Hoodedreeper's MX5 - The Purple Monster

[hoodedreeper]

Not sure why the photos don't work,they're working fine on other forums

 

[Low Rider]

Working fine here...I can see your last post. In fact it's doubled.

 

[hoodedreeper]

Must have been Flickr having an issue that the time

 

[hoodedreeper]

At the beginning of the year I was offered a boot spoiler which I was indecisive about getting,as I wasn't sure it would suit my car. Then I found this photo which sold it for me

I searched high and low for a Mazdaspeed A-Spec Type 1 boot spoiler and couldn't find one (checked all UK and US forums and even Yahoo Auctions). Until I got a message from Derrick @ Cork Sport saying he's got one,and to make him an offer. He accepted and a couple of weeks later it was with me

I've only got 2 more shows this year,so i'll wait till Winter to get it painted and fitted

The local MX5OC area were invited to a Family and Friends day at RAF Marham (Full album can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.881104988648685.1073741932.106487689443756&type=3)

You could say mine stuck out a little

Next show was Silverstone Classic,a very very wet day at Silverstone with the MX5OC but still a very good day (Full album can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.882893035136547.1073741933.106487689443756&type=3)

In the photos above you'll see I've also had my new Black Vinyl Robbins hood fitted that I got from MOSS awhile ago. Much much better and the glass screen has made a massive difference!

Today (Tues 4th Aug) I received my Aluminium Window Handles from Carbon Miata. These have finished the doorcards off perfectly and match Carbon Miata's Door Pulls and KG Works Door Handles a treat!

I've also had an OEM undertray fitted to help reduce the water from splashing onto the Supercharger Tensioners,sadly no photos

 

[hoodedreeper]

Another little addition I've been working on are some LED under bonnet lights.

I originally fitted 2x 17cm White COB strips under the wings,which provided a lot of light to the sides but I needed something from above. Not wanting to cut too much into Garage Vary bonnet,i placed one below the catch. Feeding the wires through the two skins and out above the hinge. I then tucked the wires as best as I could behind the hinge,through underneath the scuttle panel and through the bulk head.

Here's a little video (taken on my phone) Remember to watch in HD

 

[hoodedreeper]

Gave the car a clean and went to a previous spot for some photos,here's my fav photo

Back in November i sent Adam @ RevLimiter a message about some custom dials. I knew what i wanted but it was difficult to transmit that pen and paper. Do i go something Grim Reaper related (to go with the username) or do i go with a Purple Monster theme? I couldnt find any images that helped or inspired,so one night i drew a design up in Photoshop. Not having done this before,it didnt turn out too bad,especially the colouring!

So i sent the logo over to Adam and he loved it! A few ideas were thrown back and forth and we finally settled for this design.

Here are some photos that Adam took,he seems to take them alot better lol

Adam has done an amazing job bringing out the detail in the logo

The purple diamonds is a nice reference to the Leather Retrim on the interior

Illumination was also a key factor. The purple numbers and white needles is a great combo IMO,i think being all purple would have been too much.

I wanted the logo to just illuminate on the Rev Gauge,and the text on the other. Again,Adam has done an amazing job!

The Monster had its yearly inspection this week and passed with flying colours! They were amazed and how much it had changed in the last year,and they especially loved the charger

I've been having this on-going issue with the door speaker cutting out. I replaced all the Phono leads,power cable and fuse box,swapped CD players and amplifer and still nothing. Tried an old set of Phono leads and it worked,so while it was all apart i re-located the CD Player (now a Mechless unit) to the Glove Box. Its freed up alot of space behind the dash,it still needs another tidy up but i'll be re-wiring the AEM gauges soon so that'll wait till then.

Last but not least,it was my Birthday last weekend so thought i'd treat the 'ol gal to a personalised number plate,EUNOS

Just waiting for the transfer to be complete and i can get them fitted!

 

[hoodedreeper]

Today is 2 years since i took ownership of the car,what a crazy 2 years thats been!

