Mazda Eunos MX5 MK1
Discussion
We have toured Europe a few times in various cars and have always fancied doing it in a convertible. I looked around for a long time for a suitable MX5 as I have always liked these but many are in very poor condition. I then came across this Mk1 Eunos, (an MX5 over here) which as you can see is in excellent condition. This is how the car started out, pretty good for an older car! Some work to do though as there were a couple of crusty bits on the very lower edge at the rear of the sill. It could have been left (the car had 12 months MoT) but as it appeared to be a good car, I decided to treat it to some new sill sections and some TLC.
The first job was to sort a small amount of corrosion on the bottom of both sills. As this was the only corrosion on the entire car I decided to tackle it straight away and prevent it getting any worse. It also gave me chance to see what was going on inside the sills!
With the sill removed it was all pretty good in there, so I ordered a couple of sill repair panels. Unfortunately they were very poor quality so I decided to make a couple . Below is the process and final result.
Following a few coats of stone chip to match the original finish, undercoat, base coat and finally a couple of coats of lacquer it looked as good as new!
After the bodywork was finished I decided to do some of the mechanical restoration. This included a full brake rebuild, new cam belt and water pump, and all the belts and fluids were also changed. The inside of the engine was like new! The brake callipers were bead blasted and repainted, along with new seals which were very cheap. The Clutch slave cylinder was also changed as this was leaking; a common fault on the MX5.
The cam belt was an easy task; its easy to get at and its easy to align the cam timing. The only issue is the crankshaft pulley which is held on with a very tight bolt. I had to make a tool to hold the pulley to loosen and retighten the bolt. Its important to torque the pulley bolt up to the right setting as they are prone to coming lose on these cars if not correctly tightened.
As we intended to take the car to the South Of France and Switzerland I also decided to check the clutch… It was actually only part worn, but as it was out, and we intended to do a lot of miles abroad I replaced it anyway.
Once all the mechanical work was complete I set about rust proofing the car. As you can see from the pictures above there was no evidence of any protection inside the body cavities. I used waxoyle to coat the entire underside, but importantly also in the cavities. For this I used an old paint pressure pot operating at 150PSI. I made a long spray wand out of a piece of 4mm pneumatic tube and made a small spray head to fit in the end. It took a lot of trial and error to get a good spray pattern. The one picture is of the spray head being made in the lathe. With this I was able to inject wax into all the cavities, through the smallest of holes. This should slow down any future corrosion.
So, a final check on the ramp and off for a trip around Europe! We travelled down through France, into Switzerland, back into France and down to the South coast and Monaco, and back home. we did 2700 mile in two weeks, most of it with the hood down, the car never missed a beat and returned 38MPG over the entire trip.
The first job was to sort a small amount of corrosion on the bottom of both sills. As this was the only corrosion on the entire car I decided to tackle it straight away and prevent it getting any worse. It also gave me chance to see what was going on inside the sills!
With the sill removed it was all pretty good in there, so I ordered a couple of sill repair panels. Unfortunately they were very poor quality so I decided to make a couple . Below is the process and final result.
Following a few coats of stone chip to match the original finish, undercoat, base coat and finally a couple of coats of lacquer it looked as good as new!
After the bodywork was finished I decided to do some of the mechanical restoration. This included a full brake rebuild, new cam belt and water pump, and all the belts and fluids were also changed. The inside of the engine was like new! The brake callipers were bead blasted and repainted, along with new seals which were very cheap. The Clutch slave cylinder was also changed as this was leaking; a common fault on the MX5.
The cam belt was an easy task; its easy to get at and its easy to align the cam timing. The only issue is the crankshaft pulley which is held on with a very tight bolt. I had to make a tool to hold the pulley to loosen and retighten the bolt. Its important to torque the pulley bolt up to the right setting as they are prone to coming lose on these cars if not correctly tightened.
As we intended to take the car to the South Of France and Switzerland I also decided to check the clutch… It was actually only part worn, but as it was out, and we intended to do a lot of miles abroad I replaced it anyway.
Once all the mechanical work was complete I set about rust proofing the car. As you can see from the pictures above there was no evidence of any protection inside the body cavities. I used waxoyle to coat the entire underside, but importantly also in the cavities. For this I used an old paint pressure pot operating at 150PSI. I made a long spray wand out of a piece of 4mm pneumatic tube and made a small spray head to fit in the end. It took a lot of trial and error to get a good spray pattern. The one picture is of the spray head being made in the lathe. With this I was able to inject wax into all the cavities, through the smallest of holes. This should slow down any future corrosion.
