... and on my 3rd attempt, an SE
 

I started out with a Grace Green 98, pristine with 18k kms in January 2000 - the Green Machine. Kept stock it for a few years, then started the downhill slide with a MX5 Club track day. Hooked. Long story short, won Club trackday class a few years, started NSW State Supersprint Championship, won 2B Class in 2006. Car at that stage running 115rwkw, Bilstein suspension, LSD (Torsen). Fun car, but ... not so much fun in the city, lumpy cams, low clearance, stiff ride.

Decided I liked this stuff, bought a logbooked caged roller - a 2000 NB8B shell. Plan to transfer good bits from road car to make a cheap racecar, but at its last outing the GM dropped a valve. Bit the bullet, ordered new Garry Stewart engine - cheap racecar not so cheap now. Spent lots of time sorting car, brakes were a real problem, electrical woes zapped an ECU, usual story of the DIYer! Eventually the results started to flow, I won 3B Class, moved up to 4B, great tussle but even though I won four rounds to two, I was pipped by one lousy point for the Class win. 2017 saw a major restructuring of the tech regs which crystallised a realisation that the racecar would have to go sooner or later.

Enter the new car. Happened to be in a workshop talking to the mechanic working on an SE (MSM to some). He asked if I was interested in one, as his mate was selling his. No way says I, knowing what these are bringing. Then he named the figure his mate was looking for. Hmmm ... I have a six-speed, LSD, spare BP engine, plus my existing NB8A - that pretty much covered the cost ... a week later I was the owner of a 100k km 2004 Velocity Red (ugh) SE, heavy 17s, slippy clutch, no cat and an imitation rear muffler (lovely noise, but attracted Plod from 10kms away).

Next week it goes on the hoist to look at the clutch/TOB (slip was adjusted out, but pedal has a bad buzz), fluid changed in diff, gearbox and engine, long wheel studs, Singular brake ducts and a filter relocation. 17s will be sold, I will run my 15x7 RPF1s on the road for now, and 15x8 6ULs on the track. The noisy exhaust has gone, replaced with a 3in from the dump pipe to a SMB 2.5in muffler. Nice note, legal even, but will probably be replaced with a 3in muffler to remove any back pressure from the smaller diameter SMB.

Next step is a new ECU, stage 8 kit, and a bigger intercooler. Car will run 98 on the road, E85 on the track. Yes, the plan is for the racecar to be sold, and the SE to run in 2018 as a Clubsprint Time Attack car. It will not be a front runner next year, but I can see a bigger turbo and built engine in my future ...

... and this is where I started out many years ago lol! The slippery slope looms again!

I am not a big build thread person, but this time around it might be different.

Pictures soon.

Awesome

New clutch is in, full 3in from the dump pipe. new fluids, studs and brake ducts installed. I miss the SMB note, but the butt dyno likes the new one.

The tuner wanted a photo of the ECU plugs, no problem but wtf the ECU cover has security nuts on it!? Fortunately I was able to replace it with some of the ECU hardware from one of the cars I have dismantled. Interestingly, the CEL light which had just come on was cleared as a result of removing the plugs (presumably), and it might be my imagination but it now pulls much harder and cleanly to redline than previously.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1b7347921b.jpgFreshly washed, but about to get a layer of dust.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d7a16637d8.jpg

Next step is the rollbar (removed from its predecessor) and the upgraded Walbro fuel pump. Also on the lookout for an intake and IC. At that point it will be ready for the ECU.

Looks great, you should also ditch those 17's and put some 15x9's on it. I really like the MSM ( SE to you ) such a nice car. Good luck with it.

Thanks Andy. Agree, the 17s are for the chop. I am planning on some 15x8 RPF1s for road use, and for the moment the 15x8 6ULs from the racecar will be my track wheels (running Yokie AO50s).

I was going to run my old faithful 15x7 RPF1s, but did a deal on them instead. 15x9s are not legal here on the road, and I want it to look as inoffensive as possible, given the noise is already going to attract unwanted attention.

How would anyone be able to tell that theyre 15x9? Do the wheels get removed for inspection? Usually the size is cast is in the rear. Thats a bummer regardless.

Not really, I am happy to stay with 8s, for now anyway. If I want 9s, I could get an engineer to certify them, and that would make them 'legal' - I might get the question if stopped, but the paperwork would (should) stave off the ticket. But the strategy is not to get stopped in the first place, well that is the hope behind keeping the car looking at least somewhat stockish.

I'm confused. I thought the Nazi's lost the war.

.

You're right, why didn't I think of that Art?!

Yes, I'll run 205s on the road, and 215s on the track. I'll be interested to see how the 215 AO50s go on the track, especially after the modz. Already in stock form I am getting some squirm from the rear exiting my favourite roundabouts, but the current tyres are nothing to write home about so some decent rubber will probably cut that back.

But I don't see any dragstrips in my future, for now anyway.

Things are ticking over with the SE, even if too much of my time is going into selling parts from various cars, including my old racecar which is now being parted out after a good offer for the engine - don't look a gift horse in the mouth is my motto. Intercooler and intake upgrades on hand, ECU before Christmas hopefully, patch harness is ready.

One problem has emerged - the ABS light has come on some time after the last work was done, and fiddling with connections doesn't seem to help. I did reverse (L-to-R) the front sensors as part of the ducts install, would the ABS know this, and/or care? I have some spare sensors, I might swap them in and see if that makes a difference.

ABS fixed by swapping sensors around until I got one that works, I don't know what happened to that one to cause it to fail. Also took the opportunity to lever out the one rubbing brake duct.

Now have SM4 ECU, patch harness, PWR intercooler, 40mm Cooling Pro alloy radiator, AFR500v2 WB with NTK sensor, and another drunk2 TB and a few other minor bits and pieces. I've been lucky with the broken TBs so far, the screws have done nothing more than mark the bottom of the head, but with a turbine wheel sitting there to catch one, I think I'll ditch the stock TB before disaster strikes, not afterwards.

