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


gm

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45 minutes ago, DVee8 said:

he left 11's along the road. @gm.

i take it mrs dvee8 wasn’t impressed ? oopsie - i’m blaming the clutch, it’s brand new and takes a bit of getting used to :) 

 

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On 5/10/2022 at 10:48 PM, gm said:

but that wasn’t the most impressive thing in his garage - he also has a Scammel Scarab !

not this one but it was in lovely condition, sounded awesome when he fired it up 

D3BF7EB8-8B03-494E-8E16-3193DCC9A005.jpeg.dde825d1516522e64d4340eb3452e899.jpeg

i love it when you go to buy parts and meet like minded folk, i was probably there for an hour talking shite about cars :) 

 

We briefly had a Scarab a good few years back which was bought at a fire sale for a couldn't be turned down price. It had been used as a yard tug for most of its life so although it ran it was a long way off the finished article. In an effort to determine whether it was worth spending the effort of there were a few jobs done to get it mobile - the front suspension design is truly horrific - and after a couple of weeks we set off down the track to give it a test. Early indications were not good as the driving position would be considered a bit uncomfortable by the Inquisition and the hidden right hand gear change was going to be hard work in traffic. 

However, the tin lid was put on it when we met the postman in his van coming the other way down the track. He looked at my old man in the driving seat and then he looked at me in the passenger seat. I think we both registered the look on his face at the same time because neither said anything, my old man turned round and we drove back to the workshop in silence. Shortly after that it was sold. 

It was bought by a lad in Hudderfield who owned a builders' merchant and a few Scammells but as far as I am aware it hasn't seen the light of day again. Perhaps his postie gave him a withering look too. 

52097368427_19eb5b7707_b.jpg 

The steering box is in the centre of the vehicle and the steering wheel isn't. The crazy angle that the steering column sits at is not an optical illusion. 

52098394771_365c77f7ec_b.jpg 

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46 minutes ago, JimH said:

We briefly had a Scarab a good few years back which was bought at a fire sale for a couldn't be turned down price. It had been used as a yard tug for most of its life so although it ran it was a long way off the finished article. In an effort to determine whether it was worth spending the effort of there were a few jobs done to get it mobile - the front suspension design is truly horrific - and after a couple of weeks we set off down the track to give it a test. Early indications were not good as the driving position would be considered a bit uncomfortable by the Inquisition and the hidden right hand gear change was going to be hard work in traffic. 

However, the tin lid was put on it when we met the postman in his van coming the other way down the track. He looked at my old man in the driving seat and then he looked at me in the passenger seat. I think we both registered the look on his face at the same time because neither said anything, my old man turned round and we drove back to the workshop in silence. Shortly after that it was sold. 

It was bought by a lad in Hudderfield who owned a builders' merchant and a few Scammells but as far as I am aware it hasn't seen the light of day again. Perhaps his postie gave him a withering look too. 

52097368427_19eb5b7707_b.jpg 

The steering box is in the centre of the vehicle and the steering wheel isn't. The crazy angle that the steering column sits at is not an optical illusion. 

52098394771_365c77f7ec_b.jpg 

the chap i met was the third owner since new - it was originally owned by Leyland down in lancashire and wasn’t road registered until it was retired from service and a local chap bought it and had it registered at the South Shields office. David bought it from him and spent plenty of time and effort bring it up to the excellent condition it is now in. He also has the matching trailer but can’t quite fit that in his garage !

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now the test is over, i can finally get rid of this ugly sod !

