Bilbo's Scrapyard Spec Eunos

So I had a grinding noise that I worked out was coming from the left rear. Upon inspection I realised I had zero outer brake pad left, literally just metal on metal.

The disc was already ruined and I had to do a run to the New Forest yesterday to pick up some 4x114.3 adapter spacers (more on that later) so I just did a 200 mile round trip with it like that. When I got back to do the brakes they were looking just a little worse for wear:



Anyway, after stripping one of the wind back bolt things by trying to force it the wrong way (genius :doh, I managed to use the one from the other side to get the piston back. With help from a couple of mates, a hammer, and some levering, the very stuck slider pins were removed, cleaned up and regreased.

New discs and pads fitted, lovely:



Got quite frustrated doing this so only done the one side for now, the other side isn't seized and has plenty of pad left for now so it can wait a week. However I do need to adjust the handbrake as it doesn't really seem to do a lot now!

When I got home I opened the boot and my can of TyreWeld had done an epic explode in the boot:



Annoying, but hilarious at the same time. It was dripping out of the boot onto the road, so I guess there's either stock drain holes in the boot, or I've got a rust hole somewhere (another one).

So anyway, the adapter spacers. As I said before I've got some Volk mesh wheels. Old school JDM goodness. 15x7 and an offset of we have guessed 10ish. So with a 20mm adapter spacer it works out around the same as a 15x8 ET0, ish.

However upon test fitting the stud was contacting the back of the wheels slightly so some Halfords special 3mm slip-ons are also being used. Tyres were 185/60/15, possibly used on an AE86 in the past. Far too large for a 5 really, and were causing issues with the wings, and even bumper, on lock.





As you can see, tyres were very big, and old, and scrubbed up from someone using them for drifting (Kenda Radials, don't even think you can get those in the UK). So I got some Firestone Roadhawks in 195/50/15, and they fit much nicer:



They still need some work to get the clearance right, with coilovers and some more camber dialled in they will sit beautifully in the heavily flared arches. They look far more aggressive in person than the photos really show. Just need some 30mm spacers for the rear wheels now as it looks absolutely ridiculous with these on the front and the 14x6 ET35 or 40 Watanabe reps on the back.

They ideally need a refurb, so I might spray the centres in the original gold at some point and try to remove all the corrosion on the polished lips. Overall it's getting there, slowly!

We also did a scenic moment:

So the car needs a bit of work, but I was sick of looking at the rear wheels being so far in the arches, with the fronts now sitting nice and wide, especially as the rear overfenders are slightly wider than standard rear arches, it made it even worse. So I start looking at spacers for the Wat reps, but would need something like 45mm spacers to level them with the fronts, and these are rather expensive, and finding them used is quite difficult.

Then after a quick wanted post on FB someone offered me these:



A pair of Work Equip 03s, 14x7 ET12 with a set of 4 brand new 25mm 4x100 to 4x114.3 adapter spacers (including spigot rings). Perfect. Only in Southampton and for a good price. Again, much like the Volks, they need a refurb. But they're straight and hold air, so they're ideal for now.

I went and got them on Saturday morning. Then straight back to Brighton and had the basically new tyres off my Wat reps fitted:



Fitted:





Needs coilovers and an alignment now to drop it a bit and get just a bit more camber on them as the tread is just poking a little too much, but they don't rub so perfectly usable until that is sorted.

So this is just a midnight Photoshop with no mouse, just a laptop trackpad, and a less than ideal photo that isn't side-on, so a bit crude. This is more how I want it to sit, with the Volks painted to match the red Works:



Then I might re-paint the car cream white, I reckon it'd look amazing.

Long time no update. A lot has been going on, got made redundant, got a new job starting soon, but still some car stuff going on.

Got some more shots:





Got some Direnza coilovers for a great price, but couldn't lower due to rear tyres just contacting the overfenders. So I've got smaller spacers for the rear, but unfortunately the studs contact the back of the wheel, so they're getting cut down this weekend and then I can get the smaller spacers on and finally lower it! Also the 195/50 tyres on the front were causing rubbing issues, so these have now been replaced with 185/45 Nankang NS20s. Got to say, the Nankangs so far have been MILES better than the Firestones were for standing water. I was aquaplaning constantly on the Firestones! Absolutely terrifying.

Got a damaged RSR manifold off a mate and had the crack welded up. Fitted it, but it just wouldn't mate up with my new decat or the standard cat. So we then had to re-fit the standard manifold. Had various other issues with the exhaust system as well, so for now we've just fitted the decat and left the rest standard apart from the Cobalt backbox. Took hours, and it was chucking it down, truly horrendous day!



Getting my mate to redo the misaligned flanges and V-band the backbox on for easy removal/swap (going to get a Boso style one made up for shows next year).

I've ordered a GV2 lip from Bofi Racing, should be here tomorrow. Much like a normal GV lip but with the air dam things missing, so a smoother look. I think it'll really work with the look of the car: https://bofiracing.co.uk/product/gv2-style-front-lip-air-dam-for-mazda-mx-5-na/

Also did a burnout:



WANANANANANANA.

