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


gm

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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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