'91 Mx5

[Garrett_T25]

This is a looong read, so I apologise in advance. It does read a little strangely too, as its essentially copied and pasted from my project thread on another forum, so just bear with it!

So, in the beginning...

After my 200SX died quite spectacularly, my other half, Leanne, took me to a fairly local garage to look at a UKDM Mazda MX5 1.6i, because shes always wanted one. I laughed at first, then pondered whether she'd found my old spice girls album and was questioning my sexuality (I bought it for the pictures...honest!). We arrived, and there it was, sat in all its poncey gayness in someones garden.

I sat inside, and was disappointed to realise that it was actually damned comfortable. And I quite liked everything, even the way the window was seperated from a little front-quarter window on the door. The salesman, who as you may be able to see from the pic had a fair few MX5s, reeled off all the reaons why I should buy it. I ignored him and started playing with things, then took the roof off. He shouted at me that Id done it wrong because Id left the rear window up, but hey, it wasnt my car.



I smiled. Unfortunately, Leanne had noticed. I gave her the look you give your mum as a child when she catches you masturbating, one of those ''deer in the headlights'' looks. I stopped smiling. The guy took me out for a test drive, and let me drive it back. I wouldnt have admitted it at the time, but good God did I think it was cool. I felt like I was in a '60s Lotus, everything just seemed so retro.

Finally coming to rest, I came out of the closet and handed him £500 of my hard earned, hoping my friends would never find out. Unfortunately, they did. Largely because I turned up to my mates house in it, in retrospect a schoolboy error. After the laughing had died down, we headed to York dragway. There was more laughter. In my friends yard, parked next to his Fiesta, I could hold on to a modicum of pride. At York, surrounded by chavs and Supras, I was ashamed. I parked out of the way.



I got home and started browsing the net. There must be some way I can stop these feminine jibes. I found MX5nutz, and soon my cash started disappearing. To start, I bought my favourite wheels of the time, Rota GT3s, wrapped in parada spec 2 tyres. The wheels themselves were 15x7J with an offset so feminine it made Michael Barrymore look like shaft. However, once fitted, my car was sat incredibly high. The kids would still laugh as I drove past. So I bought some Spax RSX adjustable coilovers, and dropped the ride height.

Rusty goodness, and with one snapped spring too.


After some elbow grease and harsh language:


I also buggered about with the headlight wiring (thats a technical term), and this was how she sat:


The car was now bumpier than hell and tramlined everywhere. So onto google I went, I took some geometry settings from a chap on ClubRoadster, and read up on suspension. Then I messed about with the damping until I found a setting I was happy with.

The kids no longer laughed, but my friends still wouldnt look me in the face when they talked to me. So, I found a Garage Vary front splitter for sale, and bought it. I then got some bonnet spacers.


My friends booked to go on our new-found annual tradition of the Nurburgring. Selfishly, my brother decided to get married around the same time. So I booked a track day at Blyton, and bought a custom roll-bar off a friends MX5 for £30.


So, with no real prior track experience, and with plenty of run off space, I drove like a tit. This lasted 3 corners.


It would appear that tyre pressures and smoothness are important. It would also appear that tyre boundaries are stronger than fibreglass lips. Shit. I believe I saw Mr NickD driving properly too, scaring me quite shitless by drifting near my beached car.

So, I grabbed a few passenger laps with Dave, P5s Phil and Richie, and saw the lines they took, where they applied power. I thought ''balls to it, I can do that''. Amazingly, I could!


I wasnt setting the world on fire, but by the end of the day I felt I was in control of the car, and I had at least lapped a few cars. I got home, and decided to continue my racing career by painting my roof. I bought it cheap so it was buggered.


But I got it sprayed, and the guys from Ripspeed asked me to put the car on their stand atthe Japshow. So I did.


I then treated myself to an Apex'i cat-back exhaust.


Leanne then polished it for me.


Et voila, 15 minutes later and Id got rid of the farting/blowing OEM backbox.


Eventually, the poor offset of my wheels got to me, and I ordered some more masculine ones. Sportmax 002, 15x8J ET0. Front Sportmax, rear Rota:


Although one of the easiest jobs, this became a nightmare due to my ride height. I hadnt adjusted it once in the last 10'000 miles, and boy was it a bastard to move. Plenty of skin-loss and blood later:


Then, the legend that is Leannes dad repaired my Garage Vary lip for me:


Perfick. My friends liked me again, kids quietly uttered that they liked the car, and all was well with the world. I then bought a £3 Mountney steering wheel. I had offered the boss £30 for this, but he wasnt keen, so checked the computer for the proper price. Result.:


The scrubbing of my tyres now meant I had to drive like Cliff Richard everywhere, so I hired an arch roller and set to it:


I then bought a MK1 MR2. We sold it to my friend, who then promptly put in a field less than a day later. Here she was in her glory:

[Garrett_T25]

Then, I bought a 4-2-1 manifold because mine was buggered. This was another easy job:


And I removed the mudflaps, to make my car look wide again:


Fitted a silenced de-cat pipe a while ago after mine died and started rattling. Sounds awesome with the rest of the exhaust, and the pops and bangs are fantastic.

Also, bought a Carbing roll cage, and set about fitting it in the yard. Seats out, and the all important childrens refreshments in place:



Quick test fit:


Lots of space-checking and removing/refitting of cage later


Finally all in place and bolted in:






Then, the harness (Sabelt Clubman)


Quick pic of my shift light:


Tow hook/ strut brace fitted:










And, most recently...
Been itching to getting round to spraying my roof for a long time now. So bought some spray cans and some sand paper, and set to it. Most important tool:


Sanded down:


And some paint:


Leannes genius 'paper roof' masking:


First coat of black:


Some patience and a few coats later...




