build diary

February 24, 2004:
Mocking up the dash to find the right place for the steering column hole.
Now I can sit in the seat and pretend to push imaginary buttons. Sounds childish but it's good for figuring out the layout of things.
entry 156

February 26, 2004:
It really helps being closely involved with the Miata community while doing a project like this.
A car that's undergoing an engine transplant is donating wiring harness parts and a 1.6 automatic throttle body. The latter will bolt up to my intake manifold without any modification and has the better TPS that I need for my 1.8 ECU. A wrecked Miata is donating steering parts to help my modifications and a Texan race car is going to provide some nice clean seats. This is fun.

Back in the garage, the wiring work continues. I've now figured how it's all going to work. I keep forgetting how simple the car will be and that I don't need the same robust wiring as a stock Miata that runs heater fans, wipers, big stereos and electric windows. The interior fuse box will run the entire car along with a few extra relays and the wiring colours will be the same as a Miata to make it easy to troubleshoot. Now it's just a matter of cutting and splicing. Of course I forgot my wiring diagrams at work last night so I had to entertain myself with little things.

One thing that has become obvious is how easy it will be to work on the engine when this car is done. It's very exposed and even has lots of room at the rear of the head. This is good! The transmission will be a different matter, and removing the driveshaft will involve pulling out interior parts. But overall, I think it will be easy to modify and maintain - good for what is essentially a racer.
entry 157

Yup, more wiring.
I am making progress, really.
entry 158

February 27, 2004:
I've started a guestbook for the site.
I'd love to hear from people - I get a lot of email, but here's another way. Ask questions, leave comments, whatever you'd like. I've also added numbers to the photos to make it easy to refer to something in particular.

More wiring. The fusebox is about half done and I'm starting to hook up the relays. A big order has been placed with Del City for switches, circuit breakers, lights and the like. I'm starting to think about the exhaust system as well while I wait for the fuel cell to show up. I also have to run in a Miata with a 2.0 engine and a responsive turbo system this weekend. Sigh. It's rough. Oh, and I've also decided to put my "good" Miata engine in the Seven right from the start. It's a 130+ rwhp engine that is hugely entertaining due to crisp throttle response and high compression.
entry 159

Hidden under the scuttle will be the fusebox (accessible from the driver's footwell, more or less) and all the various relays.
I'll do a slightly neater job of the wiring.
entry 160
I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to learn.
Turns out my 1997 coils have a different wiring setup than the 1995 wiring manual I am using to adapt my 1991 wiring harness. I've got it figured out now but it did mean pulling out yet another wiring diagram.
entry 161

March 1, 2004:
Wow.
The guestbook was more popular than I ever could have imagined. Thanks for dropping in, folks! If you asked a question there, I'll answer it in the guestbook itself.

16" of fresh powder at Telluride meant not much Seven work this weekend. I did get a bit more of the wiring done and I stuck some huge rally lights on the car to entertain myself. They're not hooked up - but they could be. Most of the wiring is now done and just waiting for a few connectors and bits to show up. A note about the wiring - the CMC kit is designed to use an unmodified Miata harness. I could have made my life much easier by simply dropping the harness into place, but I've got some unusual plans. That's why all the extra work. To answer a common question - all the manuals I use are the Mazda factory ones.

Parts are starting to come in from various sources. I've been getting all sorts of help from the Miata community. A box of wiring bits and a 1.6 automatic throttle body showed up today. Another Miata friend is sending some aviation circuit breakers to replace my fuse box to make a cleaner installation and a more accessible box - thanks, Mark! My wiring order from Del City will be here on Friday.
entry 162

For those thinking about turbochargers - there's a lot of room in here for one.
entry 163
Before I paint the nose, I'll cut a notch to clear the upper control arm bracket.
It's not much interference, but it's enough to cause problems down the line.
entry 164
Front brake line and mount with the wheels straight.
Longer lines are needed, although apparently the GRM build somehow made it work. I have no idea how.
entry 165
Fish car!
Just for giggles, I mounted a spare set of Hella 4000 rally lights on the Seven. 9.5" in diameter, they're a little big. Doesn't everyone have spares like this sitting around?
entry 166
To most people, this is not the sort of thing to get excited about.
But most people also aren't building their own car.
entry 167
The current state.
Wiring continues - no surprise there.
entry 168

March 2, 2004:
Surprise surprise, I'm getting tired of wiring.
I'm also waiting for some switches and the circuit breakers. In the meantime, I decided to put in the parking brake assembly. CMC did a nice job of integrating the stock Miata setup into the frame so everything just bolted up. Now I understand the reason for that plate on the side of the transmission tunnel! I might still move the handle a little further forward to tighten the cable as the adjustment is maxed out. It works, but it could work better. The way the plate is welded in, there's not much clearance for the bolt heads without hitting the transmission tunnel cover. I used the Torx bolts that originally attached the top latches to the car for maximum clearance.

Some interesting reading - a Caterham Superlight build. 6 months almost to the day. I wonder if I'll beat that time? There are some entries that make me thirst for more detail:"Fill diff with oil. Cut head, go to casualty."
entry 169

Interesting - the throttle body from the automatic car has some surprising differences.
They're the same basic casting but the machining is different to work with the different TPS.
entry 170
Yes, I'm getting sick of wiring.
So I decided to put in the parking brake. Ignore the wood brake handle. I should have put the mechanism a little further forward to gain a little more adjustment. It does still work.
entry 171
The emergency brake cables hang down a bit below the floor.
entry 172

March 3, 2004:
My headlights have arrived.
They're from a dune buggy shop, and cost $55 for the pair. Of course yesterday I found some listed for $37 a pair but I'm not terribly upset. Part of my wiring order from Del City showed up today as well, so now I can get a little further on the boring work.
entry 173

That's better - no wooden emergency brake handle.
entry 174
My headlights are here!
entry 175

March 4, 2004:
It's almost time for the big Engine Dance.
One motor will get built up, two will get swapped and then the Seven will have a mill. I took the test engine out of the frame last night as it's destined to be made into something special. It was a little disheartening as it looks like I'm going backwards. I've known all along that it was going to come out but still...
entry 176

My throttle body looked a little crusty, so a coat of black paint has fixed that! Why black? Because they're usually bare aluminum and anything short of a full polish will look wrong against the manifold on the engine above.
entry 177
Not your typical "Locost" donor - here's the engine that is destined for my car.
First the block that I've been using for test-fitting needs to be built up, then it will replace my spare engine that is in another Miata, then THAT engine will go into the car in the photo which frees up the 11:1 motor for the Seven. Got that?
entry 178
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