The Mite


Part :49

Trunk (Boot) Carpet

Trailer Just so you don't think I've been slacking for the last few months...I've built a dual-purpose trailer. it'll haul both the sandcar and anything else that will fit. I put the axle 3 feet from the back end of the trailer so I can pull the rear-engined sandcar on facing forward and still have proper tongue weight to keep the trailer from swaying.
HID Light bar on Rail I also made a 4 HID removable lightbar for the sandcar, added a tilt-column, new shifter, supertrapp exhaust and installed a new tranny.
TV in Trailer I put a TV in the toyhauler on a swivel mount, along with direct tv and a playstation/dvd player
Nuts and Bolts So, back to the Mite. I installed the trunk (boot) weatherstripping and got new rubber bumpers from Moss. I was cheap and went to Ace hardware and got a box of 100 each: Screws, washers and nylocks to hold the rubber bumpers on the car. The Three boxes of 100 were cheaper than 4 each from Moss.
Rubber boot bumpers Here's the rubber boot bumper in place
Speaker bulkhead panel Next was the speaker bulkhead between the trunk and the passenger compartment. i got some 1/4" plywood and cut it to fit.
Sprite speaker panel with holes Then, cut some speaker holes using the paper templates provided with the speakers.
Sprite speaker panel with speakers Here's the speakers fitted
T nuts in speaker panel To hold the bulkhead in place, I got these nifty 'T' nuts. They hammer in from one side and provide a captive, flush fitting nut in the wood. I used black allen head screws from the trunk side to hold the panel in place once it was carpeted.
Sprite trunk panels I also made some carpet-covered panels for the trunk sided. Here's one test fit in the trunk. I made cardboard patterns to help me with the plywood.
Sprite trunk boot panels Here's the driver's side. Note the holes for the battery cables.
Gluing carpet on sprite trunk panel After the panels were cut and fitted, I cut carpet about 1" bigger on all sides and sprayed carpet adhesive on the carpet back and the plywood.
Glued carpet on sprite trunk panel After a few minutes, press them together and clip/fold the edges under and you have carpeted panels.
Partially carpeted sprite speaker panel Here's the speaker panel carpeted, and the beginnings of the rest of the carpet. The wheel humps were a challenge, but carpet adhesive and patience and a few relief cuts yielded good results. Next come the speakers and the rear trim
Trunk (Boot)view of carpeted speaker panel The trunk view. You can see one of the small black allen head screws that hold the speaker panel in place
Speaker panel in sprite with speakers And the speakers installed along with the rear cockpit trim. I got the trim powdercoated black instead of covering it with vinyl
Speaker in Austin healey Sprite A closeup of the speaker and cockpit trim
Battery hold down in trunk of Austin healey Sprite The battery installed in the nifty billet battery holder.
Carpeted trunk in austin healey sprite with battery The battery and the nearly completed trunk
Mostly finished trunk in AH sprite I've got to put the prop-rod on the right hand side of the trunk, as it hits the battery now
Miata Stock Shifter The stock Miata shifter with the large, rubber-filled anti-vibration shaft
Modified stock miata shifter A few minutes with a grinder and wire wheel and the large, rubber-filled shaft is gone. I'll weld an extension on the top of the shifter once I figure out how tall I want it to be
Electrical strain relief in firewall The Battery cable coming through the firewall..I used a right angle electrical strain-relief that provides a secure, non-chafing right-angle pass through to the engine compartment.
Austin Healey Sprite MITE trunk lid (Boot) The trunk lid with shiney new t-handle

 

 

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