Why you don't want me documenting my build!
 

I'm putting the motor back together. Just helped a customer and walked back to my warehouse where I'm working on it. I actually shocked myself. Jesus I'm a slob.

This picture should pretty well explain why I can't and shouldn't be documenting anything to share. Pictures like this will keep neat freaks, like Curly, up at night.

Caution: If you are ---- retentive, work in the machining industry, keep your garage and/or engine bay clean enough to eat off of view at your own risk.
you've been warned!

Attachment 16005

Hah, I love it. Not necessarily the way I would go about assembling a shortblock, but if it gets it done and holds together, more power to you. It's too bad you don't live a bit closer. We could wallow in our cumulative miata filth together :love:

Notice the complete lack of proper tools except a $29 HF torque wrench.

At least I'm keeping a good steady buzz going from the brake cleaner and open acetone container I'm using to clean parts before they go in!

I'm really hoping to run at Pacific a time or two this season and meet all you Seattle guys.

Wheres that barfing smiley....

Get that thing on the assembly stand before you break your back. Why you're not using it yet is beyond me. Think of it this way: it'll free up the floor space under the block for you to put more crap!

Tomorrow is my last day at work, call/pm if you want some help. My time is free. Dear lord, I'd even come over just to clean. Knowing that mess is there keeps me up at night.

You need drugs........and a dumpster.

JFC! Buy a damn engine stand, and clean up!!!

C

Looks like my garage. +1

+1

I am slowly working on an engine build and my garage floor looks a lot like that.

Funny - when mine is organized, I can't find a damn thing.

You dirty filthy whore

He DOES have an engine stand.

I have an engine stand! I'm just used to working on my knees.:giggle:

Checked gap on all the bearings, assembled pistons, rings, rods and got them all in the block and torqued so far today. Now reading up on how to assemble the rest of the bottom end. Should have the bottom end together by the end of the day.

Tomorrow I start reading up on head work. The Burgess Gollan cylinder head building book finally showed up today.

it always looks that way....

http://www.boostedmiata.com/gallery2...2/DSC_0057.JPG

or at least you do.

I have seen this work area. Behold the bench wirewheel of a Master! :)

That's very different from my mess. 1. Mine you can't see the floor 2. I'm still spotless, dressed in slacks and a polo shirt!

For cleaning the carbon off the valves, Mobius seemed to think my impromptu drill with a wire wheel held in a bench vise wasn't quite up to snuff. I thought it worked great plus it didn't cost anything! I may be white, live and work in an affluent area but I can ghetto fab with the best of them.

I have got see if I have the pics from my first engine swap anywhere. Imagine an entire garage like that.

Dude, put it on a stand. I have two blocks in my living room right now and yesterday I put one on there to free up space. It took like 20 minutes, including bolting the stand together. Your back will have plenty of pain when you have to start dropping it in and hooking everything up. Plus putting consistent TQ on stuff is worlds easier on a stand. And it looks cool.

Sorry for monster picture....

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/4240/156y.jpg

I usually clean up everything at the end of the day. But throughout the day it get's pretty messy.

I love pics that look like the car had an alien explode from it's chest. Glad I'm not the only guy here that doesn't label every washer and maintain hospital operating room cleanliness.

Now if I could just find the rear main seal housing....

I hate all of you garage owning queers!
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FRT_Fun, lol, It looks like parts are falling off as it tries to escape.

My gf won't go in the garage because shes afraid the tools/parts will get her :D

Hehehehe, my awesome girlfriend just bought a house with an extra large 2 car garage with four double halogen light fixtures, which appears to be attached to the house's original garage which has wood flooring as is big enough to get yet another car in. And is also well lite. And the previous owner is leaving a fridge/freezer out there. GF says I can have the smallest room as my office/desk/hw area, and the garage :D

Casey, my offer still stands. Call me. I will come over and put your engine on the stand and clean up while you deal with your customers, leaving all the fun assembly stuff to you.

The ghetto wheel is great! I've had to do the same thing. Out of counter space in my should-be-condemned-but-it's-what-I-got garage. At least you have a real vise.

FRT Fun: I would definitely like to see that picture in the MT calender.

I don't know, I might have you beat, and mine did have a build journal (though boring and n/a). Mine was equally messy, but was inside the house, in an upstairs bedroom. :giggle: Then add the fact that I was recovering both of my seats and door panels at the same time along with working with the center consoles, so I had half of my car in the house.

I don't either, cause I always end up with a bag of spare nuts/bolts and things I tell myself, "WTF was this thingy for".

My bro rolls like that, hes a slob of a mechanic but gets the job done right. I have to at least tidy up bit.

Cueball1, details on engine build.?

Just found these two other photos... lol

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2903/img4021k.jpg

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4263/img4019k.jpg

Plate of cookies ftw lol

http://www.boostedmiata.com/gallery2...2/IMG_5056.jpg

http://www.boostedmiata.com/gallery2...2/IMG_5058.jpg

http://www.boostedmiata.com/gallery2...inepull018.jpg

hahah yessss I hope to achieve that one day.

Furniture dolly with the driveline on it FTW.

Low comp 84mm Wiseco's, M-tuned rods, pretty much stock everything else on a 94 motor. All new bearings, gaskets, seals, belts, hoses, etc. Just getting started on DIY head work. Existing turbo system is the BEGI s4 w/ 2860rs, 550 injectors, mspnp, 2 1/2" enthuza exhaust and all that will be reused.

Not building a monster. It's a daily driver and track day car. I'm shooting for a durable long lasting motor for 275ish hp and room to grow down the road possibly.

What's this costing you?

