ManX-5, Nocones 2025 Challenge Build

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

The title reminds me of this:

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Okay that's a solid question.  

So MX-5 I have always pronounced 3 distinct sounds.. 

EM-X-Five.

So I imagined this is the same.  

EM-Anks-Five.  

The Manx becomes hidden because you say M-anx but it's still kinda there. 

I just love that the important parts of this build are Bull Bars, Beer Fenders, and Pronunciation.   Which really are the performance metrics that matter for it if we are honest.  

nocones said:

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Okay that's a solid question.  

So MX-5 I have always pronounced 3 distinct sounds.. 

EM-X-Five.

So I imagined this is the same.  

EM-Anks-Five.  

The Manx becomes hidden because you say M-anx but it's still kinda there. 

 

I just love that the important parts of this build are Bull Bars, Beer Fenders, and Pronunciation.   Which really are the performance metrics that matter for it if we are honest.  

 

Anybody can build a straight forward performance vehicle.  It takes a special "disease" to purposely tread the broken road that leads to enlightenment.  

I believe you may be contagious. 

Thank you.

Got the interior cleaned out and removed the carpet.   

I have a vague plan for the tubes that will be added to restore structure to the Miata.  

How much/how important would all the underbody braces be on a Miata that will weigh about 500lbs less then a Miata and have door reinforcement?  They weigh..  a lot..  and leaving them off would be excellent.

By "door reinforcement ", do you mean no doors and thus a solid bar across the opening? Those underbody braces weren't found on Miatas pre-2001, and your shell is already stiffer. For autox, light weight appears to trump chassis rigidity. For street comfort...well, they bolt on/off. So you can build and decide. 

If this is expected to generate cornering loads, I'd keep the ones on the front and rear subframe. Yes, they're the heaviest but that's because they do the most. 

nocones said:

I just love that the important parts of this build are Bull Bars, Beer Fenders, and Pronunciation.   Which really are the performance metrics that matter for it if we are honest.  

In relation to the concept we discussed separately, which didn't "math"... I'm going to point out that it doesn't fit the "important" parts of this build either.

I reckon the best thing to do, aero-wise (other than tweaking the cooling, in part to fit the concept image) is having a removable rear spoiler to settle the rear end on the auto-X course (and err on the side of "fit the vibe" with that).  If/when the body starts to gel more, we can look if there's ways to add some front-aero bits that might add some DF, but still work with the overall concept.

I had a look at the front this morning and think I have a concept for the hood that should look alright even with the radiator.   I think I can make the radiator a little lower and back which will help with the amount the fenders are in front of the wheels.   I think they will move back 3-4" from the mockup.  

It's a crude drawing but with Robbie's Bull bar I think the radiator can be incorporated nicely 

depending how the bullbar goes together, and how far forward it goes (and excesses of conduit); here's a concept for some "Dirt Shovels" single/dual element front wings (approximate cross-section at bottom):

What is this thing?  

I did some more cutting.  I think I'm approaching final cuts.  I have a solid "plan" to add tubes back and need to go to the metal store Monday.

Radiator is going to get lowered about 1" but stay in the front.  I think it will look fine.  Hopefully.

The Miata radiator mounts are removable so I will just extend them slightly.  Upper will be a new cross bar.  

That thing is the airbag control module, IIRC.

That cross bar on the front (joining the two frame horns) should be fairly burly. Lots of load going through there on cornering and vertical bumps.

I pulled the front shocks to get close to fully compressed to find the final height for the front fenders.  That means I finally have cut enough and can now start reconstruction. 

It won't be this low but this gives me an idea of how high everything needed to be to keep the wheels out of the fenders in full bump.  I think the Manx lines will work nice, the fenders will just be a little narrower then "typical".  

I was going to pick up steel today but this weather has pushed that to tomorrow.  But I hope to weld something in tonight.  

Small update steel has been bought.   Prices are about 140% of what I paid for the LMP360 but I did not buy any DOM or 4130 so I'm not sure what their prices are.  

More cutting and basically ready to start welding in new metal.  But I had to take a day off because the van sold and was being picked up.  

