Rear bottom wishbone bolt?
I ended up cutting the head off of one of those
That's the one, absolute git it was, not done the passenger side yet....
I'm going to end up cutting the other wishbone to get the coilover out anyway I reckon..
Building a supercharged Exocet
- Thread starter wesimmo
- Start date
That's the one, absolute git it was, not done the passenger side yet....
I'm going to end up cutting the other wishbone to get the coilover out anyway I reckon..
An update, but not much actual progress, the World Cup took a big chunk of time out and the suspension continued to be a right git....
For example, no matter what, the rear passenger coilover would not come undone, so out with the angle grinder, chop the arm to hell and chop the bolt off, rescued the coilover at least.
The diff? Well the mounts for that were a little past their sell by date..
Trying to depower the steering rack, yeah this isn't coming out anytime soon, still need to find a replacement and cut it off.
But mainly i've got it broken down for refurbing and powder coating.
I've hopefully got a decent deal on powder coating, some MX5 breaker (who i had to buy a spare arm and ARB off after cutting them off or open to get coilovers out) reckons he can take all the bushes out, shot blasted and coated for less than £200, so that's on the list for this week to sort.
The brakes are boxed up to be sent to Bigg Red brakes for a full refurb, everything (seals, nipples, etc) is replaced and they're tested fully, £310 but brakes is brakes and i want them to be safe.
For example, no matter what, the rear passenger coilover would not come undone, so out with the angle grinder, chop the arm to hell and chop the bolt off, rescued the coilover at least.
The diff? Well the mounts for that were a little past their sell by date..
Trying to depower the steering rack, yeah this isn't coming out anytime soon, still need to find a replacement and cut it off.
But mainly i've got it broken down for refurbing and powder coating.
I've hopefully got a decent deal on powder coating, some MX5 breaker (who i had to buy a spare arm and ARB off after cutting them off or open to get coilovers out) reckons he can take all the bushes out, shot blasted and coated for less than £200, so that's on the list for this week to sort.
The brakes are boxed up to be sent to Bigg Red brakes for a full refurb, everything (seals, nipples, etc) is replaced and they're tested fully, £310 but brakes is brakes and i want them to be safe.
So, given i'd largely done the breaking down and the kit had been ready for some time, i arranged to go and pick it up, a 350 mile round trip from Newcastle.
I booked a LWB transit type of thing through Enterprise for 8.30 in the morning but got a phone call the night before to say there had been a mistake so the van wouldn't be ready until 9.30-10. No worries, i just made sure if the worst came to the worst and i was delayed i could take it back the next morning at no cost, which they were more than happy to agree to.
However i eventually got the van at 10.30 so the manager, without prompting, knocked 20% of the bill and gave me £31 of additional inurance for free.
Reasonably happy with the way they dealt with it, my daughter (7) and i set off, chucking enough diesel in for a range of 190 miles as we left Newcastle, figuring i'd see what i used and then make sure i had enough to get home without leaving them gallons in the tank.
A pretty uneventful trip and we arrive in a tiny little commercial park, very Centre Parcs like, tree lined single track roads and all that. Realised the sat nav had got me lost so turned round in a little car park. Doing so i brushed some trees with the top of the van but thought nothing of it (i'll come back to that...)
After a couple of minutes i find MEV Headquarters and pull in, do a 3 point turn and reverse up to the gates, at which point i smell diesel, a lot, and see it all over the road.
A quick look under the bonnet and the fuel filter is spraying diesel everywhere, it must have let go as i arrived, there was no way I'd driven all that way with that much diesel leaking.
I call the AA and they put me in touch with VW Assist, i ring them and tell them i know what the fault is, i can see the diesel coming out and they have already issued a recall for this fault, so please send a new fuel filter. No. The guy turns up an hour and a half later, says "I need a new fuel filter" and disappears for another hour and a half.
By now my daughter is bored out her mind and, worse, there's no wifi at the factory. And then, i notice that the inconsequential brushing of trees has somehow smashed the rear reflector, lights and cracked the bumper, i have literally no idea how but can only assume it was doing the turn in the small car park.
