RM1Sepex Build Thread

[RM1SepEx]

I found that on the bottom, both sides, the belt mounts are made with no obvious way to fit in the limited space. I think that I can make up some 90 degree adapter brackets to allow using the rear seat mount bolts to hold the latch belt assembly on the tunnel side (after bending the bracket straight, the hole position can't fit the space avail. with the 90 degree bend) On the outer side I can cut off the slight lip on the bracket and attach it to the seat belt bracket that allows the belt to slide as you move it across your lap.

as an alternative I could bolt them to the seat brackets but that wouldn't be very safe as they are only attached to the car through my sliders!

I also eventually plan on using the harness approach but I want to have the std. belts there in an as close to single donor build as possible.

It is amazing how much lower you get with the aftermarket seats!

[RM1SepEx]

First the good news:

Craig made me up a set of the spacers that we determined fixed the rack bracket problem to equal steering and bumpsteer on both sides

Rack Fix.JPG

and provided my replacement rack bellows too :-)

The bad news: as I aligned the old FFR seat brackets to cut off angle stock to make my seat belt mounts my back "popped" UGH severe back pain sucks! back to the Osteopath... I was just there this morning!

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Hi Dan,
Sorry to hear about your back. Now you can relax on the heat pad while you help the rest of us.
Did you use Loctite or another method on you rack extension?
Hope your doctor gave you some good drugs.
Bob

[RM1SepEx]

yup, thread locker is your friend!

I visited my Osteopath again this AM... I already take 160 MG Baclofen, 1800 mg gabapentin, and 4 mg zanaflex a day... all three say don't operate machinery. I take enough muscle relaxants to make a horse stop breathing... :-) my std is totally drugged up!

[RM1SepEx]

10 days off with back issues, back to it starting today! Making up brackets to bolt my stock seat belts to the bolts holding my sliders vs to the sliders themselves.

[RM1SepEx]

Modified my passenger seat mounts today, just like the driver's side FFR made them about an inch higher than they have to be... I hacked them up to get the seat as low as possible. I'll powder coat the brackets this week and finalize the seat mounts by the end of the week. Using the stock seats and allowing for sliders for my wife has been a PITA :-)

Anyone have some tricks for the rear "alignment" as a first /starting point? Should I adjust the upper trailing arm so that the rear shock brackets and mounts are vertical with a level? Or should/can I use that adjustment to help center the tire in the rear wheel well The lower is fixed since I'm using stock trailing arms, the lateral links are used for toe and camber...

There must be a "string" method documented on the forum somewhere...

[nkw8181]

Looks like your are making great progress! Sorry to hear your back is not listening to your demands.

Nolan

[Erik W. Treves]

you need to make sure the rear upright is straight up and down or the long bolt that goes through the upright is parallel to the ground. Otherwise you'll end up with some goofy toe changes over bumps and turns.

[Xusia]

Hey Dan, any chance you'll share your bracket designs? I'm also using the stock seats, and I'd REALLY like sliders that allow the seat to be as low as possible (I'm 6'1").

[RM1SepEx]

Hey Dan, any chance you'll share your bracket designs? I'm also using the stock seats, and I'd REALLY like sliders that allow the seat to be as low as possible (I'm 6'1").

Since I don't have a milling machine here all that I did was eye how much the seat was over the floor pan. I then used my drill press to relocate the holes to drop the seat. It's not hard to transfer the holes, you may need to egg one out as they were by FFR. A back yard mechanic hack job at best!!! :-)

Check the slider thread on the forum for the other kits. They had some great sources, mine are from Cerullo but I bought them over 20 years ago and I have no part numbers.

After drilling the holes I used my cheap band saw to remove the material that was in the way... clean em up with the belt /drum sander on my bench grinder and they are ready to go.

I'm really disappointed that FFR doesn't even try to get the "stock seat brackets" as low as possible. It took me a half dozen photos and a 3 week wait until they made these. It's another case where I'm getting a bit frustrated. Their first brackets couldn't even line up with the 1 inch tubes... and were even higher!

