My Mk1 Eunos S-Package

[suggs_84]

Time for another update on the car! I barely used it over December and Christmas etc, it just sat in the garage with a tray under it acting as a giant nappy to catch the oil that was still dripping down… as well as coolant… nothing terrible, but not ideal either!

Over the Christmas period however I did buy the cam sensor O-ring as mentioned above by Steve - for only 2 quid from MX5 Parts it was a no brainer to give it a try even if it wasn’t the cause of the leaks! I also bought and paid for one of their single exit stainless steel exhausts, but it was out of stock at the time of ordering. This came mid-January. I also ordered (again on back order) a brand new Nardi Classic steering wheel and HKB boss from Driftworks. This arrived at the start of February, straight from Italy via Driftworks.

So with parts coming in, skip forward to the end of January and with the MOT looming in February, I booked the Eunos into my local trusted garage to have an MOT, exhaust fitting and to check for the cause of the oil and coolant leaks. The car failed the MOT at first due to leaking rear shocks (the Tein springs finished them off!) and it ended up being there 10 days so I was able to get the Nardi wheel fitted as well.

The MOT was sorted with 4 brand new shocks, one of the fronts was misting too so it was a no brainer again to have them all replaced at the same time. It was getting stupidly bouncy to drive anyway so it was no surprise really these would need changing. The coolant leak was discovered to be the actual thermostat housing - the garage told me they couldn’t get one so I got straight on the phone and ordered a genuine Mazda brand new one from MX5 Heaven with gasket and O-ring and also ordered a brand new Thermostat and gasket as well for good measure.

The oil leak was more challenging, baring in mind I’ve already had the rocker cover gasket changed with a new alternator belt, the oil leak never got any better, it simply sealed the top and pushed it out somewhere else - they stripped the engine down and there was oil everywhere, all over the cambelt and aux belts, down the block, a complete and utter mess… both front camshaft oil seals were badly leaking so these were changed as well as the CAM sensor O-ring i’d supplied.

Being put back together after a a big clean up;

This all ended being a massive job and in total, over the last 10 days the car has had quite a big over haul - new cambelt and waterpump, thermostat, thermostat housing, 2x aux belts, both front camshaft oil seals, the O-ring, 4 new shock absorbers as well as the shiney new stainless steel exhaust! But the results were worth it!

…. and finally, the new wheel fitted. It looks and feels fantastic, I went for the 360mm version, same as the original Momo wheel, as a smaller one would obstruct my view of the dials. The only annoying thing is that the Nardi horn push centre didn’t fit!? Something to do with the boss I believe so they had to put the Momo horn push back in, this is frustrating, but i’ll get it sorted asap.

The car now runs like a sewing machine with the work that’s now been done on it so i’m hoping fingers crossed i’m getting there with it now - fingers crossed that metal tray under the car can stay dry for a little while!

…. oh and the brand new yellow 2020 member sticker which came with the magazine yesterday has been added to my collection on the windscreen;

[suggs_84]

Steering wheel sorted with Driftwork’s adaptor ring!

[suggs_84]

So since the last update I have continued to clean up the car in many places just doing a bit at a time here and there, adding more little parts here and there as I find it hard to resist that urge to ‘make it my own’ yet still keep it oem+ in it’s appearance. One area I have continued to tackle is the engine bay where at every turn there is always more and more to clean and it has been quite the challenge and still has a long way to go but looks much better now. More of that later.

Anyway, back in March I took the car out for a lengthy run and got these photos;

I also got this updated photo of the interior around the same time;

With the weather improving I had just started to enjoy using the car a bit more and had even started putting the roof down as the sun was starting to shine;

This was just as the country went into lockdown however and what with staying at home and nice sunny drives in the Eunos hardly deemed as essential travel, this put the car straight back in the garage again on the battery charger.