So, a final check on the ramp and off for a trip around Europe! We travelled down through France, into Switzerland, back into France and down to the South coast and Monaco, and back home. we did 2700 mile in two weeks, most of it with the hood down, the car never missed a beat and returned 38MPG over the entire trip.
P I Staker said:
phil_cardiff said:
I'd love to buy a car from you!
Exactly what I was thinking!Fair play OP.
I do try to keep my cars nice… when all the jobs are done; I get bored though and sell them on! Not the MX5 though, that will be around for a while it’s such a great car!
torqueofthedevil said:
Anymore photos? I drove to the south of France in a mk1 eunos a few years back - brg too. Great trip. Have an S2000 now but probably had more fun in the Mazda
I do have a few more photographs, I will post some more up later as we did another trip to France, Spain and Andorra in the car this year.I know what you mean about fun… we also have an SLK55 AMG and although it’s a great car, the MX5 is more “fun”
While we were in France last year I noticed the air con was not as good as it should be. When we got home I checked it over and found that although it was full of gas, the condenser fins had become come dethatched from the tubes. Time for a replacement...
Try as I might I could not source a new condenser, No one stocked this particular type for the Mx5 or Eunos and I really did not want to replace it with a second hand one as it was as likely to be as bad. Looking at the catalogues for condensers I found that a Rover 25 one was roughly the same size so I bought one of these and set about modifying it to fit.
First job was to make a frame so I could mount the condenser onto its original mountings on the car, and then mount the dryer onto the frame.
The hardest part was making new pipes and connections as these are high pressure. unfortunately the MX5 pipe ends are a different type, size and shape to the Rover ones so I had to make some new pipes, and modify the mounting method. a couple of hours on the milling machine soon had some new clamps made. The clips are a very neat alternative to swaged ends!
Here it is in place, hopefully it should last a few more years!
In anticipation of this years trip down to Spain, I have fitted a cruise control. This was fairly easy to fit, the biggest problem was actually getting it to work! at first I could not get it to activate and tried all sorts… In the end it turned out to be the fact that I had previously fitted LED stop and tail bulbs, and the current draw on these was not enough for the Cruise ECU to pick up on! That had me scratching my head!
I fitted the throttle servo under the bonnet and fed the cable through the bulkhead and connected it to the throttle pedal. While I was under there I also fitted the clutch reed switch (so the cruise disengages if you depress the clutch) and linked into the stop light circuit.
The Cruise monitors the speed of the car via a sensor that picks up on a small magnet which I have attached to the prop shaft. It actually works really well and holds the speed perfectly at what ever its set at. Should be a boon on the longer stretches of the trip, and it will of course help improve the MPG!
Try as I might I could not source a new condenser, No one stocked this particular type for the Mx5 or Eunos and I really did not want to replace it with a second hand one as it was as likely to be as bad. Looking at the catalogues for condensers I found that a Rover 25 one was roughly the same size so I bought one of these and set about modifying it to fit.
First job was to make a frame so I could mount the condenser onto its original mountings on the car, and then mount the dryer onto the frame.
The hardest part was making new pipes and connections as these are high pressure. unfortunately the MX5 pipe ends are a different type, size and shape to the Rover ones so I had to make some new pipes, and modify the mounting method. a couple of hours on the milling machine soon had some new clamps made. The clips are a very neat alternative to swaged ends!
Here it is in place, hopefully it should last a few more years!
In anticipation of this years trip down to Spain, I have fitted a cruise control. This was fairly easy to fit, the biggest problem was actually getting it to work! at first I could not get it to activate and tried all sorts… In the end it turned out to be the fact that I had previously fitted LED stop and tail bulbs, and the current draw on these was not enough for the Cruise ECU to pick up on! That had me scratching my head!
I fitted the throttle servo under the bonnet and fed the cable through the bulkhead and connected it to the throttle pedal. While I was under there I also fitted the clutch reed switch (so the cruise disengages if you depress the clutch) and linked into the stop light circuit.
