gm

new plugs and leads on the mighty mx5, just in time to be dropped off at scaryoldcortina’s for an mot

updated the ‘service record’ and got the date right this time !

new plugs and leads on the mighty mx5, just in time to be dropped off at scaryoldcortina’s for an mot

updated the ‘service record’ and got the date right this time !

i’ve been watching this project with interest, some good engineering and quite entertaining too
still nowhere near the road but there do seem to be plenty of other projects going on at the same time, we’ll worth a watch 

there’s plenty of those around ! 
if you happen to be in the area, feel free to stop by and have a look at / go on the Exo, it’s currently in storage but will be back on the road as soon as the green mx5 is sold.
which should be next week  

there’s plenty of those around ! 
if you happen to be in the area, feel free to stop by and have a look at / go on the Exo, it’s currently in storage but will be back on the road as soon as the green mx5 is sold.
which should be next week  

Fantastic! I'm seriously considering building an Exocet. I've wanted to build by own kit car for years, it was Ron Champion's Build Your Own Sports Car for £250 which got me interested. The problem is that I don't have enough spare time at the moment and i know that in a few years time MX5 prices will be through the roof! I reckon that I need to find a rusty MX5 now and stash it away somewhere.

i usually buy an Autoshite calendar but this year had a go at making my own
mother gm was thrilled to feature on the cover !

you will have seen most of these pics already but i think i chose a good selection 



more to follow on the 1st each month 

i usually buy an Autoshite calendar but this year had a go at making my own
mother gm was thrilled to feature on the cover !

you will have seen most of these pics already but i think i chose a good selection 



more to follow on the 1st each month 

i usually buy an Autoshite calendar but this year had a go at making my own
mother gm was thrilled to feature on the cover !

you will have seen most of these pics already but i think i chose a good selection 



more to follow on the 1st each month 

my mx5 taken at Burnhope, County Durham whilst I was supposed to be Christmas shopping a few weeks ago  

the standard steering wheel on an mx5 is about 350mm but i fitted a smaller 320mm sports! wheel. this is great but the indicators are obscured and i’ve had a couple of occasions recently when they haven’t self cancelled and i’ve not noticed  

some ingenuity was required 


no chance of not noticing these little buggers !

yes, they really are retina meltingly bright ! 
this is more of a prototype of something i’ve got planned for the Exo but might need to rethink it slightly  

the standard steering wheel on an mx5 is about 350mm but i fitted a smaller 320mm sports! wheel. this is great but the indicators are obscured and i’ve had a couple of occasions recently when they haven’t self cancelled and i’ve not noticed  

some ingenuity was required 


no chance of not noticing these little buggers !

yes, they really are retina meltingly bright ! 
this is more of a prototype of something i’ve got planned for the Exo but might need to rethink it slightly  

the standard steering wheel on an mx5 is about 350mm but i fitted a smaller 320mm sports! wheel. this is great but the indicators are obscured and i’ve had a couple of occasions recently when they haven’t self cancelled and i’ve not noticed  

some ingenuity was required 


no chance of not noticing these little buggers !

yes, they really are retina meltingly bright ! 
this is more of a prototype of something i’ve got planned for the Exo but might need to rethink it slightly  

the green one was slightly hesitant at cold idle, a likely cause being the ht leads of unknown age (i’d replaced them from my stash of spares when the car first arrived)

i’ll just borrow the good ones off the black car
(note the firing order is different between the two engines)

 

gave them a quick rub with wd40 to clean them up

and the green one now runs perfectly 

yet the black one runs just fine too (edit) like a bag of shite now  

i’ve ordered up a new set anyway - can’t go wrong at these prices

i’ve actually got someone coming to view the green one at the weekend - might have the Exo back on the road soon  
 

despite being marked DOT SAE my led headlights are not likely to pass an mot which is due next week


they’re nice and bright but the beam pattern is no good

so it’s back to old fashioned H4 lenses and bulbs

if that is all i had to worry about for the mot, i’d be a happy camper but there’s a patch of welding needed on the rear inner sill and a brake line needing replaced. hopefully scaryoldcortina can fit me in next week

i had a go at cleaning up the manky coilovers that came off the green machine

warm water and fairy liquid did precisely bugger all so i popped out and purchased a few litres of “special organic solvent”
worked a treat  


the downside being that what the previous owner had told me were HSD coilovers turned out to be maxpeedingrods  the cheapest of ebay kit (i had been a little sceptical at the time)

no surprise the ride was a bit harsh.
undeterred, i stuck come photos up on fb marketplace at approx half the price of a new set and sold them within three hours ! 
 

*incoherent excited yelling and pointing*

*image stabilisation has no power over my excitement*

TWELVE YEARS I've been waiting for this to happen!  An Ambassador encountered totally randomly in the wild.  Mike, the owner of the Ambassador, was so surprised to see the Princess as he was leaving and I was arriving that he turned around and came back specifically to say hello.
 
