Popcorn

[Satisaii]

Are there drawbacks to solid mounting the cab to the frame?  The shock towers need to be supported and I am going to weld them into the body but that creates 2 points where there are no bushings between the cab and the frame.  I would worry about flexing and failure.

 

I have the poly bushings and am thinking about doing a poly sheet between the towers and the subframe or just making aluminum spacers to replace the bushings.

[Satisaii]

I couldn't stand waiting for the weekend.  If I can get the bed on the lift, I will do it this weekend.

 

Too low?

 

 

 

 

 

So that is where the cutoff wheel went.  I was looking for it and just grabbed a new one.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Looks so cool.

 

Yes, there are drawbacks to mounting the cab directly to the frame. Body twist and cracks in the body. So many guys do it this way, but there has to be a long term issue with those trucks.

[mrbigtanker]

WOOOOWWWWWWWWW, I love the direction you're going with it. Check in with the C10 Chevy boys, I'll bet you a dollar to a donut there is some trick shit already that will work for mounting the body and bed. 

[Satisaii]

Got the bed back on this weekend.  I am going to have some real issues with the amount of travel this suspension is capable of.

 

First, more dirt fell out of it.

 

 

Ignore my crude cuts in the fenders.  A whole lot more is going to have to go and I am going to have to make my own flares.

 

 

 

Just from the initial measurements, I am going to have to ditch the OEM wheel tubs and create new ones.  I think the tires are going to hit them.

 

 

Next up: test fit 17" wheels.  Those 15 x 9 look too small.

[Icehouse]

If you say so.  15's look perfect!  Plus it will save on unsprung weight and your brakes will look better inside 15" wheels. 

[paradime]

It's slammed on bags so the 521 is no longer a lil hauler.Bigger rims with low profile tires is integral to the look. I'm pretty sure unsprung weight is a concern on this build.

[Satisaii]

I don't know if bags will work on a Miata suspension.  Plans there are for longer than stock shocks with dual or triple rate springs as needed.  This will get a bit if track time, after all.

 

Just not sure about wheels.  I put the OEM 2020 Miata wheels on it today, and I think the size seems more appropriate to the dimensions of the truck.  I need to see what is out there in a 17" 4 x100 9" to 10" wide.  I have the 17 x 9 6UL's on the Miata, but those are hard to find now.  I am not sure when they will be back in production.  I am going to try to get it to my desired static ride height and test fit those wheels tomorrow.  Just to see.  FWIW, the 15's I have shown are 9" with 225/45 tires.

 

Brakes are easy.  Design a bracket and hat, add on a rotor and caliper, done.  Probably won't take me a day in Solidworks.  I have done it a few times.  As long as I know the wheel offset and clearance to the backside of the spokes, that is.

 

Will post some wheel pictures in the next couple of days.

[paradime]

How many times have you seen $5,000 worth of Volk Racing wheels on a stock car that has no business waring track shoes? Boggles the mind. Wheels have become functional fashion, so choosing what's right for your build is very subjective. Sitting on a Miata chassis, your truck will do things most cars can't, so putting more rubber on the ground is a vital component to doing that. I think it would look sick with open 17s tucked under flared fenders. That said, I might be old school but I think with the bling factor, less is more. 

 

May the wind be at your back on this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by paradime

[thisismatt]

Might have been cool to pull the bedsides, but too late for that now I guess

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

On 4/11/2023 at 10:58 AM, paradime said:

How many times have you seen $5,000 worth of Volk Racing wheels on a stock car that has no business waring track shoes? Boggles the mind. Wheels have become functional fashion, so choosing what's right for your build is very subjective. Sitting on a Miata chassis, your truck will do things most cars can't, so putting more rubber on the ground is a vital component to doing that. I think it would look sick with open 17s tucked under flared fenders. That said, I might be old school but I think with the bling factor, less is more. 

 

May the wind be at your back on this one.

When my clients get all hung up on finding the perfect wheel, I remind them that wheels are jewelry and should be changed often to suit the occasion.

[Satisaii]

Here are some pictures with 17" wheels.

 

First, OEM ND Miata:

 

 

949 Racing 6UL 17x9 +45

 

 

Finding a 4x100 with the right offset on a 9" to 10" wheel may be challenging.  Hope I don't have to make a set.

[paradime]

As I thought, 17s look amazing, but make a set? What am I missing here, do you work for NASA?

[Satisaii]

I work for 949 Racing / Supermiata, doing the part design / engineering.  Which explains my current wheel choices for the pictures.

