Rotus Upgrade - Part 1 is done

[slngsht]

next up: wiring, interior, front suspension.



I was worried the 305 on 18" wheels would look crazy on the car, but in person, they look mean. Fronts will end up with 275 17's. In these pics, the fronts are 225 15's.



http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/slngsht/Dash/CIMG1383%20%28Medium%29.JPG





http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/slngsht/Dash/CIMG1384%20%28Medium%29.JPG





http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/slngsht/Dash/CIMG1385%20%28Medium%29.JPG



<edited><editID>slngsht</editID><editDate>2007-04-20 09:00:08</editDate></edited>

[slngsht]

... and as much as I would love to run with no rear fenders... they will be here in two weeks

[Al Navarro]

Where's my green spray paint?



Also, are those DOT legal rears you are running? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif



WAIT...I just noticed that you don't have any bonnet louvers — are you going to cut any in?<edited><editID>Al Navarro</editID><editDate>2007-04-20 09:17:39</editDate></edited>

[slngsht]

Where's my green spray paint?



Also, are those DOT legal rears you are running? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif

Yes sir, they are. Although they are approaching the end of their life. Nitto 555 Extreme R II.



WAIT...I just noticed that you don't have any bonnet louvers — are you going to cut any in?

Probably not before 7/7/7. Maybe sometime in the future. I liked them on the old hood, but I also like the smooth look.

I had also set my mind on polishing the aluminum, but I'm not sure if I'm going to start that quite yet.

[Al Navarro]

i was kidding about the tires...I could see the tread pattern somewhere there. But at least you have the required 2 grooves!



But more importantly...how's it run/feel now?<edited><editID>Al Navarro</editID><editDate>2007-04-20 11:04:51</editDate></edited>

[sb427f-car]

Good...when can I get a ride!?!? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif

[slngsht]

Good...when can I get a ride!?!? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif



This weekend will be good... i'll be tearing things apart shortly to put a new wiring harness in, redo the interior, and redo the front suspension.



She's a bit of a mess now, but if you can come my way, we can take her for a spin.



I don't want to take her far, because without the windshield and fenders mounted, it'll be an easy target for a few tickets.



Send me a PM if you can come down my way.

[Al Navarro]

How'd you get Franken home? Did Dennis flatbed it over?

[stevet]

Don't start polishing the Aluminum, Mazda, it's a pain in the (')&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif

[slngsht]

He has a dolly that I borrow from time to time. It's not suitable for long distance towing, but good enough for a 50 mile drive.



She is driveable. I think the battery has finally given up the ghost.

[R1 Seven]

Mazda - that thing is really starting to look mean. The fat meats on it really get the proportions looking right. It should be a monster when you get it back going again.

[slngsht]

Thanks Jeff.



I did a brief run today before I loaded her up.



I had 4.10 with open diff and 225's before

now, 3.42, torsen diff and 305's



before, 1st and 2nd were compeletely hopeless (1/2 throttle would result in complete wheelspin in 2nd, even at 2000 rpm)



Today I just went down the road, rolling from 2nd, about 1000 RPM, put my foot into it. I didn't have instrumentation on. Felt like the tires held fine until about 3000 RPM, and then started spinning again. Definitely an improvement.



As soon as I get her together again, I'll post up some new 0-60 times. My Nittos are almost all gone too, so new tires will help.

[locostv8]

Next is the AWD option?? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/Smiley_surprised.gif

[slngsht]

I have to stop soon http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif

[solder_guy]

Tires and proportions look good. Are you glad you got the bigger Rotus than the smaller Caterham?

Rob M.

[slngsht]

Tires and proportions look good. Are you glad you got the bigger Rotus than the smaller Caterham?

Rob M.


I'm not sure. I'm happy with the Rotus, but I'm certain I would've been happy with a Caterham too.

What I love about this car is that since it is not "perfect", I feel free to do WHATEVER to it - and as you can see I'm not holding back :lol:

[slngsht]

Well, starting to cut pieces for the lower Aarms. Hopefully will be ready to weld 'em up by this weekend.

