NoClassic

iTrader: (42)

I am sure you are right.

I would expect a bit better weld quality on a part like that though.

It would be interesting seeing it without a surface finish.

mac_24_seven

Ya know I had to migrate from Honda-Tech to see how t3h build is goin! Looks sick man.. That thing is going to freaking scream.

And did I read something about an intercooler? Surely you're not gonna turbo this....

I mean with traction, a healthy motor and a good tune.. dude, 10's all day long if not knockin on 9's or even IN the 9's.

What does a Miata weigh factory?

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

haha, good to see you over here man!

You always have to leave room for improvement in the future. It seems to me that making mid 500's on pump gas with an almost stock motor would be great from a reliability standpoint. A friend here in town is making 580ish on pump gas from two rear mounted turbos on his Trans AM... on a bone stock motor! The Miata should weigh right around 2400-2500 once i get it running.

As an update, i started putting the interior back in this weekend. The dash is staying gutted for now since the heater core was leaking before. Wiring harness is run back into the engine bay, and i am in the middle of mounting the fuse box in the glove compartment. I was going to take some photos, but it started raining.

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

Finally another photo update. Doesn't look like i got much done, but it all adds up... eventually. I tackled the alternator issue yesterday. I think i am going to make a bracket to position it in the same area in the photos. Wish i could just use an F-body bracket and be done with it! Oh well, since the Corvette accessories sit closer to the engine, i wanted to keep as much clearance as possible.





Anyways, now the interior is coming back together. I put the brake booster back in, all the pedals inside, dash bolted down, body harness back in with wires run to relocate the fuse box into the glove compartment, etc. Next up is modifying the engine harness, and putting on the F-body oil pan.









That's it till next weekend!

tails8

iTrader: (7)

Nice man, making great progress..

Tails

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

Thanks man. It doesn't feel like it sometimes. haha

eric1h

iTrader: (7)

Nice work!, you know what would be awesome... to make TWO of those brackets, i know "someone" who might need one :-D

chpmnsws6

iTrader: (70)

Flyin Miata is just milling the stock F-body alternator bracket down so it will work with the C5 pulley. They also use an LS2 waterpump with the shorter snout. I'm sure you probably know all of this, but I just wanted to make sure. Your build is turning out VERY nice

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

Actually i didn't know they were milling down the stock F-body bracket. I would look into that, but i think this will turn out fine, and i always like making things even if they don't look as good as factory in the end.

Thank you for the info!

Oh, and Eric, just take a look at how simple it is to make a bracket. As strong as it is in the photos, you could probably just keep it like that with only 1 piece of steel bar being used.

chpmnsws6

iTrader: (70)

Considering I've only used one bolt to hold the alternator on, you should have no issues with your setup as long as they line up. Kind of have me wanting to go that route instead because you can now get rid of the tensioner and water pump in favor of a WP119 drag pump

LS1-450

iTrader: (33)

Thanks for the update. Looks great! I was beginning to think that you had lost some interest in the project. When actually, there's been a lot of progress made.

s10_onbagz

What type of racing are you building this car for? It looks like you even welded the frame rails up.

chpmnsws6

iTrader: (70)

I'd also recommend an underdrive pulley. Stock C5 pulleys are known to wobble

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKhthMfM2n4

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, i have been using a straight edge to try and get them lined up as much as possible. Still going to have to work with the washers to get it a little more in line. And thanks for the heads up on the underdrive pulley issue. Right now there are so many little things like that to buy...


I wouldn't call it a lot of progress, but i have spent most of my free time working on the car. I just forgot to take any photos of progress last weekend. Right now my goal is to get everything together so i can start the car up on spring break week. I still won't have the rear end taken care of, and probably won't have the cooling covered either, but i want to be able to hear it run!


Since Miata's are a pretty short wheelbase with great balance, they are generally used for auto-cross racing. I have always been more of a drag race fan, but got carried away on my last build and made it a pain to drive on the street. My goals with this are to have a fast, fun car that i can drive around on the street with minimal discomfort (noise, vibration, harsh handling, etc), and then take it to the drag strip and have some fun too. I mainly just did the welding on the front end to help tie everything together a little bit more since i was already in there with the welder. There are a lot more chassis bracing areas that are going to be covered later.



My tranny should be shipping out soon. As soon as i get a new oil pickup tube, the engine is coming back out to put that on. Then pop the tranny on, install the frame rails, tranny crossmember, and move on to fueling. Should make for a fun time!

chpmnsws6

iTrader: (70)

If you end up wanting to get a pulley I'll make you a deal on a BNIB one from Powerbond thats SFI approved. I accidentally ordered two for my miata/LS

mac_24_seven

Lookin good man!

Thanks for the link BTW

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

Thanks man! Glad you wanted to find it again.

Once again not a very productive weekend. Started getting the engine harness stripped, and almost finished relocating the fuse box to the glove compartment. I have 9 days off coming up for spring break (the shop is slow then). Trying to place as many orders placed as i can so i can try to get the car running or as close as possible that week.

Tranny should be here this week sometime along with fuel pressure regulator. Then as soon as i get my clutch/flywheel, all that can go on. Oilpan should be swapped out next weekend since my new oil pickup should arrive tomorrow.

LS1-450

iTrader: (33)

dark, here is the link....


http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

dark_dementshun

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the link. I know it helped me out, as i am sure it could help some others out too.

I finally yanked the motor back out this weekend to swap the oil pans. After scratching my head for a little bit i did some research to find that i have an LS2 oil pan instead of the F-Body. They look almost the same, but have a little less clearance up front where my steering rack goes. I might have to do some "adjusting" there. Fortunately i could reuse my oil pickup, and the windage trays were almost identical too. I have an F-Body dipstick that isn't going to work now, but i think i can make use of the original one.



While the motor was out, i checked the alignment of the alternator and adjusted it a little as well as painted the bracket. I also finally adjusted the brake lines to fit around the motor. It was a lot easier than doing it in my old Honda's.







Another thing i changed up too was the way the power line was run. The factory routing is under the car along the torque arm from the front to the battery in the rear. I decided to just run it inside, and have it come out of the firewall right above the starter. Running over stuff and having my whole electrical system short out isn't something i care to worry about.

Other than that i am still just collecting parts to try and get it started during spring break in a couple weeks. Got my LS7 clutch kit in which was waaay bigger than i expected. (I'm used to Honda's hahaha)



The engine harness is almost ready to be placed over the motor and taped up.



Since it seems like it is every 2 weeks or so that i update, the next big update might be during spring break. All i lack is the fuel system and a couple electrical things, and i should have everything to get it cranked up.... hopefully.

BMR Sales2

iTrader: (40)

Hey an update every 2 weeks is steady! Keep up the work!