2 months since my last update, so here goes:

The car was looking like this:



Bit goofy, nothing really tying in at this point. So we did the following:

Cut down rear studs, fitted 15mm adapter spacers on rear to tuck the Works in better under the overfenders. We then lowered the Direnzas down, with pretty damn good rear fitment now (3 credit cards sit tight between arch and tyre), and it doesn't rub! Fitted the GV2 front lip, and finally I think it started to come together:







Been chasing cooling issues since I had the car. The mk2 cable tied rad, coupled with a leaky water pump that got RadWelded, it was all just a bodge. Temp gauge was going mental constantly, to the point where I thought it was faulty. We changed the rad for a brand new mk1 rad, and gave the system a bit of a flush. This broke the RadWeld seal on the water pump and it was pouring out. I had completely had enough so a mate took me down to 5Parts, and I got everything. New thermostat housing (both parts) to replace the cracked one, new thermostat, cambelt, idler, tensioner, tensioner spring, gaskets, o-rings, cam locking tool. Got a genuine Mazda water pump off a mate unused for £25. We did the lot, but as the cam gears had to come off to get to the thermostat housing bolts on the block, we used the old adjustable and grips method on the cams. They slipped. The cams were out badly, intake sound was absolutely INSANE, but it had no power. So I spent a couple of hours sorting it all out a week or so later, all timed up and sorted. Good as new, full new cooling system basically, and it's absolutely spot on, like a new car. Worth the cost for sure!

Got a silver bonnet off James Cribb for £20. It's not perfect, but it isn't a terribly painted black bonnet, so I'm happy. No more Mr. Bean vibes now!



So anyway back to dumb mods. After we lowered it I caught the bodged exhaust on a raised drain while not paying attention and looking for a parking space. Ripped the flanges apart a bit, lost a bolt. Sounded like a tractor, but it was popping decent flames on the overrun so I left it for a while haha. Found a Malian for £60, and I already have a practically brand new Malian centre section, so I got it. I put the cat back in, and I'm glad I did as it is very bassy even with the cat.

I like the look:



Boy oh boy does it sit low though:



I'm going to raise it up soon with some jubilees on the hangers. It contacts the subframe as well. It's a crap design, but it was cheap. I'd have been very disappointed if I'd paid the new price for one to be honest. But it does the job and looks big and obnoxious so I can live with it!

Heard a new noise when driving along, thought ah it happens. It carried on. I became concerned. Rear bumper was only held on with 2 cable ties, my friend had just roughly put it on when he took the Duce kit off when he stripped the bits off. Well one of them gave up, luckily on a quiet road with no one behind me!



All sorted now!

I went to Fuel Coffee House with a few mates, and this has to be my favourite photo taken of my car so far (credit to Fuel for the photo!):



Finally, did this:



Look how fabulous it is! :wub:



So all in all it's still a piece of crap, but god I love it and it's really starting to get there looks wise now!

Not a huge amount had been happening on the car for a while. A house move took priority and I lost motivation for a while. Since then the world has gone a bit mad as I'm sure you're all aware! I hope everyone is staying safe.

So, the week after my house move, and the evening of my Birthday, lockdown time began! To stay sane and busy I have absolutely smashed the Amazon order button no less than about 10 times since, acquiring bits for the car.

So I started with wheels. Been putting this off for too long. These wheels deserve better than this:



So, I got some etch primer and red spray paint for my birthday (thanks mum and dad), and acquired a few bits for my Dremel, loads of sand paper, some wire wool, some Mothers Mag polish, a ton of microfibers, some gloss lacquer, and so it began!

First up, the Work Equips. I didn't split them, simply removed one bolt at a time, polished under that area, replaced, and went onto the next one. Here's some progress and final photos:















They came out great I think. Not perfect, but I'm not a wheel restorer, never restored a wheel, never really done any painting that involved primer, colour, and lacquer either. So I'm pleased. These will be sealed with Poorboys Wheel Sealant.

Now for the Volk Rays Mesh. Same deal, except these have 16 bolts per wheel instead of 8. So I took 3 out at a time (one bolt on first wheel I rounded the head, bit gutted but had to leave it). The second wheel however, all going to plan, same deal. Undid another bolt, and pop went the sealant, letting the tyre down. Absolutely gutted, meant I needed to split the wheel, and I wanted it done quickly. I have not tyre removal tools. So I tried to debead it with a C clamp, this punctured the sidewall (luckily these tyres are junk and will be changed anyway). So I got my trusty Dremel, and I cut the tyre open, and very carefully cut into the bead of the tyre. This took aaaaaages, and I wouldn't recommend it. After a lot of time, I finally got the tyre to debead by just cutting through the entire bead on both sides, with no damage to the lips themselves. So one wheel is split down, other is all good. Just finished colour stage tonight, lacquer tomorrow morning. Some progress photos:



Purple Rain fallout remover is very good, and I love purple. It even stained the drive for a little while, would love the whole drive to be purple lol.



Before and after lip polishing.







As I've taken my time and done them slowly, trying different processes along the way, as well as a lot of hand sanding, I'd estimate the 4 wheels have taken approximately 40 hours all in!

