Just another Miata swap - building a race car with a V8Roadsters kit
12-30-2009, 12:43 PM
#22
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Time for a long overdue update. As many of these projects go, I've worked on the car in fits and starts with it sitting for months at a time... I am committed to having this thing on the track before it's one year anniversary from when we started stripping the tub - end of February.
Here are a couple pics of the interior coming together.
My good friend Aaron Braverman, owner and master fabricator of Marin Soundwerks in San Rafael, CA, has built a SICK custom dash:
And here's the future driver checking out her new ride:
The engine belt is routed (76")
The Evil Genius boys made a sweet radiator mount. I got a custom 3" radiator from Ron Davis. I wanted enough room behind the radiator to install a fan easily and to be able to service the front of the engine, so I brought radiator forward a bit. Notice the hood latch is gone (I'll use hood pins).
Aaron made a nice panel to mount the PCM and all of the relays and fuses in the passenger footwell:
Here's a good shot of the engine harness mostly installed, the intake and the radiator installed:
Some other tidbits...
We used a harness from Painless. It was pricey, but it is a work of art. Everything fits perfectly, and the quality is first rate.
I've ordered and will be installing an Improved Racing oil pan trap-door racing baffle in our self-modified F-body oil pan. I've got a 3qt Accusump that we're going to mount in the trunk and plumb along with an oil cooler and remote mount oil filter. I've decided to save all of that until after we've got the car running and moving. For the "launch", we're going sans oil cooler and accusump and using the stock filter location.
I discovered that the stock starter is too long and will interfere with the Sandersen headers, so I got a shorter starter from Summit.
We've already turned the engine over, so at the very least THAT part of the car is wired correctly
This weekend the car is going back to Evil Genius where we'll drop the motor one more time, install the oil pan baffle and a new oil pan gasket. We're going to do a final nut & bolt on the entire engine before we fire it.
They're also installing the limited slip rear end and doing the custom exhaust.
We're getting close! More pics on Sunday.
Cheers,
Dean
Here are a couple pics of the interior coming together.
My good friend Aaron Braverman, owner and master fabricator of Marin Soundwerks in San Rafael, CA, has built a SICK custom dash:
And here's the future driver checking out her new ride:
The engine belt is routed (76")
The Evil Genius boys made a sweet radiator mount. I got a custom 3" radiator from Ron Davis. I wanted enough room behind the radiator to install a fan easily and to be able to service the front of the engine, so I brought radiator forward a bit. Notice the hood latch is gone (I'll use hood pins).
Aaron made a nice panel to mount the PCM and all of the relays and fuses in the passenger footwell:
Here's a good shot of the engine harness mostly installed, the intake and the radiator installed:
Some other tidbits...
We used a harness from Painless. It was pricey, but it is a work of art. Everything fits perfectly, and the quality is first rate.
I've ordered and will be installing an Improved Racing oil pan trap-door racing baffle in our self-modified F-body oil pan. I've got a 3qt Accusump that we're going to mount in the trunk and plumb along with an oil cooler and remote mount oil filter. I've decided to save all of that until after we've got the car running and moving. For the "launch", we're going sans oil cooler and accusump and using the stock filter location.
I discovered that the stock starter is too long and will interfere with the Sandersen headers, so I got a shorter starter from Summit.
We've already turned the engine over, so at the very least THAT part of the car is wired correctly
This weekend the car is going back to Evil Genius where we'll drop the motor one more time, install the oil pan baffle and a new oil pan gasket. We're going to do a final nut & bolt on the entire engine before we fire it.
They're also installing the limited slip rear end and doing the custom exhaust.
We're getting close! More pics on Sunday.
Cheers,
Dean
12-30-2009, 01:45 PM
#24
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Evil Genius Racing out of West Sacramento built the cage from scratch. They do a ton of spec miata cages, so they used some of the same elements from their standard cage. However, we're not limited by the showroom stock cage rules for this car like a spec miata, so they did some additional stuff - tied in the A-pillar and windshield crossbar. They tied in to the seatbelt towers which will add a TON of torsional rigidity. Not sure what else...
