Night Owl Collection thread

[The Moog]

Did you take Mr Satsuma's entire family with you on that trip?

Many satsumas were munched during the making of this thread.

 

 

At the last stop we invoked the rule of collections. Do not open the sunroof, or in this case the floppy top.

 

Buckceteer was braced for toplessness to prove his Scottishness but a fear of being caught partially exposed led to coverage was maintained till home.

[The Moog]

Context always helps with this.

 

Pre collection plan

 

 

Currently I have got the ex GM/tickman MK1 eunos that I purchased just under a year ago. I have totally fallen in love with the car and used it on trackday and autotest.

 

Yes a turbo or supercharger would be nice, but that would make my rubbish driving more obvious.

 

The current eunos is a bit frilly and required a decent amount of welding to get through the last MOT.

 

So the plans were either

 

a) take it off the road for a bit, get a car tilter and sort the underneath out or

 

find a cheap rust free mk1 - much harder now as prices are on the up.

 

Mitisigma mentioned on a thread that he was thinking of getting rid of his MK1 when MOT ran out of test at end of November.

 

Quicker than Purplebargeken asking whether it was ULEZ, I sent a missive asking about levels of rust. MS then posted up a fuller description on the sight and a rough price.

 

Doing the sums in my head

(number of cars, pennies in bank account, location of car, availability of car loving idiots to help with collection plus level of grief from Missus Moog)

 

i then proceeded to carryout a full comprehensive Shiters prepurchase inspection by putting the asking amount across by PayPal.

 

Bucketeer was then roped into an all night collection without too many complaints. A midnight on Friday appointment was made with MS

 

I was in Uxbridge visiting mother Moog so was vaguely in the right area - well sort of.

 

Trip was Uxbridge to Field of dreams, Field of dreams to Horsham, Horsham to Accrington. M6 was closed so it was an M1 trip was in place.

 

Admiral insurance was procured (only £25 cancellation fee within two weeks) and the trip was go go go.

 

The night before collection I had a night of not being very well so had many feverish dreams about my mx5s breeding....

[The Moog]

Post collection

 

Few hours sleep and my first play with car. Overall it looks in better nick than current Eunos - certainly feels more solid.

 

It currently has an almost mint MOMO wheel, non crunchy gear change and a lot less rust than current one.

 

Has a few quirks that need sorting, the hood needs fixing, front wheels are 17 inch and rears 15 inch, moss removing, brake fluid changing and of course a leak stopping. I am assuming a lack of LSD and definitely doesn't have lowered suspension on it.

 

It came with a Peugeot full of spares including many alloys.

 

The current Eunos is a bit frilly but also has crunchy gearbox. Plus side it has lsd, coilovers, is aligned properly, newish 421 exhaust an decat, new diff bushes, 3 newish brake calipers, a waterproof hood with glass rear window.

 

Plan a is MoT first to see where we stand. I think it will pass.

 

After than it is MoT the other one and go from there.

 

It will then be

 

A) two MoTd mx5s - which gives me a dilemma (a nice one obviously)

 

one failed and one doesn't - bits swapped over to make a good one, glass rear roof is donated to njgleeds along with bits to make his a manual. Rest will be parted out and left overs scrapped.

 

C) both fail - pick the easier one to fix and go from there.

 

Whichever survives will be de-rusted and given some proofing before becoming a long term track toy.

 

[320touring]

You can't make NJG's manual as he'll then lose the excuse he has for being slow..

[gm]

excellent collectioning lads ! have a closer look at where that leak is coming from, there is a weak spot on the water pump inlet where the thermostat bypass hose attaches, the metal outlet pipe has a 90o corner which tends to corrode and leak. easier to replace than the water pump as the timing belt doesn't need to come off but frustratingly costs more than a pump

 

it can be fixed* if you cut the outlet pipe off at the angled bit and attach a longer hose. if it is a water pump you need, shout up, as there's one in my box of bits. good luck with your mots

[The Moog]

That's good to know. Will be getting forte stop leak and an mot attempt before spending anything else on it.

 

Would also like to point out that Mitisigma was an utter gent, trying to give me money back to cover the water leak - far too kind.

 

I think this is definitely going to be one of those "do you remember when you could buy a full mx5 for X amount, now they want more than that for a heater knob" car.

 

Luckily Bucketeers journey home is going to be a more sedate trip in many more comforts (and a seat for his trophy obvs)

[NorthernMonkey]

You can't make NJG's manual as he'll then lose the excuse he has for being slow..

