Meierznutz

.boB
Here are a couple of the fittings and the valve installed. Also I needed to put one in of my Pop at the lathe. This is the man that has always had my back and been able to problem solve any issue I have ever come across. At 80+ he is still able to jump in and pull a few tricks out of his old Machinists tool boxes. In fact I have his, his Father's, and his Grandfather's tool boxes on a shelf down in my basement. When you ask a guy that did much of the R&D work for Timex to give you a hand, you get very precise results...
Thanks Pop!

.boB

That's pretty slick, I like that. I left mine in the engine compartment. Once I get it set I don't expect to need to touch it again. I don't drive in bad weather, so it shouldn't be an issue. I know as the day wears on and things change, the balance can also change. But I don't think I'm good enough to take advantage for that.

Way cool. I love reading through your thread.

Meierznutz

Thank you.... it's great to get feedback other than seeing the read count go up...
Here is a little more of my plumbing:

Meierznutz

FB Exocet Owner's Group..... When the man who arguably has done more for the aftermarket in modifying a Miata says "nice piece of work" I get to brag a little!

Meierznutz

I got a ton of stuff done yesterday.... the fuel line is finalized and mounted, the brake lines are now completely installed, the radiator mount is fab'd and installed including the high density foam to protect the rad and front cross tubes, the larger MOMO is mounted, and the harmonic balancer and accessory drive is installed.
Pics in a bit

Meierznutz

that line to the rear brake T is one piece from the Proportioning valve all the way to the rear! Wasn't easy but I got it done on the first try...

Meierznutz

Garage Star Delrin bushings arrived today. After work tomorrow I will stop by the metal supply house and grab some stock to start fabbing the diff mount. I have a template cut from cardboard for the front mount, once the cross bar is built the drop downs should be easy. I plan on putting a sleeve in each piece of tube to support the bolt going through it and into the diff. I already upgraded the front bushing to urethane so that should be good.

Meierznutz

Ordering the adapter to go from a CV joint to a Spicer u-joint on the rear of the driveshaft. The Driveshaft Shop will be handling the aluminum driveshaft as well as the axles. I will have the diff mounted this week and then can confirm the overall length of the shaft and axles for them to be built. Once they are in place the engine can come out for a freshening and I am ready for tear down and final assembly.

Meierznutz

BTW... I got the lower Radiator mount done today... made up a u-shaped piece to go through the stock mount. Then bolted in the Exomotive bracket and screwed the two together. It ended up very solid and compact.

Meierznutz

Last night I got a call from a friend looking for one of the wood grain dash kits I have. He offered to swap for the fuel cell he has sitting at his shop... YES PLEASE!
Now I have to get an external fuel pump and plumb the fuel line and filter set up but I think I will be much happier with this than the stock tank.

Meierznutz

Today I hit the supply yard and grabbed some thick wall rectangle tube, some 3"od round tube, and 2 pieces of 1/4" flat plate.
I measured the distance from the mounting studs in the stock subframe and found them to be 23 1/2" on centers. I cut the rectangle bar at 24" then market and pilot drilled two holes at 23 1/2. Using a 2 3/4" hole saw in the drill press I came down through the pilot holes and then let the whole saw eat it's way in. Knowing that whole saws usually walk quite a bit I made the correct choice in size because the ends took very little de-burring to end up with a perfect fish mouth to the side of the 3' tubing.
I am going to use the chop saw at the shop to cut off to pieces 1 5/8" long from the round tubes to fit around the Delrin bushings. Once it's all tacked in place and test fit I can burn them together deep.
Once that is done the drop downs will fit easily to the diff and I can tack them to the cross bar. I am going to mount them flush to the bottom of the cross if I can and gusset the joint with some of the plate. With the rest I have already made a cardboard template for the front diff mount. Once I cut them with the band saw I can grind them smooth and burn them into the subframe. The diff will be done and hung hopefully this weekend!
The next step is to give the Driveshaft Shop a call with measurements from seal to seal between the pinion flange and T56 output for the driveshaft, and from the diff to the wheel bearing seal for axles.

Meierznutz

HUGE step today.... my body work is inbound from Exomotive, the E-rod headers are on their way, I decided to get the Painless Wiring harness and ECU so that the car can be running ASAP (placing the order Saturday am), and I have an appointment to have the windshield made and installed a week from Monday!
I also made a bracket from Stainless Steel for the VIN to sit under the windshield with 2 countersunk screws. The glass guy can leave a "Window" in the black paint around the edge for it to be seen.
Once the Diff is finally placed, the Driveshaft Shop is getting measurements and the shaft and axles are headed this way! I also spoke to my nephew and we are going to pull the engine to reseal it top to bottom, add a cam/lifters/valve springs/rockers with improved trunions...
The debut on Father's Day is looking more and more realistic!

SupaDupaSteve

Sounds like you've got a busy month ahead of you! Can't wait to see it running/driving.

