curly

iTrader: (25)

I'm no expert, but it looks like you're overcooking your solders just a tad.

Feel free to post up a MS build thread in the MS section, you can change the title from "help me build my MS" to "help me tune my MS" when you're finished. With experts like Brian, Ben, Reverent, Jeff, Wayne, etc, you'll be running in no time.

samulis

You might want to read this. Even tho it is TDI Westfield there could be good ideas about IC etc.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=247471

SteyrTMP

Well, I cleaned the garage out yesterday to make room for the metalshaping tools. Took these a few days ago:













She's pretty big into driving games, as well as her Hot Wheels Viper...

SteyrTMP

My dad called and said he just flashed the firmware on the MS3. Yay!

SteyrTMP

Well, I'm on the final stretch... Thankfully, my dad is quite good at reading/understanding electronics.

Front:



Here's the back side:



Here's the bolted unit:





You'll notice in the dim cellphone photos, that the LEDs are not sticking out, they are being used for internal purposes and would be useless under the scuttle, so I taped some electrical tape on the inside to cover the holes.

Woke up the other day to find this:

So right, and yet so wong...

JasonC SBB

Sorry I'm late to the party, but, was there no way to fit the turbo in the "normal" location with some kind of shorty tubey manifold design?

SteyrTMP

Nope. The turbo, wastegate, and downpipe would all have been sticking out of the side of the motor, not to mention sitting on top of the brake system. It'll work, although it'll all be in the higher RPM. Not to mention, there'll probably be some lag, but it shouldn't be too bad.

samulis

But this still gives false idea, there isnt even this much room, pics lie more than thousand words.

SteyrTMP

That looks like it'd be a +442 chassis as well. Mine's a standard book frame. Very little room for anything. As it is, I may have to massage a power bulge into the right side to clear the throttle pulley, as it's over the line a tad.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

wow talk about wheelbase.

samulis

Sorry OT

Westfield, even my friends 2.0 NA makes anything else feel like pedal car. Our club's +200hp miata's feel sad slow compared to it.

This is what happens when it is build like the mad ones here..
Hayabusa turbo and way under 1000lbs

SteyrTMP

I believe the wheelbase is 97.5", nose to tail about 13', and in the back, 72" from fender to fender.

Even with the relatively stock N/A setup, it pulls pretty well. As it is 1550lbs right now, my final goal is 300whp, 1500lbs.

SteyrTMP

I haven't posted here too much; I should remember to post here whenever posting on Locostusa.com/forums. I have been going to school at New Castle School of Trades, and have been pretty busy lately.

Well, good news or bad news first? Fine, good news first. Yesterday (Friday) I woke up bright and early (8, which is unheard of for me), went outside and set up the Seven for another drive to the OHP Inspection office to have the VIN installed. Once I checked everything over, I placed the paperwork, my wallet, and my phone in a ziplock freezer bag, as there were chances of rain. I was going to initially put it off until next Friday, as they inspect on Fridays only, but it looked like next Friday had even more chance of rain, so I figured I'd risk it. I was slightly concerned of the MegaSquirt getting wet if water got between the firewall and the scuttle, but I brought a roll of saran-wrap as well just in case it rained.

So I headed out, the hour long drive, and dropped the car off in the bay for them to install it, after going over it while trying to figure a good place to locate the VIN tag--somewhere visible, and somewhere they could get their screw gun to drill holes. I would have preferred to have had it installed on the actual firewall--the steel plate by the pedals, not the flimsy sheet steel behind the scuttle. Oh well.

Once that was finished, I headed off to Chardon, where my parents live, as it was sort of on my way, and I figured the title bureau as well as the license bureau would be relatively empty.

Upon reaching the title bureau, they proceeded to tell me they wanted 100 bucks and change in taxes, which irritated me, but I did so.

Next stop was the license bureau, who wanted another 40 odd dollars for plates. Oh well. I was at last driving a legal car! I headed home, debating on bringing it to school. I decided not to, as there were slight chances of rain towards the end of school--which ended up being untrue. Figures. However, I am glad I didn't...



Trimmed side exhaust. The hole was hacked, and the tip needs to be filed to clean it up. I am going to make an aluminum shield shaped somewhat like a teardrop to keep the future paint from getting damaged. I think I will screw it on rather than rivet, so I can replace if necessary.

I have been noticing some noises from the transmission for quite some time now. From the occasional rattle while in neutral, and the shifter in neutral, to a whine in fifth. For the last few months, I've been noticing a more pronounced rattle in the low gears, and with the last few long trips to the OHP barracks and back, it has become even more pronounced.