Finally got my personal number plate transfered onto the car (i know the front plate is wonky,i need to adjust the bracket)

Last Sunday i attended the MX5 National Rally

 

[hoodedreeper]

Updates seem to be few and far between at the moment. Last month i celebrated 5yrs with Ms. Reeper (not married,yet...) took her to a surprise few days away to London which soaked up alot of money. (If anyone is interested,my photos from the trip can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.913605695398614.1073741941.106487689443756&type=3)

I've also been upgrading my photography equipment,again that hasn't been cheap either,but i've still been doing bits and pieces to the Monster

Shortly after the MX5 National Rally at Kelmarsh Hall was JAE at Newark Park. JAE is regarded as a the LARGEST japanese car show in the UK,and being a 4 day show,its a cracking weekend!

I won't bore you with photos,here's one from Heavy Set

Link to my photos can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.905486649543852.1073741939.106487689443756&type=3

Got myself another set of number plates,this time single line,which is alot better!

Practiced some light painting too,although it isn't perfect it didn't come out too bad

You may remember awhile back i relocated the Air Filter to behind the headlight. This gave great cold air to the filter,but the longer pipe work really made the car hesitate when pulling away and at lower revs. So i moved it back to the bulk head and quickly fabricated a heat shield that runs along side the charger

Received this month's issue of the MX5OC Hard Top Soft Top Magazine to find the Monster got a cheeky little write up

Ever since my track day back in March i've had the Sparco Sprint V bucket seat and OMP 4pt 3" webbing harness kicking about,so i slung it in the car for now along with my D1 snap off boss. Its weird how much a bucket seat and harness can drastically change the feel of the car,but now the wheel was faaar too close. Infact the bottom of the wheel was just brushing the tops of my legs.

So i ordered a NRG Slim Hub and promptly got it fitted

 

[cgten]

I've just caught up with this, cracking work so far.

How much of a difference did the supercharger make to performance (more interested in 0-60 times and acceleration rather than BHP)?

 

[hoodedreeper]

Jass Performance has just launched a new Upper Shift Boot,would be rude not to order one

Received another order from RevLimiter,this time retro inspired Horn Button and Oil Cap

The next installment is what i've been waiting to order for a long time,and i know it's going to have alot of mixed opinions

Garage Star Wing Stands with a Megan Racing Wing

The spoiler is just mocked up at the moment,need brackets making as the Wing is wider than the stands. Its on its highest mount point,i'll be bringing it down a little bit to make it more in line with the roof. I'll be making a diffuser while the bumper is off,makes sense as i've got the access at the moment.

I've also got a spare bumper to trial cut before i cut mine

Once the back is finished,i'll then start on the front

 

[Huggy444]

Mega, crazy car may as well have a crazy wing!

 

[hoodedreeper]

The back end is finally finished after dodging the poor weather for what seems like weeks on end.

It seemed this was going to certainly test my patience,and it did. What ever i done,another problem would arise,but i got there in the end.

By no means is it perfect and/or functional,but i like it The wing stands could have done with being lower,but that would have meant cutting the bumper for about the 5th time,and it would have gone all the way to the bottom. I wasn't keen on the idea of the centre part only being held together with a small area of plastic at the very top.



But i guess beggers can't be choosers...onto the photos!

Just waiting for a couple of parts and i can get the cables fitted inbetween the wing stands. Then its time to remove the front bumper ready to make the DIY splitter and canards

 

[hoodedreeper]

Received the second package from Garage Star,this time a pair of door bushings and a Thermostat sandwich plate.



Got the door bushings fitted. The doors definately have that nicer shut noise,but on the odd occasion they need a firmer push to shut them. I guess in time they'll wear abit and it wont happen so much.

Over the past week or so i've been busy making more DIY parts for the car. I first started with another sheet of Dibond and made the front splitter,followed by some front Canards out of some thin aluminium (it may be too thin,but will see how i get on)

I decided to curve the splitter into the corners of the bumper rather than having it the same width all the way around. Made some brackets from some 25x2mm steel plate and mounted to where the OEM undertray bolts to (i used the front stud).