In the picture shown, there will be a plate and bracket welded over the tubes near the ball joint sleeve, where the lower shock mount will be.

The front will be considerably wider than before, not good for autox, but it will match the rear (actually, about an inch wider)

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/97492811_LowerAArm1.JPG

[slngsht]

All the pieces for one Aarm are cut... need to do some smoothing and sanding before welding 'em up tomorrow. Maybe even before this weekend.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/26411713_CIMG1409.JPG

[slngsht]

Possible tail light candidate?

http://www.glowgauges.com/productimages/taillight_auctions/CTL_0072_IT.gif

[slngsht]

3 of the 4 Aarms are almost done. Still have to weld the shock mount to the lower aarms and the chassis.

Weld quality is nothing to brag about, but it'll do.

I went with .120 wall 1" tubing. I had bought .050 wall tubes, but after welding it a little, I decided it's much safer to go with the .120 (with my welding skills) :D

Note the high tech support system for the upper aarm :). I ordered the wrong tapered reamer, so now I have to wait for the new one to arrive. I did drill an extra blank rod end (the one in pic is not drilled), and the process worked out very nicely.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1160954458_CIMG1417.JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1277909572_CIMG1416.JPG

[solder_guy]

Note the high tech support system for the upper aarm :)

Looks great! Great DIY!

Rob

[slngsht]

A couple more welds and this side will be standing on its own :)

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/171730213_CIMG1423.JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1157596177_CIMG1422.JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/892748737_CIMG1421.JPG

[slngsht]

Well, she's standing on her own two feet... barely.

The change in geometry of the front is significant. Before, the lever ratio for the spring was 1.1 (1" wheel travel = 1.1" spring pickup point travel), and the spring was almost upright.

Now, the ratio is .82, and the spring is at about 45 degrees, so as you can see, my 225 lb spring is cranked all the way, and the car is still leaning to that side. I need about a 430 lb spring to have the equivalent of what I had.
It was a tad stiff before, so I'll try 375 or 400 lb springs. The good news is, before, my shocks almost had no adjustment range... out of 1 - 15, by the time I got to 5 or 6, I might as well had a steel rod in there. Now I should have better adjustability there.


http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/454505572_CIMG1424.JPG

[slngsht]

Well, it's time for a beer :cheers: Wheel is bolted up, and she's standing on her own. I did several drop tests by taking the car up, and releasing the jack. So far so good :D

The Aarms for the other side are about half done. I have to order some more goodies from McMaster to take care of the steering, and should be good to go... probably another week or so.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1544620745_CIMG1428.JPG

[solder_guy]

Congrats !! Well done!

Rob.

[slngsht]

Still a long way to go, but most of the problems ahead of me are simple ones. Last night, I finished the other lower Aarm, and I still have 2 more welds for the other upper one. It sucks living in a development. Can't grind outside because of neighbors, can't grind in the garage because kids are sleeping just above :banghead:

Steering tierods are the next big thing, and after that, I just have to adapt the brake line fittings, get the right length bolts, and align her.

[powderbrake]

You can't rest.... 7-7-7 is coming...got to keep working :crazy: :crazy:

[Al Navarro]

Odd to see your car without the inboard suspension! See you Sat.

[solder_guy]

You can't rest.... 7-7-7 is coming...got to keep working :crazy: :crazy:

Me too .. BIG time ...

Can't grind outside because of neighbors, can't grind in the garage because kids are sleeping just above :banghead: ..

Yeah .. I'm working in a carport after hours .. after dark .. and I'm always afraid of disturbing the neighbors who sleep twenty yards away ..

Steering tierods are the next big thing ...

Save the old ones .. for us Rotus mortals!

Rob

[slngsht]

Save the old ones .. for us Rotus mortals!