So today, my buddy came over, and were going to use the mill to work on some gun projects, after doing his brakes. We headed out to grab some lunch at McD's in the now-legal Seven, but it was starting to have a screeching noise from the transmission, and on the main road towards McD's, it started to catch when it screeched. I quickly coasted to a sideroad in fifth, as it was the only gear, including neutral, that would not catch and stop the car. I then managed to limp back home by feathering the fifth gear.

Wonderful! Catastrophic transmission failure. I had to use more money that I have already just to get the plates and tags, and now the tranny's toast.

So I called one of my other buddys, who happens to have my engine hoist holding his newly rebuilt 350, and told him to bring it over.

Once he got over, and John had finished his brakes, and I had returned from dropping the wife and daughter at the monster-in-laws, we started tearing into the Seven.



The usual culprits. John on the right, Dave on the left.

::sigh:: The day after registration, and the car's down indefintely.

We worked for a while, taking the turbo out with it's manifold and exhuast all in one piece, which makes it much easier to withdraw--although the steering has to be completely removed to get it out, from the shaft all the way down to the steering rack--followed by the radiator and intercooler. All plumbing was removed, as well as what little wiring is left.



Radiator, plumbing, and intercooler removed.

The wiring itself didn't take long, as there are only 6 or so connectors left on the car after the Megasquirt and the weeding of the wires.

We then hooked up the hoist to the engine, unbolted the mounting points, and out she came. It really didn't take that long. We took a few hours, but supper was inbetween them, along with a bit of talking. In all reality, the peripherals, i.e. the turbo, wiring, and plumbing, too more than the engine itself. That and John spent most of the time in the driver's seat, pretending to drive it. Heh--I think we may have another recruit in the future...



Not much left. Exhaust gone, making it pretty easy from here on out.





It's hot in here! I just noticed the cam/dust cover. The manifold got hot enough to melt it. I will have to see if there is an aftermarket metal decorative cover to replace this, as I know this is going to happen again, especially once the turbo is actually supplying boost. Eventually, it is going to get coated and wrapped, which may help, but until then, this is going to be a problem. Last thing I need to do is heat up the timing belt.



Almost out. Little bit of guidance, and we're good from here.





Looks barren. Note the little wiring left now. Makes life a lot easier. One thing I should consider is installing a single connector between the megasquirt and the engine, so next time it has to come out, I can simply disconnect one connector and go from there. It will be seriously considered. I just need to count the wires to find the right connector.





All by it's little lonesome. I should freshen up some things here and there before putting it back in the bay.

Once it was out, we removed the transmission, and looked for damage. Nothing external, nor anything visible by looking down the tailstock, but the oil by the clutch looked like siver sludge, so I have a feeling there will be parts inside.

I am going to take it to school with me Monday, as the Auto class is going through manual transmissions currently, and they will be able to take it apart and figure out what is broken. I am pretty sure that the bearings are toast, from an over-sized driveshaft. When it was made, I figured out the length, but must have had maybe .5-.75 or so extra. When it is placed into the engine, it pushes a little. I never thought much of it, but from what I am told, that can shred bearings pretty fast.



Here's the culprit. I have a bad feeling about this...





The driveshaft as seen prior to removal. I wish I could find a good picture of a Miata with driveshaft-to-transmission correlation.

So now I have to figure out if it'll be worth reparing, or more practical replacing. Either way, I am going to have to figure out something else, or it will just happen again. I have to figure out if it is the un-toothed end of the driveshaft spline pressing against something inside of the transmission, or if the male spline in the transmission is pressing against the end of the driveshaft female spline. Either way, I plan on shortening both. I'll take some of the un-toothed spline off, as there is about an inch of empty steel, and probably will remove half an inch off of the male end of the sline in the transmission as well. Both will be removed using a mill with coolant, so heating shouldn't be an issue, and I'll cahmfer the edges to fit better once done. I hope that will work, otherwise I'm screwed. I highly doubt it will be cheap to shorten the driveshaft, although i'll have to look.





Here's the area I should be able to remove on the driveshaft...







Without having it taken apart, I cannot tell if I need to shorten this, the driveshaft spline, or both to keep it from pushing again.