 

I can get custom wheels made, but there are some issues with doing so.  Billet wheels are cut from a large chunk of aluminum and are not as strong as cast / forged wheels. The grain structure is not optimized for wheels. You can get wheels made from a cast "puck" where you have the spokes machined out and then the barrel is rotary forged.  The problem is finding a pre made puck that can get you the offset and width you want.  It is hard to find these in less than an 18" diameter since the big money in wheels is in the larger diameters.  I have had custom 18" wheels made for destructive testing and model verification.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Satisaii

[mrbigtanker]

My truck has 17x8 and 18x11. All under the fender wells. Also tire choices for taller wheels is more abundant as well. Keep going I love what you're doing. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by mrbigtanker

[Satisaii]

11 hours ago, mrbigtanker said:

My truck has 17x8 and 18x11. All under the fender wells. Also tire choices for taller wheels is more abundant as well. Keep going I love what you're doing. 

 

Would you mind sharing your offset on those wheels?  Not that it would totally apply to my case.  I am pretty sure that the Miata hubs are further outboard than OEM.

 

I did keep those cut-off pieces of fender just in case I want to weld them back in.

 

Your vehicles are awesome.  I am on a more DIY budget.

[shlammed]

its probably the wheels themselves but the 15x9 look nicer to me.

 

if goin 17's you will want some decently wide flares and some wheels that align with older vehicles... 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

On 4/14/2023 at 6:11 AM, shlammed said:

its probably the wheels themselves but the 15x9 look nicer to me.

 

if goin 17's you will want some decently wide flares and some wheels that align with older vehicles... 

I like them better too.

[Satisaii]

Probably going with the 17's.  For gearing and RPM/MPH reasons.

 

A couple of weeks ago I went ahead and parted out the Mustang.  Stripped it out, kicked it out of the shop space, and hopefully have it sold.

 

Last week I went to a car show with my parents.  Not much in the way of Datsun content... or any other Japanese manufacturer for that matter.  Pretty much a US hot rod event.  But there were some cool cars.

 

 

And a couple of Z cars. (And the reason I am not allowed to take pictures)

 

 

One horribly ugly Corvette.

 

 

And then I am back on my project this weekend.  The goal:  get the engine sitting in the truck and the cab back on (I have paying projects that need the lift, so this has to happen this weekend.)  I did an initial engine placement to find out where to cut the crossmember and the subframe.  And then made some cuts.

 

 

I put the engine back in and then made some more cuts.  It ended up close to where I want it.  It needs to move about an inch to the driver's side, but it is up against the steering rack mounts so it will have to be "close enough" until I can get in there and make some more room.  The plan is to use the Ford power steering rack anyways, so I am not too worried about it for time being.

 

 

 

 

It was fun to watch the shock mounts bend in as I set some weight on it.  Going to have to address that...  The goal is to get the cab back on tomorrow.  I think there is going to be some major cutting going on.

[datzenmike]

13 minutes ago, Satisaii said:

Probably going with the 17's.  For gearing and RPM/MPH reasons.

 

 

 

Tire choice affects gearing more than rim size.

[Satisaii]

For sure.  I could run 35" Gumbo Monster Mudders on it... But I want it to handle like my old NA Miata, so it will get some super 200 TW tires which tend to have short sidewalls.

[Satisaii]

Well, it fits.   I was worried that I was going to have to delete the high pressure fuel pump (since It is the highest point on the engine) to get it to fit under the cowl. But it cleared with more than an inch to spare. So happy happy, joy joy.

 

 

 

 

Lots of problems in my future.  But I will worry about those later.  Next up: engine / transmission mounts, driveshaft / diff, and the EPS.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

That Corvette is badass. Reminds me of the Corvette Summer car.

 

[datzenmike]

Corvette summer???? Just kill me now.

[Satisaii]

It has been a while.  Many printed revisions of the motor mounts to get it to this point.  Ditched the idea of using the Ford EPS.  There was not enough room between the frame and the engine to fit it in.  Going with the manual Miata rack and will consider doing an EPS conversion kit in the cab (if there is room.)

 

 

I like to start my CAD with manila folder material.  It is easy to cut and manipulate to get the contours correct.  A Contour Gauge Tool is helpful to get the profiles close to start.  I then transfer the designs to balsa wood.  I like balsa over cardboard since it is easy to cut and you can sand it down for a more precise fit.  You can get it McMaster Carr.

 

 

 

Next I will scan the parts to get them into Solidworks before sending them off to be made out of steel.  I will also epoxy the parts together to help get it all just right in my model.  The driver's side is a pain.  It will probably take 3 supports to get it strong enough while avoiding the steering stuff.