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gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - unlowering the green machine


gm

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a bit of work on the seats today 

first off - what the hell is all this about ?

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'tis the result of this nonsense

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I needed to figure out where to cut the holes for the harnesses

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an unbelievable amount of fannying on with spirit levels, rulers, bits of tape, more spirit levels, more bits of tape etc. was required.

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got there eventually

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I drove myself crackers trying to get both seats marked up the same, it turns out the passenger seat is 2cm wider than the drivers - very confusing :( 

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time to drill some holes

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then get the trusty jigsaw out

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repeat as necessary

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off with the tape and let's see

hmm, a bit rough

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no matter, that's what edge trim is for :) 

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back in the car and looking good 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - seats and harnesses

headlights !

I found a lovely pair of polished aluminium brackets on eBay to fit the headlights

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39mm, should be a perfect fit

ordered Sunday, arrived nice and quick today

really good quality, got them bolted straight onto the headlights

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all I need to do now is slip it over the end of the frame and tighten up those Allen screws

cock ! 

cock, cock, cockity cock !

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that'll be the frame that is welded at both ends then. 

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back to the drawing board, you fanny :( 

 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - headlight c*ck

https://www.wish.com/product/5f069612b08af20b19b09104?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=GB&_force_currency_code=GBP&pid=googleadwords_int&c=%7BcampaignId%7D&ad_cid=5f069612b08af20b19b09104&ad_cc=GB&ad_curr=GBP&ad_price=15.00&campaign_id=6493229882&exclude_install=true}&guest=true&gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZhycUO7J78cc_QrMecEzILGrWbuk9e1YTDk9fmKfpaCWwWhoLEbZPxoCT6cQAvD_BwE&share=web

 

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Good suggestion but ideally I'd prefer not to be drilling into that part of the frame if I can avoid it - it's a bit structural :( 

 these ones on eBay look ok

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£27 from a uk supplier or £14 on a slow boat from china - like I say, I'm not in a hurry :) 

 

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some folk use these brackets but they tend to wobble about a bit

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so need to be braced with something like this

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I'm hoping I might get away without braces using sturdier (looking) brackets - I've ordered them up anyway so will report back in a few weeks time :) 

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time for more of my favourite pastime - bloody wiring :( 

way back when, I bought a pair of fancy dan button switches for the fog light and hazards

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which need to be mounted somewhere convenient on the dash (must be within reach when seated with harness fastened)

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with a bit of extra careful drilling, they fit very neatly in the corners of the cowel

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but of course, they need wiring up :( 

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not too bad, but took way longer than expected

the fog light needs a 'tell tale' so I repurposed the heated rear screen indicator - won't be needing one of those :) 

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full Christmas tree - I'm happy with that

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and that steering column is still held up by bungee, a job for tomorrow, I promise !

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23 hours ago, Minimad5 said:

Fog switch needs to be on the side of the FOG indication lamp. OCD said so.

 

it was going to be but apparently I can't tell my left from my right :) easy enough to swap them over but I simply can't be arsed !

I'll convince myself that the hazard button needs to be nearer the middle so the passenger can operate it when I've crashed into a hedge and knocked myself out 

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a few weeks back, I posted on the Exocet fb group that I was looking for an exhaust - the official back box is expensive and I don't really like the design so plan to get something fancy once the car is tested and on the road. The current set up is not likely to hasn't got a hope of passing the iva :( shame, it sounds great and looks suitably mental

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anyway, I did get a message from a chap called Adi who is going full custom on his build so has an unused Exo box sitting in his garage which he is happy to sell on.

slight snag, he lives in Switzerland :( 

but, even with OMG postage, there was still a good saving to be had over buying direct from Exo.

so on Monday last week, I sent off my €€€ and settled down for a wait

this morning I received this message

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bloody hell, it can't be here already ?

bang on time, the man in the big red van arrived

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economy service in less than a week, even with covid and omgsnokaos to contend with, and no extra taxes to pay :)

behold shiney goodness !

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definitely a weight saving here

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I'm reusing the centre section from a scabby old exhaust that @paulplom was going to chuck in a skip

the back box was utterly fecked but it was being chopped off anyway

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the middle bit came up ok with a bit of a wire brush

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might need a bit of a shim though

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cut to the right length and test fitted

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rubbed down and given a nice thick coat of engine paint

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that looks pretty good, I might keep it after all.

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of course the big question is : what does it sound like ?

well, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that one - it was getting a bit late to try it tonight :(  

 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - found a solution to an Exhausting problem :)

also on the Exocet fb group, a fellow builder had a set of standard road springs available - he powder coated them then changed his mind and bought coilovers instead. 

my current set up is eibach lowering springs on kyb shocks :

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which is rather low

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4 inches low, in fact

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so it seemed sensible to grab these keep in reserve

the powder coat has been really well done, they look as good as new

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not sure on the colour though ! 

 

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