Now that the engine is out of the car, it leaves me to thinking. I don't want to paint the frame until all of the panels are finished and the mounts for them are welded on. However, with the car stripped down mostly, I am highly tempted to have it stripped bare and send it for acid dipping and painting. I can always remove paint before and touch up after welds. We'll have to see where I can have that done, and how much it will cost. I'd really like to use POR15 on the frame, but I don't know if I can afford it, and weither or not powdercoating would do about the same.

Time will tell. I plan on removing all the panels during the week, and hopefull will have a diagnosis by Monday night. I will post once I hear something.



Good night.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Sucks about the tranny. Wish I had a locost, but it's probably never gonna happen.

SteyrTMP

Sure you can. Not expensive, and can be done in increments. About 200 bucks buys you the frame and some of the plate required for floor/panels. Donor is up to you; if you can find a Miata for cheap, you're pretty good there. Suspension can be made--I can make everything except rod ends/ball joints, obviously. Springs and struts can cost some, you have to check around. Drive shaft is about 300 bucks, depending on where you get it done. Some a lot cheaper, some more. I would say I have no more than 5k into mine, and I haven't been exceptionally frugal either. It's been done for 2500.

Nate

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Ha! It's not the cost. They are, after all, locost. It's the fact that I live in NYS, and they are nearly as bad as Cali when it comes to restrictive car laws. In fact, I think that they are worse in some ways.

Building a car I could never register would really be a waste of time.

SteyrTMP

I'd make it, tow it to a more friendly state, with some you can rely on (I know a few you'd get to know on the LocostUSA.com forum that could help), have them register it in that state, then transfer it to yourself in your state. I was about to do so with mine if they were to give me more hassles. Ohio isn't exceptionally self-built friendly either. I'm sure not as bad as NY, though.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

I believe I read that you posted something about this being a standard book chassis. Is it? If you had to do it again, would you go for one of the wider or longer versions? Did you weld it yourself or purchase the frame? What kind of rear are you running? Do you think an additional couple of inches in width would give you room to mount the turbo in a more conventional manner?

SteyrTMP

Rleete -

"I believe I read that you posted something about this being a standard book chassis. Is it? If you had to do it again, would you go for one of the wider or longer versions? Did you weld it yourself or purchase the frame? What kind of rear are you running? Do you think an additional couple of inches in width would give you room to mount the turbo in a more conventional manner?"

Well, it's almost an inch UNDER book size. The book has some discrepencies, and I ended 20-odd millimeters under size. But otherwise, yes, it's book frame.

If I had to do it again, there are obviously so many different things I would change. Which may come to be, as there is another Locost chassis hanging from my garage ceiling at the moment, with a 4G36 motor and Supra rear end all sitting under it.

However, my next personal build will be a LMP (Le Mans Prototype) based car. Mid engine, probably 1300-1400cc bike motor. But if I were to redo a Locost, I would do the 442 (4 inches wider, 4 inches longer, 2 inches higher) or larger, as I am slightly cramped in the cabin. I'm 6'1", and mostly legs, so my knees are up to the dash, as with most other vehicles. I'd probably extend the cabin by several inches--up to 6". The engine bay would probably have to stretch a little, but hopefully not too much. The engine would be an S54B32 from a 2003-ish M3. It would have pontoon fenders, which would require some major modifications compared to what I have now. Also, it would have a closed cockpit, much like a 962, or the FabCar Porsche Grand-Am car of the early 2000 era. It would probably be removable, but it would be streamlined, so the rear end would most likely be at least a foot longer, with a total length close to 14 inches, a width of over 6" (as mine is 6" wide now). The goal weight would be similar to mine now, at 1500 lbs.

I built my own, with an overall tolerance of .5mm. I would be willing to help build other frames as well, as I have both MIG and TIG welders.

Width would possibly allow a different turbo, but I think most of all was the size and the shape of the exhaust housing that limited my location. No matter what I did, it wasn't going to work out. I think a book frame could house a turbo in the correct location, just not with a stock Super 16G. A 14G or small 16G would be more likely, but with funding, an off-the-shelf turbo from Turbonetics, Garrett, or another big name, with more choices of housings, would net a more realistic result. It could be done. I just wasn't lucky. It's fine with me, I don't mind showing off the manifold or the fabrication that was required to go with it. If I could figure a location, and the money to replace the bearings, I'd throw on the M45 supercharger I have as well. It'd be one interesting car..... Keep your eyes open, I may try down the road.

curly

iTrader: (25)

Ask and you shall receive.



That's a stock 1.6 transmission, drive shaft, power plant frame, etc.