That's pretty much what the rest of this end up doing one way or another.

The goal of this exercise is to make sure that every bit of the air that goes through the nose has nowhere to go but through the intercooler and radiator cores. How pretty it ends up being is completely up to you. Most guys end up slapping together something out of stolen coroplast election signs but you are a huge step ahead with the ABS and skills to use it. If you want an example of function over form, check out Hustlers tape and zip tie abomination. It ain't pretty but its damn effective.

So you know, no pressure ;)

Also, keep in mind that you can consider the IC, radiator, and piping at the front as part of the car's structure. You can make it tight -- don't need to accomodate movement like you did with your engine air filter. If you look at how the factory air guide joins with the undertray and car structure to seal, that's what you're after.

My red car had a flat panel on it like you've built. I could see a gaping hole to the bumper inlet from the wheel well. That's not what you want. The red car is reverting to the factory pieces (which are pretty darn good) -- but obviously I don't have to deal with an IC on that car.

Your gonna want to duct/box in your intercooler/radiator together you will overheat otherwise. Your stock gauge may say your good but the stock gauge doesnt move over till around 230 and thats too damn hot. I stop pushing the car at 220. My car never sees 230 that just doesnt sit well with me

I'm workin' on it Scotty tryst me! ;)

This is Rev. 3 so far, this is just about perfect. Need to make a few tweaks for the intercooler hose holes but it fits like a glove and fills all the void space on the side of the intercooler and radiator.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396478380

Where in the world are you getting all this plastic? That stuff looks like its perfect to fabricate stuff like this.

Back when I did my door panels I accident bought a 48x96 sheet of it haha. I have tons.

Haha, awesome. Is that the guy on Ebay selling 48" X 96" sheets of 1/4" black ABS? I bet shipping was monstrous

Hey Jeff, how easy is it to heat and bend the ABS? Do you just use a heat gun and a bending brake?

EO2K I bought the plastic from a local sign&advertising company. 1/8" textured ABS plastic. Once you get a few bends in it it become incredibly rigid and won't flex.

Yezzir I score area I want to bend 1/16" deep and then radius the edges then go over it with a heat gun until it starts becoming pliable. Then I just use the garage floor or 2x4's and apply equal pressure till I get the shape I want. Nice thing about ABS is that you can reheat the plastic several times and not have it break on you. Just gotta make sure to heat it enough and it won't crack.

Also buy a linoleum scorer/knife. I used to use a dremmel/exacto/hack saw but none of them can give you a perfectly straight line like a linoleum knife can. Plus it cuts fast too. Worth the time to do it by hand rather than machine for the straightness and less mess/melted plastic.

That part is friggin' perfect. Your buddy FAB should buy your template and sell these with his intercoolers. Awesome job!!

You'd have to cut off the lower bumper tabs to make this one work, but it looks like it will be a good fit.

You guys should have never introduced me to eBay cheap goods. Laziness to price ratio was to good for these. I feel like I should go post on club roadster now though...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396491902

I for one think the GV style front lip will look great on your car. How much for the R package rear lip? I need one!

I picked up both as a packaged deal for $95. I think I saw the rear lips go for around 70 by themselves.

I was worried the GV lip would look too ridiculous on the car but after looking at several pictures it seemed to mesh better than the factory R lip.

OK pretty much all done, need to tweak some stuff here and there but I'm finally happy with it. Question is, did I do a good enough job sealing up the intercooler air pressure region?

One of the tweaks is cutting an inch into the lower left corner and pulling the corners in tight against the factory skid plate.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396503887

Really happy with how perfect the intercooler hole came out.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396503887

hole into the engine bay is nice and tight too, and it actually helps pull the hose off the sway bar bracket. I may add a little bit of rubber to the edge of the plastic. Even though these parts don't move much I'd still like to avoid rubbing a hole in these very expensive flyin miata silicone.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396503887

You seem to have done A LOT better job than most of us have managed to accomplish. I'm taking notes to see "how its done" :bigtu:

A little bit of sacrificial rubber never hurt nothin'. Its a good idea, one I plan on implementing when I get around do actually getting my shit together.

Keep up the good work man, some of us are still taking notes.

I usually just cut a length of silicone vac line and then cut it on one side length wise. Makes great little gaskets around edge corners. Just slip the slit over the edge and then press it on the sharp bits. Done well for me in the past for protecting things near by, or rubbing against it.

Got the front lip on. It's amazing how much it changes the appearance of the car. It's like Portia De Rossi all of a sudden got an upgrade to a C-cup; you wouldn't care either way because my god, it's Portia De Rossi, but it doesn't hurt!(such a shame all that is wasted on Ellen)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396512741

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396512741

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396512741

And I haven't adjusted the headlight lid just to bug a few of you!

