In reply to senginc :
That there just saved you a lot of time and grief.
Always wondered what I coulda/shoulda done different, and now I get to watch and second guess. Do carry on.
In reply to senginc :
That there just saved you a lot of time and grief.
Always wondered what I coulda/shoulda done different, and now I get to watch and second guess. Do carry on.
To NOHOME:
Did you ever consider making the front clip (fenders and complete front section for grill and headlights) as a one piece that is attached by bolts for easier future major service ? Seems that a uniform gap could be created between the cowl and each fender like many cars in 50''s and 60's ???
My 57 Chevy build in 2014 and its gap between the cowl and fender (HA HA 
- I was 65 and thought it would be my last build ! )
The monocoque construction need is superceded by the massive Miata firewall/ floor to front frame/ inner fender structure.
I propose deleting the complete air bag SRS system (none of my other vintage cars ever had air bags and they on;ly get driven ~ 1,000 miles/ yr).
I have serious doubts on the reliability of a 24 yr old SRS system due to age and that has had the original accelerometer locations deleted. I surely don't want a deployment from a serious pothole.
I will be removing the passenger side air bag (easy bolt out) as I modify the OEM shape and finish of the Miata dash.
I would, however like to reuse the OEM Nardi wheel. I guess I can simply drill out (carefully) the aluminum rivets from the back of the center section.
Thoughts or related experience welcome.
To NOHOME:
I remember in your earlier post you had separated the rear suspension flooring from the forward floor pan.
Later I remember reading that you moved the floor closer together or did you in fact end up rejoining at the original OEM spot weld locations (in other words is the center line of the rear axle to the firewall on the Miata is now back to the original OEM distance) ?
In reply to senginc :
Believe we are speaking of the first time where I separated the Miata chassis by drilling the spotwelds behind the seat before I realized that the stretch had to happen in front of the firewall? I also kind of decided that the donor Miata was a bit more rusty than I wanted since this was not going to be a "Rat" car when done.
Look carefully and you can see where the rear portion of the Miata chassis is tacked in place. I did that when I was still thinking that I did not want to remove the front clip.
That was a mistake on my part and I went out and bought a second (1996) much nicer car to use as a donor. This car had zero rust as it had never seem winter.
This nice 1996 chassis went on to get the front clip unstiched and extended
The first miata donated front and rear suspension because that is all that I thought I wanted for the project. That and a V8 engine
The second Miata ( 1991)donated a chassis because once I removed all the Volvo metal required to meed my requirements, I realized the Miata chassis had all the tin parts I needed to join the dots. But I guessed wrong on the cut line to make it match wheelbase. OOOPS
The third Miata was bought as a stripped chassis (1996) and had zero rust. Accident total because it needed a quarter panel and an outer sill. This chassis received the stretch in the engine bay.
The fourth Miata donated the last 12" of frame-rail needed to meet the Volvo rear valence.
This was the first Miata chassis ( the green one) and it is pretty much tacked in place. Lots of decision making as to how it was going to blend in to the Volvo rear structure. Note the fuel tank is still in the factory position.
In reply to NOHOME :
Any thoughts on the ease or lack of in making a removable front clip ?
It seems you have maybe all of the Miata inner fenders (much wider than the P1800) tucked under the Volvo fender to Volvo inner fender inteface , with maybe no welding between the Miata inner fender and Volvo inner fender ??
Your pics (the dark paint color keeps me from seeing the detail)
I might have thought about it, but with the Miata front clip looking like this, there was not much to gain. And once again, the goal was to make the whole project undetectable with the hood closed.
Gonna watch this one!
In reply to NOHOME :
I'm just looking at making a future engine removal easier with the front clip removed when I am say 84 
In reply to senginc :
I hear ya. The engine has been out a couple of times since it hit the street. I have removed the engine alone, the engine and transmission together and the transmission alone from under the car. Plenty of room. The extended wheelbase in the engine bay give you room for all of the activities.
And it would drop out the bottom, but that seems like a ton of work.
In reply to NOHOME :
What is the front crossmember for the suspension ? Sure isn't Miata OEM. Was this to save weight or space ?
The Miata 302 conversion is a well traveled path. I too advantage of that and used one of the comercialy available K- members for this conversion.
Of course, with the wheelbase stretch it did require some modifications to the engine mount and rear chassis mount points.
For those of you who expressed interest in seeing the fenderless Volvo 44 build here is the link. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/duh-what-is-that-or-what-happens-if-you-wash-you-48-ford-sedan-in-hot-water/259763/page1/#post3814512
Split the Miata for the wheel base stretch. The P1800 wheel base is 96.5, the Miata is 89.2 so the stretch will be 7.3", all in the front because the firewall to centerline of rear wheel is 74.875 for both cars.
I will use some 11 ga for the splice with plug welds 3/4" back from the cut and seam weld at the cut.
ANY ONE TRIED RUNNING THE STOCK Miata FUEL TANK WITHOUT THE EVAPORATIVE CONTROL SYSTEM
I am not going to have room for all the paraphanelia required for the OEM EVAPORATIVE CONTROL SYSTEM.
The stock fuel cap is non-vented unlike all of my Vintage cars which have vented fuel caps.
