What have you done today/recently to your 5?

[Lokiel]

xxx

[Lokiel]

Got the new boy registered, and took it for the first drive. Slow, rattle-y fun!

Needs some shots with the black hard-top on it!

If you call it "Blue", you'll always be able to say:



When you sell it, or if it gets totalled (preferably not with the black hard-top on it), we can re-create this scene!

[ManiacLachy]

The hardtop is on now, I'll get you a shot in the next few days. I've been chipping away at jobs, currently in the middle of the shifter rebuild.

[Zed]

Zed, I like your wiring harness wrap, any idea what it is or where it can be sourced?

the braid?

was somewhere on ebay a few years ago bought a few metres of a few sizes but it's all used on other jobs now - will be looking for more when I re-wire this car

although nylon braid is fragile & suffers with heat or snaggs

Rich.

[Zed]

today I bought a bolt......


as explination, the standard Mazda crank / pulley bolt is m14 / 1.5 pitch, the head has a washer as part of it & this is too large to fit inside the bore of the drysump drive pulley I have (leftover from a Vauxhall 20XE drysump kit from ~15 years ago)






too big, suppose I could machine the diameter but I am wary of altering bolts as can alter their strengths / properties...

new allen head bolts are cheap and available in several tensile strengths...

I bought 1 bolt (£6.38 posted - ebay laziness) M14 / 1.5 pitch, 50mm long and 12.9 Grade. I will machine a suitable washer for this or maybe look at Schnoor or Nordlock as locking washers


the drive fits as shown, interestingly it has a similar (although un-measured) spiggot diameter that is an interfearance fit in the Mazda outer pulley, also a cuttout that accepts the crankshaft's key - some luck there


I'm still using the 'test' lump of aluminium to position the pump, also the pump lives in a ziplock bag to combat moisture while I'm fiddlin.....


another consideration is to have a smaller crankshaft pulley for the waterpump / alternator belt, as this is a budget build & I'm a cheepskate hoarder a little diggin found an alloy pulley from a Ford 'Pinto' waterpump 'polly-vee' drive kit so this may get altered to fit the Mazda engine - benefits include no rubber bonded 'damper' in the pulley that can fail & cause imballance and also reduced waterpump & alternator rotational speeds (especially good as overspeed water pump impellors can cavitate and loose efficentcy)


more lack-of progress to follow, one day


Rich.

[Dervish]

Today I replaced the worn out SE shift knob with a new one made by AJWoodcraft out of Northern Territory Ironwood. Photos just don’t do this thing justice, it is a work of art.

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It weighs about the same as the stock one, perhaps a shade heavier.

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The interior is slowly moving to where I want it. Next steps: find or make an Ironwood handbrake handle, find an airbag detonator to suit the Nardi airbag that came with the wood rim wheel, MiataRoadster SSK, fill the remaining gauge holes and work out a permanent stereo solution.

[MonkeyBritchers]

It's been a while since I've put anything here - around 18 months, so this is my highs and lows and a warning to those considering going down the same path as I:

I'm sure you'll agree, the NB seats aren't much good. Comfortable but hardly supportive and quite unattractive visually so I went looking for replacements. Everything was so expensive! I found a seller (no names) on EBay with replica Bride Stradia II at roughy 1/3 the price of genuine. Put down the money. They looked alright, were genuine carbon fibre, came with "universal rails". Didn't want to chop the factory rails to adapt (smart move) so purchased genuine bride rails to suit. Suit they didn't, mounting holes on the seats were in wrong positions, the driver's side was off centre by a couple of inches. Made modifications to the rails to fit. Passenger seat went in ok but felt cramped and the drivers just wouldn't go in at all.

I bit the bullet, saved money and bought a genuine Zeta 3 Super Amarid and rail to suit. Installed no problems but the door is hard up against the side and leaves a small dent where contact is made. The material feels softer that the rep and the cushioning is firmer.
Anyone considering saving money and getting replicas my advice is just don't.

