CollinMB's RestoMod 521

[datzenmike]

Then there's bird turds.

[CollinMB]

[Lockleaf]

I bet if you cut that bumper down from the like 5-6 inches deep it is currenty, to more like 1.5-2 inches deep and tucked it up real close to the body it would look really nice.  Not quite the bumperettes look that many 521 guys really like, but it might make a silk purse out of a sows ear.  Maybe even leave the outer ears longer and shape them nicely so they wrap around the edges of the body some?

 

Maybe it's just me though.  I am a huge fan of making stuff out of what I have or others reject as garbage.

[CollinMB]

Personally, it's one of those things where it's not to my taste, but it's too nice to just toss or cut up. I'd rather sell it to someone that wants it and I'm planning to eventually just make my own bumpers

[CollinMB]

Update. All the stock front suspension and lines are out:

 

 

I'm planning to start cutting the mounts off of the frame tomorrow and start prepping the Miata subframe to be notched

Edited April 16, 2021 by CollinMB

[CollinMB]

...and stock mounts are out:

 

 

 

I cleaned off as much of the surface paint and pitting as I could. hit it with a scotchbrite pad, cleaned with acetone and threw a couple of coats of weld through primer on each side for good measure. 

Going to start taking measurements and marking up the Miata subframe to be notched this week. Depending how smooth things go, I may have the subframe welded in by the end of the week.

[greenthumb]

Sounds exciting! No more kingpin bs for you

[CollinMB]

So I've made the decision to adjust plans slightly. For a lot of my design reference I've been basing my design along the same lines of Bob3's Project MX520. In his build he coped the truck frame and Miata subframe in order for the two to mate up. I'm sure it's plenty strong enough, but as opposed to his build that was oriented around road racing, I'm planning to build my truck into more of an off-road adventure vehicle. So instead of attaching the subframe to the truck frame, I'm planning to attach the Miata strut towers to the frame and keep the subframe as a bolt on affair. This will also allow me to more easily swap to a tubular subframe in the future if I wish to do a different powerplant.

I did a quick mock up of how I plan to attach the strut towers:

 

This should give me plenty of strength to beat on.

[CollinMB]

So walking back my last statement and taking even further measurements, research, big brain activity, I decided to cut the subframe after all. Part of the reason being it was going to be more complicated to attach the strut mounts to the chassis. Also, it will be easier to lift the cab off in the future. More on that in a bit.

So, down to work:

 

I took copious measurements, notched the subframes in the appropriate locations, offered it up to the frame, did more trimming, and finally got it mounted, level, and straight.

Welded in:

 

And just like that, it's in. I did have to go back and fix one spot that was too far out of tolerance for my liking. Back to the point of lifting off the cab; whereas the welds are very strong (I did some stress testing just to make sure) I would like to go back and add reinforcement plates, but in the future. Why in the future? Because I would like to MIG the rest as opposed to using the flux I did for this. I'm doing all of this work in a carport that's open on both sides, which means the air blows right through. I threw a couple coats of black on the frame and moved forward for now.

Current situation:

 

I got most of the front suspension back together. For now the plan is to get it to a roller and I'll get back to doing finish work once I have actual garage space (hopefully in the not too distant future). Pretty soon I can work on getting the engine mounted and get the truck turned around and start working on the rear subframe.

At this point I have accumulated quite the mess of stock parts that came off the truck, so I am going to switch some concentration to getting stuff cleaned up and sold.

 

[mrbigtanker]

Looking good, love it.

[Charlie69]

I have to agree with Mr Tanker, Looking Good!!!

[greenthumb]

So now the Frankenjob to support the top of the strut? What’s your plan for that?  
love this idea!

[CollinMB]

6 minutes ago, greenthumb said:

So now the Frankenjob to support the top of the strut? What’s your plan for that?  
love this idea!

Eventually I'll be grafting I them into the wheel wells/engine bay

[thisismatt]

1 hour ago, greenthumb said:

So now the Frankenjob to support the top of the strut? What’s your plan for that?  
love this idea!

 

Square tube of various sizes and various angles ftmfw

[CollinMB]

Quick Update:

 

With temps finally cooling down we moved my 521 over to my buddy's place so we can get back to making some progress on the drivetrain swap.

[CollinMB]

Truck update. My buddy and I started a YouTube to do the truck build and some racing stuff. If you like it, check it out. If YouTube isn't your thing, I'll post some random updates here and there as well.

[mrbigtanker]

were are you guys located in SoCals

[CollinMB]

2 minutes ago, mrbigtanker said:

were are you guys located in SoCals

My buddy's place is in Chino and I'm in the process of moving

[mrbigtanker]

2 minutes ago, CollinMB said:

My buddy's place is in Chino and I'm in the process of moving

Shit man I live in Eastvale,im 1 minute from you

 

[CollinMB]

1 minute ago, mrbigtanker said:

Shit man I live in Eastvale,im 1 minute from you

 

I know, I bought my headlights and tonneau cover from you XD

[mrbigtanker]

29 minutes ago, CollinMB said:

I know, I bought my headlights and tonneau cover from you XD

I am losing it.lol Thats right .

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Oil vapor getting to you? or just old age?

[mrbigtanker]

52 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Oil vapor getting to you? or just old age?

I think a little of both.lol

[CollinMB]

Update on the truck, engine is in

 

Edited December 16, 2021 by CollinMB

[CollinMB]

Update on the truck, the engine is in again:
 

 

Backing up a bit though, a number of changes have happened to the truck over the last year. To start things off, we tore the truck completely down and removed any unnecessary mounts. We even opted to redo the front subframe to get it to sit better on the truck. We took a lot of time getting everything perfect and even blasted the frame:

 

After that we primed the whole thing for the time being. We do plan on coating the frame, but that will be after the remainder of the modifications are completed. After that we got the front subframe sitting better and leveled out and reattached it as well as figured out a simple mounting solution for the rear subframe using some L-channel:

 

 

 

we got the engine, transmission, and even the rear diff mocked into place. The last piece of the drivetrain that needs to get sorted is a new driveshaft. We started working on figuring out a plan for mounting the suspension as I have decided to keep all of the mounts attached to the frame as opposed to welding the front into the cab. A tube bender will be in my near future.

 

All the updates can be found in video form over on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thoseracingguys

 

Several other things have happened over the last year that have prevented continuous work on the truck first up, my wife and I moved into a house around the same time as my last update. The shop I have been working with finished the molds for my Miata hardtops and we started producing them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the handful that may be interested, my website is https://www.cb3fabrication.com/

 

I also picked up yet another project, my friend was selling her high mileage 350z:

 

 

 

I have some fun plans in store for it. That brings everything up to speed for the last year.