Despite being unused at the moment, I have started again cleaning up the car in a few places (small things most people wouldn’t notice!) and buying more bits and bobs that I tell myself I need to improve the car. ‘MX5 Parts’ should do a loyalty scheme lol! There has been quite a list but i’ll start with the Audi TT style air vent rings. I wanted some rings but the stick on flimsy chrome effect ones are not my thing, plus I have a satin Nardi wheel so it wouldn’t match. These were are a hefty £55 but are solid metal, satin, superb quality and match perfectly. Nice!

(I have now changed the coin tray thingy for cupholders where the ash tray should be)

Lots of cleaning has been done in the engine bay as I said above but that’s a bit boring, what I will show though is just one example of what the car was like;

Dirt and rusty bolts all along the tops of the wings, back of the bay, front of the bay etc. I’ve spent a lot of time cleaning the tops of the wings and bought some new genuine Mazda wing bolts to replace but ended up using these ‘JDM’ washers and bolts for the wings which I like! The Mazda bolts just got used elsewhere as are multi-fitment.

I have also added the IL Motorsport oil filler cap, all new genuine Mazda screw caps along the panel where the wipers are, new fog light lens as mine was cloudy and tatty, changed all the badges on the car, replacing the rear ‘Eunos’ and ‘Roadster’ badges for brand new genuine Mazda replacements but don’t have photos to hand. These are exactly the same as what was on the car but so much fresher. For example, my red ‘Roadster’ badge almost didn’t have any red paint left on it and the chrome effect was tarnished. Now it is bright shiney red and bling bling proudly showing my car is a 1.8 lol! The ‘Eunos’ badge wasn’t as bad but the black letters had still faded hence now they both look great. I have even added the clear stickers in the boot that protect the paint from the rubber feet on the boot lid.

Anyway, enough for now - hopefully the car will be back on the road at some point soon!

[IanH]

Thanks for the update, looking nice!

[Rob_Collingridge]

Did you buy a new cam cover or get old one painted? If the latter, who/how please?

[suggs_84]

I was lucky and this was on eBay, already done, at the right time! Just bought It and it went on, paid £100 for it I think. Was in as new condition and freshly painted.

[High_Octane]

Looking good!

[suggs_84]

All badges have now been changed as mentioned in the previous post above, however this was the worst condition one which I now have some photos of, before AND after;

Up to date engine bay photo after lots of cleaning!!

……… and a cheeky roof down photo from recently!

[suggs_84]

Nothing new done with the car, just been enjoying using it now the lockdown has eased enough to allow drives out and distanced meetings with friends.

One of my best mate’s just got a Mk2 1.8 however so it would have been rude not to get some photos together. I’m not a Mk2 expert but i’m told this is a rare one, one of only 300 infact and an early one too being a V plate - interior is lovely!

Interesting seeing all the differences inside too with the two interior photos;

As my mate’s car came with a colour coded hard top, we thought we’d try it on my car to give me an idea of what a hard top would look like! I’ve always been of the opinion that for how I use the car, i’m better with just the soft top and although this was cool, i still won’t be getting one for mine.

[NathanEastham]

Wow! Like those wheels a lot - my Eunos could do with some new wheels so would you possibly be able to send me a link to those wheels?

Thanks,
Nathan

[suggs_84]

Thanks! The wheels were brand new from Driftworks, their website has many many different styles to choose from but mine are the 15" Japan Racing replica of the Enkei’s!

[Cpt_Carrothers]

Hi Nathan I am fairly certain that they are Japan racing .
They are the same pattern as enkei rpf1 .rota do the same pattern which are tfs3 ,I’ve got those on my mk 3.5 very nice wheel .regards Bob

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[suggs_84]

Another run out, another excuse for a photo! Why not…

Two very minor additions added as yet again i said the car was done and yet again i’ve found something else to buy. I paid the ££ for the Moss black leather arm rest pad as the hard plastic arm rest isn’t the most comfortable. Wasn’t sure at first as made it a little high but not i’m used to it and it’s fine!

Also spent a whopping 7 English pounds on a non slip cover for the accelerator pedal, better grip when wet etc but also covers the rusty old one, bonus!

