread so we can see. I will definitely keep mine up to date. It helps me keep track. |
EBay bastards. Even when you think through and decide what your maximum bid is and set it to that, it still bugs the crap out of me when people sit there and out bid you with 5 seconds left. I wouldn't have paid more anyway, but grrrrrr!
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A little more done tonight. I figured first I would remove the front fenders and the doors. This wasn't bad. It just took a bit. One of the bolts on the bottom rear of the passenger fender actually broke the head off. I will have to deal with that later. A couple of pictures:
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps16ff2e7b.jpg Oh, another rookie question. What are the two devices under each fender? You can see the cable running to the passenger side one in the picture above. They are labeled LH and RH. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psf78d42f9.jpg Then I figured I would remove some more of the interior. I'll tell ya what, this experience shows me why I never buy old used cars to just purchase and drive. This car is just plain nasty. I started to pull the carpet and on the drivers side under where the seat was, there were a ton of ants. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps64ec5e6e.jpg I took the carpet up, seen the ants, ran to get the camera phone, when I got back, half of them were gone and that is what you see in the pic, then I went to get something to kill them and when I got back (less than a minute) they were all gone ....WTF!! Hopefully the heavy cleaning that will occur after the engine is out will take care of them. This is the interior after most of the carpet is out. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps40bbc44f.jpg And you can see the dash is still in. My original plan was to leave it in. Mainly because I am planning on using the Miata harness. I should be able to get away with this because I am not using an engine with a computer. Mine is an older one with a carb. Very basic electronics. But after seeing that the carpet goes under the console part of the dash, I may have to take it at least part of the way out. Also, I haven't received the build manual from Martin yet, so there may be a reason in the mods that will force me to do it anyway. We'll see. Feedback and input welcome.... I then jumped to the trunk and was able to get the battery tray bolts out now that the penetrating oil had some time to work. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psdbb8dfe4.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps5bde2552.jpg I then jumped back in the inside and pulled the seat belts and other trim from the rear (behind the seats). Then I figured since I am going to be running the Monster Miata body kit and I am most likely going to run a shelby type gas cap, I went ahead and pulled the fuel door. I went ahead and removed the fuel door release mechanism. In the process of doing this I opened up the maintenance panels over the fuel tank to get to the cable. I'm glad I did. That area was as bad as the rest. There were nuts and crap in there like a squirrel or mouse had made a home at one point or another. You know, this car is nasty, but it is just going to make me that much more proud of the final product. And the good news of the day! A total of $7.63 found in the car so far! http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps3a87feba.jpg Add another 3 hours of my time for the day. My Time: 11 hours Friends & Family: 0 hours Paid labor: $0 |
(Oh, another rookie question. What are the two devices under each fender? You can see the cable running to the passenger side one in the picture above. They are labeled LH and RH.)
Those are the left & right crash sensors. The components associated with the AIR BAG system are molded in BLUE PLASTIC or are attached with a BLUE WIRE LOOM CONDUIT. The system requires that 2 of the 3 sensors engage before the air bag deploys. If you plan on retaining the air bag system, all of the stuff needs to remain intact. There is also a LARGE CAPACITOR for the system that is located under the dash. This can deploy the air bag even if the battery is disconnected. |
tbone, once again, thanks for the information. Even if the battery is disconnected ... how long will that hold a charge? and how sensitive is this air bag system. The only reason I ask these questions is that I do believe I am going to have to take heat and a sledge hammer to the driver side of the frame and I would hate to set this thing off. But now that I think about it a little more, I will most likely remove the sensor from that side and sit it on the floor since I will be applying heat.
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Just landed a hard top for the project. Yay!
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Cool!!
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I think I have decided to remove the soft top all together for now. The top is trashed. I think someone actually tried to paint it :/ I will keep it for later use and have new material added to it (the frame works well). But for now I think I'm going to stick with the hard top only.
