gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - Exo on taxi duty

[gm]

and while i was out, the odo clicked over from

to

thats 5000 trouble free kilometres with a massive grin on my face for each and every one  not bad for its first year 

[gm]

here at garage gm, we take security seriously  

 

[gm]

since fitting the smaller steering wheel, the top half of the speedo is obscured  

i have a gps speedo app on my phone but prefer to run waze for traffic /  speed camera alerts 

it lives in a phone holder under the dash

it occurred to me i have an old phone and a case i was about to chuck in the bin

a couple of brackets and a dab of superglue

bit of tape to tidy it up

boom ! digital gps speedo exactly where i need it  

 

[gm]

the digital speedo needed a test drive so i headed for the hills and ended up paying a visit to casa @loserone

we drank tea and talked shite then it was time for a quick blast in the exo

i think he likes it  

i had a quick* go on the clio 182 

damn, that thing is fast  

great fun, except for the rain on the way home - it stings your face at 60*mph !

[loserone]

And you got to slow down for a red squirrel 

[gm]

as mentioned, on the way back from @loserones place, it started raining. heavily. 

i keep a waterproof jacket and hat in the ‘glovebox’ so pulled over and got them on. the thirty or so miles home were quite an adventure, i was well and truly soaked.

one mile from home, i took a tight left hander and the crappy tyres let go - i was maybe only doing 20mph but exo was heading for the kerb and i had no say in the matter.

coming to a halt, the low front end had taken a battering and i was beached. 

not sure what to do, i sent a message to @DVee8 “help” “bring a rope” 

within ten mins, he and dvee8jnr2 arrived in the mighty xtrail, hooked up a rope and dragged the stricken exo back onto the tarmac. 

i tried the engine which fired up first time but the contents of my radiator were spread all over the verge - i guess i’m getting a tow home then. 

thankfully only a mile from home, on an alarmingly short tow rope, we dragged exo home safely - with only a minor panic when i discovered i didn’t have the key in the ignition and the steering lock came on mid corner.

so let’s see what damage i’ve done 

oh dear

oh dear oh dear

oh dear oh dear oh dear

yes, i’d say that’s fucked 

thankfully that’s coolant not blood on the floor 

massive thanks to @DVee8 recovery services - i don’t know what i would have done without your help 

[gm]

i recently picked up a spare radiator, i guess now might be a good time to fit that - will need new fans though

i had a go at straightening the radiator brackets

not to reuse, but might be handy as a template

but first there’s the matter of the anti roll bar mount needing straightened

the mounting tab was damaged so i chopped it off to give the scissor jack a flat face to push against

success !

one minor casualty

i removed the remains of the mounting plate 

and got busy with the welder

my welding is definitely improving 

actually that’s a pretty good job 

a minor casualty

 

[gm]

fans were purchased 

at which point i discovered i’d bought a mk2 radiator that has different fixings to the mk1 i’d previously used

instead of side mountings, i opted to use the top

which left a problem - how to fix the bottom

materials were purchased and i got to work

some sort of rubber bung required - hmm, might as well keep it genuine mazda

proper engineering going on here

brackets bent to shape

mig time

that’s a decent fit

ok, fill it up and see how we get on

no leaks so a quick run up and down the street

a minor casualty

ok, seems to be running ok - i’ll stick that bonnet back on and take a longer test run

the aero catches were scrap, an alternative solution is required 

works for me ! 

good news is that other than the steering being slightly off centre, damage appears to have been minor - i am one lucky guy 

[gm]

at this point i was fed up of the car being filthy so took it outside, removed the seats and gave it a thorough clean

removing the seats i discovered a minor casualty 

that kerb was a solid lump to do that !

looks so much better clean

shame about that ruined front corner  

 

 

[gm]

i got in touch with mev and discovered a replacement bonnet would set me back the best part of £500 and i would have to collect it in person from gloucester - might as well have a go at patching it up first

i cut some reinforcing patches from scrap aluminium and clagged them in place with PU adhesive 

horrible stuff

but it will hopefully be strong enough for now

that’s one ugly repair  

 

[gm]

an alternative bonnet latch solution is required as there’s no strength left in the sides where the aero catches were fitted

the radiator mounting rail is about 3cm below the bonnet and might be a good place to start

i considered using rivnuts but to fit a decent size would weaken the rail, i’ll make my own mountings

now how to line up where to drill through the bonnet ? 

a handy looking bolt was modified

and screwed into place

a dab of grease on the point and close the bonnet

bingo - drill here

very satisfying

more alu plates and goo

a quick coat of hammerite for the rail

correct length bolts and a cm of fuel hose

drop the bonnet and fasten those bolts

i’ll paint the washers black and call that job done 

i must remember to keep a handy allen key in the glove box !

a quick test drive and the bonnet is good and secure, i’m pleased with that. 

