MX5 Bronco Miata/Baby Bronco

[houseofdiesel]

Update 3/1/11

So got the new Master Cylinder in for the electric brake boost setup. It's big but I wanted to be sure about the kids being able to safely and easily able to stop the 37"s with the low gears. Plan on doing a lot on the front clip this weekend.

 

[sprdv1]

Nice..! Gotta luv it!

 

[grant_71]

Is this guy for real?

Seriously, he has almost built a sweet 4.6L bronco, and now this thing in what looks to be a couple months....

I can't even get down to my shop to put air in my one flat tire on my 71 that i have not driven in over a year.....

I envy you great one.....

 

[houseofdiesel]

Updat 3/10/11

So things aren't exactly going my way time wise. T case is still back ordered for another 3-4 weeks and now my 1.5" die isn't tight enough to make my front clip that needs to slide into the passenger and driver side 1.75" rails. Had to order a 3.5" Radius die to get the front piece that will hold the trac bar, winch, and radiator and it's on back order for 4 weeks. But got all the wheels on the axles and body clips on to size things up. Front is out a few more inches than I intended but doesn't look to ridiculous. This is at full stuff. Everything looks like it'll fit with just enough clearance. T case will still be the toughest fit. Size is about the same as a comp buggy. WB 93". Who knows I might have to just make the seat able to go far enough back for daddy. lol

 

[Ratch]

Who knows I might have to just make the seat able to go far enough back for daddy. lol

You need to be able to test it out, don't you?;D

 

[houseofdiesel]

Exactly.

 

[houseofdiesel]

Update 3/14/11

Well finally got the front rails and crossmember in. The radiator will mount on the inside and the trac bar off the front and follow the rake of the front crossmember. Now just gotta add some extra legs to further support the rails.

 

[MartyG]

That is so out of control cool...amazing so far. I wish I had the means to get 1/4 of that stuff into my build.

 

[BluebroncoNC]

I'm speechless.

 

[904Bronco]

Looks Good Chris!

 

[houseofdiesel]

And finally real progress can begin again. Finally got the t case and adapter in. Now just gotta bolt together, throw it in and start cutting and fabricating. Here's to the next month of crankin' this build up.

 

[stupidboy]

Well if ya ask me thats going to be a little bit much for the kids, don't you agree?;D Loooks great though I'm sure you'll take it out. Gonna start calling you Dr. Frankenstein the mad mechanic.

 

[stupidboy]

Those are some pretty $$$$$ parts your using there too.

 

[houseofdiesel]

Those are some pretty $$$$$ parts your using there too.

I hate fixing crap. Overkill is the only way I go. Luckily I can afford it, kind of, and because I can it would have eventually cost that much fixing stuff as it breaks.

 

[broncoitis]

All that I can say is that thing is gonna be COOL!!!! Can't wait to see how it performs. Nice Work for sure! ;D

 

[houseofdiesel]

Update 6/30/11

So been going thru the big D while having full custody of the little ones so time's been limited. But got the whole drive train bolted together and it looks like the rear drive line will end up being on the short side, between 24" and 20"s. Shouldn't be too bad though due to the driveline angle being somewhere between level and 5%, from the High Pinion 9". We were able to cut off about 2.25"s from the tail shaft of the tranny which ended up making the setup about 10" longer than the OE Miata drivetrain.

 

[houseofdiesel]

Update 7/13/11

So finally getting somewhere. Got everything all bolted up and started cutting away. And well we are losing some cab space for the driver. Looking at everything my toughest hurdle is going to be figuring out shifting for the transfer case. Right now my thinking is to basically box in the transfer case and use a straight push/pull fixed nob to the rear and front axle shifters and use a cable for the main high low. Thinking is the kids will never need to shift the case anyways, so I'll basically make a tool that I can reach down and pop the shifters in and out with for the front rear. As for the high low shaft I can run a cable through the tunnel and mount it anywhere. The drivetrain ended up being a lot longer than I expected so the rear links and driveline are going to be much shorter than the front. Not nearly as evenly split as the Sami I did. Rear drive line looks like it'll be between 18"-25" depending on how far I can move the rear axle back without it looking like it's trying to walk out from under the rig. Ride hight will be about 4" higher. All the pics will be full bump. Front driveline will be between 36"-38" and will have to have a tunnel to go through in the cab yet will clear the go pedal just fine.

Skid plate/Crossmember for the 1 link joints will work out nice and be strong as hell. Basically the empty passenger area will be able to have a full plate coming 10" in and bolting both to the outside rail and floor. I will run a tube to a plate just behind the passenger seat so the inside can't fold the sheetmetal or twist. The driver side will get a 4" strip, and main bottom plate will be 20"x19". I'll use 5/16" for the outsides and 45s down to the main belly plate, which will be 3/8". The buckets that will house the Ballistic 70 Degree Hiems will further help strengthen the structure and rigidity of the crossmember. The skid plate will be bolted to the frame rails using 5/8" hardware. 5 Bolts down each rail and three on the inner of the passenger side. The rest of the skid plates for the front will be above this and the links so will be separate. It also works out because there are two different angles in the frame rails and the skid plates will change where those two planes cross. The upper skid plate for the motor and trans won't need to be nearly as thick either since they will be well above and protected by the links. Here's some pics:

 

[sprdv1]

LOL, is he drinking your energy drink? Great progress.

Sorry to hear about the Big D, good luck w/that.

 

[houseofdiesel]

LOL, is he drinking your energy drink? Great progress.

Sorry to hear about the Big D, good luck w/that.

lol Nope he's just naturally high strung like that. I'd never give my kids crap like that.

Thanks for the support, I'll be happy when it's all over. Kinda like a rig you buy that just seems to be nothing but a pain in your ass the entire time ya have it, you can't wait for someone to get it out of your driveway. lol Tail light warranty.

 

[houseofdiesel]

Update 9/15/11

Well been crazy busy with the kids through summer and the start of school. Finally getting some spare time to get back to it. Over the past few weeks we cleaned up the shop a bit took the drivetrain out to trim a few things and make sure we had good clearances. Cut and tacked a few things today. The plating for the 1 link joint will box in the whole lower section of the skid/crossmember. The passenger side will get gussets on the outside. The front motor brackets that come off the frame will get completely boxed in and tied all the way across and under the motor to second as a front crossmember and stiffen the front portion of the frame. Things should really move along pretty quick now thru rolling chassis, until we get down to the finishing touches which is a lot.