The Eppic Offroadster
 

**Since Photobucket did it's thing you might not be able to see many of the pictures. If that's the case, try this. Worked for me. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...giikdkpmcpkaon
I'm using Imgur now**

Well, I needed a winter car. There's a whole pile of Miatas around here so I figured it would be easy to slap one together quickly. Well that's quickly turned into a "build a brand new car" build. Everything is getting stripped and refinished.
The plans for this are not just another cool Miata. No no. This will be another Eppic Miata. We say top secret but really, we get too excited and just want to share our creativity with people. Hopefully another week or so of hard work and this new project will be rolling.
Onto the pictures:

Sorting out what parts to use.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...a86bc4099a.jpg

Rebuilt steering rack
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...3dd02c2bbe.jpg

Subframes out and getting ready for prep
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...7645874b49.jpg

Stripping things right down to the are bones
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...72db2c7e0d.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...8eca87ef69.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...3936395e59.jpg
Had to move the shell out to sand blast the engine bay. Fastest way to get work done is just do it yourself.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...254b4de9ec.jpg

Parts go in the oven to be baked and gassed out before sandblasting and then powder coated.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...2cd8c55ff5.jpg

Subframe all cleaned up and ready for coating
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...941f2d71b2.jpg

Interior is fully stripped.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...44d74b54ad.jpg

And the list continually grows larger and larger.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...315be50675.jpg

Golf clubs! RHD!

What's the actual goal for the car?

Blood orange, gold, and high gloss black
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...685441f5d5.jpg
Metallic Merlot
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...2570c62933.jpg

That was a messy job. Fully sandblasted engine bay.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...3eb0f07a51.jpg

Sandblasted and rustproofed the floor.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...c1be697f4a.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...b123696675.jpg

Parts take up all 2 levels of the shop.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...426d5658bd.jpg

Bed liner installed...
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...d6222b10bf.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...067448341c.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...e6ab6b9817.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...8f3f5a626a.jpg

Grounding might be tricky

This is looking pretty good.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...899f050971.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...70131fa348.jpg

Looking good all installed.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...8ce297ae0c.jpg

slowly figuring things out and getting things in order. Biggest problem now is that I can't decided what I want to dip and what I want to powder coat.
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...psjwbv8q3u.jpg

test fitting a dinky little 1.6L
Attachment 182807

parts came in. Got them front wheels on loosely so I could roll her out of the shop. Have to work on some customers vehicles every now and again

Attachment 182808

Front Calipers rebuilt and powder coated.
Attachment 182809

Lots and lots of sandblasting.
Attachment 182810

And more and more powder coating.
Attachment 182811

looks pretty good mostly assembled.
Attachment 182792

onto the rear. burn out the old bushings.
Attachment 182793

more sand blasting and rust coating.
Attachment 182794
Attachment 182795

Bed liner installed on the rear sub-frame and wiper cowel
Attachment 182796
Attachment 182797

and the reassembly begins as I wait for the heavy cast parts to heat up enough to flow the powder.
Attachment 182798
Attachment 182799

I had to throw the towel in on the sand blasting late afternoon before I was done cause it started snowing. Figured I'd go start planning where to build and igloo and keep my dog sled...

Crazy how that took 2 hours. That's just the top half. Haven't even got to the bottom half where the really gross stuff is. Tomorrow is going to be another long day of blasting. But then the hard stuff is over.

before
Attachment 182800
after
Attachment 182801

before
Attachment 182802
after
Attachment 182803

​​​​​​​Rust coating applied. Hopefully tomorrow i can get the bed liner in there and start putting things back together soon.

Attachment 182804
Attachment 182805
Attachment 182806

I live a couple miles down a gravel road and have had slammed miata's for years. This time we are going the other direction. ;)

Why no roll bar?

Why 1.6L?

Why?

Slowly but surely things are getting coated and slowly coming back together.
Attachment 182780

And bed liner is finally covering everything now.
Attachment 182781
Attachment 182782

had to make it juuuuuuust right.
Attachment 182783
Attachment 182784

well, It's been a while since I got anything productive done on this guy. I've been very sick the last week. Before that I spent a week converting part of my shop into a paint booth for winter, and had a whole lot of yard work and clean up to get done before winter is here, that's life eh. But alas today I finally got back at er a bit even though I'm still super sick.
Paint is starting to get applied to the parts that will be hydrodipped. I guess I'll let the secret out...