I honestly don't see how you will get them low enough with stock seats at 6' 1"... sliders will cost you 3/4 of an inch. be prepared to remove some seat foam, many do that to get lower in a Miata.

under seat clearance.JPG

you can see how high the FFr brackets are... and I did send these photos to them and ask for lower brackets... You can also add holes and rotate the seat pan, make your legs bend more... etc... many options for seat placement exist to fit each individual.

[RM1SepEx]

About time that I post again, isn't it!!!

I finally drove it farther than a couple feet forward and backward on the lift. I forgot that I had a couple of aluminum panels test fit in the front. They stayed in place until the ICE at the end of my road. My aftermarket intake rattles vs the frame. Position will be very important for good airflow through the large side vent.

Shifts just fine, the knob is 2-3 inches too high for my taste, the brakes were soft... I need to re bleed. I couldn't get on it with the cold temps and wet pavement. I will be adding a small muffler to my exhaust, the stock downpipe with FFR adapter was too loud for my taste... I'm hoping a 3 inch bell mouth, 3 inch cat and this 3 inch muffler will do it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/360389108740...84.m1423.l2649
I don't see the little 3 inch vibrant will do it http://www.summitracing.com/parts/vpe-1769

http://youtu.be/X7vth-n88H0

[Aloha818]

Congratulations on the drive!

I was wondering where you've been, no progress posts for a while. But seeing all that snow and cold makes me think I wouldn't get out of bed until it was over!

[RM1SepEx]

We have a 120 degree temperature swing possible each year.... does yours vary by more than 10-15 Degrees?

Like many old farts (55 this week) I have many physical issues. Add that to being disabled since I was 32 and I'm lucky to get as far as I did. I'm pretty sure that w/o the FFR snafus and back orders I could have completed the car before December... Getting an early car adds to the opportunities for delay. This first drive could/should have been done in November...

[wallace18]

Glad to hear you are back at it. Keep up the good work.

[Goldwing]

Congrats on the first drive! Have fun getting back to the 818 project. I hope you keep feeling better.

[Rasmus]

I will be adding a small muffler to my exhaust, the stock downpipe with FFR adapter was too loud for my taste... I'm hoping a 3 inch bell mouth, 3 inch cat and this 3 inch muffler will do it.

Grassroots Motorsports (EDIT: MY BAD SCCA's Sportscar Magazine April 2014) just did an article on muffler effectiveness. I took away two things from it.

One. The largest determining factor in a mufflers ability to reduce decibel's was the internal volume of unit. The more volume the quieter it can get, regardless of muffler style (e.g. chambered, glasspack, turbo).
Two. Round works slightly better than oval. The sound waves cancel themselves out better bouncing back off the walls.
Three. They're slightly more effective the closer you install it to the heads/turbo. But, don't install it so close that the heat shreds apart the muffler packing.

I've read good things about Dynomax's Super Turbo Muffler line


I know they make a 3" inlet/outlet round in 18" case length




and a 3" inlet/outlet round in 30" case length.

[RM1SepEx]

Looks like I've done a crappy job reading my GRMs!

I'm worried about length... look at the photo from JeromeS13

jeromeS13 exhaust.jpg

bell mouth, short cat, muffler, output

[Rasmus]

My bad, not GRM. SCCA's Sportscar Magazine April 2014.


There's also Magnaflow's 14719. Straight-through, 3" in/out, large internal volume, 7" diameter, and only 14" long.

[Frank818]

Two. Round works slightly better than oval. The sound waves cancel themselves out better bouncing back off the walls.

Most round ones have less volume than oval ones, at least in the Magnaflow list. If I recall...

[Mechie3]

Well, if you got back to it I guess I should start working again this weekend.

[RM1SepEx]

I was just out "playing" with the exhaust... I think that the 14 inch mufflers will fit only if you use the diagonal space on the left rear like FFR does with its adapter and tailpipe extension... So as soon as I get my downpipe I can start cutting it up and see what I can do with the bends in it. I may need to buy an angle or two. My plan is to dyno it with the FFR exhaust and then with my garage made 3 inch exhaust. Our autocross club has a DB meter, I'll get some readings...

