charchri4

LOL I waited till the seat was back in but I bet a lot of guys have done that! Best feeling in the world prior to the first start!


I had to laugh at myself because it never dawned on me to just bend the front diff mount like that. Gabriel in Canada did the same thing I did adding little blocks to weld it in. So take one well duh out of petty cash for a job well done!!

Epic build Greg I'm really enjoying this thread!

MLKNR

Just seen the pictures of how the body kit was shipped. Was concerned at first being open boxed but after thinking about it, good way to show what's there and easy to see if there was any damage

WolfGT

Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will get to actually begin work on that kit. Looking forward to it.

WolfGT

Still at the shop, but had to post this. So exciting.







Woot woot!

Meierznutz

Nice curves!

WolfGT

A relatively short night at the shop. As you see above, I broke out some of the body kit. I pulled them out because I needed to mock up the rear flare so I could see what was going to be covered by the flare. Then once I new what was going to be covered, I could begin work on the passenger rear corner repair. I started by figuring out how much to cut out. I chipped away at the paint to find where the bondo ended. Then made a straight line from the trunk rail down the side of the fender. Then worked my way around the corner to get rid of as much of the damage as possible.

You can see here the cut down the side.



And since the inner lip of the trunk was straight, I decided to leave it. Here you can see that cut.



Worked my way around and pulled the piece off.



I then worked my way around the lower lip and removed the extra metal.



Then I chipped all the loose rust away and treated the battery tray area with some rust remedy.



I needed to let the rust stuff cure and it seems I left my body hammers and stuff at the house, so I moved on to something else. I took the rear subframe outside and scrubbed it down. It was nasty. I was then going to mill the bushings down for the diff mount but can't find them. They must be at the house too. So I called it a night.

Add another 2 hours of my time to the clock.

My Time: 103.5 hours
Friends & Family: 6 hours
Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata)

WolfGT

I went to the shop early today to get in a decent amount of time. But I don't feel like I accomplished a lot.

I wanted to machine down the bushings for the diff hanger. I did some research and figured out what I needed to do, but like most of us I don't have a lathe. I also don't have a drill in the shop at the moment because my tools are all over because of the remodel I have been working on. So this is what I did.

I first needed to mark the bushing so I knew the diameter to machine it down to. So I rigged up this to hold the bushings together to mark the diameter.



With a nut and washer on that rod I was able to mark the diameter. I then took one of the grinding stones off of my bench grinder and mounted the bushing in its place. Making sure it was centered as good as possible and the nut snugged up real tight.





I used a small hack saw to make the hip cut and then used a file to machine it down to the correct diameter. Here are the tools.



And the finished product.



I test fitted each of the machined bushings and they fit really nice. I'm happy with that job.

I went ahead and primed the rear sub frame. Then I proceeded to cut the rear corner replacement panel to fit. I just did a rough cut so it was a more manageable size. Here it is after the first cut.



I worked on it for a bit but found that I needed a drill to remove the spot welds. I didn't have one so I put that aside. I then cleaned the shop because it was getting out of hand.

I need to do something with the dirty mess of bolts, nuts and screws that I have before the main assembly starts. So I took some and put them in the media blasting cabinet. Below is what they look like after some cleaning. They look a lot better but I have a couple questions. I am using aluminum oxide in my cabinet.

1. I notice that everything comes out the same color (like aluminum). Even if a bolt went in gold colored, it comes out dull aluminum. Is the blasting removing a protective coating or is the oxide just adding another coating?

2. I was planing on painting the bolt heads, is this necessary to prevent rust?

3. Should I be doing this at all or just run them through a cleaner?



Add another 5 hours of my time to the clock.

My Time: 108.5 hours
Friends & Family: 6 hours
Paid labor: $0 (this number does not include the mods made by Monster Miata)

Nowak1981

Lookin good!

Most of the bolts on these cars are zinc plated. Zinc plating can be gold, black or silver. This process uses electroplating to coat the bolts in a protective layer that protects the metal underneath by sacrificing itself before rust can form.

When your blasting them in your cabinet you are actually blasting the coating off of them. I did this for all the bolts on my car and then had them replated. I paid about $250 for almost 50lbs worth of bolts, which was the entire miata, plus one and half ford escorts that use similar bolts.

Painting them is ok, but the coating will be much thicker and softer then your zinc plating. So if a painted bolt gets scratched, water can penetrate the protective layer and rust can form.

Look through the last page of my build, I documented my plating process for the bolts I did.

Hope this helps!, keep up the good work!

