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Hoodedreeper's MX5 - The Purple Monster

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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Heres a little video for you (PLEASE WATCH)

This has been extremely difficult to keep secret for the past 11 months!!
It all started back in January when i was at Autosport International. I was surrounded by Forced Induction on the MX5Nutz Club Stand,staring at the display of Turbo and Supercharged cars for 3 days started the urge.
At the time,the Interior was booked in to be done in March,and aesthetically the car was pretty much done which only left the engine bay. Having gone the Turbo route with the previous MX5,i thought i'd head down the other path and try out a Supercharger.
So it seems the Eaton M45 from a Mini Cooper S was the popular choice to fit,so the search for one began. Having just missed one on eBay that had covered 25k and being the later generation with teflon blades,it went for £450 delivered. At least i knew this was the kind of money region i was looking at for a unit.
Then i happened to stumble across a For Sale advert on Facebook for one. I dont think i could have sent a message to the seller quick enough! After a few messages back and forth,i had managed to secure myself a Charger that had only covered 19 delivery miles (yes,you did read that correct). It was removed due to a damaged pulley,which by looking at the photos was some-what repairable anyway. Included was a second throttle body with blanking plates and dual cable throttle wheel,all for the sum of £140.00 delivered!
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Amongst the vast amount of research i found Aran and Taffylude's build threads on Nutz,who both kindly documentated everything including where to buy it and the costs. This was the perfect Guide for a novice like myself! Massive thanks to them both!
So i took the Charger to work to give it a good clean,removing the PTO and making a blanking plate. At this point i also cut the mounting lug off and blanked the breather port next to it.
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RX8 420cc Injectors purchased,these worked great on the turbo build and will help give me some extra ponies. These were sent off to BLiNK Motorsport to be cleaned/flow tested/new seals. They did an incredible job and had a very fast turn around,highly recommend them!
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AEM Wideband from Dan at Fast5
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As the weather was good,i got some painting done. I wanted a pretty basic looking engine bay,almost OEM,so i went for the classic Wrinkle Black finish. I ended up painting the Inlet Manifold,both Throttle Bodies,Radiator Slam Panel,Wiper Scuttle Panel and Thermostat Housing. Sadly i've only got a photo of the Throttle Body at the time (the rest can be seen in the engine bay photos above)
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TR Lane Kit ordered,this was one of the most expensive items and took approx 6 weeks to be made.
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It didnt matter that the original pulley was damaged as it was being replaced with a smaller one. I went for a 15% reduction as i wanted it reliable and i had read smaller pulleys could lead to potential belt slip. I ordered one along with a modified By-Pass Valve from 1320.co.uk
I knew removing the pulley was going to be a major task,so i left that in the capable hands of an Engineering company around the corner from mine. It took them a few days to do,but it came off clean which is the main thing
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I made some gaskets for the TR Lane inlet and outlet and bolted them together. The charger received a coat of Wrinkle Black paint too
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
In the mean time i was getting ready for the engine bay work to be done,which saw alot of new gaskets and bits and pieces ordered,aswell as new nuts,bolts and washers for various things for the build. Luckily i got majority of the parts from MX5 Parts when they had their discount on!
This then brings me to last week,i had booked the week off so i could fit it. With the turbo build i had to get alot of help from various people as i was pretty clueless with what to do and how to fit it.
I managed to fit the kit on my own! Doesn't sound alot to most,but its pretty achievable on my part (yes,i admit i had to get a second opinion on a few bits,but i'd rather be 100% sure!)
Here are some various photos from the fitting stage:
Radiator Fan moved into the centre,brackets made and the fan wiring extended
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Intercooler Pipework Mock Up (Driver's Side)
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Manifold removed to fit the Wideband Sensor (its at a stupid place and was easier to remove the Manifold)
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I got the Charger mounted in the Engine Bay (knowing it would need adjusting at a later date). Also got the Tensioner Bracket on and the Intercooler all plumbed in
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Nice and Stealthy!
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
IAT and Idle Speed Valve hose fitted to the Intake hose
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RX8 Injectors Fitted (after several issues with a crushed O-Ring!)
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Belt fitted and tensioned. Air ducting and Pipercross Foam Filter fitted too. Megasquirt 2 V3 had also arrived and was fitted
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And there we have it! Supercharged in 7 days :)
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
BMW E36 Variable TPS and the adaptor plate from Cerberus
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Fitted some Purple LEDs to the RevLimiter Stirling Gauges
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I took the car to have a Power Run to see what she's producing
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Here is a short video i put together

