Really Ratty Rusty Ruby 510/miata

[HRH]

That looks super sweet! I like the widening. Custom back glass and windshield is going to be spendy though.

[Indy510]

Most 510 race-cars just use a flat sheet of lexan for the back window and it bends to the stock shape. The only reason they don't use it on the front is cause it gets scratched up too often, but I'm going to use it for all 6 windows.

I didn't like how small the front windshield looked widened and chopped ... so I decided to "un-chop" the front of the roof:

[Indy510]

I did a quick photoshop of how I want it to look, before cutting up the roof... not quite a full "coupe" roofline:

[noflers]

Hey cool, almost to a coupe though. What are you having to do to the miata tub to make the 510 metal fit? I dont imagine much, will the body be removable, easily?

One of those headlight polish balls on a drill will the buff the window out good if it gets scratched.

[Indy510]

I've hacked up the Miata a lot, but nothing too structural. I want the body removable, because the motor is up under the wiper cowl area. It will also make welding the roll cage easier if the body is removable.

[Indy510]

I raised the front of the roof almost back to stock 510 height, because coupe's have slightly smaller windshields:

[Indy510]

I raised the back part of the roof less than the front, to get the reverse raked roof line:



Then cut off the C-pillars:

[Indy510]

Then started mocking up what looked right:

[Indy510]

I set the back window frame lower and more forward than it used to be.. the tombstone shape was needed to bend the roof down:

[Indy510]

[Indy510]

It took forever to figure out the shape of the C-pillars:

[Indy510]

I bent a piece of 1/2"x1/2" 0.65 square tubing, then cut it in half for the back window channel:

[Indy510]

And bent this piece to match the shortened trunk and support the window frame:

[Indy510]

and all welded up:

[Indy510]

I had to lift the "car" up high enough to roll my chair under the back:



to weld on the tailight panel:

[Indy510]

I warped the front of the shortened trunk really bad, so I cut it out:

[Indy510]

[Indy510]

I set this piece on a soft foam pad and lightly hit it a few hundred times with a mini sledge, to get the compound curve:



and made a new trunk gutter:

[Laecaon]

That is a serious amount of work. It's looking pretty good! This is a lot of fun to watch.

[DRIVEN]

^^Everything he said^^