Tree's V8 Roadster

Re: Tree's Roadster

psulja said:

Talk to shaftmasters. They're just across the border in Michigan and can build you whatever you need for a driveshaft. They're building one for me for my swap.

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When the time comes I will give them a call. Thanks!

scradley said:

Driveshaft shop will have axles ready to ship for ya and can make any driveshaft for your needs. There great to deal with


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Thank you sir!

humming said:

Dang. Dang dang dang dang DANG. This is intended as a drift/track beast?

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Just a fun summer car that I can daily drive on nice days. I plan on building it reliable enough to handle the drag strip and tracks for track says though. It'll handle abuse.


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Re: Tree's Roadster

I went snowboarding again yesterday. On my way back I picked up some parts that arrived at my american address.

The one from Jegs is on the left, Summit Racing is on the right.
Packages by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Candy <3 Thanks Jegs!
Contents by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

ARP 2000 Rod Bolts
ARP 2000 Rod Bolts by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

The chocolate covered gummy bears sound weird, but weren't too bad actually. The package tells you which color is what flavour, but they all look the same...
Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Between my engines lecture and my Fuels lecture my engines teacher was in the lab, so I was able to get some work done. I paid him the $350 for the lifters and I got to work. The main seal cover was a bit of a pain to remove because of the way the stand is, but I managed.

Main Caps Removed
Main Caps Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Main Caps Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

The main bearings weren't bad, but will be replaced. The thrust bearing had a few marks, but the crank was good.
Main Bearings by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

The old lifters and lifter trays are out as well. Unless things fall through, I have a buyer set up for them.
Lifters and Trays by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then after removing the timing assembly I was able to remove the crank and camshaft. For those of you who don't know, when storing a crankshaft for a long period to time it should be stored standing up to prevent warping. I bolted the flexplate onto it to prevent the chance of it falling over.
I pretty much worked my small lunch break away so I had to rush to class after that.
Table Top by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Re: Tree's Roadster

AccentedBlack said:

Damn Tree, I head out of the country for work for a bit and come back to see you doing badass things. Having grown up around displacement I cant help but be jelly of the ls. Perhaps Ill build something ridiculous with one once Im done with the miata build. For now Ill simply have to live vicariously through you amigo. Keep up the awesome work.

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Oh yeah, you were in Alberta or BC right? How was it?

Phung018 said:

Woah good stuff in here.
I've always liked the idea of the getrag diff.
Maybe 8.8 is better idk.

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You bring up a good point actually. Since my last post I've done quite a bit more reading.
I've heard good things about the getrag and honestly it seems like the getrag will suit my needs a little bit better.
As far as I know most, if not all, getrag are cast aluminum casing compared to the Ford which are cast iron except the few aluminum ones they made.

Getrag is smaller allowing for easier exhaust routing, plus I've read it's better for road courses (left and right turns)

Each diff has their pros and cons so I guess nothing is guaranteed until I buy something. I still have a lot of work and research to do before I'm ready for a diff anyways.


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Re: Tree's Roadster

GreaseMonkey2000 said:

Im super excited for you! A v8 powered Miata is my idea of the perfect combination, imo. Wish i could do a long term miata project and maybe someday. I honestly would have never guessed this from the start based on your "im a broke college student" claim, so congrats! :icon_cheers:

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I've dreamt about a V8 Miata just about as long as I've wanted a Miata, which has pretty much been forever. I never, in a million years, would have thought I would be building one.

AccentedBlack said:

Ablerta Calgary yeah. It wasn't bad, but I was there for work not fun. The first trip was for 3 weeks and I managed to get 1 day off, which I used to head out to Sunshine Village and ski for the day. Scenery was stunning. Last trip should be this Sunday for anywhere from one to three weeks depending on how things go on site. More money for the project!

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Good to hear you got to enjoy a day up there! Sunshine Village is amazing. Lots of fun runs, good terrain park, plus they have a "Peak to Parking Lot" run which is fun. Back in 2010 I went to Banff for a 9 day snowboard trip with my Uncle. We went to Sunshine Village 3 times in that time and went to other mountains other days. Heli skiing is unbelievable! We got in a helicopter and they flew us out to a remote mountain top around 9pm. We were above the clouds! 4 feet of fresh powder the entire ride. Experience of a lifetime for sure! The scenery there is gorgeous! Here is one of the shots I have from the peak at Sunshine Village.
Sunshine Village. Banff Trip 2010 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I need to go back. Those 9 days were easily one of the best times of my life. Hopefully you get to enjoy another day on the town on your next trip up. I'm also looking forward to seeing where you take your build!

Re: Tree's Roadster

Today I removed the cam bearings from the engine
Removing Cam Bearings by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Cam Bearings Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

And the core plugs
Core Plugs by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

And here is the bare block.
Bare Block with Gasket Material by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

The gasket material residue needed to come off the deck surface so I used this handy tool to help out. For those that don't know- this engine is 0 piston to deck clearance so I had to be really careful not to scratch the deck surface. Any knicks or gouges wouldn't be easily repairable other than welding or hoping the gasket can make up for it.
Gasket Material Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I placed the block into the parts washer for half an hour.
In the Parts Washer by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

When the block was in the parts washer I removed all the rings from the pistons
Piston Rings Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

and disassembled the rods in preparation for cleaning and ARP install
Opened Rods by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

When the parts washer was done I noticed that one of the bell housing bolts had damaged threads, so I ran the tap through it to repair it. I ran the tap through all the other bell housing bolts just to double check that they were all clean and damage free. All the threads were perfect after that.
Tapping Bolt Holes by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Once the bell housing bolts had the tap run through them I remounted the engine on the stand. I also wiped down the cylinder sleeves with penetrating oil to prevent them from rusting.

It's so clean. Cleaner than pictures do it justice. <3
Clean Block by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

My teacher also brought my lifters in for me. I didn't even get the chance to open them up. This is the warning on the box. OEM GM Racing Division Lifters. I've read about these being rated for 10,000 RPM without failure.
GM Racing Lifters by Austin Rajki, on Flickr