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The Blackbird Fabworx Time Attack Build - Creampuff

267K views 1K replies 209 participants last post by  hotrod59 
#1 · (Edited)
Guess it's time for me to start a build log for the new Blackbird Fabworx NB project.

Purpose of the build -
Creating a fun track day car that showcases some of the capabilities of Blackbird Fabworx.
Weapon of choice is a 2002 NB with the VVT, 6 speed, 3.9 Torsen, sport brakes etc..
This car is not intended to be used in competition but may be legal for some series like NASA super touring, instead, it will be remain a two seater to allow fun rides, instructing and possibly test drives for potential BFW customers.

Build plan -
The construction of the car will be broken into a few major phases and constant development on things that don't keep the car from heading out to the track.
Power level will be kept decidedly low, with the potential to have other drivers on board there's no need to increase the level of difficulty of driving the car.

Phase 1 - The initial diet of removing unnecessary stuff from the car includes gutting the interior, ditching the AC, PS, stock exahust from the downpipe back, chopping of select body panels and eliminating all glass from the car.
Then the tub will be partly seam welded.
Major fabrication items for this phase are a full cage, seat mounts, new exhaust system, custom coolant reroute, front panel / wind deflectorand a very minimal interior.
The car will be getting a bit of mechanical refresh - fluids, brake pads, hoses, lightweight flywheel and some more.
New suspension and wheels are of course in the order as well, more about it later.

Phase 1 is scheduled to be concluded in roughly two months and the plan is to hit the track on the beginning of december.

Phase 2 - The secondary diet is about to shed a lot more weight from the car, this will involve cutting good amounts of sheet metal off the car and replacing it with lighter items such as Carbon doors.
Removal of dead weight from wiring, tubular subframes and more.
This is also where aero development will come into play, the car will be getting a full makeover though the details will remain in the dark until there's a car to show, but trust me that this car will not be the standard splitter and wing affair ;)...

Phase 3 - Finally the motor will get some love to increase power levels by many additional ponies, not the kind that eats hay in the field, we're talking about ones that like their steak medium-rare.
Expect insanity at it's finest.

Here are some before shots, taken two days ago -






And here she is as of yesterday -



Stay tuned, this page is about to get exciting :twisted:

Moti @ Blackbird Fabworx
 
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#435 ·
Haha, this is actually a pretty funny question in the context of who you're asking :lol:.
The answer is that aero treatment is on the way.

Got the car down to a 1:28.3 at SOW today with a good amount of time still left on the table.
Been experimenting with suspension adjustments, learning the coilovers and battling alignment issues that I only found out about later in the day yesterday with out the ability to fix.
At any rate, this was a good day and I'm happy with the outcome despite the feeling that there was more to be had.

Moti
 
#437 ·
Lol you guys should do your homework. Moti is probably the first person to develop aero on a miata. Back in the day everyone called him nuts, but he proved them wrong with track data and showed it's worth.

I highly doubt he needs a kit. You guys should look around for some of his older projects. The blackbird or his low cost are awesome.
 
#444 ·
Moti, I need to ship my car to you for all your awesome stuff! Too bad it's $1400 one way from Hawaii. :(
 
#446 ·
any updates moti?
 
#447 ·
Unfortunately the next update will probably involve spider webs removal, how to get rid of a thick layer of dust etc...
I haven't even touched it since the Project G grand opening and the MC #3 is next weekend :fp:
There's a pair of new FCM bump stops that will go on the car before next weekend and a full set of cam bolts to replace the current ones, so at the very minimum the car will get minor suspension change and a new alignment before next weekend.

Moti
 
#458 ·
It turns out that not being able to focus your vision from the crazy helmet vibrations at speed gets old kinda quickly, so Creampuff got a few windshields today.
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Okay, they're more like wind visors than wind shields, but it still got a few! :lol:
I made them from 1/4" thick material to be able to simply tap some threads into them and not worry about how to clamp the piece to the car too much.

Made a few versions to test out which set up works best, replacing them only takes a few seconds.
We'll know which version works best in just a few days - the 3rd Miata Challenge event is this weekend in Chuckwalla and I'm there for two days.

The sizes of the visors are roughly 4"x1.5", 4"x2.25", 5.5"x0.75" and 5.5"x1.5".
To replace, simply take out the 3 counter sunk bolts out, slide the visor out, slide the new visor in and replace the 3 bolts. Piece of cake.

Hopefully this will allow me to drive better, as the crazy amount of vibes from the wind just blurred my focus over 80 MPH.
On the downside, if it does work well I will lose a perfectly good racing excuse as to why I was so slow :lol:...







Moti
 
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