93EFF52D-22F4-45B8-B546-30485844D6EE.thumb.png.24d4a39319b0a65159173155dbeb4ea0.png

this momo looks much better

E9992EBB-B502-414F-9613-88C239ED2B94.thumb.jpeg.1199bd19eec98ffd739342f15c77ff8e.jpeg

but the little one off the mx5 is better still

B177AC70-9C7C-4CDB-86FF-4F91449DC1B7.thumb.jpeg.964a9a4e3f1431745fd9c902a1534d0e.jpeg

although now (perhaps ironically) i can’t see the speedo properly :) 

 

i found the disc of fibreglass left over from when i cut the new fuel filler hole 

9B3F9CBB-E449-4C3B-BFA8-2218C47783A3.thumb.jpeg.5b792c023b325045e33a54b6c24c71e7.jpeg

so stuck it onto a piece of vinyl to hide my botch up

1603A2C7-F146-47A3-A7E5-F656E2FBC6F9.thumb.jpeg.a4fcc231b12e54f1f45e57d98bb8a298.jpeg

ill fix it from behind next time the tank cover is off but it’ll do for now

 

i took it for a quick drive up and down the street, the new steering wheel is much better but it desperately needs a proper alignment doing

5E379867-326F-40BF-8C0C-BA28E515E91C.thumb.jpeg.b9bced241180d6fd5435c6cf160f795d.jpeg

 

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the donor car had power steering but i de-powered the rack or the exo. then a proper manual rack appeared on fb marketplace which i snapped up and fitted instead. 

the de-powered rack seems to be the more popular choice amongst exo builders, fewer turns lock to lock but i’ll stick with the manual for now until i get some miles done and choose a preference 

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When we fitted power steering to our mx5, the manual rack was disappeared quickly by the so called specialist. I suspect they were able to move it on for a price easily. 

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35 minutes ago, New POD said:

When we fitted power steering to our mx5, the manual rack was disappeared quickly by the so called specialist. I suspect they were able to move it on for a price easily. 

they are rare and do sell quickly and for a good few bob when they do come up. when i found mine, the guy was inundated with messages but i was lucky enough to have got there first. 

it did look like it had spent some time at the bottom of the north sea

5D22D719-73C6-4650-87EF-4E97EC0687E9.thumb.png.4c362cf859562c051914b9f41f5b9830.png

bit a bit of elbow grease had it good as new 

E0F32317-0F32-4C68-91E8-95F413985DAF.thumb.png.87d78e6f40c431a5d6723a3d06a11feb.png

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - new vido, beans being given :)
  • 2 weeks later...

the gonzo headlights have been removed, ready for a fellow exo builder to fit for his iva next month - i wonder if the tester will recognise them ?

52700A70-D668-4094-B151-43C4923C7FF5.thumb.jpeg.1a4246c2d22252f16180a7c099058f3c.jpeg

you can see how the beam is much better than the original set

gonzo : (oddly showing upside down for some reason)

3830C95B-307D-4FCD-8D95-570549340383.thumb.jpeg.ab575f0677e93d7eea3de2be9861dd26.jpeg

original :

759C8536-C0B2-49D6-BE1F-2BC03EF2D55A.thumb.jpeg.3cea71f506a0e99b19b2ba09a786f515.jpeg

at least they are pointing in roughly the right direction

0F2E2872-3F41-4B56-B6DC-DF8F5816CA88.thumb.jpeg.28cb10afa6b7b0eea8a0b5fbc5318162.jpeg

the needlessly complicated paperwork got filled in and posted 

78AB9068-0EF8-44B3-B4E8-49907F0B0C59.thumb.jpeg.d8fbdbdb331669d20e49859753d3d128.jpeg

and i bought a new steering wheel for the mx5 to replace the one stolen by the exo :) 

33ECFCE6-B404-40B6-B790-82BC626B0E62.thumb.jpeg.a062770b056a6b1b7c1322da9b8a8899.jpeg

now all i can do is sit and wait for my number plate to be allocated - it’s going to be a long few weeks :( 

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just a quickie

a new list has been drawn up, first job is have a look at fitting the aero screens (deliberately left until after the test as you get all sorts of tricky questions about safety glass, washers, wipers, demisters etc)

they sort of go on like this

32A2D3D4-9419-4CB2-91E5-B765D82AC267.thumb.jpeg.a8cb45e35f51695e2bd8fe79ebc195c9.jpeg

but when i try to open the bonnet 

73E62D12-6384-46E7-8390-BE071148A47F.thumb.jpeg.e725c1f5a64e66edf74123bcc51bb4f4.jpeg

