Bought a Miata Because Exocar

[Monochrome]

No I figured as long as there is fluid inside, it shouldn't be an issue. Worst case it would make the steering a little harder. If its unbearable, I will go back and redo it their way.

[tabasco122]

yeah, kinda sucks if you dont take the seals out lol. Ive driven 240s with the lines looped and it was crap compared to the manual rack in my mr2.

[Monochrome]

Actually, guys seem to prefer the PS converted rack over the true manual one. Its the quicker ratio.

Besides, I can't think of a scenario where I will need to parallel park this thing.

[mjannusch]

Get those seals out of there. It makes a big difference on steering feel and effort.

[Monochrome]

[quote=""mjannusch""]Get those seals out of there. It makes a big difference on steering feel and effort.[/quote]

I couldn't find any negative feedback to doing this way other than "the steering is slightly harder."

To be honest, this rack is different than the NA one which seem to have all kind of photos all over he Internet on how to depower. I didn't want to tear into this one blind and end up fucking it up. Even the manual doesn't have instructions (at least not the one I've got). Without knowing the torque specs, I'm worried about the rack getting ruined while on the track or some place very inconvenient....

I'm able to turn the rack by hand now with moderate effort and no steering shaft hooked up. Can't imagine driving it this way is all that bad. It's not like my stick figure arms are weak...

[mjannusch]

Maybe the Miata rack isn't as numb as ours is with the seals in... I guess on the Exo it'll be easy enough to remove the seals later if you really wanted to...

[Monochrome]

It's stupid easy. That's why I figured it's fine to try it this way and change it later if needed.

It just occurred to me that I can take the PS belt off my DD miata and get a good gauge of what it would actually feel like.

[Monochrome]

Finally got the rear spindles done this afternoon. One of the more challenging parts of this project so far.

Starting off with getting the axles off.... I have a 20 gal air compressor and a 650ft/ lb impact so getting the axle nuts off wasn't bad. Just make sure you undo the dent with a punch. (Sorry no picture of this)

Now the bitch of the whole job was getting the axles out. I tried heat, hammers, a hydraulic press... The only thing that accomplished was breaking the rear caliper mount off the spindle.




Note: in the pic you'll see I did eventually get them out (and lost $100 for a new assembly). Here's how:

First off I bought a can of the absolute best silicone based penetrating oil. Made by 3M too.



Important to note that I sprayed both sides of the bearing. Not just the front. Then I let this sit for about half an hour. Flipping the assembly back and forth a couple times.

What finally worked for me was the air hammer. There's a link about it here:

http://www.miata.net/garage/axle.html

You just use the round chisel end on the indentation on the axle stud. Pushed it right out after about 5-10 seconds of hammering.

I also decided to replace the wheel bearings and hubs. It was about $120 for the parts.

Started off with a 13/16th deep socket inserted thru the back side and hammering out the hub with a very large dead blow. Few good whacks popped it right out!




Also decided to remove the brake dust shield. It just pops right off.



Next this circlip needs to come out. Just used a set of circlip pliers.




With this out, I was then able to knock out the bearing with a 1 1/8" socket.



The new bearing literally falls right in when using a torch to head up the spindle.

Don't forget to reinstall the c-clip too.



For the hub, I used the vice (although a large C-clamp would also work) and two sockets. Note that I'm pressing on the back of the INNER race so as not to strain the ball bearings.




All done!



Well.... Almost. It was at this point I realized I am an idiot and completely forgot to powder coat the knuckle before installing the new parts......



...but no matter. Some high temp masking tape and all was well.

[Monochrome]

Working late tonight. Trying to take full advantage of the nice weather we are having.

Time to tackle the tedious project of cleaning the engine. ...by hand.




Few hours worth of work. Didn't turn out too bad. Wish there was a better way to do this.

After the motor was cleaned (half way decently) I installed the new seals using the Flyin Miata special tools. These are neat. Just use the stock bolts to push the tool which presses the seal on perfectly square and in the exact depth you need.




Perfect fit every time.



Miata Roadster "solid" motor mounts (which are actually just very stiff poly)



That's it for tonight. More cleaning plus the rear main seal tomorrow.

The timing belt covers are completely mangled too. Going to try and find new ones. There's used ones all over eBay but its the gaskets that make them fit correctly.

[tabasco122]

that last picture looks terrible lol. thats a lot of crud. I havent looked at my engine yet, it appears to have been garaged, plus low miles should be good, as long as i dont have leaky gaskets anywhere.

[Chris GTO TT]

I'm not looking forward to the wheel bearings on my miata

Wanna fly out and do them for me?

[Monochrome]

Mail me the spindles and parts. I will fix it.

Oh I forgot to mention that yesterday during lunch I took the PS belt off the DD miata. The steering isn't bad at all. We will see what its like with 225 tires instead of 195 or whatever stock is.

We have some industrial cleaners here at work that maybe I will try. Looking again at the pics, there's still a lot of shit in those small crevices...

[Hans_GZP]

Just take it to a DIY car wash and have at it

[Monochrome]

No....

[Monochrome]

So it turns out not all brake cleaners are equal. Stay away from the Walmart shit. It doesn't work. Grabbed some of the good brake/carb cleaner and an hour later we have art.



Very minimal effort except to wipe off some of the thicker build ups.

With that phase done, I needed to get something else cleaned up before installing the timing belt.

Before:



After:



New thermostat, gasket, housing o-ring and new OEM hoses. The hoses weren't expensive at all. $36 shipped for all 4.



Now I need to start tracking down a solution to eliminating the heater core.



Timing belt done. New pullies, new seals all good except all 3 timing belt covers were trash. The gaskets were all torn, belts had rubbed on the insides... I just ordered brand new ones. $95 for them. Should be here by the end of the week.

With that job done, I was in the mood for a Happy Meal and a new rear main seal.



....might as well replace the throw out bearing and rejoin these two love birds.



Saw no reason the front subframe couldn't be reattached either.



Might as well set the valve cover on top to see how it looks too.




Finally found a deal on a Torsen. Its a 3.9 though but for the price, I couldn't pass it up. Hopefully it will be here before it gets too cold. I want to at least get the roller skate together before winter hibernation.

Can anyone confirm that I need a 4.10 speedometer gear to keep my gauge cluster accurate with this rear end?

While I was in the mood to spend $$, I also ordered two shifter rebuild kits. One for the Exocet, the other for the DD Miata.

That's it for tonight. If anyone is wondering, I've just crossed the 50 hour mark. That's including the powder coating time.

[Chris GTO TT]

why can't you just loop the heater core hoses?

[Monochrome]

[quote=""Chris GTO TT""]why can't you just loop the heater core hoses?[/quote]

They aren't quite long enough and kink.

[Chris GTO TT]

with another piece of hose?

[Monochrome]

Oh you're saying to tie to two together?

Nah I would rather find one single hose that's shaped correctly and looks clean.

[green-lantern]

Can't you just block them off?





http://trackspeedengineering.com/produc ... 7iakemd654


Looks good BTW.