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Post by gwnwar on Sept 23, 2015 15:37:19 GMT
There is a drain port on the left front bottom of the tanks. I find it easier to drain tank that way..
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Post by buildercg on Sept 25, 2015 17:39:41 GMT
Work is keeping me busy. I'm hoping to get time this weekend to get this done.
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Post by buildercg on Sept 26, 2015 22:08:43 GMT
I got the roller skate and body separated today, though the body is still still on the crane above the skate. I asked a friend to come over so I can get it moved tomorrow. It was a big unsurprising pop when the rear end came apart. The front was much more tame as the springs were stuck in position which made for a relatively benign separation. A gentle whack with the crowbar after the body was lifted caused the front passenger spring to fling the top hot off and into a nearby bush. I probably should have done THAT differently but no harm, no foul right?  My first attempt on the crane...scary as one of the straps slipped off the crane hook and crashed down just a few minutes after I took this picture.  Second lift much better. I only missed one attachment. I failed to remove the bracket holding the E brake on the rear end and the brake and fuel lines got snagged. The bolt was really rusty and I wound up snapping it off. The fuel tank was also tricky to detached. It turns out that the '92 has 4 bolts holding it and it is also hooked in the rear, driver corner to the body. This was not in any of my books. Simple enough to fix though. A few minutes jimmy'ing with a breaker bar and the tank was free. |
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Post by buildercg on Sept 27, 2015 0:53:08 GMT
I noticed my fuel tank is fairly rusted. I had already planned to replace it with a tank+bladder, now I have no choice as I wouldn't dare to put it on to Exocet. All brake and fuel lines are shot too; it's amazing they weren't already leaking.
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Post by zeitgeist on Sept 27, 2015 9:13:41 GMT
Congrats on the progress. It seems the big 3 steps are the separation of the body from roller skate, Mating the Exocet to the roller skate and the first time starting. Looks like you are past the first big hurdle.
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Post by buildercg on Sept 29, 2015 0:57:38 GMT
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Post by gwnwar on Sept 29, 2015 4:12:26 GMT
Did you remember to take the shock top hats off body.. Gunk and pressure clean before taking apart makes it easier..
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Post by buildercg on Sept 29, 2015 11:30:36 GMT
Did you remember to take the shock top hats off body.. Gunk and pressure clean before taking apart makes it easier.. Yup. They came off easily. |
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Post by einy on Sept 29, 2015 17:26:29 GMT
Not sure if you already posted this info or not - what shocks (or coilovers) do you plan on using with your build? If VMAXX's from FM, they will come with new top hats, etc. if you buy the NA version (which is provided with the upgraded NB mounts).
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Post by buildercg on Sept 29, 2015 17:36:43 GMT
I bought VMAXX Sport from FM. They arrived a while ago. I guess I better go back and look at what's in the box.
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Post by buildercg on Sept 30, 2015 2:34:41 GMT
Einy, you are correct. A full set of top hats in the box with the coilovers. Yeah! Now I have two sets...
I'm looking at making some purchases now and could use some advise on a few items.
My large shifter boot is torn. I can buy a replacement boot from FM for about $30 or an entire kit from Moss for $85. The transmission has about 80k miles on it. Should I get the kit or just the boot?
The Exomotive website doesn't make it clear to me if the kit comes with full replacement brake hardware or only lines (or none!). Does it? What about fuel lines? I have to replace all and need to know if it's coming or I need to source parts.
I'm going to replace my gas tank with a fuel cell, which I've never done before. Can I use the existing fuel pump/hardware from the Miata tank or do I need to replace everything?
I'm going to order the stage 2 Wilwood big brake kit tomorrow from FM with 4 pistons all around. Is it worth going "all-in" and buying the 6 piston front calipers if the car will spend most of it's time on the street (maybe a little autocross or track but that's likely going to be rare)?
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Post by greg on Sept 30, 2015 9:15:46 GMT
Stick with the 4 piston calipers. It's a light car you'll be using on the street. Trust me they are plenty!
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Post by einy on Sept 30, 2015 11:09:39 GMT
Einy, you are correct. A full set of top hats in the box with the coilovers. Yeah! Now I have two sets... The Exomotive website doesn't make it clear to me if the kit comes with full replacement brake hardware or only lines (or none!). Does it? What about fuel lines? I have to replace all and need to know if it's coming or I need to source parts. Use the new top hats that came with the FM parts. They are of the NB design, and (if I remember details correctly) offer more travel than your NA top hats - at least in the rear.
My Sport came with a roll of cuniform (spelling ?) bulk line, and some flare fittings. Reading other posts about the challenges involved with flaring this material to make a leak free seal, and not having professional / hydraulic flaring equipment on hand, I elected instead to buy pre-flared straight steel lines and an affordable (as in $4) tube bender from the local auto parts store. This stuff is super easy to work with, and make exactly the line runs that work best for your layout. I chose to run the front to rear line down the passenger side of the tunnel, using support brackets made of 1/8" x 1" x ~ 3" steel. Those bolt to (M6x1.0) rivnuts that I put in the 1" steel tube that runs along the tunnel bottom, and the lines sit on top of the steel brackets proving a bit of protection. Easy work and all new parts. I did run coated s/s flex lines to each caliper (I think I bought the 949 Racing kit for ~ $100 or so). Even with that the total was < $160 for all new hardware.
For fuel lines, I bought a bulk roll of 5/16" steel line from Summit Racing. (That stuff was pretty hard to find, to be honest, but also pretty low cost.) For my NA, I used the stock tank, and ran 'fuel injection rated' soft lines between my new steel hard lines and the fuel pump, fuel rail, etc. (a lot like the stock setup), with fuel injection hose clamps (not serrated like normal hose clamps) holding them on. The steel fuel line was a bit more challenging to bend than the steel brake lines, but still manageable using a little bit larger $4 bender. I ran the supply and return hard lines right along side the front to rear brake line as described above. One thing I did to was run some high density Tygon tubing over the outside of the steel fuel lines in the couple of places where I thought something might rub against the fuel line (like where the parking brake cables cross them). The Tygon - in the size I used - will rotate around the fuel line, alleviating any concern of eventual abrasion of the steel. Probably overkill, but it made me feel better !!
Rubber insulted steel P-clips hold both brake and fuel hard lines to the steel brackets.
For stock like the steel, I used McMaster Carr. Reasonable pricing, great selection, fast shipping from my experience. Same for most mounting hardware, once I cleared out the local Lowe's supply of s/s button head cap screws, etc. (they must re-stock annually, at best!)
Hope this helps!
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Post by buildercg on Sept 30, 2015 11:51:21 GMT
Thank you very much! This is great info! I've known about McMaster Carr for a long time but never ordered from them.
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Post by buildercg on Sept 30, 2015 11:52:10 GMT
Stick with the 4 piston calipers. It's a light car you'll be using on the street. Trust me they are plenty! Thank you. That'll save a few hundred in the budget for other parts. |
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