Sounds good, can't wait! I got a few updates on my build, but can't wait to see yours come along more!
Turbo Rotary Mazda Minitruck Build
- Thread starter mymmeryloss
- Start date
Just so you know I posted a WTB ad on one of the forums for you on that steering box...
i gotta go run a few errands then il post some progress pics..
ill check out ur build later on also..
thanks man.
i appreciate that.
i did get an email back from the first place u told me to look, but theyre in japan and the translation is killing us lol.
but ill get it figured out. lemme know if u have any luck!
Lol...yea Kafei's English is not really good...
ur telling me.
lol.
i asked for a non p/s steering box out of a 88-92 b series truck and he said he would locate a power steering box.
guess ill just have to plug the holes again and go the bootleg route lol.
alright, well i got a bit done today. im getting down to final details on this firewall project and we all know the little s**t is what takes the most time. and there was not enough beer or time today to get it all done, but i did make some headway.
on to pics and hopefully the last things i have to do to this firewall b4 i mount my steering and my brakes, clutch and gas pedals..
ok, so i had already tubbed the old driver side(now the passenger side, yay) so i needed to tub the new driver side and make it work to have enough room for all the pedals, which seems easy, but its not when running big wheels..
so i really didnt want to tackle this project. probably the reason i left it for last..
anywho, heres how i did it, if anyone wants to lay out on 20's or bigger on ur civic, heres how u can do it too lol..
alright, so first u will want to cut out the existing sheetmetal. in my case, this truck had already been tubbed for 18's before and i really didnt like the way that we had done it. it was pretty half assed imo.
now i needed to trim the edge so i can turn corners when im laid out driving so i dont puncture my tires, so i took some out of it to match the other side and try to keep these things looking as close to the same as possible..
then i put my wheel on and jacked up the suspension to check clearance. i overcompensated from my 18's with a tire to make sure a 20 with a tire will fit without any rubbing issues. then i cut out a piece of 16 ga. sheetmetal again 10"x20" and bent it over my knee and tacked it into place. whatever excess u have will later be trimmed off with a cutoff wheel or a plasma or whatever u have to get the job done..
cradboard is a sheetmetal guys' best friend. i use it to make templates b4 i cut the metal out. so much easier and cheaper to fix cardboard than sheetmetal.
always measure and check s**t out a few times before actually cutting the metal out. and cut big. metal an always be trimmed down.
i try to weld everything up from the inside, and i use the stitch welding method on a lot of these tubs. a lot of people will say that stitch welding is bad or whatever, but i figure that this isnt a very structural part of the vehicle, so as long as it sticks to the other metal, and i carry a few beads for rigidity it will be sufficient..
this also makes it easier to grind down and keep cleaner and i can put my seam sealer on the indide of the truck to keep things cleaner down the road. even though nobody will ever see these unless they get down on their hands and knees and look, but s**t like this is important to me.
good labeling will save u a lot of grief. a lot of these littler pieces can get sonfusing if u cut more than one at a time, so an easy number or this side up mark will make it easier.
here it is tacked into place. just need one more piece and then u can weld it all up tight.
here it is all tacked into place. now u can go to town welding it up water tight.
now after i relocate a few things like my ecu, i will be able to mount my pedals and cut a hole in the firewall to mount my steering column.
here it is all welded up. i welded from the inside of the can and then ran a few stitch welds on the outside to fill holes and things. also there were a few places that the grinder wouldnt be able to reach, so i filled these spots with a weld to help with he smoothing process..
now on to the grinding. this is what takes forever and is loud and looks completely different the next day when ur sober..
passenger side gorund down and ready for filler..
driver side ground down and ready for filler. i was more successful in welding from inside the cab on the passenger side, so there was less grinding, and will be less filler. the finished product looks a lot smoother and took a lot less time in the long run.
now i just have to finish grinding the rest of my welds and get ready to fit my inner fenders. also i have to tuck the rest of the driver side tub to the bottom of the cab and trim the excess and weld that, but the extent of the big work is done..
on to pics and hopefully the last things i have to do to this firewall b4 i mount my steering and my brakes, clutch and gas pedals..
ok, so i had already tubbed the old driver side(now the passenger side, yay) so i needed to tub the new driver side and make it work to have enough room for all the pedals, which seems easy, but its not when running big wheels..
so i really didnt want to tackle this project. probably the reason i left it for last..
anywho, heres how i did it, if anyone wants to lay out on 20's or bigger on ur civic, heres how u can do it too lol..
alright, so first u will want to cut out the existing sheetmetal. in my case, this truck had already been tubbed for 18's before and i really didnt like the way that we had done it. it was pretty half assed imo.
now i needed to trim the edge so i can turn corners when im laid out driving so i dont puncture my tires, so i took some out of it to match the other side and try to keep these things looking as close to the same as possible..
then i put my wheel on and jacked up the suspension to check clearance. i overcompensated from my 18's with a tire to make sure a 20 with a tire will fit without any rubbing issues. then i cut out a piece of 16 ga. sheetmetal again 10"x20" and bent it over my knee and tacked it into place. whatever excess u have will later be trimmed off with a cutoff wheel or a plasma or whatever u have to get the job done..
cradboard is a sheetmetal guys' best friend. i use it to make templates b4 i cut the metal out. so much easier and cheaper to fix cardboard than sheetmetal.
