infernosg's S5 N/A Build

[infernosg]

Sanded the mold again last night:



I think my total sanding time is in the double-digits. This is turning into one of the more labor-intensive projects I've worked on during this build. Next step is clear followed by lots and lots of mold release wax.

[infernosg]

Finished up the clear on the mold last night:



It doesn't look particularly glossy in the photo but it's got like 10 layers of clear on it. If I get some time tonight I'll start building up the layers of mold release (just like wax). Going to a wedding this weekend in Seattle so I'm not going to get much done.

I've also started working on my radiator/oil cooler ducting. I've moved the front harness from the oil cooler support bar to underneath the upper radiator support. My plan is to cut off everyting from the oil cooler support bar except the oil cooler brackets to reduce the number of airflow obstructions. It should also make the ducting a little simpler but it's still going to be a PITA to get around the bar itself and the oil cooler lines.

[infernosg]

Finally decided and bought some exhaust stuffs:



Gonna try to go with Racing Beat stuff and see how it turns out. Singl 2.5" pre-silencer and muffler. Also going to try some thicker-walled tube. It's going to be heavier than I originally wanted but it's probably the best compromise between weight and sound supression.

[infernosg]

Got 5 coats of wax on the mold. I'll probably do two more for the maximum recommendation of 7. I'd still like to find some aerosol PVA or something similar. Can you tell I'm worried the fiberglass shroud is going to stick to the mold? In between coats of wax I started screwing with the front of the car in more preparation for the ducting.



The hood latch and cable have been completely removed. I've got a set of Aerocatch hood pins on the way to replace everything. I've also cut off all the random brackets on the oil cooler support bar for better airflow to the radiator. I still need to smooth down the cuts.

[infernosg]

7 coats of wax on the mold. I also picked up some PVA I'm going to try to apply with a spray bottle as I don't have a spray gun. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be laying fiberglass. The plan is for at least two layers of mat with another layer in the corners and flanges for support.

In between coats of wax I've been busy grinding down the remains of the brackets on the oil cooler support. The radiator/oil cooler inlet is as free of obstructions as I can possibly make it with the stock setup:



And in order to deal with the no hood latch thing my Aerocatch hood pins came in a whole 5 days ahead of schedule:



I'm waiting on some 2.5" SS flanges for the exhaust and then the car gets taken to a local shop to have to exhaust fabbed up. I'm going to have to deal with crush-bent pipe for a little while since no one around here has a mandrel bender. Diameter reduction shouldn't be too bad as I'm trying to keep the bends to 15 degrees or less. I also need to remember to install the aluminum driveshaft and rear swaybar to avoid and potential surprises when putting the car back together.

[infernosg]

I got the fiberglass laid over the weekend:



As it's my first attempt it's nowhere near perfect but it should still work. I ended up using only two layers because I bought heavier mat. It just has to be able to hold the fan anyway. It was hard getting bubbles out because after laying about 1/2 the first layer my roller fouled up with resin and was pushing the mat around. If I did it all again I'd cut larger pieces of mat and do whole sections at once. Tonight I'll start trimming and sanding. If it turns out crap I'll just try again.

[RETed]

Actually looks like a good job!
Yeah, I think you're getting a little paranoid about the mold release...
We went with the minimum 2 - 3 coats of wax and then a layer of PVA.
The release went OK.
I don't think you should have any problems.
Bubbles are due to the complex shape, so either cut the fiberglass mat smaller (not in your case) or use thinner, lighter weight mat - which would be the better option here and just run more layers.
Experience will tell you what you can and cannot get away with.
It comes down to getting corners and nooks / crannies to transition as smoothly as possible.


-Ted

[scarsofcarma]

Awesome! So rare to see monster builds like this to learn from. I appreciate you taking the time to make such a detailed thread for us. Subscribed, keep it up!

[targarx7]

Where did you get the aluminum driveshaft made and the cost if you don't mind.

[infernosg]

Originally Posted by RETed

Actually looks like a good job!
Yeah, I think you're getting a little paranoid about the mold release...
We went with the minimum 2 - 3 coats of wax and then a layer of PVA.
The release went OK.
I don't think you should have any problems.
Bubbles are due to the complex shape, so either cut the fiberglass mat smaller (not in your case) or use thinner, lighter weight mat - which would be the better option here and just run more layers.
Experience will tell you what you can and cannot get away with.
It comes down to getting corners and nooks / crannies to transition as smoothly as possible.


-Ted

Thanks! Yeah, 7 layers of wax was probably unnecessary when I used PVA in the end. That stuff helped out big time. It's fun to pull off too. A lighter mat would have probably been better. I'm not sure what weight mat I used but it's intended for boat repair so I imagine it's pretty heavy. I'll definitely use lighter stuff next time for complex parts like this.

Originally Posted by scarsofcarma

Awesome! So rare to see monster builds like this to learn from. I appreciate you taking the time to make such a detailed thread for us. Subscribed, keep it up!

Thanks! When this is all said and done I'd like to make a few how-to threads. I'm using a lot of parts from other Mazda models and while the information is out there on the internet it would be useful to collect it all here. I still need to make my transmission rebuild thread...

Originally Posted by targarx7

Where did you get the aluminum driveshaft made and the cost if you don't mind.

I got mine straight through Mazdatrix so you can check the price on their website. If you're looking for a custom application you'd have to ask them who they use.

[infernosg]

It's been pretty quiet lately. I've knocked out a few small tasks like finally shortening the transmission harness wires and plugging the last hole in the firewall. The bulk of my time has been spent coordinating the effort to get the exhaust made. This Wednesday the car will leave the garage for the first time since I parked it there in April 2011. It'll head to a local exhaust shop to have a full 304 SS, 2.5" exhaust made with a pre-silencer and muffler from Racing Beat. In preparation I've reinstalled the rear swaybar and aluminum driveshaft to make sure there aren't any surprises once the exhaust is made.

[infernosg]

Oh hey, an update. Exhaust is done. I dropped the car off yesterday morning at 9 AM expecting to pick it up next week (out of town for the weekend). I got a call at 11:45 AM saying it was done. Saved me money on renting a car dolly so I'm not complaining. Onto the pictures...











I would have taken "under" pictures but the car was off the lift by the time I got to the shop. Overall I'm pretty happy. Ignoring the tailpipe the exhaust only has three bends so hopefully the fact that they're cursh bends will have minimal impact. We ended up mounting the muffler "vertically" so it would better fit within the stock fuel tank heat shields and leave the most clearance for the rear tires. The pre-silencer is mounted at a slight downward angle to avoid the driveshaft. The exhaust hangs pretty low but I was able to clear some pretty nasty elevation changes (curbs, etc.) bringing the car back home so I think I'll be okay with some care. I need to buy new exhaust hangers though. Next step is to get everything coated. I'm thinking Swaintech for the exhaust manifold and some Cerakote stuff for the rest of the exhaust.

I will say after yesterday's experience I never want to deal with a car dolly ever again. Full trailer or nothing from now on.

To to start enquiring about body/paint work...

[Gregory Casimir]

looks pretty sweet!

[infernosg]

Got to do some sanding on the fan shroud:



Went a little crazy on a couple places so I had to do a quick repair. That's the benefit of using fiberglass I guess. I'll probably do a little more sanding with a finer grit and then start the filler. In the meantime I've been looking around town for a good body shop to properly install the hood and fenders and give me a good "5-10 ft" paint job. Not looking for perfection as the car will see extensive track time but I would like to bring the stock color back to life and minimize overspray.

[Anoesis]

fun read. So cool.