Car Talk - Non S2000 General Motoring and Non S2000 Car Talk

Project Daisy (Mx5 Mk1)

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Old Jan 15, 2014 | 12:52 PM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Nick Graves
Having said that, an S2000 seems terribly solid & refined, by comparison! How times change.
Very true. The S feels like a luxury rocketship after driving Daisy.
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Old Jan 15, 2014 | 01:16 PM
  #12  
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I remember graham off here (ge2) giving me a pas in his caterfield thing

Laughed my face off. Brilliant. A tin can screwed together with self tappers and a shit engine. More fun than my 414bhp bratwurst
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Old Jan 16, 2014 | 04:36 AM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by GaryB
Afternoon chaps.

I thought I'd start a thread to cover the work I'll be doing shortly on the missus Mk1 MX5. We bought the car on a bit of a whim about a year ago as an eBay special. It had solid sills but that was about all it had going for it. It was (and still is, generally untidy bodywork wise).

So why the thread?

Well, every year, myself and the missus jump into the S2000 for a blat down to the South of France and back. This year we (she) has decided we're taking the MX5 instead.

The car itself is utterly brilliant to drive. Pure fun. It's slow (1.6), fairly bouncy on stock shocks/springs and teeny 14" wheels with 60 profile tyres but it all suits the character of the car nicely.

Anyway, if we're going to cover 2500 miles in August, I have my work cut out to get the car reliable and looking like her indoors wants it to.

The first thing I need to do really is get it up in the air and give it a right good going over to make a big list of all the things that need doing. I will be speaking really nicely to Ray in the next day or so to see if I can defile his ramps again with a non-S2000 motor so I can poke and prod the bits that I can't really get to on axle stands.

Once I've done that, the list will go on here and I'll start working my way through it.


The best bit is, in order to know where to start I've been using it for the last few days instead of the S. The current no-brand 14" tyres have absolutely no grip whatsoever and a trip to work involving 6 roundabouts has been hugely entertaining. So much so I'm not sure I want to give it her back...

Anyway, enough waffle. Some pics of the motor from when we got it and some current ones will appear later to give you an idea of the starting point.
This looks an interesting project, few of my mates have had these and, like you, reckon they are the best for a great thrash about and relatively cheap to repair as so many have been broken now.

Looking for the pics though?? I can't seem to get anything if you have posted??
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Old Jan 16, 2014 | 06:27 AM
  #14  
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Subscribed!
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Old Jan 16, 2014 | 12:39 PM
  #15  
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I not long ago picked up my second MX5,



Roof down for the 3 and a bit hour trip home till past 2 in the morning

The first,



I love em,

I miss the LSD on my current one but there so cheap to pick up i think it will be on the cards,

I echo what you say,

Such a great drive,

I have wrecked mine with a exhaust thats to be put nice horrid, But i will keep the decat on and fix the standard system back in place just to give it a little rasp,



I have a K&N and some new H4 light units to go on but i think that will be it till i can find a LSD,

Enjoying the roof down fun for sure

I love pop up lights
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Old Jan 16, 2014 | 01:31 PM
  #16  
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Gary I have been looking at buying an MX-5 to basically kick its head in for a bit of fun - bit of drifting etc and generally having some fun.

Basically looking for a proper cheap skanky one and it's looking like I will need to spend about £800 for a 1.8 - would you say that the 1.6 is enough to have some fun in? I am not bothered about raw speed - I just want to have some cheap tail out action and if I bin it i can just weigh it in for scrap.
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Old Jan 16, 2014 | 01:45 PM
  #17  
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Had a mk2 before the S2k, as a learning tool, I cannot fault it. I really enjoyed it and hope that my four and a bit years of experience with that will make me a reasonable S2k peddler.

I found my mk2 1.8 was about as slow as I'd want to go, but I found my friends mk1 1.6 to be surprisingly more tail happy. If you want something to just absolutely hoon about in, just make sure its one with a diff and enjoy.
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Old Jan 16, 2014 | 02:10 PM
  #18  
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The early 1.6's were only a few bhp down on the 1.8's.

They lowered the 1.6 later on to make it look like there was a bigger difference between it and the 1.8.

The 1.6 is a peach in my book. Free revving and responsive. I've considered more power in it but somehow that would spoil it I think.
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Old Jan 17, 2014 | 12:53 AM
  #19  
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Meet Daisy.











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Old Jan 17, 2014 | 12:56 AM
  #20  
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These are the gauge faces and HVAC face that I have gone for and are now on their way.

I (Well, the wife) chose the "Stirling" ones.

http://revlimiter.net/store/gauges-na.php
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