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Post by Kevin Patrick on Apr 19, 2011 22:13:35 GMT
Looking sharp! Good luck tomorrow.
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Andy888
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Post by Andy888 on Apr 19, 2011 22:35:36 GMT
Good to see it finished, looks nice and shiny anyway! Fingers crossed for you. Hope there is enough of a radius on the centre of that wheel...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2011 20:32:48 GMT
so, today was the day. bad news is it didnt pass, which i kinda thought anyway, and was doing it more for as list of snags to get the pass. Good news is, its only failed on some real minor points. mainly, radius edges on some bits, a few washers deemed to small and the mirrors are not big enough. two main issues were, left hand drive lights, and a couple of split pins missing. The test itself is nowhere near as vigorous and extreme as expected. he was happy for me to tweak things as we went along, and was very helpful in terms of correcting things. it was more a case of concentrating on the seating position and mechanics underneath than much else. a few quick light tests and an explanation that its a mindfield of interpretation and we had coffee, discussed handling and speed etc and he let me go. the downside of today was the discovery that on full lock whilst cornering (with normal springs) the upper wishbone still pushes the wing stay onto the wheel. the whel gripped the wingstay and ripped the whole wing under the front wheel. Ive already modified and cut back the wishbones, so this may be something to be wary of. anyway, booking a test for a week or so's time, depending on how fast stiggy can send me a new wing and wingstays! Any Qs about the test, please ask....
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Andy888
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Post by Andy888 on Apr 21, 2011 10:09:20 GMT
Good stuff, mostly!! At least it's nothing major.
Shame about that wheel arch. Seems we will need to examine all the suspension for clearance then. Especially as we have coilovers going in.
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Post by fasteddie on Apr 21, 2011 19:26:31 GMT
Hi Alex, so sorry to hear about failure. The wings seem a bit of a nightmare what size wheels were you using?. Washer sizes what was that all about? and what were the sharp edges you missed? It seem you did really well, which test centre did you use? I know it`s a lot of questions but all the help you can give us will really be appreciated. One more question did you use Stiggies lighting pack, best regards Ted
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 21:30:25 GMT
wheels are 205/40/17s but in terms of the outer circumference of the tyre, its almost identical to the standard 14inch wheels with 60 profile tyres on them. the 205 width fills the arch very nicely, the issue seems to be the actual wing stay/arm contacting the upper wishbone on full lock and under compression from cornering. Ive already cut away the lip on the wishbone, so more investigating needed. Washers referred to the washers i had on the under side of the car to hold the seats in, they were too small. Mirrors were also too small, and sharp edges were the inside edge of the lower plastic side panels, chequer plate, ECU, and a few nuts and bolts as i ran out of nut caps. Seatbelts were a fail, as i have the first run of kits, the upper seatbelt attachments foul on the grp. these have been moved on newer chassis. the hardest points to put right were the speedo reads 2mph slower across the range than the cars actually doing. any suggestions as to how i can correct this, or is it due to a slight change in wheel circumference, and i may have to resort to using the original 14inch wheels?? and the fact ive been given Left hand drive lights didnt help. ive taken them apart and the step in the shutter steps up to the drivers side, when it should step up to the passenger side. easily solved with some angle grinding! the test was at Avonmouth VOSA, bristol. really nich chap, and happy to let me tinker as we went. said if i addressed the points, theyd retest and pass it. they only retest the failed points also, so as the ball of wire wool shot out of the exhaust as i gunned it away from the test center, i should get away with it!all the major mechanics are an easy pass. brakes are balanced, handbrake works, steering works all thanks to mazda. the only panel i was asked to move/remove was the bonnet, he checked the rest from underneath, Any more Q's let me know
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Andy888
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Post by Andy888 on Apr 26, 2011 23:47:19 GMT
Not liking this about the whole suspension catching problem. We have coilovers in, and fully intended to have them screwed down low!
Hadn't thought about those plastic panel edges, thanks for mentioning that. Maybe a bit of foam draught excluder or something might keep them happy.
