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gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - look who’s back


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8 minutes ago, gm said:

save yourself the hassle and just fit the whole lot

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Double quote. The temptation to fit a seat to that rig and get it going is overwhelming.

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11 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

Couple of evening's light work for a man of your capabilities!

Found a very good website by a man who is modifying a Healey Sprite. Quite a lot of shaving metal away from the Bell housing and making new engine plates. Then all the remote shift needs to be reworked as it sits several inches further back.

I'm oot 😄

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28 minutes ago, Matty said:

Found a very good website by a man who is modifying a Healey Sprite. Quite a lot of shaving metal away from the Bell housing and making new engine plates. Then all the remote shift needs to be reworked as it sits several inches further back.

I'm oot 😄

It's totally unsuitable imo.  Spitfire overdrive has to be the way.  But I wont divert this thread.

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that wooden handbrake grip was looking a tad sorry for itself 

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a trip to the breakers and £20 later !

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much smarter 

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ideally i would have refinished the wooden one but i’m not confident of not making a mess of it  

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i popped round to see me mam yesterday and checked on the Exo - the battery was showing 11.9v despite sitting idle for six weeks - so i gave it a try and it fired up first time :) 

sounded so angry echoing off the garage door - can’t wait to get it back on the road next month 

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meanwhile the green monster sits tucked up patiently awaiting a new owner

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On 04/03/2024 at 19:12, gm said:

right, enough spending on this thing

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

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so has been replaced with

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i got a fright when i dropped it down off the jacks

front arch gap - blimey 😦 

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rear arch gap - holy fuck 😦 

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hoping it will settle down, i took it for a quick drive

last week on the old ebay coil overs

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and now as mazda intended it to look 

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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 ?

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sadly i can’t keep them both 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - unlowering the green machine

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

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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 :) 

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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)

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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 ! 

 

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

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

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

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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

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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)

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i’ll just borrow the good ones off the black car

(note the firing order is different between the two engines)

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gave them a quick rub with wd40 to clean them up

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and the green one now runs perfectly 

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

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

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

 

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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 :( 

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some ingenuity was required 

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no chance of not noticing these little buggers !

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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 :) 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - an Exo calendar
1 hour ago, gm said:

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 !

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

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more to follow on the 1st each month 

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.

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1 minute ago, Blake's Den said:

I need to find a rusty MX5 now

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 :) 

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6 minutes ago, Blake's Den said:

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.

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 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - the green monster has now left the building
11 minutes ago, Minimad5 said:

Do excuse the potentially stupid question, but why would the firing order be different between both MX5s ?

now you mention it, it doesn’t make much sense - maybe just the way the coils are wired up ? 

3 1 2 4 on the 1.6

4 1 2 3 on the 1.8

 

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On 09/04/2024 at 19:03, gm said:

which left an empty garage…

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hmm, time to go shopping ? 

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i should have bought one of these years ago - what a cracking piece of kit ! and excellent value thanks to @DVee8’s trade card.

the lad in the shop had a chuckle when he saw i’d come to collect it in the mx5 but it fitted perfectly in the boot

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weighed a fucking ton when i tried to lift it out ! 

also i took a short cut to avoid traffic and got the mazda a little bit dirty

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good news is that it’s had its rear sill repaired and passed its mot  :) 

(with the usual advisory for the exhaust !)

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On 09/04/2024 at 19:31, gm said:

now you mention it, it doesn’t make much sense - maybe just the way the coils are wired up ? 

3 1 2 4 on the 1.6

4 1 2 3 on the 1.8

 

Is it a wasted spark system ? If so, the firing order could well be the same...

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Exo has been rescued from hibernation - took a little more effort to push out of the garage for some reason

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i’d suspected this might happen so had the compressor with me, a quick check of the fluids and the engine fired first time :) 

a brief hoon was had but on the damp roads, the crappy chinese tyres really showed their true colours - they’ll be getting replaced asap

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in the meantime i’ve refitted the steelies with semi slicks, they drive so much better than these ditchfinders 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - look who’s back

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