Exocet XP-3

So what's the pricing for your kit? I really like my Miata, but I'm really starting to think one of these might be just what I need.

petegossett wrote: So what's the pricing for your kit? I really like my Miata, but I'm *really* starting to think one of these might be just what I need.

$6,000-$7,500+

http://exomotive.com/exocet/

Thanks nderwater, I had a busy.

Yup, the kit starts at $6k for the version that lets you use the stock seatbelts. The Sport trim adds a single diagonal, wraparound harness bar, and a dozen little additions around the chassis that makes it ~20% stiffer (mostly the downtubes on the roll hoop). Chassis weight, well, I'll tell you tomorrow when we weigh it. The CAD model says 175 lbs for a Sport, but the tube manufacturers always run at the minimum wall thickness tolerance, so we'll see when we weigh it.

As for anticipated build cost, most of our customers were building the imported UK-produced Exocets for around $10k on the road. That is a healthy budget that usually includes new wheels, seats, nice motorcycle mirrors, performance tires, headlights, and tons of maintenance on their donors. Working on the Miata components after you remove the Miata is a breeze, so you'll find yourself replacing all the boots, motor mounts, bushings, etc. We did a street-legal build for $7900 including the kit and donor, but our donor was in good shape and we were able to sell quite a few parts off of it to make it less than free. We reupholstered the stock NA seats in non-perforated leather to save a lot of money.

I believe XP-3 will be the most expensive Exomotive-sold Exocet produced to date. The tally right now (including the kit and donor Miata) is $19,063.46 . We've found a lot of used parts like Spec Miata Hoosier takeoffs. We found a fully-loaded '99 Miata donor with bodywork damage for $900, and we have the documentation to prove it. I plan to release our accounting on this car. I'm quite confident we'll be well under the goal of $20k. Not bad, considering the power-to-weight ratio is equivalent to an F40 and significantly better than a ZR-1 (the LS9 ZR-1, I'm not cheating and using the '94).

Is the aluminum floor structural?

Warren v wrote: I believe XP-3 will be the most expensive Exomotive-sold Exocet produced to date. The tally right now (including the kit and donor Miata) is $19,063.46 . We've found a lot of used parts like Spec Miata Hoosier takeoffs. We found a fully-loaded '99 Miata donor with bodywork damage for $900, and we have the documentation to prove it. I plan to release our accounting on this car. I'm quite confident we'll be well under the goal of $20k. Not bad, considering the power-to-weight ratio is equivalent to an F40 and significantly better than a ZR-1 (the LS9 ZR-1, I'm not cheating and using the '94).

Im at about 23k total after i factored everything in

but i could have done it for cheaper in hindsight

icaneat50eggs wrote: Is the aluminum floor structural?

Yup. Flat sheet metal sucks for resolving longitudinal stress, but it's very good with shear loads as long as you keep it supported enough to not buckle. Keeping this in mind, the aluminum floor and welded-in propshaft tunnel are designed to resolve shear loads normal to the vertical axis (Y), especially towards the rear of the car. Since we can't fully box in the frame due to those pesky passengers, the frame is designed to convert a significant portion of torsional loads through the passenger compartment as shear loads in the XZ plane. As far as longitudinal stresses from braking and accelerating, the tubes of the floor are positioned to carry those loads and are reinforced from buckling by the aluminum floors. You'll notice a lack of triangulation between the mid arc tube and the floor where the seats go. The design started with tubes there, but FEA showed they were just added weight, as the propshaft tunnel did more than enough to keep the floor from buckling in that area under a variety of loading conditions. Also, removing those tubes allows one to fit seats 1" wider. Another argument to keep the triangulation tubes in there was for side impact protection, but the lower main arc tube is only 12" off the ground. Even a car with a front end as low as a Miata won't hit lower than that mid arc tube. The UK Exocets do not have any sort of tubes between the floors and mid tube, and multiple side impacts of those cars have shown that stuff poking through that 8.5" gap is unlikely. I'd much, much rather getting hit from the side in an Exocet than an Atom, for instance.