What I though was the intake was something else, so I have to chase the bloke to deliver on his promises - hopefully before Christmas. After New YearI have blocked out a day to do the radiator, intake and intercooler. I'll also look at fixing the ducting, might even steal some pieces from the racecar since that is not needing them any more.

Time for an update.

The Cooling Pro and intercooler are in, with the Singular ducts and long studs. Still need to seal up the ducting for the IC and radiator though.

There were delays in getting the Autronic and AFR500v2 WB installed, got the call late last week that they were in and working fine, but the boost was stalling at 8psi with 12 the target. That is currently being investigated, which has pushed back the timeline for SS lines, new fluid and pads and getting the ducting done. Then a wheel alignment and install the ELBJs that have been sitting around for yonks.

I am deferring the injectors, fuel pump and flex sensor for 'stage 2'. This was locked in when inspecting a stripped down SE engine, with a rod in multiple pieces, great groove ground in the big end journal, and detonation marks all over the piston. Sure the stock rods are on the weak side, but running a manual boost control, on a stock ECU with no adjustment for fuel, and what do you expect?! I need to start stripping my spare BP and seeing whether it is a rebuild proposition ...

Oh, and I got some Advanti S1s in silver, 15x8 with 205/50 Federal RSRs as road wear. Rides a lot better than the 17s, not fair to compare grip as they were shod with Chinese imitation tyres, but the new tyres have so far proved unstickable. I must be getting old.

Rd1 of the 2018 State Supersprints has been run and won, without me :-( Fortunately there is a big gap to Rd2, hopefully enough of a gap!

Autronic SM4 is in, wow!

140rwkw, and it pulls like a train, very even flow and a marked contrast to stock. Small bug - a/c switch produced cool air, but it also implemented traction control, quickly fixed. Currently limited by injector duty cycle, there is more to come with an injector swap, fuel pump, and flex fuel, but rods ... maybe they will wait for the built engine.

This is my first turbo, so it might be good to stage the power at this level for a while , build the new bottom end, and learn how to drive a turbo, or at least to get the most out of this power level before progressing.

But I have heard that power is addictive ...

Still running MBC? How much boost? Because I've been Americanised to power figures thanks to the forums and Youtube I've had to convert KW to HP and it looks like you're about 190whp, so I'm guessing somewhere around 11psi?

Make sure you get big enough injectors if you go Flex, like ID1050x or the new bigboi FFs (if they're out by then). That was a misstep I made, I went with FF640s, they're great but I'm at their limits at 15psi and E85 on my SE.

I need to do wheels, I can't believe all the stuff I've done to mine, but I'm still running the 17s :ugh:

No, EBC, 10psi.

Yes, it will certainly run E85, big injectors will be required. I will check those out. But big injectors, E85 and moah boost will over-reach the rods. Until I can make full use of those, it seems futile to install them and then choke the car back to protect the engine. Hence my revived interest in tearing down my spare BP, and building it with forged rods and pistons, and maybe an oil pump. That will make the IHI turbo the limiting factor I suspect, and am I game/rich enough to take that next step?

First things first, the brakes and oil cooling are my priorities. Pads (carbotech 10/8), fluid and ss lines coming next, with sealing the ducting in the inlet, and a guard roll for the 215 AO50s. I have a post in the oil cooling sticky for that, picking up on Lokiel's solution. With an alignment, I will then be ready to hit the track.

Have you installed the poly/bronze kit yet? That will be next, after the above, with shocks.

I have a set of stock PSS9s, race-valved and sprung PSS9s, and Chris' (Zossy) set of Xidas - decisions, decisions! One thing is for sure, the Tiens on the car now are going. Not impressed with them, well not favourably.

Yes, ditch the 17s. The difference in ride is marked, and enough to justify the change alone.

The stock MSM/SE turbo is POS (I know you know this). Mine is turned up to 15psi on E85, only makes 250whp, barely hits 225fltbs and can't sustain it. I wouldn't be too concerned about the rods if you manage the EBC well. Maybe run a little less boost if you're tracking though, pretty sure the IHI is going to get quite hot if I ran 15psi for sustained periods.

I know a lot of MSM/SE rods get bent, but they get bent on the stock ECU. I think it's the hesitation at 4000rpm, followed by the sudden whack of torque when fuel is finally added in that does it. Plenty of MX-5/Miata's run up to 270whp without bending rods on all sorts of turbos, provided the torque delivery is managed nicely, so there's no reason the MSM/SE shouldn't be able to safely run all that little IHI can give. Just my thoughts :2cents:

Haven't done the SADFab poly/bronze kit yet, but I now have all the bits and pieces I've been waiting on. I'm doing a full-on refresh, upping my spring rates from 550/350 to 700/400, new extended LBJs, new R-package tie rod ends and new bolts, nuts and washers. It's all arrived now, so I just need to get on with my preparation by installing the bushes, bearings and zerks (I've got a spare re-conditioned set of control arms to replace what's currently on the car) and then clear a weekend for the install.

I say run those Gen 1 Xidas. They're supposed to compare pretty closely to the Gen 2s, which are fantastic. What springs are on them at the moment? I know where you can get some nice soft 550/350s soon :rofl:

I hear you. Thanks, that is food for thought. I need to learn to drive this thing with 140, with very different characteristics than the racecar, and that will take a little time. When I have wrung its neck, and can't get more speed out of it, I will be ready turn the wick up. Hopefully by then I will have the rebuilt engine ready. I haven't mentioned the aero have I? That will also take some time to exploit fully.

Yes, I am looking closely at the Xidas. I need to check with Chris (or maybe look over my emails) to see if he revalved them, and the spring rates. I just had a time waster trying to buy them for nothing, they are certainly not moving as quickly as I would have liked, so maybe I can put them to use. I would have to check, but the springs from the race car PSS9s might fit, and that might give me more tuning options.

You may need more springing, and firmer damping, with the poly/bronze - I will be very interested to hear your findings, if I don't beat you with my installation! I have a spare set of arms too, great minds!!

Today's effort was installing a MR tall angled short shifter. Memo to self: read the instructions before starting, not halfway through when something isn't working right.