181.7bhp
164.4lbft
Hoping to get some more mapping done early 2015 to smoothen out the AFR,hopefully should see a increase in power too :)
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
I'm still having issues with belt slip at the higher rev range,i think this may cause it to fluctuate abit,but I'm not 100% certain.
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Update!
Got the BMW VTPS fitted and calibrated,me and Law managed to squeeze in some quick road tuning too
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Saw a photo on Facebook of a airbag turned into a Gauge Pod,so I started to make my own. I've never used filler/fiberglass so I don't have much hope this will turn out any good.
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Since those photos,the pods have had two layers of fine surface filler and have been rubbed down. Shape is pretty much done,just some minor areas to finish :)
Ordered some Aerocatch Bonnet Pins,once the initial drilling into the Carbon Bonnet was over,i overcome the fear of cocking it up.
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1.8 Dimpled & Grooved Discs,Ferodo Pads and HEL Stainless Hoses fitted (just need to get the rears fitted)
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While shopping for some cleaning products,i saw these and couldn't resist ordering some!
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Gave the 'ol Gal a clean (she hasn't been washed since September,oops!)
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Managed to grab this photo of the Runabout Type II fuel lid covered in frost from the other morning
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Small Update:
Finally got round to getting the hose take off and IAT bung welded onto the Intercooler pipe
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Which resulted in the IAT wires breaking off at the plug,managed to get around it but potentially made it worse. It'll be fine for now,but at 10:30pm in very cold conditions,i didn't want to be out there for much longer
Fitted the stainless Fuse Box cover that's been sitting about for a couple of months
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Purchased an Alloy Washer bottle
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And fitted :) Got the Alloy Scuttle Panel machined to allow access to the cap
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With the original bottle removed,the air ducting was in a much better positioned and shortened
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Gave the engine bay a good clean too,as it hadn't been cleaned since it was painted
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The car scene in this area is pretty poor to be honest. Theres a lot of modified cars and only one or two big-ish groups.
Just before Christmas a very close friend of mine became very ill and was in and out of Hospital. Just before Christmas he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer,how long he will be with us,a month? two months? a lot longer I hope!
So the car community pulled together last night and organized a meet in honour of his friendship,his hard work as a Motorsport Photographer and for being THE most kind,caring and thoughtful man that will grace this earth.
These types of meets NEVER happen around here,and I think last night proved that the car community is still a huge family and we can work together to keep the passion alive.
The local Papers,local news,The Big C Charity and Adrian Flux were there to show support for Mark. We find out the total raised on Wednesday :)
(not my photo)
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Update time :)
So this week I embarked on a road trip to go visit Nick at Skuzzle Motorsport to have the car mapped.
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Nick worked his magic and was incredibly speedy in mapping her! Thinking it would take all day,infact only took him till Lunch time.
When I had it dyno'd a few weeks after it was charged,it was 142hp @ the wheels and 180hp @ the flywheel.
She's now a healthy 170hp @ the wheels and 204hp @ the flywheel! Its a lot smoother to drive and less punchy,Nick said he can adjust it to bring back some of the punchy-ness,but I'd have to sacrifice some Torque which I didn't want to do. The fueling is a lot better,she doesn't flame any more,but Nick kindly demonstrated how to change that in Tuner Studio. He did adjust it so it pops and burbles nicely at 4000rpm now :)
Overall,incredibly happy and pleased with the results and the work/service by Nick! Cant recommend him enough!
So me and Mrs Reeper spent another day in the area and then headed home. Needless to say,after a 577 mile round trip,the Monster is in need of a bath now
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I'm sure everyone on here has dreamt of owning a particular car/car part. Ever since I've been involved with modified cars,i've always fallen in love with one particular alloy wheel.
I promised myself that one day I hope I could be so lucky to own such a wheel. So I bit the bullet and ordered them,knowing they're custom made to order,the waiting time would be an absolute killer and it seemed a lot longer than it actually was.
So after a 12 week wait and numerous emails sent bugging Rich at Driftworks,i finally took delivery of them today!
//WORK Meister S12P 15x9j ET0 in Gloss White
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Mrs Reeper bought me some Wide Arches for Christmas. So i'll need to wait to have those fitted before the Works can go on.
I'll be wrapping them in 205/50 Rainsport 3 tyres. They seem to have a very good review and they're pretty good price wise.
 