Well that's it for now really. Painting the car itself is on hold until lockdown is over and I can get a mate to weld my sills, and then I can use my mate's dad's lockup and compressor. All in all a very productive self isolation so far, more bits planned when these are done too!

When I got the car it had previously had a vented bonnet, which liked to leak rain water onto the cam cover sometimes.

As a result the metal took a bit of a beating, and that coupled with me fitting an aftermarket cam cover gasket back when I did the cambelt (I know they're rubbish, but my mate gave me one brand new in the packet) has resulted in the cam cover being all kinds of grim.

Look at this absolute mess:



This just wouldn't do, and I didn't like that blue oil cap:



So I took a Dremel to it:



Much better!

So anyway, the cam cover. Cleaned it up, sanded the crap and oxidised bits off of the metal, and gave the tight corners a little raz with the Dremel. Obviously I then cut the front off, because exposed cams are cool or something, I don't know.

Primered:



Painted:



I masked the little sticker on the front because it's in Japanese and that's cool I guess.

Engine bay is a mess, but one piece is now sorted, with fresh genuine cam cover gasket, and sealant around the 6 lobe points:



I got the second of the Volks refurbed, this one split it's sealant as I was doing a couple of bolts at a time to polish it, so after cutting the tyre off with a Dremel (lol, don't ask), I cleaned the lip mating points up, keyed them back, and sealed them up with some clear silicone sealant. Here it is reassembled:



A mate then suggested to sand back the Volk logo, because it would look cool. The little touches really do make the difference:



The Equips and the Volks are now refurbed and good to go:



Getting new front tyres fitted soon, they're arriving tomorrow. Fingers crossed my resealed wheel will work, never resealed a split rim before!

So, lockdown has been very productive, and I've just bought an absolute ton of stuff, all arriving by next week. More updates to come, it's the most ambitious project I've undertaken yet, and is something I've always wanted to do!

So, the mobile tyre guy came out on Saturday to fit my new fronts onto the Volks. Going up to 195/45/15 because the 185/45s I was running was too much of a drop from 195/50 that I originally had on the car when I encountered some rubbing issues. The 185s were just too small and really didn't fill the arch compared to the chunky 14s on the rear.

I crossed my fingers as he took the wheel I resealed, and cringed a bit as I heard the bead pop, but it held! I did a sealant! Yay, very pleased. He did put 40psi in them though hahaha, after a rather floaty feeling front as I drove to Asda I decided to check them, glad I did! Now set to 28psi.



So, the "most ambitious project" I mentioned in my last post, well here it is:



Triumph Daytona 600 throttle bodies. Got them on Ebay for £44 delivered, not bad!

To accompany them:



A Speeduino standalone ECU from DIY-EFI. Those of you who saw my old build thread will know that I ran a Speeduino on my old mk1. This is the new style Core4 version developed by DIY-EFI that fits neatly into the standard ECU housing, for a cleaner install.

Speeduino has seen a ton of development and firmware updates since I last had one, I haven't covered it all yet, but it now supports dual fuel tables in a way similar to ITB Mode on Megasquirts. Potentially very handy if I decide on a blended fuelling setup, rather than pure Alpha N (TPS based), but we will see.

I've always liked doing stuff DIY rather than just buying a ready to go solution, plus my budget is never quite at the level to allow such purchases! So, I have decided on using a cut down OE manifold to attach the throttle bodies to.

After removing the inlet manifold (those bolts are a right pain to get to by the way!) and fuel rail, I laid it out and planned my cutting process. Initially I went with a Dremel, but this was going to prove a little tricky in the hard to reach areas, so instead I decided on, of all things, a £3.50 Draper junior hacksaw from Halfords! Laugh if you will, but check these cuts out:









Now I'm not one to boast, but being a clumsy left hander I've never cut a straight line with a saw in my life, always wonky. Those photos are just after cutting, no filing down at all. Really pleased with how it came out. Took a fair while and my arms are dead now mind!

I gave them a quick test fit up to the throttle bodies, looking pretty good so far:



There are little support bracket bits in the casting of the intake manifold, and as I am opting for a silicone joiner setup these would prevent a tight seal around the ports due to them jutting out. So I cut them back:



This isn't quite finished, I need to do a little more sanding back to get the ports a nice uniform shape all the way around, but it's pretty close. I have also used JB Weld to fill the injector holes on the throttle bodies as I will be using the OE location in the end of the inlet manifold.

Of course I have had to purchase many other things: wideband, silicone joiners, jubilees, vac hose, JB weld, sealant, intake manifold gasket, injector seals, vacuum block/manifold, trumpets, AFM delete harness, IAT sensor, and a Synchrometer to balance the throttle bodies once installed. However due to opting for the full DIY throttle bodies, and the Speeduino ECU which is only £250 brand new plug n play, it hasn't cost me a huge amount so far!

I still have the ECU and wideband install to do, along with other wiring and sensors. I will update as I go along, but I will probably also do a full write-up on the entire install process separately, for anyone that might be interested.

Exciting times, pencilled in a first start attempt for next weekend, we'll see!