Finish isnt perfect, but roof looks tons better than it did before.

Also hitting the Nurburgring again on the 28th of August for a week with some friends.

Sorry for the huge post!

[Captain Muppet]

Looks way more posh than mine. Nice.

[chunk]

Thats a cool looking MX5, sits very well on the sportmax.

One thing though, remove the 'time attack' for a 'British drift championship' sunstrip

[Captain Muppet]

Forgot to say in my first post - excellent write up

Originally Posted by chunk

Thats a cool looking MX5, sits very well on the sportmax.

One thing though, remove the 'time attack' for a 'British drift championship' sunstrip

Oi, mine's the only one with a BDC sticker.

I do have a spare "Eurodrift" one though...

[jamie k]

I think its safe to say you love long posts lol

Originally Posted by Captain Muppet

Oi, mine's the only one with a BDC sticker.

I do have a spare "Eurodrift" one though...

Im hoping to get my license in August...



I love this car.

Question for you. Did you have to cut anything while fitting the cage? Mine will be going in very soon so im trying to work out how much hassel im in for

[mazdachris]

To fit a proper cage you need to cut holes in the rear shelf behind the seats so that the rear legs of the cage can attach to the chassis. The rear shelf is just thin metal which is too soft to use for mounting the cage. Which reminds me, I need to tidy mine up at some point. The holes in my shelf look like they were done using a pen knife can opener attachment.

I think we need to come up with a name for that style - wide wheels, front splitter and a square plate. It's pretty popular and looks absolutely awesome.

[Hammond]

sexual favours!!

[ringer]

Originally Posted by mazdachris

I think we need to come up with a name for that style - wide wheels, front splitter and a square plate. It's pretty popular and looks absolutely awesome.

'Awesome-O'

[Blackadder]

fruit shoots :P

nicely done, good photography

oh awsome car too :P

[Garrett_T25]

Thanks everyone!

Yeah the cage was an arse to fit, but well worth it! Not much point in me buying a drift sunstrip, Im shit at it!

Two more pics from today...

[Harlen]

Oh shi-

I wish I had the monies to tart mine up like that. Bloody lush car mate.

[griffo20022]

Awsome, MX5's are amazing little cars! If only I could get my left arse cheek in the seat

[Chris_200SX]

Originally Posted by mazdachris

I think we need to come up with a name for that style - wide wheels, front splitter and a square plate. It's pretty popular and looks absolutely awesome.

how about "Hard as frick" very nice looking mx5

[rizk]

Thats pretty much exactly the look i'm going for too... Damn.
Mine is red with a black roof too.

Are you happy with the Spax coilovers? On the road\track.
Been thinking of 'em myself.

[mr2]

Fair play dude car looks good!!!


This is the first car i ever drove with the intention to drift.

[Ts@n@k@s_Ae86]

Damn nice! Sportmax are the best rims for the miata. Shame you can t find them in Europe easy... Did you brought them from the states?

[Papercutout]

Chris - its just jap style isn't it? Go check my photobucket for jap look cars, there's variations, probably all with seperate names, but they're all similar.


LOVING that MX5. Tbh, I'd not feel gay in a normal one, as long as I decked it, but that looks stunning, and if I was you, I'd be proud. Now you've got it set up (don't know what plans you have next), you need to get out and have some seat time, without breaking that front lip again.

Take it easy mate, and ride on a wave of our jealousy (rich git )

[Mattyboi]

Looks tops!

I build and run MX5 race cars for a living and know first hand how great they are and with a few chosen mods they can run with anything on a track in the bends. You`ve got all the base mods covered, looking forward to whats coming next




One thing though, that harness is dodgy as frick! I would use it at all, you`ll be a million times safer in the regular seatbelt.

[Garrett_T25]

Originally Posted by rizk

Are you happy with the Spax coilovers? On the road\track.
Been thinking of 'em myself.

Extremely Theyre not as ''cool'' as Tein Super streets, but then theyre about £100 less and have the same adjustability. Theyre pretty good on the road, although even on their softest setting theyre still pretty stiff. On track, theyre awesome. My friend had them on his old Del Sol too, and he loved them. I definitely recommend them for road/track use.

Did you brought them from the states?

I actually bought them second hand (well, had cpvered 1000miles). But you can import them through C2Auto.

Take it easy mate, and ride on a wave of our jealousy (rich git)

Hah, thanks! If it makes you feel any better, not including the price of the car, Ive only spent £1400 on bits.

One thing though, that harness is dodgy as frick!

Im not so sure, it sits exactly where it should on my body, and is nice and tight. I did read from various sources that, so long as you had a cage, harnesses on stock seats were perfectly safe. If Im honest, I dont know enough about it to argue otherwise, but it feels very secure, and the Carbing harness bar is much sturdier than the seatbelt turrets. I have got a pair of fixed back buckets in the garage (got a pic of them test fitted somewhere...), but not sure Ill have the spare time to knock up some subframes before we go to Germany, so Im looking for a DC2 recaro seat that some MX5s got to put me on.

Found the pic:


After the seats, Ill be sorting out some tyres (Hankook RS2s), brakes/LSD from the 1.8L, some under-chassis braces, and then eventually a TD04 or T25 turbo. I really want to get stuck into my planned SR swap, but we need a flat...