Re. The speedo. Seems odd. Car speedos always over read I thought. Did you check it with gps? The tyre size wouldn't make that much difference I shouldn't think. There are calculators online that will tell you the circumferences of different wheel/tyre combos. Has the zero needle position dropped or something?
Oh, did he check if rear view mirror was bolted on? I'd prefer to glue it!
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Post by fasteddie on Apr 30, 2011 18:00:13 GMT
Hi Alex thanks for all the info, it is a great help to all of us. I`ll be at the show |sunday maybe we`ll meet up at the Mev stand 07778628849
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2011 19:40:41 GMT
hi all, sadly didnt make it to stoneleigh, had hire car issues! Tackled the suspension clearance issues though, so looks like ive solved it. initially id just cut and bent the lip on the upper wishbone down, however this just lowers the contact point. this clearly didnt work. so out came the angle grinder again. this seems to have solved the clearance issue as its given me an extra inche. stiggys new wings arrived and all the IVA bits have pretty much been done or ordered.so retest is booked for the 16th May. fingers crossed again.
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Post by Stiggy on May 4, 2011 8:58:53 GMT
I did post re this issue in the tech section; Cutting is a def no no. You could bend it clear with an adjustable spanner on the edge of the top wishbone, it is only 2mm thick so it bends easily. just a little tweak down will give you an extra 6mm of clearance, OR you could bend the wing stay down provided it still clears the tread, OR you could put a jubilee clip under the boot on the rack to limit the travel, OR it could be that you have loads of front toe in that is causing the problem, OR the rack may not be central in which case you will have the problem on one side only. OR very short lowering springs have been used and the suspension is too low. Read more: www.mevowners.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bodywork&action=display&thread=1193&page=2#ixzz1LN8NgU1IIt also is important that the rear stays are mounted as shown in the guide. They need three bolts to stop them rolling over, one car is shown with only one bolt holding both rear stays that have been welded together, that is going to be a problem as the whole wing can now roll around and smash.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2011 11:46:25 GMT
Stiggy, ive noticed that bending the lip down appears to give more clearance, but as soon as there is any compression on the springs the folded lip itself contacts, this appears to be due to it now contacting 5mm lower, so whilst its now 5mm further back, its also now 5mm further down so contacts in pretty much the same way. as the wing stay rises at an angle. Ive taken advice from a mechanical engineering friend, who assures me the cut out section of lip will not affect the structure and strength, as the upper wishbone isnt the main supporting structure/stress point of the suspension, the main forces are throught to lower arm and shock mounts. coupled with the weight reduction, and therefore stress reduction, he had no concerns In ref to the rear wings, its mine that are welded, but due to being secured by the brake bolt they randomly seem to rotate in line with the wheels. IVA have also passed this with no concerns. Ive been told to lower tyre pressures also as its so light, reccomended 20psi all round. any thoughts?
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Post by fasteddie on May 18, 2011 11:18:07 GMT
Hi Alex, all is not lost with the filler cap. I also cut out the hole for the original filler position, then really thought the cap looked naff so I then made 2 alloy plates that were shaped at a nice angle to match rear gpr and mounted lights on these which covered the original hole. they dont look too bad either. Hope this gives you some ideas to improve fuel capacity. Ted
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2011 14:51:22 GMT
thanks ted, will prob move to a center filler cap once its passed (fingers crossed for tuesday) ill just stick a bit of chequer plate over the home and claim its an access panel! you look finished. very smart.
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rob
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Post by rob on May 18, 2011 20:51:31 GMT
Hi Alex Good luck with your retake on tuesday, i'm trying to fit my stanard mx5 seats but they seem very tight did you have any problems fitting yours. Rob
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Post by paultyre on May 19, 2011 7:37:55 GMT
Hi rob a had trouble with my seats stiggy said to remove the side covers on the seat adjusters wich i did but the seats still dont fit the result is that my side skirts are bulging out and that the seats dont slide very easily .( if only the frame was 5mm wider ).
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