Much improved feel, sharper and less slop - I think my old bush must have been pretty shagged. I read somewhere that it improves reverse selection, and I though 'yeah, sure'. But it does! Probably the new bush, rather than the shifter, but I'll take it anyway it comes.

PWR oil cooler on the way, so need to sort out temperature and pressure sensors, and lines. I looked at the fender mounting, and it was pretty tight for a fan-assisted cooler, and difficult to avoid interfering with the brake ducting from the foglight hole. Now falling back to Plan B - mounting behind the radiator, drivers side. I have spare hose and AN fittings, plan is to take one of the lines off the remote filter and feed the cooler from the filter. Oil will travel engine-->filter-->cooler-->engine.

I had a look at the Xidas today - 800/500 Hypercos. That is giving me pause for thought, but given they are just sitting there I will still give them a run - probably. Wouldn't give it a moments though if my hoist was up, but that is a few months off yet.

Run the freaking Xidas already! Clearly the others in Car Talk can't see their worth.

I'm running 550/350 right now, but going to 700/400 when I install my SADFab bearing equipped control arms (soon! maybe this weekend...), I want a little more spring and I figure loosing the slight spring rate from the rubber bushings will reduce the overall increase. I might be willing to sell my 550/350 springs if you find the 800/500s too stiff.

The MR shifter is great, I went stock height but kinda wish I went tall angled.

I just bought this oil pressure sensor a few weeks ago, its nice and compact compared to the VDO sensors I've seen.
Honeywell Oil Pressure Sender

You're getting a hoist? :asshole:

I'm happy with 900/500 on the street. For hefty NB's stiffer springs with current gen Xida's aren't really an issue.

Yeah Mobius, they're 1st gen though, and I don't know if the valving has been tweaked 'because racecar'. One way to find out though ... the worst that can happen is that they come off again, in which case I might be talking to you about those springs Lachy.

Thanks for that link Lachy, I just can't get over the price differences for a pressure sensor compared to a temperature one but I just have to bite the bullet.

I HAVE a hoist. It's a lazy bastard though, just lays there on it's side ... Currently doing a bit of housekeeping there to tidy the floor in prep for getting it up, finally found the instructions which set out the measurements for bolting down the base so I am pretty much good to go. The hoist is a two post I got for a good price from a deceased estate and it will make a big difference, what with decent lighting now, a gas space heater and the walls and roof fully lined with R2 insulation. When I have it operational I might put a post in the sheds thread, but they are palaces there ...

I am going to have to watch myself driving this thing. I have a 'favourite' roundabout, and I went through it so fast today that I passed a string of traffic in the left lane on the exit, I must have been a blur to them. Almost legal, but the speed differential made it seem like they were stopped, and if Plod had been watching ... it could have been a bad day. I need to get back on the track real bad. Or maybe just drive the Falcon wagon more.

There has been a bit happening lately, had first track day and got into low/mid 11s at Wakefield (~2sec off the racecar's best), it is certainly a very different beast to the racecar! Brakes didn't seem to be confidence-inspiring, but at least I got some seat time.

Also, very pleased that it sailed through rego inspection with the 3in DP-to-tip exhaust, I was expecting to have to change it but though I would roll the dice, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Second track day! Down to 1:10.0, a few tenths off the racecar time. I might have got there but the piping to the air filter was pulling off the filter neck, probably due to a failed LH engine mount. Rather than risk things further, I called it quits.

Flat through the kink, ~170kmh, ...
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6811512518.jpg


... then hard braking for T2.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1f88e262d4.jpg

This time the car was much more planted, the brakes seemed much better, and when the tail began to come out, it was easily managed. Since nothing has changed on the car since its first track outing, I think it was the driver getting more confident, and more familiar with the car around the limit.

Now to get cracking on some of the bits that I have stockpiled for the car, oil cooler, ducting, bushes ....

Car is currently up on the stands, lots happening.

Radiator is out, oil cooler mounted and single fan substituted for the twins. No pics for this atm.

Ducting is now pretty complete, still needs some tape/foam, but the structure is there. Stock the gaps around the radiator are ginormous, especially between the bottom of the rad and the plastic tray. Running the AC makes things a little tricky, and the IC piping is a pain.

Sealing to the crash bar and under the front garnish - (still a work in progress here):
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4332e9b67c.jpg
The bottom bit mates with the back of the plastic crash bar. The aluminium angle sits inside/below the aluminium section of the front garnish.

This photo shows the the plastic crash bar in place, and the plastic trim shaped to fit on top of the two side pieces to hold the foam sealing strips:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...53c9e53778.jpg
Aluminium tape and adhesive backed foam will provide the finishing touches.

Being a pen pusher by trade, aluminium angle in various shapes and sizes are my go-to ...
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9b0d0c8deb.jpg
This shows the front plate which will seal against the nosecone bulkhead, and the zigzag sections going back as far as the radiator sides.

Now I need to make a trip to the rubber store for the sealing strips, and the job will be pretty complete.

Next, catchcanning ...

Best laid plans ... go astray!
 

Valve cover completed, now with one SS scourer instead of the copper. Intercooler painted black. radiator and oil cooler ready to go in, oh wait, the nipples don't fit, order and wait for new nipples but decide to test fit with the supplied -12 nipples - one of them binds in the thread :cry: , turns out the anodising penetrated the thread of the cooler fitting, obstructing it. After a bit of to and fro, PWR offer a new cooler, hopefully here tomorrow.

In the meantime all the bushes are out of the spare suspension arms - rattlegun FTW! I have trial fitted the bushes (only) in the RUCAs, and devised a fix for the problem of the surplus hole. I don't know if others see this as an issue, but my OCD kicked in and ...

This was evident in the racecar delrin bushes, I can't remember what I did about it, but as road car, this time I needed a proper fix. The bushes need greasing (mainly to keep our debris which causes accelerated wear), but when the grease goes in, this surplus hole in the bushing housing allows the grease to escape, and potentially, debris to enter.

