This thread has been a long time coming. I called in sick today from partying way to hard at the 12hrs of Sebring race this past weekend and decided to put my new found free time to this. I'll try and start off where my INTRO THREAD ended. It’s a good read but here are a few pictures that sum it up.

FROM:


TO:


FROM:


TO:


And made THIS:





OCT '10
Let me try and start after last post on the INTRO THREAD. I happened to be helping run an event that involves car skidding out of control and hitting **** and calling it drifting. I was running grid and noticed a miata with Wilwoods on it. I made small talk with the driver and asked how he liked the brakes. He came back with saying he didn't like them and they came on the car when he got it. He couldn't run 14's and the only wheels he had that fit were some beastly 17's. After some negotiation I convinced him to follow me to my house where we swapped brakes. So I managed to get an old school FM BBK for simply giving him my 1.8 set-up.



DEC '10
Somewhere down the road, the clutch started to give up the ghost. After tear down it was found the rear main had failed and contaminated the clutch. So I ordered up an ACT 6 puck kit and had the flywheel resurfaced. Also installed an OEM seal this time around.




March '11
After fighting the really low spring rates and lack of bump travel on my Ground control set-up, I got BC coilovers through StreetUnit Performance in Orlando. Not Xidas but way better then what I had. I ordered them with 10k/6k rates. I think the extra bump travel really helped me the most.



April '11
After going through two sets of studs, I manned up and ordered some inconel studs from Begi. They seem to be the only ones to carry 8mm ones. I don't have enough clearance on the GReddy turbo to up to 10mm. After months and months of waiting for the manufacture to deliver them to Begi I canceled my order and just welded the bitch right to the manifold. I figure if and when I upgrade the hot parts the manifold will be changed anyway. You can see me post heating the manifold in the picture.




May '11
Coming home from an AutoX in St. Pete it started to rain cats and dog on the Skyway Bridge which was under construction at the time. I came up on one of those rubber rings they use to hold down the big orange barrels. I only had time to center up and hope it didn't tear off my lip well... Still haven't fixed it to this day. LOL



July '11
After a few late nights in my garage at my deed restricted home I got a letter. I decided to man up and go in with a friend of mine on a 1250sqft "shop". Don't have many pics of it in its early stages but you will see it in basically in all the shots from here on out.




SEPT '11
It was time for some tires. I finally killed my first set of RS3's. Well after paying the deposit on the new shop and all the new equipment and stuff I had been buying I was a bit short on cash. I decided I needed to sell the 6UL's. For the price I sold them I was able to buy new tires and wheels. Enter the Konig Flatout.






SEPT '11
My buddy who bought my wheels, red car in above picture, wanted to ride in my car to feel the turbo. So we went and grabbed lunch. I decided I'd let him drive on the way back since it wasn't that far. That was a bad choice on my part. Well he had never driven a car with a hard pedal or pucked clutch before. He stalled it trying to get it out of the spot. Right there should have been my sign. Needless to say trying to leave the first light he stalled it. And the dumb old bitch behind us ran right into the back of us with her accord. That's him seated on the curb in the picture. He felt super bad about the whole ordeal.



Oct '11
I had a hell of a time fighting with her insurance company to not total my car. They valued the damage at $2800 and told me my car was only worth $800. I had to provide receipts and and documentation to prove otherwise. After they reevaluated it all they said it was worth $6500. So they finally mailed me the check. Despite all this I was able to fix the car for less then $400 with junkyard parts and crying poverty to the painter. Even made an AutoX before I fixed it. It wasn't perfect, but after all it is just a race car. With this new found money and lack of perfection in the body work, I decided it was time to go full blown race car. This is where the fun begins! No real pics of it fixed but there are a few shot from behind later.



OCT '11
If it was to be a full blow race car the shitty bolt in cage had to go. I sold it to the guy with the famous car that was under the Publix truck. And who needs interior in a race car? HVAC? Nah get rid of it! Decided the wiring might as well come out too and I'll cut out all that unneeded ****.







OCT '11
DIYAutotune.com was having a big sale. I figured I had the wiring out already might as well go with a MS3X and make it legit as ****.





NOV '11
Pulled the motor and transmission to make it easier to wire the engine and such. Plans have now grown even more and a mild engine bay tuck and full repaint is now planned. As well as a full car rewire project!



