kmack

I don't have any strut bars, but I did fashion up a body brace that doubles as a harness mounting bar. It ties into the body just in front of the rear struts. It does stiffen the body some but I haven't really pushed the car hard enough to tell how much. I will within the next month or so. If anybody would like me to make them one, let me know. I haven't worked out any prices yet.

Quick question for you guys that have rebuilt your motors... My manual says that when installing the rear main bearing cap "the corners...should have an application of jointing compound..." at the 90* bends where the cap sits. I understand all this, but what is jointing compound? When I go to PepBoys or Advance, what should I be looking for specifically?

MX5 would be what we call Miata here in the States, correct? This might be something worth looking into for me.

South Texas, San Antonio to be exact. I voted for Midwest because I guess that's the closest. But there really should have been a category for Texas by itself. We're like our own little country anyway! California should have gotten it's own category, too.

beandip, Some of us have been in your shoes, and we definitely know how you feel. My car sat in my garage as a shell for over 3 years while I waited to get money and time to finish working on it. Total time from purchase to first drive was nine years! Yes that's right, I bought my car and immediately tore it down and got started. That was in '93. I got to drive it for the first time in June of '02! Hang in there, it's all worth it. Just make sure that on the days you can't work on her, you go out to the garage and sit with her. Tell her you won't stop working to get her back on the road. That there might be some delays, but you won't forget the fun you've had in the past. Those days will come again and you'll both feel better in the long run. I still can't drive my car as much as I'd like to, but at least I head out into the garage at night and sit with my girl. We both spend about 15 minutes pretend driving.... Call me crazy :stupid: but these cars have that effect on me. And she sits patiently by my side while I slowly put her new "heart" back together. I'm currently rebuilding the original engine for transplant next month! I can't wait...

Thanks for the info, Royce. Does anybody know which whould be a better cam out of the list that Royce provided? On the intake/exhaust durations, is it better to have a longer duration or a shorter one? What about the lift?

Use a good sized rubber mallet or dead-blow hammer and tap on the sides of the head. At first it will sound solid, then you'll hear a somewhat hollow sound. the head will then be loose enough to pick it up off the block.

Before you do anything in or around the gas tank, pull the drain plug and drain as much of the gas out that you can. Then when you pull the lines, it'll be less likely to spill gas all over you. Also, after you loosen up the line clamps, take a paif of pliers and rotate the rubber line a bit while still in place. This will help break loose the connection and make it easier to pull the rubber line off. Less stressfull this way. And lay directly underneath the connection just in case some gas does spill out. You do not want gas to get into your eye! Trust me, it hurts really bad.

The E88 head will replace the older E31 head. They will be a direct swap. Although you will lose some compression with the E88 head over the E31. The E31 heads have a higher compression.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that you should do this out on the street (preferably) or in the driveway. Daniel's right. It's not a good idea to do this in your garage (unless the car is facing out of the garage). Just use common sense.

It sounds like this car has been sitting for awhile. Mine had been too when I first got it. I had a similar problem. Start the car in nuetral, but it would grind when trying to go into gear, any gear. Clutch system was working fine. Turned out my clutch disc was stuck to the flywheel! Over time, a little moisture can get in there and put a light surface rust on the flywheel which will in turn literally glue the clutch disc to it. You might try this. Bump the starter (don't hold it on, just turn the key on/off real quick) with the car in gear. Do not use the clutch. Sometimes this will work to break the clutch disc loose off the flywheel. If it doesn't, then you'll have to pull the tranny and break it loose by hand.

The 240 and 260 fuel systems should be very similar. Both models ran carbs (althought the early carbs are much better) so the layout of the fuel delivery system should be pretty much identical. There is the main line from the tank to the filter/pump on the 240. After the pump the line continues to the carbs where a 2nd, smaller line (the return feed) goes back to the fuel tank. You say you're not getting any fuel to the filter when sucking on the line... Well, besides saying that you really shouldn't be trying to drink gasoline , then it sounds like you line is clogged. Has the car been sitting for awhile? If you have access to an air compressor, blow air into the line back towards the fuel tank. This will try to blow out any garbage out of the line. You can then open the gas cap and listen to see if you hear air rushing into the fuel tank. if not then the line needs to be removed and either cleaned or replaced. If you do blow the garbage out of the line and into the tank, I would suggest that you drop your tank and thoroughly clean it out. Your car will appreciate it in the long run.

It's a good thing you didn't keep looking! She might have ate it!!!:sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick:

And did anybody notice the "custom" horn pad? I wonder what he has covering his rear strut towers? ROFL ROFL

Ok....so I know this is going to sound wierd and strange but I do really need some help with this one. Here's the deal: The block breather tube (the one that comes out of the block underneath the carbs and in front of the exhaust, with me here?) on my original engine was :tapemouth REMOVED!!!! :mad: by the PO. For whatever reason I don't know. Here's my problem. I have another block that still has one it. How the hell do I remove it? I have tried using adjustable pliers and Vise-grips but all it seems to do is bend the tube or start to ruin it. I'm at a loss on this guys. I want the original engine for my car rebuilt and in the car, but I really can't go any farther in the rebuild until I get this sorted out. Can somebody help me?

Unfortuntely, you're most likely stuck until you can get the rest of the easy-out out of there. Get a small point punch and use it to try and break the rest of the easy-out into smaller pieces that you could then work out of the bolt. You'll never be able to drill it until the easy-out is gone. I've done this before. You need to keep hammering on the easy-out (or what's left of it) to try to shatter it. Breaking it up will loosen its hold on the bolt allowing you to remove it. You may need to get a small pick to help get the pieces out. If you're hole is centered in the bolt (once the easy-out is out of the way), then you can then get started to drill it out. Go to PepBoys and get a set of Heli-coils for that stud size (8mm I believe, but I don't remember the thread pitch). Get the complete set, it'll probably run about $30 but it'll have the tap you need. Get the proper drill size and drill away making sure you drill straight. Once you get the heli-coil in the threads will actually be stronger than the original. Good luck and be patient. I had to do 3 studs on my engine last year, but then I didn't break an easy-out in them either.

That's what we were thinking about the top...just a snap on type deal. Scott Bruning used to have a convertible kit that used a TR-7 retractable top. I like that setup. I also liked that they made the hatch into a trunk. Much more useful. This car really isn't a bad price for a convertible, but I'd need a lot more detailed pictures before I plunked my hard-earn, non-existent cash down for it.

My wife and I were looking at this car last night. She was actually interested in it. For her of course! I get it for her in a heartbeat if she said yes. Her only concern was it doesn't appear to actually have a top. I'd definitely go for a convertible but only if it had a top to go with it.