Hey Sean, look what I found hiding in the QC area:
Hey Sean, look what I found hiding in the QC area:
It's nice to see Exomotive continuing to produce frames and promote business but the issue with the bodywork still not being ready is really starting to look unprofessional. You guys are continuing to ship an impossible to complete project. I am sitting here nine months and over 10k in this project that I can't complete through no fault of my own. Even a company like FlyinMiata who sells these things can't even finish their build diary on theirs that they started in August because of the lack of body work. The estimated dates for the body work completion have slipped multiple times, even the FlyinMiata site said they expected it in February in their build. I don't believe they should have stopped producing the old body work before the new was ready, even more so a year before the new body work is ready, when their business really started to take off.
We're working long hours every day of the week to get it done. Thankfully we now have all the components and a shop to work in, so the variables are now within our control and consist of simple hard work.
We originally estimated our first production sets to ship mid-February, but as of today, we're still about 2 weeks away from being production-ready. FM was slated to get that first set, which puts us about 11 weeks behind. It sucks, and I'm sorry.
I have to say "9 months" and "a year" is a little misleading, as the initial design wasn't even announced until November. When we released the design, everyone in the build queue (save one) asked to receive the 2014 bodywork, which we offered at no charge, even at the extra cost of separate shipping.
For what it's worth, FM's car was delivered with bodywork. Here's a photo of their kit in their shop, taken in September. That was not the last set of UK-style parts we produced. The claim that we stopped bodywork production for a year is quite untrue.
I apologize that we are running behind, but we are doing everything we can to get this new bodywork in customers' hands as soon as possible without sacrificing quality. Once we have the bucks complete, production should rocket along quite quickly. All the molds are single-piece and have health draft angles and built-in trim lines. Please contact us if there's anything we can do to make your situation better.
In reply to Warren v:
I don't want to mislead anyone or give false information, but I placed my order in August before the new body work was announced and the only emails I received about the new body work was a generic "lock in your price" flyer with a picture and an email saying I was "automatically upgraded to the 2014 bodywork" both in December. I didn't know this forum existed at the time and don't really check Facebook or anything so I was left in the dark of any information not given directly to me. I was never given the option of the old body work or I would have considered if I had known what I know now about the time frame (ordered as a winter project in August and didn't get the frame until February). I rushed to get everything running in February since I didn't have all winter and now I have just been waiting again. Also I wanted to note that the time frame is my only complaint, everything else dealing with Exomotive has been great and they make a great product, the time frame is only a major issue because it is cutting into the season of enjoying the Exocet.
Sounds like you fell through the cracks last year during a tough time for us! I'm very sorry our communication was so lacking back then. From the information I have, your set is #5 scheduled for production, which again should start in about two weeks. Please feel free to message me personally if you have any more questions, which can be done using this link: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/members/contact/warrenv/
We all tread lightly around the stigma that sarounds kit car companies. For me I will gladly wait whatever time is needed for the best product. Communication has been great since I remembered it is a 2 way path (now I need to use that method with my wife more). We all want the Best product, the Fastest delivery, & the Cheapest cost. I personally forfited a deposit on a FFR 818R & sold off my donor to build this car. Many things were a factor with the most swaying being that FFR did not decide to do a precolored body. I am ecstatic that we get so many color options and love the look of new body thus far. I really believe 110% Exomotive Atlanta is going above & beyond to develop the best of everything. I'm estimating my build to be 4 to 6 weeks from delivery & will openly invite ridealongs on or off track in Portland area once my car is done/plated. My local autocross group hosts tons of very open events where i frequently put over 100 miles on track in a weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjfQBqoz3tE
The nose, hood, and trunk bucks are shaped and all have primer. Now it's just a matter of rounding up the details. The cowl and fender bucks aren't far behind.
They certainly look different with a nice radius on everything. Can you tell which photo was after the SLR was packed up? 
Also, XP-4 looks meaner every time I walk by it.
are those rivals on the xp4? what size?
Those are 205s on our 15x8 zero offset wheels. They look so damn meaty.
The new body work is REALLY looking great and takes this car to the next level. I also LOVE the look of the XP4 in the shot above with those wheels. When things get caught up, do you plan on making a COTS type wing as real ones are apparently getting hard to find?
Do you guys have any concerns about corrupting the steering with the massive change in scrub radius with those +0 wheels?
The change in scrub radius is definitely something we considered. As pictured, XP-4's wheels are another 15mm out, so they're actually at +15. We only need a 2mm spacer to clear the Wilwood brakes from the FM Little Big Brake Kit, but we only had 15mm spacers on hand, so that's how it was built (for now).
I kinda want to leave them on, drive the car around for a while, do an autocross or something, and then inspect the wheel bearings for increased runout. That sort of extreme treatment (hard driving on +15) will be a good indicator of wear. I suspect the reduced weight of the car will balance out the increase in static moment. When cornering, the lateral and normal loads cancel each other out with the increased offset (to an extent), so I'm less worried about that.
