Mk1 MX5 track and road toy

[Matt Scarbro]

Not sure if this will be of interest to many but I enjoy reading about all sorts so thought it worth sharing.

It has quite a number of changes but the overall remit for the car is something that works well on track, that you need to ring the neck of to get the best out of and retain some sort of usability on the road (read keeps me dry and warm!).

I wanted a simple, pure, analogue driving experience and I think that has been achieved, I also wanted something that unlike previous project cars I wouldn't be overly precious about. The latter has most definitely been achieved, with the car taking on a very used and abused form.

The 1.6 engine has been retained as I prefer the easy revving nature compared to the 1.8, though power is up by 37.5% at the moment with further fettling underway. This has been complimented by a host of transmission and chassis changes to make the most of the little power it has and make for an engaging little package.

Cadwell is my favourite track and I have family nearby to the circuit so I try to get as many days down there as time and disposable income allow. I have also done Oulton and Blyton in the five, with Anglesey and Donnington on the list for this year.

A few pictures:







And a video from the last time out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mqs_1H8L6Y

Thanks for looking, Matt

Edited by Matt Scarbro on Tuesday 4th February 12:24

[MarvGTI]

Great car, can you post any more details ?

Is it still N/A?

[Sosick]

^^^ WHS

[james_gt3rs]

Great track toy!

[Gilhooligan]

What everyone else says^. We need full details of engine and chassis mods. Plus pictures of the car during it's transformation from hairdresser car to track weapon.

[Matt Scarbro]

Wow, pleasantly surprised at the interest in the little terrier!

I'll add a bunch of info and pictures tomorrow when I'm at the computer, stay tuned!

[threespires]

MX-5 Cup 1990


Mazda MX-5 UK Cup Cadwell 1990

[Gilhooligan]

Matt Scarbro said:

Wow, pleasantly surprised at the interest in the little terrier!

I'll add a bunch of info and pictures tomorrow when I'm at the computer, stay tuned!

Have you done a thread on Nutz too? Think I recognise it.

[Matt Scarbro]

Ah yes, you might well know the car, I keep a project thread over on the Nutz forum.

The car had been used as a track car before I bought it though it was largely standard. The roll bar, coilovers and hardtop were exceptions to this and have survived to this day.

A picture shortly after I bought it:



And a bit of a pictorial walk through it's time in my hands:

[ManOpener]

That MOT advisory is hilarious!

[shirt]

Matt Scarbro said:

a long shot, but i don't suppose you know the owner of the civic? my mate owns the sister car.

[Matt Scarbro]

Afraid I don't, I'll keep an eye out for it this year though... lovely car!

[james_gt3rs]

ManOpener said:

That MOT advisory is hilarious!

[Matt Scarbro]

A little detail about the power (and a graph as I'm an Excel Monkey):



All figures are at the hubs, recorded on the same Dynapack hub dyno.
They will seem pretty low but for reference another MX5 made 100 at the hubs at this dyno and 137.5bhp at the flywheel on a Sun chassis dyno.
Anyhow, it doesn't matter to me what the numbers are as long as they increase relative to the original figures and the car goes better!

In the above graph the dotted lines (green for power, blue for torque) represent this first run, all standard bar an exhaust manifold and exhaust system.

The next lines up show the outputs with some AFM tweaks and ignition tuning, area under the curve +4% and peak power +6%

Next lines up show the outputs with a Megasquirt ECU fitted and mapped, area under the curve +24% on the original run and peak power +24%

The top line shows the most recent run, completed with a modified head and mild cam regrinds, area under the curve +35% on the original run and peak power +38%.

All engine work has been carried out by Blink Motorsport in Winsford, Cheshire. I have always been very impressed by their work and would thoroughly recommend them to anyone, especially with an MX5.

[DS3R]

So what have you done to up the power that much???

[vx220]

DS3R said:

So what have you done to up the power that much???