I originally left the centre of the splitter and used the two threaded parts on the bottom of the intercooler to mount it,but this pulled the splitter down leaving a gap underneath the bumper. So i cut the a section out of the middle so the intercooler fit snug-ish and made some brackets (will need to re-do them at some point as they're not the prettiest). Lastly i used a couple of adjustable turnbuckle rods for the centre.

I have noticed the splitter has pulled over to the passenger side since re-fitting the bumper. I'll get it up on a ramp and see if i can pull it across. It was a very very snug fit fitting the bumper back on,hopefully theres enough give in the brackets (once slackened off) to move it back across.

Next was fitting some tension cables to the wing stands. I used some 4mm wire cable with some 6mm clamps and eyelet bolts. Its definitely made a difference,its not swaying from side to side as i'm driving now

I haven't had the chance to drive it 'properly' yet due to all the rain we've had recently. From what i have driven it,it does feel more stable and the front hasnt gotten much lift (from what i can tell)

After taking the above photos,i notice how badly i need to adjust the suspension,another thing on my to-do list

 

[hoodedreeper]

Finally got round to adjusting the coilovers (lowered the front 10mm and raised the rear 5mm). The Works were catching on the rear arches,rather than fitting new tyres (going from a 205/50 to a 195/50) it was easier to raise it.

So the Works went back on the car to test for clearance and so far no issues

** I am aware the tyres are fitted incorrectly,the wheels will be coming off again soon for a good clean and a coat of wax **

The rear diffuser will be removed shortly,i've got another one coming

After taking the photos,i noticed i need to adjust the turnbuckle rods on the front splitter,as its pulling up on one side

I really need to clean the car lol

 

[hoodedreeper]

My other half bought me a new steering wheel for Christmas,was a good excuse to order some new bolts too

Just before Christmas i headed over to a local company that sells spares and performance parts for Lotus. I guess a perk of where i live is the Lotus factory isn't too far either. I asked to look at their available diffusers as i wasn't 100% happy with the DIY one i had made. So i drove away with their GT3 diffuser,just so happens to be the largest diffuser they do.

Before i get told a million times about the placement/angle of the diffuser,i know it needs to be angled up more to be effective. The people of Facebook have already kindly shouted this at me many times already

As i've said in the previous posts,i hold my hands up to the Aero not being functional,and that it is mainly for aesthetics

I've also rounded the corners off the Garage Star Wing Stands and had them powder coated Gloss Black

I've also re-made the Wing>Wing Stand brackets to tilt it abit more (for those extra scene points yO)

Two track days booked,one at the Lotus Test Track in February and then my local Track Snetterton in April

 

[Huggy444]

I love how you don't give a crap what anyone else thinks....

Don't get me wrong, the cars awesome, but it's just so different to everything else. Love itt

 

[Antony]

Hmm....

The angle of attack vs the angle of incidence of that spoiler may cause undue drag...possibly enen enough turbulence due to the loss of the boundary layer that it might actually bend your lovely stantions at 70mph......

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[hoodedreeper]

While out driving i noticed some steam coming from the front of the car,originally thinking it was the car in front being abit smokey. After some inspection it was the hose coming off the Water Pump,i knew it was close to the manifold,but didnt realise it was touching. I've been lucky as its been like this for quite awhile and never had any issues.

Ordered a new hose and found out that the metal tubing from a vacuum cleaner is the exact same size! Sorted

You may remember Adam at RevLimiter making me some bespoke gauges with a Purple Monster logo and purple diamond stitch in the backgorund. I asked him if he could make me some for my AEM gauges. I sent over some templates and he's done an incredible job as always!

A week or so ago i met up with a few MX5 owners for our monthly midnight meet. Took the camera with me,would have been rude not to take some photos of the 'ol gal

I do my best to keep on top of things,but sadly one thing that has always been neglected and thats the Coilovers. I've never cleaned them,never greased them or serviced them. When i adjusted them a month or so ago,i think i've buggered up the pre-load and it knocks on the passenger side. Good excuse to buy some news one 'ey?

