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Post by greg on Sept 2, 2014 20:28:41 GMT
Yeah I want to get the chassis sold as soon as possible. I also want to get the powder coating done while we are slow at work and I have all the ovens and blaster available at my disposal.
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Post by jwagner on Sept 3, 2014 1:45:13 GMT
If this winter is anything like the last, it's probably best to get moving on it before it gets too cold, unless you're lucky enough to have a heated workspace. The disassembly and prep of the PPF took us way longer than planned because there's always something else that you might as well do just because it should be done and you've got it apart anyway. That mode of operation also blows the budget out of the water.
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Post by greg on Sept 3, 2014 1:50:44 GMT
When I did my VR4 restoration last year, I only worked on the car till early November plus one or two.nice days around Christmas. After that, it was late April before the weather got warm enough for me to work on the car again. We got some crazy amounts of snow last winter!
This year I'm anticipating the same thing.
Funny story. The battery died in the miata at work today. Couldn't get it started. Trickle charging it over night at work. The car only needs to go 4 blocks from my work to my garage. :lol:
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Post by JIDiesel on Sept 3, 2014 2:06:03 GMT
Donor car finally showed up over the weekend.  Drove it this morning a bit to get familiar with the car and any potential issues before tear down. Other than the wiper and window motors being slow, the clutch grabs high and the glove box is broken, the only mechanical issue seems to be an on/off throttle stumble. Like the decel Enleanment is too high. Probably an issue with dried seals in the throttle body. Can't find any exhaust leaks which usually attribute to this behavior. Probably will start the tear down tonight. Check the EGR tube in the intake it is probably plugged up solid. mine was like that when I bought it. |
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Post by greg on Sept 3, 2014 22:43:26 GMT
Check the EGR tube in the intake it is probably plugged up solid. mine was like that when I bought it. 50 points to you sir. Pulled the egr valve and tube. Both were corroded but not clogged. Vac tested the valve and it opened with only 5in/mc. However when under atmosphere pressure,the valve wasn't shutting all the way. Cleaned the valve with some carb cleaner, reinstalled it and the throttle issue seems to have gone away. Thank you for the suggestion. Over night I trickle charged the battery and the motor fired back up. Using a volt meter on the battery I found the alternator is only charging 12.9 volts at idle and it only goes down when revving. Looks like the alternator is almost done which explains the battery issue. Let the motor run a good 15 minutes and found a significant amount of smoke coming from the front main seal. Head gasket seems fine. Compression tested the motor and its still almost perfect.  Reassembled again and went out for a more thorough test drive. Tie rod ends look new and there are no rattles in the suspension or steering at high speed or going over bumps. No whines in the drive terrain either. Front drivers wheel bearing is going out though. It failed the "shake" test. Setting up a real oil pressure gauge now. Just want to make sure the previous owner didn't run the motor too low on oil. After that its disassembly time. |
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Post by greg on Oct 2, 2014 11:53:08 GMT
Applogies for the lack of updates. Only been putting in an hours or two worth of work a couple nights a week. This is my first time working on a miata. Coming from working on Mitsubishi cars all my life, this thing was a breeze! Haven't broken a single bolt yet. Got about 15 hours into it so far and most of that was because I was being careful and it was a new experience. Anyway, some pics! i.imgur.com/JRS2xo2.jpgi.imgur.com/Ud54D8a.jpgi.imgur.com/1BiX7Rz.jpgTo get the PPF out, rather than completely strip the shell and pic it up with a hoist, I came up with a different (safer) method. Since I am selling the chassy, I didn't want to remove any of the body panels. Also didn't want to worry about scratching up the body. The AC system is still charged and completely untouched. I have the compressor supported in the engine bay! The PS system had to come out though but I got the entire thing out in one piece! Started off with jacking the car up as high as I possibly could. Then I bought 4 of these small dollies. i.imgur.com/trONjSN.jpgThe larger dolly was constructed from scrap skids and 4 new casters from Lowes. You'll see what for in a minute. i.imgur.com/iKmcWT8.jpgi.imgur.com/tHAmQlG.jpgUsed two low profile jacks (one under the front frame, one under the rear diff) and placed the 4 carts on either side of the jacks to catch the PPF. This gave me great control with safely and gently lowering everything down onto the carts. i.imgur.com/AYbAAa6.jpgi.imgur.com/NH7STaJ.jpgi.imgur.com/hV9l66e.jpgi.imgur.com/IYEOjNs.jpgOnce the PPF was resting on the carts, the jacks could easily slide out of the way. Now, because the jack stands were in the way, I couldn't bring the assembly out in one piece. So I separated the PPF from the transmission. That's where the larger cart comes in. Once separated, the rear end came out the back of the car, and the engine came out the drivers front wheel well. i.imgur.com/mqISkIu.jpgi.imgur.com/thK4yak.jpgThis is where I'm at. Next step is to remove the wiring, gas tank, steering and pedals. |
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Post by jwagner on Oct 2, 2014 14:02:18 GMT
Great progress - and it looks like your donor is fairly rust free and in really good shape which will make getting the roller skate ready much easier.
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Post by greg on Oct 2, 2014 14:58:33 GMT
I'm still going to powder coat most of it anyway. Bought a full set of poly bushings too.
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Post by ashneyder on Oct 2, 2014 15:10:41 GMT
Great progress and good approach to stripping.
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Post by greg on Oct 2, 2014 15:49:42 GMT
You still want my struts? Got them set aside for you.
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Post by ashneyder on Oct 2, 2014 18:53:48 GMT
I would, except I am not sure when I can make it your way. If I can't find time in the next few weeks, might just have to bite the bullet and order coilovers with tophats from flying miata. Regardless, I appreciate the offer.
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Post by greg on Oct 3, 2014 2:12:37 GMT
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Post by jgilbert on Oct 3, 2014 6:40:57 GMT
Greg, your right to take lots of photos, I'm always going back to mine it check. I noticed that you have a number of bolts that you have removed either on the engine or next to the gearbox. One simple trick I like to do is get a nice solid piece of cardboard (think you guys call it card) you have some in your last photo next to your gearbox. Anyway as you remove a bolt punch a smaller hole in the card than the bolt and then push the bolt thought it. Then write where the box came from next to it. Acts like a shadow board. Makes putting everything back together straightforward. Here's a photo of what I mean. Hope this helps and saves you some time later in your build.  |
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Post by greg on Oct 3, 2014 10:32:16 GMT
If you look closer, many of the nuts and bolts are actually threaded back onto the stud or hole they came out of. Easier to remember that way.
The bolts near the trans are there just because I had just taken the trans off the motor and snapped the pic. They are currently back on the engine where they came from so they don't get lost.
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Post by ashneyder on Oct 3, 2014 15:18:01 GMT
If you look closer, many of the nuts and bolts are actually threaded back onto the stud or hole they came out of. Easier to remember that way. The bolts near the trans are there just because I had just taken the trans off the motor and snapped the pic. They are currently back on the engine where they came from so they don't get lost. I'll be putting the bell housing back on this Sunday. Unfortunately, I neither label nor threaded them back, so I might ping you for info which holes have longer bolts and which are shorter. |
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