Painting the Miata

Well i finally got around to painting the Miata.  With the help of some friends i was able to get most of the dents and dings out and the BIG door dent filled.

 My home made dent puller.  I welded some 10-24 threaded rod to the car and then welded some nuts together up to the size of the slide hammer thread.  It worked AMAZINGLY well.  Very little filled used.

 All sanded down and ready to be moved for paint.

 Taping...  Not fun but done.

 COLOR!  Thanks to my painter Eric!

Well some of my hard starting issues were related to a weak battery.  I replaced it and now it is starting MUCH better!  yay!

I've gotten the Miata on the road and driving (sometimes).  I've been searching for the cause of a hard starting issue.  I first thought that it was a "dirty ignition" which is common for Miatas.  But i took it all apart and cleaned it with little to no results :(  The next task is to check the starter i just have not had a chance to remove it and take it in for a testing. 

There have been odds and ends that need attention, one of them being the drivers side headlight bucket.  With a bit of work i went from this (not able to latch the hood)

To this, its not perfect but will do for now.

I've also had to replace the shocks in the front end.  They were pretty easy to change out, nicely designed Mazda! 

On one of my few drives in the car i was buzzing up a inclining twisty back road, and i got my first bit of power on oversteer, NOT understeer that i have been SO use to with all the FWD cars that i have driven.  The car felt VERY good, planted and very controllable. :)   Unfortunately i have not been able to mess with the starter, partly due to working on a friends car taking up what little free time i have, but it pays some of the bills... oh well.  Maybe "this week" i can get the starter off and checked out :'( 

Over this past weekend i was able to dig another trench and run the TV cable in my garage so when im out there this winter i will not be missing my Bills playing on TV.  I still have to run the permanent Natural gas line.  But i think that will have to wait a little longer.

This winter i need to paint the whole car and at the very minimum tires for the car... But i have a lead on some Ground control springs and koni shocks so that would be a LOT of fun on the Solo courses!

The Miata is coming along.  Ive got the front end in place, the fenders and the hood.  I'm currently trying to fit the drivers side headlight bucket and cover.  Right now they interfere with each other.  But in the may-lay of the miata and letting my friend use the garage i lost the key to the miata!  Ahhh I've got a new lower radiator hose bought, cut and installed.  I filled the system (i can't bleed it yet) and i noticed the res tank was VERY dirty so i took it out and scrubbed it up.  Wile it was out i noticed the pick up straw was clogged with goo.  So i cleaned that up as well.  I also need to finish the underside and get the exhaust removed (bent) and the new stock one installed.

A old'ish pic 

The wife and kids left town for a few days (long weekend).  So i was planning on getting a lot of work done on the Miata.  I got done what i hoped even though i had a pretty good Sinus infection.

All spot welded into place.

Fishplate on the outer frame rail.

Fishplate on the top of the frame rail

And since the rest of the welding was done, and the welder was still out, i figured i mine as well start to stitch weld the chassis.

I've still got a fair bit of work to do on the underside to the sub frame connector that was squashed in the accident.

I've got the frame section spot welded into place, wile i source the rest of the replacement parts and spot weld them into place to make sure that all the gaps are correct.

Another project?!

Yea so i bought a wrecked 1995 Mazda Miata with only 50,000miles.  I MUST be gluten for punishment?!  Wile it does need a fair amount of work i will have it done and driveable WAY before i can get the Locost done.  So onto the updates with the Miata.  A trip to the junk yard and truck full of parts i have most of what i need to make the repair, Hood, fender, Radiator and fans, bumper and cover.

This is how the Miata looked when i bought it... A bit rough, but fixable.

This is the main damage, the upper radiator support is bend the front bumper support, and the left side frame rail is bent.

Frame rail

Trying to pull all the damage out....

 Not bad after just a few hours

 

 This was completely collapsed from the accident.

With the help of a friend i was able to get the upper rad support off as well as the bumper support, i've also cut out the damaged frame in this picture.

New frail rail set in place, waiting for the other parts so that i can weld it in.

In the mean time wile waiting for the front end parts there is some damage to the drivers side frame rail , so im removing it and im going to repair that as well.

