Kit and colour options.
Discussion
About five years ago I painted an NA MX5 in a fetching shade of Aston Martin grey with a matte top coat and violet bits and bobs...
...it was for a charity drift event and has been sat ever since. I have no idea how the car looks now but imagine it's not a pretty sight.
So I have two questions...
1/ Is there a body kit for the NA that doesn't look completely terrible?
2/ What colour would you guys go for?
The car is green on the log book and I'm looking at that spectrum but not worried about making changes.
All the best LK
...it was for a charity drift event and has been sat ever since. I have no idea how the car looks now but imagine it's not a pretty sight.
So I have two questions...
1/ Is there a body kit for the NA that doesn't look completely terrible?
2/ What colour would you guys go for?
The car is green on the log book and I'm looking at that spectrum but not worried about making changes.
All the best LK
Many years ago, when I were a lad, there was a Lotus Elan Plus 2 at work in burgundy with a silver roof and I thought it looked fantastic. Almost 50 years later we bought a 2000 NB Icon in Art Vin Rouge (a sort of burgundy) and it came with a hardtop which looked as though it had been stored upside down on gravel and the colour was a few shades off too. I flatted the bad bits and a mate has just painted it in Mazda Sonic Silver.
Ian
Ian
Orcadian said:
Many years ago, when I were a lad, there was a Lotus Elan Plus 2 at work in burgundy with a silver roof and I thought it looked fantastic. Almost 50 years later we bought a 2000 NB Icon in Art Vin Rouge (a sort of burgundy) and it came with a hardtop which looked as though it had been stored upside down on gravel and the colour was a few shades off too. I flatted the bad bits and a mate has just painted it in Mazda Sonic Silver.
Ian
That’s blinding. Great looking car, well done.Ian
Little bit of an update...
Facebook wheels...
...£40
Elite Motorsport (Ginetta Jnr)...
...Michelin Pilotsport tyres £100
Fitted...
...and balanced £25
Thanks to...
https://www.facebook.com/EliteMotorsportEngineerin...
...
https://www.discounttyreskingslynn.com
...and Jay from Facebook.
Not a paid promotion just a happy customer.
The recovery company has let me down again. The car was supposed to have been picked up today. So I am hiring a transporter and doing it myself Monday.
Should be fun. :-)
Facebook wheels...
...£40
Elite Motorsport (Ginetta Jnr)...
...Michelin Pilotsport tyres £100
Fitted...
...and balanced £25
Thanks to...
https://www.facebook.com/EliteMotorsportEngineerin...
...
https://www.discounttyreskingslynn.com
...and Jay from Facebook.
Not a paid promotion just a happy customer.
The recovery company has let me down again. The car was supposed to have been picked up today. So I am hiring a transporter and doing it myself Monday.
Should be fun. :-)
I have to admit I was concerned about a 195-50R-15 tyre on a 15x7j wheel as for years I have been critiquing dangerously fitted stretched tyres but they are snug with a little bit of side wall.
The 15's will be accompanying me to collect the car as she did some damage to the Shipley rig when she was moved up north. An extra inch of wheel should solve any clearance issues.
The 15's will be accompanying me to collect the car as she did some damage to the Shipley rig when she was moved up north. An extra inch of wheel should solve any clearance issues.
Today was an adventure. Having been faff'd about a couple of times by recovery companies that wanted £170-£260 to collect the MX5 I hired a rig myself for £120 and put £40 diesel in...
...had to do a bit of digging...
...awesome winch. So glad I didn't have to push.
Straps on flat tyres. Not ideal but if I pumped them up and they went flat again the straps would loosen. This way they were as flat as they were going to get already and stay put.
Made it home without incident. New petrol and a battery she started first turn of the key, smoked quite a bit so I turned the engine off, "PINGCLUNKPOP"...
...the alternator was seized solid and burned the belt.
Started and ran okay so I thought I would drive on to the driveway. Nope the clutch pedal went to the floor and the car won't go in any gear.
Due to the welded diff' pushing required a Section Five amount of swearing. I took the recovery truck back and gave the car a quick wash in the Autumnal twilight (so she doesn't look completely crap).
I'm tempted to put the car through an MOT to see how catastrophically it fails. But that would be a waste of the testers time and mine.
...had to do a bit of digging...
...awesome winch. So glad I didn't have to push.
Straps on flat tyres. Not ideal but if I pumped them up and they went flat again the straps would loosen. This way they were as flat as they were going to get already and stay put.
Made it home without incident. New petrol and a battery she started first turn of the key, smoked quite a bit so I turned the engine off, "PINGCLUNKPOP"...
