the Aluminum Monster. a 318 with a special 24v

[SkiFree]

Got your text, sorry for not getting back. Functionally they'll work as you have them, but yes they are on backwards.

The pictures in the link aren't ideal (but will function as well), but my commentary should be clear.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=324439

[2mAn]

Yea that tab threw me off, also the way they were in the package led me to believe they needed to be installed this way. I can switch them, and Im going to hammer that tab down as I wanted it to be totally flush and wasnt too stoked with how it looked when it was all said and done.

[2mAn]

instead of working on the car, I took a picture

side_shot by 2mAn

[2mAn]

Finally crossed two things off my list of "stuff I would like to get someday"
#1 A manual window center console
#2 A cupholder

Must've been my lucky day because the same person had both!

cupholder1 by 2mAn

cupholder2 by 2mAn

yes, a glovebox is on that list. I had a good one that was broken when my car was returned to me. Probably have that and a crack-free dash done at the same time.

[2mAn]

In the next installment of "I swear its a safe car" we now visit the battery. Regular viewers will remember that this battery situation has evolved over the 2 years Ive owned the car. It went from good, to good enough to I need to do something about this. My 84 M10 car left Germany with the battery up front with the beastly M10 motor. Sometime 20 years later the battery was moved into the trunk. It sat happily in the battery box and all was well. Then I got my hands on the car. I moved the battery into the spare wheel well in preparation for the Lukebox that still collects dust in my garage. Now that I plan on racing the car, I need something that will pass a tech inspection. Sitting in the spare wheel well obviously wouldnt cut it.

Using that wonderful tool called the search button (are ya listening NOOBS?!?) I found that the Miata had a battery that would fit and recently purchased one. That wasnt enough though as now it simply was sitting in the side pocket of the trunk. Still an improvement. Luckily I bought a welder a few months ago and was ready. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story of how a mid sized brown man, a welder and a spare piece of metal joined forces to let me take my 30 year old car around a parking lot full of cones at stupid speeds...

The scrap metal
battery_tiedown1 by 2mAn

chopped up...
battery_tiedown2 by 2mAn

Welding like a waffling pro
battery_tiedown3 by 2man

well, not really. but this was literally my first time using the welder on my own. The ugly welds were the first attempt, the beauty shot was after I got the method down that worked
battery_tiedown4 by 2mAn

sprayed it with some paint
battery_tiedown5 by 2mAn

battery_tiedown6 by 2mAn

also had a factory ground that I removed from my late model rear valence. It was pretty damn hard to weld it in the little pocket. Its really ugly, but its on there
welding_ground by 2mAn

and voila!
battery_tiedown7 by 2mAn

Success... ;D

[kristov]

Do you have a part number for that battery?

[2mAn]

Do you have a part number for that battery?

Sorry, I just had my friend get it for me. I told him I needed a Miata battery and thats what he brought. It literally says Miata on the battery

[kristov]

Sorry, I just had my friend get it for me. I told him I needed a Miata battery and thats what he brought. It literally says Miata on the battery

Ok, thanks. Would you know which year of the Miata it is for?

[thatphysicsguy]

Did you wire brush the heck out of your ground points before welding? looks like a lot of burn marks from paint getting hit with heat, if there's any imperfections in there, you might have grounding issues...

[2mAn]

Did you wire brush the heck out of your ground points before welding? looks like a lot of burn marks from paint getting hit with heat, if there's any imperfections in there, you might have grounding issues...

The areas that were getting welded were bare metal, but I think the crap on the other side of the metal was burning :p Saw some smoke behind the bumper when I was getting a little overzealous with the welder. It was such a cramped spot that it was far from ideal. Not to mention Im still a total newb when it comes to welding.

[2mAn]

Took the car out to the El Toro autox. Had a blast! Got complimented by tech on my battery tiedown, so that made me smile. Only one other E30 and it was a S54 car, though he never popped the hood for me. His times make me a believer though. I didnt stay the whole time to get my 12 runs in and took after 9. First run was a 94.5 and I got better with each run, eventually getting two runs in the 84 second range, one of which I actually started the GoPro on. There is a ton of room for improvement, but its all in me. This car is a blast.

first_autox by 2mAn

Also, Alex (iwantspeed) dropped by and I traded him my old center console for a glovebox. Not the best condition, but its a lot better than what I had!! Thanks Alex

[iansane]

Do you have a part number for that battery?

Looks like a Super Start AGM battery. Sold by O'Reilly Auto Parts and I believe made by Johnson Control. The part number is literally MIATA, hehe.

[2mAn]

Looks like a Super Start AGM battery. Sold by O'Reilly Auto Parts and I believe made by Johnson Control. The part number is literally MIATA, hehe.

it literally says MIATA on it hahahah

miata by 2mAn

[2mAn]

ok, today I wanted to install the rear valence, but sadly that stupid muffler prevented it. I cant wait until that thing is out of my life... soon...

SO, todays update is dubbed "On the 7th Day God said, let their be BASS"

Ive had this Lukebox since before I owned this car. Seriously, post #8 of this thread says I will get around to installing it. Well, today was that day. I kept pushing it back because the 84 doesnt have a skihole to punch. Best second option is the cutting wheel. The result:

holybasshole by 2mAn

basshole by 2mAn

and some weight reduction was done, or at least thats what Im telling myself

weightreduction by 2mAn

I also removed the tie down for the spare because that area is more of an extra storage area than anything else...

Now I still need a new headunit because the one in the car is just adequate and it didnt have enough preouts for the amp and the speakers. Its getting closer, I just need to figure out how to tune it all. Ive successfully turned my 4 speaker system into a 3 speaker system. I have the tweeter pods that go on the other side of the mirror and I have an amp just for the sub, but I need to do more wiring. I hate wiring. I'll probably pay someone to deal with it all when I get a new headunit. Probably getting another Pioneer, I liked that the illumination can match the rest of the interior lighting whereas the clarion is blue.

[kid325e]

Was nice seeing you in the video man! Nice mustache lol.

Love seeing you enjoy the car! Nice driving in the vid!