Little More Progress on V8 Miata
I’ve been focusing on other projects…like a good homeowner….installing fans and stuff. That’s taken away from the automotive projects. But over the past few weeks I have still found time to chip away at the Miata effort. Nothing huge, I wish I could focus more.
I need to get it on the road soon since my lovely British supercar is on its way.
I’ve been waiting on a few parts to get the oil system sorted out. So in the mean time its been looking at stuff that I should have made right the first time. Main one while trying to find the reverse switch wiring was fuse labeling. Tested the limits of my Cricut on fine cuts. It worked wonderfully, but the weeding process not so much. After about an hour of focused effort I transferred it to the aluminum. A light clear coat should keep things nice for years to come.
It’s Tombstone
When I first build this Miata I put in the window switches in the front position since we don’t have a center console. That worked wonderfully, except it was always a bit too shiny. I finally painted it flat black to match the tombstone and avoid attention. Should look much cleaner once installed.
More Blackness
The shifter also was always a bit too bright below the boot. The base of aluminum provided a good heat barrier, but I didn’t clean it up enough as I was too focused on getting it drivable.
While waiting I have a great opportunity to fix my last wrongs…
A simple few minutes on the belt sander along with some black paint and she should effectively be invisible.
Water Temperature Sensor
Sometimes you mess up. Luckily this time I didn’t ruin anything difficult to replace. While installing the new temperature sensor I apparently was too eager and snapped off the brass adapter. I can no longer trust my left hand…. But at least I could extract it and have ordered a new sensor adaptor.
While removing the engine I needed to disconnect the sensor and it broke internally, hence the need to replace it. So clearly this engine doesn’t want to have its temp monitored.
We will have a gauge to watch temps!
Not much visible progress, however I’ve been thinking about oil line routing and believe I’ve come up with something that should keep the engine bay clean and avoid tires, headers, and ABS modules. More to come in the following week. Until next time, keep thinking about the next way to fail and it shall save you!