Finally the van is fixed, loaded and we set off with some diesel the VW Assist guy put in, range is pretty good looking at 70 miles so i chuck another bit of diesel in to give me 210 miles and head home.
Within 10 miles the range has dropped by 50 miles, fearing it's still leaking i ring the VW guy who explains (only now) that the gauge will be recalibrating. It finally calms down and i chuck a bit more diesel in to get me home.
We finally arrive back near Newcastle at 20.30, and they've shut the road overnight for repairs, by now my daughter hates me and just wants to be home, the perfect end to a rubbish day!
I drop the van off the following morning and the manager asks me how it was all sorted and apologises profusely. "Hey, i'm not happy, but really the van breaking down isn't your fault. Though i am a bit gutted that someone must have driven into the back of it last night while parked in my street."
To be fair to him he immediately "didn't see" the damage and told me i wouldn't be charged a penny for the rental.
So, i now have a frame and GRP bits in the garage, excuse the picture, it was taken at 22.30 when i finally got the garage door closed.
I booked a LWB transit type of thing through Enterprise for 8.30 in the morning but got a phone call the night before to say there had been a mistake so the van wouldn't be ready until 9.30-10. No worries, i just made sure if the worst came to the worst and i was delayed i could take it back the next morning at no cost, which they were more than happy to agree to.
However i eventually got the van at 10.30 so the manager, without prompting, knocked 20% of the bill and gave me £31 of additional inurance for free.
Reasonably happy with the way they dealt with it, my daughter (7) and i set off, chucking enough diesel in for a range of 190 miles as we left Newcastle, figuring i'd see what i used and then make sure i had enough to get home without leaving them gallons in the tank.
A pretty uneventful trip and we arrive in a tiny little commercial park, very Centre Parcs like, tree lined single track roads and all that. Realised the sat nav had got me lost so turned round in a little car park. Doing so i brushed some trees with the top of the van but thought nothing of it (i'll come back to that...)
After a couple of minutes i find MEV Headquarters and pull in, do a 3 point turn and reverse up to the gates, at which point i smell diesel, a lot, and see it all over the road.
A quick look under the bonnet and the fuel filter is spraying diesel everywhere, it must have let go as i arrived, there was no way I'd driven all that way with that much diesel leaking.
I call the AA and they put me in touch with VW Assist, i ring them and tell them i know what the fault is, i can see the diesel coming out and they have already issued a recall for this fault, so please send a new fuel filter. No. The guy turns up an hour and a half later, says "I need a new fuel filter" and disappears for another hour and a half.
By now my daughter is bored out her mind and, worse, there's no wifi at the factory. And then, i notice that the inconsequential brushing of trees has somehow smashed the rear reflector, lights and cracked the bumper, i have literally no idea how but can only assume it was doing the turn in the small car park.
Finally the van is fixed, loaded and we set off with some diesel the VW Assist guy put in, range is pretty good looking at 70 miles so i chuck another bit of diesel in to give me 210 miles and head home.
Within 10 miles the range has dropped by 50 miles, fearing it's still leaking i ring the VW guy who explains (only now) that the gauge will be recalibrating. It finally calms down and i chuck a bit more diesel in to get me home.
We finally arrive back near Newcastle at 20.30, and they've shut the road overnight for repairs, by now my daughter hates me and just wants to be home, the perfect end to a rubbish day!
I drop the van off the following morning and the manager asks me how it was all sorted and apologises profusely. "Hey, i'm not happy, but really the van breaking down isn't your fault. Though i am a bit gutted that someone must have driven into the back of it last night while parked in my street."
To be fair to him he immediately "didn't see" the damage and told me i wouldn't be charged a penny for the rental.
So, i now have a frame and GRP bits in the garage, excuse the picture, it was taken at 22.30 when i finally got the garage door closed.
I really fancy an MX5 but seeing your pictures keeps filling me with dread
They seem really good prices for the powder coating, well worth spending on the brakes too. Do they replace the caliper pistons? Are the original ones stainless steel?