B99756A4-0927-415C-B304-BF00E9453047.thumb.jpeg.2ff2b4e7ddf06027a8d72ceec8cefb64.jpeg

that will be a no then

92EFDFD5-11C3-42D7-A69E-7D74E89CECEC.thumb.jpeg.ef6748a830e4658117a86273fe4e8fa8.jpeg

ok, something easier - how about a phone holder ?

step 1 - remove the bonnet !

F3EA7B1E-F411-499F-8956-2A884C618AB5.thumb.jpeg.98963dabc92a026f0a6d492d44694373.jpeg

the reason being that this

7B17626A-07BA-4522-B858-20236607BC2B.thumb.jpeg.1d54123bd40119b3654de0bb747020bc.jpeg

is going here

763AB861-B6B6-4467-899A-F721226FEDC9.thumb.jpeg.82b62c747209f5aa0a1038704205b78a.jpeg

so a hole needs drilled through the wiring tray

C0E605FE-F1E2-47F1-8991-3E20B1C1C929.thumb.jpeg.142fd47f22b3b1e818af6c834a41e754.jpeg

and we are secure

3B670BC0-6FB0-4291-B526-7AE7C5BE5803.thumb.jpeg.c18a8636df73b80201a8f7f2e54fbda8.jpeg

test fit with an old phone so i can take a pic with this one

CB954FEB-7CCF-4A3F-B19C-34A5959FA307.thumb.jpeg.e185a64fcd224b9e93d23361f186977e.jpeg

excellent - i’ll buy a set of bluetooths and the jobs a good ‘un

next - toolbox

it is probably wise to have at least a basic toolkit on board but where to keep it ?

an ebay ammo box should do the trick

D5193BF3-BFB3-4EDF-9521-531C98037D22.thumb.jpeg.7a4c697130b648970da66ba038154019.jpeg

securely fitted in place 

1A9CD6BE-9062-4671-AACB-64226ADD1C0E.thumb.jpeg.00cd75afbb78069a29bb7a68b27fd56e.jpeg

CFF9B518-B974-4CBE-BB06-D8B9BB432BA2.thumb.jpeg.de0a1294e842acb98c806b5b7a03b083.jpeg

two more ticks on the list :) 

D5A18C8F-D38C-45C1-9522-50E06EEF1916.thumb.jpeg.3882f9561814da187661477a4bba7d8b.jpeg

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

our local circuit has an odd policy that you are only allowed to put your soft top down if you have a roll bar - there really isn’t any strength in the roof frame - but they are adamant. 

sometimes they forget to mention this in the briefing and you can sneak out but i’d rather not have to rely on that.

(i did have a roll bar fitted but took it out and sold it when i was planning to sell the mx5)

so what’s this mysterious package the postie has brought me ?

E1BEEC83-0CF2-4C3F-88C2-2283C29DAF00.thumb.jpeg.615d32f0ff937faf7edcc52dcb845b16.jpeg

pretty much the same as the one i took out last year, should bolt straight in

27CEA3CC-5191-48B2-90F7-6F2C8E18180E.thumb.jpeg.619281306a3c1af1e33aeaf416a7a9d2.jpeg

yeah, good luck with that - it still took me two hours to get this far

18684D1D-1A93-4FFB-ACA4-7828F65E7E24.thumb.jpeg.4b5455929d13657ea648462c6b9ee010.jpeg

and although it looks good, there are no nuts on the end of the bolts as some chump forgot to paint the spreader plates 

BDE613B9-AEA2-4E44-803F-02032FFCB44B.thumb.jpeg.d8c485e96aafbe126ecbaf7ff3b4abf7.jpeg

that wilkos metal paint really is crap :( 

however, the next trackday is this monday and i shall have the wind in my hair helmet ! 