...the alternator was seized solid and burned the belt.
Started and ran okay so I thought I would drive on to the driveway. Nope the clutch pedal went to the floor and the car won't go in any gear.
Due to the welded diff' pushing required a Section Five amount of swearing. I took the recovery truck back and gave the car a quick wash in the Autumnal twilight (so she doesn't look completely crap).
I'm tempted to put the car through an MOT to see how catastrophically it fails. But that would be a waste of the testers time and mine.
I little well known fact about the MX5 is that Mazda were inspired by European sports cars and knowing how Europeans drove sports cars made sure that the car had four tow points strong enough to drag the car out of fields, ditches and most important right the car back on its wheels after a roll.
This also comes in handy when some idiot (it was like it when I bought it) fits apple bottomed furry boot coilovers...
...and you can't get a jack under the bloody thing!
Raised an inch...
...without touching the suspension.
This also comes in handy when some idiot (it was like it when I bought it) fits apple bottomed furry boot coilovers...
...and you can't get a jack under the bloody thing!
Raised an inch...
...without touching the suspension.
Edited by Liquid Knight on Tuesday 25th August 22:47
Day 1 (only half an hour after work yesterday).
That's a lot rustier than I hoped.
European sports car then.
Getting the alternator off was an impossible task. No rook to get a socket in there and no space to move a socket spanner. European sports car then.
Dry diff' ready to fit.
Bugger! The car has a wet one. I think it'll fit. 
No filter in the air box at all.
Sadly the only filter I had in my shed was a Piper X induction kit from my Punto HGT van project.
Headlight or bonnet vent to get cold air in there. :-)
Seized clutch pedal cylinder. I'll replace the gearbox clutch cylinder as a matter of course.
In accordance with Japanese tradition "t
tti Sako" this bracket is impossible for someone with large hands and a small temper to get to. I was hoping to take the clutch cylinders out completely but this put an end to that.
Back when I was deluded and thought the car stood a chance of passing the MOT I knew the handbrake lever without a button would be a failure so I ordered a replacement. I still think it's only subframes, welding, bushes, anti-roll bars....
...
...
....nah, Track use only I guess.
That's a lot rustier than I hoped.
European sports car then.
Getting the alternator off was an impossible task. No rook to get a socket in there and no space to move a socket spanner. European sports car then.
Dry diff' ready to fit.
Bugger!
The car has a wet one. I think it'll fit. No filter in the air box at all.
Sadly the only filter I had in my shed was a Piper X induction kit from my Punto HGT van project.
Headlight or bonnet vent to get cold air in there. :-)
Seized clutch pedal cylinder. I'll replace the gearbox clutch cylinder as a matter of course.
In accordance with Japanese tradition "t
tti Sako" this bracket is impossible for someone with large hands and a small temper to get to. I was hoping to take the clutch cylinders out completely but this put an end to that. Back when I was deluded and thought the car stood a chance of passing the MOT I knew the handbrake lever without a button would be a failure so I ordered a replacement. I still think it's only subframes, welding, bushes, anti-roll bars....
...
...
....nah, Track use only I guess.
Less of a photofest today.
Due to the fact the car is not Italian rain stopped play...
...the colour looks okay wet. Maybe a touch up and decent coat of lacquer.
Anyway, hubs and shafts are off. After an hour trying with various hammers I had a Google and it turns out they need to be pressed out of the hubs with up to three Tons. None of my local garages have anything big enough so I'll be on the hunt tomorrow.
Due to the fact the car is not Italian rain stopped play...
...the colour looks okay wet. Maybe a touch up and decent coat of lacquer.
Anyway, hubs and shafts are off. After an hour trying with various hammers I had a Google and it turns out they need to be pressed out of the hubs with up to three Tons. None of my local garages have anything big enough so I'll be on the hunt tomorrow.
Liquid Knight said:
After an hour trying with various hammers I had a Google and it turns out they need to be pressed out of the hubs with up to three Tons. None of my local garages have anything big enough so I'll be on the hunt tomorrow.
3 ton?I had one hub that needed ~ 10+ ton & the drive-flange was bent as a result
Rich.
Zed. said:
Liquid Knight said:
After an hour trying with various hammers I had a Google and it turns out they need to be pressed out of the hubs with up to three Tons. None of my local garages have anything big enough so I'll be on the hunt tomorrow.
3 ton?I had one hub that needed ~ 10+ ton & the drive-flange was bent as a result
Rich.
Liquid Knight said:
A local engineering firm has offered to do it for £110 so I'm looking for new hubs.
christfor £110 you can buy hubs, strip / sandblast / paint / fit new bearings & reassemble (even fit long wheelstuds if needed)
and if using mk2 rear flanges, ream 1/2" & press in mk2 escort extended wheelstuds @ £lots cheaper than mx5 studs
Rich.
