gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - must be summer - the toys are back :)

[gm]

anyone want to see how solid the other side is ? 

nah, me neither  

not quite as bad but still a pain in the arse.

i suppose i’ll need to whip the front wing off and check behind there too  

 

[gm]

the frustrating thing is that i’m not planning g to keep this one - as soon as it’s done it will be up for sale.

anyone mad enough to make me an offer as it stands just now ? it’s mechanically sound, someone with more enthusiasm for welding could have themselves a bargain ! @loserone ? 

[loserone]

Swap for a 182?

[gm]

a lad who does welding that @DVee8 knows through work is coming to have a look on friday, if he offers a reasonable price i may be tempted to throw more money at this - i’m already “baws deep” into it, what’s a few more quid ?

 

[gm]

fearing the worst, i removed the drivers side wing to see what horrors lurked 

not quite so bad as “foamy bob” hadn't been at work on this side.

still, at least i know what i’m up against- will see what dvee8’s mate says tomorrow 

 

[gm]

kev the welder visited today and gave me a very reasonable price for welding up the mess, all i need to do is get it to him next weekend

so i temporarily refitted the wings

and dropped it down from its perch 

started first time   

 

[scooobydont]

Brilliant to hear, I love these mk1 mx5's, good to see another saved (hopefully!)

[gm]

with the green monster mobile again, it got shoved aside while the other one got some attention 

now, i’m sure it must be due a service soon…

hmm, definitely overdue

assume the position 

manky black oil dropped

genuine mazda parts  

and don’t forget to update the history 

then i nicked the clear lenses off the green one  

and went for the obligatory test hoon !

[gm]

it occurred to me that i’m paying for insurance on the exo that has sat bone idle in the garage for the last three months - what if i could temporarily borrow that policy for the green monster ? 

a couple of phone calls later…..

yep, we’re on the road  

don’t she look pretty ?

the first trip round the block was deemed a success so i set about adjusting the headlights 

and ventured a little further 

just along to the local retail park but it was such a good feeling to finally drive this little car - and it’s a lovely thing !

the autobox felt weird at first but i soon got used to it and really enjoyed a blast round the back roads. roof down at night is always a treat, and with very little traffic, i got to have some fun  

unfamiliar with overdrive, i figured to knock it off for acceleration and click it back on for cruising, seems to work well with the (i think) three speed auto. quite different to the black mk1 but i definitely see the appeal. 

the steering is a little off but that’s no surprise as i replaced the whole rack, there’s a couple of bulbs needing changed, and that tiny wee patch of welding and she’s ready for the mot next week.

progress - feels good  

[Dick Cheeseburger]

On 03/02/2024 at 17:44, gm said:

 

 

We're a year ahead of you!

[gm]

20 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

We're a year ahead of you!

oh arse ! 

[gm]

driving the green monster for the first time last night, one problem became apparent - the Nardi steering wheel is a lovely thing but that peeling varnish feels awful to the touch - really lets the side down

now it was my intention to strip it down, sand it smooth and re-varnish it

but, something appeared last night on marketplace that i couldn’t resist

contact was made and a mad dash down to hartlepool was made before anyone else could snap it up

the new wheel is a momo type fitment so the nardi boss couldn’t be used. fortunately i had a spare momo boss so got to work fitting it

problem - the shroud is missing and the nardi one won’t fit  

hmm…

i found a spare empty one in the recycling bin and got busy with the craft knife

warmed it with the hot air gun

something to cover it with

turned out not too shabby - i’ll give that scabby edge a rub down and a dab of paint  tomorrow 

but in the meantime - how good does that look ?

there’s not a mark on it, i suspect it has never been used 

not sure about this but it’s all i have for now 

for now, we shall call it the Ronald Mc Donald steering wheel  

i’d like to find a horn push with the classic mazda logo but not at this price

maybe i can just buy the sticker ? 

but for now, what a cracking looking interior this is turning into

 

[gm]

the boot floor where the battery lives was a rusty mess so i gave it a good seeing to with the wire wheel and slapped on some kurust

warmed it up a bit

and a couple of coats of primer 

first coat of colour

hmm, Rover racing green metallic was the nearest ‘match’ they had in halfords

maybe a second coat will tame it ?

maybe if i turn the floodlights off ?

that’ll do - it will be hidden by carpet anyway 

[gm]

two new number plate bulbs and a fog light bulb too  

 

