Exocet Update 2: It Gets More Difficult from Here

Sep 27, 2023
6 min read

09/26/23 Teardown Update

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNWVQxRgfwk

We have the easy teardown mostly completed. The entire interior and convertible top have been removed, the entire driver side interior wiring harness is removed, the driver side engine bay wiring harness is free, the passenger side trunk wiring harness is freed, and much of the engine bay has been cleaned up.

It will start to become more difficult from here. Removal of remaining items becomes less obvious or requires maneuvering below and above the car to fully disassemble. We are also getting into fluid systems that pose a hazard and can make a mess.

The rear passenger wiring harness splits, half runs straight into the passenger side of the cabin and half continues underneath the car through an opening in the parcel shelf - this is the major harness that travels along the power plant frame to the engine bay past the bell housing the of transmission. We have to get underneath the car to see where this disconnects and I believe it is plugged into multiple emissions / evap related items (part of the fuel system) underneath the car.

Removing the rest of the wiring harness from the car won't be difficult but will require care not to damage anything. We will leave as much of the engine wiring harness in place as we can since it is packaged within other systems on the engine.

The brake system is still charged and must be disconnected in multiple, hard to see locations. Hard lines run along the body and connect to the rear subframe. Hard lines snake through the engine bay components separately for both front brakes and need to be removed. The clutch line also snakes around through the engine bay. Disconnecting all of these lines means we need to drain and catch a lot of brake fluid. Brake fluid is highly corrosive so we need to be cautious when handling these items.

Finally there is the fuel system. Obviously gasoline is flammable and corrosive, gas fumes aren't good for your health. Handling any parts of this system will require caution and care. Lines run from the tank along the underside of the car to the engine bay. More research is needed on the Miata fuel system but we believe only a few lines need to be disconnected in the engine bay. The fuel tank can only be removed after the powertrain has been dropped out of the car by lifting the body off. We will siphon any remaining fuel out of the tank and try to drain the lines as best we can before doing any of this work.

Time Prepping Donor: 11.5 hours

Total Teardown Hours: 24.75 hours

Total Hours on Project: 36.25 hours

Exocet Build Journal:

06/11/2023 - Peter, Paul

- Purchased 1996 Miata, Black

- 106,470 miles

- Drove car through rain from St. Clair Shores to F45 in Waterford

- Everything felt good to drive

- Top did not noticeably leak

- HVAC did not seem to work well (vents wouldn't change, suspect blend door)

06/13/2023 - Paul

- Take key to make copies at ACE Hardware --> x2 Keys

- Both keys did not work, returned

- Need to get Mazda dealer to cut key based on VIN

- Soft top is shot, at least nine noticeable holes

06/14/23 - Peter, Paul

- Emptied trunk:

- Hawk DTC Pads, Front & Rear (New)

- Opened Liqui Moly 5w-40 Motor Oil (not correct spec for Miata)

- Trim for steering wheel column

- Toneau cover

- Convertible cover

- Duck tape

- Stock steering wheel

- Spare tire w/ cover, scissor jack, handle

- Koni adjustable shock caps

- Cleaned interior:

- Hot Wheels 1991 Miata in glovebox

- Lug socket for aftermarket wheels

- Car is in good condition, does not appear to have ever been hit in the rear

06/24/23 - Paul

- Noticed oil spots on the ground when moving car

- Check oil level on dipstick - 1/2 full

- Suspect wrong oil spec in car (Liqui Molly 5w-40)

- Oil + Filter change: 106,517 miles, 5w-30 Synthetic Blend

- Checked under car:

- Transmission is wet - unknown source of oil

- Transmission bell housing is wet - unknown source of oil

- Drain plug and oil pan is wet - unknown source of oil

- Back of engine block is wet - suspect Cam Angle Sensor leak

- Extra 5w-30 placed in trunk in case it is needed while driving

- Need to fix CAS leak

07/15/23 - Paul, Samuel

- Set tires to 29 psi (68F ambient), installed valve stem caps

- 10:15AM - Start CAS replacement

- 1:42PM - take a break; cannot get CAS back into car

- 3:36PM - attempt #2 of CAS install

- 4:30PM - gave up, will have to pull valve cover & replaced PCV valve

07/18/23 - Paul, Samuel

- Broke CAS cap bolts loose, lubed o-ring

- Still won't seat

- Re-torqued CAS cap bolts to 17 lbf-ft; plan to remove valve cover

07/22/23 - Paul, Samuel, Peter, Mike

- Noon - Remove battery negative, removed valve cover

- 1:37PM - need to run to Home Depot for correct torque wrench

- Torqued fasteners on valve cover, reinstalled all components

- 2:47PM - fired up car, some smoke off headers from touching with gloves

- Test drive went fine, no issues

- 3PM - valve cover & CAS service appears to be successful

07/29/23 - Peter, James, Samuel, Paul

- Replaced PCV valve, hose

- Did not need to replace grommet

- Paul teaches James and Samuel how to drive stick in the parking lot

08/20/23 - Peter, Samuel, Paul

- Took video of all electronic components functioning for sale

Started Teardown of Donor Car on 8/29/23

08/29/23 - Peter, Paul, Samuel

- Took car to shop down road to discharge A/C system

- Put car on the lift for the first time

- Started teardown: 106,650 miles

- Removed rear tow hook

- Removed front fascia & lights

- Removed rear side markers

- 3 hours of labor

08/30/23 - Peter

- Removed spare tire and trunk carpet trim

- Removed rear tail lamps

- 1 hour of labor

09/01/23 - Peter

- Removed rear fascia, removed rear license plate panel

- Removed wheel well liners (front/back)

- Removed fascia support brackets

- Removed engine skid plate

- 3.5 hours of labor

09/02/23 - Peter, Paul

- 9:37AM start work

- Removed front air duct, bash bar, racing tow hook

- Unbolted fenders, put wheels back on & torqued to 76 lbf-ft

- Lowered car back onto dollies

- Removed driver fender

- One bolt broke off in the body

- Removed passenger fender

- End @ 11:37AM

- 2 hours of labor

09/05/23 - Paul, Samuel

- 6:36PM start work

- Removed battery, put on tender

- Removed headlight assemblies

- Removed headlight motors

- Removed horns

- Removed & bagged all light bulbs to avoid damage

- Freed wiring harnesses in headlight pockets

- 8:15PM end

- 2 hours of labor

09/09/23 - Paul, Samuel

- 10:30AM start work

- Removed RaceQuip belt

- Removed driver seat

- Removed passenger seat

- Removed shifter ball

- Removed center console

- Sam arrived @ noon; took a break

- 12:10PM start work

- Removed door trim (both sides)

- Removed convertible top

- 1PM - Paul leaves

- Rear gas tank panel covers removed

- Tombstone center console removed

- Front dash bolts removed

- Glove box removed

- Steering column unbolted, dropped to floor

- Dash removed

- 6.5 hours of labor

09/12/23 - Paul, Samuel

- 7PM start work

- Labeled dash, steering wheel harnesses that Sam removed on 9/9/23

- Moved & organized parts on mezzanine

- Talked through teardown & build plan

- 8:30PM end

- 1.5 hours (no labor)

09/16/23 - Paul, Samuel

- 10:50AM start work

- Drained coolant; coolant looked new

- Drained and removed coolant reservoir; almost nothing in the reservoir

- Disconnected heater core coolant lines at firewall

- Disconnected A/C hard lines at firewall

- Removed HVAC blower motor

- Removed center HVAC blend unit + heater core

- Removed HVAC A/C cooling unit

- Removed dead pedal

- Removed main floor carpet, vacuumed tub out

- Removed DRL control unit from dash wiring harness

- Removed dash wiring harness from dashboard

- Had to cut both ground wires, Phillips screws stripped

- Break for lunch 1:15PM to 2:30PM

- Removed radiator

- Disconnected upper and lower radiator hoses

- Disconnected A/C hard line mounts

- Unplugged and labeled A/C and radiator fan harness

- Removed A/C condensor

- Removed A/C hardlines

- Removed wiper fluid reservoir

- Cut wiper fluid line @ hood (line refused to budge)

- 3:45PM end

- 3.75 hours of labor

09/21/23 - Peter, Paul, Samuel

- 6PM Start

- Removed cruise control module from engine bay

- Unplugged A/C compressor from wiring harness

- Unplugged brake reservoir sensor from wiring harness

- Break 6:30-7:15PM

- Removed ground, relay bracket @ driver fender / firewall

- Freed driver side engine bay wiring harness

- Removed steering column

- Removed power antenna from trunk

- Unbolted hood latch assembly

- Removed wiper motor