I've also fitted a Brown Davis alloy roll bar and a carbon fibre shift knob from a JDM Mazdaspeed Demio.

[Mr Morlock]

You would saved money by not doing any of it. NB seats were fine in my view and the trouble with Recaros and the like is that getting in and out of cars can be difficult.

[Zed]

loadsaspace!


bad photo of the enginebay less inlet manifold...


the clutch hose routing I've decided on using, theres a deliberate 'twist' and I'll mount the hose against the bulkhead / chassis 'lip' (but that's another story & photo's)


as the inlet ports were uncovered, curiosity made for inspection...
this is the inlet port of number 2 cylinder.


this was the inlet port of number 3 cylinder


another view, theres an obstruction cast into the port
looks to be a remnant of the casting and leftover from a gap in the moulding cores.
I am suprised this slippped past quality inspection!

also, even with the miss-cast port the engine performed well and even after 30 years and how many miles (kilometers?) - wonder what else I'll find when it's stripped...

test-fit of the Hayabusa itb's...





first trial fit of them on a car, I now know my measurements were good (& I can easily get away with longer tb spacer-adapters and still fit a filter or airbox)


something I didn't quite expect was the proximity of the rear throttle-body and the clutch master cylinder!


clearance?


clearance IS clearance isn't it?



Rich.

[manga_blue]

Looking promising! FYI the casting and machining on some of the B6 and BP heads was absolute shyte. Junk like yours in the inlet port and major mismatches between manifold and head are not rare. If it were mine I'd take the head off, tidy up those ports with a Dremel (or better still a die grinder if you have one), bowl them out a fraction under the valve seats and find another 4 or 5rwkw, along with a freer spinning motor.

[bruce]

I was going to ask if your car had been underwater due to all the corrosion, then I noticed your location in the UK. I bet the underside and all your suspension components are covered in rust.

[Zed]

Looking promising! FYI the casting and machining on some of the B6 and BP heads was absolute shyte. Junk like yours in the inlet port and major mismatches between manifold and head are not rare. If it were mine I'd take the head off, tidy up those ports with a Dremel (or better still a die grinder if you have one), bowl them out a fraction under the valve seats and find another 4 or 5rwkw, along with a freer spinning motor.

interesting to know it's not freek I've stripped 3 x mx5 1.6 B6ze(rs) and one Mazda323 turbo (B6t) engine and this was the first 'bad casting athough the others were older ~1989 & 1986/7? so better mold / cores in the foundry maybe?

I'm building another engine so this head will be spares (was going to section it to see the waterjacket )

old photo's so things are slightly different now...


I've a 110v die-grinder that gets a lot of use (great when welding!) and its done ~20 hours work on modifying a head & matching the Jenvey inlet manifold


roughing the blend, the miss-match had the manifold ~3mm higher than the heads port, not a bad thing as shaping the port-roof is better than the port-floor


~ +3mm each side & top of port (in head)


starting to get there?


the inlet are mostly finished - think I'll quit while ahead before breaking-through into coolant-jacket or valve-gallery

still have the exhaust to finish though (why I want to cut another head to check thickness )

Rich.

[Chuppa]

Downsized my rims to 16inch from 17. Still black. I think I can feel the difference?

Adjusted the handbrake, at the pads and at the handbrake itself. Chasing an annoying squeak from the rear passenger wheel that only appears when applying the brakes and then only when warmed up.




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[93_Clubman]

Adjusted the handbrake, at the pads and at the handbrake itself. Chasing an annoying squeak from the rear passenger wheel that only appears when applying the brakes and then only when warmed up.

Coincidentally, rear pside calliper is the one where internal corrosion usually occurs primarily affecting the handbrake.

[Chuppa]

Coincidentally, rear pside calliper is the one where internal corrosion usually occurs primarily affecting the handbrake.

Thanks Clubman, good to know.

Chuppa


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