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PostPosted: December 12, 2008, 7:27 pm 
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Whew, finally got my donor and can start work.
my budget is about $2000 (yeah, right) and I will be using this car mostly for street use (so it needs blinkers and all those awesome accessories)

(check out that totally custom engine and shift knob)

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PostPosted: December 12, 2008, 7:35 pm 
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wow, i just realized that I can start the car (i mean turn the engine over, the car doesn't actually start) by just turning the little plastic thingy where you stick the key in. And the door locks don't work...

... sooo I guess the harlequin paint scheme is the only thing that deters thieves?


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PostPosted: December 12, 2008, 8:01 pm 
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Dude... that is choice!


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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 10:45 am 
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Scrubbles wrote:

(check out that totally custom engine and shift knob)



Dude,

One look at that engine bay, and you can instantly tell who the previous owner was: High school ricer wanna be. LOL ! ! ! If he had spent a little more time learning about his car and wrenching on it, and a little bit less time with a paint brush, maybe he'd still be driving it. His loss your gain.

Nice Score on the Donor. I look forward to seeing your progress.

-Indy "let the fun begin" Joe

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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 10:49 am 
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Excellent. If you change your mind for some reason, all of that will fit in a miata too.

Since this is a traditional build, will you be using some of the front suspension too? 205-50-15 low profile tires on the stock wheels? I have the 1995 fan blade v8 wheels on mine.

A pressure washer and/or bucket bead blaster may remove most of the blue before teardown.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
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360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 1:46 pm 
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Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
Since this is a traditional build, will you be using some of the front suspension too? 205-50-15 low profile tires on the stock wheels? I have the 1995 fan blade v8 wheels on mine.
hmm... i didn't even know that was an option, i assume you mean the suspension assembly???

also, does any1 know how to get the trunk open on these cars,
i do not have the key and the little button inside the glove box doesn't seem to work?

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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 2:00 pm 
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Holy bling bling Batman!

He even painted his a/c compressor....

Congrats on landing a donor. Hope he want too much money, what with all the 'performance upgrades' he's done. That rad cap alone had to be worth $45......

And by suspension, I believe he means the front spindles. I think they've been used elsewhere.

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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 3:38 pm 
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oh, yeah i am planning on using the spindles...

the only way i can even (sort of) get the engine to fire is if i squirt fuel directly down the supercharger. any suggestions?

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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 3:47 pm 
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Buy the factory service manual and start troubleshooting. You're going to need the manual anyway when it comes time to wire it up so may as well start in now. There's something to be said for knowing the engine runs before building the car.

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PostPosted: December 13, 2008, 3:51 pm 
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The following is based on a 1995 v8 tbird schematic.

If the fuel filler cap door doesn't release either, check the 20 amp SEAT/LOCK fuse. The trunk solenoid needs positive battery voltage on the pink/yellow wire from the trunk release button.

There are several options. It has been discussion about cuting off the stock spindles above the swaybar connection for use on a traditional car. if you keep the same track width, the sway bar and rack could be used. The strut rod setup is not popular but could be used along with the front subframe. The rotors and calipers could be reused even if the spindles are not, using different spindles and the appropriate bearings and caliper brackets but nobody has done that yet either. The tbird wheel bolt pattern is not the same as other fords.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: December 16, 2008, 5:32 pm 
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IndyJoe wrote:
Scrubbles wrote:

(check out that totally custom engine and shift knob)



Dude,

One look at that engine bay, and you can instantly tell who the previous owner was: High school ricer wanna be. LOL ! ! !


you can tell by the purple tinted window too.... LOL
Quote:
The following is based on a 1995 v8 tbird schematic.

If the fuel filler cap door doesn't release either, check the 20 amp SEAT/LOCK fuse. The trunk solenoid needs positive battery voltage on the pink/yellow wire from the trunk release button.

this dosent have a fuel door release but i will check that fuse..
hopefully more time will come with christmas break so i can get plenty of work done..

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Last edited by Scrubbles on December 30, 2008, 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: December 20, 2008, 9:45 pm 
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YAY!!!! hurray for saturday. some pics of what i did today!


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PostPosted: December 20, 2008, 10:08 pm 
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"It was A little snowy... "

That's what I call dedication. I don't start until 45 degrees and rising, and stop when the faceplate fogs!

I'm still within the $2009 Challenge limit, so I don't think your budget is unreasonable. You may have to use all your donor, ebay wheels, and second-hand micro-sprint coilovers... but it has been done. Looking for deals may take a little longer, but then, everybody likes to look down on "checkbook racers."


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PostPosted: December 20, 2008, 10:51 pm 
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mcteardrops wrote:
... but then, everybody likes to look down on "checkbook racers."

But there's a vast middle ground. Just because you use a donor engine with less than 70,000 miles, new tires and wheels, new brakes and wheel bearings doesn't, I don't think, get you into the Checkbook Club.

Way at the shallow end is all sorts of dangers of rusted-up useless engines that need a rebuild, rusted shocks with entirely wrong valving, bent axles, plugged up radiators, threadbare tires, etc. Sweat equity works, but it can end up way more expensive than expected.

While a "Junkyard War's" type car is fun to make I'm not sure I'd want to drive it very far from home for fear of it breaking.

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Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: December 20, 2008, 11:02 pm 
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Good looking work. But you really should build yourself something with legs to work on. Your back will thank you for it.

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A man must keep a little back shop where he can be himself without reserve. In solitude alone can he know true freedom.
-Michel de Montaigne

Scratch built book frame with an 83 Celica donor 22RE. SHE'S A ROLLER!!!


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