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A short night in the shop. Still just preparing for the engine removal this weekend. So I figured I would get that smashed front core support out of the way (not sure if that is the proper name, but close enough). It is no wonder the hood and lights weren't fitting right. The core support was twisted and the beam that goes behind the bumper is just fubared. So since I am not the type of person that just covers up a problem and hopes nobody ever sees it, I regrettably removed all the messed up pieces so I could get to the frame to fix it.
Here you can see that I had already hacked the core support rail out and started to peel the bottom piece away one weld at a time. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps329047cb.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psf2d20553.jpg And here it is all gone. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psd0a16bab.jpg Here is where someone went weld crazy just trying to make all this crap stick together. This is the passenger side. The drivers side is not as bad. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psf9d43d37.jpg Here you can see the frame rail on the drivers side. The good thing is that it is in front of anything structural. I looked at the frame behind this point and can't find any sign of damage or anything out of alignment. So it appears to be just the tip of the frame rail that supports the body work. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps4dbe3c10.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psdcba3601.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pscaa6abb4.jpg I thought long and hard about what to do about this. I have decided to remove everything that is in the way (which I have) and then slice the frame rail open to allow me to straighten it out. Then once they are straight, weld them back together. The only thing I have to figure out now is where to get a replacement front (core support and bumper thingy). My only thought is to go to the junk yard with a sawzall. Any thoughts or anyone have one laying around? lol, yeah right. Oh, I also removed the rest of the seatbelt items from the interior and in the process found another 50 cents and a putt putt token. Add another 2.5 hours of my time for the day. My Time: 13.5 hours Friends & Family: 0 hours Paid labor: $0 |
After seeing the photos of your front end I made sure to check my Miata purchase when I picked it up! All was good, so I now own an engine/trans less Miata.
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Yesterday at the shop. My brother is in town and finally had a second set of hands to help me to some serious work.
We got right to it and pulled the remaining items from the engine in the Miata (fuel lines, clutch cable, starter wire, heater hose...). Then hooked up the engine hoist. The big bracket that connects the front to the back (transmission to rear end) was the hardest to get loose. Those bolts were seriously torqued. But it all came free somewhat easily. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps4e1bd835.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse7b5f8f4.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps36c96e78.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psb988eef6.jpg Then we rolled it outside and took a bunch of purple power and pressure washing to it. THANK GOD! I am so happy to get this thing somewhat clean. This is the point I realized that I am going to have to remove everything from the engine compartment at some point so I can paint it. A white engine compartment would look kind of odd on a green car. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps3e8d95f4.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps07b7d53c.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps92aae39a.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps32925a8e.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psf4bc5282.jpg I soaked up all the puddles in the floor boards and we left it in the sun to dry while we went to work on the donor motor. We picked a hot day (low 90's) for a this reason. Time to attack the Mustang. This was a pretty easy job but it took a little more than I though it would. Nothing bad though. It cooperated and gave me the engine. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psd9f7e3b9.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps43e94d59.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps8c00a9d5.jpg And here it is ready to go on the engine stand. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps2da6fea8.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse25ad608.jpg We got it mounted to the engine stand and put it in the main shop area. Then rolled the Miata back in the shop now that it is nice and dry. That is 6 more hours for me and 6 for my brother. My Time: 19.5 hours Friends & Family: 6 hours Paid labor: $0 |
Just ordered the Monster Miata conversion kit from Martin. Plan to have the K-member pulled and shipped this week. This weekend at the latest.
I have one small problem that I need to figure out. The V8 that you see above was originally out of a 1979 Ford Econoline Van. When it was in the van (at least this is what research has told me), the oil pan was a different shape and it had the dipstick going into the side of the oil pan. When it was put into he 69 Cougar that I used to have, the pan was changed and the timing chain cover was replaced to accept the dipstick up front. Now I have an issue. I am planning on using a March Performance serpentine setup that has a low profile timing chain cover and water pump (which will help with radiator clearance). But this kit requires a side mounted dipstick. Which my engine does not have provisions for. The later 5.0 mustang engines have the side mount hole, but mine doesn't. Any ideas? I need to get this figured out so I can get the proper pan to Martin for modification. |
You will need to send him an oil pan for a "Fox-bodied" Ford. Since it is a rear sump design, a timing cover located dipstick won't work. Since the block does not have a hole in the side to mount the dipstick, you can't put it there. You could transfer the dipstick mount from the Econoline pan to the modified "Martin" pan, which should be a simple task, or see what Locar has to offer as far as universal dipsticks.