This shows the drilled out and tapped hole, the 8mm grub screw used to seal it, and the bushing (half):
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Pho...plug%201-L.jpg

The job almost completed - grub screw inserted, half of the bushing in place (note the rough recess for the screw):
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Pho...plug%203-L.jpg

Job done!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Pho...plug%202-L.jpg

Note1, if you are doing this, unless you create a recess the bushes will not want to go all the way home, and this will likely cause difficulty when replacing the arms in their housings. I solved this by drilling out the hole to accommodate the grub screw with the bushes in place, drilling the bushes at the same time.

Note2, some thread locker will be in order to ensure the grub screws do not loosen and fall out.

Progress has been slow, but the spare arms are now sporting the PU bushes, the sleeves are stockpiled, the knuckle sleeves are being drilled for 12mm camber adjusters (Thanks for holding my hand Sean ;) ), now I need to find my centre punch to start drilling the holes for the grease nipples.

The existing suspension is out on three corners, the fourth is well advanced. Turns out the car has been fitted with poly bushes, and so for science I tried to remove a couple of the steel pins. Fortunately I had a 5lb hammer and so I was eventually successful. So much for poly bushes, these hadn't even had any grease nipples to give some comfort that the steel pins might be rotating in the bush as they are supposed to. On closer examination, the ends of the pins look nice and shiny, I think that the pins and bushes were rigid with the bush housing, and were rotating around the bolt holding them in the chassis mount http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif

If only that was the worst discovery! Most alarming was the state of the RH FLCA balljoint: The bolt in the bottom shock mount was loose, and had unscrewed itself about 20mm, allowing the BJ to rotate about the through bolt. The only thing stopping it from coming right out was the bottom mount of the shock absorber which was preventing it from any further unscrewing.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e91d9ba558.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ff120d10b0.jpg


Also unsettling was the ease at which the bolts securing the brake callipers to the uprights came out - the rattle gun did not even activate the anvils, just 'whoosh' and they were out http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif .

The PO was good enough to leave on the windscreen the sticker from a local suspension shop, who presumably did the bushes, and who will never be seeing any of my money.

Only because I never asked, I never knew that grease nipples could be had in 8mm thread ... so now I have a collection of straight and 90* 8mm nips to both fill the surplus hole, AND grease the bushes. They will have to wait for the new year now, but I will report on what locations these can be used.

Happy Christmas everyone!!

Oops! Don't do it this way, there is a section of the nose clip that needs to fit in around the corner of the headlights, and this configuration prevents that.

I flipped the right-angle sections over, and that provided the necessary clearance easily. The centre section doesn't need any change.

Car is on the trailer, goes into the shop on Monday for a tune for the Skunk and a few other minor updates, including upgrading the Autronic to improve its performance running the alternator.

Been a bit of progress since April ...

The Skunk is in and the tune tweaked, new coldside one piece piping from IC to TB. With the RB swaybar brace, the stock steel pipe was too short to go around it, so it was junked and a new one built from scratch.

My indecision over which of the three sets of shocks to use was overcome - I had an inquiry for the Xidas so they were sold, the stock PSS9s are on a mate's SE/MSM (with a bit of luck they will stay there and some cash will come my way), and the race shocks (re-valved PSS9s) and springs (750/450?) are now on the car.

The combination of the SADFab poly/bronze bushes and the race suspension (shocks on full soft) has proved to be very acceptable. The car rides firmly, no question, but lacks harshness - bumps are felt, but absorbed with no crashing and bouncing. I had been concerned about ride quality, but no longer. Likewise I had wondered if softer springs might be required, but that now seems highly unlikely.

A track day was planned, but at the last moment a leaky rear gearbox seal was found, and that was canned - I have broken one gearbox with low oil, and did not want to make it two. That has been fixed, and now I need to book another one, withdrawal symptoms are setting in ...

Wow, nearly 12 months ..

Not a lot to report.

The exhaust manifold was leaking, so the turbo came off, and the manifold was machined. Stage 8 locknuts installed, the whole lot put back and the car was on the road before Christmas.

Then, going into town on New Year's Eve, stopped with no water. Trailered the car home, where it sat until I could get around to looking at it.

Turns out the heater water hose had come off the outlet at the back of the head.. There had been no smoke or steam at the time, so the radiator was filled, and with fingers crossed the key was turned - started immediately, idled nicely, no smoke, no overheating. Compressions are down a bit (~130), but pretty even, and it is not using water. Bullet dodged? Maybe, hopefully - time will tell. Certainly seems to have the same grunt as before, too much time driving the barge (the old Falcon wagon) resulted in a speeding ticket first time out ...

A Qmax coolant re-route is on its way, it was meant for when the head came off for the (assumed) blown HG, and the catch tank setup needs a bit of work. The rego check showed up a weep on the bottom of the bellhousing, so it looks like the gearbox has to come out and new rear main seal installed before the car is inspected for rego next year.

I have been looking closely at the radiator, and the oil cooler mounted on the back. Thinking about a dual pass crossflow rad, inlet and outlet on the cold side. That might allow me to mount my as-yet-unused oil/water heat exchanger under the crank pulley - I need to pull the undertray off, and start measuring.

Wow, two years since I updated this thread! That is what happens when life gets in the way I guess.

About the middle of last year i found water on the pax side floor, obviously coming from the heater. Replacing the heater core has been a pretty major undertaking, and with the NBs being between 17 and 24 years old those remaining ones will have either had the job done, or will soon have to have the job done. I have pulled out a number of NB dashes, but never with a view to putting them back in, so I never took a lot of notice how they were put together. As a result this was quite the learning exercise. Maybe my experience will make your heater replacement faster and smoother than mine. While I found resources on removing the dash, replacing the heater core was another matter. Note that the following is for a RHD car, I have just found a photo on here of the blower/aircon/heater assembly and the LHD has differences, they may or may not affect the following.

