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MX5 Number 2.



You wouldn't even need to take them off dude. Width you'll get with a bit of squinty eye, a tape measure and an educated guess. Length is super easy if these have no preload on them.
 

Christopher

ClioSport Club Member
  Z4M
I think we should have a crack (jk) at freeing off those rings this weekend mate.

Penetrating oil and a wrapped flat-headed screwdriver. Done?
 
  BG 182
give em some penetrating fluid everyday this week, i used to soak torsion bars on clios/106's back in the day, used to do em a few days prior to starting the job to make things easier
 
I think we should have a crack (jk) at freeing off those rings this weekend mate.

Penetrating oil and a wrapped flat-headed screwdriver. Done?

Sounds like a good enough idea. Going to buy some underseal too for the err.. 'large body component' that's going to be fitted. Might as well get that done now while its still all in bits.

This heap continues to amuse
:)

"OMG too much rust 4lowz!"

Lolz

That's probably getting sorted this month now.

Plus gas ftw

Yeah, lather them in plus gas for the next few days. Nothing else easily available comes close.

Don't use WD40 or equivalent, it's w**k for this stuff.

Advice taken.
 
Half done, but them Skoda guys know how to make a nice lip.

IMAG0058.jpg
 
Well he's doing a great job! Really earning his Lira.


FFS, I really can't be bothered to go out and finish it now... Going to have an egg sarnie and continue. Probably.
 
It's just getting them loose that I'm worried about. But yeah, cheers for the advice!
This is what I'm up against:

7997158611_a371397bb7_c.jpg

HKS HiperD by j0eyD, on Flickr

Not much adjustment left, as you can see. Unless there's a way of taking the lower adjuster ring out and making sure the big one doesn't move?

That is a lot of adjustment! Hammer + chisel the bottom ring until it turns and then move it backwards and forwards progressively until the thread has cleaned up.
 
  Listerine & Poledo
colour code your sills, get some slightly bigger wheels on there, you wont even need to lump-hammer your suspension
 
That is a lot of adjustment! Hammer + chisel the bottom ring until it turns and then move it backwards and forwards progressively until the thread has cleaned up.

I refuse to be a pikey and use a chisel. Nigh on impossible to find replacement parts for these and I don't want to damage anything... I'll get them loose, I just want to be a bit careful!
 
colour code your sills, get some slightly bigger wheels on there, you wont even need to lump-hammer your suspension

No no no.
I can't stand colour coded sills! And the wheels are staying due to the weight of them (or lack of). I'll sort out the fitment with tyres and spacers. If you flick back a couple of pages I tried on a 15" wheel... it wasn't pretty.
 
  Listerine & Poledo
I refuse to be a pikey and use a chisel. Nigh on impossible to find replacement parts for these and I don't want to damage anything... I'll get them loose, I just want to be a bit careful!

LOL!

It's an MX-5!!!! there's millions of them out there (mostly in better condition :p too).

buy cheap, buy twice IIRC.
 
The coilovers are about 15 years old, never sold in the UK (or Europe AFAIK) and are still regarded as one of the best all round setups. I ain't f**king them up!

I couldn't give a s**t about the rest of the car, however. It's getting an overhaul soon anyway.
 
  Listerine & Poledo
Sorry, what?

They're crusty, seized and 15 years old but still better than a fresh set of Bilsteins or TEINs?

I have a pained, confused look on my face.
 
Yup. Internals are still perfect. I've not tried adjusting the damping as I've not got a nitrogen pump, but it rides brilliantly (obviously not as soft and blamanche like as standard) and still corners properly flat - very confidence inspiring. I don't know how it manages to corner at the speeds it does considering I've still got s**t 185 section worn out Falkons on.
 
  Listerine & Poledo
you're lucky, I'm struggling to find the confidence in mine. A few years of being mothered by FWD and ESP has turned me soft
 
I refuse to be a pikey and use a chisel. Nigh on impossible to find replacement parts for these and I don't want to damage anything... I'll get them loose, I just want to be a bit careful!

Its not pikey mate, and the rings will most likely be the same size as any other coilovers (If you somehow manage to break one). The worst you will do is deform the edges a bit but I can't see them cracking. Ram on!
 
you're lucky, I'm struggling to find the confidence in mine. A few years of being mothered by FWD and ESP has turned me soft

Best thing to do IMO is take it to a massive empty carpark at night and just be a 17 year old y00f again. You'll soon get a feel for the rear end going and how easy it is to correct etc. I know it's not the best way (and is quite anti-social) but it's better than putting it in a ditch because you panicked, overcorrected and tank slapped your way into a hedge. Backwards. And upside down.
I've found that if unprovoked (i.e. you're sensible with the throttle and steering inputs) they just understeer at the limit - like most cars. It's when you hit a bump or pothole mid corner the back end loosens up and you get a bit of a slide. It's not scary, and it's not as snappy as everyone makes out if you're expecting it.

Having said that, you do have to have your wits about you in the wet. But drive to the conditions and all that...

