gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - squeezing in a few last drives before Exo goes into hibernation

[Jenson Velcro]

I hope the springs are weak in the locks. You haven’t left much leverage to get those keys to turn.

[gm]

The yellow key is for a 27 year old ignition, the red for a £1.99 eBay petrol filler cap - both are about as loose as you would expect, they tested just fine  

[Timewaster]

Years ago a local key cutting place used to do keys that shape which came with a coloured plastic sleeve to give some purchase. 

[gm]

more weight saving  

big ugly nuts

hello, ebay, please send me some tat

nice smoll nuts

I need to get out more  

[Tickman]

With all this weight saving you can tuck into some more pies!

[gm]

this week, I have mostly been titting about with tinting film

normal mx5

yellow tint

smoke tint

switchback drl leds fitted - these are quite clever, illuminate white but mute the white and flash orange for indicators

maybe I should straighten that wonky number plate ? its been like that since June

I have a spare set of rear lights so why not have a go here too ?

smoke tint looks ok

red tint looks utterly shit (and was a sod to apply)

the reason for all this titting about with tints is the back end of the Exo is a bit of a mess, lighting wise - a bit of subtly applied smoke and / or red tint should tidy this up a bit

 

and the headlights will be going yellow

but mostly, as I've had a buggered back, I've not been able to do any real work  

 

I visited the Exo stand at the NEC classics show at the weekend and have regained my motivation - I'll get that bloody test booked...soon !

 

[GeorgeB]

57 minutes ago, gm said:

this week, I have mostly been titting about with tinting film

normal mx5

yellow tint

smoke tint

switchback drl leds fitted - these are quite clever, illuminate white but mute the white and flash orange for indicators

maybe I should straighten that wonky number plate ? its been like that since June

I have a spare set of rear lights so why not have a go here too ?

smoke tint looks ok

red tint looks utterly shit (and was a sod to apply)

the reason for all this titting about with tints is the back end of the Exo is a bit of a mess, lighting wise - a bit of subtly applied smoke and / or red tint should tidy this up a bit

 

and the headlights will be going yellow

but mostly, as I've had a buggered back, I've not been able to do any real work  

 

I visited the Exo stand at the NEC classics show at the weekend and have regained my motivation - I'll get that bloody test booked...soon !

 

Stick with white and get the headlamp and bonnet sorted.

[gm]

1 hour ago, GeorgeB said:

get the headlamp and bonnet sorted.

it’s been like that for four years, i’ve kind of got used to it  

[mercedade]

11 hours ago, gm said:

 

 

 

[Andyrew]

Smoked tint looks good to me! 

[gm]

4 hours ago, mercedade said:

 

headlamps now level but still goofy looking

[mercedade]

Bloody love this car. You've stolen my track day dreams.

[gm]

right then, it's only been four months, might be time for a quick update

so, what's been happening ? truth is, not a lot  

I made a list

 I made a bonnet prop 

I wrapped the fuel lines in protective wrap

I painted the backs of the seats

 

I spent twenty quid on a fancy vin plate

and did a bit of riveting

piss poor reflectors were acquired

and fitted

I did a noise test

buggering hell, the limit is 99dB

I fannied about calibrating the fuel gauge

only one thing left to do then

better book the test !

 

[gm]

so I booked the test 

and put it on the calendar

better check the weather forecast to see what I'll be up against

hmm, not so good then, is that rain or snow ?

don't worry, they're not accurate, get some sleep

aaargh ! what the fuck ? wake up you sleepy bastard !

yes, todays the day !

I dimly recall something about the weather , better check again

100% chance of snow ? I don't fucking think so !

better check again

nah, can't be right

I know, have a look out of the window ?

oh, for fucks fucking sake !

calm down, man, get some breakfast and have a think

channelling the Blues Brothers "it's twenty miles to my destination, I'm on semi slick trackday tyres, I don't have doors, a roof or a windscreen, and it's fucking snowing"

big boy pants on (and many other layers)

hello EXO

fuck it, what's the worst that can happen ?

 

 

 

[gm]

I live on a hill, we get snow when the rest of the town doesn't - all I need to do is get down from the hill and we're all sorted....

holy shit, this is so sketchy

the back end is all over the place but I've been waiting for this day for two years 

let's go !

20mph, note the angle I am steering just to keep a straight line

sat nat wants me to jump straight on the A1, I'm thinking that a three lane motorway might not be the best choice today

I plotted an alternative route and nervously made my way north, at around ten miles in, I found a convenient lay-by to pull over and check the car

couldn't resist a photo opportunity

'twas fucking cold

I crossed the Tyne Bridge

and made my way through Newcastle to Gosforth,

and my nemesis

 

 

[Crackers]

Can't leave us hanging like this, bloody hell! 

