I should not have sold my miata.
fixed!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1341193841

That car looks... mighty slow, lol!

Anyone got a link to the model with a subaru drivetrain?

I dont think any are driving yet.

BTW i get to pull the motor again this week, yay!
:vash:

What happened this time?

install thermostat flaps and headgaskets to drop the compression a tad. Apparently the thermostat flaps are important, without them they oil cooler is bypassed entirely. Freaking engine builder fails again. :vash:

You don't really need the oil cooler on an oil cooled motor...

Is it difficult to get a car like this registered for the street?

I am assuming its titled as a kit car, similar to how Lotus 7 replicas get titled. Need to have all the paperwork showing where the majority of the parts came from, file it, and have it inspected.

Its different for every state, but yes mine is titled as a lotus 7 replica. It was easy for me since it was a title transfer.

1.6 dawgg. I'll make a build thread soon.

Any working website for this kit car?

Is that your car on the website or another black/ lime one?

My car. I am not pleased with that dude right this second.

That's awesome.

I wish I had the mechanical ability to figure out how to build a car from scratch like that. I cant even begin to imagine how hard it would be to get the wheels to align properly.

In NYS, it's nearly impossible. You have to meet current safety regulations. That means bumpers, and the whole 9 yards. Many a locost has been left hanging because of this.

The simple solution is to cheat. (Sad comentary that our gov't forces you to break the law to be compliant with the law.) You register the donor vehicle, get plates and insure it. Now you get it inspected. If it's a salvage, you go through that process.

Then tear it apart, make your car, and continue on with the current registration. Inspections, especially on pre OBDII cars are fairly simple (brakes, lights, seatbelts, wipers, horn), so it's relatively easy to pass. Once you get that second inspection, you're golden. After that you are grandfathered - hey, it passed before!

Depending on how far you tear it apart if you are left with nothing from the original, not even the firewall you are basically driving a car with plates that belong to something else. Even if you "passed" inspection, it can't be remotely legal.

Usually, for these types of cars, the complete rolling chassis is used. Drivetrain, suspension, brakes and associated bits. Many locost have been built transplanting the entire rear subframe into the new car.

No, it's not technically legal, but it's about the only way to get a locost on the roads around here. And frankly, most locost cars are going to be maintained better, so are safer and probably polute less, too. Certainly greener than a clapped out 80's pickup. But those you have no problem registering.

Hint: it ain't about safety or emissions, it is all about revenue for the state. Keep paying, and they really don't care.

Back in the day here in illinois they used to do emissions testing on rollers at different speeds and everything.. a test took about 20-30 minutes. I think in 06 they said that costs too much money since they have to pay labor so they stopped emissions completely and only made it a requirement for OBD2 gasoline vehicles (electrics and diesel are exempt). It takes 5 minutes to test an OBD2 car. They turn off the car, turn it on record the mileage and test the fuel cap to ensure its not leaking, then plug in the computer to check for codes and you're out. Not even 5 minutes.

Less money spent on labor more money for the state to buy other ----.. although i dont see anything new :facepalm:.

Got the axles and three bolts left before we wrestle the lump out.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1341498872

Even made time for a junk yard trip for the Miata! Clean dash and 'close enough' fender.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1341498872

Well it was pulled out and went back in; I even got it started. Just need to tinker with the carbs and timing and hoe it cools itself correctly.

And I need to stay off MT.net.... Adding up how much MSPNP+injectors+begi shangi S1 system would cost :eek3:

Moving along..... for those not in the know the motor was out and inn again recently..... Looking like I may be ok to go.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1342640804

New head temp will confrim that the stock FI location is close to head temp.....

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1342640804

New tail lights that will, um, work.

Spoken like a true VW enthusiast. (From a two-time former VW owner.)

So you're using the under-plug thermocouple as a reference to compare to the drilled-out Porsche sensor? Where'd that new sensor come from? It doesn't look anything like the old VDO one I remember from years back.

Its not a thermocouple, its a thermistor that will work with the cluster that I have, same way I made the one that goes in the stock sensor location.