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Been working with Martin on this and I ended up finding a Lokar dipstick that has a weld in bung that the dipstick threads into. I have ordered that and I'm going to send it to Martin to weld into the new rear sump pan along with the normal modifications he already does to it.
I also ordered the T5 transmission and rear sump pickup today. |
I don't know how they do it, but my Transmission showed up this morning. I just ordered it yesterday afternoon. Summit Racing is awesome.
Here is a list of the part numbers for anyone interested. OIL PUMP PICKUP: SLP-224-14118 Dipstick and bung kit: MIL-22080 American Powertrain Tremec T-5: AWR-TRFO-30001 My hardtop also showed up in the same FEDEX truck as the transmission. Happy day!! The next workday is going to be Friday night and then Saturday. My plan is to complete the tear down and have it down to just the main unibody so I can get it ready for the body shop. Hopefully be ordering the Monster Miata body kit next week. I'm going to work on prepping the engine and tracking down parts while all of this is going on. Hopefully the body shop won't take long. |
Boy, you are rockin and rollin! You may have this car on the road before winter. Me, I'm trying to decide which way I'm going Ford or Chevy.
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That's the plan. I'm wanting it to be ready and tested before the 2014 SCCA season. But we'll see.
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Today it was time to get the k-member and rear hubs pulled and cleaned so I can ship them to Martin.
First I got the front of the car up on jackstands so I could drop the front out. It went pretty smooth. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse38b6e7f.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps09c3bc17.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps57cf16ef.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps32265596.jpg As you can see above, I just disconnected it from the frame and rolled it out on the floor jack. Then I separated everything from the k-member and this is the remains. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps6ec6b3ed.jpg I took the stripped unit outside to be degreased and pressure washed. I had to hurry because a storm was rolling in. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psaa8289ce.jpg Here she is all cleaned (I hope it is clean enough) and strapped down for the trip to fedex tomorrow. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps51661aa2.jpg Then I jacked the back end up and removed the rear spindles. Then popped the hubs out. Wrapped them up so they are ready to be boxed up. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps8897531d.jpg Here is what is left after I removed the hubs. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps3db33a38.jpg After I get these items shipped out, I will spend a couple nights this week getting the rest of the remaining items stripped off the unibody. Then all I need to do is fix the front end (hopefully locate a replacement piece this week) and get it to the body shop to have the body kit put on. But at this time I am waiting on the manual from Martin to begin any mods outlined. Another 4.5 Hours of my time. My Time: 24 hours Friends & Family: 6 hours Paid labor: $0 |
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No pictures from last night. Well, none for here at least. I began by taking a bunch of pictures of the engine bay the way it is so I can remember how everything was mounted and routed. Then I started to pull everything off. Got to the brake booster and realized I needed to get the dash out. So I started working on that. Would have been a lot easier if I just looked up how to do it to begin with. There are only 9 bolts holding the dash in place. I found 8 pretty easy and had to look up the instructions to find the one in the center at the windshield. So, got the dash out and then paused for the night for two reasons. 1. It was time to go meet my girlfriend. 2. Honestly I was a little overwhelmed when I got the dash out and saw everything under there. I am going to continue to take everything off the car and get the bare shell to the the body shop. (I say that out loud to reinforce my decision to myself) I can't wait until the body is done, painted, and it is time to start putting this back together. Because of my inability to know when to stop, there is no way this is going to be done in three months. I'm shooting for the end of the year. I can't help that I am a perfectionist. I hope the final product shows how much I am putting into it.
