Sprocket's Competition

[clocker]

Today I picked up a brand new T-56 which we found on Craigslist.
Only $1650.
Still in the shipping crate, all the temperature telltales zeroed.

Work will resume Monday night.

[clocker]

Worked on the car again last night.

Here's the new T-56 tranny...


She looks all grungy because she's been stored for 4 years in a shed but the temp telltales prove she's never been run...


Discovered that the old bellhousing had a broken mount (center bolthole)...

...so we pulled it and used the new one.
Also used the new throwout bearing lever/pivot.

Now in place (all hardware new as well)...


A few random shop shots...here's a nice 1st gen RX (probably an 81)...


...and one for Kev...


Now we're just waiting on some parts.
Should have enough stuff in hand by Friday to work over the weekend and get most everything done.
Maybe.

[clocker]

Our two largest remaining fabrication projects...

-Proper alternator mount.
The LT1 engine accepts a wide variety of alternator brackets, depending on the vehicle application.
Because of the way the builders chose to mount the engine- using very simple engine plates instead of proper subframe motor mounts- none of these factory options are available to us.

Instead, they cobbled a simple- and structurally unsound- install which has been nothing but trouble.
This needs to be addressed and I think I know how to do it.
Preliminary fab work begins today.

-The "Power Plant Frame".
First used in the Miata, the Power Plant Frame (or "PPF", for short) ties the transmission to the differential with a lattice-like structural member.
This is what the stock part looks like...


For some reason, the original builders completely discarded this piece and crafted a replacement out of what appears to be random pieces of stock laying in their shop.
Outside of the crappy build quality, the biggest problem is that the replacement piece completely ignores the original mounting points and inexplicably ties to various random parts of the rear subframe.

I admit that I don't fully understand the the Mazda engineering- and there are several aftermarket replacements meant to address weaknesses in the stock design- but it seems bizarre and willfully ignorant to deviate too far from the original design.

So we've found an original PPF in Chicago and it's on the way.
Obviously, the transmission end will have to be modified to fit the T-56 transmission- until the part is in hand I have no idea how difficult this will be- but it should be a far better solution than what we started with.

There remain myriad smaller issues to deal with, but once the above two are completed- and the exhaust fabricated- the car should be legitimately "driveable".

Speaking of the exhaust...the one that came on the car was so horrendously built and welded that driving the car around the shop with just the open headers is no louder than it was with the "exhaust" installed.
Remarkable.

[clocker]

Despite my silence work has been ongoing.

Primary focus has been on adapting the stock PPF to fit the T-56 transmission. Finally got it (mostly) bolted up last night.

This has been quite a tedious process, requiring that the PPF be bolted in, assessed, marked, removed then trimmed about 20 times.
When we finally got the differential pinion angle and the transmission angle correct it was finally time to tack weld on the first transmission mount bracket.

Then fit, adjust, remove and finish weld.
All that's left now is a bit more bracing and a spacer fabricated to install the rear transmission mount and she's done.

Working again Thurs. night and after that one more day in the shop should have most of the little stuff addressed.
It sure has been nice to work in a real shop instead of the owner's garage and Dan the mechanic has been a godsend.

After this, she's off to get a real exhaust fabricated and some final detailing done.
Then she goes on the dyno for tuning work and finally we see if she'll pass emissions.
It's almost scary how rasty this thing is and even scarier is the fact that it's running pig rich and untuned.
When properly setup, there's no telling what this car will do.

Probably blow the rear end off...

No real good pics from the latest work session since I was too greasy to handle the camera.
I do have one from when we were done and Dan wanted to test the integrity of the PPF...


The tire chirps on the floor are the result of revving it up and dropping the clutch...in third gear.
I think we're going to need a pinion snubber.

[j2k4]

Oy.

[clocker]

Well...
bring the car into the shop tonight and the clutch pedal goes to the floor.

Up on the lift expecting to see a blown slave cylinder, but no.

A more detailed exam reveals that the throwout bearing has broken into pieces.
Gaahh.
The transmission we just installed had to come right back out.

New clutch and bearing on order, won't arrive until Monday at the earliest.

The good news is that we finished the PPF, just need to clean up some welds and paint it.

I wonder if this damn thing will ever be finished.

[j2k4]

Be patient.

I've never had a TO bearing go to pieces, btw.

That's new.

[clocker]

Me neither but then again, I've never seen a Stage 2 ACT, pull-type clutch before either.

We should have pulled/inspected the clutch while the gearbox was off the first time.
Probably wouldn't have caught the TO bearing but the friction plate was fairly worn and S. would have almost certainly decided to replace the unit anyway.

Just a waste of labor really.

On a happy note, I'm almost finished piecing together a really trick two stage controller for the efan in my car.
A triumph of internet investigation and junkyard scouring it is.

[clocker]

Not sure if anyone is still following this (besides Kev) but since I like to hear myself talk I'll keep going.

Thirsday night Dan and I pulled an all nighter (5:30PM to 4 AM) and basically thrashed all the remaining problems into submission.

New clutch installed and clutch pedal properly adjusted (sits level with brake pedal now). Pedal feel is somewhat stout but actually not bad while driving.

Transmission back in, shifter installed and PPF finished and bolted in.

Diff opened up for inspection (appears brand new, has 3.9 gearing from an automatic), resealed and filled.

Ebrake cable bracket fabbed, welded in and cables installed- now have functioning ebrake.

Relocated/rewired ignition module from DS head to wheelwell, away from the heat.

Added helper spring to throttle body, eliminated tendency of throttle to hang open.

Friday morning (at 7:30...I'm definitely too old for this shit!) we again met at the shop, got her off the lift and fixed a few more piddly little things.
At lunchtime, S. met us at the shop, paid Dan for his work (thanks, Dan!) and we prepared to drive the car to the exhaust shop.

S.'s recent back surgery precludes him from driving this beast (manual steering rack with big tires= high steering effort), so I was the driver by default.

Hairiest ride of my life.

Car has no exhaust, just open headers, so it sounds like the end of the world is approaching.
Harley riders- with their typically stupid loud exhausts- quivered in envy.
So, we had to plan out route to avoid any known cop hangouts...instant ticket if caught.

Worse though is the way she drives.
Without an exhaust there are no O2 sensors in place, so the CPU assumes it's in START mode all the time and adds lots of fuel...and keeps pouring it on.
This means that as the car warms up, it won't hold an idle and must be revved over 4K to continue running.
So, I'm driving a kinghell LOUD car, revving the piss out of it to keep from stalling and then drag launching at every stoplight- don't want to be slipping/overheating a brand new $500 clutch, ya know.
All this on neighborhood streets with 35 MPH speedlimits.

Fortunately, I only had to go a few miles but still, was completely frazzled when I arrived.
Exhaust should be done on Monday.

Hopefully, she'll be easier to handle cause then I drive her to my house to do some fab work on the alternator mount and cobble in a fuel filter.

Then it's off to Boulder for some dyno time/tuning.

Finally, we'll see how badly it fails emissions.

No pics of recent work since I've been too greasy to handle the camera but I'll try for some while she's up on the lift at the exhaust shop Monday.

There is light at the end of this tunnel.

[j2k4]

I'm still with you.

Sounds like you're having fun.

Just call me green (with envy).