SCCA Spec Miata

[IMSANUT]

It's funny how things happen some time. After spending weeks in the work shop packing models for trade and for sale, I found myself with a shop floor I couldn't see. Trash day was coming up so I decided to do the "task". After a bunch of stuff was cleared out, nicely filling the garbage can I might add, I decided I needed to re arrange things to allow for more room to work. To end a long story, I started a new build.....

I am a huge fan of SCCA amateur road racing. I have been planning a trio of SCCA subjects, all based around the Mazda Miata. A second gen Aishima Miata kit will replicate an actual SCCA T1 Miata, and a Revell Miata will build an SCCA E Production Miata. The first to get started is a Spec Miata first gen car,using the Tamiya kit as the basis of the build. I may be doing all three of these at more or less the same time as it is too cold to be spraying paint, so construction is in order....

The first thing to do was to mate the interior bucket to the chassis:

Next was to start modifying the stock interior for racing. The dremel made short order of the console and shift boot:

Next the interior door panels were hogged out:

The resulting hole was filled with thin sheet plastic and trimmed to blend in:

Here is the test fit of the initial roll cage, made up of parts box pieces and plastic rod. I am using the Revell kit dash as the Tamiya dash was right hand drive:

The first fit of the chassis and interior to the body and roof reveals I have work yet to do in lowering the cage height!

Last pic for now shows the chassis/interior/cage inside the body and propped up on the wheel and tire package I'll be using which came from a Hasegawa Toyots Celica WRC kit I scavenged for parts:

More to come soon.

[IMSANUT]

Ooops....got the last pic wrong. Here is the correct one:

I hope you all enjoy my trip into the world of left AND right turn small bore racing!!!

[Roadracer]

Nice start! I like it!

[IMSANUT]

I forgot to show what a real one looks like.....Taken in the paddock at Road America

[IMSANUT]

The E Production Miata got started today to compliment the SM Miata. This photo shows the relative difference between the two from the front:

Here is a close up of the front of the EP Miata.....the front air dam is the front bumper from a Hasegawa Civic that had a crushed roof.

The Honda "mouth" will be replaced with the Mazda "mouth" from the Revell kit's front bumper sorta like the nose of the Tamiya SM Miata here:

The fender flares on the front were part of a Fujimi wide body kit for some obscure Japanese car:

I started the rear flares as well today, but I ran out of camera power.....

More later. Enjoy the pics!

Oh yeah, after all of the plastic rough in of the body comes the bondo.....

[Scuderia]

Great stuff love the racer conversions keeping an eye on this one

[IMSANUT]

Great stuff love the racer conversions keeping an eye on this one

Thanks. I have been wanting to start these builds for quite some time. If you check my post on Work Bench Saturday's, you will see one of my problems.....too many choices to build!!!!!

[ll Brandon ll]

Love these sorts of builds. Beautiful work on the cage!

[IMSANUT]

Thank you . The cage needs further work, as it id a bit too tall. I also have to modify the drivers side protection bars to move them into the door opening for more room. I hope to do some work on it this week.

[Art Laski]

Cool build, Jim. Looking forward to seeing this come together.

-Art

[Ira]

GREAT START!!!