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Tree's V8 Roadster

44K views 364 replies 56 participants last post by  humming 
#1 · (Edited)
Drivetrain:
Chevy 5.7L LS1 from 1998 Corvette
Fully ported and polished heads
Comp Cams 231/234 .619''/.612'' 111 LSA Billet Camshaft
Comp Cams Cam Lock Plate
ARP 2000 Rod bolts
ARP Head Bolts
ARP Crank Pulley Bolt
OEM GM Racing Division Lifters
OEM GM LS2 Timing Set
Manley Pro-Flow Race Valves- Intake and Exhaust
Comp Cams Trunion Retrofit Kit
0.060" Ford Rocker Shims
Comp Cams Racing Valve Locks
.675 PRC Dual Sprung Valve Springs
PRC Titanium Valve Retainers and Seats
Comp Cams Titanium Sprung Valve Stem Seals
Mellings High Pressure Ported Oil Pump
Texas-Speed Chromemoly Push Rods
All New OEM GM Gaskets/Seals/Head Gaskets
Mahle Perfect Circle Piston Rings
LS6 Valley Cover/PCV Conversion
Complete cruise control and A/C delete
ATL 15 Gallon Fuel Cell

Brakes, Suspension and Wheels:
Work Meister CR01 Wheels
15x9 +7 Front
15x9.5 +1 Rear
Depowered steering rack

Chassis:
Harddog M1 Hardcore Hardtop Double Diagonal Bar w/built in harness bar
Flyin' Miata Frame stainless steel Rails

Interior:
Bride Vios 3 Seats (replicas for the time being)
2 Garage Star Seat Rails
2 Pole Position Keys
Custom Door Cards

Exterior:
OEM Hardtop- No Headliner or Defrost
Tuckin99 N2 Fender Flares
APR GT3 carbon fiber mirrors
Slick Auto mirror mounts
 
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#296 ·
Reference,Summit Racing Part Number:TFS-30675600 its an engine upgrade that eliminates the early LS timing issues while allowing the use of the LS2 tensioner. Also, if you did not use a LS2 timing chain that is another worthwhile upgrade.

John J

1990 Miata w/LS2 V8R approx 480hp
 
#297 ·
Very useful link, thank you! I do have the Ls2 timing set on my engine, so I'm good for that sense.

I'll start this post off by saying that I ordered a set of Tuckin99 N2 fender flares to be like the cool kids. Still unsure whether I'm going to run those or the Jubirides.

More fabrication prep work is to follow.
Gas tank "hump" was cut out.
Next up was removing the trim that goes around the back of the cabin and cleaning the mess that it left behind.
Removed Trim by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
So gooey by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Clean by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I removed the trunk lid arms/springs.Goodbye functional trunk
Weight Savings by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Goodbye Functional Trunk by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I marked the parcel shelf for a rough cut.
Marked for Initial Rough Cut by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I didn't quite finish because of this, but I did make some headway.
Well Used by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Wrecked by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Wrecked by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
 
#304 ·
Seriously? Coming from you that means a ton. I've mentioned it before, but I've been a huge fan of your build since I first signed up. Being mentioned along side Scradley is also a HUGE compliment. His is my favourite Miata build of all time, plus he's a super chill guy.

Thank you :D

Sweet jesus... That's a lot of metal removed. I'm guessing you're going full cage and fuel cell?
Winner Winner, Chicken dinner!

I figured it was already becoming one of the most impractical street cars ever, why not make it more impractical?


I had a near death experience the other day. This cut off wheel exploded and hit me right on my eye. Thankfully I was wearing safety glasses, I didn't even get a cut from this. Got really lucky!
Exploded by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I took a fair amount of material out from where the parcel shelf meets the upper "shelf" if you will. I still have a bit more to take out. I want to not be able to see it from the outside of the car.
Some things Missing by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

With the floor of the trunk and gas tank hump roughly cut out it was time to make it a little more final. I ground it all flush to the frame rail.
Almost Flush by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I should have taken a before picture, but I removed the rear view mirror, trim around the wind shield and the parking brake assembly.
Mirror and Trim Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Little bit of rust and more dirt
Dirt and Some Rust by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Garbage by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Some Dirt Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
 
#308 ·
My Dad and I went to the Nascar race in Michigan yesterday. It was a good day despite lots of rain. On the way home we stopped and picked up my newest package.
Another Large Box by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I didn't open the package until after work today. Today was my first day at the new job. It went really well.
The contents of the box.
Fender Flares by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Tuckin99 N2 Flares by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I did a quick test fit.

One word: WIDE
Tuckin99 N2 Test Fit by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Tuckin99 N2 Test Fit by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Tuckin99 N2 Test Fit by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

The fitment is really good on these. Much better than my Juibirides which really isn't too bad.
Tuckin99 N2 Test Fit by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
 
#309 ·
My fabricator and I met up today to discuss this build and to set up further meetings to try to finalize what I'm looking to have done. We're just tying up a few loose ends before pulling the trigger on the car. The initial deposit has been paid. Expect this build to start getting crazy in the next few weeks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#320 ·
More prep work getting the Hobo ready for fabrication.

