The Targa Miata

About 9 months late, we finally have some transit headsets for the car.

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:45:19 -0600

They were right near the top of our "things we need for next time list" last September. I think those long days in the car would have been a bit shorter if we'd been able to chat on the transits instead of simply putting in earplugs.
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I saw a copy of the Targa show that was aired on Speed today.

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:57:15 -0600

Before, I'd only seen it on the DVD the show producers sent me. Interesting, it's got different narration. Same script (with a few changes like saying our car was "chuckable" instead of "tossable") but a British accent. Interesting. I'm not sure which I like better. I certainly didn't expect a change.
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Before welding the splined tube on to the column, I made sure I didn't damage anything inside the car!

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:42:23 -0600

Not completely successfully, I needed an extra layer on top of the driver's seat, as it picked up a few dark freckles. Still, no holes.
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Because the stock shaft is tapered - that's how the stock wheel wedges on, really - I wanted a better support at the end.

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:38:48 -0600

I ground down a nut so that it was a nice tight fit inside the splined adapter, giving me more support.

I decided it was time to install a quick-release steering wheel on the car.

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:37:47 -0600

I swear, every time I get out of it, I'm less graceful. Janel agrees (that we need a removable wheel, not that I'm not graceful - at least, not to my face) so I picked one up. Besides, they're cool.
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I had the car up on a lift today.

Tue, 19 May 2009 23:12:38 -0600

Mostly, I was checking out some details on the shocks as part of Flyin' Miata's development. But it gave me a chance to swap out the fuel filter and give the car a look-over. A vibration turned out to be the cat leaning against a heatshield. Some light rust has shown up on bare metal, probably as a result of that run over Donner Pass in the snow in March. Otherwise, everything looks pretty solid.
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A peek at the Targa New Zealand.

Thu, 14 May 2009 22:55:54 -0600

I've been corresponding - on and off - with Euen Burke about his Targa NZ experiences. He drives a TG Sports, a MG-inspired kit car that uses Miata mechanicals. It's a pretty cool little device, giving the style of an older car with the Miata's reliability and handling. The picture shows one of his better parking jobs after a bit of a moment on a bridge. Sorry Euen, I had to use this shot because it's such a good parking job! He reports that it took six people to pull the car straight so they could continue, and they were not the first to hit the barriers!
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Another track day!

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:56:43 -0600

This time, the Targa car sat in the trailer and I drove Elvis, the LS1-powered bar (back in full health) instead. It took me some time to come to terms with the car. It simply seemed squirrely. Not so much under power - it behaved exactly as expected then - but during braking and cornering. It's the first time I've set up a car with this particular tire so that's part of it, and it has good brakes but without adjustment options.
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I spent the day today talking to a couple of classes of high school seniors.

Thu, 07 May 2009 18:30:30 -0600

Why? Because, as someone who writes professionally and can therefore do fun things such as run the Targa, I am role model for why you should pay attention in English class! I brought the car along to show off and to liven things up a bit. It was a pretty good day. I didn't lie and say I liked reading Jane Austin.
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I seem to have picked up some hitchhikers on the way home.

Thu, 07 May 2009 18:22:51 -0600

A couple of sea kayaks made the trip back in this ultra high tech rack I constructed in the trailer. This really has nothing to do with the Targa, but it was a funny picture.

Open wide!

Thu, 07 May 2009 18:21:45 -0600

This is the lineup of cars at the Mitty. The white one (without a lurid Martini paint job) is a car from Grassroots Motorsports. When I was at the Mitty last year, I helped install a turbo on the car and double its horsepower.
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Well, I'm back from the Mitty.

Wed, 06 May 2009 23:14:01 -0600

Two long days of driving plus an evening head start each way. No, the car didn't get to run on the track but it did get quite a bit of attention. It never fails to amaze me how many people know the car and want to see it. Very flattering, really.
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Almost all the kids were out of the garage yesterday as I shuffled cars around.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:53:28 -0600

The Targa car is now strapped down in the trailer, ready for the trip to Georgia for The Mitty. I'm not looking forward to the drive, but it'll be the last one for a while.
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After a bit of fooling around, the header is back in the car.

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:25:48 -0600

There are about three points during feeding the header in past the bellhousing that it just seems impossible. And then, with a bit of wiggling and pushing and leaning of the engine, it slips past. It was a bit hard on the ceramic coat in a couple of spots, but that's okay. I did notice that the breather on the valve cover was a little soggy on the bottom, so maybe the ceramic coat isn't such a bad idea...

It's back!

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:05:02 -0600

The header now has a beautiful coat of white ceramic, expertly applied for about 1/3 the cost of the big name brands like Swain. As long as it stays looking pretty, I'll be happy.
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Good news!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:42:28 -0600

The header will be white. Turns out the latest and greatest formulation of white ceramic is not toxic enough to require expensive shipping. It should be done next week - which, when I think about it, is just about as late as I can get it.
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The garage is a little full right now, and the Miata is pretty much the biggest car here!

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:59:51 -0600

In the foreground is an Austin-Healey Sprite that's here for a bit of work, mostly because I'm the only person dumb enough to take it on. In the back is the MG getting an LS1 engine. The Mini is trapped by dead cars, and the Seven is also visiting temporarily from its usual living space.

Bead-blasters are wonderful things!

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:47:29 -0600

A few minutes in the box and the header came out nice and clean. Blasting both the collector and the primaries where they slip into the collector made it very easy to put the two parts of the header back together, and a few welds made it a permanent marriage.
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This is the result of the track.

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:47:07 -0600

My white high-temp paint was a little flaky after the race, but not too bad. It simply told me where the hot spots were in the header. However, after the thrashing at Laguna Seca, the paint was bubbled and flaking over all of the primary tubes. Yuk.
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I did have one problem on the way home from California.

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:23:38 -0600

As I pulled in to Reno, I popped my earplugs out and was greeted with a pretty nasty exhaust note and rattling. I figured out pretty quickly what was going on - the collector had somehow come off the primary pipes.
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