*edit* Also the angle makes the lip look off but it looks fine in person.
:dealwithit:

Just loosen the 3 big bolts/screws that hold the headlight assembly on the car and wiggle it around, that will solve most of the headlight problem.

Wow I am now on the hunt for some of that plastic... Seems like it comes in very handy!!

OMG! that ducting is beautiful Jeff! Very very expert indeed.

Jeff, Do you happen to have the dimensions for the piece you made?

Ill measure it for yah. Thanks Sven! And yes, I've used this plastic everywhere, its great stuff. $60 for a 48x96 sheet is cheap too.

I made an undertray for the GV lip years ago using 1/8" ABS plastic, textured on one side.

https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...oo-long-18521/

I also bought it locally from a plastics/sign place. It wasn't too expensive and the material is pretty easy to work with. My undertray saw hundreds (thousand?) of abusive track miles and very high temps near the downpipe on track, and I never had any problems with it. After parting that car out, just last year I repurposed that undertray to make an airdam for my STL Civic race car.

Point being, I think ABS is great for stuff like this if you can find a place locally that sells sheets of it. Jeff did a great job making the "air guide" out of it, looks excellent!

The TSI's don't bug me as much with the front lip. The ducting looks like a production piece that I would over pay for off a random vendor website. Keep up the good work!

Started on the rear lip. This is going to be a bitch since I have dual exhaust cutouts, so I need to cut the lip in 2 places and then curve it just perfectly otherwise I'm sure it will look like ass. Also with the mudguards I need to cut some notches into them and somehow make it look good too.

For some reason on the front lip I forgot I had trim piece strength 3M double sided tape. Going to have to remove it and put some on since it made this so flush against the body.

Having 5 or so vice grips helps the adhesion really well. I did sink in 2 bolts/nuts for extra strength too.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

I also took some measurements for those that are considering making the front air dam as I did. Yours might be a little different though so be sure to take your own measurements before you cut!

Length of the bottom

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

width from the center of the bottom part

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

Length of the side vertical section

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

Width at the top of the vertical section

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

Width at the bottom of the vertical section

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396551096

You are the MAN Jeff! Thanks so much!

OK, second compliment on the same thing, but that IC duct is really nicely done.

I think this may be mt.net's most popular thread ever. Getting close to 200K reads. You blew away the kitten and cat thread some time ago.

Where's FAB? He needs to be selling these ducts as an option with his intercoolers.

Fae's thread is still #1 at the moment with over 244k views followed by the 2jz build thread which is just slightly ahead of Jeff but I doubt that will last.

I have been making call's all day and I cannot get a solid answer about getting a sheet of ABS plastic. It's not like I live in the middle of nowhere either.... I am in South Jersey for crying out loud! I have tried sign shops, glass stores (I got a tip that they might be able to help me, but no luck yet), etc .... Looks like I might have to order it online and get nailed with shipping :yippee:

You plan on doing the lip with the mud guards? I've always thought the rear lip and the mud guards together looked weird, mainly because of the way they have to join each other.

Your work never ceases to amaze...

Did you call all the advertising companies or people who make the VOTE FOR THIS DICKHEAD signs? Ask them if they can order any from their material provider.

If those companies don't pan out then google plastic supplies companies. Those who work with the raw material usually will have it. That was my original source but they needed a minimum amount ordered and only had it in 1/4" thickness.

You are seriously too kind. I'd have to make a REV.4 to be ok with providing a template to Bryan to sell. Also what you are't seeing is all the holes I had to drill into the factory undertray, add screw fasteners, and pull the undertray/tug/tweak it so that is would screw into the ABS plastic. The undertray is about 1.5" higher than the plastic so the undertray needs to be pulled down to connect it to the air dam. Easy if you don't mind taking the undertray off. Did you understand all that? Been a long day of interviewing 20+ applicants so my brain is fried.

I think the reason they always look weird is because people tend to cut the lip rather than the mudguards. Or, when they cut the mudguards they don't take into account the curve, so there is a gap.

I'm pretty much going to take the long and finicky path and do it all with a rough rasp file and test fit it 50 billion times to ensure I don't take too much material off.

Also Yezzir here is a rough google search of various plastic manufacturing companies in the jersey area. They both stock ABS so maybe try calling them and asking for some material.

1/8" Textured ABS plastic sheeting

Company Info | Plastic Supplier | Plastic Distribution and Fabrication

About Us

There's a local plastics store close to where I live. They stock large sheets of ABS so I'll check that out for future projects. Thanks though! Good luck with the mud guards.

Both look good, imho, but the lights looks cleaner and more refined. I'd have been fine with the TSI's but I think once I get the car back on the ground the lights will look better.