Camera's and fluorescent don't like each other so these pictures don't do justice. This stuff is BRIGHT!
Attachment 182785

interesting thing happens with the camera when you turn the lights off.

Attachment 182786

Attachment 182787
Attachment 182788
Attachment 182789

started getting the rear assembled. (temp shocks just to roll it around)
Attachment 182790

apparently snow is due for next week wednesday. I better get a hustle on. Ol Spitty probably wont do to well in the snow. Turbo loves the snow though. Maybe I'll have to quickly build a dog sled and get him to pull me around in the mean time.
Attachment 182791

Much goggles
very 1.6L
many colors
So confuse
wow

roll bar and turbo are waiting to be installed. One thing at a time.

Why go higher instead of lower? Cause I can. Low doesn't work in winter when you have 8" of snow on the road. And living down gravel it does get a bit tedeous driving 25mph for a couple miles every time I leave my place. It's going to be a trophy truck Miata sort of look. Just with some Eppic flare to it. Matt at paco motorsports has done the dirty work I was planning and made a long arm kit for miata's. Go big or Go home. :bigtu:

Why did you not cut the parcel shelf before coating it if you plan to roll bar?

What. Miata truck with a 1.6L?

is this a build thread or a paint thread?

I keep thinking of scraped knuckles whenever I see truck bed liner used in places on a car that requires work

It's coming. Gotta lay down a good base before you can get to the finished product. Seems nobody understands this till they see the finished product.

Because winter is so close, I've had to make some sacrifices on how things get built. Don't have the time to do everything before the snow falls up here in Canadia. Roll bar I have is a bolt in. and turbo kit I have is for a 1.6L. Right now the plan is to just get it driving so next week I'm still able to go buy groceries. Sounds like 7-8" of snow is coming next week wednesday.

Ok, as much as I rag on the 1.6L (I used to have one too) I understand the imperative of getting something running for use (assuming you have no other daily vehicle that can handle conditions).

Still a lot of time and prep merely to get something snow worthy. You could easily just replace the motor right now while you're at it.

You're still probably going to be cutting that freshly coated package tray to get the roll bar in. But you already knew that.

One of my parts cars has a freshly rebuilt 1.6L in it and picking up another parts car this weekend with a turbo. Figured I'd mash them together.

yes been there done that.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5deebb1808.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bd1f3fe147.jpg

I'm intrigued by your color choices. You don't look Filipino.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e58128f290.jpg


Good luck with the project. Cool dog, by the way.

All that bright colored stuff is going to be hydrodipped. (I started a hydrographics business last christmas) It will all come together in the end.

The fun is starting to happen. Dipped a few parts this evening....
This is not cleared yet. you guys get to see the raw uncut first images of what's coming down the tubes for the engine bay.

Attachment 182774

based on your color scheme this is going to be one cool dirtbike when youre done.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...311cc6d6e8.png

1988 called, They want their screw-driver-splatter paint scheme back.

PS. how is the belt going to like riding on the painted ridges of the pulley? wont it slip? Real question.

I'm not sure why everyone is giving this guy shit. He's gettin' shit done and posting content. I think the hydrofilm dip is pretty neat.

The 1.6 is a mistake though, obviously.

I'm enjoying the build and the updates. I wish I was doing more of anything to the car right now.

Weird build thread is weird.

I'm still enjoying it, though.

#1.6pride

I build my car for what I like and not what you like. That's why you build your car the way you like. :) So haters can hate all they want. Doesn't bother me. I'm entertained by what people come up with. (as for the colors. The gold is the thing that I don't think fits. I had a customer order a ton of gold powder and they never showed up so i've been looking for an excuse to use that powder. I plan a bigger brake upgrade in the future anyway so I don't expect that color to stay there.)

I'm not fond of the 1.6 either but i'm in a time of need as winter is ever close. I have a rebuilt engine and a turbo kit sitting around not being used, I may as well put it to use. Power means relatively little long term anyway. Gearing is where your power does anything. I was talking to one of my renters this morning about his srt8 that has 400 whatever hp and his semi that has 500hp. He's not going to pull 70,000lbs with his srt8 now is he? It's all relative to what you're using it for. Maybe one day it will get a bigger motor. Clearly this car is getting built to last so when the time comes for that day, it's not really a big deal. Gets me around from a-b and draws people in when you pop the hood. That's what it's being built for.