 

i hope i did a better job of fitting it than this guy - maybe he only has really short passengers ?

43F59DDE-1064-4D66-9752-760E7BAF1CB7.thumb.jpeg.84c66a3d988f9646fd4b7fc613601709.jpeg

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so loads has been happening in the last week - on Saturday, I received a very exciting letter

fullsizeoutput_41a.thumb.jpeg.e865ea1a3bf73edb82691bfba0ad2f9d.jpeg

the V5C arrived on monday

IMG_9326.thumb.JPG.a46f0057af11035a0d44692d7dbe4697.JPG

good to note I'm on the 'easy' emissions tariff

fullsizeoutput_41b.thumb.jpeg.ce5c229903b8254f7006bb761e0bdea9.jpeg

body type : sports !

fullsizeoutput_41c.thumb.jpeg.4d0a8837eaca7108bb620a923b441401.jpeg

so I went and got some numberplate made up

IMG_9329.thumb.JPG.7827ef09ec2368eef4248a4ac26901eb.JPG

and thought about what to cover the shops address with

IMG_9335.thumb.JPG.562ee069f3d4b25fa50d49ad001c7999.JPG

IMG_9336.thumb.JPG.f9f6ee1114bf908f64b98b2990d9f6db.JPG

I test fitted the front plate and found it slightly too big :( 

IMG_9338.thumb.JPG.8457c2c3469c3ed46af252741724c3e5.JPG

this one might be slightly too wee :( 

IMG_9337.thumb.JPG.653fe1c21fd730b0897989ee3c19d08e.JPG

I ordered a 3/4 size stick on plate but temporarily stuck this one on with tape in case the new one didn't arrive in time

IMG_9348.thumb.JPG.f5163ff87412fa0652e4e1be3787c719.JPG

IMG_9349.thumb.JPG.7f5a9e72878566f4dc778f5bdfa73dee.JPG

the back one will be getting changed for an import style plate too but as that will involve fanning around with those leds I'll leave this for now

IMG_9334.thumb.JPG.6f79fea61e611fb38d4468c98ad38e99.JPG

I called up footman james to give them the new registration  and sat back to patiently* wait for 1st July to arrive (I'd originally asked for the tax to start from 1st June but they sensibly put it back to 1st July)

And I made a crackpot plan to take it out for a blast at 12:01am 1st July - I'm sure that sort of thing would be appreciated on these pages - but as it was royally pissing it down, I settled for a can of Guinness in the garage to mark the occasion.

not to worry, I set an early alarm and checked the weather for the morning - 90% chance of rain ffs :(  

 

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so Exo day had finally arrived !

IMG_9356.thumb.JPG.b9182ee5c67a949d370bb7c7f412a496.JPG

and so had my stick on front plate

IMG_9355.thumb.JPG.105f7712099d07e31cf3c57de98a535b.JPG

so I stuck it on

IMG_9357.thumb.JPG.3c8fc496cb97d7dc40393553d298bbb3.JPG

much better

IMG_9358.thumb.JPG.ed4ad62fe7ad64deaa7cbff7ae91bc9b.JPG

grabbed some goggls

IMG_9325.thumb.JPG.874356586b264df3bff6f6a8b7d6109b.JPG

and gave it the fucking beans !

I can honestly say I haven't laughed so much for a long time - this thing is ridiculous !

I hooned around for a bit then realised I was running on fumes

IMG_9364.thumb.JPG.a0fe120d014b4200e5e9d7efbfc702ff.JPG

more hooning occurred, 

then a bit more hooning,

then just a little bit more

I stopped at a convenient pub for some photos

IMG_9361.thumb.JPG.67e0b0fd2fa9b87f36aa91d14bf2e670.JPG

IMG_9362.thumb.JPG.784b503d25be6c4c78af047673002578.JPG

this is such an awesome combination of ridiculous and pointless that I haven't stopped grinning all day

IMG_9367.thumb.JPG.a55a2b86911cad9c8166e45e7670ca5b.JPG

goggls were a very wise decision too

IMG_9369.thumb.JPG.3d9346f162f0f0d007ccc607e7169dcc.JPG

things I have learned today

. rain really hurts at 70*mph !

