I can't believe I watched this three times. :giggle:

First post was awesome. I admire the creativity. Looking forward to seeing what it do what it do.

I dont believe the Maw was mentioned until Jedi search where Han and Chewie go to Kessel and meet Kyp Durron etc in the spice mines. This is also the introduction to admiral Daala as well,(cheif of state Daala depending on how far down the time line you are :P) This time line is also somewhat covered in I Jedi as well. To show off more star wars nerdness

You never told me you could read...

I'm staying tuned, and hoping it's something that will showcase some of the capabilities of the MSIII, as well as some awesome JP fabwork. You did know the MS3 has 8 injector drivers right?

Is this going to be the car that showcases Joe's ideas on supercharging properly?

Joe, a car with a bad convertible top was how Red Beast started. I was too cheap to replace it so I removed it instead. If you had ever driven a 1900 pound turbo'd Miata you would know what you are missing. Just saying....

Some miata parts on this, I reckon?

http://img37.imagefra.me/img/img37/2...um_d21de9e.jpg

The goal for this car is just to keep it stock and reliable and use it as a DD.

I am thus far on track for that goal. A new top has been ordered ($199 no-zip special) as well as the bare minimum of service parts I need to feel comfortable- one inner tie rod end, some Redline CV7 and a couple of caps, a valve cover gasket, a water pump and timing belt kit, and a couple of engine seals. I have no immediate plans to spend more money that that, apart from maybe replacing the radio with one that plays MP3s.

That is one of the options currently being considered.

The only real problem I have with it is that the engine and transmission being in the front causes the driver's space to be rather cramped, specifically the footwell. I can probably mitigate that to a degree by fabricating a dropped forward floorpan (to match the rear section) though I'd still like to be able to have a dead pedal, which the Westie simply won't accommodate.

Putting the engine behind the driver would solve that problem.

It sure would.

http://image.kitcarmag.com/f/9320304..._left_view.jpg

Hell, I think that could fix a LOT of problems. Might even save my marriage.

As sweet as that is, I really like the 32 hot rod kit they have.

http://www.clcboats.com/images/photo...des-Color-.jpg

See any poly boat paint colors you like? Want to see your typically thorough documentation of a roll on paint job on that thing.

Japanese cars used to last forever since they were underpowered and simple. Think about how good the early rwd corollas and the like were. Tough to be simple with modern amenities and safety gear. Hell the cheesiest Kia you can buy has 6 air bags, ac, satelite radio, ipod jack, stability control, abs, tire pressure monitoring, bluetooth and on and on.

The new car needs racelands, boat paint, 949's new cheap wheel, home depot racing lips, ebay catback/header, etc. Your new build should be a LS1 miata!

The GTM is pretty interesting, though I'm partial to the look of the SL-C and the Ultima GTR:

http://www.superlitecars.com/img_cou...coupe_1_fs.jpg

http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/conten...lery/gtr26.jpg

A couple of problems with these cars, though.

First, they're heavy. Every one of 'em weighs a ton.

Second, they're expensive. The Porsche G50 gearbox alone typically sells for over $5,000. Total finished cost on those cars regularly exceeds $50k. And well, they're superars. You have to maintain a much higher standard, or they just come off looking cheap. Bare aluminum and exposed rivets are OK on a Seven or an Exocar. With a supercar, you're damn near obligated to make everything out of CF, or cover it in hand-stitched ostrich leather.


No, I want to do something simpler, lighter, cheaper. The Westie is pretty close, I'm just thinking that in the long-run, I might be unhappy about the physical driver accommodations. In the picture which was linked to above, you can see my boots lying on the floor behind the car. Even in my bare feet, it was tight. Dropping the floor will help some, but it's not going to buy me any space beside the clutch pedal to rest my left foot.

(For reference, I wear size 14 shoes, so my problems in this regard are probably not typical of most users.)


I've been researching it. I'd probably splurge and spend an extra $20 on a cheap spray gun to hopefully reduce the amount of sanding required.

The other side of the coin, however, is that a part of me actually likes the way the car looks, what with the paint faded and falling off. It makes the car look like something that thieves (and the police) need not even concern themselves with. I will be removing the stupid little wing on the back...



Well, it's a mixed bag.

My '87 Celica GT was a piece of shit, quite frankly. Now, granted, that car had lived a very hard life. But the transmission always ground into second, the shifter felt like it was coupled to the gearbox with two pieces of wet rope, the engine liked to knock under heavy load, it wept fluid out of every possible orifice, the suspension sucked harder than Hustler's mom, and I'm pretty sure that they borrowed the design of the steering rack from a schoolbus.

And, of course, not everything that Mazda put their name onto in that era was pure gold, either. A friend of mine in college had an older 323, and even though it had been reasonably well taken care of (semi-regular oil changes, etc) that car still devoured its own transmission, and ultimately blew a head gasket. She wasn't really pleased with the overall ownership experience.


Racelands are sitting on the shelf. wheels and tires will be coming off the '92. No racing lips, no exhaust mods, paint is about a 50/50 decision right now.

Once all is said and done, it may end up with a V8. But that decision is a very long way off. For now, it's just the beater.

I think a raged out Ultima would be sweet. Put a no fear sticker and a gun rack on it.

I'd pay a lot of money for a few minutes in this thing... I'm fairly certain I could write it off as a religious contribution...