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In reply to nocones :

Build Party ?

Robbie with the right tool for the job

 

Dan doing the thing

I love it when the Bad Decisions Triangle gets together! Miss you guys. Are you all coming to the Challenge?

Okay so Robbie and Gumby came over this weekend for a quick BDT build day.  The goal was to get me off my rump and get things going on this build.   We got a used transmission installed, swapped the front suspension over to the bilsteins (Which works way better when you put the front shocks on the front rather then attempt to install the shorter rear ones), removed the dash pad from the frame and re-installed it, reconnected everything I had disconnected and turned the key..

Anticipating much troubleshooting of the fuel pump  I was shocked when it just started.  It runs fine, the trans shifts into all gears including reverse and the speedometer works.  

Next step is to pull the exhaust manifold to repair the flange bolts, and start welding on the door reinforcements and rollbar tower.  

I am still planning to make it to the challenge I just gotta get busy getting busy.  Gumby is not planning to come.  Robbie is.  So you should get two legs of the triangle.  I miss everyone also and hope it works out to make it down this year.

I'm going to try a half hour a day every day until the challenge.  I will report back.

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

I like it!

My friends and I started calling them "air shovels" in the 80s.

Because you're running them so close to the front tires, I wouldn't bother fabricating a full wing section there unless you think you need it for strength. The front tire rotational distrubance of the air on the back side of that wing likely won't let it generate much Bernoulli effect. If it were me, I'd put single piece diveplane/shovels on and if I wanted to get some extra negative pressure back there, maybe add an endplate, with a bit on the top surface and cover a lot of the bottom. But that's just me. 

- Bill C

It seems that Nocones' mind must be a fairly constant fever dream of wacky automotive swaps.

I approve of these shenanigans.

I have finally cut enough away that I have a good plan for tying in the roll bar,  reinforcing the sills, and keeping the 3 point seatbelt reels.  

I also cut away the drivers side as well to the same point.  I hope to get some time tonight to start fabrication of the reinforcement.   

Reinforcement has begun.  The welds are definitely trailer grade but...  Trailers work. 

I'm trying to keep both sides at the same stage.  Now I need to decide do I move forward or reward since I started in the middle 

There will be a triangulation bar added and this will get sheeted in some steel shear panels to restore torsional rigidity 

I am looking forward to seeing this!

- Bill C

So as you may have noticed from the Challenge entry list and coverge this did not get finished.  I had some personal stuff come up that I needed to focus on and took a break from all car stuff.  I wasn't even planning on going to the challenge at all but on Monday decided that I wanted to just cruise down in my Daily and spectate/volunteer to just hang out.   And it was excellent.  It was great to see people and hang out, and not have any stress to perform.  I thought I would be sad not having a car but It let me focus on just enjoying the atmosphere and spend more time looking at what other people had done.  There were some excellent builds this year and it was overall just an excellent trip.  

But this thing still exists.  And I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it.  

Being at the challenge again made me really want to bring a car.  This is close to useable and would be fairly easy to finish, but I had 28 hours alone on my drive to think and plot and I have a better idea that I want to build for 2026 that doesn't use anything from this car.  

I will continue to document whatever the fate of this is.  This was a short duration build intended only for the 2025 Challenge and it got derailed by other things, The plan was always to sell it as soon as the challenge was over but that didn't happen.  Now I need to figure out where it fits.

I'm going to work on this this weekend to get it running and driving.   I may throw the Manx body on and finish it.  It would be fun to run a Gambler with it and then it could easily be a backup challenge car if the more ambitious build ran into issues for 2026.  I would also not be offended if someone offered me money to take it (like 1/2 challenge budget and get everything but the 15x9 wheels kinda money).  Someone could finish the idea, or use it for a Hat Car.  They apparently are so hot right now.  

Speaking of a Gambler, I wonder how this would look with a PACO style suspension under it and some offroad tires.

In reply to hobiercr :

Are you inside my head??  215/70R15s may be on the menu..  Singleslammer is coming over this weekend and we are going to put a day into this and see what is what after that.  The clock is ticking and the 2026 build starts soon though..