Lots of parts - web site update

Got back from vacation and found a little time to update the web site. I fixed a typo in the budget that brought the project cost down a bit, added a FAQ page based on some of the email I've gotten and added a link page that lists a bunch of Miata conversions on the web - with a snarky comment or two.
Also, while I was out I ordered a few bits and pieces, so I should have the cable, lugs, terminals, shrink wrap, fuse holder, etc. - enough stuff to keep me busy a while. Take a gander at that circuit breaker - it's like 8" tall!
Maybe I'll get some time this weekend to work on the car...

Chop and section?

So I was all set today to weld on the brackets to the motor/cowl rack so I could get it grind-ed/painted/bolted in like the other two.
But there was a problem...
I noticed that the edge of the rack was right over one of the motor terminals.
The terminal will have a rubber boot on it, but it will be carrying 156 volts, and if it were to contact the rack it would dump that 156 volts to the body of the car.
Yes, it's not very likely to happen, but the rack is a little wider than it needs to be, and I think I'd feel a little safer if it wasn't directly over that terminal.
So outcomes the sawzall.
It wasn't as easy to cut through the welds as I thought it would be - they must be stronger than I thought.
Comes out the rack was an 1 1/8" too wide. Now it will be nice and snug around those batteries.
he picture are awful (still using my daughter's $10 digital camera), but you can see the before and after shots of the terminal next to the rack.
I'll have to get those brackets on next time...

Steak night!

Today is paint day.
After making the battery hold downs for the front rack and bolting them in place, I ground down the welds on both the nose and trunk racks.
where the grinder couldn't reach, I used an emery cloth or a file.
Looks pretty clean, not perfect, by any means, but pretty good.
next it was a trip to the back yard for a coat of primer. It was fairly warm and not much wind, so the painting went well.
after the primer dried inside and out, a broke out the stock red miata touch up paint.
I figure if I painted the racks the same color as the car, it would look stock-ish.
The shiny paint brought out all the imperfections in the racks. Good thing most of it will be hidden by the batteries!
So much for show car quality...
Once I got them in place I bolted them in for real - and they looked awesome.

It'll be steak tonight!

Some reworking of the nose rack

Well, it occurred to me that the proper way to hold down the rear of the nose rack is to break the rack in two. Figuratively, of course. The idea is to make the rear brackets into a separate piece with a length of steel connecting them together across the engine compartment. This will make the rack easily drop into place and then bolt up to the bracket piece.
Simple enough?
So I cut off the rear brackets leaving enough on the rack to allow it to bolt up to the new piece.
I then ground the brackets I removed into shape (had to replace one since it was a little short and a bit ugly). I then measured out, cut and welded in a length of flat 1 1/4" steel.
The rack slides in real nice now - no banging and cursing the headlight assemblies, and no fear of damaging the headlight wiring.
I drilled three holes to mount the rack to the bracket piece - one on each side and one right down the middle.
I then welded on the tabs to the rack that will connect the battery hold down straps (these are the steel strips that run across the top of the batteries so that they don't pop out on a big bump (or when the car flips over)).
There wasn't room for the tabs to go horizontal in the front (the rack wouldn't fit) so the front ones are vertical and the rear ones are horizontal. I welded the rear ones on a little high so that the rack could used them to rest on top of the "bracket bar"
Much better

Just a bit off

When I was working on the nose rack I noticed that it didn't line up with the motor like it had before. The nose rack is split down the middle so that the back shaft of the motor has room (the front shaft is the one with the flywheel attached in the back of ... never mind). I made some measurements and the motor is almost a quarter inch too far to the left.
Ugh.
I jacked it up, removed the mount and tried to realign it, but it's still off.
Disgusted, I removed the mount again and worked the bolt holes over with the rat tail file.

It took 4 attempts before I got it to line up right down the center.