I looked at doing the replacement in situ, as the utube vids show, but that looked to be challenge for my aging frame working in that space, and it all looked a bit complicated with cutting the pipes, clamps and rubber hoses. So I passed on that, and as it turned out saved myself a lot of grief and frustration. This because the sealing foam used around the heater core to stop ait bypassing the heater, had bonded to both the heater core and the heater box. Getting it out of the box (without dismantling the box) was a real pain, and involved more force that I anticipated or was comfortable with. I was afraid of breaking the plastic heater box, but it survived, to my surprise. No way could I have got that out with the heater box sitting in the car. YMMV if you want to give it a go without removing the dash, but be prepared to pull the heater box if the core does not want to cooperate. Just be careful with the plastic heater box, that stuff is getting old, and is not as strong as when it left the factory, the amount of force I had to use must have gone close to breaking the plastic but I got away with it.

Lessons learned

1. Take lots of photos as you go. I removed everything I could on the dash, and then took photos showing every electrical and mechanical connection that would have to be taken apart and rejoined.

2. Remove the seats, drivers at minimum, but if you are pulling the dash remove both - lots of room, easy access. I also removed the steering wheel (that may be optional?) - that requires removing the bomb. Disconnect the battery before working on the bomb - if that goes off it will kill or maim you. Open the softtop/remove the hardtop, pretty obvious really. Pulling the dash requires removing ALL the trim around the windscreen. I just googled removing the dash, there are a number of guides for this.

3. Bag all the nuts and bolts, I used ziplok snack bags mainly, with some larger ones for bigger bits (every garage should have a full range of these on tap - they are so handy and save so much grief later on). LABEL THE BAGS! I ripped pages from a small spiral notebook, but anything will do, just label them. The advantage of the ziplok bags is that you just put the description in the bag and seal it in, no worry about smudged writing, losing the label etc.

4. I pulled all three boxes - heater, aircon, blower just so I could figure out how to get the heater and aircon to mate up. I could have left the blower alone as it turns out.

Replacing the core

The only tricky bit here is attaching the piping. The NBs use 'o' rings and finnicky little clamps to join the two pipes to the heater core (smaller versions of the v-band turbo connectors) The instructions say assemble dry, I used some red silicone - too much, wrong place. If you want to use silicone, maybe just wet the 'o' ring with silicone, put the 'o' ring on the pipe, smear a LITTLE on the 'o' ring, then assemble. Note the orientation of the clamps in the photo.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3b022605b4.jpg


Check that the pipes sit snugly in the clamps and on their housings on the side and rear of the heater box. If they are not sitting snugly in their housing and the clamps fitting closely like they left the factory (ie there are gaps) you have done it wrong - see the photos for how they sit.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...64a8e16bb7.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8706e8e1ee.jpg


I took mine to the radiator place where I got the replacement core, where they fixed my overuse of silicone, and pressure tested the assembled heater (latter was a well spent $20 for peace of mind). You can get around all this by buying an NA heater, which is copper and comes with the pipes attached (well they did, may not now - check if you plan to take that approach.

Cleaning the joiners (the fittings that seal the gaps between the blower/aircon and aircon/heater)

Good bloody luck with that. Except that all the old foam/felt will be cactus, and has to be replaced. Paint scraper FTW, with your selection of jungle juices to remove the old adhesive. This is the worst part of the whole process.

The joiners

Easy one first - blower to aircon. 25mm felt strip might have been a bit wide, 15mm might be better and make it easier to get the bolt in. I replaced the short bolt with a longer one, but my felt was probably too bulky, get the shortest nap you can. Note, if you have taken all three out, the blower is the first one back in.

The heater box to aircon join was confusing. It seems designed for the aircon to be the last of the three to be installed - the mating aircon slides into place with the joiner already installed on the heater box. I could not see how you could assemble them in order of blower first, then aircon, then heater ( the corollary is that I can't see how just removing the heater is viable, as getting the heater back in place does not seem possible even if you can get it out in the first place). Even doing it this way I couldn't see how the felt would seal the join, the gaps were too big. I ended up using felt strips everywhere except as shown in the photo. This was where the biggest gap was, and the felt was not going to cut it. So I put the rubber strip inside the join, so that the aircon fitting slid in beside the strip of rubber. It looks like there may be a restriction of the airflow, but in reality it just reduces to the size of the heater box air entry a little earlier.

The heater side of the joiner, showing the joiner sitting on the aircon, with the rubber strips just visible (see following photo)

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e0db88ab45.jpg



The rubber strips sealing the gap between the aircon and the joiner, these are installed on the aircon, not the joiner.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...14fe7ba52f.jpg

Reinstalling the dash

Reinstalling the dash all went pretty smoothly. The fiddly centre bolt up at the bottom of the windscreen followed the script closely. That one, and the two nuts on the base of the steering column were the main trouble spots. I rejoined all the hvac and electrical connections before attempting to bolt the dash in place, just secured it with the centre bolt and two of the door jamb bolts loosely holding it in place. I figured if I had to take it out again that would simplify things, but it all went smoothly. The one glitch I have is that the glove box lid is pushing against something, I have yet to find out what and fix it.

Pro tip #1 - for the centre bolt, replace it with one that has the unthreaded lead-in, that went in no trouble. The same would help with the four big bolts holding the base of the dash to the tabs on the tunnel. I ended up using a long pry bar to push the base of the dash forward to get the holes to align properly.

Pro tip #2 - a bit of blu tack to hold the nuts for the base of the steering column in the socket will help immensely, as will using a 1/4 socket set with a long extension, as the space around the pedals is quite limited. I now wonder if undoing the bottom mount is necessary.

Pro tip #3 - don't forget to plug the drain pipe into the aircon box.

For science, the following two photos show the difference between the ADM MX5SE (aka MSM), and the USDM MSM. Apart from the colour of the aircon box, and a slightly different alignment of the enginebay-side piping between the LHD and RHD, the differences seem to be in the joiners between the three HVAC boxes. The aircon/blower box joiner appears simpler in the LHD, with an over-centre catch compared to the RHD bolt. The RHD car has a fibre joiner linking the aircon to the heater box, the LHD car ... looks plastic, may be integral with the heater or aircon?

Thanks to Matt, from whose build thread I stole the LHD photo! Matt's build thread

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...894f85376a.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3be2908ee1.png

Well the dash is back in, more or less.