Rob


I'll probably have to chop 'em. They didn't come off voluntarily

[locostv8]

PB BLASTER

[slngsht]

Both Aarms are done :hurray:

Time for another beer :cheers: (Pretty soon I'll need to get more beer)

http://usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/975242130_CIMG1431.JPG

Taking a break tomorrow to join fellow seveners at Carlisle :thumbs:

[slngsht]

Well, got to spend a couple more hours today, and got the tierods done.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1882300140_CIMG1435.JPG

To get the approximate length of the tierod tubes, I wanted to doublecheck them on the car. As a quick and dirty cross check, I used a laser level (on the middle tire) to shine a beam on one of the grooves of the rear tire, and used that as a reference point to make sure the front wheel is reasonably straight. It's not good enough for alignment, but is accurate enough to make sure I have the right length tierod and adequate toe adjustment.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/512215456_CIMG1433.JPG

Although the car won't be done by this weekend, my goal is to take her for a test drive on Saturday.

[slngsht]

what a frustrating night... went from parts store to parts store to try to find a way to adapt the brake line fittings. No luck :banghead:

[scannon]

what a frustrating night... went from parts store to parts store to try to find a way to adapt the brake line fittings. No luck :banghead:
Not sure what you are trying to adapt but I found most parts stores have lengths of pre-made brake line with a fitting on each end.

For my clutch line I needed to connect the Caterham master cylinder to the metric Mazda slave cylinder.

I bought one line with metric flare nuts and one with British flare nuts. I cut off one end of each, moved a metric flare nut onto the British line and made a new flare. The metric end goes into an afertmarket Miata braided line and on to the Miata solid tubing the rest of the way to the slave cylinder.

Skip

[slngsht]

I've done that before, and that's what I was hoping to find... but oddly enough I couldn't find any that fit either the old fitting, or the new one with the caliper.

I was at a Carquest store earlier today that had the individual ones in his hand. I'll go back in tomorrow. Hopefully I can get something together.

Advanced Auto stores are hopeless.

[locostv8]

Mazda
You might have to replumb back to the master.

[Robert O. Urfer]

Do you have an aeroquip store around? We actually have two custom hose shops around that mainly deal with heavy equipment but they are open to the public.

Does this mean you will be selling your old braided stainless brake lines? I need them. I have the crappy rubber ones with springs around them and they are going to break any time now.

[slngsht]

You can have my braided one... I'm sure aeroquip is somewhere, but don't know where.

I do know where Grainger is, so will be stopping there today.

[slngsht]

You can have my braided one... I'm sure aeroquip is somewhere, but don't know where.

I do know where Grainger is, so will be stopping there today.

[slngsht]

Mazda
You might have to replumb back to the master.

That thought did cross my mind... not a big deal if I have to do it.

[Robert O. Urfer]

Here is a link that might help you locate someone in the Baltimore area.

http://web.fluidpower.eaton.com/public/distributorlocator/DistributorLocator_Public.aspx

[slngsht]

Looks like the local speedshop has what I need. I'm waiting for the parts to come in today.

While waiting on that, I decided to wrap up the wiring and fired up the computer. All the wiring is routed, and 90% of it is in loom. Just have final clean up left.

I fired up my new (to me) LCD. I think I'm going to be very happy with this one, although it is heavy. Unlike my old one, you can easily read this in direct sunlight (pointed directly at the sun, high noon). Notice the brightness even with the drop light right near it.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1779066783_CIMG1520.JPG

[solder_guy]

Very nice tech display you have there .. makes my car feel so .. ... .... 20th century!:)

Rob M.

[slngsht]

Some days are just frustrating. Apparently I ordered left hand thread bolts from McMaster instead of right hand thread :banghead:

Speedshop got the right brake hose :hurray: but forgot to order the adaptor piece I needed to go with it.

I think I worked on the car about 2 hours today, and got NOTHING done.

[11Budlite]

"I think I worked on the car about 2 hours today, and got NOTHING done."

Been there, done that... :banghead:

[powderbrake]

That beats working on the car all day..... getting something done.... then realizing that night that you have to undo it all because you forgot the muffler bearing has to go in first.

[slngsht]

Well, another day of falling short of my goals :nonod:
Plan for tonight was to completely finish the brakes (after tracking down all the right adaptors all week).

Everything is in place, but the damn thing won't bleed all the air out. I think the master drained too low, and needs to be bled, or there are trapped bubbles somewhere.

