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They don't sell parts to upgrade the junk one, and they wouldn't sell me a replacement brass bushing either.
I sent a query about their GenV actuator and whether or not it would solve this issue (and if it was a drop in replacement for the Gen IV. The answer seemed to be that the newer version would be 'better in all respects'. The person I had connected with offered to send me some replacement bushes, and three of them turned up in a box today (free).
This car has slowed down a bit of late for a few reasons including waiting for parts to make an appearance.
Gearset: This arrived, but had been substantially damaged in transit. The manufacturer has agreed to make good and I returned it for replacement. Having waited 9 months for it to show up the first time, I have no idea how long it will be before that arrives. There's no point in destroying a perfectly good 6 speed for lack of patience....
Diff: I have all of the main bits except the OSG centre, which was a 3 month wait, due in October. Once that arrives, it will be off to a diff shop to assemble with the solid pinion spacer courtesy of @Patsmx5. The same shop does does superfine finishing, and offers billet bearing caps for this diff - costly, but....
Suspension: Coilovers have arrived and are sitting in box waiting. They are Shockworks assembled with 670F and 560R spring rates. I also have a long-awaited set of SadFAB delrin bushings to install.
Wheels: I have two sets to play with - 15x9 Konigs Dekagrams and some 15x7 made by Rays Engineering, which I really like in spite of their brake limiting width compared to the Konigs.
Brakes: I have been researching....
With the gearbox delay, it is looking like next year before this car will be in motion.
Bummer about the 'box! What do you have to do to damage a gearbox, toss it out the back of the truck at 110 on the freeway?! You are in good company though, so many horror stories around freight at the moment.
Bummer about the 'box! What do you have to do to damage a gearbox, toss it out the back of the truck at 110 on the freeway?! You are in good company though, so many horror stories around freight at the moment.
The gear-set had been packed in a box, the box looked like it had been quite roughly handled and the components had not been well enough packaged to protect them from each other inside the box. All three shafts had some form of damage to the integral gear teeth. Very disappointing.
I'm 6'5" as well so feel your pain there. Floor drops in my classes incur penalties so I've gotta make due without one.
The events over there look like a blast, I was lucky enough to travel to WTAC in 2019 but didn't have enough time in the schedule to make it to the Bathurst race as well. Car culture in OZ is way cooler than here in the states.
While waiting for transmission parts to materialise, I am pulling the suspension apart to install MR2 rear hubs, BroFAB e30 front hubs, coil-overs, ELJBs and a set of SADfab control arm bushings.
My car is the NB, so has additional holes to deal with, which are too large and mostly in the wrong spots for conversion to Zerk fittings:
2" aluminum tube, cut down a little and folded smaller makes a good sleeve to contain the weld. Being aluminum, it has a higher melting point than mild steel and therefore can prevent the weld pool dropping into the bore. Edit: not fact! But it does work.
Some small sections of filler rod added to the hole before welding helps fill the space quickly
Finished weld:
Last edited by The Australian; 11-29-2021 at 04:38 AM.
I'm 6'5" as well so feel your pain there. Floor drops in my classes incur penalties so I've gotta make due without one.
The events over there look like a blast, I was lucky enough to travel to WTAC in 2019 but didn't have enough time in the schedule to make it to the Bathurst race as well. Car culture in OZ is way cooler than here in the states.
There's so many different motorsport adventures you can go for - I have my head that I'd like to build an NC for dirt courses next.
15 months after ordering, I’m still waiting for gearbox parts to replace the first lot that arrived damaged.
Diff parts I ordered ex Japan last November are not expected to ship until March.
Suspension arms have been out, redundant holes welded up, painted and 50% of the way through reassembly with SADFab Delrin bushings, and adding MR2 and E30 hubs to the uprights.
It doesn’t feel like there’s much to do between now and a shakedown, except for the parts hold up.