Yep, they do the lot if needed, and i believe they are stainless from the condition of them anyway.
So finally got round to taking some more photos off my phone.
I've made a template for the floors, you basically get a big sheet of alloy and cut it out to suit, then rivet it to the frame.
The floor is all about weight saving, i don't know if you can make out the comparison to a half emptied Rizla packet?
The brakes came back from Bigg Red, can't fault them, great job and service.
And while i waited for the main suspension arms and subframes to be powder coated, i finished off taking the dust shields off, rust removal and painting of the hub carriers.
Then the arms and subframes came back from the powder coaters, again great service from a local company called MazdaDudes (any MX5 tinkerers I highly recommend them). Because I've bought a lot from them and referred a lot of other happy Exocet owners to them, they did the whole lot at cost. So upper and lower arms front and back, both sub frames, ARBs, engine mount cups, bushes removed, blasted and coated for £150. When picking them up I also grabbed seat rails, which I'd sold on with my MX5 seats, 2nd hand diff bush mounts and a brand new Mazda handbrake cable.
I then set about fitting all the Energy poly bushes, whoever calls the stuff you smear everywhere grease or lubricant is a liar, its the hated lovechild of superglue and vaseline, gets bloody everywhere, still, all done now(ish).
I did say "Ish" about the bushes, i still need to remove them from the diff carrier and i've burnt them off the diff bush bracket i got from MazdaDudes as the kit i'm using is a different set up to OEM.
Now i need to make space again and start building up the suspension. I'll do that over the next few days while i wait for a big order to come in from MX5Parts, bolts, ball joint boots, drop links, that kind of stuff.
I'll also sort through all the bolts that survived the removal process and make sure that the order I've already made covers all i need, I'm sure there's a few i have forgotten trying to do it from memory but what I've ordered will keep me busy for a while.
Apologies for the potato phone pics, I'll try and make sure when I get to the fiddly and interesting bits i get some better quality.
I've made a template for the floors, you basically get a big sheet of alloy and cut it out to suit, then rivet it to the frame.
The floor is all about weight saving, i don't know if you can make out the comparison to a half emptied Rizla packet?
The brakes came back from Bigg Red, can't fault them, great job and service.
And while i waited for the main suspension arms and subframes to be powder coated, i finished off taking the dust shields off, rust removal and painting of the hub carriers.
Then the arms and subframes came back from the powder coaters, again great service from a local company called MazdaDudes (any MX5 tinkerers I highly recommend them). Because I've bought a lot from them and referred a lot of other happy Exocet owners to them, they did the whole lot at cost. So upper and lower arms front and back, both sub frames, ARBs, engine mount cups, bushes removed, blasted and coated for £150. When picking them up I also grabbed seat rails, which I'd sold on with my MX5 seats, 2nd hand diff bush mounts and a brand new Mazda handbrake cable.
I then set about fitting all the Energy poly bushes, whoever calls the stuff you smear everywhere grease or lubricant is a liar, its the hated lovechild of superglue and vaseline, gets bloody everywhere, still, all done now(ish).
I did say "Ish" about the bushes, i still need to remove them from the diff carrier and i've burnt them off the diff bush bracket i got from MazdaDudes as the kit i'm using is a different set up to OEM.
Now i need to make space again and start building up the suspension. I'll do that over the next few days while i wait for a big order to come in from MX5Parts, bolts, ball joint boots, drop links, that kind of stuff.
I'll also sort through all the bolts that survived the removal process and make sure that the order I've already made covers all i need, I'm sure there's a few i have forgotten trying to do it from memory but what I've ordered will keep me busy for a while.
Apologies for the potato phone pics, I'll try and make sure when I get to the fiddly and interesting bits i get some better quality.
It's been a while, shortly after my last update I was diagnosed with depression, one of the symptoms was doing not a great deal apart from sleep..
Anyway, I'm back on it with some sun and the medication kicking in.
The big problem is still the diff won't come off, but still I made the floors today and cleared the garage for the next push.
So i got all new camber bolts all round, drop links etc, plus due to the suspension angles you either cut and reinforce the standard upper arms on the front, or you buy shiny.
