1992 Mazda Miata...soon to be transformed into a Locost 7 (Page 1/2)
FieroReinke APR 19, 01:27 PM
I traded my 1994 Suzuki GSXF for this 92 miata. I plan to drive it for the summer and this winter/spring tear it apart to build a locost 7, Lotus 7 replica for those that do not know what a locost is.



It has a 1.6l DOHC 4 cyl, 5 spd and 98k on the clock. The previous owner did a crappy job putting the body kit on it and hacking up the wiring harness. The turn signals were put on with wood screws and numerous wiring connections were done by twisting the wire together without wirenuts, solder, crimp connectors or even electrical tape. The only wiring still to be fixed is the back up lights and one horn button does not work. I have already performed a foamectomy on the drivers seat to gain headroom and leg room. The Fiero will get a break this summer and I will take the opportunity to pull the engine and do some clean up and repair work.

The biggest thing to get used to is the lack of space. I thought the fiero was tight, but the miata is even smaller, but with the seat mods even my 6'4" 240lb blob can fit inside. Its amazing how this car handles differently than the fiero. The fiero has much more power, but in the corners it will either push or spin. There is not much forgiveness. The miata will slide nicely through the corners and when the rear does step out, it is easy to control and drift through the corners.

As I dig into the seven build I will either link to my build log at www.locostusa.com or do a mini build log here in this forum section.
Dburger APR 19, 07:23 PM
I wouldn't do this if it were my car, but it should be interesting nonetheless. At least you're getting rid of that front bumper.
Raydar APR 20, 12:08 PM

quote
Originally posted by FieroReinke:
...Its amazing how this car handles differently than the fiero. The fiero has much more power, but in the corners it will either push or spin. There is not much forgiveness. The miata will slide nicely through the corners and when the rear does step out, it is easy to control and drift through the corners.




I've said essentially the same thing about our Miata. It's much easier to drive hard than a Fiero.
We have the 1.8 ('97) engine. I find it to be almost as quick as, if not quicker than, a healthy stock V6 Fiero.

Good luck with your project.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 04-20-2013).]

aaronkoch APR 22, 01:22 PM
The one car I wish I never sold was my Miata..

I got such crap for owning it as a guy, but didn't care. It never broke, was amazingly agile, and aside from having to remove the visors to see out the windshield (i'm 6'4") I never had to do ANYTHING to it other than change fluids.



------------------


Build thread for my 88 + 3800NA swap

AusFiero APR 28, 05:25 AM
Here is one I did up last year.
As it looked when I bought it with the typical peeling white paint and a filthy interior, faded rear window and all the good bits. I had to strip the boot lid, left door and left quarter panel back to bare metal.




During the respray. I wasn't going to respray it but the touch ups and repairs would have ended up blending together.


After I had finished it. A lot of work done. Including a respray, making new door cards and totally revamping the interior. All the silver bits are painted including the gauge rings as I was keeping it low cost. Also put a style bar on it and found low cost different wheels.









FieroReinke MAY 28, 09:55 AM
Well I am one step closer. I have finished the build table to build the frame on. It has a 3/8 steel top, 3x3 box tubing frame and 6" casters. I put an outlet on each side for power. There is a 1/2" plywood mid shelf for holding tools, parts, and supplies. You can also see the hoist in the background that will be used for putting the drivetrain in and picking the finished car off the build table.

The Fiero doesnt like all my attention going to a different car.
FieroReinke NOV 05, 11:26 AM
Made some progress. First I bought some steel including 1x1 box, 2x2 box,, 1.5x1.5 box, 1 round, 3/4 round, 3/4x3/4 box, 1x2 rect, 1" DOM for control arms and 1.5" DOM for roll bar



Then I Built the basic bottom frame out of 1x1 16ga steel tubing



Built the front frame, which has some compund angles making it difficult to get right. I use a scribe to mark all the angles prior to cutting.



Next I will build the rest of the uprights and the top pieces for the frame. After that will be the backrest for the passenger compartment. Once all that is tacked together, I will begin the triangulation.
FieroReinke NOV 05, 11:28 AM
In the second photo you can see the wooden prototype frame up on the wall. I built this to get the basic dimensions of the passenger compartment prior to building in steel. I wanted to verify the car is built to fit me.
Stubby79 NOV 06, 11:35 PM


Are there plans specifically for using the miata suspension/running gear or do you have to figure it all out yourself?

[This message has been edited by Stubby79 (edited 11-06-2013).]

FieroReinke NOV 07, 12:48 PM
There are specific plans for the basic frame using the miata donor, known in the seven world as Vodou or Saturn plans. These are just the basic frame, everything else from suspension to bodywork to brakelines has be designed into the car. I am going one step further and changing the saturn plans to better fit my goals for the car. I prefer the shorter cockpit opening on the side of the original sevens and caterams than the traditional locost. I will also be designing in a bolt on roll cage.

The wife will be out of the house this weekend so I hope to get alot done on the frame. I have tacked on the front frame and 4 of the uprights, but need to square everything up before I add the top rails.