Modded a ring connector, some JBweld, KAPTON tape and silicon wire to take the heat. standard heatshrink will not take the heat :)

This is my first and last aircooled vw, I still have the golf tdi that is my namesake on the interent, and had 2 rabbit convertibles. The last one was 16v swapped, that thing rolled out.

So I am like so way overdo for a big update. So much has happened.

The superhigh compression was causing an overheating issue, it kept wanting to run too hot. The ultimate solution was to pull the engine and install head-gaskets to drop the compression a bit, down to about 8.5:1. This worked very well. I also in this period became less panicy about 1. cly head temps of 375F on my gauge that was probably never meant to go that high, and 2. Using temps from the stock FI location (to quote A/C guys "any other spot other than under the #3 spark plug is useless"). It responds to load almost instantly to load, and is very near #3. I made an under plug temp sensor, but for my trip decided to live in ignorance and bliss. I will compare later.

I also bought and installed a real MOMO steering wheel. Its nice and stiff and feels good in the hands.

So I got a trailer, the truck was up to snuff, and loaded the car and headed to the dragon.

Up there I bonded with the car. It was very fun and gave me zero, zip, none, nada issues. The cyl head temps stay incheck pounding though the mountains, only 2 or three times on long climbs up the skyway did i have to lift to manage temps. Its was fast and i was not even really pushing it since I have not driven it in anger much. And that is on a tire that is, uh, not ideal for a serious sports car like this.

I am happy with the engine and the power it makes for now. I still need to get it to idle right on the idle jets. I think I need WAY bigger jets; they are .45 right now I think. After that i'll go back to the dyno and see the 100ish hp it makes and be happy with it for awhile. I also finially got the valve covers to stop leaking.

Oh, and I got wet. see pics.

I put over 800 hard miles on the car in TN in one week. There is an oil leak somewhere that is not a drop, but get the car dirty. not worried about it. in 800 miles used about 0.5 gal of oil, and that with lots and lots of high rpm and full throttle.

I got on Killboys highlights three times. I also bought a pic, and have a few that others snapped. It was a blast. I also have lots and lots of gopro video, some of which is here....






https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346255350
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346255350
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https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346255350
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Thanks for reading. I need to align, play, and drive this thing!

ps. the future...i see it.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346255350

Well now that's just gorgeous. I really like the way the front bodywork and side-pods turned out. Danny's a hell of an artist.

One thing I'm really curious about- you'd mentioned paying special attention to the #3 cylinder insofar as temp sensing. I know that this one tended to be problematic in the pre-doghouse era type 1 motors, but I'd always assumed that VW addressed that issue in the pancake design with at least the same level of competance as they did with the doghouse-style shroud. I have essentially zero hands-on experiance with the type 4, and I've never really had occassion to learn much about them.

They respond well to big external oil coolers since they rely heavily on the oil to help cool the engine. Make sure the hoses and fittings are big enough not to restrict flow. The engine does have a horizontal oil baffle in it to prevent sloshing under cornering, right? Some engines had them and some didn't.

do my eyes see a 20B?!

Aren't you just the master of understatement.

Fixed

my bad, I forgot that 20 requires an extra rotary bit. :facepalm:


20b would be bauce, but thats awesome too :p

I have a question what was is the price tag on one of those street legal go karts??

"More than you can afford pal"

lawlz

I think in a year or two I want to buy the MEV Exocet kit

[Minor Thread Crap]

You know what I'd really like to have? A Formula Vee car. Except it would have the '68+ IRS style transmission, A-arm suspension front and rear, and a bit of a chassis stretch such that there's space for a larger fuel tank and a tiny cargo area, along with my freakishly tall body.

[/Minor Thread Crap]

The experts on the internet say its the hottest running cylinder, and sine the OEM head temp sensor went there (even has a machined hole for it) I figres why buck convention. Also need to make sure my temps were sane. Although I fund A/C VW people to be whiney and paranoid about cyl head temps.

I have a deep sump that will help if it does not. Also, your post explains well why when I put on the thermostat flaps to get some air directed over the oil cooler it ran cooler. It was that or the lowered CR, and the motor had to come out to do both so sorry for the bad science.

