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50 Shades Of Silver (Na Eunos)

62375 Views 686 Replies 22 Participants Last post by  Zed.
in January I bought my Eunos, I'd liked the idea of one for maybe 10 years but I'd not had thew time or space for one.
so, heres my '50 Shades-of-Silver (amongst other colours)

mQefhCb.jpg
as bought and home (ok, I've too many cars....)

replaced the TSW wheels with BBS from a BMW E30 :thumb-up:

the car was imported in 2000 so had avoided UK's salted roads for it's first 8 years life, being a Eunos the online vin decoders are next to useless and the dvla's regestration details are 'suspect' to say the least (it's regestered as a 1992 mx5, I guess thats the importer creating a car thats easy to sell & insure)

the previous owner had replaced the clutch, cambelt & waterpump, swapped to a mk2 dashboard conversion, fitted a cobalt stainless exhaust and a few other jobs like rust prevention.

when I was inspecting the car before purchase I noticed that the pedlebox was cracked with the throttlepedal almost hanging off, this had a major impact on the cars performance (possibly why it was for sale?)

when I got the car home I decided to remove the dashboard to investigate the wiring conversion as well as check the heater pipes & fix the pedlebox (the throttle pedal had actually dropped off after I got home!)

LnT5HNk.jpg


while the dash was out the seats & carpet followed, then I noticed that a rollcage had been fitted previously with holes drilled in the front & rear floors as well as the parcel shelf being cut (not a problem to me as I'm looking at fitting a cage :yes: - wonder what cage had been previously fitted? )

when the dash was out I decided that the conversion wiring was a bit of a mess so started looking for a replacement, this was put on hold for a while untill I spotted an advert for a UK spec 1990 MX5 for sale as a breaker...

jFJykLR.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/Lw1e4Lx.jpg
1990 UK spec '5 with 1.8 conversion
as you can see, my 1991Discovery working for its living :driving:

pSSCu8Z.jpg


little while later, some bits removed :whistle:
was easier to remove the engine by chopping the front of the bodyshell off, nice un-rusted chassis rails - unlike the sills, wheelarches & floors :rant:

HI3Cc3W.jpg


dashboard loom needing repair, one of the reasons behind the tango'd 5's purchase....

annoyingly theres diferent looms fitted - unknown if this is age or engine related :rant: :rant: :rant:

discovered after re-building and fitting a mk1 dash into the Eunos :yes: :rant: :baseballbat:

so, ended up repairing the Eunos's origonal....

call for the solder & heatschrink......

bought some Compomotive wheels, unsure if they are destined for the Eunos or my mk2 Golf tdi....

rv9pnnU.jpg


another purchase, set of Ohlins adjustable dampers with springs & rosejointed topmounts, these were 'pre-loved' so a lot cheaper than new (although cost £400 so almost the same as the Eunos)
had fun when fitting, both rear damper bottom bolts were not wanting to undo as their 'captive-nuts' were 'UN-captive' :whistle:

OCVcNhg.jpg


:rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:

so had to remove both lower wishbones....

3 out of 4 camber-adjustment bolts snapped :rant:

P3zjRie.jpg


weld to the rescue & re-captive nuts :thumb-up:

random stupidity & reading crap on forums later ('Coil-On-Plug' conversion ideas :dance: )

FzBLFKX.jpg


1j1m13F.jpg


ready for future turbo conversion (thats my excuse....... :whistle: )

mA3fRgN.jpg
twin cylinder adjustable bias pedlebox :thumb-up:

Another 'Random-boredom' idea, I've always had bias/adjustable pedleboxes on rallycars so as the Eunos is hopefully going to hillclimb & sprint its getting one :yes:

this is the 'mk1' design, not a working prototype but just pushing ideas....

the standard NA pedal ratio is 4:1, this is fine with servo asssistance but un-assisted will be harder than hell and a massive effort to stop the car so I'm looking at 5 or 5.5:1 ratio so that means shortening the pedal & moving the cylinder position.

also, I've picked up some new AP-racing 'dumpy' mastercylinders on egay for a very reasonable price :dance:

more to come once I've recovered from typing this........

Rich.
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as this thread is sorta "50 Shades Of Silver / Projekt Oh God What have I bought now?" I'd better confess to more stupidity 🥴

no assembly as yet though!


couldn't resist....


think I've got them as the previous owner didn't want to clean off the tigerseal :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:


from another tangent projekt I've a pair of identical light units that have clear lenses and a sidelight mount in the reflector.

these apeal to me as allow instant headlamp 'flash' - something the popup lights cannot do if in the closed position, also these can be easily modified for cold-air intake feed with ease of adding aclosable flap for wet weather looning around.

more stupidity to follow...

Rich.
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glad you finally got em..
Have fun with the tiger seal...i suspect a heat gun will yield goid results.