I've been working 75-80 hour a week lately, so my time spent on the car is very little.

Got the dash bar out of the dash so that the steering column is in the right place for Gleason.
Removing Dashbar by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Vents out by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Dash Bar Removed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I feel like this thing could self destruct if you touch it the wrong way. It's pretty brittle. A couple of the tabs broke while removing the screws. Nothing we can't fix.
Bare Dash by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Dash bar installed in the car.
Dash Bar Installed by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I got to work with removing the last of the undercoating on the car.
Wheel Well by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Clean by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I coated the entire underside of the car with rustoleum paint so that it wouldn't rust. Terrible spray paint job. haha
Runny Paint by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Runny Paint by Austin Rajki, on Flickr


Then I reinstalled the rear subframe. I did this by myself with my sketchy jack. It wasn't ideal, but I managed.
Installed Rear End by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Different view of the subframe.
Hello Subframe by Austin Rajki, on Flickr


This shot is a teaser for tomorrow (as long as the weather is nice). First time the car has been off jackstands since March 17, 2015 (post 198). I forgot how small this thing is when it sits on the ground.
Teaser by Austin Rajki, on Flickr


I can proudly say that the Hobo is now rust free other than the rockers which I pointed out at the beginning of this thread. It's been a LOT of work removing all the undercoating and any surface rust, but it'll be well worth it. :)
 
#322 ·
Hey, I haven't seen you around in a while! As always, thanks for the compliments. :bouncin:


Alright, here it is. The last photodump that I will be posting while the car is in my possession. Enjoy it because pictures after this will be whenever my fabricator sends them or I go to his shop.

Interior as it sits. Keep in mind these are just rough cuts to help ease Gleason's job.
Interior by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

More than likely the last time you guys will ever see the engine bay like this.
Engine Bay by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Engine Bay by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then I rolled the chassis outside to clean up all the crap on it from cutting.
Rear View by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

The trunk the last time you guys will see it like this.
Trunk by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Trunk by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

So much dirt!
Dirt by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Dirt by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Dirt by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Last time you guys will see the interior like this.
Interior by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Then came another flare mock up.
Above Shot by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Above Shot by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Above Shot by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Above Shot by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
 
#323 ·
One last post since there is a 15 image cap on posts.

These few shots were from last night. The car is still dirty, but man. These flares are sexy. So much better than pictures can do justice in my opinion.

Booty by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
TUCKIN99 Flares by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Night Shot by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Night Shot by Austin Rajki, on Flickr



It's pretty funny to think the only reason I started to tear this car apart was to take care of any surface rust and clean it up. I was originally planning on just mild flares and roll bar. The car was still going to be an inline 4, full interior, heat/blower fan intact and mild tubefront. I was planning on having it just a fun summer cruiser car. I remember thinking when I sold my soft top "What am I doing, what if I want to put the top back on it? I'm ruining this car." Over the last few months I've had some crazy ideas pop into my head and I've acted on them. Now the car is a gutted and chopped waiting to be turned into literally a street legal racecar.
 
#324 ·
Funny you mentioned forgetting how short the car is. I had the exact same thought the other day when I put mine on the ground for a little while to break the axle nuts loose. I looked down and was like 'huh... the top of the door doesn't even come up to my waist...' Perspective is warped a lot when its up on stands for so long. Excited for when yours comes back and the to see work thats going to be done on it!
 
#331 ·
Well since I'm still waiting for my fabricator I decided to work up some motivation to get me excited about this car again.

Since my last post I did purchase a 2015 Wr250r and threw some mods on that. I put Zero-G sidepanels on it, FMF Megabomb header and powercore 4 exhuast and a 12 o'clock labs tidy tail taillight and license plate bracket on it.
Dirtbike by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I decided to get some cleaning done on the miata to help slow the rust down between now and body work time.
IMG_1077 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
IMG_1078 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Little Surface rust spots that were removed
IMG_1079 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
Then I just covered everything up with rust paint for the time being. I'm not worried about looks at this point. :lol:
IMG_1080 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I did the same thing to the other side. Then I rolled down the windows in the most ghetto fashion.
IMG_1083 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I put the interior together a bit. Mostly because I don't want my mint dashboard to warp sitting on the floor with no support to it at all.
IMG_1088 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
IMG_1089 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr
IMG_1091 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

My dog absolutely loves car rides. He thinks he's going for a drive. Now there's dog hair all over my fresh seats. haha
Driver by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

I also threw the front bumper on to give me some space in my room. It kind of resembles a car now.
IMG_1093 by Austin Rajki, on Flickr

Updates will be a lot more regular now. I will still have quite a few cleaning updates, but new parts will be on the way shortly!
 
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