new member mx5 1.6 conversion.

[philgroom]

It has got that system but there was a fault with it which stopped it working. But sods law after ordering the part I found the fault. There was a broken wire in the temp sensor plug that tells the fan to turn on. So now I don't need the thermo switch.

[philgroom]

Managed to get the bonnet back on today. Only had to cut a little of the underside of the bonnet off to make it clear the radiator filler cap

[philgroom]

Today I tested the cooling system with the bonnet closed and found the the fan couldn't cool the system down, just held it at a constant temp and fan wouldn't turn off. Going to have to fit twin fans and hope that it works, if not I will have to think of a way to improve air flow through the engine bay whilst car isn't moving. Going to keep finding problems until the day I finish the car at this rate.lol.

[philgroom]

Ordered 2 new cooling fans today so just need to wait for them to arrive, I'm also thinking about replacing the radiator as some of the fins are bent and I don't know how old it is.

[sprint95m]

Going to have to fit twin fans and hope that it works, if not I will have to think of a way to improve air flow through the engine bay whilst car isn't moving.

The usual way is to fit a shroud.
These are fitted with flaps which only open when the car is in motion.

I would imagine, in your case, fitting a second fan should work.



Ian.

[philgroom]

My new radiator and fans turned up so I fitted the fans and removed old radiator from the car ready to fit the new one. Now the engine should run at the correct temp.

[philgroom]

Got to spend the day at the workshop today. Got a lot !more done so not time is getting closer! The first thing I did today was fit the new radiator and fans to the car and with 2 fans cooling system works really well. Then I decided to sort the handbrake lever out. First I removed lever from car, I made a plate up to bolt it to and welded sides on to it to lift the handbrake up at an angle. I then cut the old captive nuts from the tunnel and welded new mounting plate in place and refitted lever. I got all the carpets back in and the section over gearbox tunnel fitted with a little stretching and a few cuts. Also fitted speakers under the dash as I didn't want to cut holes in the door cards. Last thing I did today was fabricate a new removable cross member for the back of the subframe.

[philgroom]

Pics of interior and fans

[tony g]

Thats a nice solution to the handbrake and the subframe tie - in

Tony

[philgroom]

Made cross member removable so its easier to get engine and gearbox out when I have to. The other day I noticed that when I held the engine revs anywhere above idle it would start hunting. So at lunch time I thought I would start investigating the fault. I found that the ignition timing was at 16 degrees before tdc when it should be around 10. I adjusted it to the correct setting and now it runs smoother and revs up better, just need to take it on a test drive to see if its OK under load.

[philgroom]

Today I started replacing all the rubber suspension bushes with poly bushes. Got the front left corner done and while it was in bits I thought I should check the brakes. Found inner piston slightly seezed and the anti rattle plates behind the pads were in the wrong way. They arrow on them was pointing backwards. Now it should put pressure on trailing edge of pads first instead of the leading edge.

[Dolly-Dimple]

Fantastic build thread: hats off to you hope you enjoy the car

Kind Regards

Russell

[philgroom]

Here are some pics of the work I've don't to the suspension. I managed to clean the brake disc up enough but if brake test is bad at mot I will get new ones.

[philgroom]

Fantastic build thread: hats off to you hope you enjoy the car

Kind Regards

Russell

I'm sure I will enjoy it. Just moving it in and out of the workshop I realise how much more drivable it is. More torquey engine and no need to wait for it to warm up. Can't wait till its on the road and I can use it everyday. There have been times where I thought why did I start the project but I just kept thinking about the final result.

[geeksteve]

Might have missed it, but what did you do for the prop shaft?

Steve