Antony

Ex. Club Member
Hmm.... That's either not a 205 tyre or not a 9" rim.

That looks more like a 215 on an 8.

Although, my 235 on a 8.5 looks more stretched....

Something isn't tight there....
 

frank

Club Member
Hmm.... That's either not a 205 tyre or not a 9" rim.

That looks more like a 215 on an 8.

Although, my 235 on a 8.5 looks more stretched....

Something isn't tight there....
205mm = 8" ant, so half inch of stretch either side aint it ?
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Last Sunday i embarked on another roadtrip,this one was certainly worth it!
I've been searching for a Garage Vary bonnet ever since i had the previous MX5. I had missed out on countless chances,but i finally managed to get my hands on one!
Another reason why i wanted one so much,was because the Monster had one,when it was over in Japan
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A massive thank you to AK Automotive for giving me first refusal and for keeping hold of it for me :)
Today (Thursday 5th February) i trial fitted the //WORK Meisters and Arches
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Also got my Pistonheads Smiley fitted :D
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Time for an update!
Chrome Bonnet lifters fitted,incredible how much room these now give,and makes it look a lot neater without the bonnet prop there
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Track Dog Racing Manifold blanket arrived from Moss Europe
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There were a number of comments on Instagram with regards to me fitting this incorrectly,i can inform you that it isn't :)
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Since fitting the Garage Vary and having some heavy rain. I noticed the Supercharger pulleys had started to get some surface rust. During a quiet afternoon at work I made a cover to help deflect the water. So far its worked a treat
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With my first Track Day coming up,i thought I'd do some little bits and pieces ready
TRS Tow Strap and Steel Tow Hook fitted
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Not a necessity,but I fitted new Bonnet Pins and also re-fitted the stock Door Mirrors (cant see anything in the Auto Blaze mirrors,especially for a track day)
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Fire Extinguisher Mount made (just need to round the edges and paint it)
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I did some more JDM parts hunting. In particular two items that the Monster had fitted when over in Japan. I don't want to replicate the car completely,but have bits and pieces fitted again
Dcuatro Headlight Cover
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Zoom Fuel Lid
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I've also had the Rear 1.8 Dimpled/Grooved Discs,Ferodo Pads and HEL stainless hoses fitted
 

