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alex
alex Dork
1/19/10 3:18 p.m.
Grtechguy wrote:

Surely somebody's done something to make one of these driveable.

carguy123
carguy123 SuperDork
1/19/10 3:38 p.m.
alex wrote:
Grtechguy wrote:
You can see from that picture that there's nothing wrong with a Vette other than porkiness and that god awful tail end. Now how hard would it be to shorten the torque tube?
njansenv
njansenv Reader
1/19/10 3:44 p.m.

I'd argue that the Vette tends to be lighter than others in it's class....

turboswede
turboswede SuperDork
1/19/10 4:12 p.m.

Depends on what it is made of, on the Porsche's they were steel. The corvette looks to be made of aluminum which is a bit trickier to deal with and get a strong weld.

The shaft is likely steel, so it would need to be re-splined and possibly heat treated. A driveline shop should be able to do it or know someone that does.

carguy123
carguy123 SuperDork
1/19/10 6:45 p.m.
njansenv wrote: I'd argue that the Vette tends to be lighter than others in it's class....

I'd argue that the Vette is easily 750-1,000 too heavy. It's in the wrong class from what it ought to be in!

CarKid1989
CarKid1989 HalfDork
1/19/10 7:33 p.m.
ClemSparks wrote:
CarKid1989 wrote: guys this is why i super hate everyone one here. in summery here is what i just read: Miata minus miata body plus rear shock mounts (custom) some seat stuff and blah blah and you have a Miata-locost-thingy. Sound like a sub $1000 locost. I HATE you. Off to craigslist....
Carkid...what if you put a sleeper cab on it?!

haha. joke?

CarKid1989
CarKid1989 HalfDork
1/20/10 8:49 p.m.

FM had these pics on their site...the bare frame looks sweet. would make a cool locost-ish car

kreb
kreb Dork
1/20/10 9:06 p.m.

Am I wrong for wanting to put this body on my '95 Miata donor?

http://slo.craigslist.org:80/cto/1548382693.html

Woody
Woody SuperDork
1/20/10 9:07 p.m.

Hey, there's an Opel GT in there!

CarKid1989
CarKid1989 HalfDork
1/20/10 9:47 p.m.
kreb wrote: Am I wrong for wanting to put this body on my '95 Miata donor? http://slo.craigslist.org:80/cto/1548382693.html

Seems like any odd body would be just right on top of a miata donor

Keith
Keith SuperDork
1/21/10 12:11 a.m.
Woody wrote: Hey, there's an Opel GT in there!

Two of them, actually. The pumpkin colored one is getting a turbo Miata drivetrain, the other is a parts car that is being use for experimuntal porpoises. Good eye

Miata subframes have shown up under a number of cars. There's a Morris Minor in the UK that's getting a transplant. I've seen a radically modified MGA with a full Miata slid underneath as well. A friend is working on a kit car that would take the subframes under a slick little body, and Kokopelli sports car has made an oversize Lotus XI with Miata underpinnings. In most cases, I believe the engine gets moved back.

joey48442
joey48442 SuperDork
1/21/10 1:59 a.m.
carguy123 wrote:
njansenv wrote: I'd argue that the Vette tends to be lighter than others in it's class....
I'd argue that the Vette is easily 750-1,000 too heavy. It's in the wrong class from what it ought to be in!

While less weight is always better,I don't see how a corvette is easily 1000 pounds overweight. The c5 hardtop was just over 3100. 1000 pounds off and it would be less than a miata, almost an Elise! It's to big to weight that little.

Joey

Keith
Keith SuperDork
1/21/10 10:03 a.m.

An 2002 LS1 Miata is about 750 lbs lighter than a current Corvette. Seems to me that says the 'Vette is about 750 lbs heavier than it really needs to be, unless the Chevy is just big for the sake of being big. Like a 1998 Camaro is.

kreb
kreb Dork
1/21/10 10:42 a.m.
Keith wrote: An 2002 LS1 Miata is about 750 lbs lighter than a current Corvette. Seems to me that says the 'Vette is about 750 lbs heavier than it really needs to be, unless the Chevy is just big for the sake of being big. Like a 1998 Camaro is.

C'mon Keith. It's apples and oranges. Most Vette owners would have no interest in a pumped up MX-5. LX or not. If you compare the Vette with other upmarket GTs it's actually fairly light.

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson Reader
1/21/10 11:09 a.m.

