Flyin' Miata : Projects: The Laguna Blue V8

July 14, 2010 - Meet the latest patient!
This little 1994 Laguna Blue came to us from Washington state, complete with Hakkapeliitta tires on steel wheels. It's a pretty little thing. It should be packing a bit of an attitude by the time we're done though, and it's going to need some new rubber.
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July 14, 2010 - We're not sure this is exactly what the owner had in mind.
But we're ready for the next mud bog!
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July 15, 2010 - Bits and pieces start piling up.
This is one of the larger bits to come out.
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July 15, 2010 - Tyler starts dis-assembling the rear subframe to get it ready for cleaning, welding mounts on and new wheel bearings.
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July 15, 2010 - "Part" of the interior gets stored.

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July 15, 2010 - Pretty much *everything* has to come out.
This is a project that requires a fair bit of storage space. and a forklift ;-)
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July 16, 2010 - The car is now empty.
Well, as empty as it needs to be.
Tech tip: if you want to know where the S-sensor for your airbag system is, that's it right at the base of the windshield.
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July 16, 2010 - Time for the big cut.
First, Tyler cleaned off the paint to get the best conductivity.
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July 16, 2010 - Tyler and his magic pencil.
"It's like a welder, only backwards".
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July 16, 2010 - The mad scientist hard at work.
A plasma cutter makes this part of the job really easy, and a good plasma cutter wielded by Tyler makes beautiful cuts.
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July 16, 2010 - See?
The magic pencil does great work.
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July 16, 2010 - The braces attaching the transmission tunnel to the firewall have also been removed.
These will be replaced after the tunnel is modified. You can also see where the seam sealer has been removed at the top of the tunnel. Tyler enjoys cutting in the engine bay, but working in the interior is a lot hotter and cramped.
And now it's time to start cutting!
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July 19, 2010 - The transmission tunnel has been modified.
A slot is cut where it meets the firewall/footwell and the metal is moved outwards slightly. You can see how much movement is required in this picture - it's less than an inch.
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July 19, 2010 - To ensure we have enough clearance, we always check the firewall and tunnel modifications using a bellhousing and our plastic engine.
We could actually build the engine up as a fully dressed LS if we wanted. It's a pretty handy tool.
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July 20, 2010 - The firewall modifications are complete.
Well, almost. We still have to weld in the reinforcing plates that join the frame rails to the firewall. But the shaping is complete. You can see the special little notch in the top of the tunnel that's required on a 1990-97 model to clear the transmission.
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July 21, 2010 - The framerail supports are welded in.
Before painting, we sprayed the whole area down with seam sealer.
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July 21, 2010 - And voila!
A shiny new coat of Laguna Blue.
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July 21, 2010 - While the paint gun was out, Tyler shot all four wheel wells with black paint.
There's no real reason this had to be done, but it does look better. Don't mind the stripy appearance of the partially dry paint!
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July 26, 2010 - Before we painted the engine bay, we relocated the radiator mounts.
This gives us some precious room in front of the engine.
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July 26, 2010 - With the engine bay done, Tyler moved on to installing the heatshielding in the cockpit.

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