Loz's MX-5

Well here's the replacement for the MG ZS, she's a 1995 UK spec 1.8iS 5 with a confirmed 69,000 miles on the clock, 2 lady owners the last being a MX-5 OC member from new & full service history from new including all the receipts & MOT's. The sills have been repaired in the past but have been done to a good standard. The paint work is good for a 17 year old car but could do with a little tidy up although I am thinking of a respray in Honda pearl white. I love the OEM wheels & they are in good nick but I will get them refurbed this winter.

Some quick pics...

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Engine the right way round & proper wheel drive. :amuse: Sticker on the slam panel confirms cam belt was done 2010 at 67,000 miles.

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Full tool kit including a pair of pliers a screw driver & spanners, though I've not found the jack yet.

Got a few bits stocked up already too... :amuse:

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Thanks mate & now I've got over the fear of it exploding in my face I'm beginning to enjoy it! Feels so much better than the original skinny affair & I think it's slightly smaller diameter as there seems to be a little knee room, I'll have to compare them sometime. :)
 
Thanks mate & now I've got over the fear of it exploding in my face I'm beginning to enjoy it! Feels so much better than the original skinny affair & I think it's slightly smaller diameter as there seems to be a little knee room, I'll have to compare them sometime. :)

It's cause your a lanky so and so lol
 
It's true, 6' 1" is on the limit for the 5. :lol:
I will be exploring options for dropping the seat height in the future, but it's not an urgent job. :D
 
Ha yes! :lol:

Apparently the seat foamectomy mod can be done quite successfully in these cars so when I've got a free morning I'll have ago. Ultimately I've got my eye on some Porsche RS style seats or maybe some Lotus Elise seats but that mod has been done to death so I probably wont go for them unless a set turn up for the right price. ;)
 
There are taller & larger people driving about in fives, so don't write it off just yet! The Mk1 is the most roomy later incarnations get cosier as time went on. Best thing to do is to jump in one & see what you think. If you're coming to the meet in September you'll be able to try mine on for size. :D
 
Wow... Pretty damn tall! Be like that episode of the Simpsons where Nelson "Haha"s at that mega tall bloke in a mini... :lol:
 
So this project has been in the pipe line for a good while, I actually started planning this before I'd even bought the car. What I wanted was a couple of basic gauges to accurately keep an eye on oil pressure & temp & battery voltage. Originally I was going to measure current as well but after much reading the consensus seems to be that on modern cars it's not necessary so I plumped for just a volt meter.
Me being me I wanted to come up with something different rather than use standard gauges, even though their cheap & easy to source.
My first plan was to use a Infinity E3 Universal Engine Monitor made by MGL Avionics but even though it used standard automotive (VDO) sensors I dismissed it a being a little OTT for what I wanted, still it's a neat piece of kit all the same.
Then I found a small company called Zada Tech & after a chat with the very helpful Matin, I placed an order for this;

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An OLED dot matrix display with a micro joy stick & a warning buzzer which can be set to sound when Oil pressure drops or voltage takes a dive.
While my order was being built I contacted Vlad at Jass Performance about a custom radio pocket to fit my new kit into, after many emails & a lot of patience of Vlads behalf (thank you for you time Vlad, much appreciated) I finally got my radio pocket.

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Radio pocket after paint.​

Next I had to put it all together. After the radio pocket was painted satin black I fitted the display behind a piece of 3mm green tinted cast perspex (I wanted thinner perspex but I couldn't find any despite a couple of hours interweb searching). I used to some sticky backed soft foam material intended to make camera's light tight as a cushion between the metal display casing & the perspex screen & then bolted it all together using teeny tiny 8BA nuts & bolts tightened up with a comically small spanner.

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Next up was fitting the mini joystick used to navigate the options on the gauge, it caused me a little head scratching but in the end I mounted the joystick on some plasticard with a small dab of superglue & then glued that onto the inside of the pocket using Gorilla glue.

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Here's the finished article;

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Naff pic sorry.​

So there it is all fitted together, because I'm a clumsy oaf I damaged the paint fitting the radio pocket to the console, I'm planning on fitting a new head unit soon so when I strip it down to fit that I'll repaint the pocket.