I am inordinately excited and I refuse to contain myself.

ok then, just once more 
i spotted an ad on marketplace for a set of mk2 standard suspension and being as i was passing on my way to edinburgh at the weekend, it seemed rude not to.
the current suspension is just that little bit harsh

so has been replaced with

i got a fright when i dropped it down off the jacks
front arch gap - blimey 😦 

rear arch gap - holy fuck 😦 

hoping it will settle down, i took it for a quick drive
last week on the old ebay coil overs

and now as mazda intended it to look 

thankfully it has settled down nicely, and the ride comfort is so much better - suits the autobox perfectly
two very different cars - but which one would you choose ?


sadly i can’t keep them both 

 

the green one was slightly hesitant at cold idle, a likely cause being the ht leads of unknown age (i’d replaced them from my stash of spares when the car first arrived)

i’ll just borrow the good ones off the black car
(note the firing order is different between the two engines)

 

gave them a quick rub with wd40 to clean them up

and the green one now runs perfectly 

yet the black one runs just fine too (edit) like a bag of shite now  

i’ve ordered up a new set anyway - can’t go wrong at these prices

i’ve actually got someone coming to view the green one at the weekend - might have the Exo back on the road soon  
 

i had a go at cleaning up the manky coilovers that came off the green machine

warm water and fairy liquid did precisely bugger all so i popped out and purchased a few litres of “special organic solvent”
worked a treat  


the downside being that what the previous owner had told me were HSD coilovers turned out to be maxpeedingrods  the cheapest of ebay kit (i had been a little sceptical at the time)

no surprise the ride was a bit harsh.
undeterred, i stuck come photos up on fb marketplace at approx half the price of a new set and sold them within three hours ! 
 

when i’m working late shift, i usually park in town and pay for the last hour of metered parking using an app.
it’s quite simple, you just type in a code marked on the sign, confirm your reg and pay your ££.
this is a summary of my recent activity

it would appear that i have been paying to park the mazda several times this month when i know i’ve been driving the bini !
note to self : check the correct reg number next time  
i guess the wardens must knock off early round here 

I've copied and pasted these initial updates from another forum.   
 
This goes back to 2021/early 2022. First two posts will cover the back story and then I'll add what I've been doing to it this last month.  There's been quite a delay on this because my wife became very ill in mid-2022 and all life turned to making sure she came through her illness (which she has, all-clear been given etc etc).  Life is sort of back to normal (although i'd argue that something like that changes life and perspectives across the entire family.  Not sure what normal is now tbh).  
So back to 2021..............I've wanted to have a build thread of my own for years but I've never had a car that I felt had sufficient interest (or age) to warrant a thread.  But Covid changed my attitude - felt that life can be so precarious that I really had to step up my search for something.  I live in West Wales and alot of my local friends are electricians or carpenters or plumbers.  They go to a lot of houses and farms.  I told them all to look out for anything under a cover or tarpaulin or looked a bit forgotten that to give me a ring.  In 2022  I got a call about this car from one of the lads.  He didn't know what he was looking at, just that he knew it needed saving and 'it looks quick'!  

I met the owner (whom used to use it quite often but then his life took a turn for the worse and it had to be set aside to prioritise other things going on - totally understandable) before xmas 2021 and agreed a deal and paid a 10% deposit....then  xmas and life got in the way and it was only today that I was able to go and pick it up.  The plan is to ignore the exterior for the moment.....and just get the interior dry and all fitted out (I've got all the parts but he did the headlining and then life got in the way and some of the interior needs putting back). 
 
I've got a couple of dehumidifiers coming to help with the drying out too.  I then am going to get the car mechanically fettled and then MOT'd.  Once it's MOT'd then I'm going to use it for business meetings, day trips with the kids, charity runs, going up to North Wales to see my Dad and Devon to see my mum etc etc..  

Some initial pictures - bear in mind it was under a tarp(for 3 years, with the passenger window open..........) right up until the point you see these pictures. 
 
We got it into my shed and onto the ramp to see what we had.  The interior needs a lot of fettling.  On to the next instalment.  

no no no no no, those wheels are hideous, these are what you need  
 
now stop messing about, when are you coming to collect them ? 

ok then, just once more 
i spotted an ad on marketplace for a set of mk2 standard suspension and being as i was passing on my way to edinburgh at the weekend, it seemed rude not to.
the current suspension is just that little bit harsh

so has been replaced with

i got a fright when i dropped it down off the jacks
front arch gap - blimey 😦 

rear arch gap - holy fuck 😦 

hoping it will settle down, i took it for a quick drive
last week on the old ebay coil overs

and now as mazda intended it to look 

thankfully it has settled down nicely, and the ride comfort is so much better - suits the autobox perfectly
two very different cars - but which one would you choose ?


sadly i can’t keep them both