. cold track tyres aren't the best on wet roundabouts !

. I bloody love this thing !

 

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  • gm changed the title to gm's unhealthy obsession with mx5s - EXO day has finally arrived ! this thing I built in my garage is actually road legal - and a whole lot of fun :)
1 hour ago, gm said:

so loads has been happening in the last week - on Saturday, I received a very exciting letter

fullsizeoutput_41a.thumb.jpeg.e865ea1a3bf73edb82691bfba0ad2f9d.jpeg

the V5C arrived on monday

IMG_9326.thumb.JPG.a46f0057af11035a0d44692d7dbe4697.JPG

good to note I'm on the 'easy' emissions tariff

fullsizeoutput_41b.thumb.jpeg.ce5c229903b8254f7006bb761e0bdea9.jpeg

body type : sports !

fullsizeoutput_41c.thumb.jpeg.4d0a8837eaca7108bb620a923b441401.jpeg

so I went and got some numberplate made up

IMG_9329.thumb.JPG.7827ef09ec2368eef4248a4ac26901eb.JPG

and thought about what to cover the shops address with

IMG_9335.thumb.JPG.562ee069f3d4b25fa50d49ad001c7999.JPG

IMG_9336.thumb.JPG.f9f6ee1114bf908f64b98b2990d9f6db.JPG

I test fitted the front plate and found it slightly too big :( 

IMG_9338.thumb.JPG.8457c2c3469c3ed46af252741724c3e5.JPG

this one might be slightly too wee :( 

IMG_9337.thumb.JPG.653fe1c21fd730b0897989ee3c19d08e.JPG

I ordered a 3/4 size stick on plate but temporarily stuck this one on with tape in case the new one didn't arrive in time

IMG_9348.thumb.JPG.f5163ff87412fa0652e4e1be3787c719.JPG

IMG_9349.thumb.JPG.7f5a9e72878566f4dc778f5bdfa73dee.JPG

the back one will be getting changed for an import style plate too but as that will involve fanning around with those leds I'll leave this for now

IMG_9334.thumb.JPG.6f79fea61e611fb38d4468c98ad38e99.JPG

I called up footman james to give them the new registration  and sat back to patiently* wait for 1st July to arrive (I'd originally asked for the tax to start from 1st June but they sensibly put it back to 1st July)

And I made a crackpot plan to take it out for a blast at 12:01am 1st July - I'm sure that sort of thing would be appreciated on these pages - but as it was royally pissing it down, I settled for a can of Guinness in the garage to mark the occasion.

not to worry, I set an early alarm and checked the weather for the morning - 90% chance of rain ffs :(  

 

 

50 minutes ago, gm said:

so Exo day had finally arrived !

IMG_9356.thumb.JPG.b9182ee5c67a949d370bb7c7f412a496.JPG

and so had my stick on front plate

IMG_9355.thumb.JPG.105f7712099d07e31cf3c57de98a535b.JPG

so I stuck it on

IMG_9357.thumb.JPG.3c8fc496cb97d7dc40393553d298bbb3.JPG

much better

IMG_9358.thumb.JPG.ed4ad62fe7ad64deaa7cbff7ae91bc9b.JPG

grabbed some goggls

IMG_9325.thumb.JPG.874356586b264df3bff6f6a8b7d6109b.JPG

and gave it the fucking beans !

I can honestly say I haven't laughed so much for a long time - this thing is ridiculous !