Meierznutz

Thanks Steve.... it has been a long road to here but in all honesty, if I had everything here at once I could do this much faster. Even with the v8. I would say that if I went with just the donor Miata instead of all the upgrades and fancy crap I have thrown at this car I could have it torn down to built in 30 days. I have actually been looking for a dinked NB with a clean title and good miles to do another. For now I just want this project completed and driving.

As to that...
Summit Racing is sending me the ECU and harness this week. Once I have the ECU in hand I can send it and the program sheet back to Painless and they will unlock the ECU, delete out the rear O2's, delete the VATS system, delete the EGR valve/sensor/canister stuff, and set my top speed/rpm to 160/6700. Then once I get the LSx-376 and Whipple I can order the Holley Predator System and go through it all again.

I have surprised myself at how much I can get done in a day. It takes me a while to really think things through but once I settle on a way to do something and get materials in front of me it doesn't take much to complete the next step of the build. Now I just have to settle for the solution I come up with rather than doing the job 3 times to be happy with it. Then again.... maybe that is why she is coming along so well....

Meierznutz

Eastwood had a sale on their ceramic heat proof coating. 1 1/2 gallon of mix that can be sprayed or rolled on for $179. Yup....ordered it!

Meierznutz

OK, time to play good news/Bad news

The good news.... My headers arrived today
The bad news... they weren't black painted like I ordered

The good news.... They were ceramic coated in and out!
The bad news.... They hit the steering shaft on the driver's side and the frame tube on the passenger side

The good news ....they look as though they will fit my truck
The bad news.... I don't need headers on a truck with 249k miles on it!

Just for those playing along at home, the headers in question are Patriot E-rod headers with the outlet that goes straight down from the rear most cylinder.

I did however make progress on my taillights as I bought a bead roller and made reflectors out of sheet aluminum, rolled groves in them for the LEDs to fit, and attached them directly to the tail light lens with RTV. The turn signal lights look sick! Brake to follow....the brake is also the running light as I have it going through a two step dimmer.
The lens is from a 69 Trans Am so the lights are very thin and should look slick cut through the rear cover.

Meierznutz

Baby went to get the windshield installed today.... tinted top, safety glass, edging for a finished look....First Exo Race with this style windshield.... cant wait to post pics!

Meierznutz

The windshield that was supposed to be done in 24 hours is looking to take a week....not happy!
Then Summit Racing e-mailed to say that the harness that was listed as "IN STOCK" is actually going to ship on or after 5/27/16. That triggered a call to Painless Wiring. They lost my on line order form for the specifications of the ECM. After I offered to send them a copy of the screen shot via fax, they located the order and said it would be 3-4 weeks due to a backlog. I have waited 11 days already for something that was supposed to be ready to ship. Now they want me to wait at the end of the line? Is this a NASCAR penalty? I explained this to the young lady and she the placed a RUSH on the order. It is supposed to be out their door in two weeks. Not that I am going to hold my breath but I hope it goes early....

Meierznutz

Took longer and cost more than I expected but the glass was worth the wait!

Meierznutz

OK folks.... no more playing around.... I got the rear cross support for the diff built today. I picked up two sets of Garage Star Delrin bushings and then played with the lathe. Got them into the tubular end pieces and the welded those to the cross bar. I have to add two 1 1/2"x3" tubes down to a 1/4" plate that the diff will actually mount to. The front plates are roughed out and I need to drill them for the through bolt then weld them to the subframe. Then its time to measure for axles and a driveshaft.

I just ordered the Boss Frog exhaust headers to go with my subframe. I tried to get around it but couldn't justify the time and trouble of modifying a set off the shelf to make them fit. Ric is a great guy and this is my second kit with him so if I have to spend money I'm glad to be supporting him. BF was my first official sponsor when I did the Fireballrun in 2012 so that is another good reason to be loyal.

Meierznutz

Loyalty pays off! Ric from Boss Frog messaged me today and said the headers will be out the door by Friday. He has been following the build and is looking forward to seeing it running and driving. No ****... me too!
I have been making progress with the Exo as well as restoring a 91 BRG. Hard to take time away from Natalie but when the BRG is done it will bring in the funds needed to finish the Exo.
I spoke to a local that builds custom exhaust systems. he is going to stop by and give me an estimate on the job. I am thinking a y pipe off the headers into a 3" pipe back to the muffler. I want to do a center in with exits off the ends of the can like FM's XXXocet. I know Keith sent me the link to the maker a while ago but I can't find it for the life of me. Maybe I'll do a Y to a couple Magnaflows?

dietcoke

Call PSI.

dietcoke

Enthuzacar built xxxocet's exhaust, but he doesn't have templates for v8 exocet anything. Won't built you anything without the car.

Meierznutz

I just need a muffler... LOL!

dietcoke

I used a pair of magnaflow bullets. One at the Y merge and one in the rear. Sound levels are reasonable and the sound is crisp.