1995 G-Limited ***RESTORATION***Rebuild

[Mazda Mender]

Where are you Tom..
M-m

[John&Luke]

Sweet work as ever. Well done.

[Lumphammer]

I got a neutral switch for the 6-speed - brand new from a Mazda garage, I couldn't believe it myself. Cost £55 but still amazed they could get it, from Belgium

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Put it in very carefully, used a tiny smear of RTV on the flange

Most of the weekend was spent tidying the storage area - aka underneath the car.

I put the propshaft in, I used the alignment instruction in the 2002 workshop manual which from memory states 66mm +/- 5mm between the PPF just after the second bolt to a straight edge across the frame rails. I dropped it a mm because I replaced the frame rails and they were a touch further out than standard. I put the driveshafts in and clipped the battery loom to the PPF. I swapped the reverse switch bullet connectors on the MK1 loom to the blade type on the 6-speed.

Just filled the diff with oil and so far none has come back out - so that's good...?

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Put the rear brakes back on, need to put the new lines on and I think the N/S handbrake needs some fettling but it's starting to look something like a car

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Need a new small nut for the NS driveshaft. Although the driveshafts are essentially the same, the NS has the smaller nut just because that's the original one and not the OS which was rebuilt

Hopefully I'll be able to get the brakes bled and working in the evenings this week

[Lumphammer]

Have been a bit slow, still haven't got the brakes working.

Made a clamp for the intake pipe crossover tube. It came with a bent bit of steel and a big jubilee clip to support it - well shonky. Made this from nylon and bent a bracket from 3mm alu. There's a top cap, not pictured.

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Clamp fitted, holds it quite nicely. I've estimated the angle of dangle on the crossover tube, i'll make a shield to reflect exhaust manifold heat at some point

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Fitted the exhaust 2.5" all the way back. It has a "fake cat" piece although this car I believe doesn't need to have a cat to pass an MOT in any case as it's an unlisted '95 JDM import. The mid section is resonated to try and keep the noise down a bit, no idea if it works

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The exhaust was one of the few off the shelf parts to have a removable "dB killer" for strict tracks like Bedford. Two screws hold it in.

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Starting to look remarkably like a functional engine bay

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[blackyb]

If only I had the talent on show here.

Excellent attention to detail and presentation.

[John&Luke]

Stunning

[Lumphammer]

I haven't done a lot for a while, had some other things I had to do and been feeling a bit down. Did a bit today which was nice, there's been a few occasions where i've wanted to put a bead on small diameter steel tubing for hoses and stuff. I know with small stuff you can usually get away with a tight fit and a hose clip but a bead is a nicer way to do it.

Trouble is with 10mm and 12mm OD tube it's getting a bit small so I got inspiration from this ingenious thread on a landrover forum:

https://forums.lr4x4.com/topic/98599-be ... all-bores/

I decided to use the machines to needlessly over complicate it, it's pretty much the same with the addition of a bronze bushing for the die which itself is made from drill rod (pretty hard). I had some skateboard bearings for the idlers and the spacing is adjusted with packing washers.

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I'm driving the die with a drill because it's quicker, lashed up with cable ties including one on the drills trigger. Medium ish speed on the slow setting.

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The result is superb, you support the rotating piece with one hand whilst winding in the screw to close the gap up with the other. This is some 11mm OD by 1mm wall steel tube from the junk pile. Took under a minute to do.

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It can go down to 10mm OD by 1mm wall tube, which is pretty small and will be very useful for making professional looking hardlines

Apart from that i put a catch can in, i'll be redoing the hardlines when some new tube arrives - i foolishly forgot to incorporate enough flex for engine vibration

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[Lumphammer]

I was pretty happy with the standard radiator but a chap local was selling a big alu. radiator with a pair of slimline Mishimoto fans for a good price so i couldn't resist. Made some new brackets for the fans, the ones with it were ok but I didn't like the look of them, re made them in 3mm alu. - red fans ruins my color scheme a bit but hey ho

The second fan is connected to the old A/C fan connection which i found i can control to come on with the main fan in the ECU which is nice. Had to put the old A/C relay clutter back in but it's not too bad.

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Decided the hardlines to the catch can were a PITA with vibration so got rid of them, not quite as neat but it'll work better

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Apart from needing to buy a few washers, seals and other stuff i forgot about I'm pretty much ready to start the engine for the first time - exciting times!

[Mazda Mender]

I might have some blue ones to swap for the red ones to finish the colour scheme...
But lets get the engine started,
M-m

[Natehd9]

I'd been trying to find a beading tool for making my new fuel lines but don't have access to a lathe so have had to resort to ordering a dual purpose pipe flaring kit from the states.

Excellent work Tom, this will be the best track car in the UK by the time you're finished!

[blackyb]

A cracking show car with the attention to detail being applied.

Wish I had half the skills on show.

[Lumphammer]

Thanks Nate, i copied the one from the landrover forum and just made it a bit better with machines - the original is brilliant and i think the guy made it with just a few different drill bits and a grinder.

It won't be a show car blacky, i'm not sure it's going to be purely a track car - more like a fun project car. The Mk2.5 is my daily car and that takes all manner of abuse - hauling building materials mainly (did you know an mx5 can comfortably carry 275kg of sand / cement and 325kg at a push?). This won't be doing that

Got the brakes done today! Me and my friend bled them all through, no issues. I think we did about 4 cycles around all four corners, the pedal feels nice and rigid - i think all the air is out, everything is clear but will give it another bleed after it's been on the road a bit. Used Mobil DOT4, it was a totally dry system so i thought of using a DOT5 or a high temp DOT4 - but then decided a good quality DOT4 will be fine.

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If anyone is interested - a totally dry NA8 fitted with "big brakes" uses about 0.6l of brake fluid

The clutch was an absolute sod, after over an hour of "pedal up / pedal down" with nothing happening i decided the master cylinder was somehow faulty, despite being rebuilt in the autumn. So i drained it out and took it to bits

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Nothing wrong with it at all... ffs... the clutch just gets a massive air lock when dry, probably all those bendy coils of tubing. Got it working eventually by using one of the huge diff. oil syringes to pull enough vacuum on the bleed nipple to prime the master cylinder. And then it works fine. Definitely a learning experience.

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Apart from that, the car now has coolant and 10 litres of jungle juice in the tank, going to have a play with the ECU tomorrow

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[blackyb]

Well I am no qualified judge but the standard of work on show is something to be proud of and well worth showing off.

[Mazda Mender]

On a fresh slave etc or dry brakes we use a fluid sucker and pull through on the bleed nipple,so much faster and better, as you have found out with a dry slave system....all you had to do was ask Thomas....;0) lol.
We have already struggled so no one else needs to xxxx
M-m

[Lumphammer]

Well, I get that but the brakes were fine, exactly as I expected. It was just the clutch... what a pain!

I've just been fiddling and the oil pressure is now reading correctly when cranking and whilst there's no nice running it is making some encouraging pops and bangs. I suspect the timing is wappo but i've taken the battery off to put on charge - call it a night