NVP66S Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 xcarguy asked me to do a build diary, so OK, here goes. I actually started with the donor car in October and the kit arrived in february, so the first photos will come fairly rapidly. The version I chose uses the '90 to '97 Miata donor, and I managed to find a '97 with a good drivetrain and poor body. Here's what a Miata looks like with the interior mostly stripped. Pulling the engine required removing the radiator but the front chassis stayed in one piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 The engine got a new set of front stuff including water pump, idler, & belts. Ditto new clutch, throwout bearing, etc. In addition to the engine, I overhauled the brake calipers and derusted and painted them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 We pulled the cams off for polishing. Also, after bead blasting the exhaust manifold, I took the die grinder and smoothed off some of the Mazda weld beads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Before going to bed, I have to at least start a post on the WF kit. Here are the 2 crates that came from Britain. And here's the body shell with the powder coated chassis waiting for all the stuff to be attached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancylad Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 This is gonna be good, keep those pics coming. Thanks for posting this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Ditto. Cant wait to see the progress. Looks like you are taking the time to do it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 There's those wooden cams I've been waiting on! Seriously, going to be a great build thread for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 NVP66S, Also, you may want to have admin move this thread to Member Rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 There's those wooden cams I've been waiting on! Seriously, going to be a great build thread for all. Yeah, it's easy to change the cam profile, just use sandpaper. As for where the thread belongs, y'all decide and I'll follow it if it moves. I didn't think it was a member's ride because it's not actually a ride yet. And here's what the engine looked like after the refurb with powder coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Before going to bed, I have to at least start a post on the WF kit. Here are the 2 crates that came from Britain. And here's the body shell with the powder coated chassis waiting for all the stuff to be attached. I don't suppose that's a Rutan stuffed away in the corner is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 I don't suppose that's a Rutan stuffed away in the corner is it? OK, that's a Defiant and I have 4000 building hours on it. The Westie is a short construction job as a break from building the plane. (Pay no attention to the 25 ft long canard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Great to see another Miata powered Se7en in process. The engine looks great with the yellow powdercoat. Is forced induction in the plan sometime in the future? BTY, that large aluminum brace between the manifold and block is totally unnecessary. I've been running my Miata without it for over 100k turbocharged miles and the Caterham for 23k miles. No ill effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 It's a street car, not a track car and this old man, at least at the moment, is happy with 144 flywheel horsepower in a car that weighs 1000 lb less than the Miata. So, no forced induction planned................. yet. Getting on with the build... The first order of business is to attach the aluminum panels. The panels come pre-drilled from the factory, so it's a matter of clamping them in place and match drilling the holes in the steel tubes. Then, remove the panel, deburr, and apply silicone sealant. Here's what it looks like just before replacing it just before riveting. There's about 1.32 billion rivets in this thing. The second photo was that panel about 20 minutes earlier with a few clecos for alignment. Notice the aluminum comes from the factory with protective film. That gets stripped off just before riveting. And here's a panel fully riveted in place. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to put text between the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 Some of the rivet holes are in tight places. The right angle air drill came in handy. I took some time out from riveting panels to install the Mazda handbrake lever. This required setting some 8 mm Rivnuts. According to other builders, placing the handbrake before the skins are on is better and easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rikker Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 and looks like you have a place the size of an aircraft hanger to build it in with no shortage of tools, that is so great. Good Luck and keep the info coming, it has been a while since a scratch build was full documented on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Yep, gonna be a good thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancylad Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Well be checking in on you every day for updates, I drive a 1995 Westfield so the interest is high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 Well be checking in on you every day for updates, I drive a 1995 Westfield so the interest is high. So is your car one in the silly photo in front of the really big dump truck? I love that photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 and looks like you have a place the size of an aircraft hanger to build it in with no shortage of tools, that is so great. Good Luck and keep the info coming, it has been a while since a scratch build was full documented on here. Yeah it's an airplane hangar which is good for space, but it's 3 miles from home and sometimes when I should spend time working on it instead I rationalize not driving to the shop. Plus, when the wind blows I get a coating of dust on everything. Am I complaining? No, just pointing out that different shops have different advantages and disadvantages. As for tools, I'm finding that I'm placing weekly orders for more tools during the car build. That's in the budget. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 I intended to buy the factory installed brake line option, but that is only available if you also get them to skin the sheet metal. A friend offered to do the brake lines for the same price. He did an excellent job. As practice we did a mockup of the lines with welding rod. The 2nd photo shows 2 brake lines (dark green) and one welding wire yet to be replaced. The kit comes with those really nice mounting clips. You drill the frame and pound in the clips like body pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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