These will be fitted this week (weather depending). Will bed them in and get it laser aligned along with some new alignment bolts

 

[hoodedreeper]

Small update

I finally got round to replacing the front Rota RKR 8js for some 9js

The HSDs got bedded in,new RKRs fitted and then a full geometry done

I've got the car booked in next week for a new exhaust back box to be made along with some other bits and pieces i've done,but i'll save those for the next update

 

[hoodedreeper]

Oh i forgot to add that i received my photos from the track day at Lotus Test Track. I'm not happy with the quality of the images,tried to improved them with Adobe Lightroom but when the original image is bad,theres not much you can do.

 

[hoodedreeper]

Made some new Canards,this time out of 2mm aluminium and 2mm steel for the brackets (previous ones were 0.8 aluminium for both). Made them abit bigger too,now i need to re-do the splitter and make that bigger too haha

Had a change around with the hard top screen and purchased some slap stickers. Either the stickers are bigger than i thought or the screen is alot smaller than i thought,or both lol

I got my friend Jack from J's Garage to fabricate a new exhaust,as the previous one was hidden and looked crap with the diffuser

And a short video,its quite echoey,will sort out a better video at a later date

 

[hoodedreeper]

As of late i haven't been washing the car as often as i'd like to. So took the opportunity to give it a once over and get some recent photos

I stupidly reversed into a curb and bent the diffuser. Next job is to remove it and cut the middle fins down to prevent it happening again

 

[hoodedreeper]

A couple of months ago i got chatting to YasidDesign about an illustration of the MX5. I wanted something touge related to take the car back to its roots,but with its current appearance.

Finally got round to shortening the centre fins on the diffuser,haven't hit anything since haha

Recently got the car all cleaned up ready for the MX5 Spring Rally at Wentworth House. A big thank you to Stuart at Auto-Genie for the valet work the day before,its a shame the poor weather spoilt the day,but Stuart still did an amazing job inbetween the rain/hail showers!

Met up with some crazy northerners before heading to the Rally,perfect excuse for some photos

Sadly didn't come home with a trophey,but i don't blame the judges for choosing the Pitcrew and Italia,both cars are works of art and well deserved winners! I know what i need to improve on (annoyingly i knew they were there but couldnt get it all sorted in time due to lack of money) so i'll hopefully be back for the National Rally or the Spring Rally next year.

The car received a big welcome,alot of people seemed to have liked it and was great to speak to so many like minded people

 

[hoodedreeper]

It doesn't sound like a massive job (or exciting) but i've fitted Electric Windows. The headache was trying to wire up the Mk2.5 switch to the Mk1 loom. With the help from Mazda-Menders,i got it sorted and with a Mk2 switch it works as it should.

My latest purchase was some LED Garage Vary lights from Rev9. Very easy install although i need to sort out the hyperblinking (my fault,i've connected the resistor incorrect)

Also fitted some 6000k LED Number Plate and Reverse bulbs (also got the reverse light working again). I was struggling on ideas on what to do for the rear fog light,so i switched the wiring on the bootlid,and the 3rd brake light is now the Fog light.

Another purchase was some Tyre Stencils. After searching about for a decent paint that is long lasting,i settled for some Rubber Tyre Letters made by Tred Wear

Extremely to fit,degrease the area,key the surface with course sand paper,clean tyre and glue the letters on

 

[hoodedreeper]

Oops forgot the video link

 

[hoodedreeper]

With the Electric Window conversion done and dusted i ordered some Stainless Switches from Jass Performance

A few weeks ago I met up with a friend who owns a local Media Company (BN Media). They've just bought some new equipment that allows them to record in 4K,so they invited me along to do a day's worth of filming.