I will get a vacuum bleeder tomorrow and try with that.

I will also be getting the right springs, and some nuts and bolts to get this thing tight and ready for a test drive.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1878635734_CIMG1524.JPG

[solder_guy]

Everything is in place, but the damn thing won't bleed all the air out. I think the master drained too low, and needs to be bled, or there are trapped bubbles somewhere.

I will get a vacuum bleeder tomorrow and try with that.[/img]

Looks great! Patience .. never fun to bleed without help from a friend.

Rob M

[slngsht]

it took my friend to come over and keep pumping the brakes. There may still be a little more left in there, but they're in decent shape now.

I'll be putting all the final bolt hardware on tonight. It will all have to come apart again for cosmetic cleanup, etc... but after my test drive.

I did drive her up and down the driveway today. :thumbs:

[slngsht]

Well, the front end is all bolted up.

Thanks to a tip by Locost V8, I went to sears and bought a digital level (with zero reset). I made camber measurement very easy.

I've already realized my upper aarm design pretty much sucks for adjustment. It has to be taken off and adjusted. I do have a better design in mind, but it'll have to wait until after 7/7/7

Wiring and dash tomorrow, and maybe I can take her for a spin Sunday or Monday.

[locostv8]

Here is a URL about the level http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1362 I had been looking for a digital protractor to no avail because there was no way I was going to pay that much. These are nice with magnetic on one edge and a laser. In pairs you should be able to do most anything you would need to do in fab work.

[slngsht]

Wiring and dash tomorrow, and maybe I can take her for a spin Sunday or Monday.

Wiring is complete, but I still need to make a few adjustments to the dash before it goes in.

Nose cone is going to need a little massaging as well.

THEN, I should be able to go for a spin. With all the family stuff this weekend, Monday is optimistic.

[slngsht]

Trimmed the nose cone, fixed the radiator mount, and threw the hood on.

Took her down the street and back. I have to look at the ackerman angle. It seems to suffer from the same problem as vette... in slow sharp turns, one of the front wheels skips a little.

Brakes are much softer than before. Probably have to bleed them further, but could be due to dual pistons up front.

Finally a few pics:

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1876650090_CIMG1558.JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/988296296_CIMG1557 (Small).JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1498002907_CIMG1556 (Small).JPG

[solder_guy]

I have to look at the ackerman angle.

What is this angle??

How are the tail lights fastened? Close up pic?

BTW: This is not the same car that you bought from the Custer estate! :d

Rob

[slngsht]

What is this angle??

How are the tail lights fastened? Close up pic?

BTW: This is not the same car that you bought from the Custer estate! :d

Rob


Ackerman angle refers to the difference in angle between the inside front wheel and the outside front wheel when turning. Basically the inside wheel needs to complete a turn with a smaller radius than the outside wheel, therefore it needs to turn more.

If you draw a line perpendicular to each inside wheel, and those two lines intersect the line that represents the extension of the rear axle of the car, then you have correct ackerman geometry.

However, that's not always desirable, due to flex or slip angle of the tires during cornering. The topic is very finely researched, so I won't pretend to understand all the issues involved.

My tail lights are temporarily hanging there. Won't mount them until the rear fenders are on.

You are right, my wife keeps reminding me how much of the car is still left :lol:

[locostv8]

From what I have read on Capitol Cobra Forum the laws in MD almost rewquire that you get a car with an old title and update. Bet if felt good to take it up and down the street under it's own power. The relative advantage/disadvantage of ackerman other that at very slow speeds is greatly contested. Threads I've reat on C-C seem to indicate the need even on a track car. FWIW the Fox Mustang has either none or very little ackerman and no caster. These are amont the first things that need to be fixed on that car when unscrewing the front suspension. IIRC you can add ackerman by sinking the rack back toward the axle centerline.

[slngsht]

From what I have read on Capitol Cobra Forum the laws in MD almost rewquire that you get a car with an old title and update.
Fortunately, I already have historic tags :thumbs:

[locostv8]

Fortunately, I already have historic tags :thumbs:

The advantage of a 25 year old car.

