Nickt93's Eliminator (formerly Ghettocet) Build (Like I Need Another Project)
 

A few months ago - amidst a major lack of free time - I decided to take on yet another build. My addiction knows no end.

I've had it tucked in the back of my mind that I wanted to do a ghettocet type build for quite some time. I peruse craigslist daily, but never really came across anything inspiring enough to move on. In July I found the perfect donor - a well-maintained 1995 Miata that had some front end collision damage. The next day it was in my garage and we were off to a nice start.

My target car was one that already had some nice mods (suspension mainly), as I knew that would keep the total cost down. I was also targeting a car that either had light collision damage or was cosmetically undesirable, as I figured the asking price on these would be closer to my price range. The car I found was the perfect candidate – lovingly maintained, nice modifications, a pile of spares, and a reasonable asking price. We settled on $1500 for the car + spares. Some screen shots of the craigslist ad:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486


First Impressions - On first glance I could tell the car was in great overall condition. On closer inspection it only got better – the attention to detail was unbelievable. Other than the collision damage this is one of the cleanest cars I’ve ever owned.

Mega-clean engine bay
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486


All the suspension stuff looks new
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486


Racing Beat Header
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486


Clean fluids are never a bad sign
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486


Oil filter relocation kit with braided hoses
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880486

My initial plan was to do some sort of super low budget, super light weight (a "ghettocet" if you will). Something like these:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985


As I started to do more and more research that became less appealing. Perhaps that would be different if I was willing to build the cage myself, but welding really isn't my "thing". Quotes for decent cages came in around $2,000-2,500, and even then I wasn't sure I was going to be happy with the results.

Eventually I linked up with Alan at SalvageWon. He educated me on his experience leading up to and building the Eliminator. I was sold from our first conversation. He has learned a considerable amount about how to build these cars right, and the incremental expense of building an Eliminator vs a Ghettocet is worth every penny. First, their design takes full advantage of the space made available by eliminating the body of the car - provides a ton more room inside so that you aren't cramped against the cage. Second, their design allows you to remove as much weight as possible while still maintaining/ improving rigidity. Third, the end product is much more aesthetically pleasing than something cobbled together using an off-the-shelf cage (to me at least; your opinion may vary :) ). All of these would have been major compromises in the ghettocet.

If you aren't familiar with Eliminators, here are a few pictures:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447880985

Current status - car has been stripped, cut, and cage has been welded. Woohoo!

Here are a few "in progress" pics:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447881162


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447881112


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447881112


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447881226


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e94c24e723.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b6386405ab.jpg



https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...343f5807ad.jpg

your last two posts.... are they suppose to have images in them?


*They're showing now :dunno:

Pictures show fine for me.

Did you hire out the welding? You mentioned it wasn't your thing, but the welds look great!

My bad - posted two "placeholder" posts to add content to a few minutes later. You must have caught them during the window when they were blank!

Those aren't my welds! I've only owned one welder and it was a sh*tty Harbor Freight one. That probably didn't help.

While I'll agree the Eliminator kit seems better in every way then all of the ghettocet examples I've seen; the cost of the kit is pretty tough to swallow.

What is the cost of the salvagewon kit?

This. I looked on their site and did not see anything besides to email them.

I emailed them a few days ago- no answer.

Final pricing hasn't been determined yet, but think somewhere in the neighborhood of $5k. That includes the cage, a pair of seats, headlights/ taillights, a radiator and fan, and the front grille/ bodywork. I think it is a good value considering everything you get.

Speaking of cost, if you do this right you can build one on a tiny budget. I bought my donor for $1500 and have sold $4700 worth of parts off of it on eBay. The seats sold for $500, the top was another $500, the finish panel was $300, etc. Even after paying eBay/ PayPal/ UPS their share I'm still way positive on this car.

All in all I think I'll have about $2-3k in this build.

That's totally f-ing awesome. I have an '03 with dings and dents all over, but it runs great and isn't too terribly rusty. We're talking VVT and 6-speed. The perfect base for a turbo eliminator2. I'm sure I could make a decent buck selling off some of the parts I won't be needing anymore.

Sub'd.

How do you fill up gas at the end? What is the solution for this?

Most of the Ghettocet-like vehicles I've seen just stick the OEM filler neck up in the air, coupling it to the gas tank with a short length of hose.

Basically just like the stock design, only without the body around it.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447969226

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447969226

What the Eff is wrong with those wheels on that car? Most-extreme heat-wave distortion? Photo-chop failboat? Rota Quality?

they are ultra jdm

Movement when the photo was taken.

:dunno:

Specifically, vibration of a very low period.

Unlike frame-transfer CCDs, the CMOS image sensor in most cheap digital cameras scans the frame from top to bottom a line at a time, just like old analog video equipment.

Thus, side-to-side vibration present during the exposure will manifest itself as waviness in the image.

Give Alan a bit of time - he'll answer - otherwise I'll beat up on him.

Correct - this is Robert Russom's first build - i helped cut on it years ago. There's a build thread on it somewhere here. Since version one - I'd have to say the current V3 is much more stylish thanks to Alan's input.