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glad you finally got em..
Have fun with the tiger seal...i suspect a heat gun will yield goid results.
I didn’t doubt they’d turn up, obviously list in translation :ROFLMAO:

as to that gooooooo, a sharp Stanley-blade works wonders but it’s a dodgy task!

anyway, hope they bring some speed as were on a fast car:unsure::p:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Rich.
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ebay is again responsible for more financial losses....


a Speeduino ecu that hopefully works :ROFLMAO:
it's a pnp for the earlier 2plug loom so not all-singing & dancing but possibly pinouts can be reconfigured or maybe theres some spare terminals on the circuit-board?

I've wanted to play with one & learn Tunerstudio for a while & this one was at a price I decided was worth the experiment :unsure:
obviously theres no reason it cannot be used for the 5 and if it has suitable outputs then maybe it will be used - unless theres a better ecu available with more loadsites to setup the fuel & sparks...

will play when its delivered.

Rich.
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okey, another slight tangent happened (again) :eek:


Ebay again irresponsible 🥴


if you didn't know what it is, the top right corner of the board might give a clue ;)


the underside, shows the 2 boards...


the boards seperated, the smaller board being the Arduino Mega.

looks to be one from Diy-Efi.

oddly enough, I've been considering one of these for a while but ecu's are (were?) far down my list of priorities...

anyway, I've now got one in my mitts to play with so playing with tunerstudio to try & learn how it all works :unsure:


luckily I have loom plugs & wiring-tails from a stripped 1.6L Eunos loom so can convert this pnp ecu to standalone if I use it on the Silver 1991 car or it can plug directly into the white 1990 car if it gets used in that.


also, in the first photo can see the end-cover (main plug end) is not a great fit, it's 3d printed from some plastic or other and I'm no fan of 3d print - will cut a new cover from some carbonfiber or similar to close the case & might seal to keep out the spiders :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:


on the flip-side, ebay again and I've taken a gamble on a 'broken' ME221 (to fit the '99-'00 mk2) so if it's repairable will play with that also (suppose thats another tuning software to investigate...)


more fiddling to follow....

Rich.
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more ecu stupidity...


was ebay (again) & a 'best-offer'.


sold as not working & as I'm a sucker for a challenge (OR collect junk?) it's now in my stash....


noticed some crossed terminals...


clearance made...


also a home-made 'jumper' accross the board (main car loom connection?)


wazzat there?

Luckily for me I have an inquisitive mind / Mrs with a Phd in computing and her dad is an electronics engineer of some description so may find the problem :unsure:


other news, have a week off work and a massive joblist like car & Landrover mot's / Landrover engine conversion so doubtfull the 5's will get any attention (but watch this space)

Rich.
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time for an update & off on a tangent (again 🥴 )


decided to drain the fuel from the silver car, it's not actually run for ~28 months so better to ensure no water or gummed fuel causing mischief in there.

luckily it is in great condition so all good :cool:


then decided to try the modified sender / lid.


AN6 fittings and braided hoses to test for clearance...


bit tall for the standard Mazda 'lid'


closer view, will need to make a 'dome' to clear...

more fiddling to follow...

Rich.
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another tangent time - ish....


AP Racing clutch mount bolts.


these suit multiplate clutches & as I'm using one of these clutches on the Vauxhall engine and its flywheel is designed for this type of fastner (not the nuts & allen bolts most skint people use 🥴 )


Also, these hopefully will add a great psychological advantage :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:


Rich.
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OOPS :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:


so I had some gauges BUT the only one that wasn't new was the revcounter :confused:


ebay again.....


new & unused but secondhand Stack ST400 revcounter (same as the other 'used' one) at a price I couldn't ignore :cool:

maybe I'll get time to assemble soon :unsure:

Rich.
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These are your brackets bud...
There part of the headlight kit...i only just twigged today why the expansion bottle was relocated...pics for reference how to fit so can make room for headlight kit to fit...


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another tanget time.

back onto an old projekt, back to the 1.6L B6 cylinderhead modification


the head from the silver car + bandsaw :ROFLMAO:


now I have port-wall thickness ideas and especially the valve-throat 'short-radius' area as I've been concerned with this breaking into the coolant galeries o_O


and a cut through the valveguides..


several pieces stacked...


again.


laid out, also have sectional-valveguides :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:


this head was condemned due to dodgy casting quality (even though the car performed well
the engine had plenty of power!) view down the port towards the valves posted previously...


closer view of the casting flaw, sand impressions in the metal!

anyway, thanks to the bandsaw for making short work of these cuts :cool:

more sillyness to follow...


Rich.
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more sectioned head photos...














so, an idea of aproximate coolant-jacket positions :cool:

Rich.
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playing with diffs (& the Landrover but thats another story?)


a few Mazda diffs, an Mx5 4.1 Fuji, half an Mx5 4.1 (no differential unit or crownwheel) and a 4.2 from the front of a Bongo 4x4 thing...
I've another unknown in the 1.8 mk1 rear suspension cradle but that needs removal before investigation :unsure:


another Fuji and the 3J's plate LSD.

I'm probably going to send the fuji diff unit for repair (I know a willing test-subject car & pilot) - must investigate their contact details & costs....

more to follow...