Its not pikey mate, and the rings will most likely be the same size as any other coilovers (If you somehow manage to break one). The worst you will do is deform the edges a bit but I can't see them cracking. Ram on!

Hmmm, fair enough! I'll see what I can do with the rest of the NW lot. I'm sure they'll come loose eventually (and we might well end up using hammers tbh)
 
  Listerine & Poledo
Its motorway on/off ramps that get me worried, I can end up with no steering angle on in no time.

I get your plan though. if only we weren't miles apart I'd have said we should do an MX-Meet up at somewhere far from civilisation for some y0! drift-skills action
 

Jamie86

ClioSport Club Member
  RS175,595,205gti,172
They are snappy Joey I disagree.. a wet Llandow trackday confirmed this.. as did Tony's description after a fair few laps drving it...

"twitchy!"

;)
 
They are snappy Joey I disagree.. a wet Llandow trackday confirmed this.. as did Tony's description after a fair few laps drving it...

"twitchy!"

;)

Weird! Mine feels very controllable when it lets go. Probably more so now I've added the HKS's though.

Properly properly love this car. Now to sort out the shell.
 

Jamie86

ClioSport Club Member
  RS175,595,205gti,172
Well tbf mine is on original bushes and dampers with Apex springs so that doesn't help.. but compared to something bigger wheel base.. S-body, E36 etc well there is no comparision! haha
 
  Listerine & Poledo
I'd imagine mine would feel 400% better with a suspension overhaul. Could be a mission for a Unit Saturday. Polybush all round!

I don't recall the old NB being a problem when it did brake traction though, that was a 1.8 with normal diff so fairly similar to a Mk1 1.6 in terms of power/weight (and near as makes no difference, chassis)
 

Jamie86

ClioSport Club Member
  RS175,595,205gti,172
I have a full set of wishbones waiting to go on it.. unfortunately I need to finish building my garage first!

Sorry for thread stealing again Joey lol
 
Well tbf mine is on original bushes and dampers with Apex springs so that doesn't help.. but compared to something bigger wheel base.. S-body, E36 etc well there is no comparision! haha

I've never slid in anything else, so all I know is how an MX5 slides. I've driven a few in anger and they've all been completely different tbh. Standard ones seem to be the most tricky thinking about it actually! I'd love to have a go in an E36 or an S14 though. I mean a proper go too, just to see how much of a difference there is.

I'd imagine mine would feel 400% better with a suspension overhaul. Could be a mission for a Unit Saturday. Polybush all round!

I don't recall the old NB being a problem when it did brake traction though, that was a 1.8 with normal diff so fairly similar to a Mk1 1.6 in terms of power/weight (and near as makes no difference, chassis)

Hmm, might just need freshening up then like you say. Seems to me the softer and spongier they are the more tricky they are.
I'll be having a polybushed front end, power steering delete, and race spec engine mounts soon enough; so that should make even more difference! Add to that a Torsen LSD and some chassis bracing, it's going to be like a whole new car. Err...

Going to start stripping it a little too, starting with a dashboard chop. Because they look awesome!
 
  Listerine & Poledo
race mounts? U MAD BRO!

May as well just strap a cement mixer to your seat.

Honestly, that's a touch extreme. Get it welded up and butterfly-braced, under racecar, you don't need to hard-mount the block.
 
  DON'T SEND ME PM'S!!
Think I'm going to stick a Spax PSX kit on mine, and have a browse through the Powerflex catalog. Also got a list of Ultra-racing products on it's way
 
goodj, it's as loud as a race car, so I might as well go the whole hog and make it drive a bit like one ;)
Plus the engine mounts will raise the engine a little - which is important as the 1.6 sump hangs at the same level (if not slightly lower) than the subframe. And that makes me nervous.

Dan, what kind of price range are they? I know very little about Spax products. Quick search on eBay says £400ish? If you can stretch, I'd go for the entry level HSD's at £500 like I wanted originally. You get ride height adjustment separate from preload adjustment, and then obviously damping adjustment too. They're a fantastic coilover - ride Amazingly well at Any height!


Also, thinking of re-doing the BBS's in nice, shiny silver. Thoughts?
 
  DON'T SEND ME PM'S!!
Well I'm a spax dealer so it's a bit different. I might just go for the RSX coilovers (£650), they'd probably be easier to sell on later. I've been eyeing up the Jenvey catalog too, And Canems (i'm also a dealer) do a plug and play ECU kit.
 
Ohhhh! Well that's a no brainer then! haha.
I want to go down the throttle body route eventually, what kind of price would you be looking at for that ECU? That's kind of the only area that's going to be hellishly expensive, other than the tb's themselves (unless you buy second hand etc)
 
  DON'T SEND ME PM'S!!
I actually forgot to ask what the Plug and play kit price was, but the ECU on it's own is £499 retail, so I think the kit is about £650 ish. I'll check. It's fully sequential fueling and not batch fire too, so it's a lovely bit of modernisation
 


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