I then took the whole lot to a local auto electrician (Elecanic in Bilston) to have the wiring connected, auto electrics isn't my strong point & having invested so much time & money into this so far I didn't want to blow it up through clumsy wiring on my behalf! Turns out the the guy I went to also owns two MX-5's! He did a tidy job of running the wiring into the engine bay for the sensors so I'll think I'll be taking my car to him again in the future.

Here's a shot of it all lit up taken on my phone so it's not great but you get the idea, the clocks in the wrong place (should be at the top) but once the sensors are wired in it sorts its self out.

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Right. What's next? :amuse:
 
:amazed: That is so cool Loz, I'm very impressed ;)

Just thought, you could try lighting gel instead of the perspex. They use it for lighting on film sets etc, it comes in a roll and you just stick it over the light case to change the colour of the light. All colours are available.

Built a TV studio for a client 5 years ago, I might even have some at my warehouse, I'll have a look and get back to you.
 
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Thats so cool! good job mate.

Supercharger? :p

Thanks & nope. :p

Smart job. Me likes.

Cheers mate

:amazed: That is so cool Loz, I'm very impressed ;)

Just thought, you could try lighting gel instead of the perspex. They use it for lighting on film sets etc, it comes in a roll and you just stick it over the light case to change the colour of the light. All colours are available.

Built a TV studio for a client 5 years ago, I might even have some at my warehouse, I'll have a look and get back to you.

D'oh yes! I over looked those, their used on flashes in photography too, the name always throws me because when I think of gels I think of squishy jelly things! thanks Os I'll keep an eye out for some gels.
The tinted sheet in is pretty spot on tbf its not too bright at night and its still readable in the day so I'm in no rush to replace it now its all together. :)

new battery and a oil temp sensor :)
Actually I do need a new battery, because its in the boot its supposed to a vented type and currently the wrong one is fitted. Sensors will be fitted onto the Mocal sandwich plate in the very near future. :D
 
Yeah bud went ages ago. Was to do Punto dash and bits and stuff for my mates car but both of us sold our projects so didn't need it any more.
 
Last weekend I noticed the carpet under the rear window was damp so I decided to take it out & see what's there.
I found that two of three galvanised covers that live under the carpet were heavily corroded, I suspect the leak had been there since the roof had been renewed in 2006, the rust & the damp had made the carpet stick to the metal. :(

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One panel so badly corroded it had a hole in it, I've cleaned them up & painted them in one coat Hammerite for now & I'll replace them when I come across some nicer ones in the near future.

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I dread to think where all this water has been going, I guess I'll find out sooner or later. :(


A little investigation showed the water was leaking from the rain gutter the sits at the base of the roof, the gutter carries water to drain points just behind the seats on either side of the car, as a matter of course I checked & made sure these were clear. The original gutter was pop riveted & then bolted in, the pop rivets were used to help speed up production & when a hood is renewed they are rarely replaced. These redundant holes need to be covered over, the other problem is old rain gutters tend to be brittle & cracked this also helps water escape, but fortunately mine is in good nick.
So some aluminium tape was used to cover the holes & it was all put back together & tightened up in the correct patten.

A quick test with the watering can showed I'd failed miserably :lol:

After 3 more failures I was ready to call it a day & accepted I'd be going to Santapod with half the carpets missing, then I had a cunning plan & backed the offending bolts with sticky backed puncture repair patches, this created a decent seal around the bolt thread & cured the leak! Whoooo!

So the car is now ready for the Valeting tomorrow. :D

Oh it's booked in for goodies Monday, I wanted it ready for the meet but it wasn't meant to be sigh. :amuse:
 
Punture repair kits to seal leaks... You are a genius! Reminds me of the time I found all that rust in the rear panel of my car. Your heart just sinks. Once I get a decent camera I'll show you guys how I repaired my huge rust problem.
 
Dropped M5X at 5Speed in Nottingham Monday for goodies, here's a little teaser...

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...& today my NOS bottle arrived, I was hoping it got here in time for Santapod hey ho. :D

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