I hooned around for a bit then realised I was running on fumes

IMG_9364.thumb.JPG.a0fe120d014b4200e5e9d7efbfc702ff.JPG

more hooning occurred, 

then a bit more hooning,

then just a little bit more

I stopped at a convenient pub for some photos

IMG_9361.thumb.JPG.67e0b0fd2fa9b87f36aa91d14bf2e670.JPG

IMG_9362.thumb.JPG.784b503d25be6c4c78af047673002578.JPG

this is such an awesome combination of ridiculous and pointless that I haven't stopped grinning all day

IMG_9367.thumb.JPG.a55a2b86911cad9c8166e45e7670ca5b.JPG

goggls were a very wise decision too

IMG_9369.thumb.JPG.3d9346f162f0f0d007ccc607e7169dcc.JPG

things I have learned today

. rain really hurts at 70*mph !

. cold track tyres aren't the best on wet roundabouts !

. I bloody love this thing !

 

 

very awesome to see the Exo is finally road registered at long last :) 

and thanks for posting the DVLA/V5 details as a DVLA junky I find them very interesting to study!

especially such that there is nothing on the V5c that says the vehicle is from August 1992 to July 1993!

I do wonder if there are any back end notes or such, or if you where to transfer the K prefix reg would you suddenly get a 22 reg, or could you apply a much later personal reg ?

this is something I have seen on a number of kit cars and rebuilt vehicles that their Online DVLA record just showed their year of manufacture as the same as their date of first registration

so I have often wondered if their V5c had anything in their special notes to show how "old" they actually are, but nope nothing, the only clue is the "age related" number plate

its interesting how theres no used before date of first registration markers, and that it specifically says "rebuilt" rather then kit built or something such to that effect which I have seen also in the past

all in all very interesting :) 

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I thought you would be interested in seeing the documents, especially the notes on the cover. an interesting anomaly is the tax I paid up front for the first year was £295 but when I look at my vehicle checker app, it shows the annual tax as only £165 - I won't complain about that

my intention was to buy a personal plate and register it on day one but I accidentally spunked the budget on the roll bar for the mx5 instead - I was also curious as to what I would be allocated, secretly hoping it would be something interesting 

K937EBH

Exocet Built at Home ?

Exocet Bloody Hell ?

Eventually Being Hooned ?

I can't have anything 'newer' than a K reg but have my eye on G11EXO as a craftily misplaced screw can make the 11 look like an M :) 

 

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1 hour ago, gm said:

I thought you would be interested in seeing the documents, especially the notes on the cover. an interesting anomaly is the tax I paid up front for the first year was £295 but when I look at my vehicle checker app, it shows the annual tax as only £165 - I won't complain about that

my intention was to buy a personal plate and register it on day one but I accidentally spunked the budget on the roll bar for the mx5 instead - I was also curious as to what I would be allocated, secretly hoping it would be something interesting 

K937EBH

Exocet Built at Home ?

Exocet Bloody Hell ?

Eventually Being Hooned ?

I can't have anything 'newer' than a K reg but have my eye on G11EXO as a craftily misplaced screw can make the 11 look like an M :) 

 

indeed! I live for this sort of stuff LOL

K-EBH "K Series, everything broken, Help!" if only you had built it using an MGF as the donor vehicle instead :mrgreen:

 

I imagine Tax rates will be calculated on the Pre 2001 Rules, so you do sadly fall into the higher end tax bracket, a lot of the 3rd party checkers just cannot handle the old and the weird to save their life! (I keep a mental roster of properly funky vehicles I use to "stress test" any new 3rd party services I come across, some of the results can be quite fun)

If you want to double check, you can check directly with the DVLA online, and cut out any 3rd party interference

if you feed the Exo's mark into the DVLA's first party checker https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/  you can then scroll to the bottom where it will give you an option to check the tax rates with the 11 digit V5 number, and then it will display the tax rates at the top and the bottom of the page like so

screencapture-vehicleenquiry-service-gov-uk-VehicleFoundWithV5C-2022-07-02-00_48_40.thumb.png.f440d00fed6cb38284e5f62a8fcd6183.png

 

as a side note, cant help but note that MEV is also a block of Invacar Model 70's! MEV360P-MEV459P to be exact and MEV419P even survives with Big al :) 

so I have to say that tickles me quite a bit :) 

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