*edit* Also the nice thing about the side markers is that the rear side markers are less smoked then the fronts. Less likely to get shit from the cops with the rears being less tinted.

Before

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396582610

After

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396582610

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396582610

Omg yeeeeezssssssss

Where is the +1000 props button, when you need it...

For those looking for ABS Amazon has the one sided textured stuff. 24x24 is around $18 shipped with Prime..

10/10 would prop again. Disregard my previous comment about the TSI's looking ok with the lip; this looks so much better.

Links to what I found ABS wise


Not sure if right thing. I'm going to swing by the local sign place. If they have it I might get a few sheets for anyone local.

Looks a bit too small ... The largest sheet listed is 24x48 .. Probably need a longer sheet

Dude, I love you. I'm so glad you take our advice when it's given, because that looks 100x better in my eyes.

Can't wait to see this thing on the ground.. outside in the sunlight.

Propped.

edit: are your fenders rolled yet? Probably something you should have done pre-paint if not, because those wheels even with 205s are going to need a mild roll. If you do end up needing to do it, make sure to rent a proper tool and use a heat gun+go very slow and you should be able to do it fine without cracking the paint.

Hmm I didn't think about the fender rolling, will the 225's really hit the fenders?

I think the only reason the car has turned out as good as it has is because I take the advice of all you guys. Think of how many times I was going to go in one direction due to laziness or naiveté and then you guys suggested a different route and it turned out better.

You guys have owned/tinkered/wrenched on these car for years and years. I've only owned one for 6 months, to ignore helpful insight is to shoot oneself in the foot.

If anything we need to call this car a collaborative Miataturbo.net build financed by Jeffbucc Inc; our mission statement, "we spend Jeff's money the way it should be spent" or "we make Jeff's dreams come true by forcing him to do the right thing by going many nights without sleep". Either are true and both are without regret because the car has turned into something that I never thought I could possibly create.

I never have made a build thread before and never realized the value in doing so.

Much love ya'll

I have basically the same wheel setup, mine are 15x8 +25 and have 205/15 595 rsr's on them. I had to roll my fenders to keep from rubbing, if your tires are bigger you will definitely need this.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396638924

Before you go baseball bat (or yucca stump) on your car, you might want to look into Shuiend's thread about the legit fender roller. https://www.miataturbo.net/1337-spea...cribers-61549/

lol, i agree. If you read my previous reply i recommended a legit fender roller with a heat gun.

That said, mine came out awesome and I have no regrets ghetto rolling them. I used a heat gun too, and actually there was minimal paint cracking, not that i really cared.

Oh I know, I was just using that as a segue into my link, because it looked funny :rofl:

Also, I fucking hate yuccas.

Yeah, it definitely needs a roll and maybe even a pull. If it's going to sit any lower like you want it to, it's going to do this every time you turn right into a slightly steeper driveway

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4854/0214101520.jpg

I'll have to see where I can rent one or borrow someones, those things are expensive.

Rear lip is all finished. Still haven't cut the mudflaps yet. I need your opinion on how it looks, I've been looking at it for too long...

Might sand it a little more but I think I got the angle cut pretty accurately.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396652568

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396652568

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396652568

Stop working for 30 seconds and click the link I posted :bowrofl:

I skimmed! I'll check it out.

More pictures for the hell of it! Took it off the jacks to see how it looks, I'm always surprised by how small this thing is after I take it off the jacks.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396655565

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396655565

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396655565

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396655565

it's looking great!

Add wing or not add wing, that is the question. I think I like it with out the wing, just looks really low and mean without it. Plus I hear the wing causes issues with the trunk staying open and upright.

Without

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396656758

With(wing is roughly tape to the trunk so it isn't perfect)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396656758

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396656758

I normally don't... but this time I like it with the wing.

WITH wing imo. Looks awesome man.

I think I like it better without -- probably because your paint looks so nice it doesn't need the "help." Have a side view?

I don't like that spoiler on it, but I think the KG Works (among other productions) duck tail type spoiler looks great. It ties the GV front lip to the rear of the car.

Side view for The Hornet

It is growing on me a little. Seems to add a little width and fill out the rear a little. I just have never really liked spoilers though, so we'll see.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859

I ordered a battery tender in the hope that it will bring my battery back to life after 6 months of sitting in the corner. I figured $35 is cheaper than $150.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859

The REAL fun and hopefully the end of my car not running begins tonight. Finally got my connectors after about 10 days of waiting, I did 3 day shipping so I was pretty annoyed it took so long. Sadly I need to cover a shift for one of my employees tomorrow so I can't pull an all nighter...I COULD, but I would have a hard time faking my "Jolly Jeff" persona with customers.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859

TB connectors on the right and the new injector connectors for the RC750's on the left.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1396669859