It will be good to see you back into it Craig! How is your wife doing with pregnancy?

[Rasmus]

Most round ones have less volume than oval ones, at least in the Magnaflow list. If I recall...

Excellent point.

[RM1SepEx]

Worked on the shifter today, unhappy about the stock kit's clearance with the rear bodywork. I was able to get an inch add'l clearance playing around this afternoon

I took the stock Subaru shifter coupler and cut off both "ears" as close to the cylinder that has the double roll pin to hold it in place

I then flipped the FFR shift arm so that it's "ears" faced forward. Note it needs to be bent towards the front of the car quite a bit as you move the cable connections 1 inch forward and the bracket 1.5 inch forward.

Clearance the shifter coupler so that it sits as far to the right as possible, weld it to the FFR arm.

That leaves enough space between the coupler and the arm for a thinner 1/4 x 28 nut. Use locktite.

I drilled another hole in the shifter cable bracket that moves the bracket forward 1.5 inches (the existing bolt hole spacing)

I painted it up black and installed. Photos below from all angles. The shots from the left side show it in 1st and 3rd gears

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How did everyone center the 4 inch hole saw for the taillights?

[RM1SepEx]

Working on seating today, very frustrating, no frame tabs for lower belts, tho even if they were there we might not be able to use them with stock seats...

I modified the seat rails to get the seats as low as possible. That is detailed in this thread above.

driver's side, the seat barely fits between the aluminum side to side. There isn't 1/8 inch of clearance, I will have to make an alternative parking brake cable support like Aloha818

you can see how tight the seat is in these photos. I've also shown the seat travel with my 3/4 inch high slider, you can also see the angled bar has been removed. I might have to place the belt clip attachment to the seat rail on this side.

dsback.JPG dsft.JPG dsftl.JPG dslfth.JPG dslftl.JPG

Here is the passenger seat, it's also very tight fit including having to crush the front of the foam slightly by the angled crossbar.

pslftl.JPG psrth.JPG psrtl.JPG

I'm struggling to determine where to attach the belts to the chassis, the desired locations interfere with the sides of the seats. I may modify the seat back angle arms on both seats. That will allow me to put the lower belt pivot location at the preferred location. The clip end can be attached to a mount attached to the center tunnel and lower chassis since the seat doesn't slide.

[metalmaker12]

Measure the center of the light opening and drill a pilot hole for the tails than hole saw it, a round file might help with any added clearance needed. I got my plates today and took it for an hour drive.

[RM1SepEx]

Congrats Chris,

I made a round template with a compass and scissors.

What did you do with your belt mounts? I assume you used a harness...

Take a 3 hour drive and we could do a BBQ and you could knock out my custom exhaust...

BTW: determined that my soft brakes were due to a defective rear braided brake line! Replacement in transit...

Edit: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Exet...43.8570065!3e0

[wleehendrick]

I got my plates today and took it for an hour drive.

awesome... I'm envious

[Mechie3]

I did the same thing making a template, folded it on two axis to find the center.

[wleehendrick]

I did the same thing making a template, folded it on two axis to find the center.

Good trick... I'll be drilling the holes soon and plan to print templates. You don't have to have a CAD package, Vizio should work OK.

[metalmaker12]

Congrats Chris,

I made a round template with a compass and scissors.

What did you do with your belt mounts? I assume you used a harness...

Take a 3 hour drive and we could do a BBQ and you could knock out my custom exhaust...

BTW: determined that my soft brakes were due to a defective rear braided brake line! Replacement in transit...

Edit: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Exet...43.8570065!3e0

Yeah I used harness's but the oem belt can be fasten to the seat bracket with some modification , example a welded tab etc. or maybe a bolt in mount so you don't have to weld. Maybe I can come up to help you out, also if you tack it and send it to me I can do it for low cost, I will even purge it so it comes out nice nice. I am pressed for time since my wife and I are 6 weeks away from our second born ( a son ...Landon Christopher Marciano will be his name) . I am open for a welding job of you and others want. Email, pm etc

[RM1SepEx]

Congrats on the son, now you will have a pair, one of each! Mine were in the opposite order and as an old fart I'm at the other end of their development!

