Slimy38
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 03:51 PM |
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MX5 'chassis' collapse
I should be starting the donor strip soon, and I have one initial question. From what I can tell, if the subframes are unbolted from the chassis , the
engine, gearbox, propshaft, diff etc will just drop to the floor (probably with some force). But I've seen two videos that go against this.
The first is the engine etc was propped up on wood, so when the shell came off the base didn't move. But that doesn't help. The second is
the MEV video, where they lift the body off but the subframes don't move. I can't see any means of support, but the base looks like it
could move.
What does Mr Mills do to keep the chassis 'rolling'?
Ideally I'd like to remove the body, then roll the rest of it into the garage to keep it safe until I have more time to finish the strip.
[Edited on 29/7/13 by Slimy38]
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loggyboy
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 03:59 PM |
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The MEV video is a very staged 'show'; - just as a promo. Dont take anything it shows as 100% fact.
Mistral Motorsport
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Slimy38
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 04:12 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
The MEV video is a very staged 'show'; - just as a promo. Dont take anything it shows as 100% fact.
Good point, their timescales certainly seem to be optimistic at best...
The closest I've found is to wedge a tube between the suspension, would that work?
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iank
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 04:15 PM |
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The two subframes are connected together on the MX5 so while I doubt you could wheel it around they shouldn't just drop onto the floor.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2010/klm/2010-Mazda-MX-5-Engine-Chassis-1280x960.jpg
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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dave
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 04:22 PM |
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You should be able to leave the PPF connected to the front and rear subframes and remove the body.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 05:05 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by iank
The two subframes are connected together on the MX5 so while I doubt you could wheel it around they shouldn't just drop onto the floor.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2010/klm/2010-Mazda-MX-5-Engine-Chassis-1280x960.jpg
I think that picture is of a late model cars running gear and that earlier models do not have the Center truss
[Edited on 29/7/13 by Mr Whippy]
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liam.mccaffrey
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 05:28 PM |
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I dissmantled 2 mx5s both early mk1s, both had the centre truss
Build Blog
Build Photo Album
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skov
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 05:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
quote:
Originally posted by iank
The two subframes are connected together on the MX5 so while I doubt you could wheel it around they shouldn't just drop onto the floor.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2010/klm/2010-Mazda-MX-5-Engine-Chassis-1280x960.jpg
I think that picture is of a late model cars running gear and that earlier models do not have the Center truss
[Edited on 29/7/13 by Mr Whippy]
That is a late model car, but all models had the 'center truss' (or PPF as Mazda call it).
I didn't try when I stripped mine, but in theory you should be able to just un-bolt the subframes and shocks (and a few other bits), and simply
lift the body off.
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chrism
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 05:32 PM |
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Yes you can lift the body off it was shown in car mechanics magazine done by I think road runner racing, they were doing an article of using it as a
kit donor.
As far as I can remember as I dont have the magazine to hand what you need to do is something like the following
Disconnect the wiring between the engine and the body/fuse box
Disconnect the fuel hoses to the engine, and to the fuel tank. (I think you leave the fuel tank connected but posible remove the fuel filter and drain
it)
Drain the coolant and disconnect the radiator/expansions tank, heetc.
Disconnect the brake flexis from the hard pipes and drain the fluid.
Take off the exhaust
Disconnect the steering rack from the column/extension and power steering fluid tank
Disconnect the speedo drive cable (If mechanical)
Disconnect the rear wiring (Around the battery in boot)
Disconnect the clutch slave from the engine/box or remove flexi and drain
unbolt the top of the suspension struts (Not the central one the 2 or 3 nuts from the top plates)
Insert some pieces of tubing between the lower wishbones and subframes to stop the suspension collapsing and keep it rolling.
remove the bolts from the subframes and lift the body off using a crane and I believe the seat mounting bolt holes. (i.e. drivers front outside one
and passengers rear outside one and it should balance if the tank is drained.
There may be more to do but thats what I can remember off the top of my head from the article and from stripping an MX5 last year.
And the PPF (truss) thing is in all the models as far as Im aware, it connects to the gearbox at the front and to the diff at the rear. Mine was a
1990 and it definately had one
[Edited on 29/7/13 by chrism]
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A little hard work never killed anyone, but why take the risk!
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Slimy38
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 07:20 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by chrism
Insert some pieces of tubing between the lower wishbones and subframes to stop the suspension collapsing and keep it rolling.
That's the bit I was after, thanks!  Would spare lengths of 1 inch square section do the job?
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Slimy38
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 07:22 PM |
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Also, does anyone know what the PPF is made of? I was wondering whether I could chop off the last foot or so, and weld it to my chassis to be a front
diff mounting?
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iank
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 07:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
Also, does anyone know what the PPF is made of? I was wondering whether I could chop off the last foot or so, and weld it to my chassis to be a front
diff mounting?
Aluminium I'm afraid.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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chrism
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 08:38 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by iank
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
Also, does anyone know what the PPF is made of? I was wondering whether I could chop off the last foot or so, and weld it to my chassis to be a front
diff mounting?
Aluminium I'm afraid.
And its got all sorts of tophat spacers and tubes in it.
Probably less hassle just making a bracket out of steel to fit directly with bolts.
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A little hard work never killed anyone, but why take the risk!
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thefreak
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 09:24 PM |
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I 'borrowed' a scaffold pipe from the local building site and chopped it into 4. Slotted where there suspension went between the top and
bottom wishbones and it held it in place fine.
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scudderfish
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 10:18 PM |
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What does PPF stand for?
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efiniste
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| posted on 29/7/13 at 10:39 PM |
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Power Plant Frame
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atm92484
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| posted on 30/7/13 at 02:26 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I was wondering whether I could chop off the last foot or so, and weld it to my chassis to be a front diff mounting?
Be careful hard mounting the front of the Miata differential and not the other two points. Several guys in the US did this and had the front mount
fail catastrophically; since it ends up being the stiffest of the three it ends up carrying all of the load. If you build a mount that incorporates a
rubber bushing it eliminates this issue.
-Andrew
Build Log
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Slimy38
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| posted on 30/7/13 at 07:03 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by atm92484
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I was wondering whether I could chop off the last foot or so, and weld it to my chassis to be a front diff mounting?
Be careful hard mounting the front of the Miata differential and not the other two points. Several guys in the US did this and had the front mount
fail catastrophically; since it ends up being the stiffest of the three it ends up carrying all of the load. If you build a mount that incorporates a
rubber bushing it eliminates this issue.
Makes sense, thanks for the warning. The rear mounts will be replaced, the whole rear casing is getting replaced by a much more compact setup that
will allow hard mounting all round. I suspect there may be a bit more noise transmission out of the diff but I'll gladly accept that in exchange
for some decent sized rear wishbones.
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