Every year i look forward to attending one of the UK's largest car shows Modified Nationals. I thought i'd try my luck with the Show & Shine this year,and i got chosen to be in the Top 16 inside the Exibition Hall (its a pretty big deal getting in here as competition is extremely tight).



With the car in place it was show time! Surrounded by the country's best modified cars,it was very daunting having the MX sitting there,especially as she's wearing a few battle scars.

Sadly i didn't win anything,which i knew was expected,but just having the experience of being there means alot.



I've already got more plans for the car,even though this House Saving is supposed to be starting. Luckily the other half is encouraging it (for now) so we shall see. Possibly big changes are in the pipeline....



My photos from the show can be found over at Chris Baker Photography - Modified Nationals 2016

 

[hoodedreeper]

Package from Garagestar

In May my AEM wideband failed (gauge was stuck on 14.7) Got the car on the ramps and found out the plug had melted along with part of the loom. Fitted a new sensor and loom,but the gauge was reading leaner than normal. After trying a different gauge and taking the charger off to check for Manifold leaks,i was left scratching my head with no clue.

The car started to spit flames rather well (alot more than normal) after the exhaust started to blow from the front. I got the car booked in with Clive at Autotronix Developments for him to have a look. Clive diagnosed the blow was the flexi on the Fujitsubo manifold and welded in a straight piece. While it was on the ramp he checked the fuel filter,it still had japanese writing,so i'm gonna take a guess and say that hasn't been changed in a LONG time. With some tweaks on the dyno and on the road the car was back to showing 12.4 AFR on WOT and runs awesome now.

Finally got round to tilting the diffuser up with the help from a friend

Sunday 10th July was Japshow at Santa Pod,i was invited along to be apart of the Fitment Junkies club stand. An awesome day despite the odd rain shower through out the day.

We left early to beat the traffic,got 10mins out and stopped for fuel,where i discovered a flat tyre Theres a first time for everything! With the boot filled with cleaning and camera equipment,i didn't have a spare. Ended up waiting 3hrs for my Dad to come deliver a pair of Rota RKRs so i could get home.

Moral of the story,carry a space saver....or get Recovery through the Bank/Insurance company

 

[hoodedreeper]

I happen to be browsing through eBay looking at parts and came across a listing for an MX5. Price was pretty good,but it needed some TLC,myself and the other half had talked about getting a joint project for awhile but it never really happened. I contacted the seller and arranged to view the car etc etc managed to knock him down on the price and got it trailored home last night.

Its a 1990 1.6 Import,cambelt and waterpump done approx 20k miles ago. Panels are pretty straight but the paint work has seen better days.

Its got a seized driver side rear caliper which i'm in the middle of sorting. Only other concern is the driver side rear arch has started to corrode quite badly (you'll see in the photos below).

No real plans for this except tidy it up and get it MOT'd and on the road

Will add updates to this topic as there probably wont be that many compared to the Purple MX5

 

[hoodedreeper]

Its been a busy few weeks with the new Silver project...

New Caliper
New Rear Brake Pads
New Handbrake cable
HIDs removed
Horn wired up
All broken interior trim replaced

While i was tidying up the wiring under the steering column (its got a black box with a loom attached,but most of the loom is bunched up and not connected) I caught the accelerator pedal and it happened to move alot more than usual.

It was cracked all the way along the plate,and only held on by the bend on the left (i snapped it off for ease of removal). What a ball ache that was to change!

While the rear wheel was off having the brakes sorted,i spotted these...

Looks like they haven't moved in a long time,something else to look at sorting

It seems when ever i 'browse' eBay i end up spending money. Found a listing for some 'Mazda MX5 Mk1 Alloys',they had 4 bids at £102 ($136). Looking closer at the photos,the stamp in the centre was very distinguishable. I ended up winning them for £118 ($157)!

RS Watanabe 14x6 ET? (i'm guessing either 35 or 40) with 185/60 tyres (will need replacing)

Yesterday (Monday 1st August) i took it for its MOT (yearly inspection for those over seas) and she passed with a couple of advisories

Let the fun begin!

