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

[gm]

the de cat seems to have taken the brunt of it  

is does hang down in a particularly exposed manner, quite surprised to see the seat bolts remain unscathed 

[gm]

today marks four years since the beginning of project exo - what a journey  

 

[gm]

the mx5 hasn’t seen much use recently so i took it for a run out to the coast

a very pleasant afternoon 

 

[gm]

hottest day of the year so far ? 

bought a hardtop ! 

it was cheap and very local - i’ll give it a rattle can tart up then it can live in the spare room until winter  

[gm]

went for a hoon in Exo then realised i had nothing in for dinner 

bloke in the yellow audi was giving it the big eyeballs  

[gm]

trackday down at teeside autodrome yesterday and not one, but two exos in attendance 

and where was i ? stuck at work because there was poxy football on  

next event is monday 24th june and i WILL be there !

[gm]

me and @DVee8 went to a car meet last week, i took the exo and he took the comfy option of a lift in his sons bmw. 

he commented that when following the exo, it looked like the right rear wheel had excessive camber 

which, looking at this pic, does appear to be true 

time to check the measurements - here’s what it should be

left side

right side

pretty much where they should be.

but hang on a minute, what about those mudguards ?

left

right

yep, that would be our problem 

all i need to do is bend the supports which would be an easy fix if i hadn’t glued them on with PU adhesive   

hey ho, at least it’s nothing serious 

 

[gm]

he also commented that the exhaust was a bit* wobbly

it’s supported by two rubber hangers thus :

which are fine for up and down but too flexible side to side 

another easy “fix”

while it was up in the air, i checked if my sacrificial plate was working

yep, seems to be doing the job  

 

[gm]

then i went to the coast for an ice cream  

 

[gm]

33 minutes ago, gm said:

me and @DVee8 went to a car meet last week,

to clarify, this isn’t a photo from a really shit car meet - just me getting some beers on the way home  

[gm]

the mx5 hasn’t been seeing much use recently so i took it for a run out. maybe because i’ve been driving the volvo (auto) quite a bit recently, the gear change didn’t feel as good as it should.

removing the upper cover revealed

yep, the rubber boot that keeps the turret oil in has split quite badly

i topped up the oil and fitted a replacement 

fitted a new upper cover

then remembered something i’d bought ages ago intended for the exo

looks pretty neat  @jakebullet

a quick test drive and the gear change is back to how it should be - ready for next weeks trackday down at teeside 

[gm]

Exo made her track debut this evening : 

but who’s that in the driving seat ? 

bloody @DVee8 that’s who !  

we had booked both the exo and the mx5 for the track evening down at teesside autodrome, and a whole lot of fun it turned out to be ! 

youngest son Adam only passed his test last year so hadn’t been on track yet - i volunteered to take him out in the mx5 and give him some pointers so @DVee8 and older son Ben got first dibs in the Exo 

and we did some hooning ! those poor little cars took a sound thrashing and kept coming back for more 

the Exo had been experiencing a bit of a wobbly headlight that wobbled its last when i got behind the wheel  

no matter, i just moved it along the bracket into the next available hole and called it job done  

i’d been out in the exo quite a bit, so fancied a go in the mazda, turns out we’d left the brakes somewhere near the hairpin - not in a dangerous way but it was a sign to let things cool down a little. 

so i’d had a go on the mazda and the exo, dvee8 had had a go on the mazda and the exo, Ben had had a go on the mazda and the exo so it seemed only fair that Adam had a go too.

he did a great job driving the mx5, listened to the advice and was obviously learning quickly.

so i let him loose on the exo

and he bloody loved it  

an excellent day out !

[gm]

towards the end of the evening, i managed a few laps in the Exo flying solo and started pushing it a bit more, hellfire, it’s a shitload of fun ! 

which is ridiculous considering i knocked it up in my garage from a poor old mazda that was destined for scrap. 

what a car  

cheers !

[hairnet]

hewligan

[gm]

4 minutes ago, hairnet said:

hewligan

yes  

[gm]

look at that ! the cup holder is the perfect size for a beer  

[DVee8]

@gm, @BJHR, what an evening!

Everyone is invited to go out for 3 sighting laps. @gm said he'd go out with Adam in the mighty Mazda, that left the exo, myself and our Ben. 

We'll come out on the sighting laps then!

After the 3 laps you can either come in, or go straight for it. We came in for a little chat, then gm and Adam went out in the mighty, that left the exo, myself and our Ben. We joined behind the mighty.

After what seemed an age to join the track, we were going, what a different beast the Exo is. The steering is heavy, very heavy but so direct, so talkative.

As the Exo weights as much as a leaf in November, it's fast, but the back end is light and can skip around keeping you on your witts but always talking to you.

So yes after years building the Exo , years giving it a good run around the great country roads and great coastal roads we have around the North East.

I got to take it around the track first.

A big big thank you @gm, for allowing use the take these cars around the track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gm]

 

[gm]

i had a day off work and fancied a drive so took the mazda for a run up the coast to Bamburgh

i found a suitable parking spot

and went for a walk along the beach

discovering that the castle was closed but the gates weren’t, i had no choice but to come back for pics

some passing tourists saw what i was doing and stopped to take pics of the car too  

on the way home, i visited Spindlestone Mill, a place we spent family hols when i was about 7 or 8, the mill building on the right was semi derelict back then which made an ideal playground for me and my brother. happy memories 

[gm]

me and @DVee8 went to the car barn meet a couple of weeks back, the exo was in good company 

all sorts of interesting motors there

on the way back i popped into Beamish Hall for a photo

[gm]

exo had developed an annoying rattle, possibly as a result of last months track day shenanigans 

whilst scoffing a sausage roll outside greggs, i idly looked around the back of the car and noticed the fuel tank drip tray was a little looser than when i fitted it

yep, that’ll be yer problem

i remade it in steel instead of aluminium 

and all is now secure  

the odometer clicked over 7000km while i was out “test driving”

arse end !

 

[gm]

[hairnet]

thats not a trackday

[gm]

anyone fancy taking on a project ? 

looks to be a good quality build, and a bargain at that price 

he’s up in aberdeen 

 

[dome]

I saw the thread title and thought you were selling yours 🥺

Glad you're not👍

[gm]

if i had the space, i’d think of taking on another build, i really enjoyed the process - but mine isn’t going anywhere  

except round the back roads in a noisy blur !

[Matty]

49 minutes ago, dome said:

I saw the thread title and thought you were selling yours 🥺

Glad you're not👍

Literally just clicked on to say "WHAT THE FUCK??"

Glad to see normal service 👍

[Supernaut]

2 hours ago, gm said:

anyone fancy taking on a project ? 

looks to be a good quality build, and a bargain at that price 

he’s up in aberdeen 

 

Ffffffuuuuck.

I need £3.5k and a trailer.

 

I'm about 40 minutes from Aberdeen.

[loserone]

Fairly sure saabnut could help with the latter 

[gm]

40 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Ffffffuuuuck.

I need £3.5k and a trailer.

 

I'm about 40 minutes from Aberdeen.

do it !