Bloody hell, old chap. Bit below the belt or what?

[beko1987]

Sounds like the challenge for a duel to me...

[Bucketeer]

^^^^ May the best Neil win.

 

[Bucketeer]

Two close to middle aged men hooning around in matching MX5s in the Northern mizzle with the hoods down. #MX5LYFE

 

 

 

 

[320touring]

Bloody hell, old chap. Bit below the belt or what?

Merely an accurate observation;)

[gm]

Two close to middle aged men hooning around in matching MX5s in the Northern mizzle with the hoods down. #MX5LYFE

 

IMG_20181201_144741328.jpg

 

IMG_20181201_145535372_HDR.jpg

 

IMG_20181201_145710278_HDR.jpg

 

IMG_20181201_145748706_HDR.jpg

looks like fun, who is fastest ?

 

wish I could come and join in

[Vince70]

I remember when these came out in 1989 as my mates sister paid over the asking price for a new red one on a G plate from a dealership that specialised in unobtainable expensive motors.

Red really is the colour for an MX5 and my father might even sell his 3 lite Stype cheap next year if you fancy doing an engine conversion.

[The Moog]

 

 

Red really is the colour for an MX5 and my father might even sell his 3 lite Stype cheap next year if you fancy doing an engine conversion.

I have got a 3 litre s type sitting outside but cost of conversion is probably close to £8k - that buys a massive lot of turbo!

 

 

Which one is quicker - whichever one i am driving obvs.

[beko1987]

If you crash head on at 80mph does it make a mazda 6?

[Mrs6C]

Almost, but not quite...

 

 

 

[beko1987]

Its the brokeback mountain version of cars...

[Shirley Knott]

 

I think this is definitely going to be one of those "do you remember when you could buy a full mx5 for X amount, now they want more than that for a heater knob" car.

 

 

Agree wholeheartedly.

 

I sold my last Mk1 about this time last year (A very nice never welded genuinely rust free '89 Eunos) for a smidge under £3k quickly and without much trouble, I instantly realised then the game was up for cheap/good Mk1's

[SiC]

I'm seriously tempted to get another MX5. Most fun I've ever had in a car. I can even remember the smell of the MK1 we had. Slightly musty (and rusty) but old smell.

 

I absolutely loved travelling along the A417/A419 with the roof down when it was sub zero outside. Possibly why the MOT history of it reads pretty tragic. Still on the road though!

 

It was also the first car that gave me the confidence to spanner on a car myself. Simple mechanics and very easy to work on.

[Shirley Knott]

 

It was also the first car that gave me the confidence to spanner on a car myself. Simple mechanics and very easy to work on.

 

Same story here.

 

I served a HGV fitter's apprenticeship with Leyland Daf in the 90's( Spent 4 years there) and whilst It was great and all, LDV Convoys and DAF RoadTrains seemed very complex when compared to tinkering with multiple MX5's. The Roadsters are largely to blame for my 'Devil may care' attitude to motor vehicle maintenance. I cut my teeth on them and were it not for MX5's I'd probably be paying £150 a month for a Euro box I'd never own or alternatively be paying someone £50 an hour to break stuff and speak to me like an idiot.

[gm]

what is the collective noun for red mx5s, I wonder ? 

 

 

on the way home we hogged three lanes of the motorway, it was a bit like being on top gear (probably) 

[paulplom]

We sold our un mot'd rotten one last year. It failed on loads of corrosion and needed £100's spent to weld it up. It was red and p reg. A welder gave us £459 for it and told us is was his next project.

[mitsisigma01]

Bugger I should of asked for more !!! You did read the small print that allows me to buyback once mot'd and serviced at my original selling price didnt you Will

[wuvvum]

LDV Convoys seemed very complex

That's not a sentence you hear very often.

[Noel Tidybeard]

steelz suit these well innit?

[mitsisigma01]

The Renault steels that were being sold the other day will fit 4x100 but not sure of centre bore and offset off the top of me head

[The Moog]

You can't make NJG's manual as he'll then lose the excuse he has for being slow..

 

In light of his latest autotest I think he may have has a point! 

 

Bugger I should of asked for more !!! You did read the small print that allows me to buyback once mot'd and serviced at my original selling price didnt you Will

 

I am invoking the Cavcraft law of 10,000 miles or end of the street whichever comes first for that guarantee!