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Steve-O's MX5


Steve-O
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Should have started this a long time ago but here i am so hope you enjoy - will try and keep thisup to date as i go. I have big plans for the car, one step at a time :)

 

How she looked at the start back in 2009. Bog standard shes got the WiM spings on by this stage though as i couldn't suffer the boatyness any longer. Also got some WiM rosejointed front drop links as for some reason i kept popping them out on the front left :

 

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Car with new Lorber JDM yo rims - i believe these are actually quite lightweight. Took me a while to get these back in Oct 12 but it was worth the wait. Really improved the look as far as i am concerned.

 

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Also added clear reflectors all round to tidy the body up and also freshly painted front mud flaps. Its an acquired taste but i think it evens out the car a bit and looks good :)

 

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Hardtop fitted - only for a couple of months in winter - heated rear screen is a must. Added some black stripes down the sides after getting inspiration from the Mk3's i have seen about. Made my down stripes up and got a pro to make them up in matt black :) You'll see the strips a bit clearer later on.

 

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New rocker cover installed - an attempt to tidy the engine bay up a bit. Remains to be seen if the finish will hold up or the ali will corrode. Might try powder coating next.

 

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Since purchase the gears havent been quite as slick as i would have hoped. In my latest attempt to make it better i have changed a few bits:

 

Found it in a bit of a state when i removed the centre console. Common problem.

 

 

Upper boot split - letting heat out:

 

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Fluid present but dirty as hell! Probably original and the cause of a stiff sold shift and occasional catching of gears until hot :

 

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Fluid out - believe it or not i used a turkey baster to remove the fluid. Every mans tool kit should have one lol :)

 

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New nylon cup and upper Lower boots installed :

 

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Back together - final verdict: its made a massive difference from cold and moving between gears is a lot more positive. The finished article - but you wouldn't even know looking at it but its the driving that counts :)

 

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Again for ages i have hankered after a lip to harden up the front a bit as it looked a bit lame. After much perusing and research i opted for an OEM lip and managed to nab one for £90 which is relatively cheap for these things believe it or not. Bolted that on - looks much better! Was a bit of a struggle removing some seized reinforcement bumper rods and drilling new holes and getting it lined up right but really pleased with the end result.

 

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My next thing is to drop a couple of bucket seats in. Got a couple of used Corbeau Forza Sports on their way to me in the next week or so. Remains to be seen if I need to find someone to fabricate some adaptor plates - if anyone can help me out on this if required please let me know :)

 

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Later this week :

 

- central locking and viper alarm to ward off the local scrotes. I have a free weekend to tinker. Going to install a new drivers side glass to replace the inferior ill fitting squeaky tinted autoglass s***e i was issued last time the car was vandalised, 6 monthly oil change using 5w/40 fully synth Gulf oil from Opie oils. Using my new extractor pump toy this time round for the interim change, and sandwich plate install in preparation of some oil temp and pressure gauges :) If i get time i have a naca vented headlight cover to prep and paint and fit also.

 

Next week i will hopefully have a 330mm OMP steering wheel arrive to replace the 360mm Momo boat wheel , and hopefully some plastidip so i can add some tasty matt black lowlights to the car.

 

Bloody addictive this car lark!!

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Same here, photos not showing. I think it might be the 's' after the http, the forum might not be able to read it properly? Only thing I can think of ATM. Or it might be the filename, too many dashes.

 

Steve as you're a gold member you can directly upload them to the forum though, although you might need to resize them first :)

 

Car is looking good though, really like the wheels. If there fluid where your gearstick is then, not seen that before?

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Well that sucks - will move onto another system. i wont upload onto the forum directly if i have to resize as i dont have access to my pc atm.

 

Yeah the wheels are perfect for what i am after TBH. Bit of width (7" wide) and dish but sporty at the same time. Shame they leak air atm - hence refurb. Going to go all metallic silver i think.

 

There is a small reservoir of fluid where the shifter is, the actual fluid is still in the box. They are completely seperate - hence when i got the fluid changed i was somewhat confused why the shift was unchanged. That explained it :D

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Nitrous as well that'll go like stink and catch a few people off guard lol!!

 

I think I will end up with a turbo conversion as there is a bit more about to choose from. Being a 1.8 its tricky finding supercharge kits ready to go else i might consider an MP62 coversion which is good for 200+ BHP. And most of the fit and forget backboxes don't fit due to the last uk mk1's having a random longer length cat which sucks. Will be easier and cheaper to get a full system made up when the time comes!

 

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There is a small reservoir of fluid where the shifter is, the actual fluid is still in the box. They are completely seperate - hence when i got the fluid changed i was somewhat confused why the shift was unchanged. That explained it :D

 

Interesting, never seen that before, why have fluid where the shifter is?

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Not sure entirely I think it's purely for making the linkages work nicely!