As for the belt slip issue. I've never run a belt on a painted surface. I honestly don't know what it will do. I imagine it will rub off on the parts that make contact. That's fine. I like to experiment with things. If it rubs off it rubs off. If it stays on then it's cooler. I expect the valleys and peaks to keep their paint giving the pulley a neat look of just a touch of that neon showing through. I guess we'll see what happens there.

Thanks to the guys who are enjoying the build. I appreciate how you recognize the value of "getting work done". Hopefully get a ton more stuff dipped today and cleared. still need to route fuel and brake hard lines. Sit down and dissect wire harnesses. Oh and paint the car... that's gotta happen at some point.
The exterior plans are far beyond what most probably imagine. I plan to go with a mad max type theme. Not quite so... flamboyant though. Just enough badassery that it's cool but yet still resembles a miata. If it wasn't illegal to mount guns on your car... I'd totally have a 50cal on a swivel mounted on the roof! haha I can dream. We'll see what develops as the build continues. :) Maybe we'll even hit sema one of these years. That be neat.

good, it's fun for us too.

Dont get upset, we are laughing with you.

I actually liked his little speech, and don't even mind all the crazy colors cause he's doing it right and powdercoating rather than just sploshing paint on everything.

Then he used the word "haters" and I lost hope again.

In for epicness, I love it so far.

Watching, and maybe learning. Entrepreneur-ism is great.

I actually like the gold calipers. I had gold set for mine, but I chickened out and went with silver.

You Keep on Truckin' son.

Today I was busy. The weather was warm and I got in my groove and before I knew it... this just kinda happened. Not cleared yet. This is still freshly dipped and rinsed. Can't find my sungalsses anywhere...

Attachment 182766

imovie on my phone gave me some super chessy music to work with...

Today's compiled list of activites include...

powder coated rear calipers and all their parts
Attachment 182743

parts are hunger and ready for clear. Found out I forgot a couple parts today so lets call this batch #uno (doing that this evening)
Attachment 182744

And lets see if we can't get these guys installed while clear coat dries on the parts in the booth.
Attachment 182745

picking up another miata tomorrow evening and then if all goes well, Plan is for the car to be together and running by the end of the weekend. One last hard push and I should be able to knock out the majority of the work to get it mobile under it's own power again.

This morning began the strip down of the turbo parts miata I picked up last night. Radar was quick to investigate the interior and sniff out all the curious smells.
Attachment 182707

Turbo on the other hand here laid claim to this being his car.
Attachment 182708

which then led to the coolest miata ever. Twin Turbo with state of the art 12 year old radar navigation system...
Attachment 182709

It's got an old fm turbo kit and burns oil like mad. Probably doesn't help that the vent breather is being used as the oil cap... There's oil EVERYWHERE from that as this engine has some major blow-by. Lets hope just the engine is toast and the turbo is still good. (not my dog. He's super good!)
Attachment 182710

Had some young aspiring lads who want to learn the automotive world come and volunteer to help disassemble this miata. They may not know a lot or work quickly, but I enjoy teaching them and watching them learn how to work on cars and i find a lot of value in helping someone understand how things on a car work so when their car breaks that have a better sense of what's actually happening. Gives them a good sense of pride. :)
This also allows me to get the complex stuff done like reassembling a power steering pump without scratching it as it's been powder coated and hydrodipped.
Attachment 182711
Bumpers, Doors, seats, and they started on the roll bar before we called it a day.
Attachment 182712

Sandblasted all these suckers by hand as my parts tumbler from eastwood never showed up. Then painted them That was tedious.
Attachment 182713

I was busy working on reassembling calipers and master cylinders and getting things ready on the motor to install.
Attachment 182714

And throughout the day we pleasantly enjoyed finding a plethora of interesting artifacts the previous owner cared not to remove from his vehicle before selling it...
Attachment 182715

Tomorrows goals...
-assemble motor completely and install into car
-pull driveline from parts miata and install into built miata
-hook it all up and at least get it running and driving

Snow is imminent any day now. Gotta push major hard for another week and hopefully knock this thing out the door so I have something to drive. Body will have to get finished at a later date and work is kinda backing up more and more now that this new work whip is top priority.

That is one big ol' pupper

Parting out the moustache wax?