Cheers,
Dean
Cheers,
Dean
12-30-2009, 02:19 PM
#25
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It looks great! Very well done, and a nice fit. I have been considering going with a cage when i swap chassis, but don't want to lose any street safety aspects.
12-31-2009, 10:23 AM
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Yeah, that's a tough call. A cage seems necessary with a small convertible with this much performance, but having cage tubes in the interior without a helmet on your head could lead to serious injury in just a minor accident... For me the choice was easy, as this car will ONLY be driven with a helmet on on the track.
My advice - if you go with a cage, do a GREAT job with padding the cage anywhere it is even remotely close to your head!!
Cheers,
Dean
My advice - if you go with a cage, do a GREAT job with padding the cage anywhere it is even remotely close to your head!!
Cheers,
Dean
12-31-2009, 04:52 PM
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IT LIVES!!!!!! We decided the car HAD to run in 2009, so we got all the final bits in place and it fired right up!
It idles and revs beautifully.
This is the happiest day of my year!!
It idles and revs beautifully.
This is the happiest day of my year!!
01-01-2010, 12:28 AM
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01-01-2010, 12:31 AM
#31
looks great. I still think your gonna run into oiling issues and prob spin a rod bearing at some point, even with the accusump. Prob will need a dry sump for a car like that.
01-01-2010, 12:54 AM
#32
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Could be. I'm hoping that the Improved Racing baffle, an extra quart of oil and an Accusump will be enough. If not, I'll know soon enough!!
If I get the car really sorted and decide it is a worthwhile car to enduro race, I'll probably end up going dry sump eventually.
No offense, but I hope you're wrong!!
Cheers,
Dean
If I get the car really sorted and decide it is a worthwhile car to enduro race, I'll probably end up going dry sump eventually.
No offense, but I hope you're wrong!!
Cheers,
Dean
01-01-2010, 11:32 AM
#33
Could be. I'm hoping that the Improved Racing baffle, an extra quart of oil and an Accusump will be enough. If not, I'll know soon enough!!
If I get the car really sorted and decide it is a worthwhile car to enduro race, I'll probably end up going dry sump eventually.
No offense, but I hope you're wrong!!
Cheers,
Dean
If I get the car really sorted and decide it is a worthwhile car to enduro race, I'll probably end up going dry sump eventually.
No offense, but I hope you're wrong!!
Cheers,
Dean
The newer engines seem to have much better oil control though. I dont know if you've ever seen King kyles car it has an ls3. Its a pretty amazing vehicle and I believe he made it through at least a season of racing with just an accusump and baffled pan before spinning a bearing.
Check out his build for some info
http://www.v8rx7forum.com/showthread...ild&highlight=
01-01-2010, 01:20 PM
#34
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Thanks for the pointers to that thread/forum. I'm going to spend some time poking around over there.
Looks like King Kyle's problem was a spark plug that broke - he didn't spin a bearing. At least that's what I found in this thread, as I didn't wade through the 80+ pages of Kyles build :O Check post #25.
http://www.v8rx7forum.com/showthread...light=accusump
Edited - found Kyle's own explanation:
http://www.v8rx7forum.com/showthread...r-build/page87
post #867 - he's sure he didn't have an oiling problem with baffle+accusump.
But, as you pointed out, he was running an LS3 which probably has a lot better oiling in general than the LS1.
Looks like King Kyle's problem was a spark plug that broke - he didn't spin a bearing. At least that's what I found in this thread, as I didn't wade through the 80+ pages of Kyles build :O Check post #25.
http://www.v8rx7forum.com/showthread...light=accusump
Edited - found Kyle's own explanation:
http://www.v8rx7forum.com/showthread...r-build/page87
post #867 - he's sure he didn't have an oiling problem with baffle+accusump.
But, as you pointed out, he was running an LS3 which probably has a lot better oiling in general than the LS1.
Last edited by dtfastbear; 01-01-2010 at 01:54 PM.
01-01-2010, 04:29 PM
#36
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Thanks! I would say, "Oh, you don't even know..." but I know that you DO know! I haven't been able to stop talking/thinking about it. Now I'm obsessed with getting it on the track.
