Transmission Oops

So it is time to mate up the 6 speed transmission to the engine but before that I wanted to clean it up a bit an install a new slave cylinder.


Cleaned up well.


So when I removed the old slave cylinder, seen above, and tried to install the new one, the upper bolt hole strips threads the instant I put pressure on it. Crap. Considering how little pressure I used, I think the threads were already damaged and I just finished it off.



You can see the damage in the two pics above.

So now what? Now I need to repair that threaded hole. I used a Helicoil thread repair kit. It uses coil inserts to replace the stripped threads.



First the hole to be repaired is drilled out:



Then the drilled hole is threaded with the supplied tap from the kit:



Using the tool that comes with the repair kit, a coil insert is then installed. In theory the repaired hole is now stronger than the soft threaded aluminum that it replaced.



New slave cylinder installed:



Next task, mate the transmission to the engine.

Engine update

It's been too long between updates. Doctor bills put the project on hold for awhile this summer but hopefully we are back on track.

I decided to do a camshaft swap on the engine before installing it. I figured now or never. The stock cam was swapped for a Thunder Racing TR224 cam. Specs of the cam are 224/224 duration, .563 lift and a 112 lsa. It should be good for about 30-40 hp increase with a little lope idle. Look up TR224 on YouTube for some examples.

Since I changed the camshaft, I also needed to change the pushrods and valve springs to a more stout set. Thanks to LS1howto.com for good directions on the install.

Some pictures of the swap:

Pretty clean for a used truck engine.


Installing the cam.
Note the two wood dowels in the block. These are for holding the lifters in place when removing and installing the cam.



Valve spring swap:


Got this valve spring compressor tool from a LS1Tech forum member for $33. Simple and it works. I used the "top dead center" method for keeping the valves from falling into the cylinder. You rotate the engine so the at any one time two pistons are at the top of the cylinder. The valve will only move slightly towards the piston when the spring is removed. You just need to do only two cylinders at a time and make sure that they are the correct two.

New springs installed:


Custom Oil Pan:
I also had to install a new oil pan to clear the Miata steering rack and crossmember. A F-body pan can be modified and used but I decided to use a custom pan from V8 Roadsters. It is designed for performance driving with full baffles to help prevent oil starvation under heavy cornering. It also uses a remotely mounted oil filter.

Baffles:


I had to cut the factory windage tray to clear the pan:


V8R pan installed:



Intake Manifold:
Since the tall truck manifold is, well, too tall, a car style intake manifold has to be installed. I went with an LS6 intake manifold along with a cable actuated throttle body to replace the truck setup. Plus it should flow a little more air, and work well with the new cam.

So close:


Next step is to order a clutch/flywheel kit and mate up the transmission. Then its time for a test fit. Soon....very soon...

Engine found!

So I finally found an engine. It is an all aluminum L33 5.3 liter, 310 hp from a 2005 Silverado with 32k miles. Bought at Jim's Auto Salvage in Sebring for $850, a bargain. The engine looks brand new. Being a truck engine I will have to make some changes to fit the Miata but they are minor. Changes include swapping the intake manifold for the lower profile LS6 car style, changing the water pump to a LS2 type along with the balancer, and swapping out the oil pan for a F-Body style for clearance. I may swap the camshaft for a Z06 cam to improve performance but still thinking about that one...depends on the budget.

Think it will fit?

Transmission found

Finally found and bought a used T-56 6 speed transmission for sale locally this past weekend. Discovered it for sale on the LS1Tech.com forum. Previous owner was doing a auto transmission conversion on his 2002 Camaro Z28 and needed to sell the manual trans.
Looks and shifts ok but won't know for sure until everything is together. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I plan on cleaning it up this weekend and doing some other general house cleaning in the garage.

After the first of the year, after some bills have been paid, the hunt begins for an engine!
Argh this build is taking forever, I need to win the lottery!

Suspension

I finally ordered and received my new suspension parts for the car this week. I went with Flyin Miata's "Stage 2.5" suspension package. It consists of Tokico Illumna adjustable shocks, larger front and rear sway bars, new bump stops, new rear upper shock mounts, and I also added the optional adjustable Ground Control coil over springs which allows ride height adjustments. Vey nice kit and everything has fit as expected.
We installed the rear parts today, now on to the front.

Diff mount & fuel lines

I know its been a while since the last update but there has not been really anything new to report.
I fixed my issue with the rear differential mounting bracket. I cut the rear support gussets, mounted the differential to the bracket after some slight persuasion to the bracket, and brought the entire assembly to the welder and had it welded in place. Painted it, done.






Fuel system:
Next up was the upgrade of the fuel lines and pump. The stock Miata fuel pump and lines are not adequate for the bigger V8 engine so both need to be replaced. For the fuel pump this means removing the in tank assembly, thankfully Mazda provides an access panel on the rear package tray so the tank does not need to be removed to replace the pump. Simply remove the access panel, then carefully remove the fuel pump assembly unit. The stock fuel pump can then be removed. I am replacing the stock fuel pump with a Walbro 225 which will be able to supply the new engine with enough fuel. Since I am installing larger 3/8 fuel line versus the factory 5/8 line, I needed to have a way to connect the new lines to the fuel pump assembly at the tank. There are several ways this could be done but I drilled out the 5/8 hard lines and replaced them with -6 (3/8) AN bulk head fittings which will connect to -6 braided hose to a Corvette fuel filter/regulator then 3/8 hard line to the engine bay.

Here are some pictures of the process so far:

Top of gas tank with the stock fittings.


Stock fittings removed:



New pump and fittings mounted:



Assembly installed with -6 braided supply and return hoses connected:



Here is the Corvette fuel filter/regulator installed under the car (the other 2 lines are the rear brake and fuel tank vent lines) :



Next on the to do list is to run the 3/8 fuel line from the filter to the front of the car. Then I can install the rear subframe back into the car. I wanted to finish the fuel setup first before installing the rear subrame, one less thing that could be in the way.

Small update

Not much new to update on the build. Been waiting on some parts to come in and also trying to save some cash for the next big purchases...engine and transmission.
Have been getting some things done though..

Got all of the new suspension bushings installed into the a-arms. They are ready to go.
Painted the firewall, I used Ford engine block blue, a surprisingly close match!



Also finally got the mounting bracket for the rear differential welded into place onto the rear subframe. Don't mind the screws, they were just holding the bracket in place so I could take the whole assembly to the welder.



One minor problem I have had with the differential bracket mount is the bracket is flat but the location on the subframe where it attaches is curved. When the bracket was welded into place it was pulled down to the subframe. This changed the location of the bolts in relation to the differential's mounting holes, moving them off center. In this picture you can see what I mean.



Those two bolts should be centered in the mounting holes. With the bushings inserted, the bolts will not thread into the bracket. I'll have to figure something out for a solution but a big hammer may be involved.

Not much else to say. After fixing the differential problem, its time to start on the fuel system.