Pounded out a bunch more stuff today. My volunteers showed up again. They got the roll cage out.
Attachment 182694

I blasted and painted even more bolts as I realized I needed them for different areas of the car.
Attachment 182695

And this is where I end the day today. I had a goal of getting it running but... I spent a ton of time looking for misc gaskets and seals for this that and the other.
Attachment 182696

This contrast hurts my eyes. I love that you're really going over everything but the color choices are crazy. I feel like if it was just the valve cover and top of the intake manifold I could handle it. But right holy hell is that engine bay bright as hell.

ya that intake did a bit more then I was expecting. I think once the charge pipes are on it will help break things up a bit. I'm going to powder them blood orange too. We'll see. I can always change it.

And on today's list we have....

One super oiley turbo charged engine and tranny being removed. This engine probably ranks highest on the most oil covered engine I've ever pulled out of a vehicle in the 11 years I've been doing this job. Previous owner said it burns just a little bit of oil... :trollface:
Attachment 182690
The ol not so top secret miata lurkin in the back waiting for parts.
Attachment 182691
And we have a gold clutch! Does that mean it's worth more? Anyone know what them little weights are stuck to the springs? Aftermarket on the aftermarket to give more clamping pressure?
Attachment 182692
Bits and bobs being reassembled. I think I may have painted and dipped the wrong master cylinder resivoir because it's not fitting to well and I've checked the 6 other miata's I have and none of them have a resivoir that looks like that. UGH!
Attachment 182693

Getting lots of you guys checking out the website and facebook page and sending me little encouragements. Appreciate it. Gives me a bit of extra motivation when you guys are excited about this thing too. :)

Previous owner was not trolling you. If the engine had been burning oil in addition to all that leakage it would have been dry. So it was indeed not burning much....

oh the rings are very very blown out. You could fill a balloon in seconds off the vent tube of the v/c. It's most certainly burning AND leaking oil.

God that engine bay looks like it has a few interestingly wrapped christmas presents in it.
Then again its one of the better threads i have seen lately. :bowrofl:

Can't even hate because you work 10x faster than I do.

Only real dislike is the red. Black would have been a little more understated in contrast to the yellow.

No windshield proves to be handy. Got her running today.
Attachment 182662

Well, today she fired up. Now just to get the rest of things in order.

When you got deadlines and an oven for powder coating... you work and eat at the same time.
Attachment 182655

Grabbing parts as I need them. Almost done everything underneath the car. Brake lines are done. Exhaust is in. Driveline is in. Fuel lines in.
Attachment 182656

We're close. Was hoping to drive it out today under it's own power but I had to stop early as I forgot I had other plans this evening.
Attachment 182657

I like what you're doing. The color contrast is almost violent. Like maybe something biological is happening under the hood that needs an eye kept on it. :)

Started stripping the wheels for this car.
Attachment 182636
Attachment 182637

The snow came today. I had to enable the Winter Shark unfortunately. Stretched tires and snow = 5th gear 100km/h burn outs down the highway. :D
Attachment 182638

Parts everywhere as the build is frantically being assembled.
Attachment 182639
Attachment 182640

I keep thinking I'm almost there. Just this and that left... Then I add more to my list. Downside of having ADHD. In your head your pretty much done, then you go look at your list again and go "oh wait... I forgot this and this and this and this" BAH! I just want to drive this thing already.
Attachment 182641

And I finished fabbing some metal brackets that do things. Painted them. Now you can watch them dry. You'll see what those are for later!
Attachment 182642

Car does run and drive. Just haven't put it on the ground yet. Maybe tomorrow it will get a mobility test. Have a few more fabricating things to construct yet. Like limiting straps...............

Well.... It moves under it's own power. Apparently this engine needs a little help. But we are one step closer to stage one of this build being complete.

"Yo dawg I heard you like dipped things, so I dipped your dipped things!"
In all seriousness you work faster than probably half this website combined, good content, keep it up
I like the piktars

Windshield is in. Didn't get much done on the car today. After 2 weeks of 16 hour days working on this thing my body finally said "ENOUGH". I went to eat supper and fell asleep immediately following. (This never ever ever ever happens due to ADHD.)

Attachment 182628
Attachment 182629


Looking like we are moving on to interior assembly next. Then body panels and lights and we call that stage 1 complete. Maybe by the end of the weekend?

It would be possible to do a 3/4 inch body lift kit on the Miata by putting spacers between the body ans subframe at the mounting points. The steel brake lines appear to have enough length to work with minimal bending. You may desire a shifter lever extender and shock extender bolts if you go much higher than that.

I have bigger plans then that. :D