MX5 chat - Hairdryer included.

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4T5

4T5

4T5

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Mk1 MX5 - How do I tell what BHP engine is in it ? (I'm led to believe there are a couple of different BHP lumps in them, Am I wrong ?)
If there are different lumps then How do I tell which lump is in ?

What will it cost (roughly) to prep it for track days ?

How much are hard tops worth ? Don't want one they weigh to much but I may be able to steal (buy cheap) one if there's profit in it.

Apart from Sills & general rust what do I need to be looking at ?

Who is the cheapest insurer ? Is there a specialist MX5 low mileage policy about ?

Any other decent forums apart from MX5 Nutz.com


Cheers in advance for any help. :)
 
Mk1 MX5 - How do I tell what BHP engine is in it ? (I'm led to believe there are a couple of different BHP lumps in them, Am I wrong ?)
If there are different lumps then How do I tell which lump is in ? Which model is it?

What will it cost (roughly) to prep it for track days ? £200 – That is about the cost of 4 toyo proxies. definatly worth a good service too. take it one track day at a time start off without doing anything then new tyres followed by stripping any weight then focus on the suspension. If you get into it you can then look at power increases.

How much are hard tops worth ? Don't want one they weigh to much but I may be able to steal (buy cheap) one if there's profit in it. - £200/£250 you can get damaged ones and repair them if you have a bit of time

Apart from Sills & general rust what do I need to be looking at ? Sills are a big one on these, cant think of anything other than that specific to mx5’s

Who is the cheapest insurer ? Is there a specialist MX5 low mileage policy about ? – Mk1 mx5’s can be had on classic policy’s occasionally (try Lancaster/Adrian flux)
 
Cheers p1RATE.

Don't know what model it is, It's a H reg 1.6 Uk model, I've just read about & it seems that there are higher BHP models so need to know how I can find which one it is.

Track days - Do I not need to fit an engine cut out, roll cage etc ?
 
4T5 said:
Track days - Do I not need to fit an engine cut out, roll cage etc ?
Click to expand...

No, only for racing. Anything will do for a trackday so long as it's not a death trap, no panels hanging off, no fluids leaking. If it would pass an MOT (doesn't necessarily have to have one) then it is good enough.
 
Engine wise, the 1.8s are ~130bhp.
The 1.6 from '89 to '94 is 114bhp. '95 to '98 is 88bhp. That's for UK cars. The Japanese cars never used the 88bhp unit I think.

You can tell a 1.6 from a 1.8 by the raised lettering on the cam cover. Raised = 1.8 Also, the plaque on the bulkhead will say NA8C (1.8) or NA8C (1.6).

They say the 1.8 is lazy compared to the 1.6. The 1.6 has lots of turbo options if you wish to go this way. Standard, the 1.8 will slowly pull away from a 1.6.

I would focus more on condition than the engine really. You can't go too wrong so long as you avoid the 88bhp.

Track day wise, just turn up and have a blast. If you want more grip get some cheap wheels and stickier tyres. There's not that much weight to shed unless you go extreme. Frankly only tinker if you enjoy tinkering. It's a balanced fun car out of the box assuming it's mechanically sound. Just get a full geo setup done. The whole car is adjustable from the factory so no parts needed :)
 
Being a H reg 90/91 it'll be the 114bhp then. :cool:

Great news about the track days & I intend to keep it bog standard to start. The car will be coming of an old Dude I know who has 5 sports cars 2 being MX5's & he only put a clutch in it 50 miles ago & loves to spend his money on making things right.
 
Don't do anything for the track day other than check its recently had an oil service, consider swapping gearbox oil, and make sure the brake fluid, pads and discs are good.

Only other thing I'd consider for the first track day would be alignment.

A previous poster suggested proxies. Great idea if you want bald tyres after the first few sessions. Someone on here with an MX5 with brand new Proxies ended up on the canvas after a day at Bedford. Literally made out of chocolate.
 
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