In reply to v8exocet:

Are you including all the parts you bought through the progression of turbo Miata, Monster Miata, and Monster Exocet? That seems really high, even considering the race-team-built V8.

including all the parts transfered, materials, special tools needed (rivnut gun alone was 100 bucks :(, rivnuts, powdercoating, welding bottle, etc etc), rear end swap (alone almost 2k) all new brakes, lines, rotors, calipers, pads, custom driveshaft, monster miata kit, fuel system, buying engine and tranny and bellhousing, milspec wire harness (800 alone) etc etc etc. it all adds up.

if i did it again, i could save a grand not buying the monster miata mount kit, and do a few other things to keep it under 20k

It's not really fair to compare these cars to an Atom. The Atom started as a student show car exercise that took 10 years and a Top Gear lovefest in order to really work. I doubt it's ever been given this sort of structural investigation. See dpcars.net for a look into the car.

Warren's Exocet is a big step above the original one as well. That's why it's got my interest, there's science involved instead of just "ooh, this looks cool". SCIENCE!

Dennis Palatov on the other hand makes some cool cars (albeit way more expensive)

Keith Tanner wrote: Warren's Exocet is a big step above the original one as well. That's why it's got my interest, there's science involved instead of just "ooh, this looks cool". SCIENCE!

big doesnt cover it. its HUGE

Keith Tanner wrote: It's not really fair to compare these cars to an Atom. The Atom started as a student show car exercise that took 10 years and a Top Gear lovefest in order to really work. I doubt it's ever been given this sort of structural investigation. See dpcars.net for a look into the car. Warren's Exocet is a big step above the original one as well. That's why it's got my interest, there's science involved instead of just "ooh, this looks cool". SCIENCE!

careful swinging the s word around

In reply to MTI_Racing:

It's easy. All you gotta do is scare everyone with big words like flexural analysis, modulii of elasticity, sectional inertia, etc, and insist that everyone uses the terms "strength" and "stiffness" correctly. Sounds like someone just can't handle the science.

Warren v wrote: In reply to MTI_Racing: It's easy. All you gotta do is scare everyone with big words like flexural analysis, modulii of elasticity, sectional inertia, etc, and insist that everyone uses the terms "strength" and "stiffness" correctly. Sounds like someone just can't handle the science.

yea i use "thermal expansion" and "coefficient of friction" when i talk brakes. so i get ya.

What about dealywhatsit and thingamabob?

icaneat50eggs wrote: What about dealywhatsit and thingamabob?

you lose too many torques when you convert those from metric to Celsius, so no one uses those term anymores.

Back on the topic of getting E36 M3 done, I started on depowering the rack while our welder has his TIG here.

We got a cheap steam cleaner about a month back, I've never really used it before. Holy e36snacks, it's like a magic wand for road grime. Check out this 50/50. The left side was sprayed with a 20/80 mix of simple green, wait 2 minutes, steam it with a brush, wipe off the grim. Took about 5 minutes. I'm super impressed with this thing.

Warren v wrote: Back on the topic of getting E36 M3 done, I started on depowering the rack while our welder has his TIG here. We got a cheap steam cleaner about a month back, I've never really used it before. Holy e36snacks, it's like a magic wand for road grime. Check out this 50/50. The left side was spray with a 20/80 mix of simple green, wait 2 minutes, steam it with a brush, wipe off the grim. Took about 5 minutes. I'm super impressed with this thing.

Holy Steam Cleaning Batman! What did you buy and where can I get one?

In reply to tuna55:

I looked it up: McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner

I didn't even see the label before I started on the left side.

Warren v wrote: Back on the topic of getting E36 M3 done, I started on depowering the rack while our welder has his TIG here. We got a cheap steam cleaner about a month back, I've never really used it before. Holy e36snacks, it's like a magic wand for road grime. Check out this 50/50. The left side was sprayed with a 20/80 mix of simple green, wait 2 minutes, steam it with a brush, wipe off the grim. Took about 5 minutes. I'm super impressed with this thing.

That is incredible! What a difference. It looks like a new part on the left side.

Got distracted dealing with a delaminated tire on my DD. Turns out you can blister BFG Sport Comp 2s on a stock-powered Miata (I did a pretty harsh run up in the mountains a couple weeks back). Back to the rack. How hard can it be?

This is an awesome thread. It's so real time I feel like we have a webcam on you!

dyintorace wrote: This is an awesome thread. It's so real time I feel like we have a webcam on you!

I thought about setting one up, but I like to wrench naked.

But not weld naked. That's a bad idea.