New camber bolts in the rear subframe which i've built up ready for when i get the diff sorted.
And then cleared down and flipped it to get at the floors and finish the job i started in November!!
First floor cut from alloy..
Test fitting before trimming, as my dad said "You can always cut more off, you can't put it back."
Flip the template and modify it to account for the exhaust coming down the passenger side.
Then etched primered. The intention is to paint them in rubberised paint. I'll then tigerseal them to the bottom, rivet them on and then glue a thin rubber sheet across the bottom, wrapping round the bottom of the frame to avoid any issues with Mr IVA and sharp edges where I've cut the alloy sheet and also to prevent every stone that flicks up sounding like it's coming through the bottom of the car.
Anyway, I'm back on it with some sun and the medication kicking in.
The big problem is still the diff won't come off, but still I made the floors today and cleared the garage for the next push.
So i got all new camber bolts all round, drop links etc, plus due to the suspension angles you either cut and reinforce the standard upper arms on the front, or you buy shiny.
New camber bolts in the rear subframe which i've built up ready for when i get the diff sorted.
And then cleared down and flipped it to get at the floors and finish the job i started in November!!
First floor cut from alloy..
Test fitting before trimming, as my dad said "You can always cut more off, you can't put it back."
Flip the template and modify it to account for the exhaust coming down the passenger side.
Then etched primered. The intention is to paint them in rubberised paint. I'll then tigerseal them to the bottom, rivet them on and then glue a thin rubber sheet across the bottom, wrapping round the bottom of the frame to avoid any issues with Mr IVA and sharp edges where I've cut the alloy sheet and also to prevent every stone that flicks up sounding like it's coming through the bottom of the car.
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I suspect it's a thing in our family, both my parents have had depression in the past and my sister suffers from anxiety. However it was my job that kicked it off to the point I got help, so I left!
The people stopping by is an interesting one, the neighbours are obviously intrigued, but I'm fed up with "Are you not finished yet?" or people asking me questions when I'm wedged under the car with an angle grinder!
The people stopping by is an interesting one, the neighbours are obviously intrigued, but I'm fed up with "Are you not finished yet?" or people asking me questions when I'm wedged under the car with an angle grinder!
Finally managed to release the diff from the power plant frame (PPF).
I ended up getting a crow bar in there and discovered there's a spacer between diff and PPF, so I pulled that out and gained a few cms of clearance. That allowed me to take a big hammer to it and knock the PPF off the bottom of the diff bolt.
I then discovered that the propshaft will come out the gear box before the rust on the diff to drive shaft mating plates will release.
But then I finally got the half shafts out and confirmed I have the Fuji LSD I thought I did, not the best but they work, it's done ok so far and the car will be far lighter so hopefully will ease the strain. The supercharger should also not worry it as it's the least stressful power curve you can imagine, just straight lines so no coming on boost as such.
I ended up getting a crow bar in there and discovered there's a spacer between diff and PPF, so I pulled that out and gained a few cms of clearance. That allowed me to take a big hammer to it and knock the PPF off the bottom of the diff bolt.
I then discovered that the propshaft will come out the gear box before the rust on the diff to drive shaft mating plates will release.
But then I finally got the half shafts out and confirmed I have the Fuji LSD I thought I did, not the best but they work, it's done ok so far and the car will be far lighter so hopefully will ease the strain. The supercharger should also not worry it as it's the least stressful power curve you can imagine, just straight lines so no coming on boost as such.
Good to see you're back working on it dude but as hard as it may be, try not to let people pressure you into working on it (people on here, friends/family popping round etc.) as that can easily screw with MH, even if it's meant well.
Cheers mate, appreciate the concern but this is all about me wanting to drive this bloody thing, the sun is out and I miss having the MX5, might have to buy one for the interim.
I'm making other changes too, my daughter decided she wanted to learnt to ride at the age of 8 just over a week ago, we're now getting out every day on the bikes and doing 2/3 miles at least so that's helping too.
Plus i changed jobs, 20% pay cut but far less stress. Life isn't so bad at the moment.
