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Dec 19, 2017 14:16:22 GMT
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The short of it is that I have another deadline. The wife has bet another $1000 that it wont make it to the paint shop by the first day of summer 2018.
That means I have to have the interior done, still get some kind of rain-wipers, get car safety inspected and insured and body block sanded so that can happen. Oh, and a bunch of minor mechanical stuff to tidy up like the battery location and conversion to EFI.
So, I need some low hanging fruit to cross off the list.
Chassis swaps turn out to be the easy part. It is everything else that takes time and $$$.
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Dec 19, 2017 14:56:59 GMT
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I think the car is great, the interior looks fabulous and the wipers are ALWAYS a nightmare. I need a team of engineers to get them to work in anything I build.
Yep, chassis swaps are in fact the easy part, sometimes wiring bits can cost in the thousands! This is a really cool car and it's going to be sweeet! Summer paint goals, crack on then- here you go!
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Dec 19, 2017 18:20:51 GMT
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easy solution... don't crash. in fairness though I do like running my fingers across a bit of daisys rse on a wheel. |
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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joeytalent
Part of things
ITB Everything.
Posts: 440
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There's a chap who did a minimalist MX5 dash conversion, removing the centre console and relocating the switches:  Possibly a little hard to see from that picture, but I can dig up a link to his build thread if you're interested. Edit - there's also a "shorty" centre console you can get here: www.jassperformance.com/shop/little-devil-short-console.html |
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Dec 20, 2017 16:43:13 GMT
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There's a chap who did a minimalist MX5 dash conversion, removing the centre console and relocating the switches: Possibly a little hard to see from that picture, but I can dig up a link to his build thread if you're interested. Edit - there's also a "shorty" centre console you can get here: www.jassperformance.com/shop/little-devil-short-console.htmlThis I like A LOT. And it is doable. The only thing that might keep me from executing now is that I want to keep moving ahead. To do this properly I need the time to execute and that will keep me from putting the dash in and moving on to the next task. |
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joeytalent
Part of things
ITB Everything.
Posts: 440
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Dec 20, 2017 17:13:55 GMT
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If you put an (almost stock) MX5 dash in the car, is there anything stopping you swapping it for a modified MX5 dash in the future? I would naively think that as long as the mounting points are the same, you could keep that as a future improvement.
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Dec 20, 2017 17:18:12 GMT
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Slow but steady wins the race. With the dash decided, time to attach it. The 4 bolts on the tunnel were a no-brainer because it is a Miata dash bolted to a Miata. Miata uses two bolts angled in from the sides to hold the outer edges of the dash. Can only see these with the door open.   Easy enough to make up 4 angled brackets.  Now all I have to do is figure how to get some molten wire from the MIG gun applied to the brackets. Lack of room for much of anything, and certainly not going to get a helmeted head in there. These might not end up being the prettiest welds. Good news is I only have to tack them in and then I can pull the dash to finish the job. Pete |
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Dec 20, 2017 18:42:24 GMT
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Last Edit: Dec 20, 2017 18:43:17 GMT by strikey
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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Dec 20, 2017 19:45:05 GMT
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At this point I agree that the dash can go under the heading of future improvments. Easy enough to snag another one when it comes up at a good price.
The gauges above really would suit the car. I wonder what is involved besides a bucket of $$$ to convert? Looks live V8 roadster item, might go look!
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Dec 20, 2017 19:54:07 GMT
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Last Edit: Dec 20, 2017 20:06:02 GMT by strikey
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,361
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Dec 20, 2017 20:12:58 GMT
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Can you get your arm in with a spray can of weld-through primer? Use that to mark the location of the brackets for an initial tack with the dash off. Trial fit, and if all is good, buzz them on.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Pretty sure I can get a Stevie Wonder tack on the bracket. I will use the wire stick out to locate the edge and pray.
It has been suggested that a smarter man than me would have built in a little more leeway into the dash mounts. I will find out tomorrow night.
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joeytalent
Part of things
ITB Everything.
Posts: 440
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Dec 21, 2017 14:17:20 GMT
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The OTT gauges are from a Japanese company called AWD (ArtWorks/Dewa).
KG Works ones come up every now and then on eBay, but they normally fetch ridiculous money.
I promise I'm not addicted to interior MX5 parts...