In other news, my wife was driving my tow car past an accident where there were already tow trucks on the scene, when the driver of one of the crashed cars (a man in his 70’s) got into his sons (not crashed car) and drove out in front of her. She hit the right rear as he passed in front of her and he continued across the road and into the garden of the house opposite.
I think he might have still been in shock after the first accident, or was having some kind of medical episode. One of the towies said ‘he got air’ as he left the road for the garden.
Insurance has assessed the damage to our car and decided to repair. Parts have been ordered ex Japan and aren’t expected until March. I don’t think we will see it again until April.
Bummer!! Insurance provide a loaner in the meantime?
They offered one, but we decided it was time to retire the car, and it will be sold when it comes back from the panel shop (we bought another newer version which I picked up today).
Good old car, but no safety gear and starting to need more maintenance than I want to be bothered with.
With the transmission saga dragging to the end of a second year, I’ve lost a bit of enthusiasm, but am determined to get it to the track.
But, in a happy bright spot, my diff is done and ready to install.
It’s a diff, but it does look pretty at the moment:
It’s and Os Giken centre, with a peened and polished 3.6 ratio, solid pinion collar (thanks@patsmx5), upgraded bearing caps all fitted in a 7” FC Rx7 housing.
I think this is about as sturdy as you could make the factory diff.
How was your experience with NEAT for the diff? I've been considering using them for the gearbox strengthening (circlip mod, etc), when the time finally comes to build my engine.
How was your experience with NEAT for the diff? I've been considering using them for the gearbox strengthening (circlip mod, etc), when the time finally comes to build my engine.
Professional and timely communication, did what they said they would, on time. Not cheap, but I will use them again for the transmission.
How was your experience with NEAT for the diff? I've been considering using them for the gearbox strengthening (circlip mod, etc), when the time finally comes to build my engine.
I saw somewhere on FB or Insta, one of the team there has been building a Lexus with a BEAMS engine and turbo with an Az6 transmission behind it. He was building the Az6 with circlip mod and other improvements.
A few years ago, the six speed in The White Mouse broke, and I replaced it with another standard six speed which continues to this day.
The broken transmission has become the core that will receive the straight cut 1-5 gearset.
Neat Gearboxes in Adelaide are putting it together for me, and when they stripped the core, there were a few additional parts needed (3-4 shift hub and shift fork) which have been on order. Everything they were waiting on except an input seal arrived week before last, and they anticipated commencing assembly this week.
Once the built transmission arrives, I will swap it in, along with the new diff, and possibly the DSS axles that currently live in the White Mouse.
After being replaced, there is still an oil leak from the area of the rear main. It does not drip at all at idle, but if you hold the engine at 2-3000rpm it generates a steady flow. Maybe it is the rear half moon seal? I don’t have a hoist so will outsource re-sealing the pan, and will probably give them the new transmission to swap in while they are there.
At the beginning of the year the unicorn 6speed was finally back from the transmission builder, and then I bought a new house with no garage to work in. My old house sold which meant I needed to throw everything together and move.
So, The Black Rat went to a workshop to replace the rear main seal (second time) and swap in the transmission in the process.
Now it doesn’t leak and has a gearbox that makes all the noises you’d expect from straight cut gears. I drove it on to my car trailer and that’s where it remains five months later.
Last edited by The Australian; 09-28-2023 at 03:23 PM.
Reason: Typo
Welcome back!! What prospects for a track return? I'll be interested to hear your impressions of the new transmission when you do give it a full work-out.
Small steps are moving this project closer to the track, and there really isn’t that much left to do.
I’m now down to finishing off install of the Six point harness and obligatory fire extinguisher, fitting the steering wheel quick release and wheel, making and fitting two lines for the oil cooler, and other small bits and bobs.
And after all these years as a ‘Miata’ owner, I finally got myself a cat. It’s quite an agile little thing and has a nice purr to it. The family have named it Thorin (for the dwarf King under the Mountain from Tolkien’s LOTR).
07-21-2021, 09:20 PM
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