[slngsht]

The advantage of a 25 year old car.

There aren't many... I'll take what I can get :yesnod:

[slngsht]

My goal was to test drive this weekend, AND I DID!

Finally rolled the car out of the garage at 9PM tonight, sat in the driver's seat, turnd ignition on, and NOTHING :banghead: Fortunately it was a loose battery terminal.

Got in, fired up, and went for a 2 mile roundtrip test drive. Nothing crazy, just 30-40 MPH, some bumps, a couple of zig zags to see how the car feels.

The brakes are still soft (waiting for more fluid). Steering is fine. My earlier problem must've been due to poor toe adjustment. At least on this short drive it seems fine. Steering effort is good.

Front springs are a little softer than they need to be, although my shocks are set at their softest settings, so I'll stiffen those up a bit before going to heavier springs.

I'm far from done. I'm stripping the paint off the cowl (all the layers - this car was red, then brown, then green, with some primer in between). When that's done, I'm going to make a new sheet for the vertical section of the cowl. then mount. After that, I'll have to finish the interior.

[slngsht]

Moving right along... next on the list is the cowl. Through various stages of this car's life, it had many big holes punched into it, so I decided to replace the sheet metal there.

Stripping is still not totally done - it took for ever to get it here.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2113958967_CIMG1559 (Small).JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1653384548_CIMG1561 (Small).JPG

[BusaLoco]

Mazda,
You are absolutely amazing! ...
Have you ever considered that by the end of your re"build", you will have successfully reverse engineered a (not so) "LOCOST"? ... :d

[slngsht]

Mazda,
You are absolutely amazing! ...
Have you ever considered that by the end of your re"build", you will have successfully reverse engineered a (not so) "LOCOST"? ... :d

:lol: Don't remind me...

I think somebody (maybe it was solder guy) asked me if there is anything left of the car I bought. I have thought about that, and here is the list of what's left:

Frame, radiator, rear skin, top part of the cowl, floor pan, vertical sheetmetal behind the seats (I'll replace that at some point).

I think that's it. Definitely not the low cost way of getting to where I am.

On the positive side, I'm alot more confident now that I could actually design and fabricate one of these cars on my own, witha few exceptions, such as using an english wheel. So, maybe the enjoyment has been worth it.

I can definitely call it MINE :)

[slngsht]

Got all the fitment issues are resolved, and she is sitting in. Just need to file, and rivet.

I need to find out how to get the brushed finish on the cowl.

The gap on the passenger side of the hood should go away once I put the weather striping in.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1729889162_CIMG1562 (Small).JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1134280977_CIMG1563 (Small).JPG

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1496472474_CIMG1564 (Small).JPG

[MHKflyer52]

Hi Mazda,
I use a pice of fine sand paper to get the majority of the large scratches out then I use a green scotch brite pad and then a rust red scotch brite pad to finish it. If you want the little circle pattern then you will need an electric drill motor that you can make turn at very slow speed and a small sanding disk that will fit into the drill with some fine sand paper and a lot of time as it is very time consuming. I painted my cowl after the second time and now the only things that is not painted are the hood and the rear skin and the side pannels. When doing the hood and side pannels use long straight strokes with the sand paper and scotch brite to get the best results.
Have fun.

[slngsht]

Tomorrow is the big day for the first main test drive. Plan to drive her for about 30-45 minutes through backroads... sort of a shakedown run. Hopefully it won't involve a tow truck :blueangel:

I'm also going to test the effectiveness of Reflectix. If it keeps the heat out, i'll be covering the tunnel with it before the black vinyl goes in. Right now it's just held on there with blue painter's tape, but it will get metal ducting tape for the real job.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/894129987_CIMG1565 (Small).JPG

[slngsht]

so much for a test drive today :nonod:


http://images.allbrittontv.com/wjla/dlarge.gif

[R1 Seven]

Wus! :jester:

[slngsht]

None of my Aarms are powder coated yet... there'll be some quick rust.