MLKNR

You my man and an engineers worst nightmare, LOL used a grinder as a lath. That's crazy but coolnessly simple. I love it!

WolfGT

The only issue with using the grinder as a lathe like that was the speed. Obviously the grinder runs really fast, so ensuring that your part is centered/balanced is very important. I had a nice stack of heavy washers that you can't see that I filled the pocket in the bushing on the other side that allowed me to make it nice and tight. But I approached it cautiously. Took it slow. I would not recommend this method. It is definitely dangerous. It could have easily shot a tool at me if I wasn't careful.

tbone heller

I blasted all of my fasteners with glass beads & painted them black. Punching holes in an empty 30 pack beer box & inserting the bolts works great as a holding fixture for painting as well as keeping them organized until you need to use them.

MLKNR

But you ruined a box of beer? How is that good? LOL

tbone heller

I did say EMPTY box. I seem to have a lot of those.

WolfGT

Jim posted this in another thread (wiring diagram information). I just wanted to post the link here so I can find it easily later.

Index of /garage/Wiring Diagrams/Wiring Diagrams 1997-2000/

WolfGT

crap, just realized those are for 97-2000. I guess I just posted bad information for myself.

WolfGT

Ah, just a couple clicks through the link at the top of the page gave me what I needed. Here is the direct link to the 90-96.

Index of /garage/Wiring Diagrams/Wiring Diagrams 1990-1996/

WolfGT

OK, another request for advise. My original plan was to get new tubular control arms for the miata. I have specked the v8roadsters control arms. I just wanted to get the general consensus on whether they are worth it. ($1800 worth it). Should I just clean up the stock ones for now?

Gator Bait

I plain to do them. Mostly for the weight savings (bench race bragging) and I like the way they look. Worth it? If you need the extra adjustment capability they provide and want the weight loss. I'll bet "worth" will really come down to "want".

ToySnakePMC

I put them on and while I do think they are beautiful to look at.., I can't say that I would order them again for my 95% street car. If I ever get to build another V8Roadster (which I certainly crave to do one day to correct or improve a few things in the back of my mind for the next build), I don't think I'd do the tubular A arms on the next one.

However, I am reminded that I do seem to have no rear shock and CV boot interference issues that others have with the factory Mazda rear, lower A arms... I don't know if I'm just luck here or if V8R built the additional clearance in their tubular ones or not.

charchri4

+1 to not being worth it on a 95% street car however there is some value to having new bushings with out the hassle of swapping them.

+1 to Pat tapping that 5%, get her out on the track already!

+1 to building another car to get it right this time!

Yes V8R moved the shock point inboard some and that is one of their selling points. If that is all you want just use an Audi boot and you have plenty of room. Details about half way down the page here:
Jim and Jenna build diary, Miata LS1 Conversion: The 3rd half of the back half, 8.8 Ford axles in a Miata.

IMO that 1800 would be far better spent on brakes and a good dyno tune.

Full disclosure I have not changed my bushings but have done it in other cars before. Mine have 200,000 miles on them and seem just fine. But I have not had it past 140 either... yet

WolfGT

Finally getting to the point where I can get back to work. I have had issues at my shop because it backs right up to the railroad tracks and right next to an overpass. So unfortunately, the overpass has become a home to a large group of bums. They won't freaking leave me alone when I'm there and I'm tired of working with the door closed. Not to mention that I don't feel very secure (I'm sure you would feel the same way considering how much money we keep in our shops/garages). So.....

She gets loaded up last Friday for the trip to Charlotte.



To the new shop. 16x45' heated and cooled. My little piece of paradise. Can't wait to get all moved in so I can get back to work. The Miata was the first item moved in.

Meierznutz

Congrats on the new home away from home...

WolfGT

Finally about settled in the new shop. When moving, my half-assed cart failed me. So I spent some time today making a new cart to move it around the shop easier.

First I needed to lift the car from the old cart. I figured with it stripped down as much as it is, it can't weigh that much. So I rigged up some straps and lifted it with the engine crane.





Went ahead and put the hard top on to keep it out of the way.



Here is the new cart. Moves really easy. Solid as a rock.

WolfGT

Finally got the other project engine off the engine stand and now I'm back to the Miata. Put the engine on the stand and started pulling items off of it I preparation to clean and paint it.



The items I pulled off.





I then jumped over to the replacement rear quarter panel. I have never used a spot weld cutter before. Wow, what a great tool.

Before



After



Later this week I will be back in the shop to get this panel on the car. Then my next step is to fit the body panels. Really looking forward to it.

Meierznutz

It's great to see you back at the wrenches... keep moving forward!