Wishbones, pain, sheetin and scuttle

No i havent started the wishbones. I wish i had actually, i'm really excited to give them a go. Trouble i'm having at the moment is sourcing the chromoly tube. I've been to 5 different places and no one stocks or cannot get stocks of 25 x 3mm tube.

I have found a place in Sydney though. Going to cost me about $330 delivered for just the 25mm tubing. The rest can be sourced from the Newcastle area and it will be about $150 delivered.

BUT this weekend the frame is getting welded. I've inherited some 2 pac grey primer from a contact, which i'll use as the paint for the chassis. Not too sure if i'll bother giving it a top coat. Maybe when everything is done. I've got the sheet metal guys booked in for either next week or the week after to at least get the floor in and the side and seat back sheeting on.

I'm going to attempt to make the scuttle on Sunday i think. Try and make it using a template. I shall see how the time goes.

Wiring loom and steering culumn support

Another huge weekend of working on the build. Worked till 10 last night again, was up at 7 this morning. BUT the wiring loom is out without having to chop any wires. What a freaking nightmare to get out. It's freaking huge and eventually i'll need to start chopping wires and shortening them to make them all fit properly in the chassis. There is one part of the loom i havent removed yet, and that's the fuse and relay box and the wires to the battery/fuel pump etc which is in the boot. I'll take that out on Friday afternoon to make everything complete.

Next weekend is a definite to get the chassis welded!! Fantastic. My dad is currently putting some thoughts into the engine mounts and said he would make them up because he had a good idea on how to do them. Hopefully he does get around to it or it's another job for Friday afternoon. Also on the cards for Friday arvo will be to mount the seat properly. I'm going to turn up a boss with the correct size threaded hole so i can get it plug welded into 50 x 25mm RHS tube which will act as both the seat mounting points and a chassis brace  in the passenger compartment.

I'm going to attempt to make the wishbones. I'm thinking of making up a few jigs at work to help with the nitching of the chro-moly tube that i'll hopefully buy this week. Need to get about 5 meters of 25 x 3mm tube and 2 meters of 32 x 2.0. Hopefully it wont cost too much, but i can see it probably will. Along with this i'll have to buy some 3mm plate to make the bracing pieces.

List of jobs starting to pile up now.

• Fabricate engine mounts
• Finish last 6 tubes and plates to the chassis
• Weld steering wheel support struts in
• Weld support plate to steering wheel support
• Mount seats
• Weld chassis
• Sheet the chassis and floor
• Wishbone mounting brackets
• Wishbones
• Wiring (probably at least a weekend on this alone)
• Fabricate exhaust. I think if i get a pool noodle and some strong wire, i can create a mock up of the exhaust and get it made properly.
• find radiator to fit front of frame
• Fabricate fuel tank, or at least get someone at work to give it a go. Might try this one myself with assistance from the sheet metal guys at work.
• buy MK2 escort steering rack from somewhere

Thats just the things i hope to achieve in the next 4 weeks. I'm actually hoping that in 4-5 weeks the engine will be fired up. In fact, i actually want the car to be on its wheels and be able to be test driven just before the weekend before Christmas. The family is coming up for Christmas lunch and i'm hoping to show it off :))

OK so now a few pictures from todays effort . . . . . .

Wiring loom, what a mess.

Looking more and more like a car

View from the drivers seat

View from the passengers seat as it's going around a corner real fast.

Large steps with large components

The engine, transmission, diif and steering column all got removed and started to get installed in the chassis. I had to to this to ensure that everything fits properly. So far so good, i've found that the diff fits brilliantly and had to cut a hole in the build table to get the height and the clearance of the engine and sump. The sump hangs 40mm below the chassis. The planned ride height is 100mm so it has a good 60mm of clearance. The suspension shouldn't more anywhere near enough to drop the center of the chassis 60mm.

So no for pictures, it's a bit messy at the moment but thats what you get for progress.

Diff carrier assembly

More work done today as i have to go back to work tomorrow. Bugger. So again knuckled down and got as much of the rear sorted as i could. Unfortunately my calculations may have been a bit out as when i lifted the frame into place, it's moved if forward 15mm. Not too sure how it will go, so the MX5 is now up in the air and i've done a few rough measurements on the diff in situ. Hopefully it will be OK.

Next weekends job is to remove the diff and put it into the chassis and check dimensions and clearance. Should only take an hour or so, and then i can attempt to get the engine and gearbox out, split them and start giving them a wash. Hopefully i can lift the engine and gearbox into the frame and also see how they fit. Big plans for 2 days.

The bloke who is going to come and weld the chassis will be coming on Wednesday to have a look at how big the job is. I'm reckoning that there will be at least 2 days of work due to the heat being put into the frame.

And now for pictures . . . . . . .

Almost done - just a few more supporting braces.

Bracing in. Waiting on the plates from the laser cutting bloke.

Beautiful

More progress - including diff carrier

So knuckled down again today to continue. Seeing as the welder is coming, Dad mentioned it would be a shame to not have it completely ready to go for him in case he could get more done. So i continued on.

Also my mate with the Recaro seats from the RVR came around with one to test fit it. They actually fit worse than the Mazda. So we made a few ammendments and cut out part of the transmission tunnel top brace, and one of the diagonals in the side of the chassis. IT FITS. Just need to do some modifications to the chassis to keep it's strength.

Clean work space for the welder to come on in and do his thing, that was until i got talked into doing more stuff.

Showing the only bit that when i look at it, i feel isnt right. It's not symetrical. Although it actually has to be this way. Hmmmmmm.

Before cutting to fit the seat in properly

After cutting the frame to fit the seat

Rear cradle going in.

Schmick looking. And complicated, but will work fantastically. Fingers crossed the diff mounting points are exactly 600mm apart.

Progress

It's been a while since i worked on the car. So here's an update as of this morning.

Only need to cut and weld in 3 more members for the main chassis to be ready to weld. In two weeks i've got a mate who is a ticketed welder coming to give me a hand turning my bird shit tack welds into works of art.

For now, heres me attempting to drive the chassis.