DIYEFI.org Forum

BTW, I absolutely *love* that it was you there with me the very first time when I showed up at 2am or 3am or whatever it was, and now 7 years later it's still you here, doing it yourself on your car! Thanks for being here for the long haul!

If you want any content stuffed into an earlier post, send me the content and tell me what to do. At some point I'll implement a solution that allows everyone to edit as they see fit again, but it's not yet, sadly.

LOL @ me driving the wrecked car! :-D Hilarious. It was fast! :-)

"Cheap" Miata came in several different colors but it was straight. First not the list was to replace the blown engine. I picked up a stock 1.6 mild oil burner for $200, got a cheap paint job, fixed all the electrical issues from sitting under a tarp for years and proceeded to drive the car as a daily for a couple of years.

Stripped the crushed car of all parts. Sold what I didn't need and shelved the rest. Then cut it up and traded the good sections, gave the bent stuff to my yard guy to haul off and collect the scrap cash. Said he got $76 for the bent sections.

Fred wrote:BTW, I absolutely *love* that it was you there with me the very first time...LOL @ me driving the wrecked car! Hilarious. It was fast!

Obviously I'm one of the few that can comprehend your sense of humor. But yep, in it for the long haul. Enjoying the ride.

I'm sure it was much quicker than when I drove it considering all the parts that were removed. I bet it was nearly 500lbs lighter.

The new "improved engine swap" approach meant this time the engine would sit lower and further back. And that resulted in new parts, more fabrication, lots of thinking, and significantly more time spent. Determined the new engine position and then fab'd engine mounts using a spare front subframe.

Modified the stock front subframe to accommodate the lower, further back engine position.

First engine test fit. Big FE3 four banger sits just a little further back (measured at the engine front) than the stock BP 1.8 Miata engine. New position has also created new issues- room needed for turbo downpipe and CAS, power plant frame (transmission/differential support) and driveshaft "shortening" to compensate for new transmission position.

Painted the engine bay while everything was out. Much nicer than the silver car with red engine bay.

Modified a stock B2000 ute/pickup oil pan to fit the new engine position, along with an oil pick up to suit the custom oil pan.

I never noticed this thread until Fred pointed it out. Great to read, gutted about the car vs. tree part, but then again good to see you use the event to build an even greater car. Godspeed! Hope your project turns out well