billybunters - from a bmw z4 to a mx5 se

[JBT]

Good luck and keep posting.

[billybunter]

thanks for the great response to this on coming trip info thread and it's good to know it has some keen interest. at the moment the car is up to scratch and nothing more is required to point it down the highway.
the frog arm fit certainly stiffened up the chassis on the stock standard body. the ride appears firmer with a more solid feel and also the steering appears slightly heavier. no idea why but I picked up on the above two immediately.
I think this frog arm move alone will hold the car more steady at higher whooosh!
we all know the mx5 is not blessed with heaps of storage room especially for a road trip like this. I can't rely on arriving at motels etc in peak season in the northern territory and told -sure we held a room just for your arrival although saying that it would be rather
wife is not too keen on the camping idea either. but I think there will be places where I have little to no choice but camp. for the past few weeks I have been chasing what I think would be the best requirements and space saving options for the trip.
not only do we have to cart the very essentials -clothing etc but also camping equipment and bedding /food/camera gear/ laptops and a few spare parts. where possible I'd like to upload photos /videos on the trip not relive it several months later.
shortly I will run through a few of the space saving items I purchased for the trip and it will surprise you what I have manage to put together
I was doing a comparison between luggage space between the 3 convertibles here in the yard -mgf /bmwz3/and the mazda. the mazda came in last. oddly enough the mgf had the most available boot space.
so stay tuned for a run down on the gear and on your next run -there might be something that may interests you.
thanks to lokiel for pointing out that - no reply doesn't mean that no-one is looking

[ManiacLachy]

I can't imagine my partner ever agreeing to go on a road trip in my MX5, though it's something is like to do. Your wide must be very understanding, even if she's insisting on packing for every situation!

[hks_kansei]

From memory the MGF boot is a little narrower than the MX5 one, but a LOT deeper.
plus the little space in the front boot.

Out of them all though I think the MX5 is the right choice, the Z3s I just don't personally like.
the MGF has way too much stuff to go wrong that would also be a huge headache to fix (almost no engine access, 10ft long coolant tubes running under the car, that stupid fluid suspension, etc)

The MX5 at least is simple to fix since it uses easy and reliable 323 bits mainly, AND kept them accessable under the bonnet.

[billybunter]

true! there really is no choice in the 3 but the mx5. I could take the wives Honda euro or my work Toyota hi-ace but I'd be just like the other grey headed old bustardo's running up the road...
I might be getting on but I think I still have one got one good road trip left in me and now is the time to make the move! so saying that its the mx5 on the run or nothing...
I have not slept in a tent since 1985 - I am sure I will be some what surprised. no if its for better or for worse I guess I will find out .

[manga_blue]

You've still got the cover plates either side of the front of the boot space in place. In an NA they cover up two long deep pockets, equivalent to a carry-on bag each. I'd guess NBs would be the same in that regard. Try taking the one behind the driver out and see what's there. My entire travel wardrobe goes in there.

[JBT]

On the long trips we've done, packing clothes etc. in shopping bags seems to work best for the MX-5. Gives you plenty of options to squish stuff here and there in smaller packages rather than being stuck with less flexible travel bags.

[billybunter]

over the past few weeks I have done the following work to the mazda so I'd say it's as good as I can get it.

1.first off fit the billet grille to avoid birds hitting the intercooler
2. new petrol filter as it was still on the original unit-
3. oil/filter and coolant change
4. begi cai k&N filter washed and re-oiled
5. repaired the line to the fuel filler cap as it had popped loose. prior to that I use to pop the boot and release the filler cap manually.
6.install new hoses to vent batty gases as I misplaced them a fair while back -maybe in the painting stage7
7.coin holder kept popping out and rattling so super glued it back in position...lol checked out the spare and jack stand etc.
8.timing belt and accessories plus water pump and both front fan drive belts
9.upgraded the air vents to the mitsubishi style
10. new door speakers as 2 years back I replaced one and the other I left out....lol
11. new battery in the fob. thought better to do this now than later
12. changed gearbox oil and fitted new rubber top and bottom seals and the delrin bush.

after the above work was carried out I ended up going over most of the screw and nuts in the engine bay with blue Loctite. hopefully this move will keep them in place. after that i also replaced most of the vacuum hoses running to and from the turbo.
now I think i have done all i can to prepare and the only thing which could really stop me along the way is an engine blow up... should that happen well there is not much i can do anyway so it will be a plane trip home and I will post on the forum - for sale best offer and the buyer picks up!

[billybunter]

GEAR REVIEW BOOT BAG FROM




well I really wanted somewhere to place the clothes and first thought was a luggage rack and some kind of waterproof port. well I chased down a rack and that was a bit over $400 plus I'd still have to buy a waterproof port/case to strap to.
on the web and just by sheer accident I bumped into bootbag.com from the uk. that make these waterproof nags in 2 sizes. the 50 litre I purchased for $220 delivered and the 75 litre for around $250
now before you jump to conclusion and say I wouldn't put one of those on mine take into account in the uk - they are used on lambo's .porsches Astons and much more and compared to those high end $$$$ sports cars the price of our machines wouldn't even cover a partial paint job...lol no need to worry though. no-one has reported any paint damage to any of their cars.
best news of all these bags have been tested and proved to be rock solid at 200 kph in Germany.

