$2018 GRM challenge turbo miata build. with added insanity.
Challenge budget so far:
purchased 1999 Miata from John for 800 sold engine, sensors, and top to yupididit for 660 sold/traded torsen rear to self for noisy open rear and 200 recoup bought 04 3400 from Buick rondevous from Patrick for 75 (going to pick up next weekend) bought 98 camaro 3800 T5 and bellhousing/shifter/hydraulic throwout bearing from adams auto parts: 132.50 bought 3500 intake and exhaust manifolds from pull-a-part 106.75 bought used nitrous kit with bottle heater and chopped up feed line and no pills for a 4bbl from a yardsale in a trailer park near fayetteville: 25 used and abused hoosier SM7 slicks: 20 for the set Apexi SAFC $25 from craigslist in Raleigh current total: 384.25recoup total: 800 ok, so this car wasn't supposed to happen. I had thought about it, and decided against it. But when dad got back from his RV trip out west after $2017 with the AMC, he was bit hard by the challenge and wanted to build a 2018/2019 car with me. So I ventured my idea of a turbocharged NB Miata with a 3400 gm v6. He loved the idea, and layed $1000 on the table for me to work with. With my wife out of work right now, that's ALL we have to work with. Just cant financially do it right now otherwise. But I don't want to miss what may be my last opportunity to build a race car with my father. Hes in his 70s now, and I love spending time with him. We've built a few together over the years, and I always enjoy it. Its helped me to be the halfway decent father and husband that I am, as we always talk about a lot more than the metal in front of us. And hes a great guy to go on road trips and junkyard crawls with. So I jumped at the opportunity. We negotiated some deals to cover our gas to Ohio and back to pick up Patrick 3400, I sourced a trans in greenville SC while delivering a door to Tuna55 (thanks again for picking it up!), and started some threads learning about how to do this. See, ive never turbocharged anything before. Or stuffed an American engine in a Japanese car without a kit. (SBC RX7 don't count). Or made something OBD2 compliant. So, this should be suitably difficult to be entertaining.The basic plan, as it sits, is thus:
so...well, what the hell. Why not? Here's some pictures of how I bought the car, but not shown are the small appearance package, broken headlights, mangled right front fender, or front bumper cover. I hadn't planned a challenge build at first, so initial documentation is pretty pathetic. |
i have googled my butt off for the last week, and am finally starting to get some good grips on the fabrication and execution of this. as well as the late 660 engines. turns out that the 3500 parts i picked up are from the first of the VVT engines, and therefore not able to be used. so ill need to return them for store credit when i get back into town.
additionally, this will not be anywhere near as simple as i initially thought. theres going to be major crossmember surgery due to the oil pan being integral on the 3400 and having crossbolted mains. to properly swap the intake 180 degrees, all the rwd accessories need to be swapped in for the fwd stuff. however, ive found references that just the upper intake can be flipped and prevent half the issues, but no actual pictures or how tos. so no guarantee that its actually possible. there will need to be some flanges and wings and protrusions cut out in the engine bay for clearance. PPF will need dealt with due to the camaro trans not actually using the torque arm in the same manner, and concerns about stress on the t5 in that manner. cooling may be troublesome as well, though i found an LFX swap thread where they angled the radiator, stuffed a bigger radiator in, and vented the hood. so, areas of research that need to continue at this time (y'all are welcome to play along at home and post links to informative stuff, or personal experience) 1. additional chassis bracing and rigidity mods on challenge budget 2. cooling upgrades, preferably bigger radiators and mounted in was to provide more space for intercooler and turbo 3. PPF/rear end shennannigans 4. crossmember mods for clearance and strength. |
Challenge budget so far:previous total: 384.25recoup total: 800this update:returned the 3500 intake and exhaust manifolds to pull-a-part: -106.75bought correct intake manifold from non VVT 3500: 34.95bought 3500 fuel rail and feed line: 12.95bought big throttle body from an alero: 40.59current challenge budget:365.99recoup total: 800ok, so thanksgiving has came and went. With it was a LOT of research. See, research for me tends to be relaxing and enjoyable. I like burying myself down deep and incomprehensible rabbit holes to see where they lead.One of these holes was about the 3500 top swap. Turns out that there are 2 (at least) different versions of the 3500: VVT and non-VVT. The parts I had picked up were of the VVT variety, which will not work with the 3400 were using. So, I returned them and got the correct version. While there, I started looking at throttle bodies. The 3500 was drive by wire in all versions. The 3400 never was. So, needed to come up with a cable driven throttle body. Also, the 3500 intake allows for a much bigger throttle body, which will probably be beneficial in this application. So, while wandering the rows looking for an 04-05 3500 Malibu, I started nabbing throttle bodies that were cable driven and used a visually identical IAC and TPS. I grabbed one from a 6.0 ls, and one that was in an Oldsmobile alero with a twin cam v style engine. Dunno what size....clockwise: 3500, lsx, alero
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Love to see the build, but for some reason, none of your pics are showing for me.
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Originally Posted by WolfGT
(Post 24085)
Love to see the build, but for some reason, none of your pics are showing for me.
