MX5 direct fit chassis
 

For a long time I've stayed away from producing a chassis dedicated to one engine and gearbox set up as the whole point of the Roadster is you put your choice of engine and gearbox where you want them. After seeing where people call it a day with their builds I have come to the point where I'm going to produce an MX5 based Roadster that is more of a bolt together kit rather than an assisted scratch build.
The outer chassis rails and suspension brackets will be the same as the standard book spec chassis so if you buy the new wishbones they will fit a chassis made from the book. I have reworked the tunnel to get the engine and gearbox further back and get the gear stick from under the dash a little, this should also help get the weight more in the middle. I'm playing with the standard hanging pedal box to try and suit servo and non servo brakes and also make it adjustable for reach so hopefully should suit every body.
I've named this the TMXR chassis (Talon MX5 Roadster) it will be a Talon only product so I won't be publishing the drawings or selling through a 3rd party as I've put a fair amount of time and money in to it and I'd like some of it back.
To go with this I'm also making mild and stainless four branch exhaust manifolds as the engine being further back now means the passenger foot well would get rather warm, I'll post some pics when I have this finalised.

That is really nice work Phil, I think you could be on a winner there.....good luck bud.

Looks cool Phil. The steering support is Sierra design though, the MX5 column mounts like this.



Cheers
Stot

No thats the Saturn designed steering column frame which is not adjustable for either height or reach, the brackets which are not shown that are made for this mount allow the Mx5 column to do both.
Up here for thinking, down there for dancing.

Oh cool. So on top of this it would be those brackets and your diff box to finish?

Cheers
Stot

The production diff cover for both the 1600 and 1800 diffs are done I'm waiting on the 2mm plates to be laser cut which should be with me next week. I also have a direct replacement cover for the Saturn design which has the mounting arms.

Nice engine mounts, that should make sliding the engine in a little easier ! What's the crack with these ones then Phil ? How do you couple those babies up to the engine ?

The engine mounting plates on the chassis are the same as the MX5 front sub frame, you use the standard engine mounts that come with the engine and it just drops in to place.

Looks good phil.

A kit where all the brackets ie handbrake , brake flexi mounts etc would be good as they are the bits that have been a pita to do

David

What measurement is the sump under the chassis Phil?
With my sump 40mm under the bottom of the chassis the cam cover is damn close to the bonnet of my AGM bodykit (scrapped some paint of it).:eek:
I like the concept of what you are doing Phil as I believe the MX5 version will become more popular.:D

The standard sump sits 40mm below the chassis rail on this too, this pic was taken before TR8 was cut to pull the eng/Gbox back another 180mm, it now fits under my bonnet without touching. I think on average the bonnets on Roadsters need at least a 25-30mm power bulge to clear the front of most cam covers.

Hey Phil, how about you do a wide bodied version , which gives a little more cockpit space ? Maybe that takes the standard mx5 seats unaltered, I know that it would mean wider bodywork, but if you copyright the chassis, you could produce your own market. I know that you offer a diff cover, but for some of us slightly horizontally challenged, it would make the car more comfortable to drive !:cool:

People have asked for a wide bodied chassis and body work before and my answer has been the same every time, you pay for it and I'll make the first one.
I have a 46" waist and a 52" chest I'm currently 20 stone and I fit in a standard chassis, so question is do you want to be able to fit standard mx5 seats because it's cheaper or are you really that wide to need it?

It was basically to keep costs down by using the donor seats, rather than buy buckets, and just for a bit of comfort space. The only reason why I say this, is a few weeks ago I had a tour around gbs. They had a normal bodied gbs zero, which fitted snugly, and a wide bodied gbs, which felt a little more comfy once inside. As my wife says, a few inches, makes a huge difference ! Lol:D

hi phil
would you be able to produce a set of those engine mounts ready welded up for fitment on to a standard haynes chassis im currently fitting a 1.6 mx5 engine in and pre made mounts are few and far between

thanks mark

The engine mounts are a direct fit for the standard mx5 items these put the sump 40mm below the chassis rail. The slots in the plate allow the threaded section to pass through during fitting then the angle holds them in place. I'll leave the ends unfinished so you can trim them to length depending on where yours ends up sitting. £30 delivered ok?

thanks for your quick reply phil im havin a bit of a moment i think but is that with the wedge plates on the back making the angle as they are on your new chassis

sorry to be a pain

Yes the price is for a pair of fully assembled engine mounts.

sounds good to me whats the best way to pay through pay pal or bank transfer

also are you still looking into your roll cage design

Sounds good to me too sent you a n email Phil.
Mick.

Phil

Is the book spec separation of sb4 enough to allow for the offset of the mx5 diff?

As I have now placed my order for one of your diff covers I'm looking to crack on with the rear suspension framework and originally had the sb rails setup per Saturn design. About to revert back to book spec rear end now but just want to make sure I don't have to rework anything else.

Cheers

Mark

Your doing the same as me! After talking to Phil about this it's book spec rear end but sb4's have to be spread out I have set mine to the Saturn design distance just the sb4s to allow the clearence needed but u do have to move the tunnel rails to line up with the sb4s.

SB4 on the drivers side needs moving by 5mm but you also need to take the input flange into account and the prop shaft, I'll send you a proper set of drawings and pictures once I have got both the 1600 and 1800 in place.

Great, thanks. I will leave my SB's tacked in place just now then and get the rear frame done.

J.brownster: good to see someone else going down the 'new' route. Seen ur name on the wishbone list too which is also what I'm doing. Should save a fair bit of time!
I'm off work this week so getting rear end done today then start stripping the donor next couple of days...good times! :D

Yea my name is on there but awaiting for Phil to send an invoice for me to pay him some money so there all ordered plus the diff cover but I think he must be a busy boy at the moment!

Justin, the invoice was sent to you on the 30th October please check your emails/spam.
All the components for all the TMXR wishbones that are on order have been cut and profiled ready for assembly.

just like to say thanks to phil i received my engine mounts as promised and there excellent very happy customer

any news on your roll cage yet

im lucky enough to be off to jan the 6th now and really hoping to make some progress on the car this month

Phil, what would be the damage for a set of plans? I'm in West Oz, so a chassis premade isn't an option for me.