Guy

Has gone over to the oily side...
Club Member
I've not been around much over the last year Chris and can only say - wow! You've done an incredible job :cool:.
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
When I first got the car,there was a sticker covering the aerial hole. From what I can understand,these were issued out to show your level of skill? (I could be completely wrong)
I found a blog from about 4-5 years ago by 7Tune who was selling them. I also found them on the D.Speed website,but I never received a reply from either. So I contacted Ben Geany to see if he could replicate it,this man is a genius when it comes to graphic design and vinyl printing/making!
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https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8580/16531650919_8644bbf7a3_z.jpg
You may remember a couple of posts back I mentioned I attended a Car Meet for my friend who was battling cancer. Mark sadly lost the battle,and I thought it was time to get his sticker added to the car
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Yesterday (Tues 3rd March) I went to my very first track day at Snetterton! Arriving full of nerves and worry I headed out on track for the sighting laps and then a quick novice session before the day kick started.
It took some time getting used to it as I wasn't used to this style of driving. I could have entered the corners with more speed,or I could have turned in later. But I didn't want to put too much stress on the car or get over confident and end up binning it.
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I had to put some purple vinyl on the front to stop the bonnet lifting,did the job though :)
I even managed to get some passenger laps in Roddison's Mk3 Race Car,Norfolk Fives' Red5 and Fast Eddy's Smart Forfour Brabus!
Overall,an awesome day! Now I wanna buy more parts :/
Heres the GoPro video. I probably done a lot of things incorrect but oh well **** it lol
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
After the track day a couple of weeks ago,i needed abit more support,i was trying to push myself into the seat around the corners and ended up having bad back ache for a few days after.
So I was on the hunt for a cheap bucket seat. This Sparco Sprint V seat appeared on ebay and I got it for a decent price. Knowing the stock seat runner fits with minor adjustment,i knew it was worth paying abit more for that
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It didn't take long to get the runner modified and bolted on
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My Uniroyal Rainsport 3 tyres arrived,i went for 205/50/15 in the end
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And fitted,damn these wheels look awesome now!
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They've got a tiny bit of stretch,abit more than I was expecting but nevermind. These will do until I can find a decent 215 or 225 that's for road use and isn't gonna require a visit to the bank manager lol
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And here's a sneak peak of whats to come ;)
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Photos speak louder than words ;)
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Wide Arches from Fast5.co.uk
Mazdaspeed Bumper
Dcuatro Light Cover
Garage Vary Bonnet colour coded
Garage Vary Tail Lights adjusted/modified
//Work Meister S1 15x9j ET0 Uniroyal Rainsport3 205/50/15
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
This afternoon consisted of not very exciting things...painting calipers :/
But it was a good opportunity to test out some spacers. I ended up with 10mm on the front (the wheels catch the bumper on turning without them,so this will be interesting) and 25mm on the back.
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Still loads of room in the arches,shall see how I get on
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And a random photo from the other night
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Finally got round to getting the Stainless Elbow welded and fitted to the car! Need to get the Inlet welded to the charger (as it keeps coming loose) aswell as making a support bracket due to the extra weight.
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Bought some Toyota COPs (these will be on a back-burner until I've got a gap inbetween car shows)
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Today I had the car detailed by Stuart at Auto-Genie. Stuart was here for almost 10 hours,and what an INCREDIBLE job he's done! Heres a quick run down of the work.
Engine Bay cleaned
Rubber and plastics cleaned and dressed
Chrome and Metal cleaned and sealed
Under Bonnet cleaned
Exterior Paint Washed
Chemical Detamination
Clay Bar
Machine Polish
Glaze
Waxed
Wheels cleaned and sealed
Exhaust and exterior chrome cleaned and sealed
Interior and Exterior Glass cleaned
Interior plastics and chrome cleaned and sealed
Leather Upholstry cleaned and conditioned
I'm sure i've missed a few things out lol
It would have been rude not to take some photos
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I cant recommend him enough! I don't think I'd let anyone else detail it,will definitely be using him again!
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
I've been sitting on the fence about getting a strut brace since the charger has been fitted. Very disappointed that the Mazdaspeed Brace wouldn't fit over,and I wasn't 100% sold on using an OEM brace. So I fired an email over to Moss Europe to enquire about their Cobalt 3pt brace,and I was informed that it would fit. Very fast delivery from them as always,and they were true to their word!
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I also ordered a 45* silicone elbow for the air filter to get rid of that air ducting which was damaged and frayed
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Awhile back SpeedHunters posted a photo on their Instagram asking to see their reader's rides that were Supercharged,ready for their next article. I thought I'd send them some photos and info,knowing that there are some SERIOUS cars around the world,mine would never be picked.
How wrong was I! Happened to look on their site to see if the article was published. Scrolling through reading about the numerous cars they've chosen across the world until I stumbled on photos of the Purple Monster!
You can read the article here >> #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER Your Supercharged Rides
 
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
A month or so ago I trial fitted some 25mm hubcentric spacers to the back. The wheels caught the arches pretty badly,so purchased a pair of 20mm spacers from FreakyParts and got them fitted.
With the 20mm spacers,the original studs protruded through by a couple of threads,not allowing the wheel to sit flush against the spacer. Once those were trimmed,they fitted like a glove
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On Friday I took a road trip across the country ready for Japfest at Castle Combe. A couple of days before the show,a friend asked if I could help out on a trade stand,a valeting company called Auto Perfection.
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Last but not least,some AWESOME news I've kept quiet for awhile....
You may remember a couple of posts ago I had the car professionally valeted,this wasn't for just any reason. I had been approached by Matt Woods Photography who were photographing it on behalf of Banzai Magazine!
Cant thank Matt enough for the awesome photos,cant believe its been published this quickly! Its available to download from Monday 18th and in the shop Thursday 21st!
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Think its time for an update :)

First of all I did a little drive by video,as I realized I haven't got a video since its been mapped and the belt slip has been sorted

