build diary

April 19, 2004: I'm not sure exactly why the GRM tank was installed with the pickups at the front.
It's easier to slip the tank into place but it offers no other packaging benefits - and there's the potential problem of fuel starvation under acceleration (and lots of fuel under braking). So I installed mine with the pickups at the back. A frame of 1/8" and 1/16" aluminum has the tank firmly secured in place with very little weight and a cash outlay of about $12. I'm happy with the way things turned out there.

I also changed the rear end. The super-strong GURU racing diff that was in my street Miata is now in the Seven. The reasoning is that I have to get a custom driveshaft made for the Seven, and I'd rather not discover (like the GRM guys did!) that the smaller, weaker 1.6 ring and pinion isn't up to the abuse the Seven is likely to dish out. My Miata, despite being twice the weight, has survived for years with a 1.6 rear and it's much cheaper to upgrade that car to the 1.8 with off-the-shelf parts should that become necessary. This has added 15 lbs to the weight of the rear end but it's probably worthwhile.

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