It all went pretty smoothly. The fiddly centre bolt up at the bottom of the windscreen followed the script closely. That one, and the two nuts on the base of the steering column were the main trouble spots. I re-joined all the hvac and electrical connections before attempting to bolt the dash in place, figuring if I had to take it out again it would simplify things. Currently the only incomplete connection is one of the plugs for the bomb, the one that plugs into the clock spring - I figured as it was getting dark and cold, I would leave that one and attack it in the morning. I have also left the glovebox and radio for last. Likewise the centre console.

Pro tip #1 - for the centre bolt, replace it with one that has the unthreaded lead-in, that went in no trouble. The same would help with the four big bolts holding the base of the dash to the tabs on the tunnel. I ended up using a long pry bar to push the base of the dash forward to get the holes to align properly.

Pro tip #2 - a bit of blu tack to hold the nuts for the base of the steering column in the socket will help immensely, as will using a 1/4 socket set with a long extension, as the space around the pedals is quite limited. Although now I think those could have been left to slumber unmolested, in which case there would be no need to replace rge nuts, saving a lot of stuffing around.

Pro tip #3 - don't forget to plug the drain pipe into the aircon box.

The program tomorrow will be: Connect the final electrical plug; Install the cluster, connect its three plugs; Install gear lever, and rubber boot; Install the steering wheel, and the bomb; Connect the heater coolant lines, and the aircon piping, fill with coolant; and Reinstall and connect battery.

Almost there!

Best laid plans and all that ...

They say troubles come in threes, so I am hoping I have now cleared that hurdle and life, or motoring life anyway, will be smooth sailing from here https://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima.../icon_cool.gif

Trouble #1
Putting in the shocks (just had new seals put in, one was leaking), and one of the LCAs would not move - the tripod had come out of the inner housing, and there must have been a bit of movement and the alignment of the three rollers and their housing was off. Juggling the two pieces while the rubber boot was secured proved unsuccessful, partly because of the tension generated by the stretched boot, partly because obviously I couldn't see exactly what I was trying to align. Cue a messy job of taking the dust boot off, but realigning the two pieces was easy when you can see both! No photos, too messy to use the phone. The photo below shows the reassembled joint, the circle is the two tabs, and the arrow shows the over-centre lever tensioning the SS band. Those two tabs I left as the 'lever' came out, SS being notoriously fragile when bent back and forth, so I fed it back in using pliers, and then hammered the tabs down again.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Pho...20joint-X2.jpg

Trouble #2
Got the shocks out of the carton they were shipped in, and set about re-setting the ride height. One, no problem, it was already very close to where it needed to be. The other refused to move upwards, giving every appearance of binding and stripping the thread, well down from where it needed to be. Looks like someone got so far, the thread started to tighten up, and they decided to leave it for the customer to fix. That will go back to the shop to fix on their dime. But delay for me.

Trouble #3
Having fixed the driveshaft, the next step was to install the 'good' shock. Oops! https://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima...s/icon_eek.gif https://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima...on_redface.gif https://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima...n_rolleyes.gif - stripped the thread in the LCA captive nut, and nothing I can do will get the bolt out that is attaching the shock to the LCA. Took the LCA down to a local engineering shop, and today they tell me the shock is out of the LCA, so that is good, now I have to find a NB RR LCA - I have one rear LCA, but it is a LR (of course!). Turns out I have LCAs for three corners, but not the one I need. I'll have to get the poly/bronze bushes out of the old one and into the new to be fully mobile, but in the short term I have a NA RR LCA which can go in while that is happening.

Trouble #4?
Dismantling the RR corner to get the hub and axle off to fix the tripod joint, I noticed that the ABS lead was under some strain - these are quite fragile, so I will be watching the ABS light in the cluster very closely on first start-up to see if there is a problem. I have spare ABS sensors, having learnt from a previous experience where a sensor went AWOL, but again not a RR. Sigh. Maybe it won't be needed, but with my current form I am not counting on it.

The car is going to run out of rego before all this is fixed, which is a manageable problem but one I was hoping to avoid.

Well, if you were wondering (as I was) how anyone could cross-thread a nut when the nut is captive and the bolt has to be passed through a locating hole, wonder no more!

It was not cross threaded, the locating cage for the nut failed, leaving the nut to spin. When I went to collect the LCA and the shock, the nut had been welded onto the arm, so no new arm, no transferring of bushes to a new arm, just bolt it all back up! That get-out-of-jail card cost me $25, cheap at twice the price.

The arm is in, the axle/hub is in, the LCA and UCA are all assembled, the brake bracket is back on and the calliper in place, just need to find my high temperature grease for the slider pins, one is quite dry. The other shock is back out, ready for the return to clean up the binding thread. Having dodged one damaged thread bullet, I don't want to do the same on an alloy shock body which may not be so amenable to a cheap and quick fix.

Tomorrow, grease the slider pin, and get the car ready to start.

Wow, time flies.

Had the car on trck in early December, developed a knock, the pictures tell the story.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6a747289e7.jpg
Measuring tool - patent pending


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...edc9bc7f52.jpg
No4 - flush.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c1e493bf15.jpg
No1, 6mm high.

Damn!

Updating this thread ... engine has come out and is sitting on a tyre in the workshop, and the engineless car is now sitting on my car trailer ... because my hoist has finally taken the viagra, and has risen from the horizontal! 8) :shock:

The posts are up and bolted, I have to check the balancing cables, fill the hydraulic reservoir, put a plug on the end of the motor cable and install the arms on the carriages. I was surprised at how fast the big rotary hammer drill was able to drill the holes, I would have been happy if I could have got a bolt in each post by knock-off time, but we got them all in and torqued down.

As a bonus, I now have my two go-jacks back, as well as couple of axle stands. I really need to start selling off my collection of axle stands, I probably have two sets of the small ones, and one set of 3-tonne high lift ones surplus, I'll keep one set each of the tall and short ones. I also found a hardly used 125mm angle grinder that could go too. Maybe I should get rid the big hammer drill too, I can't see a use for that in my future ...