C

I've seen worse. Just don't cut/grind stuff inside if you don't have to. Metal shavings and/or dust from the cutoff wheel gets EVERYWHERE.

I bought the Wiseco's new in the box but 2nd hand for $300. Another $300 for M-tuned rods. Another $115 for ARP head studs. $200 for a gasket and timing kit w/ water pump. $185 for OPG's. $60 for all new bearings. $150 in machining. Figure another $50 in thread locker/sealant/misc crap. Should be around $1400 total for a durable 300hp motor.

If I kept to budget I'd have skipped the pistons and OPG's and been under a grand.

Wow. Great price for a built motor. I paid that for my engine build and didn't get anything special at all.

If I knew then what I know now :(

You notice there are no labor costs in that besides machining the block. I'm not paying myself for take apart, assembly and head work. Of course I'm not sure my work is worth anything. We'll see, if and when this engine actually fires up.

I think this thread should be strictly a post your pics of your messy work space!;);)

I don't have a garage of my own to work in except the church that i attend has a bus garage and the mechanic lets me and my friend work in there! It's alot messier than any of yours. no offense.

great idea with the vice and power drill! +1

This is as of yesterday..

Attachment 198667

Attachment 198668

nice V8 :laugh: i bet that is the easy V8 swap in the world!

I love this thread. It makes me feel better about my disorganized garage and workbench. Somehow I still manage to get a lot of work done.

Yes. That is how you do motor work. When someone not involved in the project can look and quickly identify each piece you are organized. Man I really want to do another build now.

Thanks. This is my first time, and I get scared just by looking at the garage floor, knowing this all has to be put back together.

When you start into it you will be amazed at how you know pretty much every damned bolt laying around from when you took it all apart. Best way in the world to learn about a vehicle.

Agreed. If you dont already, every once and awhile you should just stand there and recite from memory where everything goes (as best you can) and by process of elimination you'll figure out that there isn't anything to be intimidated about at all. Its all very easy when you're the one taking it apart and being careful.

Dont ever get out of the habit of being organized.

yea it is amazing how you know where every bolt goes... (kicks a small pile of bolt under the work bench) :nuts:

Even though it's a huge mess I did bag everything and labeled the bags. Worst problem so far I couldn't find the little part that holds the rear main seal! Went through all that stuff. Tore the back room apart looking for it. It just dissa-goddamn-peared. Luckily an engine rebuilding supply/junkyard had one on the shelf for $10. I hate to think what else I might not find that should have been there.

LOL at noth1ngmuch. Spoken like a guy who's been there done that.

I disassemble and assemble my car so much because each time, I end up with 3 or 4 spare bolts. I figure I am just lightening the car every time :D

This was my last 347 build. It was 5-6 degrees outside and 65 in the house...... You know where I was doing the build! The T56 was built in the basement.

One thing that works very well is grabbing carpet that is thrown away from a recent house build or from those carpet companies and just take it from their dumpster.


I also do my driveby construction sites and keep an eye for leftover carpet, and before I forget CL works wonders on the free or wanted section.

It is worth gold in winter time, it will not be warm, but at least not freezing cold concrete and the floor will not get that stained. Another cheap alternative is grabbing large pieces of cardboard from department stores. I simply approached one of the clerks and simply told me what days the cardboard is thrown away. Usually they will ask why and most of the time I would say I am in the middle of a move and need boxes etc.

At least me, at the end of the day, I like to pull out the car and see the garage and driveway clean as if nobody has worked on it.

Finally getting somewhere on the build. Spent the last couple days doing dremel head work. Smoothed the ridges in the combustion chamber, took down the valve guides flush and smoothed the bowls in and around them, port matched the intake gasket. For $150 my machinist then decked the head flat, did a 3 angle valve job and assembled the head.

Everything's going together really well! I can't wait to find out what I forgot, screwed up or leaks terribly.

Nice work, getting the head on is always a huge step. As always, I'm here to help. Can't wait to see this thing in action!

Which action? A. Going round the track at a snails pace since I suck at driving. or B. Scattering oil/water/parts all over the track since I suck at mechanics. :laugh:

it has happened to me more times than i care to admit.. Never with an engine rebuild though luckily. I am still scared shitless my engine will fly apart if I miss a bolt.

Worst I have ever done is leave off a wheel lug..

OOPS! Ended up having to replace the wheel studs and lugs... Not too bad. Caught it before the wheel flew off.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...7&d=1270831821

miniature dude or big car? Owning a miata screws up perception.

A little of both.... I wasnt that big back then and the vette is a tank compared to the Miata.

The motor is in along with a 6 speed! Started right up and runs great. Have a couple hundred miles on it already. Now it's tune, tune, tune.

Things to note.

Mazda Comp engine mounts definetely increase NVH. Car is really buzzy between 3000 and 3500 rpms. Lots of new little resonance rattles to chase down. Not a big deal in a track only car but this is my DD.

The 6 speed shifts better than I expected from all the complaints I've heard about them. Stupid short gearing with the 4.1 rear end though. Gotta put in the 3.6's I've got.

6 puck clutches are a whole different creature. Chattery sons of biotches, particularly in reverse. Getting better with it but that's a narrow engagement point. Hopefully it's not because I'm a cheap ass and reused the 35K mile ACT HD pressure plate.

Ceramic thermal coating on the exhaust mani didn't seem to reduce radiated heat much.

That is the way mine behaved brand new so your pressure plate is probably fine.

Thanks for the encouragement! It's rare that I get away with anything though. My cheapness usually costs me more in the end.

Congrats on getting it running. Time for some videos and pics

Now its your turn!

Soon.....