The Cruise monitors the speed of the car via a sensor that picks up on a small magnet which I have attached to the prop shaft. It actually works really well and holds the speed perfectly at what ever its set at. Should be a boon on the longer stretches of the trip, and it will of course help improve the MPG!
Dave^ said:
Nice work! I only wish I had the skills/times/money/patience/space to get my hands dirty!
What did you use to track your roadtrip?
Thanks!What did you use to track your roadtrip?
I don't use anything to actually track the trip... just a Sat Nav and a map book. the map above is produced in an old version (2006 I think - I keep meaning to buy the latest version!) of AutoRoute which we use for the actual planning of the trip. We tend to just print the place names out and use the sat nav, and map to make sure we are going a logical way... Quickest on the Satnav is not always the way we want to go!
Dave^ said:
Ah, I see, thanks.
I keep thinking of buying something that tracks where I've been, as when I go out for a drive, by the time I get home I have no idea where I've been and can never find that awesome road again...
I have a dash cam in the SLK that is linked to GPS... so when I upload the files to my PC, this is what I get. Kind of tracks your route and lets you see the road as well I keep thinking of buying something that tracks where I've been, as when I go out for a drive, by the time I get home I have no idea where I've been and can never find that awesome road again...
Dave^ said:
Now we're talking!!
(Apologies for crapping all over your RR thread!)
Which dashcam have you got? Is it discrete or sat on the dash/stuck to the windscreen?
I have an E-PRANCE Mini 0801... but reading the dash cam thread on here there are better available I think. In fact the £15 one I have in the MX5 (no GPS though) is just as good.(Apologies for crapping all over your RR thread!)
Which dashcam have you got? Is it discrete or sat on the dash/stuck to the windscreen?
Great effort! Let me know if you're ever bored and I'll drop mine off for a few weeks wherever you stay, see how it comes back!!!!
Please tell me though that you took it along to Monaco when you were down in Nice? Your map looks like you stopped just short, even if you've been before photos of it on the grid are always needed!
Please tell me though that you took it along to Monaco when you were down in Nice? Your map looks like you stopped just short, even if you've been before photos of it on the grid are always needed!
Steve_F said:
Great effort! Let me know if you're ever bored and I'll drop mine off for a few weeks wherever you stay, see how it comes back!!!!
Please tell me though that you took it along to Monaco when you were down in Nice? Your map looks like you stopped just short, even if you've been before photos of it on the grid are always needed!
yes, we did a tour of Monaco. I love that place!Please tell me though that you took it along to Monaco when you were down in Nice? Your map looks like you stopped just short, even if you've been before photos of it on the grid are always needed!
I have had some Dunlop tracking gauges for many years, these are still accurate bits of kit for setting the tracking on the car and have the advantage they are easy to accurately calibrate.
One of the things I have never been able to do though is set the rear track… By using the gauges on the rear wheels (you have to reverse the readings) it’s possible to get an accurate Toe in or out reading, but you never know if the wheels are aligned to the fronts… It’s possible that if you say have 4 mm “toe in” on the rear, it could be all on one wheel. I have tried the string method to measure this but with limited success.
a while ago I hit on the idea of using a couple of laser levels in combination with the tracking gauges… by carefully mounting them on the top of the track gauges, and then calibrating them so they shone the beams parallel, I was able to accurately set the rear track in relation to the front. Due to the length of the beam, the slightest variant on the rear shows up 20 fold on the measure…
While I was on, I made a camber gauge out of one of the cheap digital angle gauges. These measure to a 0.1 of a degree, which I feel is accurate enough, given to tolerance most manufactures give for the settings.
Of course any suspension measurements are only as accurate as the garage floor is flat. To ensure I had a flat datum to work off, I used a simple water gauge made up of a bucket of water and some thin plastic tube. I coloured the water in the bucket with some coffee first so it showed up easily in the tube. By placing the bucket of water in the middle of the garage, and then running the tube to where the wheels sat on the car, I was able to very accurately level the adjustable turn plates I had made to ensure the car was completely flat. My garage was out 5mm side to side, but 40mm front to back.
The turn plates are made of 10mm steel plate with adjustable feet, between the plates is a smear of grease, this means that any adjustment made to the suspension easily settles, rather than keep rolling the car back and forth.
The two lines on the floor are to enable the wheels to be accurately turned 20 degrees in both directions to check the castor setting.