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Dec 21, 2017 16:59:45 GMT
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The OTT gauges are from a Japanese company called AWD (ArtWorks/Dewa). KG Works ones come up every now and then on eBay, but they normally fetch ridiculous money. I promise I'm not addicted to interior MX5 parts... After spending way too much time looking at and day-dreaming about dashboard design, I have concluded that function and budget is going to rule over form at this point. There is about $10k left in the budget to get the car done, and dropping the money they want for some of the fancy dash stuff does me no good. I have less in the engine than the AWD stuff would have cost! Sorry to report that my reading found that Dewa San has passed away. Besides, the whole point of this project is to avoid custom systems and most of what I see that I really like triggers major work with the HVAC and ICE system. Think how ridiculous I am going to feel on June 21 2018 as I fork out another $1000 bill to the wife unit for missing a deadline due to an aesthetic roadblock that I created and then had to finance myself! |
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Dec 22, 2017 15:58:29 GMT
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27-FIT AND ATTACH DASHBOARD TO CAR -DONE  It is from a seemingly endless list of trivial task such as this that one completes these damn builds. Four brackets attached to the A pillars and 4 hours consumed over two nights in the shop ( 3 calendar days) to get the job done. Tells you how the years add up on these projects. Not my prettiest welds and the brown smudge tells you that I was only partially successful in doing a good weld prep getting rid of the primer and what not. But they wont fall off. Bit of the grinder and some paint and this should all look presentable. Got a start buttoning up the two cowls where they meet. Or more like "Meet after I beat the bejezzus out of the tin". Started with a gap as demonstrated on the RH side  The LH side looked the same until I applied a few newtons to the Miata tin so that it would co-mingle with the Volvo cowl. Then, when it was dazed and confused from the beating, I hit it with the tin glue-gun  That forms a nice strong box section in the cowl area. Actually a double box since the original Volvo structure is still in there and intact for the most part. Should help keep this chimera of a car "cowl shake" free. 15-GET SOME FORM OF WIPERS WORKING Is now back on the critical path to getting the project over the cowl/dashboard system hump. I have been circling a solution while doing the dashboard mount, but now need to finish the fabrication and validation. To anyone ever thinking of doing this: If you want the resulting car to be a real car that you will actually drive, you need to execute the dash system to a high standard. This is going to be your office and whatever you don't get right is going to be in your face all the time. Also, going in after the fact is never easy if it involves removing the dash and all that entails. |
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One of the realities of a project like this is budget exhaustion. It is a point where you have just finished one big part of the project and started on the next. You would think that these milestones would be a huge motivator, and they are, until you hit the budget cliff. This is the point in a project where you have to dip deep into the pool of fiscal foolishness and remind yourself that you don't care how much it cost, and that while the finished project wont be worth a quarter of what you spend, because that is not the point anyways, and pull out the credit card in order to secure parts that MIGHT get you over the next hill. To that end, the following commponents are on the way to the shop The hideous Miata wheel has to go away. The good lady who will be driving demands MOMO and this is her selection ![]() Seat wise, the covers for the beat up seats are on the way. Color  So if I don't screw it up I should end up with something like this: I have ordered extra fabric to do the door cards and amy other interior trim required.  And lastly,, I have ( kinda out of desperation ) ordered this bit of kit for the wiper dilema that I am still fighting. I really wanted the original Miata motor to drive the system, but it is not happening short of a full on Rube-Goldberg mechanism. The principle of this kit is abit too close to the system on my MGB and so many other BMC vehicles of the past. But at this point, if it gets the job done, I will be happy.  So, hopefully this lot will get me over the current hump and on the way to actually driving this summer...only 171 days till deadline. |
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Jan 22, 2018 11:01:13 GMT
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Drove over the border and picked up a big haul of parts on Saturday. Kind of overwhelmed with were to start so I picked the suspension as a defined task. Not five minutes into that, I find that the sway bar wants to occupy the same space as the lower radiator hose. I put this down to poor planning on the part of Volvo. So, six hours later, a solution is figured out, I have dug through the scrap-metal pile, cut weld grind, drill, curse word something up and redone and voila, the sway bar now clears the rad hose. As a bonus, the lower mount makes the rad shroud that I am going to fabricate a bit easier by moving the sway bar down. Initial test confirming that it will work.  Simultaneous to that, I am installing the new coil-over suspension...  And since we cant let an opportunity for scope creep go by, I also decide to reverse a previous decision to leave the stock 200,000 km rubber suspension bushings in place. I had the energy suspension bushings just sitting on the shelf, so why not use them ( I actually have a few reasons for not using poly suspension bushings ). Anyways, a job that should have taken a few hours is now going to take me a week or two by the time I press the old bushings out find a source for the silicone lube, install zerk fittings and get it all together! |
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Jan 22, 2018 13:10:20 GMT
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the interior you are designing certainly fits the space very well. I think adding the wood trim will certainly be appropriate. I too love wooden rimmed steering wheels, but understand the dangers and tactile feel not being to some folks liking. I like that Momo wheel too...
Oddly enough, what bothers me the most is that automatic shifter!....any other more sporty mechanisms that would work there?
I'm trying to visualize how the dash will look in relationship to the whole car... I think the shapes of the dash will fit the shape and proportions of the cars design overall quite well.
get the colors right for the interior and you should be all set!
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Jan 22, 2018 13:21:09 GMT
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Unfortunately, interior design is not something that I have a lot of experience or aptitude for. Will do the best I can.
As to the shifter? Keep in mind that the automatic transmission is the whole reason this project got off the ground in the first place. That said, since it is designed from the start as a GT rather than sports-car, it might actually fit the bill better than a manual. Horses for courses and all that...
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Jan 26, 2018 17:00:38 GMT
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Progress on four fronts The new coil over suspension is installed. Along with the coil-overs, I decided to swap out the original 200k km rubber suspension bushings for the Energy suspension urethanes. I did this because I did not have a way to verify the condition of the factory rubber bushings. And yes, the bushings are a royal PITA to swap out and I think that every surface in my shop is now coated in icky silicone lube that I hope will prevent squeeks. ( 15 years with the MGB and no issue, so fingers crossed)   On the wiper front, I am going with a cable driven system that is very similar to the Lucas systems. I was able to integrate the aftermarket spindle into the Volvo mounting so it should give me a easy path to finishing off where the wipers come out the cowl. On the right is the factory spindle and on the left is the new wheelbox grafted into the factory tube. Fingers crossed this will work.  |
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