 

[Antony]

Oh god not again.. lol

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[hoodedreeper]

Headed into the city where a new light tunnel had been put up. Would have been rude not to get some snaps

 

[hoodedreeper]

Certainly not the most exciting christmas present you'd usually receive,but i'm thankful

Received an engine stand and a 1.6 UK long nose engine. Compression is very good 198/202/210/210.

Plans are to strip it down and clean everything up with a lick of paint or powder coat. Will also be fitting a coolant re-route,COPs,GarageStar pulleys (already have these). Replace majority of the gaskets and seals and the usual service stuff.

The supercharger will also get a new coat of paint along with new intercooler pipes as and when the current engine is removed

 

[hoodedreeper]

Managed to grab a set of Toyota Coil On Plugs at a very good price. Even better that the wiring has already been sorted

Been collecting a box of parts ready

Today (Weds 4th Jan) i was finally able to degrease the block inbetween the rainy showers. Theres a few smaller areas that need cleaning (behind the silver tape for example) but its 90% ready for paint. I've switched from aerosol to brush on as it'll be easier to do with the unexpected weather at the moment

 

[hoodedreeper]

Finished off the prep on the block and masked it up ready for paint

A couple of layers of Smooth Silver Hammerite,job done!

Started to spray some bits and pieces in VHT Wrinkle Black

Also had some bits and pieces powder coated in Gloss Black

Today (13th Jan) i received my GarageStar/Circuit Dreamer order,much excite! rare part! wow!

Mazda 323/Mercury Capri Valve Cover
Coil On Plugs bracket
Alloy Overflow Tank
Cam Gear Hardware

I also received majority of replacement stainless bolts for the front of the car

 

[hoodedreeper]

Fitted a front Stainless Tow Hook from Jass Performance along with their new Interior Mirror and retro style oil cap. I also fixed the broken side light on one of the TSIs.

While the bumper was off i refitted my HIDs as the current bulbs are pretty useless

With the car breaking down back in September i was starting to have enough of it,this meant it didn't get cleaned for 4 months! The other half kindly cleaned it for me,as it always seemed to rain when ever i had a day off :/

 

[hoodedreeper]

Made alot of progress with the spare engine recently

 

[hoodedreeper]

It was that time of year where my local car club organise a charity meet raising money for Big C Cancer and to remember our good friend Mark. Weather held out and we filled the car park again,raising £1161 on the night

The other half has been wanting to do a group photoshoot of our cars,luckily the cars stayed clean and the weather was dry

 

[hoodedreeper]

The past month its been abit of an Import theme

Initial D Vol 1 book

Hyper REVs the first 4 issues for the NA/NB MX5

(Another) Dcuatro Light Cover

And my latest purchase,this will be kept a secret for alittle while until i sort some other stuff out

The past 4 and bit weeks the car has been back at the bodyshop having repairs done

Mazdaspeed bumper repaired and repainted
Front wide arches/flares removed
New wide arches/flares painted and fitted
Wings/fenders painted
Driver side rear wide arch/flare repaired
Bonnet hinge replaced

I'm also re-living my child hood abit and been purchasing alot of old gaming consoles and games. Collection is growing nicely (and pretty fast). I move out late summer,gotta get the spare room well equipped

 

[hoodedreeper]

Abit of an update

Went to the Spring Performance Action Day at Castle Combe

Went to Japfest at Silverstone a couple of weekends ago

Last year i was approached by a big UK Car Magazine. We've had to cancel the photoshoot 3 times due to the car keep breaking. All was looking good,so had the car valeted by a friend ready for the photoshoot. The weather was certainly on our side and i'm eagerly waiting for the issue to be published.

I've had one of Aran's M45 inlets it sitting in the garage for about a year,it was time to finally fit it. While the supercharger was off i did an oil change and fitted a new belt and tensioners.


Also while the supercharger was off i replaced the L shaped hose inbetween the Waterpump inlet and metal joiner (which goes to the lower radiator hose) as i'm pretty certain thats the cause of my coolant leak.