Ordered a couple more parts the other day. Turn Signal Intakes, tow hooks and a black power coated billet fuel lid/door from Moss Motors. I know I don't need these things yet, but just adding to the pile. I really want to have the car stripped of all items and the body kit on the way by next weekend. Hopefully have the car to the body shop by the following weekend, depending on how long it takes for the body kit to arrive. I haven't gotten anything from Monster Miata yet. I haven't even been able to get Martin to respond to my email request for an update. I'm sure he's just busy, but that isn't helping my schedule any. Add another 3 hours of my time. My Time: 27 hours Friends & Family: 6 hours Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata) |
Yet another day in the shop yesterday. I feel really good after getting this piece done. I removed all wiring from the car. The only piece left is under the car running along the drivetrain support (the power lead from the battery). That will come off when I get under there to drop the rear. But for now, the only items left on the car are:
- Fuel Lines - Brake line running to the back - Rear subframe - Back 2/3's of the exhaust - Fuel tank - Some trim and rubber around the windshield - Soft top That's it. I should be able to get the rest of this off this week and be ready to begin the modifications next weekend or the following week. Hopefully I'll have the manual from Martin by then. I got him on the phone yesterday. He says there is a box on the way. Here are some pics of the, um, car, as it sits. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse6a4d3cd.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps0fd5d349.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps65eeb54e.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps46118129.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psa7773c9a.jpg Here is a pic of the damage to the rear corner. I'm trying to get ahold of a replacement panel for this rear quarter that I can just hand the body shop. But having a hard time locating one that is close enough to pick up or that will ship. If anyone knows of one, let me know. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psda6bb773.jpg Also, after finding some more damage to the drivers side of the front framerail and fender as I dug deeper, I decided to go ahead and get the entire front clip (Front Core Support) for the car to take care of the damage. Not sure how much of this clip I'm going to use, but this one is on it's way. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps4a6ad7b8.jpg Add another 5 hours of my time to the clock. My Time: 32 hours Friends & Family: 6 hours Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata) |
You are moving along at lightening speed! Looks good with your tear-down. I look forward to watching and seeing how you decide to proceed with the front clip repair. Getting that whole red one will give you a lot of options! Keep it up like this and you'll be ahead of me in about 3 weeks. :)
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Originally Posted by ToySnakePMC
(Post 6188)
You are moving along at lightening speed! Looks good with your tear-down. I look forward to watching and seeing how you decide to proceed with the front clip repair. Getting that whole red one will give you a lot of options! Keep it up like this and you'll be ahead of me in about 3 weeks. :)
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A couple of the items from MossMiata.com came in today.
The TSI's. I'm really impressed with how substantial these are. I wasn't expecting them to be so thick and strong. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps98fb7ebe.jpg And the tow hooks. Nice silver powdercoat. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psaf9823f7.jpg Still waiting on the fuel door, but that was being sent from another warehouse. Should be back in the shop tomorrow night. |
The front end arrived today. It was shipped via Greyhound Express. I have never had anything shipped like that and I was skeptical. But I am impressed. It arrived in just a couple days and it was nicely padded and wrapped. I'll post up a pic once it stops raining so hard. You have to pick it up at the closest Greyhound terminal but that is no big deal for me because it is right downtown (about a mile). It was only like $60 to ship that big heavy part, not bad.
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Well, the fuel door arrived today. Disappointing. The powder coat is very uneven and it is scratched. By looking at the scratch, it just looks like they took the chrome version and threw powder coating over it. Terrible. That finish will never last. The first time a gas pump nozzle hits it, chip. So, back it goes. Anyone have any suggestions for a better vendor for a gas door, I'm looking (black, not chrome).
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps21253699.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps7d31fffb.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps0f463f96.jpg |
Going to be in the shop tonight and tomorrow night but I will be spending most of my time cleaning the shop. I barely have enough room to move around. Going to work my way through the piles and take pictures so I can get this stuff sold and get it out of the way. After pictures are taken, move the pieces over to the storage area. Once I get the shop clean, I will begin splicing that front end on while I wait for my monster kit to arrive. I got the manual yesterday. I'm really hoping to have the shell and body kit to the body shop in the next 2-3 weeks. While it is out, I will be cleaning, painting and prepping the engine.
