Woof Aluminum has gone up in price. Two 48x48 sheets of 3003 .040 ran me a smooth $260. Ouchie. I'm going to be really careful to not waste any. I had planned to make everything interiorwise out of carbon, but after sleeping on it I decided I wanted metal for firewalls at minimum.
To ensure a nice fit and as little waste as possible I'm resorting to CAD.
I'll straighten that brake line out when I P-clip it. Looking back it may have been easier to do this before I did plumbing.
Like everything on this car, the fit is tight.
Seeing it partially enclosed is really bringing me joy.
The Miata came out of hibernation, which meant more room in the basement. That mean the Busa Grande body could come into the shop. The straps let me wear it like a halloween costume.
I don't have any plans to change the body this year and I definitely plan on keeping the number in honor of the previous owner. There are some repairs to be made though.
I did a little shuffling around and brought the car to the "front" of the basement where I have more room to maneuver.
I never get sick of the novelty of this thing.
With more room I ran out of reasons to not work with large sheets of aluminum. So I mounted up the bead roller and dug out my electric shears. I am not good at bead rolling.
The large panel had to be cut in two to actually make it installable. The difference between cardboard and .040 aluminum I guess. Since it had to flex for installation I couldn't bead roll it (which would have made my life hell).
Still need to bolt things on, but seeing real body panels is exciting. I'm waiting on more plumbing bits and bobs to come in for the fuel system and also for the accusump, which is going to require some riggery to work. I'll detail that when I come up with a solution.
Im amazed by the miata wheels.
Do you have room for miata size tires?
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) :
the car is setup for a 22.5x10-13 rear tire and a 22.5x7-13 front. Miata size tires are no issue, I would just need to get skinny sidewalls with larger wheels.
In reply to DaveEstey :
I have a set of hollow spoke NA Daisy wheels if you are interested! They are cosmetically rough but I believe they are the lightest factory Miata wheel.
In reply to whiskey_business :
The miata wheels are just being used for rolling around. I have 3 sets of wheels for the staggered setup - the rears are 13x10. 13 inch wheels make formula car tires a choice and they tend to be cheaper for some reason.
It's a good thing I don't charge myself by the hour. I'm not very experienced with the bead roller so it takes me a LONG time to do things nicely on top of the general math to make a piece of aluminum that fits nicely in the first place. Plus there's getting the right order of operations. All that together means 2 hours into this one panel. I need to get the driveshaft refreshed before I skin the tunnel.
In reply to DaveEstey :
How wide is that foot well? I need to construct one in my Challenge car and I need it small, but still let my feet fit.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
I keep forgetting to put a tape measure on it. It's less than 20" wide though. Skinny shoe territory.
Got a few more fittings that I needed so I could fit up the fuel pump. This is the same pump that came on the car, a Delphi fd0029 (nothing fancy). I'm being as anal as I can be about things and hoping it pays off later.
I have a Holley Hydramat in the fuel cell that should act as a prettyy good fuel filter, but I'm tempted to add another one inline as insurance.
This Mallory FPR was on the car when I bought it and I'm tempted to reuse it. Is there a way to check function of these things without filling them with fuel? It's definitely getting cleaned up even if it just goes in a drawer.
Could you use a couple of fittings? (nipple for air in and a plug) Then put low pressure say from air tank or regulated supply into and see what guage reads? If you have a regulated air valve for say a paint gun for example could cross check readings....
In reply to demnted :
that's a good idea. I think I can cobble up something.
Packaging is the biggest challenge with this car and sometimes I just lay things in a general way and look at it for a bit.
Space is tight and there are conflicting devices - things that want to cool and things that radiate heat. The exhaust will be boxed off once complete.
Getting the coolant plumbing is the big next step. The engine is already plumbed to the bulkhead fittings in black, so I just need to get one to the pump, which is a line that also includes a T to plumb in the coolant swirl pot, then to the radiator, and from the radiator to the bulkhead. I'm really glad I saved all the -16AN fittings from my hillclimb RX7.
Now I just need to cut the hose and make the lines. Easy peasy.
The water pump will live on a small platform as well. Typically Davies Craig suggests free-hanging the pump from a radiator hose, but I hate that solution. They also make these rubber mounts that I feel far more comfortable about.
With you 100% on not free hanging the pump. Hose is not a structural element.
Feeling slow and sore today. A co-worker had a positive test result for COVID last week so it's making me think I'm in for an unfun time.
Just because I'm moving slowly doesn't mean I don't have goals to reach. Water pump mount is done. Only took me 2 hours...
I've made a rule for myself that I need to spend at least an hour in the shop a day. It works out well even if I only clean things up.
Tonight's project was trimming a 1/4 aluminum plate to fit the top of my driveshaft tunnel. Why so thick? A few reasons.
1 - Driveshaft intrusion.
2 - Shifter mount .
3 - it's a natural place to step when getting in and out.
There will be interior panels installed to hide the chassis and make things look "neat"
I've also started toying with a "dash" to house the Busa gauge cluster and pertinent switches. I felt that getting the right feel meant putting the seat in and then holding things up. One thing led to another and I ended up making engine noises. It's the little things sometimes.
Size 11 feet in slippers just barely fit in the footwell. Just socks provided plenty of room.
I think this is where she'll go. Switch panel will go on the left. Master power kill and fire system will be facing up above the radiator for easy reach from course workers.
Another night. Another sheet of aluminum bent to my will.
OK one more panel before bed
Quick poll/group think. The raw aluminum is going to be way too bright inside the Busa Grande. What color should I paint it to keep it comfortable and durable (it's an open cockpit car)?
A light pass with rustoleum clean metal primer (flat white) will knock down the glare and keep it bright enough to find dropped hardware. That stuff adheres really well when allowed to cure properly.
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