That is where im at to date. 

Home Construction

Well I was able to get the plastering and sanding work done before the birth of the new baby, just BARELY!   I took down the plastic hanging from the ceiling used to keep the dust contained to the "construction zone" and out of the room and the rest of the house. So we scrubbed and scrubbed the room clean that sunday.  We went to bed exhausted but with a clean and semi assembled bedroom. 

As luck would have it the wifes water broke at 2:30am and we quickly got our stuff around and off to the hospital.  Our Daughter was born at 4:36am!  So finishing up that project is on a little holding pattern wile the baby sleeps in our room, and wile we adjust our sleeping patterns. 

Home improvments!

  Its nonstop.  Over Christmas i started buy removing and moving the doors to the walk in closet, from the spare bedroom to the master bedroom.  The part of moving the doors was easy, but trying to reuse all the 60+yr old Cedar lining was VERY time consuming.  But i got it all done and i even started to Demo the inner walls to the bedroom.  Over the same Christmas break i was able to remove 2 layers of 3/8" Sheetrock, which equaled 15 60lb bags of trash!  It has been slow going since going back to work the first of the year.  But im slowly getting there.  I've added 4 new outlets and 2 of them are double gang, and i've also added 2 cable jacks for where a flat panel TV will eventually be mounted.  Sheetrock and plaster work is all that is left for now.   It does not seam like a lot...  But with the very LIMITED time that i get to work on it, the project takes MUCH longer than it should.  I just hope that i can get thru all the sanding and plastering before the new baby girl is due Feb 23rd!   

Wish me luck!

Summer's "fun"

  What a summer.   Getting the fence installed that took a massive chunk out of my summer's free time.  Wile at at one of the few Solos i was able to make it to, i started to have some issues with my Forester XT (turbo issues) so i stopped racing it and hung out for the rest of the event.  Wile at the event i found that the lower suspension arm was rusting really bad!  So i parked the car and dove into that project.  Wile working on removing the lower control arm i had a slight brain fart and went after the pinch bolt for the lower ball joint not the retainer nut...  And snapped it clean off!  YAY time to take the whole front end apart!  So i took the knuckle off, LCA off.  I got the LCA repaired but the LBJ was being very, VERY difficult to get out of the knuckle.  I ended up having to fab a custom tool to be able to pull out the LBJ that took a week between trying some heat and penetrating oil and patience, then brute force.  Now that the LBJ was out i had to drill out the bolt.   That went ok.

Wile working on the knuckle i had it clamped in the bench vise and i was clamping it down and it "broke!"  Turns out the retainer nut for the lead screw on the vise.  The screw was loose, and im SURE that didn't help, but being crappy steel that was not that strong and poorly design.  So i have yet something else to repair.  I got the car done and back together. 

Time for the Vise fix.
Busted vise part.  Wile its a cheap Harbor Freight vise it seams wasteful to throw it out for a "simple fix"

The new fix and so far its holding.  A new M20 ACME nut from Mcmaster Carr.

Then the Turbo on the Forester went south!  I tried to rebuild it, but it was too far gone and i had to source a used turbo.  I got that fixed also.  Wile working on the Turbo fix the floor jack started to leak oil.  "GREAT" yet something else to fix.  So i took it all apart and measured and ordered a slew of new O-rings from Mcmaster Carr.  I put it all back together, threw some oil in it and jacked up the Locost (see i am not totally neglecting it).  It would not go all the way up, but i figured it was low on oil.  I locked the piston and left it overnight to see if the repair holds.  I came back the next day and the Locost was still in the air!  Yay another tool fixed.  I took it back to the work bench to fill it up.  I started filling it with oil, and not knowing how much i took out of it...  I just put a bunch of oil in it.  I put it on the floor and was going to varify it was still working and i had enough oil in it.  Well i had enough oil in it....  A bit too much and i blew out the fill plug!!  Lol (one of those stupid moments).  So a new plug in on order then i can be done with the floor jack. 

Now the Air compressor will not turn on...  YIPPIE!  any other tools want to stop working also?!  GEEZ!  So that is the next thing to fix.  

Electric finally turned on!

