Slug Dub's NA

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:22 pm

Ah yes yes all in good time!

This and several other projects will hopefully be performed next weekend where there will be more time and tools! I think the desire this weekend to drive it lots and far would override the need to do work on it, I'm off to Toowoomba :lol:

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:29 pm

Welcome to the forum and the obsession

How in the world do cams wear like that?!?! scary.

The fellas are having the monthly mountain run this tomorrow night (Friday), why not turn up and say hi. Check the "MX-5 Events" section.
If you are not keen on a night-run up Glorious, then meet up for coffee afterwards.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:30 pm

Thanks for the welcome 1red5.

I'm keen to partake in the Mt Glorious run but this weekend I have plans that require me in Toowoomba tomorrow night, so I have to give this one a miss, but I'm keeping the August date free for the drive.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:39 pm

Visited Fulcrum today who gave me the low down on the car's suspension. It was indeed KYB shocks and he said it actually runs quite well and there's nothing wrong with the gear :mrgreen:

Lesson 1 for me: sports car suspension is NOT like your floaty Mazda 323... learn to lurve it! :lol:

I guess it was such a different ride compared to what I've dríven before I thought maybe there was something very wrong, but as long as I know that the operation is normal and I'm not actually riding on broken bits then its all good.

They did suggest changing the bushing so have lined up a set, and we'll (my mate and I) will try to change them over this weekend. Should be a busy one, will be hitting MX5 Plus in the morning on Saturday, I have a CAI and front lip to fit, and hopefully the bushings will get done. Thank gawd my workplace has a hoist.

16bit · Postby **16bit** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:50 pm

let me know how you go with the bushings - i need to do mine too. not looking fwd to it.

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:05 pm

slug_dub wrote:... will be hitting MX5 Plus in the morning on Saturday, I have a CAI and front lip to fit, and hopefully the bushings will get done.

Danny's workshop or Richard's place?
I'll be at Richard's at 10am, but if you are over at Danny's then I'll pop by and say hi and help out where I can. What time will you be there?

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:22 pm

We're off to Richard's, mostly to (finally) check it out, but also to hunt for goodies :lol:

We'll be there about 10am as well I expect.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:22 am

Well I had a... moderately successful weekend doing the bushes. Unfortunately I didn't get all of them done and due to a lack of time in the immediate future to get back to it I'm going to wuss out and have Fulcrum finish it off. Much thanks to Tbro who I caught up with on the weekend for the tips on what to do, they were very very helpful and right on the money!

Also made it to MX5 Plus parts for a look and met 1red5 there. Didn't run away with any goodies yet but I'm making a list :lol:

I say moderately successful because the most I've taken away from the work on the weekend was familiarising myself with how it all goes together under the car, as we really only just tipped over 50% of the bushes installed hehe. It was a lot of fun just working away but I don't think I would do it again... ok ok yeah, I probably would but only after I had forgotten how annoying a job it is

16bit, its not a technically hard job, even for someone a bit mechanicly noob as I consider myself to be, but you do need a healthy supply of tools and a few extra things not in the tool box to get the bushes out (LOTS of clamping, and we used a hydraulic press on a couple... mostly because we could!) and at least two people to make good progress. With the insight I have now, next time it would be half the time or less, so I'd consider the cost of an install as convenience tax

So that took up all of the weekend and I didn't get to paint and install the front lip I was hoping to do (sorry FMS01!) though its sanded and ready to go now.

I need some more AA batteries to get the photos off my camera but I'll post up a bit more details about the install with a few pics, though I didn't get enough to make a how-to.

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:00 am

It was good to meet you too slug.

Sounds pretty much like you and Josh were successful, and the only real issue was time.
I agree that changing bushes is relatively straightforward, it's just arduous and requires the right tools, time, and at least 2 pairs of hands.

Anyone with a name like Andrew AND a fan of Futurama is more than A-OK in my books :wink:

"All hail Hypno-Toad"

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:47 pm

And looks like you're a fan too of one of my other favourite animated institutions, Robote- All hail Hypno-Toad

:mrgreen:

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:06 pm

After acquiring so much dust on the weekend that the weight was affecting handling :lol:

the car has been washed, claybarred and polished and I took a bit of time out today for decent photos, before it does something stupid like rain (you never know with QLD :roll:

)

mmmmmmmmmm shiny.

Jeo · Postby **Jeo** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:31 pm

Wow shiny

PUR157 · Postby **PUR157** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:48 pm

looks great!

I think a colour coded front lip will really set it off

Postby **orx626** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:54 pm

The photos don't do it justice Andrew! :wink:

Cheers,
Danny

ps. thanks again for today.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:19 am

Mania cold air intake was fitted this weekend. This was fun to fit!

My car already had a hole in the firewall pretty much just the right size for this, so it's had one there before... saved a job cutting it out

I had picked up a basic adapter plate from Repco, which fit the bolts on the AFM nicely and was a snug fit into the filter end of the CAI, but the round hole of the plate was much larger than the square hole of the AFM, and there were gaps. So off to Bunnings for some bits and pieces to make a plate.

A bit of power tool action later...

...aaand here's the plate :lol:

Here its fitted to the AFM, the original gasket is still in there between the plate and the AFM and silicon was used to join together the plate and adapter.

I haven't really seen any good pictures of engines with these kinds of CAI's fitted to see how they support the AFM, so we just dry fitted all the bits then pretty much guestimated some bracket action. A bit more drilling, filing and bending and here's the result...

When we did the dry run the intake fit nicely under the bonnet but after the full install with brackets it was too high and the bonnet didn't sit flush, so the longer vertical braket was cut down a bit shorter and now its all good. Though now that the intake is angled down a bit it doesn't sit fully inside the firewall hole. I think a bit more bending to the brackets to move the whole AFM/intake towards the firewall a bit will be the go, as another side effect was the plastic pipe from AFM to throttle body sits further forward and pushes on the bonnet support rod and makes it pop out of the clip on the drivers side (as well as probably rubbing on the pipe quite a bit). I stupidly didn't actually take a whole engine bay completed assembly pic... so you'll have to put up with my mug in this one :lol:

Its an awesome intake. Certainly revs out to 6k rpm nicely with a very cool throaty sound.