 

Tony early days yet mate but I've had a 2-3 year break from cars concentrating on my daughter but she's big enough now I can get back into it. I think I've found a keeper in the '5 as it has the handling and RWD for some fun it just needs a bit more power to keep me content. It's a good pampered car seems silly to look anywhere else for my trackday and touring kicks right now. Off in June so looking to get as much done as possible.

 

I was speaking to you before about the DC coilovers - how do the Meister R's compare you reckon? They say the ride and difference in hard/soft damping is very good

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  • 1 month later...

Small update :

Fitted some yellow lense JDM front fog lights. Lights and brackets were stripped down, treated with rust inhibitor and painted in black hammerite since they will get a lot of crap thrown at them. I don't necessarily want to use them as I just really like them - makes the front look more purposeful. All wired in to a OEM switch so it looks like it was there from the factory:

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Next up is some flocking. Had a new instrument cowl and crash pads flocked in black. The finished product is nothing short of superb:

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Pic fitted. Will get some better ones when I have some sun with the roof down. I really like the result and tastefully breaks the dash up without going crazy. Makes the dash feel a bit better quality as well :

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Still got to fit my bucket seats and I also took delivery of some Raybrig headlights to replace the standard items's. Supposed to be much brighter. Wheels are due in for a refurb at the end of this month if time permits.

 

I also have some gunmetal plastidip to colour code my badges on the car, and also some Le Mans vinyl images to apply ahead of my jolly  :)

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Looking good Steve. I'm not usually a fan of flocking but that does look rather good.

 

I see you use those caravan ramps, how do you find them for getting underneath the car as I've been thinking of getting some?

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I know what you mean with the flocking - i think less is more. its too easy to go crazy with it. i think in this case it is an improvement - opinions will vary though :) It has an added benefit of reduced glare.

 

I dont use the ramps to go right under the car - usual axel stands and chock blocks apply, but they are brilliant for things like fitting the fogs and front lip. I also use them for oil changes - as i change it quite frequently i don't want to spend ages getting the car set up just to drain the oil.

 

That said i have a new oil extractor at home for my next oil change which is due just before Le Mans. I am intending to use it every other change and should mean i can do an oil change in 20/30 mins or so with the car on the ground and not removing the sump plug. Again people have opinions on using these devices, however i think they are fine as an interim solution, if the next change you do it properly and get any s***e out the sump pan.

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There was a guy on the Mondeo forum who flocked everything in his interior, it looked horrible so definitely less is more.

 

Yes I wouldn't use the ramps while working on the car, I'm thinking for the same reasons as you, oil change, cleaning etc, it'll just make life easier than lugging the jack and axle stands out. Do they give enough clearance to get under the car to undo the sump plug then?

 

I'm sure the extractor will be fine, I remember you mentioning it. As long as it's not used every time I can't see a problem.

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When the car is up i lay at the edge of the car and slide under slightly to crack the plug open and then come back out and undo the rest by hand - you are under there for a few seconds so the risks are minimal. I do check the stands before i use them make sure they dont have any damage/cracks etc :)

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No way I'd be able to without a lot of special kit mate! I've been using a mx5 parts breaker to get parts and get them customised his end and posted over so I can swap them out without having an incomplete car.

 

I was sceptical of using the flocker he suggested but after he sent me some examples of his work my concern went away. I was really impressed with the quality and would recommend them if anyone wanted a top job.

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  • 1 month later...

Been busy on the car this weekend:

 

Gave her a deep clean and a New set of eyes:

 

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Bit of a bugger to fit but got there in the end. Also fitted a chrome runabout fuel cap :

 

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Also bolted on a master brake cylinder stopper that's improved pedal feel.

 

I think my shocks are on their way out so I suspect that's next on the list :)

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To be honest Rich i dont really Know. Been speaking to Tony about coilovers and they sound the business - but i really want decent ride quality as our roads are so bad. How the ride is on coilovers is really personal taste - all i have to go on is my last set of BC coilovers were good on perfect surfaces but made the car slower on normal roads. Ride was ever so slightly crashy. I'd like a refined ride quality if at all possible.

 

I am tempted by a KYB AGX and perhaps some eibach springs as a low maintenance solution with some degree of adjustability. I definitely want to keep my ride height as it is or perhaps 10mm lower or so. 

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Those lights look good, all the screws were rusted on my mates ones , it was a struggle to remove them

 

I'm a big fan of Eibach springs , had some on the Evo and bought some for my Fabia as well , but my Skyline has KYB (OEM) and Tein lowering springs , always found Tein stuff a bit crashy but on poor roads the Skyline rides better than the Fabia

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I think Eibach are the way to go. Had them on the Mondeo and for such a big car it handled fantastically. I also have them on the Corolla and it also handles very well with minimal compromise to the ride quality.

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