Well the Mx5 was an Elan for the 90's. So how about a replica Elan body droped over the Mx5 running gear. Copy the cocept of the Elite and build it as a F.glass monocoque and hey presto instant Elan for the teen's

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim HalfDork
1/21/10 11:33 a.m.

There is a Japanese kit that'll mainly change the bumpers on an NA which makes it a fairly convincing Elan. Can't remember who made it, though.

Keith
Keith SuperDork
1/21/10 11:48 a.m.
kreb wrote:
Keith wrote: An 2002 LS1 Miata is about 750 lbs lighter than a current Corvette. Seems to me that says the 'Vette is about 750 lbs heavier than it really needs to be, unless the Chevy is just big for the sake of being big. Like a 1998 Camaro is.
C'mon Keith. It's apples and oranges. Most Vette owners would have no interest in a pumped up MX-5. LX or not. If you compare the Vette with other upmarket GTs it's actually fairly light.

Oh, I know. The Miata is a car for girls and hairdressers, the Corvette is a midlife crisis car for guys with a fondness for gold chains Although the Corvette guys do show more interest in a Miata once it has a Chevy engine.

But does the 'Vette have to be as big as it is? Does it need to be as heavy? I'm not comparing it to other upmarket GTs, I'm looking at it in a vacuum. Typically, it's acceptable for a powerful car to be heavier because the hardware has to be beefier to deal with the power levels and big engines are heavier engines. But the existence and ability of a Miata with the same powertrain that weighs that much less shows that the Corvette should be able to shed some pounds.

MiatarPowar
MiatarPowar HalfDork
1/21/10 12:22 p.m.

Seeing all of these pictures of bodyless Miatae makes me want to go measure my Sonett body and Miata. An unholy union? It'd be perfect.

carguy123
carguy123 SuperDork
1/21/10 12:32 p.m.
But the existence and ability of a Miata with the same powertrain that weighs that much less shows that the Corvette should be able to shed some pounds.

Amen Brother!!

Woody
Woody SuperDork
1/21/10 12:35 p.m.
Adrian_Thompson wrote: Well the Mx5 was an Elan for the 90's. So how about a replica Elan body droped over the Mx5 running gear. Copy the cocept of the Elite and build it as a F.glass monocoque and hey presto instant Elan for the teen's

Thank you.

Woody
Woody SuperDork
1/21/10 12:37 p.m.
MiatarPowar wrote: Seeing all of these pictures of bodyless Miatae makes me want to go measure my Sonett body and Miata. An unholy union? It'd be perfect.

I think your hood will be too low, at least in stock form. Easy fix on a fiberglass car.

joey48442
joey48442 SuperDork
1/21/10 7:02 p.m.
Keith wrote: An 2002 LS1 Miata is about 750 lbs lighter than a current Corvette. Seems to me that says the 'Vette is about 750 lbs heavier than it really needs to be, unless the Chevy is just big for the sake of being big. Like a 1998 Camaro is.

Are you sure Keith? I see references to the c6 being about 3180, at least for the zo6. That would make the c5 weigh in 2430 or so... According to wiki the c5 weighed more than that...

Joey

joey48442
joey48442 SuperDork
1/21/10 7:14 p.m.
Keith wrote: An 2002 LS1 Miata is about 750 lbs lighter than a current Corvette. Seems to me that says the 'Vette is about 750 lbs heavier than it really needs to be, unless the Chevy is just big for the sake of being big. Like a 1998 Camaro is.

Are you sure Keith? I see references to the c6 being about 3180, at least for the zo6. That would make the c5 weigh in 2430 or so... According to wiki the c5 weighed more than that...

Joey

93celicaGT2
93celicaGT2 SuperDork
1/21/10 7:22 p.m.
joey48442 wrote:
Keith wrote: An 2002 LS1 Miata is about 750 lbs lighter than a current Corvette. Seems to me that says the 'Vette is about 750 lbs heavier than it really needs to be, unless the Chevy is just big for the sake of being big. Like a 1998 Camaro is.
Are you sure Keith? I see references to the c6 being about 3180, at least for the zo6. That would make the c5 weigh in 2430 or so... According to wiki the c5 weighed more than that... Joey

The C5 did....

A 2002 LS1 Miata doesn't.

joey48442
joey48442 SuperDork
1/21/10 8:11 p.m.

Aha! I didn't realize he meant 2001 miata the first few times I read it! I thought it didn't make sense!

Joey

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