Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats. - The custom fabrication thread! (Post pics of stuff you have made)

- Fabulous Fabrication (https://www.miataturbo.net/fabulous-fabrication-96/)

- - The custom fabrication thread! (Post pics of stuff you have made) (https://www.miataturbo.net/fabulous-fabrication-96/custom-fabrication-thread-post-pics-stuff-you-have-made-69633/)

Awesome thread is awesome btw. I'd have been around here a lot more often if I had known it was here. Can't wait to have something miata related I can post up.

Keep up the good work guys

Because this kinda wasn't explicitly mentioned, yes I'm perfectly willing to make stuff - though at least at this stage of my knowledge / equipment level, I'd prefer to not do anything too stressed or critical. I'm 100% not willing to do suspension stuff (for example) even for myself, you know?

Someone still need trubokitty vector?

Quote:

Originally Posted by y8s (Post 1388170)

Someone still need trubokitty vector?

yes plz

Those are CNC'd from solid, or the vents were outlined on flat sheet, and heat formed?

L and R radiator and intercooler mounts.
CNC laser cut from 14ga steel and bent by a friend who also makes infamous offroad Miata bits...
Welded together by yours truly with a tetrahedral gusset to prevent sway:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b89f11404b.jpg

One weld I was particularly proud of. (I'm learning)
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...db009c93ef.jpg

Sneak peek of the radiator and intercooler mounting position:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6a31453906.jpg

The radiator is an aftermarket aluminum unit to fit a late 80's, early 90s VW Golf GTi. The smaller size will allow me to pass intercooler pipes over the top without cutting the hood or sacrificing ground clearance.

I overthink everything...

Vents and finishing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vehicular (Post 1389841)

Those are CNC'd from solid, or the vents were outlined on flat sheet, and heat formed?

I CNC'd them from a solid block of Polycarbonate plastic.
The white ones are 3-D printed on a Stratasys FDM machine using ABS material. They should hold up fine to the heat but the
stair step of the material was going to be more difficult to finish and make look nice so I machined them.

Have you tried to acetone vapor bath? Would you share the STL? Id like to print a pair.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hi_im_sean (Post 1390239)

Have you tried to acetone vapor bath? Would you share the STL? Id like to print a pair.

I have the white ones if you want to buy them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vehicular (Post 1389841)

Those are CNC'd from solid, or the vents were outlined on flat sheet, and heat formed?

CNC'd you can get that kind of detail from vacuum formed plastic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shlammed (Post 1390043)

(faux-HDR pornography)

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8e67c949c5.png

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Perez (Post 1390398)

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8e67c949c5.png

Slides in from the top and I designed a rim piece to attach it from the bottom. Total of four pieces. Top vent pieces and the retainer parts that come from the bottom side. It takes 8 screws for each vent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Perez (Post 1390398)

(*fapping*)

the second photo is actually only slightly modified for exposure and basic camera raw post functions. no fancy techniques... the JPG that comes out of the camera isn't all that different.

the 1st photo a semi local photographer put some filter on and I liked it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shlammed (Post 1390043)

Just finished this Precision setup recently...

5558 miata by HellaFab Fabrication, on Flickr

Miata 5558 + TiAL MV-R recirculated by HellaFab Fabrication, on Flickr

Extremely super bad ass. I dig it.

I love the Android 4.4 EONON head unit I have in my SP23 and decided to install an Android unit in my NB.

I had a Double-DIN Pioneer unit that I wasn't really using in the NB and Android units are so much more versatile (GPS, reversing camera, "OK Google").
Audio quality is never going to be great in a convertible so switching from Pioneer-quality to Joying didn't bother me - still sounds great!

After failing miserably to install a Pumpkin Double-DIN head unit, see Lokiel's "Gina" (2004 Titanium SE) - Page 56 - mx5cartalk.com, I tried an Android 5.1.1 1024x600 Joying Single-DIN unit:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b18b86acd2.png

The screen is detachable, has multiple vertical mounting points and is shallower than most Double-DIN units so I figured I should be able to fit it - somehow.
The unit has a single-DIN mounting cage which latches onto the OEM fascia.
Unfortunately because of this, the detachable screen sticks out too far, I wanted it flush with the fascia.

Luckily the screen fits inside the NB's Double-DIN cavity so I figured I should be able to come up with something:

DIY mounting braces:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...972deb0c99.jpg
- that rear 3mm aluminium bracket is an absolute bitch to get in since those OEM side vertical braces have rolled edges and the brace fits flush against the recessed flat centre section.
- 10mm bolts were used since that's the size of the holes in the OEM side vertical braces.

Head Unit bracket:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...25a8b735e1.jpg
- getting the angle correct was time-consuming, the unit needs to be solidly mounted to get it right
- the unit must be inserted sideways into the cavity, then rotated into place

Here's how the brackets connect:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6348eb297d.jpg
- getting the depth correct was time-consuming, once again, the unit needs to be solidly mounted to get it right
- I used Allen bolts since they were the only 5mm bolts I had on hand

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5960a67089.jpg

The single-DIN size of the unit meant that there was plenty of room to tuck the wiring (I hated doing the wire tuck.cram on the Double-DIN Pioneer head unit).

Side view with the screen attached:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...63f0718760.jpg

The plastic fascia that comes with the unit looks OK but hides the silver trim on the detachable screen which matches matches the chrome trim on my HVAC rings so I slit some black silicon hose to "finish" the head unit cavity edges and the screen sits on top. The silicon hoses also make the display firmer when you tap it:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...00182b2064.jpg

I'm hoping that the "JOYING" brand will deter any thieves - who'd steal a Chinese-brand head unit?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lokiel (Post 1390870)

I'm hoping that the "JOYING" brand will deter any thieves - who'd steal a Chinese-brand head unit?

A Tibetan thief, as a political statement?

Looks very nice, though. I use to dream about doing something like this was an x86-based machine years ago. Collected a lot of parts, but never made it happen.

Looks nice. I have a Joying double din in my Frontier and like it so far. I've had a few weird glitches, to be expected with a cheap Chinese unit. One time the screen went black when driving, no big deal. Then the music stopped, hmm that's weird. Then a buzzing noise started, this is uncomfortable. The buzzing noise slowly got louder and louder and louder! When I got the first opportunity to pull off the highway to power cycle the car, it was loud enough that I really really wish I had ear protection, it was that loud. But after power cycling, it's ran flawless for the next 5000 miles.

I'll be finishing up my new Raspberry Pi screen mount for the instrument cluster this afternoon, I'll have to remember to post that in here.