Uk na mx5

[Gasman]

Yeah the hard top cost half as much as the car! £400! It is not an import but ^^that number plate^^ looks dope so I might go with that. Or the low mount with a GV lip. I'm doing the belts for peace of mind so whilst the engine is in bits I'm going to do various cleaning/detailing jobs, fit and induction kit and advance timing. I really want to get an OMEX rev limiter fitted too but I will have to see what the coil pack is like. No one on the forums seems to have any info on them other than the obvious.
^Nice 5 btw, those wheels are awesome!^

[Blenc]

Cheers man!

I'd just run a smaller plate anyway aha, no one ever checks. Or run no plate, i had mine in the window for about 6 months, had no hassle at all.

timing wise its widely regarded that 14* BTDC is the best in terms of gains without risk of damage.

If you do change the belts, make sure you check their tightness after a few months, i thought my alternator had died a few weeks back, but it was just that the new belt was ever so slightly loose, so that as soon as i put my lights on the car died, but was fine without them on.

Whilst your doing the belts i'd also change all the radiator hoses, as they do let go without warning.

Mx5parts is the best source for OEM replacement parts, and generally the cheapest and fastest as well.

I could go on but i don't want to fill your thread up aha, feel free to PM me if you want any info or whatever

[Gasman]

Merry Christmas everybody! I have been busy under the bonnet this week. Decided to get the belts out of the way on monday and started with the crank pulley in case there was any issues getting it off. There were issues, it wouldn't come off. Tried all sorts but without power tools the only way I could see it coming off was in pieces. So I fitted the plugs, leads and induction kit and called it a do..



Took it out for a test drive and it is definitely a lot smoother. No hesitation what so ever and I am loving the sound of the induction kit.
Made an investment on tuesday...



Impact wrench FTW. So today I had another go. Had to remove the radiator and jack the engine up on the mounts to clear the arb and get the impact wrench on. Under tray had to come out too.



Took a good few seconds to come off even with 500Nm of torque hitting it. The belts had last been changed in 2001 (only done 20k since) so I am guessing it hasnt been off since then. Once I had it off it was plain sailing.



Went with the IL belt because its red and says motorsport on it (ask anyone in the automotive industry it will triple bhp). Spruced up the rocker cover as well.



And did a few other bits of detailing. I need to remove the cobra alarm still and then I am really going to give it a good clean. So here it is now. (Gutted I didnt put fresh gloves on before handling the cover )



I havent had it on a rolling road yet but I estimate its now around 300bhp (with the cone filter and red belt)
I am going to run it as is for a few days and then advance timing. Also got some exterior mods to come in the next few weeks....

[Greg|H]

Did you say 300? I think you'd get about 275bhp tops with the red belt, maybe 280 if you trimmed the rocker cover so you could see the belt and pulleys? lol

Jokes aside, I'm looking forward to the exterior mods

[Gasman]

Really happy with the how the car is driving. I thought it was good before but it’s amazing what a difference belts and leads make. Still would like more performance though so decided to see what it runs like with advanced ignition timing. Took it for a short drive to warm it up and then got it in the garage to find a timing light that hadn’t been used for nearly 20 years.



Thought I’d see if it still worked for a laugh. Had to put the spring between #1 lead and the coil pack but amazingly it still works. Advanced it to 14 degrees BTDC then took it for a spin and I noticed it felt better straight away. Was surprised when it was only a fraction faster on the ring road. Did it a couple of times to make sure though and its definitely worth keeping it at 14 degrees. Should also mention it has been running on 97ron for past week or so. Apart from detailing I’m happy with it as it is under the bonnet now. It’s had a complete seals and spanner check now and everything is in full working order. Think I really got lucky with this car after seeing a few in worse condition going for more. Time to get working on the exterior. I have finished a model of roughly how I want it to look..



Got my eye on a different interior now though and I’m still undecided on wheels. Should have just photoshopped it...

[Gasman]

Changed up the colour scheme for 2014. Just toying with different ideas before it goes two tone in summer.

[Gasman]

Been quite busy of late but managed to get a splitter and side skirts fitted. Relocated the number plate as well



Also detailed the engine bay. Wish I had done a before pic because I am well proud of how it came up. The drivers side desperately needs a de-clutter though.



Im going to have a look at removing the carbon canister and still need to work up the courage to pull out the old cobra alarm/immobiliser. It needs to come out before the coilies go in!

[Gasman]

The highs and lows of motoring...

Removed the carbon can and fitted leather seats. Also fitted the chrome cabin brace, still not sure if its overkill though...



Then tagged along with a mate who's on the cliosport.net forum for a drive of quite possibly the best road I have ever been on. They were having a meet at Snakes Pass near Ladybower and its safe to say we all enjoyed ourselves. I had no chance keeping up with my mates cammed 182 though. The weather held out all day as well, even if it was a bit cold.



The road really was incredible and if you have never been then put it on your to do list. Would be good to go with some other mx5's though, so I dont stand out as much...



So I really was loving life and living the dream until...



Although it doesn't look that bad this actually could have been a very serious accident. I was travelling down an (almost) empty motorway when I approached a vehicle doing slightly less than 70 in the middle lane (first of all, WHY IS SHE IN THE MIDDLE LANE!!!). I was doing 75-80 max as it was between speed cameras and as i drew almost level she decided she wanted a bit of the outside lane. No indication just went for it and put me into the barrier then sideways across 2 lanes and the gravel. I was most displeased. She admitted responsibility and was full of apologies, I took all her details and gave her some stern words. On closer inspection it appears I managed to avoid her car completely, like a true gentleman. This worried me as I wasn't sure how this would work with her insurance, then someone pointed out that if it goes through insurers then the car will definitely be written off. Looks like the best case scenario for me would be a cash settlement and to cut a long story short she actually paid me £500 in cash this afternoon. Fair play to her as I really was completely at her mercy but she was genuinely sorry and seemed moved when I explained that putting someone into armco at 70+ could cause death. This was the car the next day after pulling the wing so my door would open and painting the exposed metal..



Still looks gash, so the car is going to a bodywork wizard tomorrow to have him work his magic and put it back to how it was (plus a little bit more ). Some of the work I had been planning to do myself will now be done by the great man as it makes the most sense that way. Its a shame because I wanted to do it myself and because I would have saved money, but I have no doubt he will do a better job than me. Gotta think about whats best for my baby right now...

[Gasman]

Ooooosh
All damage repaired, new rims, Wide arches and two tone respray. Just needs lows for summer!

[drifte]

thats gonna look goooooood with some lows. IDK if I could have let go of that GTO though either

[244Brick]

I loved the power, looks and performance of the GTO but the car was at the stage where there was not a lot more I could do with it without spending big moneys for little gains. In short, I wanted a new project car. I had my heart set on a certain limited edition 90’s sport saloon (still on the list, ;-) ) as a daily driver, but then a mate at work showed me what he had got up to the past week. He had bought a mk2 mx5 (nb) for £1300, silver on black with a black hood. I had never previously considered an mx5 as I am male, but after hearing how he wrapped it into a wall a few times 6 days after buying it I thought this sounded like a laugh. I promptly began to research stanced mx5’s and it turns out, if certain conditions are met, mx5’s can be driven by real men. Who knew? A deal was made on the GTO, an mk1 mx5 (coz pop up lights are cooler than a penguins pecker) was bought and some money put aside for the daily driver mentioned above. Here is the mx5 as I bought it…

I'm in just because of this!

[double_oh_9]

love the two tone! but i would recommend losing the style bar and getting a rollbar