BUILD BLOG

[Stiggy]

First the chassis is turned upside down and the alloy sheet is marked for cutting out. Note we leave 75mm overhang for attaching the sills of the body to.



Then we cut it with a jig saw.



Then we rivet it on with large head rivets supplied in the kit. These are approximately at 95mm centres.
NOTE: It is suggested that unless you have use of a car lift that you P clip the fuel lines and rear brake pipe to the inside of the chassis rail whilst it is upside down, please see further down the build blog on page 2.



Then we turn it over and drop it on the MX5 subframes with the engine/gearbox/differential/prop shaft and suspension still in place.



The pedal assembly from the MX5 is now bolted into place complete with servo and master cylinders for the clutch and brakes. The holes are per cut in the bulkhead plate. Just a hole to drill for the MX5 throttle cable.



We can now fit the standard MX5 steering column on the drop plate. This can be altered for those requiring a different steering wheel height. The steering wheel is wood look as wooden ones are not allowed for the IVA test. It has a collapsible boss too.



The front anti roll bar has mounting point s on the chassis.
Here you can see the front chassis mounting bolts fitted.



The rear subframe to chassis mounting bolts are shown here together with the rear body support frame bolted into place.
You can also see how the tops of the shock absorbers just slot through the chassis and bolt on with 2 8mm nuts each corner of the car.



Next I fitted the handbrake with the standard MX5 handbrake cables and return spring. I had drilled the holes in the tunnel prior to it being powder coated.

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Standard MX5 radiator and pipes is bolted to the chassis.



The dash is bolted in to place before the body goes on. This allows easy access to the wiring of the instruments. The dash can be removed when the body is on though.



Standard MX5 tank with pump and gauge sender is bolted to the chassis, even girls can do it!

[Stiggy]

Body is attached at the front with a bolt in each corner of the bonnet opening,



Then 2 at the rear behind the number plate,



The seats are bolted to the seat rails with the MX5 seat runners.

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The fly screen is cut to shape and supplied in the kit, it bends easily around the corners and is easy to drill. It is then secured with 10 5mm button head bolts;

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Here is a picture of the passenger side and one with me in to give a sense of proportions.

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[Stiggy]

Finally got a few minutes to do some more jobs on our demo Replicar, I left the front and rear bulkheads out so folk could see how easy it is to build at the Stoneleigh show but now it is time to add some alloy, just like the original race cars of the 1950's
Next appearance will be at the Newark show on the 15/16th June.

[Stiggy]

Time for a little more Replicar work today. I felt it will be much easier to fit the bulkheads and wire the car without the body on. So we lifted it off and I started by trimming the front bulkheads and folding a return under the tunnel. The tunnel comes pre folded BTW.



I will remove the tunnel now to finish off connecting the loom. I just need to bolt the ECU down first.



You can see a small bracket I made in the vice from alloy to lower the main fuse box to clear the bonnet.



Next I made a simple bracket to mount the air flow meter and air filter. It is bolted on the engine lifting eye bolt.
Now I am going to screw the front bulkheads on and trim the hole for the loom in the tunnel.

[Stiggy]

Despite what may look like a real mess in terms of the electrics it is so very simple. Even with half the standard MX5 loom not plugged back in she still fires up. All I need to do now is tidy the harness with a few cable ties.

[Stiggy]

The MX5's have 2 fuel pipes. Feed and return. It is important to get these the right way around. If you do it wrong and try to fire it up the fuel pressure will build up in the pipes and you will need to swap them over. This can cause your eyes to sting!!
The outlet on the pump that is near the center of the pump mounting plate on the top of the tank is the outlet. This one connects to the fuel rail at the opposite end to the fuel regulator. The fuel pressure is therefore built up across the fuel rail and the return goes from the regulator back to the tank.

[Stiggy]

Filler cap and hose just arrived, I would imagine it is possible to use the MX5 cap and hose but this Aston style one looks the part. All you need to do is cut a hole in the GRP when the body is mounted and feed this through. The top then screws home and you have a locking cap in 50's style. They are made by Newton equipment and sold via Car Builders Solutions and Think Automotive.

[Stiggy]

Work continued this morning, firstly I had a look at the possibility of using the MX5 instrument cluster. It would look convincingly period if 4 holes were cut in the Replicar dash with the cluster bonded on from the rear. Builders going down this route will not have to wire anything up, just plug the MX5 harness back in.
Please ask for a piece of flat clear acrylic when you collect your kit if you need it.



I then mounted the MX5 expansion bottle, quite easy with a short piece of threaded bar and a small bracket.



Next came the rear bulkheads, I trimmed and fitted them and bolted the top of the seat belts in place as they are easier to get at them with the body off.



Then I fitted the MX5 battery, quite large but it fits fine behind the drivers seat, note the earth connection.
I have now swapped this battery for a 054 type which gives more leg room, also available is the 038 type used on early Mini's, they are light too at only 9 kgs but well capable of turning the engine over.



I drilled a hole and then filed it square (couldn't find a square drill)to clip the MX5 throttle cable in place.