Mazda MX5 NB Mk2.5 Sport

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
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Waringstown
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C220
You only pay the £80 once to put a numberplate onto retention.
It is then free to transfer it onto a car. You don't pay another £80 !!

Dock his pocketmoney !!!

Cheers
Oh happy days... that's not so bad then. I'll let him away with it this time :joy:
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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I'm sure the buyer that left the deposit is gutted.
I got back to him before it was transferred over... so no harm done thankfully. I had 3 sets of people wanting to come see the car. Seems that rust free and well sorted Mk2/2.5s don't come up that much.

This one's good for comedy value:
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
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Waringstown
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C220
Spotted a 38k mile SVT Sport breaking on one of the local FB groups and pounced on the seats!! Absolutely like new and 100% working heaters. My retrimmed 2 tones are lovely looking, but I always intended to get an OE set back in ASAP. The current seats are immaculate, bar the heaters working, and will go up for sale as soon as I get these swopped in.

Ordered a set of Jass Performance seat bolster supports - to give the seat bolsters a bit more grip without having to resort to bucket seats.

Our old trusty family B Class was made for this job!!!

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Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
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Waringstown
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Got my new seats fitted this weekend - with a set of Jass Performance bolster supports on the base. These bolt between the seat and the frame, so you've a bit of extra work and its a bit fiddly to get the front bolt out but I got there with a 13mm rung spanner. A ratchet ring spanner would have been the job for sure here...

Here's the Jass bracket. Available in black powder or polished, I went for black so it doesn't stand out when fitted.

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Here it is, bolted in-between seat and frame.

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Took a few minutes to clean the seats up before fitting. They came from a car with 38k on it and are in lovely condition.

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A good time to get the carpets vacuumed out.

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... and finally, here we go. Have to say, the brackets look OE in finish and they add a surprising amount of side support. You really do feel it. Took the car for a good run and its great to have the heated seats back!

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Other work/upgrades this month are:
  • New idle control valve to sort an erratic idle issue that crept in
  • Fitted HEL braided brake hoses front and back
  • Millers brake fluid (one of their performance ones)
  • EBC Green stuff pads to the font - that's Green Stuff on the whole car now.
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
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Waringstown
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C220
Decided to try and re dye the inside of my hood - like many MX5s, its sun bleached and looks awful as a result.

Here's a quick pic - on the right you can see the yellowish tones of the hood. Over on the left, I've done a section and its come up like new!! Delighted. Using Renovo hood restorer and a bit of sponge to dab/rub the dye in. Very easy to do with great results.

This was just a test section, so I'll get the whole of the inside done over the next couple of nights.

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Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
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Waringstown
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C220
Wheeled the MX5 out into the fresh air from its winter sleep..... Started on the button.... Can't wait till the roads are grit free and I can get out in it again:



I got a washer relocation tank off G19 Engineering. Time to move that ugly big white bottle away from the headers and give myself a reason to fill the resulting gap with a supercharger. It's just trial fitted in place for now up in the scuttle, top left. Seems a nice bit of fabrication.

 

WSK

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Do love this car, so clean.

Cant wait to get mine back out - Few bits to do before spring!!

You ever go to trackskills with it?
 

roverspeed

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7,471
Location
Belfast
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Insignia
Whats the point of doing all that corrosion prevention if you don't take it out in winter sometimes? :-D

Just get the power hose on it, leaf blower and back in the dry garage.

Winter time is the best time to drive them, with that extra little bit of slip!

I am really impressed how good that Chrome powder coating looks!
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
Location
Waringstown
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C220
Do love this car, so clean.

Cant wait to get mine back out - Few bits to do before spring!!

You ever go to trackskills with it?
Same here... Always tinkering at it over winter.

I've been tempted to try trackskills but if I binned it I'd be gutted!
Whats the point of doing all that corrosion prevention if you don't take it out in winter sometimes? :-D

Just get the power hose on it, leaf blower and back in the dry garage.

Winter time is the best time to drive them, with that extra little bit of slip!

I am really impressed how good that Chrome powder coating looks!
It must be my fair weather biker days kicking in. I've always treated my spare/hobby car and bike like this. Off road while the gritters are out.... Parts for Christmas and birthday.... Tinker in the garage over winter, ready for spring.

The chrome powder coat was done by Canavans in Lurgan. It's been on 8 years now, right above the manifold and still like new. Mark is very good at what he does, I'd highly recommend them for any blasting and powder coat.
 

roverspeed

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Messages
7,471
Location
Belfast
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Insignia
Same here... Always tinkering at it over winter.

I've been tempted to try trackskills but if I binned it I'd be gutted!

It must be my fair weather biker days kicking in. I've always treated my spare/hobby car and bike like this. Off road while the gritters are out.... Parts for Christmas and birthday.... Tinker in the garage over winter, ready for spring.