This example has gone up after that trip. as has been mentioned before, contact speedinc.us for pricing. I would encourage one to look at all options on the market though, with the 818 about to come out and the RCR superlite this is not the only 'atom like' kit car on the market.

FV would be cool but I probably wouldn't fit. That is a super cheap way to go fast in a race car though.

MOAR

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346807653
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346807653
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https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346807653
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1346807653

Lol @ passenger's death grip in the second pic from the last.

that pic and the one above from the rear are the same corner. I was doin' work on that pass :D

Whoops
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350491065
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Hydraulic brake pressure switch for the lights failed at a very bad time. I'm not gonna lie I might have tagged the barrier anyway, just not as hard. No injuries, no frame damage, and other than the root cause of the brakes just cosmetic.

I HIGHLY recommend that you do not use a hydraulic brake light switch.
Do it the right way and use a normally closed electric switch.

Ouch! Glad the frame is ok.

Fun fact: The Volkswagen that your engine came out of used a hydraulic brake light switch. Two of them, in fact- one on the front circuit and one on the rear. In addition to turning on the brake lights, they also acted as a warning system. If a state-mismatch was detected (pressure on one circuit but not the other) it lit up an idiot-light on the instrument cluster.

So, when you say 'failed' you obviously mean it popped and you lost brake pressure on one circuit?

That is a fun fact. Its still a bad freaking idea. :facepalm:

You sir, are correct; specifically the rear brakes.

Well, yeah. But on the plus side, you had a little tiny light on the dashboard that glowed dimly to let you know that the reason you were about to crash was because your brakes had just failed.

Gotta hand it to the Germans- they think of everything. :D

I like Pook's stuff but I have a street legal go kart I am planning on salvaging parts off of

Here is my current buggy
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350510592
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350510592

And I got a GSXR 1000 bike im scrapping for parts to make this
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350510592
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350510592

That is pure sex.

Details or at least a name of the car?

What is that?

Looks like an RCR Superlite Nemesis.

SuperLite Cars Made in the USA, Engineered to Win on the Street and Track by Race Car Replicas

Hayabusa engine, 1,098 lbs. $20k for the rolling chassis kit.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350527824

I gotta say, that's about as close as it gets to driving an indy car

I don't know. I think the V8 Atom is more like it. Except for the two seater part.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350537544

so you're brake lights activate when the pressure in the lines reaches a certain point? and that adapter-thingy broke and caused you to lose brakes?

Correct, rear brakes.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350566908

That is an interesting way to do things, but the blaring fact of that being one more possibe failure point (and a very dangerous one at that) makes me wonder why an engineer would choos to do this.

but a simple mechanical switch on the pedal itself is way too eay.

I have no clue. I'm thankful at least my car has two braking circuits; could you imagine what happens on a street car that only has one?

Its even more puzzling considering the state of the art of material science back then; a simple electrical switch, even with redundancy, is far more simple.

The only advantage I see is its an actual indication of line pressure and the fact that the car is slowing, rather than a pedal switch that is an indication of the intent to apply line pressure. IMHO its semantics, because a failure either way does not change the fact that you may not stop. a failure of either a pressure or electric switch will not change the fact that you may stop without indication.

?

I'm not aware of any street car which hasn't had dual-circuit brakes since at least the 1960s. The Beetle got them as part of the 1967 redesign. Most cars use only a single fluid reservoir, but the master cylinder itself is internally split into two isolated circuits, with each serving two wheels. Most commonly front-back, however I have seen some cars with diagonal splits.



A lot of things about the VW design are an interesting conundrum. Every one I have ever driven, for instance, had a pair of little levers positioned right by the e-brake handle whose sole function seemed to be to let just enough carbon monoxide into the cabin to make you stop caring about the fact that you are freezing cold and your front windshield is completely fogged up.

While I realize this is true, I had a slave cylinder fail on me in my first rabbit.....ALL the brakes stopped working and I had to get a handful of ebrake. In our 240sx lemons car... if a bleeder is open on the rear corner you can put the brakes on the floor and still turn all the wheels by hand...just sayin'

:rofl::rofl:
I solved this problem by not having a windshield. Or brake lights.

http://www.diyautotune.com/images/ca...jects/Ben1.png