Kugawestie's MX5 SDV Build Thread - Now An Upgrade Thread

[Hastwell]

Hi guys

Is this bar a new thing just getting ready for my iva and dont think i have one fitted is it different on mazda

Andy  

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Hi guys

Is this bar a new thing just getting ready for my iva and dont think i have one fitted is it different on mazda

Andy  

The tank position and wishbone mountings on the Mazda SDV is the same as any other SEIW.

[KugaWestie]

Engine is now rebuilt, head is back on and it is mated to the gearbox, and will be landing in the chassis this weekend  

Found these through Ebay, and they got delivered to me this evening.

15" Kei Racing Fuji Alloys, not very old, each wheel has some light damage, but they are acceptable to get me on the road for a while. Fitted with Toyo Proxes 4, all with at least 5mm on them. I will probably run them for a couple of years, and then either refurb or replace

I feel like they were a bit of a bargain - paid £120 for them  

[deanoecosse]

Hi guys

Is this bar a new thing just getting ready for my iva and dont think i have one fitted is it different on mazda

Andy  

Andy, Westfield produced the bar mid 2010 in response to concerns that the rear wishbone bolts could puncture the fuel tank in a rear end shunt. If you contact the factory they can send you one. Whether it will be free or not would depend when you bought your kit

[KugaWestie]

Couple of very small jobs tonight.

First I gave the handbrake cables a quick clean, tightened them onto the calipers and then fitted a bit of tubing and cable tied to the wishbones

Then I fitted the washer bottle

Thats it for now, engine next  

[KugaWestie]

Bolts arrived in the post for the handbrake today, so this let me complete the installation complete with adding the sensor wire.

Engine tomorrow  

[Mooch]

Good stuff, Gary,

For what it's worth, when I put my Westie on the road I had a problem with the ends of the front handbrake bolts hitting the propshaft, not helped by the fact that the propshaft balance weight had been placed right in line with the bolt heads.  

I got through IVA OK with the bolts this way round, but when giving it the beans around favourite bends, I occasionally got an annoying "clonk clonk clonk" especially when two up as the transmission flexed as the balance weight skimmed the top of the bolts.  The solution was to turn the bolts the other way around so the nuts were in the passenger compartment and the hex heads in the tunnel.  With the tunnel carpet in place, you can't tell the nuts are there.

Don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but it might save a potential issue in the future.

[deanoecosse]

I got through IVA OK with the bolts this way round, but when giving it the beans around favourite bends, I occasionally got an annoying "clonk clonk clonk" especially when two up as the transmission flexed as the balance weight skimmed the top of the bolts.  The solution was to turn the bolts the other way around so the nuts were in the passenger compartment and the hex heads in the tunnel.  With the tunnel carpet in place, you can't tell the nuts are there.

Don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but it might save a potential issue in the future.

Yep, its a common problem on the MX5 based cars. As expected tho, our resident MX5-Westy guru   Smokey mo provided a great solution by fitting stiffer gearbox rubber mounts to stop the box & prop moving so much.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

I got through IVA OK with the bolts this way round, but when giving it the beans around favourite bends, I occasionally got an annoying "clonk clonk clonk" especially when two up as the transmission flexed as the balance weight skimmed the top of the bolts.  The solution was to turn the bolts the other way around so the nuts were in the passenger compartment and the hex heads in the tunnel.  With the tunnel carpet in place, you can't tell the nuts are there.

Don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but it might save a potential issue in the future.

Yep, its a common problem on the MX5 based cars. As expected tho, our resident MX5-Westy guru   Smokey mo provided a great solution by fitting stiffer gearbox rubber mounts to stop the box & prop moving so much.

I even have a video for that one Dean I'll try and dig it out along with the part number of the mounts I used.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

" target="_blank">Found it  The mounts I'm using are linked in the last post and I can confirm it's all fixed and hasn't knocked since

[Mooch]

The man's a genius.

I propose that we put a statue of Smokey Mow onto the spare 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square for services to MX5 based Westy Builders

Could we have done this without him?  I think not....

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

he certainly knows his stuff   but let's not give him too much praise hey  

treat em mean and keep em keen  

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

If you have access to RS Components at all, those rubber anti vibration mounts in Smokey's post Here and a whole range of variations on them, (dimensions, stiffness etc) are really, really useful when building Westfields. (for the road at least   )

I've used a couple of different versions of them: one set for mounting my DS oil tank, the other for the Radtec radiator. They seem to do a great job at isolation and controlling movement.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

The man's a genius.

I propose that we put a statue of Smokey Mow onto the spare 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square for services to MX5 based Westy Builders

Could we have done this without him?  I think not....

Ahh, gosh      you guys    

[KugaWestie]

Good day today  

A few pictures from the engine rebuild.

I turned the bolts around on the handbrake as suggested.

Then the engine arrived.

After 3 times in and out - it was a bit like the hokey cokey    the engine and gearbox are in  

Loads of work to do now!!