rwyatt365

Incremental progress.

Downpipe, before (hangin' low);


Downpipe after cut & re-weld (much better);


Now, the question is...use the slip-over with flange to the cat, or go v-band. I'll probably opt for the former for the sake of time - then do the latter somewhere down the road.

Removed the errant speed sensor (Look ma, no wires!);


Hooked up the battery and none of the "magic smoke" escaped, and the dash lights up!



...and the headlights light up!



Going for the first start-up tonight. Wish me luck!

Landrew

iTrader: (2)

I hope it starts fine and runs well.

rwyatt365

PS - Concealer04, here's my DIY door cards;



Bought the NA upper bolsters off EBay. The lowers are just perf-board from Lowes cut to shape using the NB cards as a template, then refining the shape to fit the speakers and NB door-handle cups. Plans are to cover with 1/4" foam (or thinner?), then faux-leather. I'll probably make door-pulls from nylon webbing secured to a bolt on the door. For the short-term, the cards will be "naked".

rwyatt365

Well, the good news is just about everything is connected up and the liquids all stay where they're supposed to (while everything is cold and static).

The bad news is I've got an electrical fault, and the car won't turn over. Gonna have to get that figured out today...

rwyatt365

Found the problem with the cranking system. The (brand new) relay I put in for the push-button start was mis-wired. Got that resolved and got the engine cranking - but no start.

I ran out of time last night, so it'll be time to check the "usual suspects" (fuel, spark, timing, CAS, CPS...) today and get this puppy FIRED UP!

rwyatt365

Gratuitous engine shot;



Yeah, I could have cleaned up the wires, but WTF - it's under my hood and I don't care.

rwyatt365

IT'S ALIVE!!!!

Finally got the damned thing running last night! (I have a video clip of the first start, but can't seem to get it to play-back here). Anyway...I found out that the "problem" was simply that I had the trigger wheel on backwards (embarrassed - I had it marked, but I guess I'm dyslexic). It was good to hear the engine running (unmuffled!), and also good to NOT see any leaks, or drips (so far).

There was one other problem that I discovered while double-checking the timing - somehow I had mis-located the cam gear on the exhaust side and managed to drive the locating pin into the camshaft upon tightening. I don't remember doing that, but there it was. I tried to drill the locating pin, tap it and pull it out but I only managed to dull a couple of tiny drill bits in the process. So I just tightened down the cam gear for now, and then get a replacement exhaust cam (with pin) and move on.

WTF, I might just use the dorked-up cam for an exhintake swap - why not...

Ryephile

iTrader: (1)

Congrats on the start-up!

rwyatt365

I wrestled for 2 hours yesterday just getting the damned steering column re-mounted! Upside-down on my back trying to get the bracket on the column aligned to the studs on the firewall. Bolts that worked just fine when you try them without the bracket in place, that seemed to shrink by 1mm when you're upside down balancing the steering wheel on your knees. Flashlights that tip over just at the critical time. Glasses that slide down over your nose, or up over your head...

Oh, the joy...Oh, the fun...Oh, the cursing...

But, the interior is coming together now. I ordered some black pleated vinyl material for the door cards (going a bit "retro" with that). Hopefully, it'll get here this weekend and I can get the interior (mostly) done.

After that, it'll be time to get the exterior put together. I'm thinking about paint colors - I have to paint this beast 'cause right now the shell is green, the doors are silver, the hood and nose are black and the rear deck and bumper cover are blue (ergo, "FrankenMiata"). I'm thinking black, but my SO wants to replicate the original 10AE blue. Any suggestions from "The Peanut Gallery"?

TheBandit

iTrader: (8)

You might be able to avoid that big loop on your heater line if you switched your inlet/outlet to the core like the factory setup. Using nylon braid instead of SS also might be useful. I'm gearing up for this on my build as well.

rwyatt365

I hate that loop, but that line goes from the reroute spacer to the heater core and that's the only way I could think to get enough "flex" in the line (to accommodate engine movement) and not rip the brazed-on -AN fittings off of the heater core lines. The "out" from the core goes through another braided line under the exhaust manifold and into the water pump inlet.

What're your thoughts on heat management through the nylon lines? That's another reason for the (ugly) loop - it gets that line away from the manifold and turbo - or as far away as I can get it with the stock location of the heater core lines. I'm going to cover the whole kit-n-kaboodle with fire shield and put a partial lava-mat blanket on the downpipe to combat the heat as well.

I'm kinda paranoid about heat because the old 2560 and FM cast iron downpipe just about melted everything that was nearby. I had the old FM shield, lined it with lava mat and covered everything I could with heat wrap and it was still a problem. I'm concerned that the new Churbo and SS downpipe will be worse.

TheBandit

iTrader: (8)

I'm not particularly worried about the nylon lines, but will likely get some fire sleeve to cover some of the more heat sensitive areas. I used the same sleeving from WireCare.com on the stock rubber heater hoses and never had an issue, which have less heat resistance than the nylon. You will love the nylon as it is significantly more pliable and easier to work with than the stainless. Not trying to spend your money or anything though. : )

Unless you're running worn out engine mounts I wouldn't expect you'd need nearly that much slack in the line. I'm planning on splicing the heater core lines on the interior and running a bulkhead on the firewall. The outlet side of the core will go through the turbo before it hits the mixing manifold. I'm still working on exactly which fittings I'm going to need, but I hope for it to look like a factory application. I think I might have a routing picture somewhere in my build thread.

rwyatt365

Thanks for the info, I'll look into this as an alternative.

rwyatt365

I haz doors



...and a hood (with vents!)



If you're observant, you'll see an "extra cut" near the front of the vents. Those are artifacts of the Subie vents that were in the hood before. Plans are to either cover those with a screen, or a metal plate. The whole thing will be painted whatever the case.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

Very nice, looks easy enough.

Thanks!

rwyatt365

No problem.

I'm waiting for the (pleated vinyl) covering to arrive so I can finish these puppies off. I'll post up pic's of the process when I get to that point.

rwyatt365

Test-fit the exhaust...fits like a boss!



What a stock O2 sensor should NOT look like;



It took 30 minutes, a propane torch, PB Blaster and a 5lb sledge hammer to get this...thing...out of the pipe. I thought the threads on the bung were buggered, but it was just that the threads on the sensor had "liberated" themselves and attached themselves semi-permanently to the bung. A little gentle nudging from a thread chaser and all was well with the world.

PS - I already have a new O2 sensor.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Put some high temp copper anti seize on that bastard when you reinstall it. It does not take much and the damn stuff works wonders.

rwyatt365

Gonna get some of that copper anti-seize today.

Installed the fire sleeve last night (not very sexy, so no pic's), and put a "lava mat" on the DP as extra insurance.

Can't seem to get the PLX DM-6 gauge to work(!) which pisses me off 'cause if I have to dig into wiring I'll have to go into the bowels of the dash with the damned thing in-place. I should have tested it when the damned thing was out of the car.

Oh well...

rwyatt365

The PLX seems to be working fine, at least it powers the heater on the WB, but it's supposed to put out 3.3v to power the DM-6 gauge and it's only putting out 2v, so that makes me suspicious. It was working fine before, I wonder what happened?

Anyway, rather than trouble shooting any further, I ordered an AFR500 from Ballenger to replace it. We'll see if that does better.

Today I'll be transferring more body parts over. Then hooking up the brakes and bleeding the lines. I'm about a week away from a drivable car!!