mx5cartalk.com

So, this has been a long time coming. I seriously considered calling it "PaulF's Even Longer Awaited Garage Thread".

Yes, after 18 months and >1300 posts I have finally actually bought myself an MX5. And since they say...


... I'm going to give you ALL OF THE PICTURES.

But first I want to give a massive thanks to NitroDann, who gave up his whole Saturday at short notice to go down to Canberra and check out the car with me. I also owe an apology to those who may be getting their fabrication work a bit later as a result.

This is the original "for sale" thread, for my own future reference as much as anything else: viewtopic.php?f=73&t=54067

Okay, so the car. It's not perfect, but that's to be expected for the price I bought it at. There are a few dents quite a few scratches that don't show up much in photos but are quite obvious in person. It also needs the gearbox replaced, but that should (hopefully) be happening pretty soon.

Photos!

Looks best from a distance...

DSC_0388 by Paul F photos, on Flickr


DSC_0387 by Paul F photos, on Flickr


DSC_0389 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Some of the scratches I mentioned:

DSC_0391 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Apparently the intake was legal in the ACT. It won't be in NSW, so I will need it fixed before the car gets blue slipped. I think Dann is going to help me out here.

DSC_0401 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Radiator looks like it will need to be replaced.

DSC_0403 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

I don't really like this steering wheel. It's better than a lot that I've seen, but still not really to my taste. If anyone has a stock Momo wheel that they would like to sell to me for a reasonable price, let me know.

DSC_0407 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Soft top was removed by the previous owner.

DSC_0404 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

There are some pretty serious cracks in the dash, but that doesn't concern me too much.

DSC_0394 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Now we get to the, erm, interesting stuff...

The head unit isn't exactly attached...

DSC_0395 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Nor is the gear knob...

DSC_0396 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

But the most interesting thing about this interior is the seats. They're fitted with these covers, but underneath is tan leather...

DSC_0397 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

But underneath THAT is what appears to be the original fabric!

DSC_0398 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

It looks like the leather has actually been stitched directly on to the original fabric seats. As you can see, the leather has started to come adrift and that's why the Super Cheap seat covers have been put over the top. I think I will try to unpick the stitching and expose the original fabric.

Inb4 turbo!

Dann

PaulF wrote:It looks like the leather has actually been stitched directly on to the original fabric seats. As you can see, the leather has started to come adrift and that's why the Super Cheap seat covers have been put over the top. I think I will try to unpick the stitching and expose the original fabric.

Wut?

Nicely done though man. Keen to see the progress.

Needs a quick release wheel to go with the quick release shifter.

Muzdaman wrote:Needs a quick release wheel to go with the quick release shifter.

and the quick release roof

Congrats Paul the most eagerly anticipated MX5 purchase on this forum has finally happened, Your sig will never be the same again.

Can help you out with that steering wheel if you are still in need.

I've PM'd you.

Time for a bit of an update. I bought the car under the knowledge that it would need the gearbox and the radiator replaced, so that was my top priority once I got the car home. I also decided that while I had the gearbox out, I would put a heavy duty clutch in.

The car got its very first package in the mail - one of many to come, I imagine.

IMG_2016[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

I didn't take many photos at all of the gearbox and clutch job, but here's proof that it happened.

IMG_2019[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2020[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Xtreme HD clutch. Works nicely; no complaints. Dann reckons it feels better than the Exedy in Peter's SE.

IMG_2022[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Once we had it back together, a celebratory Mt Sugarloaf drive was in order. We had the cars facing one another in the carpark to check a couple of things out so I took the opportunity to take a few more shots.

IMG_2024[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2029[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2031[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2034[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2036[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

This is the real highlight, though. Dann finished the cross pipe for my new intake and I am absolutely stoked. It looks awesome and sounds fantastic at WOT.

IMG_2027[1] by Paul F photos, on Flickr

I will get some better photos of it at some point; it's a real work of art. Couldn't be happier with it.

You may have noticed, however, that the last photo doesn't have my shiny new radiator in it. Yeah... I'll explain that later.

PaulF wrote:You may have noticed, however, that the last photo doesn't have my shiny new radiator in it. Yeah... I'll explain that later.

Also doesn't have any fans

Have to update your sig to include "Xtreme HD clutch" and "Custom Works Engineering CAI"

Sharp eyes Em! I couldn't quite pick what wasn't "right" with it. A bit to used to staring at engine bays that Dann has touched, haha!

emily_mxV wrote:Have to update your sig to include "Xtreme HD clutch" and "Custom Works Engineering CAI"

I think "Custom NitroDann CAI" would be closer to the truth.

Yeah, no fans until the alloy rad is in. And after discussing it with the forum, it looks like I'll have no need to put the secondary fan back in.

Looks good Paul. Happy to see Danns rule of "no fans" is in place already.

PaulF wrote: You may have noticed, however, that the last photo doesn't have my shiny new radiator in it. Yeah... I'll explain that later.

Bugger, nothing too bad i hope.

Free bump

Its a Works Engineering Intake, with custom lobsterback stainless steel crossover pipe, by NitroDann.



might not be Signature suitable that one haha.

Dann

A few small updates.

Got the alloy radiator in, but not the thermofan yet. Was absent-mindedly sitting in traffic yesterday and got the car a little warmer than ideal. Have topped up the water and all seems to be okay.

Bought a standard Momo wheel off xatz, so I can see the top of my gauges now and it feels nicer than the Autotecnica one IMO. The Autotecnica has fairly nice materials but I don't like the moulding at 9 and 3. I'll chuck it up for sale soon.

I also pulled the driver's seat out to get a better look underneath the seat cover. The plot thickens... There's fabric in the main back section and the main base section but none in the bolsters:

IMG_2038 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2039 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2041 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

Also, the "leather" is actually vinyl, which I kind of expected. It's clearly a pretty terrible job. I'm thinking that I'll pull all the vinyl off and put the other seat covers back on, but that will have to wait until I buy a set of metric spanners because I need one to get to one of the bolts and apparently my dad doesn't own any. He has four bloody socket sets but only imperial spanners. Damn MG owners.

Anyway, I'm trying to work out what I'll do with the seats in the long term. They might be suitable to someone who's thinking about retrimming their seats in leather or something but doesn't want to hack up their perfectly good seats. If you're reading this and you reckon you might be interested in buying seats that clearly need retrimming, or maybe organising some sort of trade, PM me and maybe we can sort something out.

Pulled the seat cover off the passenger's seat, to find that it's in considerably better condition than the other. There are a few marks, most noticeably the black marks on the headrest and what appears to be the result of a leaky pen on the base. Had a bit of a go at the headrest with some multi-purpose cleaner but didn't have much success moving it. Some of the stitching has also come adrift. Still, I decided that I preferred "slightly tatty vinyl" to "vinyl with a cheap seat cover over it" so I removed the seat cover completely and reinstalled the seat.


IMG_2046 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2051 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2053 by Paul F photos, on Flickr

IMG_2054 by Paul F photos, on Flickr