This week the focus will be on finishing the hoist installation, and then I will turn my attention to getting the SE engine onto the stand and lifting the head. The SE turbo together with a second turbo which was my spare will go on the chopping block, and the Kraken high mount manifold that I have been sitting on will be pressed into service ...

Progress!!

Hoist is up, need to fill the reservoir with hydraulic oil and put a plug on the pump motor. Installed the arms, what a bugger, a second person would have been a help but the real problem was getting the big pins in through the last of four fine tolerance holes, and it is almost impossible to sight the alignment of pin and hole. Took me a while to get the first one in, the others were easier but not by much.

The head came off the SE engine easily, not a lot to be seen. The good news is that there are no marks on the top of the No4 piston, no missing bits of metal, no lumps or holes in the cylinder wall (that I could see), the crank turns easily with no noise. So why did the rod bend? Maybe prior abuse set it up well before I bought it?

The head went back on, and the bare engine is now at Mania for checking and rebuilding with all the good gear. I am assembling all the remaining bits, and doing prep work like porting the Junk2 TB to the new (old) flat top IM. Thanks Lokiel for the tips on cleaning up the IM.

We seem to be having a rat problem here - I opened the garage door only to come literally face to face with a big rat - don't know who got the biggest shock! Poor thing, might be hungry, so I put out some more of those green pellets they like so much ... :giggle:

Speaking of pests, the mud wasps are bad here, they will build muddy nests in pipes, bolt holes, anything, even a socket I left out! So I have been carefully plugging all the hose ends and the like in the car and the bits I have lying around (oil cooler, hoses, etc so that there are no nasty surprises when it all starts going back together again. As much as practical is going in plasic storage boxes with close fitting lids, very useful to protect and keep things together.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4676a30a4e.png

Hmm, probably one of those Ruskies fleeing conscription for the war. Well he is in a war zone here, and no mercy is shown to resident OR visiting rodents, even filigree ones :laugh:

Hey man, just wanted to say that this thread is really cool. Happy to see you still here updating, sorry about the engine loss! Cool idea to check the rod length though.

Perfect opportunity for a rods-only rebuild!

Thanks!

Yeah, it will be a bit more than 'rods only' - forged pistons/rods/Boundary OP being the main ones, new turbo (probably Pulsar garrett clone) on a Kraken high mount, flat top, injectors and a new clutch. Looking for around 220rwkw, short of being a gearbox breaker!

In other news, I KNOW I have a set of the Sadfab bonnet louvres but I am buggered if I can find them... :confused: ... I reckon I am going to need them now.

Not pretty ...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...377ddbcaba.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...af46612aab.jpg

I don't think that blue straight edge was really necessary ... this is what you call 'a bullet dodged!'

Following a comment on another thread, I find that I have no photo here of my 'back of radiator' oil cooler mounting, rectified below.

The cooler is sealed with rubber strips against the radiator core so that air exiting the radiator has to travel through the oil cooler.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8f87a44600.jpg

That's one BF'n oil cooler - the sheer size of it should accommodate for the fact that the incoming air is pre-heated after exiting the radiator.

Yes, that was part of my thinking. Also an obstruction though, I am banking on firstly the radiator has excess cooling capacity, and secondly that my ducting/sealing/venting pay dividends too. A set of Singular vents is being prepped for installation as we speak ....:D

However a new turbo and more heat generation might mean finding a Plan B, we will see :x:

The block is back from the machine shop, no dramas there, as expected but you never know ...

Currently putting together the rest of the gear for assembly - Qmax reroute, flattop, Kraken manifold, etc etc. Looking at turbo options, Pulsar GT2860R Gen2 clone top of the list (it helps that stock available).

While moving the car I noticed that the front Billies need new seals too, wish I had seen that when I had the rears done. The front shocks are out, geeze they are crappy. The oil leak is pretty small, but it doesn't take much oil to collect the dust and crap from my dirt access road, and it is only going to get worse. Tomorrow I have booked out to dismantling them prior to delivering them to Heasmans for new shaft seals, a la the rears - they will also get the MCA condoms to stave off a repeat, the rears are already sporting theirs.

While in there I noticed that one of my ELBJs has a torn boot, that will need fixing while the front end is apart.

Dismantled the flattop IM today, dragged out the die grinder and attacked the TB mount. Pretty pleased, the step from the Junk2 TB has gone and it is a decent taper into the IM body. Between the IM entry flowing better, and the flattop's better overall performance, I am hoping for good things when installed. IM obviously came off a sick engine, lots of oil caked inside. My little parts washer struggled and failed to properly clean it, looks like I need to hit it with a more potent solvent as I am nervous about filings from the grinder ending up in the engine, so all that sticky residue has to go, and then it has to get a thorough clean. Colour me paranoid, but after I have done my best I think I'll get mania to run it through their parts washer as insurance.

I need to get this done ASAP as I want to get the next box of engine bits to Mania next week so he can get into the reassembly of the engine, dropping the shocks off as well. Busy few days ahead.

Well, yes, thanks for that tip Lokiel, but the presence of the bosses of which you spoke (and photographed) was notable for their entire absence in mine.:confused::werd: I meant to take a photo, but now the box of bits is with Mania for the reassembly, but I could see the circles in the surface of the casting, but they were either flush, or even a little recessed. It looks like the plugs they put in those holes in the molds are quite variable in how far into the mold they sit.

Currently pulling the ELBJs off to replace the rubber boots, both of which have split. If I can't replace the boots the stockers go back on, as I am hearing that the current batch of Bauer ELBJs have a life measured in hours, and that may be generous. Front shocks are being rebuilt as I type this. As soon as the weather breaks with a bit of sun, I'll start the installation of the hood vents.

My planned trip to Cairns via Cunnamulla (highlight: dinosaur museum and stampede at Winton) by caravan with my daughter and the grandies is off (late delivery of the new van) so they are driving straight to Cairns - more time to work on the car!! But I was looking forward to that trip ...