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pictures are showing for me. using flickr with the embed link in the wall of text.....
let me know if they show on the next updates. |
Challenge budget so far:
previous challenge budget: 445.90 recoup total: 800 new money: 75 for 15x6 stock nb wheels 37.72 gasket kit for 3400 from ebay 200 for ½ spec miata cage (main hoop, rear downtubes) traded stock trans for replacement steering rack cause ours is busted found some poly bushings and sleeves I a ziplock baggie in the bottom of my gauge box. No idea what they are from, or where I got them. But they fit inside some scraps of roll cage tubing. 2.00 bought a new spool of welding wire: 20 new total: 780.62 ok, when we left off, I had dropped out the crossmember for making the motor fit. I thought I had it sorted out via pictures, so I set the crossmember up on the sawhorses, and made engine mounts. While going through my quickly expanding gauge collection, I found a ziplock baggie of miscellaneous poly bushings. Couple sway bar end links, some mount bushings, bumpstops, and I think 4 control arm bushings. Couldn't tell you what this stuff is from, as I haven't been to the bottom of that box in years. Leftovers from something. But the “control arm bushings” fit inside the scraps from last years roll cage build. So im using them. went ahead and made some 1/8 plate that mount to threaded bosses in the block, and then some tabs to weld to the crossmember. to get the engine where I thought it needed to be, I notched the crossmember by an inch or so, and spaced things with various nuts/bolts/chunks of wood. while ive been obsessing about drive-train placement, crossmemeber strength, etc, dads been seam welding per the flyin miata recommendations. Hes having a good time, and this is his first time doing sheetmetal with a MIG. Hes now got almost all of it done and ready to go outside for grinding down, seam sealer, and paint. we then jockeyed things around, put the engine and trans on a sheet of plywood on 6x6 chunks on refrigerator dollies. We wrapped a tow strap around the front of the car and hooked to the cherry picker, and went to see how it worked. it did not go as planned. We fouled the ears on the firewall, and the engine was about 6 inches behind the plane of the firewall. No bueno. So we pulled it all back apart, and used the portaband to chop the ears out of the engine bay, and knocked the motor mounts I spent all day building apart. When I get back from the in-laws this weekend, were going to try test fitting again. Dads also starting in on the 2x2 framerail reinforcements, as well as the prep for the ½ cage. |
Still no images appearing for me.
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pictures no workee.
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So what aM i doing wrong? My pictures show up for me.
using the Flickr embed code works on every other forum im a member of. |
Do the pictures work now? They finally do for me.
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yes! i have pictures!
thanks. |
Apparently the forum software here and miataturbo wont allow flickr links to show the p8cture if the picture security settings are set to private. Other forums dont care. Odd.
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Challenge budget so far:previous challenge budget: 780.62 recoup total: 800new money: 20 feet 1x1x1/8 angle iron: 11.22 20 feet 1x1x1/8 square tube: 30.15 10 feet 2x2x1/8 square tube: 25.29 10lbs 1/8 plate steel: 10.00 modify oil pan: 8 according to stevejb weld: 2.50 (6.99 pack, used about 1/2) new total: 868.78to start with, I figure well talk about parts acquisition.I finally got stuff picked up and pictures taken of parts that I talked about, but didnt document proof of.Nitrous kit from the trailer park yard sale:
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dad and I slipped everything into place. And stared. And readjusted. And stared. And playind with angles. Snad stared. Eventually we decided we were happy with the compromises we were making, and held the drivetrain in place with a jack and chinks of wood. Then got to making mounts.
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spent part of the day today doing chassis stuff.
started my butterfly brace/trans mount. the long side pieces will be welded to the 2x2 rails that have yet to be put on. the bolts will all be welded into place, thereby creating studs. theres also another 1x1 tube that i need no fab in before all the welding and such happens. will weigh about 10-15 lbs when done, which is far heavier than id like. but it'll be bombproof. i think. suggestions/feedback on this thing? remember, im making it all up as i go along, and im sure no engineer. also, while i was working, i managed to knock over my entire pile of crap onto mu right foot. 3/8 plate, 1x1 tube. 1x1 angle, and a roll cage. 6 hours later my damn foot still hurts. so, to solve the problem, i cleaned the shop. part of this was finding a home for the roll bar segment. ZIP TIES!!! will need to trim some flanges on the seat belt towers for it to sit where i want it. then, build my floor plates, rear downtubes, etc. but i LIKE this design. Its a whole lot better than the hard dog ace in my daily. however, i purchased the ace as it was the furthest from my head i could get and still have it pass the broomstick test with my unhelmeted noggin. the ace is in a daily. this is a race car that'll be driven to events. not to work.... lastly, started looking at hood clearance/upper intake mounting. to put the throttle body forward will require me cutting the timing cover for clearance, which wont leave me a place to mount an idler for the belt, or space it up 3/4 of an inch. this would make the intake poke through the hood considerably, and i think the throttle body as well. having the plenum through the hood could be visually awesome. throttle body, not so much. leaving it in the factory orientation may work, but that will require some more mockup and staring. the intake tube would be routed through the cowl where the wiper linkage lives, then out to the front of the car. or something. dunno yet. but im sure it will stick up above the hood now.... |
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