Rusty Shell Swap
#1
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A little background info...
I purchased a super healthy '96 from my old man about a year ago, helped him with all the maintenance while he still owned it so I knew the condition of the car. I was still pretty new to miatas so I didn't know to check for rust in the rockers. Come to find out there's no rocker panel left, just rust. Tried to deal with it for as long as I could but daily-driving the car was becoming sketchy as it flexed a LOT over the smallest bumps in the road. So I finally manned up and decided to swap everything into the clean, rust-free shell I had sitting in my shed.
I started by removing the little bit of interior that the previous owner graciously left me
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/170954-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1473_67181f24f1fb58a38fe91975f85573ef1eac1b2c.jpg?dateline=1462799127)
Next up was to remove the wiring harness and everything else underneath the dash
I purchased a super healthy '96 from my old man about a year ago, helped him with all the maintenance while he still owned it so I knew the condition of the car. I was still pretty new to miatas so I didn't know to check for rust in the rockers. Come to find out there's no rocker panel left, just rust. Tried to deal with it for as long as I could but daily-driving the car was becoming sketchy as it flexed a LOT over the smallest bumps in the road. So I finally manned up and decided to swap everything into the clean, rust-free shell I had sitting in my shed.
I started by removing the little bit of interior that the previous owner graciously left me
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/170954-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1473_67181f24f1fb58a38fe91975f85573ef1eac1b2c.jpg?dateline=1462799127)
Next up was to remove the wiring harness and everything else underneath the dash
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/170955-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1505_43599b905ccaaed3d41248bf3f1c5b1bc4029297.jpg?dateline=1462799127)
#3
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I pulled the bumper and fenders off so i could get all the wiring out of the way. I forgot to pop up the headlights before i pulled the wiring (facepalm) but i managed to pull the harness by taking the motors out and holding the lights up long enough to fish the wires out.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/170959-rusty-shell-swap-80-3_c685628932ac588e0b989c03b0f556937fff8b06.jpg?dateline=1462800560)
Next I pulled the soft top out and started un-doing the brake and clutch lines and the remaining wiring left underneath the car
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/170959-rusty-shell-swap-80-3_c685628932ac588e0b989c03b0f556937fff8b06.jpg?dateline=1462800560)
Next I pulled the soft top out and started un-doing the brake and clutch lines and the remaining wiring left underneath the car
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/170960-rusty-shell-swap-80-4_dfafa8fc9d0683c157dad9d2c01dd854029f299d.jpg?dateline=1462800560)
#5
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This is where I am in my build. How far do I want to go with these suspension and such frame bits to send it to the body shop only to swap chassis /frames later.
I'm wondering if it'll be more worthwhile to keep things as is and just hunt for a shell and have that prepped over winter.
I'm wondering if it'll be more worthwhile to keep things as is and just hunt for a shell and have that prepped over winter.
Mine started in the quarter panels and spread all the way up the rocker to the front of the car. It's way beyond saving lol
#6
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Mine is the front driver rocker. The fender had no attachment point. I just worry that once the body shop peels the layers back, it'll just be far more compounded then what is externally visible. I just wish I could spray POR15 in all the nooks and crevices behind stock rockers and fenders and doors from the inside.
#7
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Mine is the front driver rocker. The fender had no attachment point. I just worry that once the body shop peels the layers back, it'll just be far more compounded then what is externally visible. I just wish I could spray POR15 in all the nooks and crevices behind stock rockers and fenders and doors from the inside.
#12
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I haven't made a whole lot of progress this week as I have to drive 30 minutes to my parents house whenever I want to work on the car. Last night my wife and I started sanding down a few panels and sprayed some primer on the quarters, front fenders and rear bumper. The hood, trunk and passenger door are coming off of the already primered car so atleast that stuff is done.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171121-rusty-shell-swap-80-9_5dd2bc4477720aae19a8beba989a9d79c7f62d88.jpg?dateline=1462966870)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171121-rusty-shell-swap-80-9_5dd2bc4477720aae19a8beba989a9d79c7f62d88.jpg?dateline=1462966870)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171122-rusty-shell-swap-80-10_8afa9f6f595890f240af05b3bfaac38a359188d3.jpg?dateline=1462966870)
#15
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I apparently suck at Bondo-ing so my wife doesn't let me do it lol pretty damn cool having her help me on big projects like this. There were a couple long dents on the quarter from the P.O. but they're all taken care of now. Paint should be done tonight and I can finally start swapping over everything from the 1.8l car
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171372-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1544_d3d97d8d21f72e2bf348c81ae15552efa1249e6d.jpg?dateline=1463140534)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171372-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1544_d3d97d8d21f72e2bf348c81ae15552efa1249e6d.jpg?dateline=1463140534)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171373-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1547_030a50084a1801ed78b2c44354a22289db8fb7c7.jpg?dateline=1463140534)
#16
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Here's the final color I decided to go with. Not expecting any crazy good results from my rattle can paint job but i'm happy with it so far! Got both bumpers and the front fenders fully painted last night. I leave for Hong Kong/Japan on Wednesday and only have 2 weeks to finish everything once I get back so I've really got to kick it into gear
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171385-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1542_6a937b31423cb6ebc2a23325f5be2fa3ace65fec.jpg?dateline=1463142959)
#20
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I've got every piece of the car painted except the hood. It'll need to be wet sanded as there are a couple rough spots but overall i'm happy with how it turned out
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171720-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1565_d8ce5838db1610f97e2c4b2501bf914690f2d296.jpg?dateline=1463400179)
I cleaned the engine bay as best as I could and started spraying it down. This is where I really could have benefited from a pressure washer :/
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171721-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1578_b46fec786efc8d512eb1ae10a72c3e73553d2466.jpg?dateline=1463400179)
but regardless it turned out pretty good![big grin](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171720-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1565_d8ce5838db1610f97e2c4b2501bf914690f2d296.jpg?dateline=1463400179)
I cleaned the engine bay as best as I could and started spraying it down. This is where I really could have benefited from a pressure washer :/
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171721-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1578_b46fec786efc8d512eb1ae10a72c3e73553d2466.jpg?dateline=1463400179)
but regardless it turned out pretty good
![big grin](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/171722-rusty-shell-swap-80-img_1579_330e7368df9cff55439dac8a79ada77f63c790f1.jpg?dateline=1463400179)