I need to do an update to be fair, made some progress.
Diff should be back from having the bushes pressed out and then I can build the back end back up, should only be a couple of hours. Front end is rolling and I've depowered the steering rack.
Literally just got off the phone to Royal Mail who were supposed to be delivering a new wiring loom right now but it looks like the driver just fancied a pint in the sun and clocked off an hour early!
Diff should be back from having the bushes pressed out and then I can build the back end back up, should only be a couple of hours. Front end is rolling and I've depowered the steering rack.
Literally just got off the phone to Royal Mail who were supposed to be delivering a new wiring loom right now but it looks like the driver just fancied a pint in the sun and clocked off an hour early!
Ok time for an update with pictures.
Next job was to make a steering rack. I had 2 power steering racks as mine was ruined by rust and i got another one for £25, so the good bits from both create 1 non-powered rack.
Obviously all the pipework goes so i just cut it off, removed the nuts you can see below with the remains of pipework and had them welded close. You then remove a seal from the main steering cross shaft, quick go with the grinder and a chisel and that pops off to allow full movement of air / grease within the steering rack outer tube.
The big nut thing in the middle wasn't coming out, so i actually gave up on this and used the new rack i bought, back to that later....
Then operation clean up started, Ryobi sander, rust remover and grease remover were in heavy rotation.
Finally had enough bits to rebuild one rack with shiny new tie rod ends too.
I then spent about 2 hours trying to refit the column pinion into the rack, after much swearing, i discovered there is one tiny difference in the pinions on the racks, one has a 2/3mm larger bearing housing on the end of the column and won't fit to the casing of the other, once i spotted that, bit more cutting and i removed a washer type ring from the receiving casing and it fitted perfectly.
And finally back on the car to test fit, I'll take it off again at some point, pack it with grease, paint and refit the boots for the ends.
Next job was to make a steering rack. I had 2 power steering racks as mine was ruined by rust and i got another one for £25, so the good bits from both create 1 non-powered rack.
Obviously all the pipework goes so i just cut it off, removed the nuts you can see below with the remains of pipework and had them welded close. You then remove a seal from the main steering cross shaft, quick go with the grinder and a chisel and that pops off to allow full movement of air / grease within the steering rack outer tube.
The big nut thing in the middle wasn't coming out, so i actually gave up on this and used the new rack i bought, back to that later....
Then operation clean up started, Ryobi sander, rust remover and grease remover were in heavy rotation.
Finally had enough bits to rebuild one rack with shiny new tie rod ends too.
I then spent about 2 hours trying to refit the column pinion into the rack, after much swearing, i discovered there is one tiny difference in the pinions on the racks, one has a 2/3mm larger bearing housing on the end of the column and won't fit to the casing of the other, once i spotted that, bit more cutting and i removed a washer type ring from the receiving casing and it fitted perfectly.
And finally back on the car to test fit, I'll take it off again at some point, pack it with grease, paint and refit the boots for the ends.
With the steering rack on, and the front suspension built up, it was time to attack the rear end again after my diff extraction issues..
My brother in law is a Sgt Major in the army and is good friends with one of their mechanics, so i shipped the diff off to him to extract the bushes using a press, there's no way these are burning out as there's a metal collar on the OEM set up that welds itself to the diff over time. Believe me i tried everything but just ended up making it harder when i finally gave it to someone with the right equipment. He ended up using all sorts of air chisels etc to get my bodged attempt side out, the other came out like a dream apparently....still all that and getting the pipework nuts welded up cost me £30 of beer for him and his welder mate.
So in went the new poly bushes.
And an hour later (BTW IF YOU EVER DO THIS DON'T USE A RUSTY DONOR), the rear end i took literally months to break down was built back up again.
Those very silver nuts and bolts will be replaced with proper high tensile versions, they're just some B&Q ones i had lying around to test fit it all up and see which bolts I need to buy so i can make one big order, my labeling was less than perfect and I'm discovering which bolts i ruined / cut or lost in the process of rebuilding..
And finally she was rolling, so flipped the frame onto her
She emerges for the first time in a year after an extreme winter weight loss regime.
