build diary

February 7, 2004:
After all that cutting (32 washers!
) I installed the control arms - and found that of course the width of the arm changes the location of the rod end. So about half of the washers have to be redone. Sigh. And yes, the shock is mounted upside down to lower the unsprung weight.
entry 99
This is not good.
The two upper rear control arms have different geometry! One fits into place perfectly, one does not.
entry 100
The offending control arm.
These brackets are actually 5mm futher back than the ones on the other side of the car as well.
entry 101
With some juggling of rod end placement, I can get the arm attached to the car.
But then it's misaligned (and skewed sideways) on the upright. A slotted hole would solve the problem here. I need to make sure the geometry hasn't been changed.
entry 102
The mystery bracket.
I thought it was for steering, but that's not making any sense unless I put another universal joint in place. There isn't one on the other side of the car.
entry 103
Getting ready to install the steering.
Since I don't have the key for the donor, the ignition switch (and steering lock!) weren't doing me any good.
entry 104

February 10, 2004:
Steve at CMC is going to send another rear control arm to replace the one that's off.
As someone who deals in complex, essentially hand-made turbo kits I'm not surprised to find small problems like this - particularly in an early version of a product. So far, none of the problems have stopped me from working on the car.

A componentry update. Miatas use the same steering column splines as Subarus. A co-worker gave me an unneeded steering column adaptor from a Subaru steering wheel (he put the wheel in his Corrado) and it fits perfectly. I'll have to make a plate to adapt the OEM Subaru flange to my Mountney wheel, but that's simple. It will also give me the ability to space the wheel forward and back depending on the thickness of the plate. The Miata brake flex lines aren't going to work with the frame so I'll have to get some custom ones made. There's a decision on the "OEM vs stainless steel" quandary and another few bucks for cost. When working on the wiring harness last night, I also realized that I'll need to get a set of coils from a 1.8 Miata instead of the 1.6 ones I have. The 1.8 ECU won't drive those 1.6 coils. Yes, it would be easier to use the 1.6 ECU. But I have plans for down the road. Oh, and that mystery bracket is for the steering shaft. Fair enough, I'll make that work!
entry 105

February 11, 2004:
While I didn't make much real progress last night, it sure looks like it!
I brought home a bunch of engine parts to test-fit the drivetrain. Nothing actually works - I brought home a broken transmission, an empty block with an oil pan on it, a damaged head and a contaminated intake manifold - but it's all fairly grime-free and therefore looks nice. I'm trying to get a feel for the driving position before I mount the steering column. This all stems from the pedal locations. Once I've got that, I'll have an idea of how far back I sit. Then I can place the steering column and the shifter. There are several inches of adjustibility in the motor mounts.

I've also been looking at seats. There aren't a lot of options for such a narrow (17.25") tunnel. Cobra makes one called the Roadster 7 that is built for 7-esqe cars and I'll have to find a price for them in the US. Otherwise, I might just modify a stock Miata seat fairly heavily.
entry 106

I dropped in some spare drivetrain parts to help set up the driving position.
entry 107
The engine sits a long way back in the car.
entry 108
There's lots of room to access the front of the engine.
Service will be easy. As you can see, there are a few parts missing here.
entry 109
Not much clearance for the intake manifold here.
entry 110
Yes, the driveshaft does need to be shortened a bit.
entry 111
A motor mount close-up.
entry 112
The Subaru steering wheel adaptor.
entry 113
Test-fitting the throttle pedal.
entry 114

February 12, 2004:
Oooh, that was a fun evening.
I disassembled a spare Miata seat (not mine, I'll have to find another to use permanently) and wedged it into the Seven. I like the way it looks and feels, so I think this will be my seat setup. Nice and affordable, too! This allowed me to confirm that the shifter position was good. I'll need a fairly deep spacer to make that steering wheel fit, but that's quite easy. All I need to do is check measurements for brake and clutch pedals to ensure they're not going to end up in some bizarre location. It's looking like a car right now!

I also looked at my steering column a little more. I've got an extra u-joint and it looks like I'll have to use it. I might be able to avoid that but the column would sit further away from the frame. I'm not completely decided yet. I need to get a welder into my garage so I can tack these things into place. On another note, it appears the shift mechanism for my transmission is wrecked. That's too bad, as it's a fairly low-mileage tranny. There's a 200k mile one sitting around our shop right now. Hmm..
entry 115

I got ready to re-assemble my donor transmission and whoops!
Bent shaft and a broken housing. Good thing I have access to lots of dead transmission parts.
entry 116
Seat test fit! This is going to work well.
entry 117
A side view.
Obviously this car could deal with a much taller driver.
entry 118
In order to fit the seat into place, I had to remove the recline mechanism.
I'll have to make a bracket to fix the seat in place.
entry 119
Steering shaft cam!
The shaft will go from the rack at the bottom of the photo, through a rod end then on to the firewall. I'll need three u-joints.
entry 120
My new throttle body in place.
I'll have to make an adaptor to put this 1.8 piece on a 1.6 intake manifold.
entry 121
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