Not only that, I almost put my vette in the wall after it hydroplaned on these tires at 50 MPH. I think I'll wait :)

[solder_guy]

so much for a test drive today :nonod:

consider yourself blessed! We've had no rain in 6 weeks!! The drought is hitting the southeast really really hard! Some municipalities are reporting that their source for water has dried up. No water at the intake at all! Neighbors are asked to police eachother about illegal outdoor watering of plants. :nonod:

Rob

[slngsht]

Well, since I couldn't drive today, I decided to move right along on the interior. Only had a few hours, but made decent progress...

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/770944383_CIMG1568 (Small).JPG

The center console cover is over Reflectix insulation, and is snapped into place on the bottom of each side. It still needs to be fastened near the back to get rid of the ripples.

Redid the driver side inside skin. Still need to do the passenger side. For whatever reason, the contrast in materials between the seat and the covering looks amplified in the pictures.

[slomove]

consider yourself blessed! We've had no rain in 6 weeks!! The drought is hitting the southeast really really hard! Some municipalities are reporting that their source for water has dried up. No water at the intake at all! Neighbors are asked to police eachother about illegal outdoor watering of plants. :nonod:

Rob


Oh dear, talk about drought: only 4" of rain in Los Angeles....since last June. Compared to 15-30 inches normally which is not that much anyway. Makes for good blatting, though :d

Gert

[slngsht]

I'm almost there...
Both side skins are covered... the tunnel is cut, but ran out of rivets :nonod:
The back cover is just laying there at this point.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/17537045_CIMG1573 (Small).JPG

[powderbrake]

I believe you will find the heat insulation to be a good investment. I covered the passenger footwell with the aluminized mylar with fiberglass backing, as well as the whole passenger side ( my exhaust is on the pass side), and it remains as cool or cooler than the drivers side. The stuff really works.

Your car is really coming together, and just in time.

[slngsht]

Well, took it for a 20 mile drive... AND CAME BACK IN ONE PIECE!!!

Actually the car behaved very well. I didn't push it very hard. A few loose ends prevented that. First, I forgot to change the PCM parameters for rear end ratio and rear tire size, so the speedo was slow and I didn't really know my speed. I need to adjust the position of the brake pedal. For some reason it seems slightly higher than before and makes it hard to heel and toe. I also forgot to turn up the shock settings... they were both at the lowest setting.

Car tracked straight and seemed responsive to quick steering inputs. I didn't get a chance to push her to the limit to see if she understeers or not.

I did pull away hard from a stop sign and got her about 30 degrees sideways :thumbs:

[slngsht]

little nugget from today's drive. My friend was nice enough to follow me, since I was missing a tail light and had no rear view mirror. He recorded a little bit of the drive... this is probably the best part - just for the sound at least:

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/slngsht/stopsign.wmv

[soareyes]

You seemed to get very small very quick there! :lol:

Sounded great too! :hurray:

[locost7018]

Excuse me but that did not look like you were going 30mph!!!!! Looked good. And sounded better. Your almost there. Russ

[WestTexasS2K]

Looking good. Just a month 7/7/07 are you going to make it? I really wish I could go. I saw Brian and Jerry had to give up thier spot. But I have a house that I am suppose to landscape for a parade of homes it has to be done by 7/15/07. I just don't see how I can make it work it would be alot of fun hanging with all the folks on the site putting names to faces. We will see what happens.

[slngsht]

Looking good. Just a month 7/7/07 are you going to make it? I really wish I could go. I saw Brian and Jerry had to give up thier spot. But I have a house that I am suppose to landscape for a parade of homes it has to be done by 7/15/07. I just don't see how I can make it work it would be alot of fun hanging with all the folks on the site putting names to faces. We will see what happens.

At this point, yes I'm pretty confident... 3 weeks ago, I was pretty worried.

You are superman. You can leap states in a single bound. :lol:

[slngsht]

Continuing with work, mounted the windshield today. Corrected camber on driver side, and machined these little things for properly mounting the heim on the upright for the steering.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/99292043_CIMG1592 (Small).JPG

Hopefull by noon tomorrow, rear fenders will be on.

