CTWG60 is back with a MX5 based Haynes Type Roadster (locost)

I did feel slightly let down after the 24VRT fell apart, so I am looking forward to this one

Thanks guys, yes I may fit slightly smaller walled tyres, was browsing blackcircle.com this morning can get 185x50x14 but the gearing might change slightly!!! Main fuse arrived today! Got it started and warmed up on the drive, sounded great, alt. belt is very loose but took it for a spin on the neighbours farm track. It goes, it stops, and it made be smile, but it still has to die for my build!

Brakes were rubbish but it had been sat for two years, engine was fine other than the alt. belt, gearbox felt great, no whines or unusual noises so my mind is at ease! Oh and nothing fell off I don't think!

24VRT?!? Maybe one day, when the kids have left home and I have deeper pockets.

I'm impressed with your speed! It seems like only the other day you talked about getting an MX5 and now you have one and already fixing it and planning the next stages!

I'm sure funds and time will slow me down!

I did feel slightly let down after the 24VRT fell apart.

I never knew you felt so strongly about it!

Inspiration


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Nice.

I suspect the tyre profile gives a much more comfortable ride and if you think back to when the early MX5s came out (a long time ago) that sort of tyre profile was the norm.

I should be able to let you know about the ASD box in early June, I need to get the VR restoration done by Easter and then it will be onto the 16vG60 bearings, box and brake line work.

Yeah the tyres do make the car comfortable but I think lower tyre walls would be useful on the build and reduce the gearing slightly. I'll keep an eye on your build. Spent yesterday building my bench at the back of the my garage and clearing floor space. Just PVA'ed the floor as it's crappy dust concrete. Just as I finished it pissed down soaking all the garage contents! Typical.

Oooops don't know why I thought the tyres were 185x85 they're 185x60, that changes the gearing slightly and makes a bit more sense. Anyway......

I spent the weekend either sleeping or in the garage. I now how a very clear and organised garage. I've got the floor sealed so it doesn't get so dusty as it's crappy concrete and this weekend I built the build table, after discovering how bent the timber was I'd bought I ended up flat planing every piece, a large 8ft x 4ft sheet of MDF was used for the top and it was glued and screwed together only after it was put in position in the garage and I had got it all perfectly level and flat, the garage floor falls away to the front and off to one corner quite dramatically.

I then painted the top white to help making marking out clearer and made a start on marking out the chassis. I've decided to buy the steel precut from a haynes forum member as I don't have to buy a compound angle band saw or struggle to get some of the rather difficult compound angles involved. Sounds like a good guy and will supply replacement pieces if I cock up. Found a local BOC company who will rent me a large gas bottle for £73 a year, refills being £33 which is better than £15 a liter for the halfords sip disposables (you only buy them once believe me!).

So after selling more than half the old atari, sinclair and amiga stuff I had I have funds to get going on this!

Here a link to the gallery from a company doing one of the first uk mazda mx5 haynes roaster build. It gives a good idea of what I'll be producing.

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I'd be happy to help in any way I can. That suspension geometry looks a bit odd (-4.5 deg camber?) although the rest of it looks similar to a system I designed for a coursework a couple of years back.

If you need anything done on CAD, let me know.

Thanks mate, if I get stuck with anything I'll let you know.

My mate is building one of these too! I'll see if I can get him to start a thread (however unlikely)....

It's a good project to keep you busy without having to spend alot quickly!

Practice welding....

I test my welds with a big hammer!

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It was 90˚s beforehand. by CTWV50, on Flickr

It's not pretty but the 2mm box started to bend before the welds even thought about breaking. Need to see if I can fold into two but I'm a lot more confident thanks to this thread and some further reading. Big BOC Argoshield bottle and £40 reg helped, just need to refine my technique a bit to be more economical but happy all the same.

Tried to switch to 0.8mm wire but the wire just kept exploding on contact with the work piece so I panicked and put some more 0.6 in could be down to the feeder but not sure.

Tested later with a vice, the metal failed before the weld...

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DSC00001 by CTWV50, on Flickr

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DSC00003 by CTWV50, on Flickr

Fook me! I should hope the metal failed first, the weld is about 2x as thick!

You would get better penetration if you either turn the current up a bit (welder I used had a chart on the side with guidelines for different metal thicknesses) or chamfer the edges of the parts you wanna join. Or you could cut both corner sections to a 45deg section, which would give you a larger surface area to join, and would probably be easier to weld than butt joining them.

I think the 0.8mm wire may be exploding on impact cos the feeder is going too fast, but don't quote me on that.

I'm new to welding so that is in fact one of the best welds I've done, as I said, I need to refine my technique a bit for economic reasons and yes a I did have a v cut but the welder was on maximum power 130amps wire speed was around 3.5/10 on the dial but as long as the metal fails first! I have produced better welds on thinner material with good penetration but I'm working at the maximum of my little welder.

Fair enough

I've never seen mig welding so thick, I genuinely thought that was arc.