The chrome powder coat was done by Canavans in Lurgan. It's been on 8 years now, right above the manifold and still like new. Mark is very good at what he does, I'd highly recommend them for any blasting and powder coat.
Cheers, thats the same guys that do the custom exhausts I am guessing?

I'll have to drop them an email.

I am guessing it doesn't pit and varnish like normal chrome either, win win/
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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Location
Waringstown
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C220
Cheers, thats the same guys that do the custom exhausts I am guessing?

I'll have to drop them an email.

I am guessing it doesn't pit and varnish like normal chrome either, win win/
Yeah.... Ask for Mark. Custom exhausts, wheel refurbs, coil overs, servicing. They'll fabricate the exhaust and then let you hear different boxes... Then choose your tip to be welded on.. Also do valved bypasses for straight pipes hooning!
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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Location
Waringstown
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C220
Trial fit of a G19 Fabrications washer bottle today. Just a bit of work to do, changing washer tubing and rewiring the pump to the new location.. Lovely piece of fabrication....

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The original is such a carbunkle and what a daft location, right over the manifold.

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Just removing.the alarm bonnet switch bracket and rad top mounts today as well. Painted with half a layer of paint from the factory and suffering as a result!

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After that's done and the washer bottle gone.... I'll tidy up that wee shelf beneath and get some fresh paint on it. Need to be get the right colour mixed..... But I'm informed it's the same as the body, unlacquered.

Getting there.....

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FM155

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Alfa 155
Most washer bottles are close to the manifold to stop them freezing in the winter. The 155's have the washer bottle sandwiched against the coolant expansion tank for the same reason.

But yeah, looks a crap place. I replaced mine with a Mk1 washer bottle when I removed the ABS pump, much tidier.
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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973
Location
Waringstown
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C220
Suns out.... time to start grinning on the road again. 5 minutes with the quick detailer to wipe away the winter dust and we're shining again. The ceramic coating from Bluehill Detailing is awesome in the sunlight.

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Oh... and I made my mind up over the saga of boost/no boost. I'm staying NA. The car only has 41k on it and handles REALLY well. Brakes are lovely now too after adding the braided hoses, Millers fluid and EBC pads.

So....... I've a parcel coming from Germany :p

IL Motorsport 4-2-1 headers and 200 cell race cat. I've already got the IL mid pipe going into a Racing Beat back box so this completed the picture. Turns out my OE cat is one of the ones that's worth a penny or two.... so I'm looking at switching to this manifold and cat with a bonus short shift kit FOR FREE!! Selling the cat to a dealer in England.

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MX-5-Stainless-Steel-Exhaust-Manifold-200-Cel-Race-Cat-ILMotorsport-1.jpg

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FM155

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Alfa 155
TBH, I looked into those IL manifolds and the primary / secondaries are exactly the same size/length as standard so I wouldn't expect much of a lift out of them. The Simpson ones that MX5partsNI do might have a good effect but nearly £1K for a manifold is clean nuts. You can get those later models of Mk2.5 mapped for more power, a place in Dublin did a lot of the quick Woodside/Harryman/Evans MX5's. Really, they need a small head skim to wake them up too and a bit of a porting session wouldn't hurt either but you are getting into a lot of money very easily for small-ish returns.
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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Yeah... I looked at those Simpson ones but they're a clean fortune for so little gains. I'm happy with where the power is at so am looking at this as more of a cosmetic spruce up for free.
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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C220
That's the IL Motorsports Manifold and 200 cell cat on. A pleasant extra depth to the exhaust now and what, 0.1bhp? 🤣 It feels like it's picking up and more free revving ... But that could just be the extra noise and my imagination. I should really get a rolling road printout some day.

Anyway.... Pictures!

Before:
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And after......
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Oh, and the icing on the cake? Just been quoted £625 for the old cat. That's covered all of this work AND the short shifter kit with £15 left over.

Result!
 

Johnny_E

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Johnny_E
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Just some end of season pics - it's been a good year with this wee MX5, not least of all with the monthly RMS cars and coffee meets.

Its tucked away now until spring, although despite owning the car close on 10 years now (on May 2023) I do think its days are still numbered. We'll see..... I've only one garage and so it's a strict 1 in, 1 out for me with the non-daily cars and I'm probably going to need to move to an automatic soon due to health issues going on. It's a mixed bag... I'd look forward to something new to tinker with yet miss this wee thing all the same. Everything I've done is driver focussed and its only just turned 42k on the clocks.

Its back on its original plate now my son (Will) has turned 17 and has his own wheels. He's claimed his plate!

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Anyway.... best pics this year of the car came from @saxo_man at cars and coffee in September

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... and finally, a nice shot taken at the Dollingstown Car Club meeting at Grace Hall in September.
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