Progress is happening ...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c198094b95.jpg
Kraken high-mount with v-band, Qmax, flattop

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ee55bb4e08.jpg
ATI with 36 tooth trigger


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c5dcfb9d2f.jpg
... and how we got here, the latest acquisitions for the Black Museum!

The ball joints in the front are done, the shocks are done, so the front end can go back together. The car has been booked in for early August for installation.

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter ...

Coming along nicely!

I'd be proud of those bent rods if I were you! Stoked to see how the new motor comes out!

Thanks guys!

I have a deadline, though maybe able to be fudged a little: car is currently out of rego, and needs to be back all legal before early September. Reason being if the rego lapses after three months, it needs a more detailed pre-rego inspection. Between the aftermarket ecu and the new turbo, that could complicate things, worst case requiring engineering (ie an authorised motor engineer has to sign it off, which might (unlikely, but still ...) also involve emissions testing). Planning to avoid that, for the cost, inconvenience and delay in getting back behind the wheel. So the hammer is definitely down ...

Yeah, I'm going to mount those rods and display them. I've got a broken suspension arm from a Fiat 500, the top of a piston that got hammered by the head of a broken valve at Eastern Creek, the mudguard from the wreck of the original GreenMachine which a mate stickered up with my sub-3mins Bathurst time ... probably a few more that I have accumulated over the decades! Also got my brother's FF steering wheel, bent in a 'U' after he put it head-on into the sleepers at Amaroo with a stuck throttle - geeze I might have to build another shed!!

Sorry if I missed it, but what PSR turbo did you end up going with? I see it's a 5-bolt exhaust flange so I'm guessing the Gen 2 2860R?

Yeah, it's a Gen2 2860r china clone, No, you didn't miss it, Mania's go-to brand which I don't have to hand.

It was a choice between those two, but went Mania recommendation because they are doing all the work - if anything goes wrong, there no room for that 'but that is what you wanted, so it's on you ...' stuffing around. I figure since they have had a good run with these it was a toss-up, as likely to have a problem with one as with the other. They are currently tracking a car with this turbo getting results and having no issues.

I'll get the brand and post it.

Just come in from buttoning up the front end. The front Bilstein PSS9s went in for new top seals (they were starting to leak), when they opened them up they needed a total refresh inside, only thing not replaced was the body and the shaft, and the shaft got a polish along the way! I only hope they got the valving right, they assured me they put in what came out, but they didn't dyno them unfortunately.

Also new are the lower BJs (stock), one new tie rod end and one new upper BJ. It will need a wheel alignment as it was wearing ELBJs before, the rubber boots split and replacement ELBJs have a very short life apparently. It is still on the axle stands, but will come down tomorrow as soon as I can get the jack out to it.

Then it's off to Mania on Monday to have the newly rebuilt engine installed. Hopefully back on the road around the end of the month https://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima...on_biggrin.gifhttps://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima.../icon_cool.gif - happy days are coming!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b05ad54526.jpg

Yes 2867R gen2.

Turns out I lied - he didn't use their usual brand, but went for the Pulsar, it was a bit cheaper too. David said that the casting marks on the exhaust housing seemed identical, so he thinks both came out of the same factory. No surprise there.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...548f00c583.jpg

Trailered the car down to Sydney this afternoon, getting to the business end of the operation now. Couple of weeks, and ... :)

It is not happening as quickly as I hoped, but if they are being careful, I have no argument with that.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bcc3aa3a30.jpg

Yes - the compressor outlet will be clocked. I must remind them to lose the steel piping too ...

Well, progress. The car has been running in on the dyno this week, next week a final preliminary tune. I want to get it back, get the radiator properly sealed, put in the bonnet vents, things like that before I start shooting for serious power. Just six sleeps to go ...

In other news, the hoist is up, and now fully functional. Much drama there, plugged it in, pushed the green button - nothing, nada, just the sounds of silence. Checked the wiring, all good, looked inside the control box - promptly shut it again, that is beyond my pay grade, far too many wires! After rechecking all the new wiring, I gave up and called Warren the Hoist Whisperer. Warren rocks up a few days later, has a look around, I hear a click, and the next thing is the hoist is working. FMD! I was pretty pleased, a note changed hands, and he was on his way. I was worried a new pump would be needed, this cost me less than 10% of the pump price. Next morning I go down, hoist won't work - cue incredulous despair! Long story short, I discovered what caused the click when WtHW got it working the previous evening - the emergency stop button can be rotated to fix it in position when pressed. I still need to finalise the balancing of the arms, one is 10mm higher than the other, but that is trivial, and I need to clear out all the crap that has accumulated so I can get a car in there and work on it..

I'm concerned that they DIDN'T shield the A/C Receiver/Drier cannister at all and the suction hose from the evaporator is right next to the hot turbo exhaust housing.

Unfortunately when you wrap the hose in anything, it'll touch the housing :(

You might want to consider pulling out the A/C fuse before testing "in anger", then look at the hose to see if it's melting before putting the fuse back in.

I moved my cannister and routed the suction hose OVER top, cladding it in heat shield to avoid these issues:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...55ee88053c.jpg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...13dbbc23ad.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ca79d24c2d.jpg

ManiacLachy had his A/C Drier and A/C hoses relocated too to avoid these issues: ManiacLachy's A/C drier and hose relocation

His implementation is MUCH nicer and simpler and I MAY rework mine to do the same, I'll need to move my Oil Catch Can somewhere else.

I just want the bloody thing back!

I have told them to forget the catch tank and the airbox, I'll fix those when it gets home. I am fully expecting to have an issue with the A/C, and that won't matter, as I need to make a change to the patch harness (I think) but as it is non-functional now I can just remove those bits and have them re-made, at the same time get the electrical/ECU side sorted, then finally re-gas it. Yes, that location Lachy used is what I had in mind for the relocation, I hadn't looked closely at his pipe routing before but that seems pretty neat and out of the way too. My Nautilus air horn will need to be moved but that is just electrical wires so NBD. Your location is not somewhere I have considered, and I'll have a closer look at that when the car returns. Either way I think that if I am going to move one pipe I'll do both probably along Lachy's routing.

Five sleeps now, but who's counting ... ;)