Grabbed a couple of neighbours and flipped it over and loosely fitted the frame to the chassis, it'll be coming off a few times yet as I fit brake lines etc. So also, I know the wheels are on the wrong way, i just grabbed the nearest one off the pile as i rebuilt.
It's low
TBF those coilovers are fully adjustable on height and damping so i'll find a decent ride height, maybe get some new springs as the ones that are on were destroyed cosmetically by 3 years on the road, and obviously it's half the weight now anyway.
And then obligatory deckchair perched on the frame while i pretend to drive shot...
The last thing before the next chapter - Wesimmo Teaches Himself Car Electrics - I loosely fitted the brake servos and clutch assembly so i can measure up for brake lines.
I'll keep the ABS stuff MC etc, but as the ABS module does some of the biasing and I've removed that i need a custom set up. So I'll have 2 main lines out the ABS MC, the back will do as per OEM and take one line to the back with the biased splitter. I'll the do the same on the front, there's a guy who makes the kits up so I'm talking to him to work out what i need, the lengths (it'll all be braided), etc. While I wait for that, i got a modular loom from a kit car company, more on that later.
My brother in law is a Sgt Major in the army and is good friends with one of their mechanics, so i shipped the diff off to him to extract the bushes using a press, there's no way these are burning out as there's a metal collar on the OEM set up that welds itself to the diff over time. Believe me i tried everything but just ended up making it harder when i finally gave it to someone with the right equipment. He ended up using all sorts of air chisels etc to get my bodged attempt side out, the other came out like a dream apparently....still all that and getting the pipework nuts welded up cost me £30 of beer for him and his welder mate.
So in went the new poly bushes.
And an hour later (BTW IF YOU EVER DO THIS DON'T USE A RUSTY DONOR), the rear end i took literally months to break down was built back up again.
Those very silver nuts and bolts will be replaced with proper high tensile versions, they're just some B&Q ones i had lying around to test fit it all up and see which bolts I need to buy so i can make one big order, my labeling was less than perfect and I'm discovering which bolts i ruined / cut or lost in the process of rebuilding..
And finally she was rolling, so flipped the frame onto her
She emerges for the first time in a year after an extreme winter weight loss regime.
Grabbed a couple of neighbours and flipped it over and loosely fitted the frame to the chassis, it'll be coming off a few times yet as I fit brake lines etc. So also, I know the wheels are on the wrong way, i just grabbed the nearest one off the pile as i rebuilt.
It's low
TBF those coilovers are fully adjustable on height and damping so i'll find a decent ride height, maybe get some new springs as the ones that are on were destroyed cosmetically by 3 years on the road, and obviously it's half the weight now anyway.
And then obligatory deckchair perched on the frame while i pretend to drive shot...
The last thing before the next chapter - Wesimmo Teaches Himself Car Electrics - I loosely fitted the brake servos and clutch assembly so i can measure up for brake lines.
I'll keep the ABS stuff MC etc, but as the ABS module does some of the biasing and I've removed that i need a custom set up. So I'll have 2 main lines out the ABS MC, the back will do as per OEM and take one line to the back with the biased splitter. I'll the do the same on the front, there's a guy who makes the kits up so I'm talking to him to work out what i need, the lengths (it'll all be braided), etc. While I wait for that, i got a modular loom from a kit car company, more on that later.
Thanks. 
So anyway, I'd heard the MX5 wiring is a nightmare, there's all sorts of weird stuff about switched earths that I didn't understand, and others like the fact you need to keep a dimmer switch in the loom otherwise the fuel pump doesn't work (exaggerated for effect, i think).
However the standard loom is huge and heavy, especially with my donor being a fully specced Sport version, so it had wiring for heated seats, powered mirrors, rear screen, electric aeriel, etc that just won't get used.
So, in for a penny and all that i went to a company called Stafford Vehicle Components who do a modular loom for the car side of things. So for the best part of £300 I ordered their front engined modular loom and then hit Amazon for some wiring tools, waterproof connectors, multimeter, etc and set to learning stuff.
