lewis Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Hi, I'm Lewis and after doing so much research on Westfields, with most of the information coming from this forum, I decided to put down a deposit on the MX-5 SDV starter kit (on the last day of January to get the £1000 discount they were running). It seems only right to join the club as all your experience will undoubtedly be invaluable when it comes time to building the kit. I have already got a donor MX-5, a 94 Eunos V-Spec, which just got fully stripped this past weekend. I won't be getting the SDV starter kit until around June so have until then to get the MX-5 parts cleaned up and the engine back to new (and maybe even better). I have started a blog at we5tie.blogspot.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Welcome onboard! It's a great kit, the SDV, and we've got some stunning examples in the club. Will look forward to seeing you progress with yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Welcome and thanks for joining, glad the club forum has been such a help to you prior to your purchase and will no doubt be of assistance during the build. Please don't be afraid to ask questions, lots of knowledgeable people who have already been there and done that to help. Just off to send an invoice to Simon Westwood at the factory for our commission on helping to sell this kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Welcome along Lewis Great to see another MX5 SDV'er joining the ranks Looks like a 1.8 engine? My advice would be to start a build thread on here as well as your blog with lots of photos, so we can help you through the build and make sure you avoid some of the mistakes we have all made. Smokeymow "The Guru" will no doubt introduce himself soon....... By the way, I hope you fully labelled the wiring loom when you pulled it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Welcome to the Forum and also to the club Lewis I'm pleased to read that the forum has already been a help to you in choosing your car, and we will be here to help you along with any questions as the build progresses. There's plenty of us on here that have already built the Mazda based cars, myself and Gary included, and between us all we've made one or two mistakes along the way that hopefully others can learn from My build seems like a distant memory now, I can't believe it was 2008!! There's various photos from my build at http://www.mx5westfield.co.uk It looks like you've got your hands full for the next few weeks refreshing some of the donor parts. There does seem to be rather a lot of oil on the gerbox bellhousing that suggests something has been leaking near there in the past? Good luck and enjoy the experience of building your own car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Thanks for the warm welcomes. It is a 1.8 engine that was quite "tappety" before it was removed. I have another MX-5 and that also makes a "tappety" noise although not quite as loud. It also idled quite high, around 1500/1800rpm until it had warmed up, where it dropped to around 1000rpm. It will be stripped and all the service items done on it at the very least. All I've been doing since early January is reading all the build blogs I can from start to finish to see what problems come up along the way. I went to meet Mark at Westfield last Saturday and got a look around the factory which was great. In terms of options I know I want now. The 4 to 1 Westfield exhaust manifold is a must and the heated windscreen as I won't be installing the heater. The car is track/race focused but will be road legal so having the full FIA roll cage mounts welded onto the chassis so I have the option to easily install that down the road and thinking about getting the plastic race seats with the padding instead of the sports or sports turbo seats. Are there any upgrades I can do to the engine that are easier to do now whilst its not in the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Blame me not... we have already started spending your money for you! http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/106558-mazda-16-power/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darve Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 It is a 1.8 engine that was quite "tappety" before it was removed. I have another MX-5 and that also makes a "tappety" noise although not quite as loud. It also idled quite high, around 1500/1800rpm until it had warmed up, where it dropped to around 1000rpm. It will be stripped and all the service items done on it at the very least. Welcome Lewis I had a very tappety top end which was caused by low oil pressure. Our mx5 engines use HLA so will make a noise if there isn't sufficient oil. I'd give things the once over and if you are unsure about the age of the oil pump, I'd replace it now. You will no doubt get your sump modified so you'll have that off anyway If you are thinking of some power updrages in the future, I'd seriously consider fitting a standalone ECU during the build. I can recomend an omex 600 and can help with any questions you may have as that's what I fitted during my build at the start of last year. HTH :white-westy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Welcome Lewis I had a very tappety top end which was caused by low oil pressure. Our mx5 engines use HLA so will make a noise if there isn't sufficient oil. I'd give things the once over and if you are unsure about the age of the oil pump, I'd replace it now. You will no doubt get your sump modified so you'll have that off anyway If you are thinking of some power updrages in the future, I'd seriously consider fitting a standalone ECU during the build. I can recomend an omex 600 and can help with any questions you may have as that's what I fitted during my build at the start of last year. HTH :white-westy: Looks like a new ECU is a good start. Is there much difference between the Omex and the Megasquirt one that BLiNK supply in the 160 package? And a new oil pump is only £168 so could be something to investigate. Blame me not... we have already started spending your money for you! http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/106558-mazda-16-power/ I have been following that thread with interest, the 160 package option looks very tempting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Are you planning on re-using the Mazda clocks, or fitting a flat dash? I have just upgraded my flat dash from vinyl to carbon fibre. I prefer the look of the flat dash although others have succesfully used the mazda clocks. We can help you with changing the wiring if you go flat dash route as smokeymow has written an excellent guide for this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I have the Megasquirt in mine, and am very happy with it. I was the 1.8 Guinea pig and did the Stage 1 BLiNK package (Megasquirt/Optimized Head/Piper Cams) and achieved a 33% power increase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 By my reckoning thats a few quid spent already for you - we are good at that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Coolant re-route is very worthwhile and an easy upgrade to do whilst building. It stops the rear cylinder getting too warm as the original cooling system in the MX5 utilises the heater matrix, which we dont use in the Westfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 By the way, I hope you fully labelled the wiring loom when you pulled it out Absolutely, definitely follow this advice. My donor car already had the interior stripped for racing and now I have to slllloooly figure out what the various bits were for. Unlabeled headrest speaker connectors take far too much time to figure out. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickmaster Andy Lowe Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Welcome I look forward to a good build read Good choise of car and club Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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