always measure and check s**t out a few times before actually cutting the metal out. and cut big. metal an always be trimmed down.
i try to weld everything up from the inside, and i use the stitch welding method on a lot of these tubs. a lot of people will say that stitch welding is bad or whatever, but i figure that this isnt a very structural part of the vehicle, so as long as it sticks to the other metal, and i carry a few beads for rigidity it will be sufficient..
this also makes it easier to grind down and keep cleaner and i can put my seam sealer on the indide of the truck to keep things cleaner down the road. even though nobody will ever see these unless they get down on their hands and knees and look, but s**t like this is important to me.
good labeling will save u a lot of grief. a lot of these littler pieces can get sonfusing if u cut more than one at a time, so an easy number or this side up mark will make it easier.
here it is tacked into place. just need one more piece and then u can weld it all up tight.
here it is all tacked into place. now u can go to town welding it up water tight.
now after i relocate a few things like my ecu, i will be able to mount my pedals and cut a hole in the firewall to mount my steering column.
here it is all welded up. i welded from the inside of the can and then ran a few stitch welds on the outside to fill holes and things. also there were a few places that the grinder wouldnt be able to reach, so i filled these spots with a weld to help with he smoothing process..
now on to the grinding. this is what takes forever and is loud and looks completely different the next day when ur sober..
passenger side gorund down and ready for filler..
driver side ground down and ready for filler. i was more successful in welding from inside the cab on the passenger side, so there was less grinding, and will be less filler. the finished product looks a lot smoother and took a lot less time in the long run.
now i just have to finish grinding the rest of my welds and get ready to fit my inner fenders. also i have to tuck the rest of the driver side tub to the bottom of the cab and trim the excess and weld that, but the extent of the big work is done..
actually, the fd 3 rotor twin turbo is only about $400 more than the fc single turbo 2 rotor, so price really isnt a deciding factor.i still say go with the 2nd gen turbo motor... like i said, its easier to use and can make just as much power as the 3rd gen motor... plus, its way cheaper, and with the money you save on the 2g motor, you can buy upgrades
appreciate it man.
FFF is Forbidden Fantasy, a truck club out in cali that puts on a this huge show every year in lake perris. it is march 13-14 this year.
how far are u from there? if ur close, u should come drink some beer and hang out with some cool ass minitrucker motherfuckers.
thanks
just letting u know i signed up on mazda247.com
hopefully there are some helpful people on there...
http://www.autosource.com.au/ford-wreckers-parts.php
Honestly, you will have no luck on 247 finding the steering box...just to be completely truthful...try imazda...it is the international mazda board...also the guys on astinagt told me to give you this site...
Honestly, you will have no luck on 247 finding the steering box...just to be completely truthful...try imazda...it is the international mazda board...also the guys on astinagt told me to give you this site...
Nice tub job thus far! Can't wait to see your truck slammed on 20s.
Youre doing a good job bro, making good progress from what i can see
ya, im at a total stand still under the hood right now until i get the engine in so i can mock a few things up.
its going to be really tricky with the rhd and the turbo on the same side. prolly gonna have to make a custom turbo mani, but i expected this from the get go.
i am going to concentrate on doing some body work and fixing a few things in the bed area i guess until i get my taxes back so i can order my swap.
as of right now, the truck has the full front end back on and is sitting on the ground again. it actually looks like a truck, and im really stoked about that.
kinda happy i will get some time to massage some metal and play with some filler and get my fingers torn down sanding for a few hundred hours.
i appreciate all the kind words guys, and sorry its going to slow down here for a bit. if anyone wants to see body work pics, i guess ill post those up to so u can have something to look at.
its going to be really tricky with the rhd and the turbo on the same side. prolly gonna have to make a custom turbo mani, but i expected this from the get go.
i am going to concentrate on doing some body work and fixing a few things in the bed area i guess until i get my taxes back so i can order my swap.
as of right now, the truck has the full front end back on and is sitting on the ground again. it actually looks like a truck, and im really stoked about that.
kinda happy i will get some time to massage some metal and play with some filler and get my fingers torn down sanding for a few hundred hours.
i appreciate all the kind words guys, and sorry its going to slow down here for a bit. if anyone wants to see body work pics, i guess ill post those up to so u can have something to look at.
ill keep it updated.
ill upload pics when i get a chance after work one of these nights.
You check out that link yet...
Great progress so far.
Weather must be nice seeing that you're able to do this kind of work this time of year.... could use some of that up here.
Weather must be nice seeing that you're able to do this kind of work this time of year.... could use some of that up here.
i clicked on it and bookmarked it, but havent had the time to investigate it yet. this weekend for sure man i promise!
nah, weather sucks.Great progress so far.
Weather must be nice seeing that you're able to do this kind of work this time of year.... could use some of that up here.
my garage isnt heated either. i just wrap up nice and wear layers since i am welding, my blood gets pretty hot, and i get into it so much i dont really notice im f**king freezing lol.
it doesnt make me feel so bad about having the truck torn apart and not driving it though since i have no heat or defrost or anything. definately not a winter driving truck either... this is the reason my truck gets torn apart nearly every winter and worked on lol. then i drive it however far i got it during the winter. sometimes it gets painted, and sometimes not..