First off i laid out the new loom and went around it checking what wiring went from where to where and identifying the various branches, disappointingly they weren't labelled, and though it should have been a quick job working them out, there were a couple of errors on the wiring guide they sent...
The cluster of fuse boxes and relays in the bottom left were a new thing to learn about, but i got my head round it, it's just like programming little VBA routines with IF statements given the way my mind works.
At the same time i started to unpick how the standard wiring worked using the Haynes manual and the internet to teach myself to read the diagrams and then physically going through and unpicking the standard loom. I didn't need to do that for the build as such, but that's the way i learn, rip things apart and understand the concepts in practical situations.
Eventually, the loom looked like this.
Plus another couple of piles for the rear loom and dash loom, above is basically just the heavy electrical work, lights, seats, heated window etc.
So more confident i knew where i was going, i started making up the waterproof quick connects, basically i want to be able to remove any body or ancillaries easily, so for example the rear fuel tank shell will have lights mounted, so i can quickly disconnect them from the main frame where the loom will be routed.
Still need to work on my crimping..but getting there and the connections have continuity so all good so far.
The rear lights, indicators, reverse and fog lights all good to go.
So then it was downstairs to the garage and start putting theory into practice.
First was laying it all out and then connecting it up to the main engine loom and fusebox. I'm hoping like hell that i can just leave the engine side of things, it's running a custom MS3 ECU with sensors for IAT, wideband, etc and was wired in by a local MX5 race team when they supercharged it, so I'm hoping to not have to unpick that.
Again, a little bit of research on the way the battery and earths need to be set up and i got that sorted, then i wired in the steering column controls and tested the lights and got nothing. At this point i realised that the MX5 lighting system works on switched earths, whereas the new loom needs switched positive. Not a problem, after a bit of head scratching I just provided a live feed to the earth in the lighting switch and then the switch effectively gave me a switched positive to use. This does pose 2 problems, i think i'm sending too much juice into the switch now (and don't fancy ripping the column apart to fit more suitable wiring) and because i need a permanent live for the side lights, i've used a permanent live. However IVA says that your main and dip lights must be ignition switched.
So, although i'm yet to do it, what I'm going to do is take a low voltage permanent live into the switch, and then output that to a little relay set up for the side and main lights that will take the required power where it needs to go depending on light switch and ignition switch positions.
However, while keeping a close eye on things, i had to test the progress and to see if my workaround had worked.
So anyway, I'd heard the MX5 wiring is a nightmare, there's all sorts of weird stuff about switched earths that I didn't understand, and others like the fact you need to keep a dimmer switch in the loom otherwise the fuel pump doesn't work (exaggerated for effect, i think).
However the standard loom is huge and heavy, especially with my donor being a fully specced Sport version, so it had wiring for heated seats, powered mirrors, rear screen, electric aeriel, etc that just won't get used.
So, in for a penny and all that i went to a company called Stafford Vehicle Components who do a modular loom for the car side of things. So for the best part of £300 I ordered their front engined modular loom and then hit Amazon for some wiring tools, waterproof connectors, multimeter, etc and set to learning stuff.
First off i laid out the new loom and went around it checking what wiring went from where to where and identifying the various branches, disappointingly they weren't labelled, and though it should have been a quick job working them out, there were a couple of errors on the wiring guide they sent...
The cluster of fuse boxes and relays in the bottom left were a new thing to learn about, but i got my head round it, it's just like programming little VBA routines with IF statements given the way my mind works.
At the same time i started to unpick how the standard wiring worked using the Haynes manual and the internet to teach myself to read the diagrams and then physically going through and unpicking the standard loom. I didn't need to do that for the build as such, but that's the way i learn, rip things apart and understand the concepts in practical situations.
Eventually, the loom looked like this.
Plus another couple of piles for the rear loom and dash loom, above is basically just the heavy electrical work, lights, seats, heated window etc.
So more confident i knew where i was going, i started making up the waterproof quick connects, basically i want to be able to remove any body or ancillaries easily, so for example the rear fuel tank shell will have lights mounted, so i can quickly disconnect them from the main frame where the loom will be routed.