Rich.
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More diff fun...

well, thats subjective :unsure:


stripping the 'spare' rear suspension to look in the diff, more undid than I expected but ~30 year old Mx5's never fail to deliver.


its passanger side driveshaft came off with little swearing effort, the lower wishbone / hub bolt was a different story & true to form is welded in solid.


naturally the drivers shaft was / is a different matter and is happy where it is.

interestingly, all the hub / abs sensor bolts undid without issue so no snapped stubs to remove if I use the hubs.


passanger side diff mount, the m8 nuts undid easily but the m12 main bushing nut was a different matter, may drill down it's length to split it...


the drivers side was the opposite.

violence (Grinder) will sort this.

this subframe is no use to me so scrap unless anyone wants it? (might cut it up to use for the rear wishbone jig)

also have a mk1 & mk2 front subframe that are getting in the way....

Rich.
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Still not managed to release that diff but been playing landrover...



empty space getting the new engine..


nearly finished, the common 200tdi engine conversion in place of the Ninety's 2.5nad (68hp when new in 1986 :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: ) - found a genuine Defender 200tdi engine.


also fitted a disc-handbrake conversion (in place of LR's huge drum transmission-handbrake)

anyway...


bought another drysump oil tank...

it was cheap ;)


this is one of Pace's cleanable tanks and they are dismantlable to, well, clean :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:


oil inlet, sprays around the inner-wall to de-aeriate the oil.


the internal structure, also to de-aeriate and as a level indicator (check level with engine running)


the oil out, horizontal pipe with an oriface in the bottom / middle.


I've added this as it shows the internal baffles from the filler cap.

also bought some Jenvey throttlebodies as they were cheap and a Penny&Giles contactless tps, again cheap ;)
and been fiddlin with some other bits, more to follow.

Rich.
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[video]

6m10s :ROFLMAO:

'd already hit the front drivers by this point....

then 40m35s and 49m42s.......

proper rallying:cool:

Rich.
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so, had a few deliveries...


Wilwood handbrake 'spot' calipers.


these are a modular design so easily spaced to fit.


only thing I see as a possible issue is the inner pad is acted-on by the cable / linkage, think having a flexable mount bracket will allow some centralising when in use (rarely if theres a hydraulic handbrake - the 'spot caliper being for road & competition use legality where a mecanical system is needed)


tried on a 'sport' rear disc, caliper looks tiny!
HiSpec Ultralite 2 caliper also in place (I was measuring to source aluminium for bracketry)


sections and spacer.


bits...


side view, low profile so will clear most wheels.

so, am waiting on aluminium to make caliper brackets - wonder if 'measure once' will apply?



also....


again, damn you evilbay...


42mm bore (90mm length) Jenvey throttlebodies for a price that I couldn' ignore - another cheeky 'best offer' :cool:


some people will say that 42mm bore is too small for the 2L Vauxhall but I've a cunning plan.....

and these will allow mockup build and can go on a 1.6L in the future ;)


also had a Penny&Giles throttle potentiometer.
these are contactless so different in operation to conventional potentiometers.



anyway, Landrover in the way of the 5 so more to follow...

Rich.
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I bought some aluminium to make mount brackets for the Ginetta / Hispec calipers I'm hoping to use on the rear.


45mm x 25mm bar (400mm length cut to 150mm for 2 pieces)


needs some trimming (thickness) to give clearance but close enough to work :cool:

more on that sometime......


had a troublesome diff that didn't want to escape its casing....


violence ensued :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: I have spare pigshead in the pile.....


another bloody 4.1.....


had an open diff (binned) as was the broken pigshead.

so, another diff stripped & again nothing of interest to my build - well, maybe the aluminium moiunt / case & flange etc.

more to follow...


Rich.
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random boredom & photospamming time....


decided it was time to try the Jenvey tb's on the Vauxhall head to asess clearances....


mostly clears ;)
this is not the final fitted position of the engine - just an idea as to what will be somewhere...




little close to the clutch master cylinder!




yup.
almost couldn't design the clutch hose to fit behind the velocity-stack / trumpet / ram-pipe (or whatever)

I am intending touse a 'straight' (port-angle) inlet manifold - probably the one sold by Jenvey VX/Opel XE - DCOE 0° Manifold


this will give a lot more clearance..
I also have the Suzuki GSXR1300 throttlebodies on adapters that I can use in place of the Jenvey tb's and this allows different lengths.

more mindless wandering to follow...

Rich.
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more sillines....


picked up a used pair of Wilwood Dynapro radial-mount calipers.


scruffy but I don't think they've done much work :unsure:


p/number 120-7328 so for a 25mm / 1" disc and 38mm / 1.5" pistons.

why? I wanted to look at one re. different vehicle fitment and ovbiously these were cheap enough to play with :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:


also.


found an Armtech Hybrid Battery Isloator for a sensible price, one of these has been on my 'Santa List' since I started playing with this car so this is another important piece of the puzzle:cool:



I have a few (~10+) of the conventional 'mecanical' isolator switches but they've always had an issue with the external 'pull' cables (as the cables rust so don't operate the switch when a scrutineer tests them 🥴 ) so why I wanted the Armtech offering....

any other busness?


filled my t4 today, 80Litre tank :eek:

Rich.
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