66 Miata Batmobile Build

BLACK!

For the primary layers of black, I used gloss black Rustoleum enamel, mostly with a high density foam roller and some areas with a spray can. The gloss really shows every imperfection - I think once it's finally mounted to the car I'll do a light sand and roll or spray on some satin black.
But for now gloss is fine.
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A bicycle rim fell from the ceiling inside the shed, and bonked the Batmobile pretty hard, leaving the first official ding:
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Ouch!
 
Sorry if I don't understand but your using spackle right. I'm thinking "drywall" spackle, if so aren't you concerned about cracking, weather, etc. If I'm wrong I apologize and dying to know what your using for another project I'm working on for my yard. It sounds like it's really easy to work with.
Christopher
 
One Year In: Black bat, front 1/2, sitting on the miata:

This morning I put the black batmobile front on the miata for the first time.

View attachment 81163

Also, I dummied up the headlights and turn signal chrome bits - it would be nice if I could black out the headlights with grill mesh like the real thing, but I don't think that would be legal. When I get the aluminum grill material, I think I'm going to leave it aluminum to match the other chrome pieces I have.

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I just realized that I'm a full year in on this.

Next I need to work out the mounting brackets, bolts and side tie-downs.
I also need to work out the electrical, pull off the stock miata front, get the grill made, bolt it all together and then see if this thing is good to go as is. It seems solid enough to me, but only driving around with it on will let me know for sure.
Once I've confirmed that the front works, I can pull it off, tarp it, store it and use what I've learned to build the rear.
 
Hello Bondoking,
I use 'Ready Patch' spackle, which is solvent based and has an alklyd binder (the same I think as enamel paint) - which means the cured product is stronger and doesn't melt when wet (water based drywall spackle remains meltable with water I think). Yes I'm worried about cracks, chips, and everything else, but I worked myself into a corner and because of chemical sensitivity I found this to be the best material for me. In any case, even Bondo cracks and chips in time, and it's made for cars.
I do recommend 'Ready Patch' as a great bondo alternative, but test it for your own needs of course.
 
Speaking of materials, I was snooping around the fabric store, and I found this in the misc. section:

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It's a woven pvc mesh fabric - it's super mega strong and flexible, and the woven strands are heat-fused together so it doesn't fray when cut! It's also a very open weave, so it saturates with resin easily.

I did a test with the pvc fabric using only CA glue as the resin binder, and the chipboard/pvc laminate I created was extremely strong - as in, 'Woah that's really freakin' strong' strong.

I might try using the material for the rear using the following process:

1. Build foam skeleton as before, but possibly switch to rigid urethane foam.
2. Line the outer skeleton with chipboard strips, glazed with CA glue.
3. Make chipboard skin plates as before, but attach them with CA glue and glaze each plate with a layer of CA glue top and bottom as I attach the plates to protect them from the humidity warp that reaked havoc with the front half.
4. When I get a section of chipboard plates done, attach a skin of pvc mesh material to the outside, gluing with a layer of CA glue and catalyst. (I plan to use CA glue for these stages because I'm not allergic to it.)
5. Paint the skinned pieces with epoxy resin, saturating the pvc material. (I will need to get help for this step, since I'm sensitized to the epoxy.)
6. After the epoxy fully cures, spackle and sand to remove the 'basketball skin' texture of the fabric. Paint with black enamel and mount pieces to the car.

All this is a ways off because first I have to finish the front and then I need to weld together a rear bumper/tail-light/rocket exhaust frame.
 
What a racket.

I found these chrome steel hospital bedrails for 8 bucks each at a thrift store - I'm going to chop them up to make the rear tail-light/rocket exhaust frame that the back body pieces bolt to:
View attachment 84268
Made templates for the grilles, cut them out and painted them black.
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Worked hard to make a cross-beam that will support both headlights as well as the far corners of the front of the Batmobile:
View attachment 84269
It's never too early to start planning for weaponry:
View attachment 84271
 
More mounting and Photoshoppery.

I properly mounted the headlights and turn signals today - a different look than the TV 66 but still very cool. I'm probaby going to wet-sand the gloss enamel and lay on a coat of flat black to help hide the lumpies.

View attachment 84272

Weight:
The front half weighs 65 pounds. The lights add another 8. I chopped ten pounds off the scrap hood and added another 5 in cross bar/bolts.
So I'm adding 68 pounds at this point. The back half will add at least that much.


Here's the scrap hood with all the proper spacers, bolts and headlight bar in place. This was an incredible amount of puzzling/drilling/measuring/bolting/unbolting/fiddling to get together.
(The bare steel is where I decided to do some practice stripping with the grinder.)

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Well here's the prize of the day - I did a quick photoshop job to lay in the red stripes - Holy embellishment, Batman!

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This thread makes me giddy every time I see it back on the main page. Love this build and the "well that almost killed me, how about this" madness of it. Good madness. People won't know the epic story they're in for when they see you driving it around and ask you how you did it.
 
tear down / electrical

I tore down the front and rear of the miata - the front needs to be torn down to test mount the front half of the Batmobile, and the rear needs to be torn down so I can start working on the rear:

View attachment 85548

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I used my grinder and dremel to cut off the steel rear mud flaps (welded to the miata's body) that would poke out below the batmobile.

View attachment 85550

I collected a bunch of trailer wiring harnesses, and I hacked into the electircal system of the miata so that every light plugs and unplugs with ease. That way, I can build a sister set of plugs for the Batmobile and all the lights will be a plug-and-play operation.

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This tear down and electrical took two hard days of work.
Stuff like this always seems like little stuff - until you do it!
 
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