Hmmm ... well over due for an update. The upcoming baby mentioned at the end is now 2 1/2 - car still isn't done though.
Part 2
After getting what is charitably called a kit (more accurately described as a pile of parts) I needed get one with it and find an engine. The Hyundai motor was tossed in the quest for more power. Initial candidates included:
* early Miata - unfortunately Miatas hold their value really, really well around here so there was no chance of getting a donor Miata or used drivetrain for reasonable money. I did look into used engines from Japan, the price was excellent but they did not include any of the accessories or ECU which would have added up quickly. Using a Escort GT 1.8L motor with a Miata transmission would have been another option.
* Alfa Romeo - I briefly considered these but finding a good one and future parts supply seemed to be a bit of hassle.
* Toyota 4AGE - available in either 16 or 20 valve at reasonable prices they are a common choice for Seven builders. No real negatives to these except the proper bellhousing is slightly hard to find (from rwd Corolla GTS now sought after by the drifter crowd).
In the end I found a 4AGE motor with twin Weber 40DCOEs that had just recently been rebuilt. Had it shipped to the Montana border. Perfect! Now all I need was the illusive bellhousing and transmission. I was then able to find one in Saskatoon (six hundred some kms away) and it even came with a motor attached. I bought a little Mazda B2000 truck to retrieve them. The Montana pickup went as smoothly as can be expected. Picked some budget racing seats at the same time. The transmission was a bit more interesting. So I drove my $400 truck to Saskatoon during the coldest time of the year. The temperature plummeted to -40C (interestingly its the same in F) and met a guy late at night and pass the transmission plus an extra parts motor from his truck to mine. Felt a bit like a gangster making an illicit deal. Luckily my wife's Uncle lives there and we are able to stay the night for a visit. Even more amazingly the old truck starts up in the morning without being plugged in over night. A little less fortunately a huge snow storms blows through but i am able to make it home safe and sound. The truck is soon sold for the same $400 as my insurance company is demanding a safety inspection it has no hope of passing.
All the loot home safe and sound.
Since I have to attach the transmission to the good engine I figure now is as good a time as any to replace the clutch even though the one from the parts engine looks serviceable. The last thing I want to do is pull engine right away for a clutch job after getting it on the road. That goes smoothly but I won't be able to test the results until much later.
I'd previously bought myself a MIG welder so now was the time to learn. I watched the video that came with the welder and gathered up some scrap metal to practice on. It did not go well. The welder would just pop and leave something resembling popcorn on the metal. Weeks later and after much aggravation and self doubt I finally figured out that there was a pile of copper wire that was making the wire feed very erratic. I'd used the copper coloured wire before so I assume my unit was used and returned at some point. No wonder it wasn't working. With that sorted I was able to fabricate my engine and transmission mounts. Everything fit under the hood - just!
Front suspension was very straight forward and I was able to just bolt parts on - one of the very few areas where buying a "kit" paid off. I was able fabricate the rear axle mounts and eventually manhandle the axle in. A rolling chassis (just add wheels) now.