For the longest time I was almost scared to try and start it - I could only think of all the things that could go wrong. But, like everything else mechanical, it just isn't really THAT complicated, and if you do your homework, it's probably going to work. And it did.
For the longest time I was almost scared to try and start it - I could only think of all the things that could go wrong. But, like everything else mechanical, it just isn't really THAT complicated, and if you do your homework, it's probably going to work. And it did.
01-04-2010, 02:23 PM
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Since everyone seems to enjoy seeing videos of "the moment", here's the first run-up of the engine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ba0GotJIj0
We fired it just for a split second about a minute earlier which is why I don't look TOO surprised that it's actually running...
The next video will be of it running on the chassis dyno.
The video after that will be of it on the track!!!!
Cheers,
Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ba0GotJIj0
We fired it just for a split second about a minute earlier which is why I don't look TOO surprised that it's actually running...
The next video will be of it running on the chassis dyno.
The video after that will be of it on the track!!!!
Cheers,
Dean
01-25-2010, 03:39 PM
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One step closer, now... The boys at Evil Genius Racing have been busy at work on the car in West Sacramento. I'll have pictures this Saturday, but we're making progress:
- They've installed the throttle pedal (it disappeared during the teardown) and have hooked up the linkage/cable.
- They've hooked up the clutch master cylinder and the clutch works just fine. That means that the car can actually move under its own power, now! Since we haven't snugged up all the axles since we're changing out the rear end for an LSD, we haven't actually DRIVEN the car yet. But, it has moved around the shop.
- The racing seat mounts are all in place. This required a lot of fabrication to make the Recaro SPG Hans seat, which is a VERY tall seat, fit in the cage without modification. This will lead to a nice, low seating postion for increased safety.
- The hardtop has been modified slightly to allow for the roll cage clearance which we've "maxed out" as far as height for room inside the car and safety.
- We're putting in the slightly larger fuel tank from the 1.8L miata, as it holds about a gallon and a half more than the "early" tank we have, and it is a direct bolt in. This could be important if we decide to do some enduros with the car.
- The exhaust will be done by the end of the week. It's going to be dual all the way back to almost the diff, then come together for a single inlet, single outlet muffler. The main reason for doing this is that the local tracks we run have different sound requirements, even from event to event (Laguna Seca). This means we need an easy way to be able to swap in/out different mufflers to "tune" the sound to an acceptable freq/level to meet sound requirements.
That's all for now. I'm more excited than ever. I have a to-do list with 40+ items on it before we hit the track, but I'm motivated. I've already been doing research on building a splitter and have been looking at the APR wings...
Cheers,
Dean
- They've installed the throttle pedal (it disappeared during the teardown) and have hooked up the linkage/cable.
- They've hooked up the clutch master cylinder and the clutch works just fine. That means that the car can actually move under its own power, now! Since we haven't snugged up all the axles since we're changing out the rear end for an LSD, we haven't actually DRIVEN the car yet. But, it has moved around the shop.
- The racing seat mounts are all in place. This required a lot of fabrication to make the Recaro SPG Hans seat, which is a VERY tall seat, fit in the cage without modification. This will lead to a nice, low seating postion for increased safety.
- The hardtop has been modified slightly to allow for the roll cage clearance which we've "maxed out" as far as height for room inside the car and safety.
- We're putting in the slightly larger fuel tank from the 1.8L miata, as it holds about a gallon and a half more than the "early" tank we have, and it is a direct bolt in. This could be important if we decide to do some enduros with the car.
- The exhaust will be done by the end of the week. It's going to be dual all the way back to almost the diff, then come together for a single inlet, single outlet muffler. The main reason for doing this is that the local tracks we run have different sound requirements, even from event to event (Laguna Seca). This means we need an easy way to be able to swap in/out different mufflers to "tune" the sound to an acceptable freq/level to meet sound requirements.
That's all for now. I'm more excited than ever. I have a to-do list with 40+ items on it before we hit the track, but I'm motivated. I've already been doing research on building a splitter and have been looking at the APR wings...
Cheers,
Dean