[gm]

yes I bloody can !  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no photos in the test centre (not allowed) but I was there for four hours while the tester, who was a really sound guy, had a jolly good poke around my little EXO

within five minutes, he'd found a problem  

loose wiring in the engine bay, a quick cable tie and we're good to go

a brake flexi rubbing on the chassis, no problem, a bit of fuel hose can protect that

pop the wiring tray open and let's see what's going on here

hmm, all those relays need to be fixed in place by brackets, cable ties are just no good

how about those steering rack bolts ? are they loctited ? 

and the engine mounts ? loctited ?

and the seat mounts ?

and the harness mounts ?

and the calliper mounts ?

and everything fucking else ?

ok, not looking much like a pass today

 

I'd been concerned about things I couldn't test at home so was pleased when the brake test went well, noise was passed at only 90dB, emissions should pass as long as I can prove the age of the engine (the v5 has it as 1999, the date of import, but the donor was built in 1992), headlight aim and beam pattern was a joke which really pissed me off as the lights are supplied as part of the kit, alternative plans are afoot.

 

the tester took it outside and had a wee drive around, officially testing the steering but I think he just wanted to have a blast around the car park

 

so the official verdict was a "not a pass"

 

disappointing, but not many kit cars do pass first time. I've got a list of remedial which wont take long and a retest will be booked

 

but, getting a fail didn't make the day a disaster - far from it, I learned a lot and had the chance to DRIVE FORTY MILES IN A CAR I'D BUILT MYSELF IN MY BLOODY GARAGE ! 

 

and, I'll tell you what, it's a whole lot of fun !

I came back through the "Oggy Oggy Oggy" tunnels

and made a vido (four minutes of Bambi on ice then proper roads on the way back, a moderate quantity of beans were given)

so , watch this space, EXO fans !

 

 

[Shirley Knott]

You much have bollox like an elephant- Brave man. I'd have been bricking it without the snow, I honestly can't believe you went ahead rather than re-scheduling!

All of the problems seem like they should be simple to remedy at least, and the weather can only get better eh?

[gm]

you can only reschedule up to three days in advance of the test date,  leave it to the last minute and you forfeit the (not insignificant) test fee ! 

but i did question my sanity several times on that journey  

it was worth it 

[Tickman]

Fantastic update.

Have you booked the retest 😉

[juular]

Holy shit man, this looks amazing. Good luck with the retest, it'll fly through now you know the details.

[hairnet]

hey it made it and back 80 miles

not bad for something that wasnt thought of/pile of bits not long ago

nice one marra

 

[hairnet]

Cold?

Not done that much have you

[gm]

right then, let's have a list made and get started 

the headlights provided with the kit are notoriously poor so I wasn't particularly surprised that I had problems with them

they do look a bit goofy too

looking around for a solution that was not hideously expensive (most of them are) I remembered that I still had the 7" headlights form the donor mx5 

dodgy beam from the Exo headlights (this is the better of the two , the other side was just a fuzzy blob  )

much better beam from the mx5 headlights

a bit of ebaying and a cheap set of bowls arrived

hells bells, they're massive !

I fixed one in place

and gave it a wee tweak to adjust the alignment

bugger !

ok, not to worry, I need longer backets anyway as the bonnet wouldn't fit with the larger units there 

chop, bend, weld, drill,  etc

sturdy enough, just needs tidying

so now I have a matching pair of even goofier headlights

which will be coming off the day after the test

 

now then, what next ?

the tester did comment about how feeble my horn was (?) not a fail point but an excuse to upgrade

 

 

he wasn't happy with loose relays in the wiring tray - brackets were made and fitted

 

 

 

the intake manifold is touching the brake lines at the master cylinder - not good

solution - remove the bracket

drill a wee hole

and move the proportioning valve down.

for good measure, I knocked up a heatshield

 

 

 

I covered up a LETHAL looking bolt on the front wishbone mount

 

 

@DVee8 kindly dropped off a giant bottle of loctite which I applied to various nuts and bolts

and that is the front end pretty much done. 

 

 

 

 

[gm]

headlight wiring the other night

done under the influence of Elvis Juice - i hope they work  

turns out i didn’t have a pair of matching sidelight bulbs 

yes, definitely goofy

but should pass the test easily 

[Back_For_More]

How far are you through the list now? Much left to get done?

[gm]

i’m about half way through the snagging, should manage to get it done in a couple of weeks hopefully. 

i spent yesterday giving the mx5 a quick service and fitted new brakes ready for mondays trackday down at teeside 

@DVee8 and son will be joining me this time, should be a whole lot of fun  

[gm]

the tester wasn’t happy that the top of the speedo was obscured by the steering wheel

so the instrument cluster had to be lowered by a couple of cm

much better (although completely pointless if the driver happens to be taller than me)

anyway, another tick on the list 

[gm]

a letter arrived this morning

a very important letter

which means i can now prove the age of the engine and take the correct emissions test (and have a chance of passing) 

top marks to mazda ! what a great bunch of lads  

[gm]

meanwhile, i gave some of the car a quick wash