What have you done to your Miata today?

[WillD]

I have new bolts and nuts ready to go so I don't care about the existing one.

I've been reading about this on Miata.net and I think that I'm going to try more PB blaster (I think I wasn't hitting the proper area) and more heat. If that fails, I might just cut it apart and hope I can press the remainder of the bolt out of the upright.

 

[aMaff]

I actually never had any problem with those bolts. Came right out like any other. If you don't care about boogering it up, maybe remove the lower control arm at the subframe and the knuckle at the upper control arm, and put the whole thing on a press to get the long bolt out?

 

[WillD]

Lucky bastard! That is another idea, but I was not able to get the stupid axle nut off either so I don't think I can get the whole upright assembly off the car either.

 

[JamesCH]

I have new bolts and nuts ready to go so I don't care about the existing one.

I've been reading about this on Miata.net and I think that I'm going to try more PB blaster (I think I wasn't hitting the proper area) and more heat. If that fails, I might just cut it apart and hope I can press the remainder of the bolt out of the upright.

Well, that's your problem right there. See this thread. After using Kroil and ATF+acetone I will never go back to anything else.

As for the bolt, just make REAL sure you don't ever mushroom the end. Threads will get damaged first, but if you manage to mushroom the end of the bolt you'll have to file/grind it down to fit through the upright holes.

I actually never had any problem with those bolts. Came right out like any other. If you don't care about boogering it up, maybe remove the lower control arm at the subframe and the knuckle at the upper control arm, and put the whole thing on a press to get the long bolt out?

I would be worried about bending the knuckle in that situation because it's a static force that can be very large. But that might just be me being paranoid.

 

[WillD]

Well then. Looks like I'll be making some ATF+acetone mix. Is it just 50/50? And I'll need to find some sort of spray to use with it.

 

[JamesCH]

I use 50/50 (not super careful about the mix) in a generic spray bottle from HD or someplace. Some people use straight ATF, and others use kerosene or mineral spirits.

I like acetone because it evaporates away quickly rather than hanging around and being all flammable. It's not 100% miscible in ATF, but I just shake it a little before using it and it seems to work just fine.

In case it needs to be said: be careful using this around a torch. It is flammable. I use safety glasses with it, especially around heat, in case it bubbles/spits/etc.

 

[WillD]

I was thinking about the acetone/torch combo... Since acetone evaporates I would think that I could let it sit for a while and still be able to hit it with the torch.

 

[JamesCH]

You should be able to, easily. And if it's warm at all you'll only need to wait a few moments.

I like to use a cycle of: apply oil, heat until oil starts to bubble up, apply more oil, let soak, apply heat, try to loosen. I think that heating up the part before applying a bit more oil helps because it makes the penetrating oil less viscous and thus more able to work its way into the part, on top of the thermal expansion that opens up any crevices.

 

[WillD]

Alright I like that plan. I'm just going to have to get more aggressive on this b****.

 

[princess peach]

I got another tire trailer last friday, been working on it but didn't have time for pics (I'll take some next time). I replaced the lights with an LED version, replaced a piece of wood that was rotted out and removed the box it came with. I'm putting in a better box and moving it a bit so I have room for 2 fuel jugs. 1 of the bearings will need to be replaced soon, but the tires are in good shape.

 

[Reitrof]

Drove her yesterday on a beautiful day. She had been sitting for over a week getting the battery worked over by the charger.

 

[JamesCH]

Broke the engine... not sure what happened, just lost a bunch of power part-way through an entrance ramp. Leak down numbers from 1-4 are 4%, 36%, 7%, 40%. I am assuming, for the moment, that it's simply the result of boosting a very high-mile motor. I have another drivetrain on the way, as soon as I can borrow a truck anyway. Engine/trans should be coming out of the car tonight to diagnose the problem. Hopefully it just suffered and died from old age and nothing else is wrong.

On the upside this will make installing all of the coolant re-route equipment really easy!

 

[chiefmg]

Swapped out the disconnected JR rear sway for a stocker. Cut down my extra thermostat housing and dropped it off at the welder to get it capped. I'll then drill a hole for the tubing that the two small hoses go to (I know, most just get rid of that but I am not). That should take care of the minor occasional leakage from that damn block-off plate I keep having. I'll post a picture of how it looks once I get it all done.

 

[chiefmg]

Had some time to myself tonight so swapped out the front JR sway for the MSM. It started raining before I could take her out for a spin to see how things feel now.

 

[Reitrof]

Finally got some time to clean the engine. Need to work on the brakes tomorrow. Pull the wheels off and clean, lube and repaint the calipers.

 

[WillD]

Broke the engine... not sure what happened, just lost a bunch of power part-way through an entrance ramp. Leak down numbers from 1-4 are 4%, 36%, 7%, 40%. I am assuming, for the moment, that it's simply the result of boosting a very high-mile motor. I have another drivetrain on the way, as soon as I can borrow a truck anyway. Engine/trans should be coming out of the car tonight to diagnose the problem. Hopefully it just suffered and died from old age and nothing else is wrong.

On the upside this will make installing all of the coolant re-route equipment really easy!

Sucks to hear that. Hopefully you won't miss all of Miata season!

 

[aMaff]

On the upside this will make installing all of the coolant re-route equipment really easy!

It definitely does that. Between that and needing to pull the transmission to fix the input shaft seal, it was totally worth pulling the whole thing instead of trying to work around it.

 

[JamesCH]

Sucks to hear that. Hopefully you won't miss all of Miata season!

Worst-case I still have a 1991 t-top MR2!

It definitely does that. Between that and needing to pull the transmission to fix the input shaft seal, it was totally worth pulling the whole thing instead of trying to work around it.

So true... and with ~5 hours of labor the engine and transmission are out and the engine is taken apart down to its short block!

Also turns out I'll need a new clutch too.

Here is the main culprit in the failure:

The rest of the engine looks pristine... so... seriously considering a forged bottom end and engine rebuild in parallel with dropping in the used engine/trans I bought.

 

[chiefmg]

You can just weld that sucker right up!

Here's an initial view of my modified thermostat housing:

The guy who welded it for me knew I was going to be drilling a hole so he put that center hole in it for me to make it easier.

Sorry for the smaller size, Flickr apparently changed things since I was last in there and I need to figure out how to get the size I want.

 

[aMaff]

Finally got the tow-rig home. 2012 Armada 4wd

She's a big ol' girl


My trailer lives on a pretty steep hill down by my shop so it can't be seen from the street, and is out of the way. This should make loading the trailer solo WAY easier. Probably my single favorite thing (except for everything else):