Today I removed the charger to make up some support brackets. Since the new stainless elbow adds weight to the end,i noticed the inlet now has some slight movement.
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While the charger was off I did an oil change. Considering it was supposed to have 20 delivery miles when I bought it,the oil says differently!
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Gave the charger and inlet a lick of paint,looks good as new! Also cut down the silicone elbow for the Air Filter as I noticed the foam filter itself keeps coming off. But it seems it works itself loose from vibration,so will be ordering a smaller filter.
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I also had the CD of photos from the Banzai Magazine photoshoot come through the post today. Here are some shots that didn't appear in the magazine (and some that did)
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
I've had my TR Lane cage powder coated for awhile, finally got around to fitting it
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Which meant I could finally fit the Carbon Miata seat belt extenders too :)
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I've been meaning to do an Over The Rad Intercooler set up for awhile (I should have done it at the beginning really). Managed to get everything off eBay for a reasonable price
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With some help from H&S Performance (as always,a flawless job!) they moved the radiator and fitted the new set up (inc getting the IAT boss welded).
Today I made a new slam panel and tensioner cover. With the old tensioner cover,i think the water was coming up underneath causing the tensioners to corrode. I'll see if this helps,fingers crossed it does :)
Just need to paint both covers,but I ran out of time today :(
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I made a eyelet in the corner of the cover and used the bracket on the PAS hose to connect both. I used a spare top hat spacer from the seatbelt to space the gap. Its nice and solid now with no movement.
Just realized I left my ratchet on the top mount...oops!
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
For awhile I've been thinking about some more gauges,but the issue was on where to put them. The current AFR gauge was in a pod on top of the steering column cowl. I did start making a gauge pod in the air bag awhile ago,but they point towards the roof (not ideal). I couldn't find a RHD A-Pillar pod either,i could get one made but it would work out a lot of money.

So I ended up swapping out the double din JVC to a single din and putting the gauge panel above the radio.

I also painted the radio and gear surrounds Gloss White to tie in the roll cage,wheels and engine bay.

I just need to fit the oil sandwich plate to get the Oil Temp gauge working

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Also added these,i know its not to everyone's tastes,but then again,neither is the whole car to some lol

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Recently I was tagged in a Facebook page that sells those dress up kits. But his counter sunk washers have names engraved. So I bought a couple of packs to test and try out

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And some photos from a couple of local meets/shows

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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Pulled the Monster apart again,this time ready to fit the Oil Sandwich Plate and do an oil change

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Got the Oil Temp sensor plumbed and working fine :) Its gonna take awhile to get use to reading it in Fahrenheit rather than Celsius.

The backbox had been rattling for a number of months so finally got round to ordering a new one from I.L Motorsport. Abit disappointed the silence box has started to tarnish from the heat,i guess theres nothing that can prevent that :(

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Received an order from Jass Performance too

Needle Caps

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Oil dipstick handle

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Last but not least,my custom engraved Sill Covers. The photos don't do these justice,these are incredible!

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The other half and her sister have just bought a car together,i had zero influence on the decision....honestly!

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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
I noticed an oil leak since the supercharger had its oil change. The drain/fill plug was dry and tight,but it was coming from the side. Took the Outlet off and this was the gasket

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At the time of fitting the Charger I only had really thin gasket paper (that's all we sold at work at the time). Remade them with the new thicker paper and so far its cured the leak.

Next on my to-do list was to fit the Harness Eyelets I've had kicking about for awhile. In prep for the next track day (when ever that will be)

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I've re-made the radiator slam panel in a thicker Aluminum and painted it with Black Stone Chip and lacquered.

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I haven't been happy with the current location for the Air Filter. Being next to the Manifold and Charger wasn't any help,so I relocated it.

On my last 5 I did a very similar thing with the Turbo except the filter came from the side.

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And a couple of photos from a recent Classics Meet

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OP
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hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
I noticed an oil leak since the supercharger had its oil change. The drain/fill plug was dry and tight,but it was coming from the side. Took the Outlet off and this was the gasket

19712097312_1edcde3642_z.jpg


At the time of fitting the Charger I only had really thin gasket paper (that's all we sold at work at the time). Remade them with the new thicker paper and so far its cured the leak.

Next on my to-do list was to fit the Harness Eyelets I've had kicking about for awhile. In prep for the next track day (when ever that will be)

19724573131_ee09e78850_z.jpg


I've re-made the radiator slam panel in a thicker Aluminum and painted it with Black Stone Chip and lacquered.

19531982110_d69fe37fb1_z.jpg


I haven't been happy with the current location for the Air Filter. Being next to the Manifold and Charger wasn't any help,so I relocated it.

On my last 5 I did a very similar thing with the Turbo except the filter came from the side.

19531333460_1bab57ca96_z.jpg


19532704909_6712559a53_z.jpg


And a couple of photos from a recent Classics Meet

19531275458_af27261c4c_z.jpg


19096729534_8be6e61a1f_z.jpg


19532673299_a7a1c80ea2_z.jpg
 
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