You may remember in my previous post (if not,scroll up ^) that i received a package from Japan. That was a brand new RX7 FD3S 99spec front splitter! I've seen one other car with it fitted on a Mazdaspeed bumper and i fell in love. It was a gamble as i didnt know what the fitment would be like.


With the original lip discontinued from Mazda,i had to improvise. Its far from perfect,its not the correct shape but i think i did a good job with getting it on.

As you can see,i didn't fix the coolant leak I need the front crank seal,timing belt and waterpump changing so fingers crossed its waterpump related.

 

[hoodedreeper]

Y'know when you get an idea in your head,and you can't tell if its going to be a good or bad idea...well...that may have happened.

Every year it seems i do something drastic with the car and its always a risk. I've had an idea about having a livery designed and fitted to the car for almost a year now. I contacted Tom at Infamous Creations (he's done some awesome drift car designs for drivers across the globe) as i knew he'd be the guy to speak to.

A few months went by with ideas being thrown back and forth. I've always loved the HKS livery and knew that would be the one for MX5. So Tom drew out the pattern as a base and we built it from there. The design ended up looking like this:

I wasn't too keen on my photography logo being as big as that,but that could be changed later on. I emailed a local graphics company (Unique Signs) with the render back in June 2016. We got the design sorted,the guys took lots of measurements and the graphics were fitted this week. I collected the car on Thursday (25th May) ready for the Modified Nationals show the following day.

After getting back from the show today (Sunday 28th May) i stopped off at a previous location i took for photos not long after i bought it

 

[hoodedreeper]

Y'know when you get an idea in your head,and you can't tell if its going to be a good or bad idea...well...that may have happened.

Every year it seems i do something drastic with the car and its always a risk. I've had an idea about having a livery designed and fitted to the car for almost a year now. I contacted Tom at Infamous Creations (he's done some awesome drift car designs for drivers across the globe) as i knew he'd be the guy to speak to.

A few months went by with ideas being thrown back and forth. I've always loved the HKS livery and knew that would be the one for MX5. So Tom drew out the pattern as a base and we built it from there. The design ended up looking like this:

I wasn't too keen on my photography logo being as big as that,but that could be changed later on. I emailed a local graphics company (Unique Signs) with the render back in June 2016. We got the design sorted,the guys took lots of measurements and the graphics were fitted this week. I collected the car on Thursday (25th May) ready for the Modified Nationals show the following day.

After getting back from the show today (Sunday 28th May) i stopped off at a previous location i took for photos not long after i bought it

 

[hoodedreeper]

Y'know when you get an idea in your head,and you can't tell if its going to be a good or bad idea...well...that may have happened.

Every year it seems i do something drastic with the car and its always a risk. I've had an idea about having a livery designed and fitted to the car for almost a year now. I contacted Tom at Infamous Creations (he's done some awesome drift car designs for drivers across the globe) as i knew he'd be the guy to speak to.

A few months went by with ideas being thrown back and forth. I've always loved the HKS livery and knew that would be the one for MX5. So Tom drew out the pattern as a base and we built it from there. The design ended up looking like this:

I wasn't too keen on my photography logo being as big as that,but that could be changed later on. I emailed a local graphics company (Unique Signs) with the render back in June 2016. We got the design sorted,the guys took lots of measurements and the graphics were fitted this week. I collected the car on Thursday (25th May) ready for the Modified Nationals show the following day.

After getting back from the show today (Sunday 28th May) i stopped off at a previous location i took for photos not long after i bought it

 

[hoodedreeper]

Can a mod/admin please delete the 2 posts that have been duplicated please

 

[hoodedreeper]

A couple more photos of when i got the car back

My Car Club's new window sticker

And a couple i took from the show

 

[hoodedreeper]

Jass Performance have been developing their flush headlights for awhile now. Yesterday i received the first set off the production line and fitted them to the Monster.