Still need to work on my crimping..but getting there and the connections have continuity so all good so far.
The rear lights, indicators, reverse and fog lights all good to go.
So then it was downstairs to the garage and start putting theory into practice.
First was laying it all out and then connecting it up to the main engine loom and fusebox. I'm hoping like hell that i can just leave the engine side of things, it's running a custom MS3 ECU with sensors for IAT, wideband, etc and was wired in by a local MX5 race team when they supercharged it, so I'm hoping to not have to unpick that.
Again, a little bit of research on the way the battery and earths need to be set up and i got that sorted, then i wired in the steering column controls and tested the lights and got nothing. At this point i realised that the MX5 lighting system works on switched earths, whereas the new loom needs switched positive. Not a problem, after a bit of head scratching I just provided a live feed to the earth in the lighting switch and then the switch effectively gave me a switched positive to use. This does pose 2 problems, i think i'm sending too much juice into the switch now (and don't fancy ripping the column apart to fit more suitable wiring) and because i need a permanent live for the side lights, i've used a permanent live. However IVA says that your main and dip lights must be ignition switched.
So, although i'm yet to do it, what I'm going to do is take a low voltage permanent live into the switch, and then output that to a little relay set up for the side and main lights that will take the required power where it needs to go depending on light switch and ignition switch positions.
However, while keeping a close eye on things, i had to test the progress and to see if my workaround had worked.
I've made this a lot of work, through inexperience/incompetence and using a poor donor. If you strip it cleanly, leave fuel and brake lines and electrics in place, you could cut out about all the time and effort I've spent less a few weeks....
As for the cost, again I've not scrimped so I'm not going to say it's cheap, but you can pick up a decent MK2 donor for £100s, or even stripped skates that people have given up on. It's the bodies that rot because they're poorly designed so the running gear can often be fine but the car will need £1,500/£2,000 worth of welding and paint so they get scrapped.
But yeah, still not a happy go lucky, skipping around type of chap, but better thanks!
Cheers I'll have a look at that, at the moment I'm still pulling too much out to do much proper fixing in!
But yeah there's a guy in our group who used the same loom and his wiring tray looks brilliant. All labelled up and barely anything in there compared to the guys running the standard loom. It also means you can fit a nice Varley Red Top battery in there too, you obviously don't need much battery as it basically starts it and that's it, there's no other electrics, except the lights, fuel pump and ECU/engine.
Though I will be using the spare 12v branch on the loom to power one of these at the rear for future Go Pro type power and phone charger. Then I'll use one of the redundant branches for one in the front too, I expect on drives out and track days I'll be needing Bluetooth comms if I have a passenger and sat nav so I'm going to make sure its all wired in convenient places so cables aren't all over the shop.
I've also got the bug with electrics...
All sorts of ideas going round so I've picked up another Arduino board and a relay module to get up to speed on that side so when winter comes I can look at onboard comms, digital dash / dials etc.
I'm thinking about how I might use the squirter switch on the stalk as a push to talk for example.
Good advice to be fair.
It should be hard to miss anything I've done so far. For example most of the bolts will need covering for the IVA and I'll go through the Haynes manual to torque everything to spec as a check list. But I'll definitely add these sorts of things to the list of bolts I've got on my whiteboard in the garage.
A good bit of advice I have seen in the groups foe Exocets is this, for the IVA you need caps for the nuts so if you have some when your bolt is in and torqued up pop your cap on and then every time you go to it you know that one is done and finished.
thought it was good advice and certainly what ill be using when I get around to it
Yep, basically the IVA check list makes sure you're less likely to miss stuff as it's so comprehensive. And little tips like are really useful.
Kinda....my missus and I split up and I lost my job just as covid kicked in....been a rough time.
My life is back on track now though, just need someone to fit the kitchen that's filling my garage and I can crack on again!
Getting trades people to sort the house out is a nightmare.
My life is back on track now though, just need someone to fit the kitchen that's filling my garage and I can crack on again!
Getting trades people to sort the house out is a nightmare.