Volvo P1800ES...kinda

Perhaps you should take the reluctant side out for dinner and some wine...

MichaelYount wrote: Perhaps you should take the reluctant side out for dinner and some wine...

That is hilarious cause I is having a "date night" with the wife unit tonight.

Maybe a 90 weight vintage to lubricate the mood?

The good news is that I figured out why the axle wont go in to the differential. The bad news is that it is not going to be an easy or quick fix unless I eat the cost and buy a new part on this side of the border.

Also can't get too excited about the condition of the seal surface. That might as well be British.

What is it with getting rear axles together!?!?

My way of saying I feel your pain

wheelsmithy wrote: What is it with getting rear axles together!?!? My way of saying I feel your pain

I want to know how you can get the splines offset like that? You would have to twist the end of the axle that is inboard of the grove?

Hopefully the vendor is a stand up supplier.

In reply to NOHOME:

What the heck? How did those splines end up that way? Aren't they broached?

I'd guess it backed out somehow and power twisted it. A good shaft will take a lot of twist before failing.

BrokenYugo wrote: I'd guess it backed out somehow and power twisted it. A good shaft will take a lot of twist before failing.

And a vendor who sells rebuilt axles would not notice this?

The vendor has been very stand-up about this and already has a new part on the way with a tracking number included. He has a very good reputation in the Miata V8 community and now I can see why.

Moving on...the weather this coming weekend is promised to be warm. I need to push the shell on the rotisserie out of the shop so I can power-wash the underside. Once the underside is clean I can spray a new coat of rubberized undercoat, THEN parts can start to go on for permanent.

The fun is that there is no driveway to my shop; just grass. Wet grass. The the rotisserie has small non flotation wheels. I bet I will have a story by the time that is all done.

I have a pretty hard deadline of early June to have all the panels back on the car and be rolling out of the shop on the suspension.

Use some 2x12 as floats for the wheels. Simple solution.

BrokenYugo wrote: I'd guess it backed out somehow and power twisted it. A good shaft will take a lot of twist before failing.

I've ripped the splines off with more engagement than that. Shaft was fine, it just changed its self-identification from being splined to being smooth.

Keith Tanner wrote:

BrokenYugo wrote: I'd guess it backed out somehow and power twisted it. A good shaft will take a lot of twist before failing.

I've ripped the splines off with more engagement than that. Shaft was fine, it just changed its self-identification from being splined to being smooth.

Keith:

Every-time I read your signature, I think of this guy that was out for a drive in Newfoundland.

Dusterbd13 wrote: Use some 2x12 as floats for the wheels. Simple solution.

This, but add 2x4's to the edges of the 2x8/10/12 to create "tracks".

Took me and a big friend to push my engine cherry picker (with no engine on it) 50' down a gravel driveway from one garage to the other. Actually it was a lot more like plowing. I know what the mules feel like. If the wheels on the rottis are anything like the wheels on the picker 3" poly on mine) - well, good luck with that!

Edit - after we wished we had 2 4'x8' plywood sheets to work it back with

Made it out of the shop using assorted lumber that I have laying around. Simple green, var-sol and Scotchbrite pads did a nice job of soaking me and de-grunging the bottom of the car.

Wow to the crazy splines.

Good thing it was a warm day, cause I got soaking wet doing this. Three rounds of scrubbing with 3M brown pads, Simple Green and Varsol and it pretty much passes the white glove test.

Goal for the week is to get the car masked so I can spray the bottom with rockerguard. I can then start assembly of the rolling chassis.

So rad.

Very nice!

Wouldn't have expected ply to be strong enough.

Need update!

DILYSI Dave wrote: Need update!

If you insist!

The reality is that the stuff I am doing now is kinda boring. Needs to be done and eats up time, but it's a bit too macro to be of interest.

I state last week that I wanted to get the underside undercoated by this week-end. Well, to do that I had to seam seal. While seam sealing I found a few areas that wanted a bit of touch -up with the welder and then I had to start taping. And then I ran out of seam sealer

On the way to the shop today, I realized that the frame rail re-enforcement that I made to hang the transmission cross-member were maybe going to interfere with the mounting of the hydraulic lines. So I fixed that bit.

Then I needed to prep the re-enforcement rails for welding to the cross-member. Going to be fun welding those on since the Miata frame-rails are made of like 24 gauge tin and I am joining to 1/8".

So, progress, just not linear. I'll just toss some pics up in not real order.

Shoot for next week to have the undersides coated. I have a pretty firm June deadline where it has to be rolling with the brakes and steering working.

Also delivered the AOD to the shop for a rebuild, so I guess that is also progress. I managed to sell the Boss Frog differential mount kit and spare T-bird differential, so that freed up some funds for that.

Thanks! I was jonesin.

On the welding thick to thin - I have a fair bit of experience with this from roll cage installs as the landing pads have the same issue. Spend 80% of your time and heat on the thick and only dip into the thin enough to let the puddle wick the pieces together, if that makes sense.

Dusterbd13 wrote: Wouldn't have expected ply to be strong enough.

I've used OSB as a hard surface to roll stuff into my back-yard. Right now, the floor of my temp garage is 3/4" plywood with 2x12 runners under where the cars' wheels.

Really looking forward to seeing this a roller.

DILYSI Dave wrote: Thanks! I was jonesin. On the welding thick to thin - I have a fair bit of experience with this from roll cage installs as the landing pads have the same issue. Spend 80% of your time and heat on the thick and only dip into the thin enough to let the puddle wick the pieces together, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I know the routine for the thick to thin, but man is the Miata framerail ever thin! You can PUSH a 1/8" drill bit through it and it wont hold a sheet-metal screw

The rotisserie will be a huge help as I wont have to do this while laying on my back under the car.

As to the plywood: It was 3/4" am more than up to the job. The big concern was if I was going to be able to keep the wheels on the planks.