build diary

June 14, 2004:
The attachment point for the shoulder harnesses.
This was taken from the Miata. It looks pretty good.
entry 370
This is a little disconcerting - my fuel cell is inflating from the heat!
I'm going to call Jaz about this - there's a pressure relief valve on the cap but it's not relieving a whole lot of pressure. I can just imagine what this will be like in the hot Colorado sun.
entry 371
Fitting the scuttle required a little trimming to the aluminum firewall.
entry 372
The scuttle temporarily bolted into place.

entry 373
The fibreglass scuttle fits the frame perfectly once it's been trimmed to fit around the steering column support.
Better than any of the aluminum has fit so far - good thing, as it's harder to tweak! All of the glass parts appear to have the same high level of fit.
entry 374

June 15, 2004:
I phoned Jaz about my inflating fuel tank.
Turns out the vented fuel cap isn't vented enough to actually prevent this from happening. I checked some photos of the CMC "Mitty" build and they put the fuel return line into one of the feeds on the sump, then just left the AN-6 fitting on top of the gas tank open with a small plastic cap. Hmm, not my preferred solution. After pricing out the cost of a metal check valve to use as a vent, I decided to check the Miata parts diagrams. Not only does the Miata fuel tank have a check valve, it's got a rollover valve to keep it from leaking if the car goes upside down! The parts will easily adapt to my fuel cell. It's a perfect solution.

I've also tried test-fitting some of the side body panels. I won't be putting them on the car until I'm pretty much done. I don't want to damage them! But boy, does the car ever look cool...
entry 375

The final lower coolant hoses.
entry 376
The solution to my inflating tank - a check valve and roll-over valve from the original Miata tank.
entry 377
Test fit of a side body panel.
The fit is perfect.
entry 378
The side panels wrap around the upper frame rail for a cleaner look.
entry 379

June 16, 2004:
It's like static electricity building up in the air.
I can feel the car becoming more "real" as parts come together for good. The most common comment from my visitors is "Wow, it looks like a real car now!". I keep test fitting body panels and I really want to put some on!

The vent has been installed on the fuel cell. I'm extremely happy with the results - it looks like it was meant to be there. My co-worker Brian and I made a backing plate then discovered that the thick plastic of the tank meant screws were the best attachement solution. That's what we're hoping anyhow. I'll find out today if the tank still grows in the heat. Brian's a good fabricator and we spent some time discussing how to mount the radiator and the electric fan. I think it's going to turn out well.

I rescued my half-finished driveshaft from the fabricator today. They were supposed to call me when the parts arrived so I could double-check my measurements. They didn't, so instead I checked to see if the half-completed driveshaft was going to fit. The answer is yes - but it's going to be pretty much impossible to install without pulling the diff. Again I think I'm a victim of using 1.8 parts in a kit designed around 1.6 ones - the longer diff with a larger flange is causing problems. We'll see when the final product is done today. Oh yes, my measurements were dead on.
entry 380

Drilling into the fuel cell to install a vent.
entry 381
The vent in place along with the check valve.
Bad picture, great looking installation.
entry 382
It's so cute! The partially-completed driveshaft.
entry 383

June 17, 2004:
The driveshaft is finished and in the car.
Talk about a tight fit! I had to disconnect the parking brake cables but that's all - that was a relief. If the shaft was even a tiny bit larger in any direction I would have been out of luck, too. But it fits! Once it was in, I fired up the engine and got a feel for the clutch travel needed. Big moment - I have a complete drivetrain! The rear wheels happily spun as I let the clutch out with the car in gear. Vroom vroom!
entry 384

The finished driveshaft, compared with a stock 1.8 Miata part.
My new one is surprisingly heavy but it's sure not going to break! Check out the size of those yokes.
entry 385
1.6 and 1.8 Miatas use different size bolts for the flange on the diff.
Make sure you've got the correct ones. Buy the (unusual) bolt from Mazda but get the washer and nut somewhere else - they're expensive!
entry 386
The driveshaft in place.
entry 387

June 18, 2004:
I'm heading out of town this weekend to play with Basil and go to a music festival in Telluride.
So anyone reading this is going to have to make their own fun! I did put together a way to step through the build photos one by one, though. You can also pick a random shot just for fun. Someday I'll set it up so that it remembers the last one you looked at, so you can simply check in to see what's new. But maybe later - this is all homebrew stuff, and I want to do something else now. Check it out!
entry 388

June 21, 2004:
Now that driving the car is looking like a possibility in the future, I called the Colorado DMV to find out what's involved in getting it licensed.
First, the Colorado DMV is extremely easy to reach and very helpful. I didn't have to wait at all! Unfortunately, it gets harder from here. I can't start the process until the car is street legal. Then it will be a 2-3 week process if I manage to get all my paperwork together. Most importantly, I need receipts for all the major components such as the engine, tranny, frame, body parts (I suspect they were picturing a slightly more complex car with that one) and rear end. I can easily get the receipts for the tranny and rear end. The engine will be a little more difficult as the core was bought from a junkyard at least 4 years ago. I realize now that I also have no receipt, MSO or any paperwork for the frame and body from CMC. Time to leave a message with them and see if they'll return it - I'm also waiting for my transmission cover. They haven't been too responsive lately.

The driver's seat is bolted in to place. I've got the placement of the pedals perfectly set. Now I just need to put in the gas pedal and make the steering wheel adaptor.
entry 389

June 22, 2004:
I decided to hook up the throttle pedal last night.
I think I've got pretty good pedal placement but that will be confirmed later. I also put together the box that covers the steering column and top of the pedal. The dimensions were pretty good but one of the bends wasn't done on a break and I had to do a bit of hammering to get things to fit. It'll stay in shape when the rivets are popped into place. The rectangular hole for the throttle cable was both in the wrong place and too big - the cable wouldn't snap into place. It was easy enough to rectify this. I'll need to fabricate a different throttle cable bracket as well, as the Miata one is too far back for this setup. But now all I need is a steering wheel and I can play Race Car Driver with a working gearshift, brakes and throttle!

I just had a chat with Larry at OK Miata. They've put together one of these cars with an eye towards customer buildups. The final weight ended up at just over 1200 lbs and they've used a number of the same parts I have. They also report breaking the differential mounts almost immediately...
entry 390

The steering column/pedal cover.
The big hole is for the Miata wiring harness - not that I have one.
entry 391
The hole on the right is the one that was in this cover.
The one on the left is the one I cut in the correct place to the correct size.
entry 392
Whoops, someone's going to need a new throttle cable bracket.
entry 393
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