MX5Ireland

After a two year hiatus, the V-Spec '5 was back in action yesterday. It was previously locked up since 2020 and was stored fully serviced, battery disconnected etc. I used a clay bar on the paintwork before machine polishing it and covering it with blankets before locking it up for two years. It turned vintage at the beginning of May so the time was ripe for a return to action.



The first 15 minutes of the drive were a tense affair....listening to every mechanical noise and vibration for problems....







Fortunately, almost everything checked out okay. It was great to hear that Cobalt exhaust note once again. The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, is a slight weep between the brake master cylinder and servo. I think braided brake lines will be on the cards too. But overall, things are looking good....

Looks great, nice to get back on the road and the reduction to €56 tax will offset the exorbitant price of fuel

Pops wrote:Looks great, nice to get back on the road and the reduction to €56 tax will offset the exorbitant price of fuel

Thanks Pops ! The tax saving indeed is a huge bonus. More money for accessories !!!

Fantastic- and the car is looking great.

I'm sure it was a great feeling to have it back on the road again. And €56 for tax.... roll on next year for me!!!!

I've ordered steel braided brake lines from IL Motorsport and a master cylinder rebuild kit arrived earlier in the week. The brake servo looks like crap so I'm thinking of removing it and painting it all at the same time. For the craic, I priced a new master cylinder and four OEM brake hoses from my local Mazda dealer.....approximately €700 in total !!

Mazda seems to be able to name their price but at least the parts are available for our cars, saying that I used brakeparts.uk for the rebuild kits for my calipers

I started into this today. Fiddly to say the least....



Plenty of of rusty nuts made things interesting. Plus Gas penetrating fluid was my saviour.



It's a pity I didn't spot this leak sooner as it has caused much crustiness to the brake servo......



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I reckon the leak itself was from one of the rubber revsevoir seals. See the staining below:



I will be using this kit to replace the master cylinder seals although I don't think it includes the resevoir rubber grommets....

As an update on this one, I rebuilt the brake master cylinder successfully with no leaks since and all seems good. And the engine bay looks a tad cleaner...







While bleeding the brake system, I thought I'd check the brake pad condition. Just as well really as they were looking a bit tired and the nearside front caliper wasn't behaving itself either so that was replaced while I was in there.



Then it was NCT time. But it failed on torn ball joint dust covers (lower ones) so I ordered the genuine Mazda items and also treated the car to a Mazda rad cap.



So after a successful retest yesterday morning, the car now has a two year test. Happy days....



Enjoying the recent fine evenings....





I can almost feel a road trip coming on......

Some good work done there, nice to be getting use of the remaining bit of good weather

Pops wrote:Some good work done there, nice to be getting use of the remaining bit of good weather

Cheers Pops ! Yeah, getting out and using it makes it all worthwhile. So much so that we are thinking of going to the club National Rally in the UK next weekend. But the weather will be the final factor really I guess.

That meeting should be a great opportunity to see every sort of modification available, hopefully the weather will be OK, should be a good experience if you can get there

As Pops said, "great work" ... well done.

I'm sure it feels great to have the car back on the road, and with a 2 year ticket (that's very nice!). I went to the National Rally before, and really enjoyed it - some fantastic machines on display (and it's also a "roadtrip with a purpose")

mrges wrote:As Pops said, "great work" ... well done.

I'm sure it feels great to have the car back on the road, and with a 2 year ticket (that's very nice!). I went to the National Rally before, and really enjoyed it - some fantastic machines on display (and it's also a "roadtrip with a purpose")

Watching developments right now as regards the Queens passing. I wonder if it will still go ahead. But yeah, car packed and ready for road !

Just saw on Facebook that the meeting is going ahead
https://www.facebook.com/10731461936100 ... z67p59DPl/

Pops wrote:Just saw on Facebook that the meeting is going ahead
https://www.facebook.com/10731461936100 ... z67p59DPl/

Looks like you are on.... we look forward to some photos!