KP's Build - Final Assembly

[paultyre]

Great job kp , just wondering how that exhaust is going to end up it seems to stick a long way out of the back of the car .

[Scott]

Looking great, keep up the good work,,,

[safadico]

Do you know whether you will be able to drive it as a miata or it will require DOT paper work, I am in Canada and it is pretty much similar to the states when it comes to vehicle registration
Also if there are any guys out there looking to get a kit, please let me know so we can save on shipping
regards

[Kevin Patrick]

@alexandeharris1981, Andy888, mabbs, jamessid, scott - Thanks for the kind words!

rumbleseat - Hoping for the best, but I expect there to be some slight fit issues with the gas pedal. When I mocked up the panels, it was a pretty tight fit. Luckily there is plenty of room between the edge of the transmission cover panel and the exhaust. That may require a little reshaping, but hopefully not too much. The other option would be to modify the gas pedal and move it to the left a half inch or so.

@paultyre - I will say that this exhaust will not likely be on the car for the long term. I picked it up off eBay so I had something that would pass the initial registration inspection and not look as asymetrical as some of the single-sided exhausts. I also liked the exhaust design because of the location of the connection between the midpipe and muffler pieces.

I figured this would make it easier for me to have a shop create a custom exhaust that attached to the midpipe and hopefully be completely contained underneath the frame. Of course there is always the option of running it without a muffler… I'll have to check the local laws on sound db limits.

safadico - Not 100% sure, but at this point I believe I will have to register it as an "Assembed Vehicle" under current Georgia law. The SEMA Action Network has created an impressive web resource of everything you need to know to register your hobby vehicle by state. Definitions, Laws, Exemptions and all the forms you need. Check it out at www.semasan.com/main/main.aspx?id=62843. They also have information and legislative alerts for the Canadian Provinces.

[Kevin Patrick]

Lots going on for the mother's day weekend, but back to the garage for more progress. The big goal of the weekend was to fix the brake/gas pedal assembly and steering column fit issues.

First up, removing the spacers from the brake/gas pedal assembly so they can be moved to the engine side. This will bring the whole pedal assembly closer to the bulkhead. Lots of fun with the angle grinder, then hit the assembly with some more black paint.



Then reinstalled with the spacers on the engine side of the bulkhead.


I was hoping that would be enough, but after trying to fit the steering column again it became apparent that a fair amount of grinding was needed to enlarge the hole in the bulkhead and move it down to the left. After some fun with the die grinder...


Voila - it fits.


Bolted up the steering column-steering rack connection

(I misplaced original bolt - so I replaced with a grade 8.8 M8 bolt with a lock washer)

And hooked up the steering wheel.

[Kevin Patrick]

Next, took the coolant pipes off the donor engine and cleaned the metal one in the ultrasonic cleaner. Considered reusing the existing rubber hoses, but ended up ordering a new set of black silicone hoses that should arrive later this week.


Now on to the fun of building custom brackets for the new 57mm thick (this is likely overkill…) aluminum radiator. Made up a prototype for the lower brackets out of two pieces of aluminum bar that have been riveted together. Ugly but functional. Needs more shaping at this point to clean them up. Longer term I'll probably have something else designed.



Need to create some top mount brackets next.

Moved back to the rear GRP tank cover and started taping/marking out where it needed to be trimmed down. In general, the MSA-spec roll bar is a tighter fit on the cover compared to the standard bar. Used a cut-off wheel on an air tool to make the cuts.


While the cover was off, I bolted down the fuel tank on the bobbin mounts.


Next up was test fitting the MSA-spec roll bar.




After that I removed the shifter to make test fitting the center panel easier. The seal was broken on it so I will be replacing with a new one from Mazda once I have fit the panel.


Also sprayed a few parts of the the parking brake assembly with high gloss black paint to clean it up a bit.

[fasteddie]

Hi Kevin, your attention to detail is astounding, what is the situation in the States to registering a single build vehicle for use on the road? and have you totaled up your spend to date? i have actually spent more time trying to get photos on the MEV site than I have spent building the Meakon. best regards Ted

[Kevin Patrick]

Thanks Eddie - in the States it is all over the place. Really depends on what state you live in and whether or not you are in a metropolitan area that requires more stringent emissions checks. Luckily, Georgia in my case does not seem to be too bad. They passed some new legislation a couple years ago that streamlined some of the processes and should make the registration/inspection tasks easier. Hopefully that is only a few more weeks away. I'll be sure to go through all the process on the MEV board for other US-based builders.

Total cost is being tracked but I have not added up everything yet. I'll definitely get it all posted up after the Exocet is finished and registered. I hope to show all the donor costs/recoup, parts cost, taxes, shipping, etc.

Glad you got photos working - they look great! I'm sure I speak for everyone - the more the better!

[Kevin Patrick]

Ordered the remaining safety items today - they should arrive next week. Corbeau Forza seats in black vinyl with Corbeau 5-point camlock harnesses and mounts/sliders.





Not much remains to order. Battery/Battery Box and mirrors are all I can think of aside from a few fasteners. Thinking of going with an Odyssey PC545 battery.

[safadico]

very nice build, so far the best detailed build I've followed. BTW thanks for the info in regarding the registration process.
I emailed MEV in regard to availability and timing of new kit about 2 weeks now but didn't hear back from them, is it supposed to take that long before they get to me, next option is to stay up late and give them a call

[tlight]

Kevin, Looking very good. Like the black stealth look. You could look at old style British number plates (see www.classicplatesonline.co.uk/plates.asp) to get the look (not sure if its legal in the US, but might be worth the risk "officer, its an old English car").

As we got the main front sub fab back from powder coating, we're working hard this weekend, to catch you up.

[Kevin Patrick]

Worked a little more over the weekend. The new silicone radiator hoses arrived but I am still waiting on the slim fans that should get here by next week.


After some test fitting, I decided to enlarge one of the stock fuel filter mounting bracket holes so it could be attached to the front right gas tank rubber bobbin mount.


Added edging to protect from chafing


Then moved to the front and hooked up the lines to the fuel rail and fuel pressure regulator.

[Kevin Patrick]

Next was finishing up the brake line attachments.
Front right


Front left


Then hooked up the back pipe and secured with a p-clip.


Then ran the parking brake cables but did not drill final mounting holes yet.

[Kevin Patrick]

Moved on to panels. First, I created cardboard versions to plan out the cuts to make.



Transmission tunnel



Drivers side footwell


Test fitting

[Kevin Patrick]

Roll bar next: drilled out mounting holes and bolted everything up. It was not lining up perfectly so I used the donor jack and some 2x4s to slightly tweak it so the mounting holes on the back side of the chassis would line up.