I'm guessing a modified head, cam regrinds and a megasquirt ECU?

[Matt Scarbro]

That's right, the top lines in the above graph were achieved with the head, cams and Megasquirt, along with breathing mods.

[LouD86]

Matt did you used to have a Black CRX SiR? I just really recognise the house, swear I picked one up from there! lol

[Matt Scarbro]

Bringing this up to date is the latest power run:



And a complete list of stuff as I have just updated it for the insurers:

1991 Eunos Roadster 1.6

127bhp @ hubs (~165 @ flywheel)
925kg at 1/8 tank fuel

Pipercross 600 series domed air filter
Pipercross 600 series base plate
Jenvey inlet manifold
Jenvey 42mm throttle bodies
Jenvey fuel rail
Jenvey 40mm air horns
Jenvey throttle linkage kit
Colvern throttle position sensor
ASNU refurbished and flow tested Bosch 315cc injectors
Webcon 3 bar fuel pressure regulator
Vacuum manifold with individual runner take offs
Oil breather system with Mocal catch can
BLiNK Motorsport Optimized cylinder head (Race spec + deshrouding and valve reprofile)
Piper track BP285 cams (billet blanks)
Cusco 4-1 stainless steel exhaust manifold
QPS stainless steel decat
Cobalt stainless steel exhaust
Innovate LC1 wideband o2 sensor
BLiNK Megasquirt ECU with additional TPS module
AFM delete with GM inlet air temp sensor
Mapped by BLiNK Motorsport
Stoney Racing silicone radiator hoses
Silicone heater hoses*
Large core alloy radiator
TTV super light flywheel

6 speed gearbox (34k miles)
Exedy clutch
HEL braided clutch line (direct)
1.8 propshaft
Type 1 TorSen LSD
4.3:1 final drive
1.8 driveshafts

1.8 brake caliper carriers
Carbotech XP8 brake pads
Brembo high carbon discs
Hel braided brake hoses
ATE Superblue brake fluid
Roddisons' hubs with oversized bearings
H&R 10mm front spacers and longer studs
H&R 10mm rear spacers and longer studs

Meister R coilovers
I.L. Motorsport wishbone bushes
Mk 2 camber bolts
V8 roadster upper ball joints
I.L. Motorsport engine mounts
SuperPro polyurethane diff void fillers
Ultra Racing anti-roll bars
Front upper strut brace with added brake master cylinder brace
Front lower brace
Rear lower brace
P5 frame rails*
Manual steering rack
Super Pro polyurethane steering rack bushes*
BLiNK Motorsport bespoke geometry setup
TR Lane GPX extra tall roll bar with harness bar

Rota Slipstream 15x7” ET35 / Toyo R1R 195/50/15 wet
Team Dynamics Pro Race 13x7" ET35 / Avon ZZR 185/55/13 dry

Recaro Profi SP-G seats with modified Recaro steel side mounts
Floor modified by BLiNK for low seat mounting
Nicky Grist 4 point 3" harnesses
OMP 320mm suede steering wheel
D1 Spec quick-release steering wheel boss
Quaife nylon gearknob
Broadway mirror
Lifeline fire extinguisher system*

Garage Vary lip
Front canards
Garage Vary rear lights panel
YSCC ducktail spoiler
Hardtop
Jass fixed hardtop brackets
Front tow bar
Bonnet pins
Lightweight battery*
Air conditioning removed
Manually operated windows
Stereo + speakers removed
Carpets removed
Interior trim removed
Lightweight Foamex door cards
Perspex front quarter windows
Soft top removed
Boot trim removed

Parts with asterisks are waiting to be fitted.

Edited by Matt Scarbro on Tuesday 11th February 12:37

[Matt Scarbro]

LouD86 said:

Matt did you used to have a Black CRX SiR? I just really recognise the house, swear I picked one up from there! lol

The black SiR was my brother Dan's, what car did you collect?