Day 3 and not much to report.
The pedal clutch cylinder took seconds to fit. While I was under the bonnet I thought I would tackle the alternator belt. I removed the brace bar between the inlet personifold (manifold really? It's 2020) and block to get to the bottom bolt from underneath. Sadly it was rust welded in place and I had to use a bottle jack and brick to move the bloody thing...
...putting it back to tension the belt was interesting as well. The adjuster bolt sheared off so I had to weld a 13mm nut to the end as I didn't have any long enough. Old hammer handle and big hammer to knock it back and arse about with the bolts for another hour. Rain stopped play before I could fit the gearbox clutch cylinder. Meh.
The pedal clutch cylinder took seconds to fit. While I was under the bonnet I thought I would tackle the alternator belt. I removed the brace bar between the inlet personifold (manifold really? It's 2020) and block to get to the bottom bolt from underneath. Sadly it was rust welded in place and I had to use a bottle jack and brick to move the bloody thing...
...putting it back to tension the belt was interesting as well. The adjuster bolt sheared off so I had to weld a 13mm nut to the end as I didn't have any long enough. Old hammer handle and big hammer to knock it back and arse about with the bolts for another hour. Rain stopped play before I could fit the gearbox clutch cylinder. Meh.
Edited by Liquid Knight on Friday 28th August 19:12
Today was a bit of a work out. Whoever fitted the welded diff' used an impact gun on every single nut and bolt. ALL OF THEM!!!
I don't own an impact gun so I had to use my six foot breaker bar and three foot extension on some of the ruddy things.
But first I had to cut a hole in the bonnet.
MX5's air intake was the wrong way round so this is pretty much the only way to get cold air into the filter.
So to get to the prop'shaft bolts I had to remove the exhaust and subframe support frame.
The prop'shaft bolts were done up so tight and the lack of space meant I had to cut those off. A bit more swearing later and it was out with the duff...
...and in with the diff'.
Still waiting to hear about replacement hubs or a hydraulic press capable of doing the job on my hubs.
I don't own an impact gun so I had to use my six foot breaker bar and three foot extension on some of the ruddy things.
But first I had to cut a hole in the bonnet.
MX5's air intake was the wrong way round so this is pretty much the only way to get cold air into the filter.
So to get to the prop'shaft bolts I had to remove the exhaust and subframe support frame.
The prop'shaft bolts were done up so tight and the lack of space meant I had to cut those off. A bit more swearing later and it was out with the duff...
...and in with the diff'.
Still waiting to hear about replacement hubs or a hydraulic press capable of doing the job on my hubs.
So new (old) hubs arrived and even though they were from the same car, same year, same engine and even the same colour (green) the dust covers were different...
...removed for added lightness and better brake cooling.
In my other thread "Driveway CSI" I like to mention a "Tool of the Job". This time it was these...
...stain remover powder scoops that were just the right size to soak four nuts in WD-40
Quite a bit of my time today was spent cleaning threads to make sure that when the nuts and bolts were tight, they were tight and not held up by rust.
Back on the ground, running and driving...
...like a bag of crap. Maybe old petrol or needs a new MAF or fuel filter.
Mazdas European sports car...
...has now been swept up and put in the bin.
...removed for added lightness and better brake cooling.
In my other thread "Driveway CSI" I like to mention a "Tool of the Job". This time it was these...
...stain remover powder scoops that were just the right size to soak four nuts in WD-40
Quite a bit of my time today was spent cleaning threads to make sure that when the nuts and bolts were tight, they were tight and not held up by rust.
Back on the ground, running and driving...
...like a bag of crap. Maybe old petrol or needs a new MAF or fuel filter.
Mazdas European sports car...
...has now been swept up and put in the bin.
The MX5 running issues I put down to a faulty air flow sensor or fuel filter. I went for the easy option. Replaced the air flow sensor and the car now runs fine. 😉
The speedometer has never worked so I ordered a new cable and as the car wasn't on ramps took the dash apart. The cable was not attached went up and down the drive to see the cable rotate, plugged it back in and the speedo works.
New diff and bigger wheels so accuracy is an unknown but after a few swear word days it was nice for things to be a little less eventful.
The speedometer has never worked so I ordered a new cable and as the car wasn't on ramps took the dash apart. The cable was not attached went up and down the drive to see the cable rotate, plugged it back in and the speedo works.
New diff and bigger wheels so accuracy is an unknown but after a few swear word days it was nice for things to be a little less eventful.
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