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Got the shop mostly cleaned last night and laid out the front clip to be spliced on. Trying to figure the best spot to do the splice. I have a few ideas.
Just talked to Martin and my k-member should be here on Friday. The rest of the kit is leaving Cali today. Except my oil pan. He is doing a little custom work on it. Adding a dipstick bung to the side of the pan. It should be on it's way next week. That should give me enough time to work on the frame and the doors a bit before it all gets here. Another development. As you can see in the pictures I posted of the front clip I ordered, it had tow hooks on it. I thought that was cool and I may use them. Well, I finally unwrapped the delivery last night to stage it to be installed and ..... no tow hooks :sly: So I emailed the guy and he blamed one of his workers and is shipping them to me. Don't even know if I will use them, but that is a little crappy. |
I have been held up waiting on parts. I have gotten the first box of items from Martin but still waiting on the majority of the kit.
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Back from vacation and it looks like the final items are here from Martin (at least I hope so, haven't opened the boxes yet). Need to do an inventory, catch up on some sleep and I'll be back at it later this week.
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Popped the boxes open and there are still a few things missing (backordered), but I have enough to get started.
He did an amazing job integrating the side mounted dip stick into the oil pan. I needed to move the dip stick to the pan because of the pulley setup I'm going to run. We worked together to come up with a solution and he made it happen. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps6aaff6f6.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psd5f7c681.jpg The diff, axles and hubs also showed up while I was out. Here is the diff. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps8914a841.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps1b22c6c8.jpg |
Took a break working on the car while waiting on parts and also spent some time cleaning the shop. Spent an hour or so last night trying to come up with a plan on where to cut the front end to splice in the replacement clip. I have decided to go an get a construction laser and use it to mark and make my cuts. With that, I will be able to more accurately make straight cuts on the uneven surfaces. I will do that on Sunday. After racking my brain with that for a while, I worked on fixing the huge dent in the passenger side rocker panel. It was so bad, I figured the best way to fix it would be to cut the damaged piece out, pound it back into shape and weld it back in. Here are a couple pics of the section cut out.
http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps03bdcb8d.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps5a69ae4e.jpg Add another 2.5 hours of my time to the clock. My Time: 34.5 hours Friends & Family: 6 hours Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata) |
It was great to be back in the shop today. I have kind of gotten off track because of the difficulty getting my parts from Monster Miata. I finally got the last box earlier this week. So the first thing I needed to do today was to go through all the parts and do an inventory to make sure I truly had everything.
Everything is there and the inventory checklist is complete. With one odd exception. The filler neck for the radiator. Anything look a little strange to you? http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...pse9a051dd.jpg I'm pretty sure there should be a hole there. I sent Martin an email about it. Haven't heard back. So it's time to get the front clip all taken care of. I have spent a lot of time trying to come up with a good plan to get this right. So here is the steps I took tonight. First I bolted up the K Member. I am only planning on cutting behind one of the shock towers (the driver side). So with the K Member bolted up and the front end leveled before any marks or cuts are made should give me a good baseline. Then after I cut the pieces, I can use the K Member to hold that side in place and level while welding. Here is the modified K Member bolted in place. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psa8e9c8e7.jpg Here is the $15 laser I picked up from Home Depot. I set it up on the passenger side to shoot across the car. Got it all level and parallel. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps615008f9.jpg I then located a couple points on the driver side inner fender that I could use as reference points on both front clips. Marked those points with a marker and a punch (on both front clips), then shot the laser down the panel so I could mark a straight line to cut on. Here is the laser marking the line. http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...ps08489211.jpg http://www.wolfgt.com/images/photobu...psac33cc20.jpg I found at this point that etching the line down the panel just wasn't accurate enough and I didn't have a good sharpie. So I called it a day. I will return tomorrow to make this happen. I hope to have it all cut and tacked in place before I leave tomorrow. Add another 5 hours of my time to the clock. My Time: 39.5 hours Friends & Family: 6 hours Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata) |
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