Did you weld tabs to the chassis or mount your harness mounts to the seat frame?

[RM1SepEx]

Tabs on outside frame rails

P1110777.JPG



I had to re-bend the tab and bolted it to the 1 inch floor tubs on the inside

P1110776.JPG


Also coated the area under the seats. Fatmat, covered with plasti-dip for water protection. Drying right now.

I also covered any "bad" powder coat areas with POR15. It will take multiple coats and then a spray of gloss black for UV protection.

POR15 my final seat brackets and the two door brackets...

Hanging the body tomorrow after indoor karting tonite!

[Frank818]

Looks like your 2 attachments are invalid, Dan.

I wonder if we see the Fatmat and plasti-dip on one of them.

[RM1SepEx]

Trying to do something every day...

2nd coat of POR15 on the seat rails, door frames and frame

Installed fuel filler into fiberglass

Installed tail lights

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I also ordered my NRG steering wheel and adapter... Thanks Erik!

BTW You MUST pre-drill the blinkers, the self tapping # 10 screws are too large and you risk breaking the tabs... ask me how I know!

[wleehendrick]

Looks good!

I also ordered my NRG steering wheel and adapter... Thanks Erik!

You'll love it!

[RM1SepEx]

Working on hanging the body, started with the 5/8 inch at the lower front of the side panel

This placement seems to put the engine cover too far forward, I'm hesitant to relieve the engine cover more around the roll hoop.

I'm attempting a no paint build but I'm not sure that it is possible, between the larger voids in some edges and the poor panel fill at the rear of the side panels. Too much material is just plain missing. I also have a thin crack around my blinker on one side.

It's really important to make sure that the side panel is up vs the bottom of the car for the fenders to pull in to the engine cover, my gaps are too big.

I feel as if I should move the sides back a bit to leave more room around the roll bar but I'm not sure what it will do around the doors.

It's like a big 3D jigsaw puzzle.

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[Wayne Presley]

Dan, the side gaps will be taken care of when you bolt the side pods to the rear bolt on brace.
Do it in this order.
install both side pods, put a couple of self tapping screws in each side.
put the rear of the body on with two bolts on each side
make a cross bar between the two sides that hold the body at the correct width for the engine hatch and bolt it to the lip of each side.
slide one side fore or aft vs the other one to make the engine cover fit exactly at the door opening on both sides
slide the whole body side to side to center it over the rear tires
put the bolts in the bolt in frame brace/body mount
fine tune the centering of the rear panel and put in a couple of self tapping screws.

When you remove the panels for paint, use the hole from the self tapping screws to locate and install the riv-nuts
Let me know when you are ready to hang the doors, there are a few tips for that

[RM1SepEx]

excellent, logical process!

a couple questions: what sort of gap should this "brace" be made to achieve? Did you attach it at or around the back edge of where the engine cover ends? (I think we all see the gaps being farthest apart here and tight at the front and back. What is the proper clearance for the roll bar area of the engine cover. Define fit exactly at the door opening?

what do you suggest using, perhaps a strip of aluminum?

[Mechie3]

I'm at 3.25" from the front of the square tube that the firewall bolts to to the front of the engine cover where it makes a V between the two humps.



Here is the side view where the roll bar comes down near the door. It touches and you can see where the PC wore off during shipping.

[Wayne Presley]

excellent, logical process!

a couple questions: what sort of gap should this "brace" be made to achieve? Did you attach it at or around the back edge of where the engine cover ends? (I think we all see the gaps being farthest apart here and tight at the front and back. What is the proper clearance for the roll bar area of the engine cover. Define fit exactly at the door opening?

what do you suggest using, perhaps a strip of aluminum?

Dan,
I had used a piece of 1x1 aluminum angle at the flat where the front engine cover hood pin mounts and another behind where the body sits on the bolt on frame brace/body mount for my painter to fit the engine cover to the body off the chassis. So he had the tail mounted to the sides and the two cross bars maintaining the correct spread at the front. I reused the rear cross bar when I put the body on the chassis.