NOV '11
Put the dash on Atkins. Cut off all the unneeded metal and lower half of the dash. Sand blast and primed the dash bar and pedal frames. Also gave it a quick test fit.





DEC '11
Finally got all my new connectors from Ballenger Motorsports. Went ahead and cut the engine side of the harness in half, will be adding Mil-spec firewall connectors anyway, and pinned all the connectors. I also started mocking it up on the engine.





JAN '12
Got my 47 and 9 pin Deutsch connectors. I wired in the starter, alternator, oil and coolant sensors for the dash, and all the grounds as well. Put all the senders for my WB02, Oil Temp, and EGT gauges in. Even the transmission switches too. I will be able to disconnect ALL of the wiring to the engine with two twists!







Well that catches you all up to about a year ago. I will try and get the second half done soon. I may even do weekly updates so it feels like it’s happening in real time instead of last year. I don't know yet. Tell me what you think I should do. There is LOTS more in store, including the cage and the rest of the car wiring. So stay tuned!

 

Very nice progress. Good job

 

Wow. Way to stick with it. So many projects begin with big plans and then nothing comes of it.

 

I am pretty impressed with the quick disconnects. I love that concept.

 

Great thread - I love seeing a good resurrection. Subscribed to keep up with the progress.

 

Awesome thread, i always liked your car. Subscribed!

 

Also subscribed for awesomeness. What did you do for those connectors? A lot of them do not look oem, and all of them look like they were pinned, no solder or crimp connections. Which is how I would like to wire when I make changes to my harness.

 

I'll go into more detail when I get to that part of the saga. But they are a military grade weather proof connectors that uses a special crimper for the pins. I have seen people solder the pins in the field when a crimper was not available with success. They offer a W-crimp pin but I've never used them and aren't approved for many applications. I work on Airport Rescue Fire trucks and they use them exclusively.

 

Looks great!



So whose MX6 with the fugly J-Specs is that?

 

He is a moderator on MX6.com and goes by the name ragincanadian4.

 

Haha ok, i know him. Well, online know him at least.

 

FEB '12
Car is prepped for cage builder and towed on a trailer to DCWFab in Sarasota. We talk and agree on a slightly modified version of the "TC Designs" standard cage. The fitment and headroom achieved has me in awe the second the lay eyes on it. I couldn't ask for a better made cage! I quickly sprayed a coat of etching primer on it to keep it from rusting.







FEB '12
Got a novelty plate. I think it's pretty cool. Best part is 90% of the population won't even know it's not an off the shelf plate.



March '12
Decided it was time to make the shop way more legit and bought a lift. I promptly dropped the subframes and cleaned up some rust in the underbody I never got to when I did the first tear down.




April '12

I also to took this opportunity to fix my poorly executed try at trying to paint the engine bay the first time around. knocked up all the loose paint and clean and degreased before painting it with a nice hammered finish.




May '12

Stripped the rust and most of the seam sealer out of the interior. That was no easy task. Very messy and with the cage in the way not good on the back. After all the fuss I painted it in a nice white hammered finish.




May '12

My mothers '05 Roush Mustang, yes you read that right, has a very nice set of machined pedals and I love it every time I drive it. The grip from the raised edges is superb be it wet or dry. I found a set by SRP that are machined in the very same fashion and I had to have them. Got the steering column back in merely so I didn't have to kick the front tires to steer the car when I pushed it around the shop anymore.




I'll leave it at that for now. I'll try to keep update it slowly through out the week and try and get you all up to date on where it is now. Thanks for all the compliments so far!

 

This car looks like lots of fun; mad props on the interior too!

 

I keep reading this while hoping to get to the part where it is assembled and will be attending the all-Florida meet so that I may admire it firsthand. I look forward to seeing the fruits of all of this hard work and attention to detail.

What did it cost you to have the cage built?

 

Yay for white car with a white cage. I have one too! Build looks great

 

@sixshooter It will be at the All-Florida. The car has been "done" since about January. It's made a trip to Orlando and to a Autox in St Pete, as well as a few local Tuesday night meets. It will take a bit more to make it track ready, but that don't keep me off the streets.

 

Almost missed the last part of your post... What I got runs $1800.

 

Sexual. I love your new cage, so much better than the haggard bolt in one before.