[gm]

that steering boss was letting the side down quite badly  

a quick spin on a flap wheel

and we have a lovely brushed finish

another spin while i gently apply some matt black

look at the finish on that !

it’s the little things that make the difference 

[gm]

the battery corner turned out ok - certainly an improvement  

 

[gm]

and whilst spinning things inappropriately to improve their appearance 

worked wonders on the boot carpet 

[gm]

i dropped the green mx5 off at kev the welders place yesterday morning and decided to run home

this was a terrible idea and i was knackered 

so in order to collect it today, i persuaded @DVee8 to come with me and drive one of the mazdas back

the green car as seen from the black car

the black car as seen from the green car 

we each had a go at driving both back to back and agreed them to be excellent in different ways  

i stopped at lumley castle for a photo opportunity but a lack of communication meant dvee8 didn’t join me !

we’ll just need to go back another time 

the welding is coming along very nicely, is taking longer than initially anticipated but worth it for a good job. 

[gm]

On 07/02/2024 at 20:20, gm said:

 

i’d like to find a horn push with the classic mazda logo but not at this price

maybe i can just buy the sticker ?

 

@DVee8 has a mate at work who reckoned he could make such a sticker - not sure he understood the concept of ‘can you print me a couple ?’ 

but the size is perfect and the interior now looks even better  

except what’s that bubbling all about on the passengers door card ? 

a minor* welding mishap  

fucksake ! add a new carpet to the list  

will this thing ever be finished ?

[gm]

the welding has turned out fairly well though

this rotten scabby mess

now looks like this

i’ll chuck some proper protection on and get the wings re-fitted, the mot is due yesterday so time to get a wriggle on.

 

[gm]

so the current plan is :

green mx5 - mot, polish within an inch of its life, sell

black mx5 - mot, hooning, trackdays

bini - sell and replace with some sort of diesel honda, a mk8 civic or mk2 crv

exo - bring out of hibernation on 1st april and give it a damn good thrashing

 

[DVee8]

2 minutes ago, gm said:

so the current plan is :

green mx5 - mot, polish within an inch of its life, sell

black mx5 - mot, hooning, trackdays

bini - sell and replace with some sort of diesel honda, a mk8 civic or mk2 crv

exo - bring out of hibernation on 1st april and give it a damn good thrashing

 

That sounds like a plan.

[DVee8]

27 minutes ago, gm said:

@DVee8 has a mate at work who reckoned he could make such a sticker - not sure he understood the concept of ‘can you print me a couple ?’ 

but the size is perfect and the interior now looks even better  

except what’s that bubbling all about on the passengers door card ? 

a minor* welding mishap  

fucksake ! add a new carpet to the list  

will this thing ever be finished ?

The sterring wheel looks great.

Theres enough logos left to do the wheel centre caps and another dozen sterring wheel centre's 

[gm]

i’ve not measured but i’d bet these are a different size again !

i’m thinking maybe one badge on each wing, just below the side repeater

[gm]

23 minutes ago, DVee8 said:

That sounds like a plan.

it’s not a bad fleet, really  

 

[DVee8]

47 minutes ago, gm said:

i’ve not measured but i’d bet these are a different size again !

i’m thinking maybe one badge on each wing, just below the side repeater

What size do you want for the wheels?

[gm]

i’ve no idea - i took the centre caps off and put them ‘somewhere safe’, it might be a while until i can answer that question  

 

[gm]

it’s a lovely sunny day here in county durham so i took greenie out for a quick spin, stopped for fuel and this lovely old Honda pulled up next to me

maybe summer is coming early this year ?

a replacement carpet has been ordered, i’ve gone for black as tan was surprisingly hard to get hold of and way more expensive - considering how little of it is on show, i think it will look just fine

[gm]

i haven’t driven the black one for a while so took it to the supermarket this afternoon 

it would seem i got distracted  

 

[kevins]

On 24/02/2024 at 14:41, gm said:

it’s a lovely sunny day here in county durham so i took greenie out for a quick spin, stopped for fuel and this lovely old Honda pulled up next to me

maybe summer is coming early this year ?

a replacement carpet has been ordered, i’ve gone for black as tan was surprisingly hard to get hold of and way more expensive - considering how little of it is on show, i think it will look just fine

we have a black mk2 carpet in our tan mk1, I think it looks better, the original tan had gone threadbare in patches and fairly orange though. I also fitted black kick panels and speaker covers.