[gm]

i removed the fly screens and rear view mirror to prevent damage whilst sorting the bonnet - a quick test drive amply demonstrated just how much difference the screens make - i’ll be sticking them back on asap

 

[DVee8]

@gm, looking much better now, aye a bit of a oh fuck moment. 

Aye the rope was a little on the short side, just aswell No2 son was around as i couldn't see the exo behind the xtrail.

Still laugh at the irony of the steering lock, so close to home.

 

[Tickman]

Nice tidy fixing gone on there.
 

[grogee]

2 hours ago, gm said:

a minor casualty

Fuck that guy. 

[Split_Pin]

Glad the only casualty was the car Mark.

Good work fixing it up!

[gm]

15 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Glad the only casualty was the car Mark.

 

very true - could have been a lot worse  

 

[ruffgeezer]

Sorry to see about the off,  glad it isn't anything too drastic.

Could you use bonnet pins in place of the bolts using similar devices to your hole locator above?

[hairnet]

if you decide to splurge on a new bonnet

i can collect week before xmas as ill be in worcester if theyre urpen like

 

[gm]

2 hours ago, ruffgeezer said:

Sorry to see about the off,  glad it isn't anything too drastic.

Could you use bonnet pins in place of the bolts using similar devices to your hole locator above?

i could but they’re a bit ugly, and this fix was nice and cheap  

2 hours ago, hairnet said:

if you decide to splurge on a new bonnet

i can collect week before xmas as ill be in worcester if theyre urpen like

 

i probably will replace it at some time, the problem is it’s such a big but fragile piece - will probably need a van. 

i do know someone local who is just at the beginning of his exo adventure so may persuade him to bring an extra bonnet when he collects his kit - might be a few months but it’s not urgent 

[loserone]

Would it fit in the express?

[gm]

it possibly would - i’ll need to measure up  

or it takes very little time to remove the old one and try it next time i’m passing 

[big_al_granvia]

joys of kitcars, the rad takes the hit. you were lucky though... guess your looking for some decent rubber now

[gm]

the radiator really is exposed hanging so low at the front, i wonder if there is one from a different car that might be a similar width but less tall - i’ll have a nosey around the scrappies and see what alternatives might be appropriate.

as for tyres, my plan was to “use these up” as they’re ok in the dry - the back end is nice and lively but in that lovely controlled mx5 way. shame they’re absolute dogshit in the wet  i’ll stick a set of rainsports on and avoid rain in the meantime. 

[Shandylegs]

Sorry to hear, but easily done in the wet ☹️

Don’t know about the Exo, but many of the seven’s use a Polo rad.

I have a new one sat around somewhere if any use - foc

[gm]

definitely interested - would you be able to measure it and i’ll see if it would work ?

i’m happy with the fancy new aluminium one i’ve just fitted but imagine it’s a matter of time until i’m going through the same situation 

 

[Shandylegs]

Just been to the unit and the Polo rad is approx 49cm wide x 33cm high. By contrast an Escort rad (the pic with the fan attached) is 49cm x 49cm.

[gm]

the mazda rad is 65w x 40h so quite a bit bigger - the polo one might be a useful upgrade

you can see how low the current set up is here - i deliberately fitted the bracket like that to protect the drain screw but it is alarmingly close to the ground

not actually any closer than it’s predecessor but the bonnet is sitting a couple of cm higher now. 

if you’re sure it’s spare, i’d love to have a play with the polo rad, will mean more fannying on with brackets but could make for a neat solution.

 

[gm]

someone posted on a local mx5 group that they were looking for a mk1 bumper 

so finally i’ve got rid of the last of the exo donor car - has only taken three years !

i think i got the better side of this deal  

[hairnet]

On 8/1/2023 at 11:52 AM, gm said:

the radiator really is exposed hanging so low at the front, i wonder if there is one from a different car that might be a similar width but less tall

two bike rads side to side connected together?