As for steering feel, a power-to-manual-converted steering rack feels fantastic. We were running the previous setup at -15mm, and the steering feedback was damn near telepathic without being harsh. It's nice and light as long as you're rolling. I actually tightened the steering adjuster nut after a trackday at AMP, as the steering feel was a little lighter than I liked. The additional heat generation from the increase scrub radius isn't a bad thing, either. Roll center movement will be damped a little, which is a good thing.
Bigfoot: yes, when things get caught up, we plan to revisit the wing situation (after the windshield).
mrvwcastner wrote: I'm estimating my build to be 4 to 6 weeks from delivery & will openly invite ridealongs on or off track in Portland area once my car is done/plated.
I will take you up on that! 
let me know if you ever need a hand in assembly, I'm working on learning the greasy bits of the miata.
Is there a reason you went with +0 rather than more conventional miata offsets?
In reply to Warren v:
Will 2 mm (or any size for that matter) spacers be needed with 15 x 8 zero offset wheels to clear stock calipers?
Also, if you get the chance, can you tell me how far out my frame is from production? Sean O, Hoschton GA.
You will not need spacers to clear the stock calipers. We only need spacers because of the FM Little Big Brake Kit. FM's page gives information about that: http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?stocknumber=14-16150
The UK Exocet was designed to use a 1" spacer to fit the fenders on stock NA wheels. Our redesigned frame retains similar geometry in those places in order to maintain compatibility with UK bodywork. The increased track width is not a bad thing for performance, and the Miata suspension geometry is uniquely suited to take advantage of a wider footprint (aka "not MacPhearson"). Increased offset can put more strain on wheel bearings and affect the steered scrub radius, but both of those problems are balanced by the lighter weight of the vehicle.
Sean, your car is actually the next to be built.
In reply to Warren v:
I plan on going with a 15 x 8 zero offset to avoid the use of spacers and just wanted to be certain. Thanks for the answer. And I'm glad to hear my frame is next in line!
I highly recommend our Holeshots: https://squareup.com/market/exomotive/traklite-holeshot-x-wheels
The powdercoaters should be ready for your frame sometime next week.
Warren v wrote: I highly recommend our Holeshots: https://squareup.com/market/exomotive/traklite-holeshot-x-wheels The powdercoaters should be ready for your frame sometime next week.
If a set of 4 are ordered, will they come with the Exomotive centercaps?
Not included with the wheels at this time, and the price reflects it. We are sourcing domed center caps that fit over the rear halfshafts. XP-4 is wearing flat centercaps because she has those spacers in the rear.
Ok, so I'm still not quite getting it. Is the main reason for the wider track/lower offset to fit the fenders on the UK bodywork? I assume that there is no issue fitting regular miata offset wheels (6ULs for instance) with the new bodywork without spacers. There is, I am assuming, some mechanism to adjust the lateral location of the fenders, right?
Maybe I'm just having a case of the dumbs...
The original Exocet was designed for the NA 1.6, which came with 5.5" wide tires. Even then, the UK guys needed to add small spacers to fit the fender mounts between the frame and wheel. It's just the nature of unsprung fenders that mount to the uprights. When you add aftermarket wheels into the mix, lets say an 8" wide wheel, the outside surface roughly stays in about the same place. That means the inside gets ~2"+ more tire. That's less room for the fender mount to live right next to the frame.
We use the original UK-designed fender mounts, so we have the same requirements in regards to offset.
This spreadsheet should set you straight on offsets and spacers
Milestone:
Also, XP-4 has a friend giving it a hug now:
We lift bro. It's almost like we're a real car-based business now!
Things are looking good. I can't wait to see this new body work installed. How close are you to making the molds and starting production?
Very close. The trunk and hood are ready for surface buildup (~2 hours each), the nose will need another iteration of filling, smoothing, and a re-prime.
The progression of each part is as such:
Skeleton Build
Surface Bonding
Initial fill
Visual coat (cheap primer that gives the surface a homogeneous look so I can see what I'm doing)
Radius buildup, shaping, spray #2 (high build). Nose is here.
Fixing the details, making the radii consistent
Perfecting the surfaces and edges (these pictures are the same part of the hood, before and after)
Surface buildup (to 1500 grit). Hood and trunk will be ready for this in the morning.
From there, it's just a matter of machine polishing and waxing. From there, you're ready to make the female molds, which are just a big fiberglass layup with some wood reinforcements. After that, production time!
I re-sprayed the hood today after bringing it up to 1500 grit because I had to burn through a corner to get it perfect. As your surface gets smoother, you are able to spot the subtle imperfections. The fender and cowl bucks are in the leaf construction phase, as I have been concentrating on the big molds. I plan to work on them during the fiberglass cure cycles of the big molds.
I left the shop tonight like this:
Forgive the quick stitch-job in the photo above. It's tight in there, and I don't like taking anything but my sealed prime/body in that dusty environment.
You saw this photo, but below it is the before:
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