I FINALLY got around to having the new service in the garage connected to the main panel in the house.  I went down a few weeks ago to make the connection, i got the main panel off and froze.  SO i figured that wile a simple job the potential for injury was too high and that i would see if i can find someone else to make the connection for me. 

NOW i can get all the tools re-positioned to there proper places and use all those outlets that i added!  And have access to my 220v outlets! 

Now onto the gas line for the heater.

Updated Garage pics

  Its been quite the spring and summer.  I've been working on the fence and other projects when the time allows.  I've almost got all 300' of the fence up.  I focused on getting the dog run, before July as we had 2 vacation in July and needed to leave the dogs at the house.  It will feel good when that project is completed.

  I've also been fighting with the Subaru, its coming close to 100k miles and it needs some attention.   Man i miss working on the Locost!  :'( 

One of them was to continue to get the garage in some sort or working shape.  I feel that im about there.  I just need to turn on the electric in the garage.   I've added some cabinets and hung the TV.  Now i just need to make it work!

Im working, just not on the car :(

 Well it seams that spring has FINALLY sprung!  So when better to build a fence?  So im running about 300' of fence to contain the dogs and kid.  I swear i will work on the locost again... Some day.

Clean, Clean, Clean

We are getting there.  I have been plugging away at getting it cleaned up.  I still need some cabinets to finish taking care of all the tools and supplies. I have a friend locating for a set for me.  Hopefully that will be enough to finish up the needed storage?


Look there is a FLOOR!

Cleaning and organising

 I was able to get to the garage for a few hours on sunday to clean up and pick up.  I cleaned out about 10bags of trash, pushed back a few cabinets, hung the rest of the ceiling speakers and got them working.  its getting there...

Moved in

Well everything is moved into the garage.  Its a good feeling, but its a BIG MESS!

I still need to mount the speakers in the ceiling and finishing painting 1/2 the ceiling.   But at least its all in there.  Now where to put it all?!

More Painting

I've gotten most of the painting done.  All the walls, and 1/2 the ceiling, the rest of the ceiling will have to wait until i unload the storage into the garage and set up the garage.  I need to return the storage container. 

It will be nice to see the Locost out of storage and back to sitting idle (haha) in the garage, also having my tools where i can get to them will be NICE!  man i miss having them at my fingertips.

Painting

I took the day off work so that i could make some good progress in the garage.  I got the last of the OSB up in the garage, and then i started to paint.  I got 2 coats of primer up, on all the walls and the ceiling and that took me up until 9:30pm.  13.5hr day...

  I also had a friend stop over to pull the trailer out of the yard to infront of the garage so when i was ready I can unload it.  Well a brand new Dodge 1500 could not figure itself out to put any real power down to pull the 18' trailer out of the yard?  I never really hunkered down and dug... It thought about it but it seamed like the traction control would kick in and not let it dig...  I guess its time to get the real HD trucks over there and pull it out.

Wall Board

  Ben and I worked last night and got the back wall up and 2 sheets up on the ceiling.  Its coming together, slowly but it will get there.  Having the insulation in there makes a HUGE difference.  Its up to temp and hot in there in no time.  We even turned off the heater for over a hour.  Here are a few crappy Cell phone pics.  I will take better ones before i start tonight.

Backwall

 

You can see all the outlets :)

 

Front wall

Wiring, Insulation & Sheeting

  I got the rough wiring inspection done and it didn't pass, i had the grounds and the neutrals backwards in the box so i had to swap them, he also wanted the main power feed encased in PVC in the walls, so i had to also do that.  I also needed "Tamper resistant" outlets...  So i had to swap out 18 outlets.  I got all of those changes made by last Wednesday and i was waiting for the inspector to OK it so that i could insulate and put up the sheeting.  I didn't get a response Thursday and i called until i got a hold of him on Friday and he gave me the ok to insulate and put up the wall sheeting.

  My father came and helped me insulate Saturday and we got it all up on Saturday.  Sunday i was only able to work for about 3.5hrs, but Ben and I got both of the sidewall sheeting up.  Ill be out there again tonight trying to get the back wall done along with starting the ceiling.  Its defently getting there.