Fitment still needs tweaking on the corners. Please bare in mind my bonnet and bumper are FRP and the bumper is sagging abit,so fitment isnt as spot on to a stock car. Also my Intercooler pipe is sitting higher for some reason (another job to do)

Assembly was simple,took longer to align them in all honesty. The expansion bottle has to be moved back approx 5cm,all hardware and brackets are included.

The beam pattern is fine and hasn't been effected. I've experienced zero drag or air turbulance from them. I cant see it being any different to when pop ups are up.

Vlad should have them up on the website with a write up over the week/next week

 

[hoodedreeper]

 

[hoodedreeper]

I've been busy....

Jass Performance Stainless NB Heater Controls Cover

Garage Star / Circuit Sport Expansion Tank (looks tiny compared to the OEM tank)

Did a quick photoshoot at night,pretty pleased with the outcome

My DIY airbox is now finished. Made the sides from Aluminium and the insulation is from eBay. The silver ducting i got from work,which will be replaced with something more rigid (that doesnt split so easy)

Last night's purchase was a set of AWD Dials. Its been one of those rare parts i've dreamt of owning but these never come up for sale. I'm swapping my current dials for these plus there was some cash on top. Worked out quite alot but oh well,you only live once

Currently waiting for a Rev9 order to be shipped,more on that once it arrives

 

[hoodedreeper]

My Rev9 order had finally arrived after being stuck in customs for almost a week :/ The import duty was the most expensive i've had to pay ever...but its worth it

Garage Vary Rain Guard
Watanabe Centre Caps
Nielex Chrome Handbrake Cover
M2-1028 Replica Mirrors

The Quality and fitment of the Mirrors are excellent. They're smaller than i had hoped as i know photos can be deceiving. Only driven the car a couple of miles late at night so can't comment too much on visibility.

The Nielex Handbrake cover was a good decision to get. Again,fitment and quality is top notch as with all Rev9 products. Sadly it didn't come with the sticker so i'll have to get one made.

The Watanabes on the Silver daily have been crying out for centre caps ever since i bought them. Its amazing how much of a difference they make. Not much to say on these,except Watanabe \oo/

It certainly was an expensive couple of weeks since payday. I got linked a for sale thread for some RS Refine Gauge Rings. No way could i be this lucky and get AWD dials and these gauge rings within a week of each other? Luckily the seller was in the UK which saved on some (more) import duty,very speedy delivery too!

Cleaned up the old sealant around the edge and gave them a polish up. Fitted the whole cluster in the car,and WOW!

I'll get round to fitting the Garage Vary rain guard soon,i don't think thats going to be a quick job.

I'm off on a driving holiday in over a week's time,i'm taking the Purple MX5 so expect lots and lots of scenic photos when i get back

 

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Haven't visited the local graffiti walls for awhile,so grabbed a few quick snaps. This was before the recent order from Rev9

 

[hoodedreeper]

Me and the other half took a driving holiday to Wales last week. I've tried to condense the photos down,there was quite alot to choose from

Started off by visiting the Evo Triangle

Travelled south west and stopped off at the Mach Loop Cad West to watch some RAF training. We had a couple of fighter jets come over as we got out of the car. We climbed about half way but sadly only saw 2 other air craft. I have zero knowledge on aircraft so couldn't tell you the names sorry

Getting lost was the best part

We were staying with some family south of Merthyr Tydfil,so majority of our visits were in the south region

Went to the Henrhyd Water Falls

To the fast west of the Brecon National Park is the A4069 also known as the Black Mountain Pass. Give it a search in Youtube to see what the roads are like,theres one particular hairpin which is very popular for car enthusiasts

 

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Wednesday was very foggy,which made for some cool photos. We headed over to the Black Mountain Pass again in the hope of getting some more photos but sadly the fog ruined the view

Thursday we visited Rhossili Bay

Turned the sat nav off and took the route as it came. No matter what,you'll never be disappointed with the views

We finished the holiday with a visit to the Total 5s HQ in Barry