Chris's new build of an MX5 based car

[Ianr]

Its very interesting to see how your engine fitting compares with mine Chris. I don't know where you got the room for the battery where it is. As always brilliantly put together. Are you still using the same ECU or is it another for the 1.8 (I ask co I may be doing the same sometime)?

[CTWV50]

Originally Posted by SteveH1

Nice build.
Where did you get the header tank from
Thanks
Stephen

From a company called compbrake. Fairly expensive but clean and neat and of high quality. Any over pressure is dealt with by the cap which has an 8mm spout you can direct away from the electrics and engine bay. The polo one would just spit it out the back.

Originally Posted by Rosco

looks really neat! i love how clean it all looks!

Cheers, it's amazing what you can do when you have time on your hands. I did most of it whilst waiting for the DVLA. It's probably the cleanest engine I've ever had inside and out. I used simonz silver alloy wheel paint from halfards to paint most of the parts and a hightemp silver paint for the exhaust which seems to be holding up well.

Originally Posted by Ianr

Its very interesting to see how your engine fitting compares with mine Chris. I don't know where you got the room for the battery where it is. As always brilliantly put together. Are you still using the same ECU or is it another for the 1.8 (I ask co I may be doing the same sometime)?

No I had to wire in the 1.8 donors ECU, just a case of routing and shortening wires and trying to figure out which wires go to the back and to the fuse box. Every year of MX5 seems to be different and god know why they use same colour and stripe wires for different things like the engine fuse B/W and tach wire or the L/R ignition live but also fuel pump relay to pump wire. Took a week of every spare hour to get it all wired up neat.

The battery is a quality bike battery I think it's a varley redtop 20 or 25 I forget. Very compact and just there to start the engine really. It wasn't that expensive at the time but still a lot for a battery. Thanks for the compliments guys. Nice to know someones still reading my thread.

Sorry what am I saying!!! It's an Odyssey Extreme Racing 25 Battery - PC680 , I think i was just looking at the varleys at the time!! Doh!

[norton]

Has the lighter flywheel made it rev up more snappily?

[CTWV50]

Originally Posted by norton

Has the lighter flywheel made it rev up more snappily?

It's hard to say as I didn't drive this car with this engine without it but I can say that it feels more in balance with the weight of the car. When you come of the throttle there is definitely more engine braking due to the lower rotating mass. No downsides to it really. Initial off then line acceleration is more brutal and dramatic I'd say with this engine and in corners you can't just plant your foot down without some opposite lock action. Which makes the car more exciting to drive.

My friend was around at the weekend and we went for a quick blast. I asked his opinion on the speed of the thing and asked what it compared to. He's a car nut and has experience of lots of different cars and also works for Mazda. He described it as being a similar experience to, well here is the text.....,

"Trying to think of something to compare the off the mark acceleration to your car.
Came up with the time i was on the back of a Kawasaki gsr 1100.
; ) "

So although I judge the increase in speed and excitement as fairly mild compared to the previous engine. Others would say otherwise.

[norton]

A solid result then, well done!

But, what next...

[CTWV50]

Originally Posted by norton

A solid result then, well done!

But, what next...

Mmmm, I've got that LSD to fit but I want the car to need the LSD so I'm not sure where to go with it yet! Turbo, mk2 engine, mk2 enigine then turbo, supercharger. S2000 engine and gearbox? I'm not sure. Might have a play with microsquirt next.

[norton]

If you can afford it the surely the s2000 engine is a no brainer.

The 2.0 engine fitted to the newer mx5 is the same as a ford duratec. The mx5 they come in has a 5 speed gearbox which I believe is the same as ours asides from the bell housing which means it should fit our cars. That means a duratec is potentially a less complicated swap. 200bhp with itb's and decent exhaust. 220bhp is then a cam away.