So far I have checked my SLK 55 AMG which was almost bang on to the middle of the settings given by the manufacturer. My MX5 however was MILES out! The camber and castor on the front was OK, as was the track (I had previously set this…) but the rear camber readings were 1.8 degrees on the NS, and 0.5 on the OS! The track was also out, but more importantly the wheels were massively misaligned to the fronts. It took me ages to get it right as each time you adjust the camber, the track goes out! I am amazed though how different to car feels on the road, it handles so much better!
One of the things I have never been able to do though is set the rear track… By using the gauges on the rear wheels (you have to reverse the readings) it’s possible to get an accurate Toe in or out reading, but you never know if the wheels are aligned to the fronts… It’s possible that if you say have 4 mm “toe in” on the rear, it could be all on one wheel. I have tried the string method to measure this but with limited success.
a while ago I hit on the idea of using a couple of laser levels in combination with the tracking gauges… by carefully mounting them on the top of the track gauges, and then calibrating them so they shone the beams parallel, I was able to accurately set the rear track in relation to the front. Due to the length of the beam, the slightest variant on the rear shows up 20 fold on the measure…
While I was on, I made a camber gauge out of one of the cheap digital angle gauges. These measure to a 0.1 of a degree, which I feel is accurate enough, given to tolerance most manufactures give for the settings.
Of course any suspension measurements are only as accurate as the garage floor is flat. To ensure I had a flat datum to work off, I used a simple water gauge made up of a bucket of water and some thin plastic tube. I coloured the water in the bucket with some coffee first so it showed up easily in the tube. By placing the bucket of water in the middle of the garage, and then running the tube to where the wheels sat on the car, I was able to very accurately level the adjustable turn plates I had made to ensure the car was completely flat. My garage was out 5mm side to side, but 40mm front to back.
The turn plates are made of 10mm steel plate with adjustable feet, between the plates is a smear of grease, this means that any adjustment made to the suspension easily settles, rather than keep rolling the car back and forth.
The two lines on the floor are to enable the wheels to be accurately turned 20 degrees in both directions to check the castor setting.
So far I have checked my SLK 55 AMG which was almost bang on to the middle of the settings given by the manufacturer. My MX5 however was MILES out! The camber and castor on the front was OK, as was the track (I had previously set this…) but the rear camber readings were 1.8 degrees on the NS, and 0.5 on the OS! The track was also out, but more importantly the wheels were massively misaligned to the fronts. It took me ages to get it right as each time you adjust the camber, the track goes out! I am amazed though how different to car feels on the road, it handles so much better!
Thought I would add an update... A month before we were due to do another trip, this time down to Spain, disaster struck. A 17 year old kid, only driving for a week, pulled out and into the side of me. To be fair to the insurance they were very good and from the date of the accident, it was just 10 days to having the check in my hand for the car, which was a very reasonable settlement. They did however classify it as a CAT D.
Here's how it looked....
This was the worst bit...
I managed to get a rust free door, wing and part rear wing from a car in the breakers for £50... not bad!
I then took all the damage panels off and started the repair. It was pretty easy as there was no damage to the sill, and all the geometry was still spot on.
The top hinge mounting on the door was slightly bent, so I welded a big bar to the old hinge, and used this to bend it back into place.
I cur as little out of the rear wing as I could to make it a good repair, and seam welded the part panel into place. The filler on the door was due to a slight dent, but as it was completely rust free, I felt the repair was better than going with a rusty one!
So here are the panels being painted off the car...
and here she is as good as new...
And finally, we made the trip down to Spain, here she is under the Milau bridge. Almost 3000 mile and she never missed a beat!
Here's how it looked....
This was the worst bit...
I managed to get a rust free door, wing and part rear wing from a car in the breakers for £50... not bad!
I then took all the damage panels off and started the repair. It was pretty easy as there was no damage to the sill, and all the geometry was still spot on.
The top hinge mounting on the door was slightly bent, so I welded a big bar to the old hinge, and used this to bend it back into place.
I cur as little out of the rear wing as I could to make it a good repair, and seam welded the part panel into place. The filler on the door was due to a slight dent, but as it was completely rust free, I felt the repair was better than going with a rusty one!
So here are the panels being painted off the car...
and here she is as good as new...
And finally, we made the trip down to Spain, here she is under the Milau bridge. Almost 3000 mile and she never missed a beat!
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