I decided to see what I could randomly stuff in the bag. what you see was about 3/4 full. my next pack will be more serious




once you have the good inside there are zippers either side to close the deal. then you apply the Velcro connectors and you have a totally sealed and waterproof bag which has been tested under severe weather in the euro alps and nothing inside got wet




anchor points are one each end and 4 in the centre. all very well made





size of this bag is 70cmx36 I think. I sits on a non slip style mat slightly larger than the bag. looking at the photo you can see the large strap run east west and the 2 smaller north south





once you have sorted out the strap lengths it is recommended you cut to length and burn the edges with a match etc. my rear deck spoiler could take a hammering from the straps so I will cut a bit of packing material to cover that.




once you arrive at your destination you can attach your carry strap and away you go. as for the chances of theft I think it doesn't matter what you have if they want it-they will get it. even I wont lock this car at night or I think I will end up with the roof slashed for sure

[Lokiel]

... and if the missus starts to annoy you on the trip, you can threaten to put her in there too (kidding)

[JBT]

How long since the hydraulic system was flushed?

[greenMachine]

The straps on that bag are going to leave wear marks on the spoiler at least. I'd get some self adhesive clear plastic and stick it there to take the wear. I suspect that the same is going to happen to the boot top, notwithstanding that plastic mat - the solution will be the same.

You probably know this already, but you will also have to secure the loose ends to stop them flying around, they will a) fray, and b) damage the paintwork if they hit it.



PS - great work on the write-up - don't stop, lots of lurkers here!!who - me?!

[billybunter]

lokiel

your idea isn't too bad at all. but if so I'd end up with either a new old bag or a old new bag........

jbt
had the hydraulics flushed about a years ago. daughter was going out with a mechanic so opportunity knocked!

greenmachine

true I will tidy the straps up. really don't want to come back and have to paint the whole car again - or not yet!

next post loading the boot. working on it now.

[billybunter]

Gear Review Polar Bear 24 Can Soft Side Cooler

at first glance this could easily pass as an overnight bag or camera bag or anything else BUT not a portable cooler/esky




for weeks i thought about a fridge freezer but once the tape measure came out and due to limit space that idea was completely out. I didn't want a hard side esky either as I wanted something I could squish into a tight position and not take up valuable space.
I stumble upon this cooler on amazon usa and the feedback was very impressive for a soft sider. pretty compact in size with very thick side insulation around 45mm thick. looking inside it is more of a rubber style waterproof bladder.
reviews mentions continuously how it kept food drink cold with just ice for up to 2 days or more in direct sunlight in temp at 30 degrees C.
price including purchase and landed in oz around about $100 so it think money very well spent on a very well design product. I can just see me cracking out a can of coke after chasing one of those white belly scrub wrens through the scrub in the northern territory outback heat....lol
another thing a bit of research has shown once you get into those out of the way places of aust - cost of essential skyrocket and they hit you in the food and drinks dept like a wounded bull. viewing tripadviser I have read where many have been overcharged charge at $8 to $12 for can beer. $8 can soft drink $15 sandwich. $34 steak well it won't happen here

cooler unzipped






inside the cooler unit showing a 2 litre and 1.25 litre bottle plus in comparison a can of soft drink. so gives good idea on its volume.






packed away in the boot of the mazda and gives a very good idea on it's actual size...plus best of all a perfect fit!




I think this will pay for itself within the first few days of the trip. actually come to think of it I could just park the car somewhere along the road to uluru with a sign up 24 icy cold cans of beer and make a quick profit!

[billybunter]

Gear Review Trangia Stove -Wild Earth $200 With 2 1 Litre Fuel Cells.

Wife wanted something to cook on so I thought about one of those small gas cookers with the butane bottle inside. after reading about them and how some had got hot and exploded I thought that's not the best move for this trip. later on I also read these had been withdrawn from aussie retailers due to their dangerous nature.
so I hit the camping sites. I read various reviews on stoves. I wanted or should I say the wife wanted something that worked well. I wanted something small/compacted and did the job.
in the end I settled for this Swedish made trangia 25-2 cooker





here's a photo along side a can of the good stuff! gives you some idea how compact this cooker really is.






shot of the 1 litre fuel cell at $30 a throw. I have to carry this fuel in the boot. it's only methylated spirits but you don't want it spilt all over the place. this is the right container to do that job





once you open the cooker -the lid becomes the 22cm fry pan - the 2 saucepan are 1.75litres and 1.5 litres and the teapot about 900 mils.some days I think is it a road trip or a picnic...





once you take it all out this is what you have. the spirit burner at very front of picture has a screw top lid so once your done cooking slide over the plate to kill the flame -let it cool and screw cap with fuel back on .
this is a very well thought out lightweight compact cooking package





the dog was hungry anyway so I decided to cook it 4 chops. although it is more into sausages -being a sausage dog - she will if forced eat chops








probably 10 minutes or so later they were cooked. these stoves are really for outdoor use where they can pick up the wind etc to speed the cooking along -not inside the house under a controlled environment. but it did the job





after that I filled the kettle with cold tap water and this time times it to the boil and it took 8 1/2 minutes to a good solid boil





so that the cooker out of the way and I think it will also get a fair bit of use. I was surprised how little fuel it ate to do both lots of cooking. this will probably be my first and last report on the cooker and I have now handed that task over to the wife
although I can multi-task. I think driving /photos blogging etc and if I throw in the cooking too - I might as well go alone...