[slngsht]

Took her for another spin today... this time remembered the camera :)

Most of it is me driving like a grandpa

YouTube Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYktrfYnuj4)

[Boxologist]

coming along well. get 'er fit 'n' proper and u'll soon be set. the suspension seems to have worked out well on routine roads. be interesting on its new abilities on some ... more proctive roads:smash:

[slngsht]

coming along well. get 'er fit 'n' proper and u'll soon be set. the suspension seems to have worked out well on routine roads. be interesting on its new abilities on some ... more proctive roads:smash:

It is SO tempting to let 'er rip, but I have to wait for an autox... those trees on the side of the road are not very forgiving :)

[powderbrake]

I would love to see a closeup video of the display as you rev it up. It really appers to be bright and viewable.
As to the car....... Fenders ?..... We don't need no steenkin fenders!!!

[slngsht]

I would love to see a closeup video of the display as you rev it up. It really appers to be bright and viewable.
As to the car....... Fenders ?..... We don't need no steenkin fenders!!!

Seriously, If I didn't think I'd be given a workover in case I get pulled over, I wouldn't bother.

I put on about 130 miles on the car today. Mostly highway miles. Car tracks straight and true, and if you don't watch it, you'd be cruising at 90 all day, humming along in 6th gear.

The purpose of the trip was to get the rear fenders, and here they are. The lights are mounted temporarily for the trip home. That'll be my project for this week.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/867821991_CIMG1595 (Small).JPG
http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/541619685_CIMG1596 (Small).JPG

[slngsht]

Took her out for a night drive last night to test the brakes. I'd have to say, this is the biggest improved area. It feels awesome.
This vid has a closeup of the gauge display for Jerry, and a little bit of night driving.

YouTube Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHOscf_wVR8)

[powderbrake]

Great display. What's that center right gague that occasionally gores to max? I assumed oil pressure or fuel level.

[RXseven]

Mazda,

Great work. One question, though. You may have answered this already, if so point me to it and I'll look it up, but... Why did you decide to go with a double wishbone system instead of a rebuild of the Rotus rocker top arm?

John

[slngsht]

Great display. What's that center right gague that occasionally gores to max? I assumed oil pressure or fuel level.

Yes, that's the fuel gauge, and since i have no baffling, it goes all over the place.

I can read any parameter the PCM has access to, plus up to 8 other analog I/O, such as a wide band O2, if I get the sensor.

The bar on the right hand side is TPS

[slngsht]

Mazda,

Great work. One question, though. You may have answered this already, if so point me to it and I'll look it up, but... Why did you decide to go with a double wishbone system instead of a rebuild of the Rotus rocker top arm?

John

John, I wanted to upgrade my 15" front wheels to something that better matched the 18" rear, widen the front suspension (again to match the rear), and go with bigger brakes.

I decided on uprights from the C5 vette.

Those uprights are designed to take the spring load from the bottom Aarm. The Rotus suspension used the upper aarm as a cantilever beam for picking up the spring load. I was concerned about the top part of the vette upright casting cracking under that load.

I can still convert to an inboard suspension very easily by using a pushrod design.

[RXseven]

Thanks, Mazda. It all makes sense now!

John

[slngsht]

man, I am feeling SO unmotivated to work on the car now :lol:

It partly has to do with work picking up, and partly has to do with me wanting the car to be ready to jump in whenever I have 20 minutes.

I worked on her for the first time in a week tonight.

Russell Strough had graciously given me his old seats from his Birkin (yes, Tim Allen's azz was probably in one of these seats at some point :lol: ). The seats are pretty nice, but since they are not bolted in, and they are smaller than the old seats, they would slide around a bit. Also, their rake didn't match the slope of the back area, so they rocked.

I took some 2" thick pink insulation, and cut several sections to shape to position the seat at the correct angle. The side benefit is that the seats don't slide around anymore either.

As for my front suspension, the plan was to take it all apart again and powdercoat it, but that means I have to work on the car again... hmmm... not sure if that's gonna get done before the dragon.