I may just change the filler neck to an old style if I can get the filler hose diameter to match up then plug all the extra vents in the tanks.
I am pretty sure the ECM will set a lot of EVAPORATIVE CONTROL SYSTEM error codes. I probably will remove the Check Engine Light bulb from the dash.
What do the Miata race guys do ?
Curious where you are out of room for the stock system?
Reason I ask is because the Molvo is vented to atmosphere, and left in the garage for a while, it has that smell of gas that we have become used to NOT smelling in the garage.
my miata v6 track car has the vent run from a rubber hose from the tank to a lawnmower fuel filter to keep mud daubers out, direct to atmosphere. havent had in issue yet. this is NB, and gm powered.
what wheels are on this? they look like enkei WDM, which are kinda one of my favorites.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Yes they are Enkei 16x7 with dual bolt pattern. I am going to change to a more traditional silver Panasport/ Minilite style wheel so these are for sale in very good condition with 205/50R16 tires that have 75% tread.
In reply to NOHOME :
I have keep a basement window cracked open 1" just for that reason. I always let my carbureted cars finish a hot engine evaporation for a couple of hours before closing the garage door, the long term evaporation smell is minimal.
I really haven't wrapped my head around all the extra STUFF under the hood to deal with.
I do want to keep the cruise control. The large radiator overflow I don't think will fit. My car has an after market aluminum intake with a conical air filter that is really bulky. There is some fuel contraption on the right inner fender that is a least part Evap system I think. My other vintage cars don't have 3/4" wiring harnesses's either and the underhood fuse panel.
Lots of progress n the last few days.
I got the 7.2" frame extension welded in. I cut the old motor mounts from the crossmember and welded the holes up.
Today I set the engine in and bolted the rear axle to transmission brace in. The engine is still in the OEM location relative to the firewall back but of course the front suspension/ crossmember is 7.2" forward.
I trimmed the removed frame motor mounts and bolted to the engine mounts.
Pic of right side engine mount getting ready to graft to crossmember
As expected moving the suspension forward has created space conflict. The steering U-joint is in the way of of the A-C Compressor (using an old antenna as a pointer 
). I will have to make new A/C brackets to raise the compressor about 3" and to do that I will also have to make a new bracket to raise the power steering accordingly.
I hope i don't have to lose the Power Steering since the A/C is an absolute must have.
Any pics of the chassis extension fab work welded in?
Since the K-member moves ahead with the chassis stretch, what is the plan for the rear of the k-member to body mounts?
Post a pic of the engine bay with the engine in; bet it looks interesting with all the extra room up front. Be a good place to put an electric power steering pump if you need one.
I run a manual rack and a small MOMO Prototypo steering wheel. Not horrible even with the V8 engine weight and 200 TW tires. The option of running either an under-dash electric system or a electric pump from a Volvo is always in the back of my mind, but then I remember that I promised to drive more and modify less on this project. I think a full size steering wheel would solve most people's objections to the non-powered steering. The de-powered Miata rack was not the answer.
In reply to NOHOME :
Pics of the chassis extension fab work welded in - Yes the welds look crappy due to my failing eyesight but I have never had anything break 
I wil end up with some tubular triangulated brackets for the rear of crossmemeber to maximize access to the starter , clutch slave cylinder etc.
Where did you get an actual NB Miata manual rack (they are rare) ?
On a different note I have found the Miata A/C lines have different thread size/ piitch than the normal #6, 8 and 10 fittings we have all used.
NA rack. I bought the second tub (1996 if I recall) with no suspension and used the 1991 suspension parts from the first attempt. Took a lot of hunting to find a manual rack. The 1991 suspension was just a tad narrower than the 1996 if I recall.
In reply to NOHOME :
Did you ever get your A/C installed ? If so did you use the ever popular Sanden style SD508 compressor ? The Miata A/C fitting are metric not US standard for #6, 8 and 10 hose. ATCO makes most variations (straight, 45, 90 deg) with metric nuts. https://www.atcoproductsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/fittingsatco-fittings-catalog.pdf
In reply to senginc :
I am considering several options for my space conflict with the front crossmember and A/C compressor.
1. Modify the crossmember with an extensive relief pocket so that I can rotate the rack so that the steering input shaft is almost horizontal so the U-joint at the rack (with rubber bellows) clears the A/C compressor. This method will require an additional U-joint and support bearing. A lot of work but lets me leave the A/C and PS pump in OEM position. There is a small risk when modifying the 2 rack attachment brackets that the rack is not exactly in the same position which could cause some bumpsteer or other complications.
2. Leave the rack in it's original position and make new A/C and PS brackets to move up about 2-3". This will end up crowding out the engine intake filter. There is always a small chance that my new brackets have a small alignment error which could cause premature belt failure. Also there is a small chance that the Miata 4 rib style belt doesn't come in the length I need.
3. Move the A/C up but delete the PS Pump. This would require a manual rack which for NB's is made from rare Unobtanium. Other option is to depower the rack either by simply draining the fluid and looping the rack left and right tubes together. For me to be satisfied with steering effort I would want to change to a 16" diameter steering wheel (that is what the P1800 uses, but unluckily the splines for the wheels don't match.)
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