Post by dnr on Nov 21, 2017 5:57:29 GMT
Wow it's been awhile since I've updated this thread. I'm chugging along. I haven't taken nearly enough pictures.
I fabricated some brake line brackets out of aluminum. They seem pretty solid and put the flexible lines in the stock position.
Got the steering all sorted out. I had to bend metal brackets of steering column that connect to make it a little bit shorter and get it centered in the firewall hole. Installed an NRG quick release and Sparco R325 steering wheel with a 4" dish. I mocked up a seat bracket out of plywood. I've managed to get the drivers seat in about as good a position as possible. It needs be as far inboard as possible to be able to slide all the way back without hitting the upper frame rail. I notched the outboard side and now the back of the seat is the limiting factor. Putting the sliders at an angle between the cross braces allowed me get the seat low enough to touch the cross brace. I'm satisfied with how I fit in the car now though I would have liked the harness bar to be a little bit lower and the roll bar to be a little bit higher. My plan is to draw up the bracket in a CAD tool and get some 16 gauge steel CNC plasma cut. Then I need to find a shop with a press brake to bend it for me. I'll attempt to weld up the slider brackets myself.
The kit only comes with mounts for an NA radiator. Since I'm painfully slow at fabricating anything and I might turbocharge this thing someday I bought a 949 Racing Supermiata radiator. It's compatible with both NA and NB Miatas so the fan bolted right on after a little cutting. I was able to reuse some rubber isolators for the lower mounts. Unfortunately because the radiator is much thicker than stock the fan supports hit the sway bar. I used a heat gun to bend them out of the way. At least the radiator is pretty!
I mounted the gas tank using M12 threaded rods (I had to drill out the brackets a hair). I notched the heat shield to mount the sump as low as possible. The fuel lines at the top of the tank still seem to be limiting how low I can mount the rear cover. I ran PTFE fuel line along the power plant frame and mounted a fuel filter to one of the M6 bolts on the tank. Need some more right angle fittings to complete it.
I'm trying to keep all the emissions stuff but the charcoal canister is huge! It seems like it will just barely fit under the rear cover if I position it just right. Has anyone done this?
My next (minor) problem is that the NB2 exhaust doesn't fit. The resonator and the hanger hit the tunnel. My plan is to slice open the left side of the resonator, cut it's guts out and weld it back together.
Overall it's going fairly well. I'm still hoping to get it drivable by mid December...
I fabricated some brake line brackets out of aluminum. They seem pretty solid and put the flexible lines in the stock position.
Got the steering all sorted out. I had to bend metal brackets of steering column that connect to make it a little bit shorter and get it centered in the firewall hole. Installed an NRG quick release and Sparco R325 steering wheel with a 4" dish. I mocked up a seat bracket out of plywood. I've managed to get the drivers seat in about as good a position as possible. It needs be as far inboard as possible to be able to slide all the way back without hitting the upper frame rail. I notched the outboard side and now the back of the seat is the limiting factor. Putting the sliders at an angle between the cross braces allowed me get the seat low enough to touch the cross brace. I'm satisfied with how I fit in the car now though I would have liked the harness bar to be a little bit lower and the roll bar to be a little bit higher. My plan is to draw up the bracket in a CAD tool and get some 16 gauge steel CNC plasma cut. Then I need to find a shop with a press brake to bend it for me. I'll attempt to weld up the slider brackets myself.
The kit only comes with mounts for an NA radiator. Since I'm painfully slow at fabricating anything and I might turbocharge this thing someday I bought a 949 Racing Supermiata radiator. It's compatible with both NA and NB Miatas so the fan bolted right on after a little cutting. I was able to reuse some rubber isolators for the lower mounts. Unfortunately because the radiator is much thicker than stock the fan supports hit the sway bar. I used a heat gun to bend them out of the way. At least the radiator is pretty!
I mounted the gas tank using M12 threaded rods (I had to drill out the brackets a hair). I notched the heat shield to mount the sump as low as possible. The fuel lines at the top of the tank still seem to be limiting how low I can mount the rear cover. I ran PTFE fuel line along the power plant frame and mounted a fuel filter to one of the M6 bolts on the tank. Need some more right angle fittings to complete it.
I'm trying to keep all the emissions stuff but the charcoal canister is huge! It seems like it will just barely fit under the rear cover if I position it just right. Has anyone done this?
My next (minor) problem is that the NB2 exhaust doesn't fit. The resonator and the hanger hit the tunnel. My plan is to slice open the left side of the resonator, cut it's guts out and weld it back together.
Overall it's going fairly well. I'm still hoping to get it drivable by mid December...