[suggs_84]

These are a decent upgrade for anyone who hasn’t seen them, Ford Maverick ‘mist’ washer jets, cost me £7 each and does make a difference;

Also, a new addition for the collection;

[suggs_84]

So yet again, i ‘thought’ the car was done - but I have found more things to smarten it up a bit and make it a bit nicer, making it more ‘mine’ in the process. The list of parts that have either been changed or added to this car in the almost one year i’ve owned it now is getting rather long!!

Anyway, I saw some nice toggle switches on eBay that replace the hazard light and pop up lights buttons, sold via Autolink and thought they would look really smart on the dash. I mean, who doesn’t love a toggle switch right? I looked at some videos on youtube as to how to get the centre piece of the dash off and quickly realised this was quite simple - so no excuse to not crack on and get it done!

With the parts ordered and received, i quickly turned my interior into this;

The year’s of filth and muck was unreal, this closer photo shows the loveliness;

… then fitted and back together, this was my end result. I bought these as they had the black panel which i much prefer, the other ones i’d seen had a silver panel with the wording which i didn’t like so much;

BUT… while the centre console was all off, I thought it was a perfect chance to replace the old gearstick gaiter which a fresh black leather new one and also add a matching black leather handbrake gaiter as well. These were from MX5 Parts and made by I.L. Motorsport items and the quality is superb. With these being fresh this required a new gearknob as well to finish it off so went with a nice and subtle Jass brushed aluminium one, the colour matching my Nardi wheel and TT style vent rings quite nicely.

The tatty original and the not so great handbrake handle;

The end result, I am VERY pleased with the look and improved quality;

So overall, that’s the interior finished now I think and as you can see, it’s come on a LONG way from when I bought the car after adding many new parts and lots of cleaning, even had bits of trim missing when i bought it;

The only thing that’s new on the outside is some I.L. Motorsport side repeater rings, they all but cover up the black plastic surround and match nicely the chrome looking door handles and hardtop bolts etc;

[IanC]

Don’t forget the electric window toggle switches

and extras for foglights to carry on the toggle fix!

[suggs_84]

That interior looks fantastic!! Love those switches and the clock etc.

I did look at getting the window switches and saw a replacement panel i liked but they don’t support the one touch function on the driver’s side window which i use all the time which put me off changing it!

[suggs_84]

“So that’s the interior done now” - famous last words written above, this is an MX-5/Eunos… they are never done!

So onwards with the next little modification/addition, i’ve been on and off after some JDM teardrop speaker covers for a while and if any came up, i’d probably grab them. For ages on eBay, someone was selling just one and that was it! Great! But the other week a new listing popped up for a pair so i grabbed them. There is some minor scuffs and light markings on them but they ARE circa 25 years old and used so it’s ok. Only issues i could see;

1. The specific countersunk screws for the covers were not included
2. My car doesn’t have the doorcards to easily fit these/didn’t have them from the factory

This didn’t stop me!

So, here they are from the listing and then what I was working with;

As tempting as it was to buy some random screws, i went looking for the genuine OEM ones - in all of the internet it was only Autolink that had some for sale, 8 in total at £2.50 each!! Annoying as I needed 10, but bought them anyway. These have the blade type edge of the thread;

I also bought some replacement OEM clips from MX5 Parts fully expecting most of mine to be broken or old, i only bought 16 in the hope I could save a few quid and keep at least some of the originals - i think it’s 13 PER DOOR!

Door cards off;

The point of no return, measuring, checking, checking again and then putting the holes in my existing door cards;

… and then all done and sorted, this actually came together really well and despite not having the arm rests and tweeters you’d normally see with these covers, i think it almost looks like they could have been there from the factory! Hopefully i’ll be able to source another two screws at a later date but they are on there solid as a rock and i’ll never take them off again so doesn’t matter the doorcards now have little holes in them.

[suggs_84]

I’ve had a custom badge made up for the back of the car, not sure if it will stay long term but for now I quite like it. My car is an S-Package Eunos so i thought it would be nice to have something to show this. After a few messages back and fourth, I managed to get the size and font just about right for what I wanted and i sent a photo of the chequer pattern on the corner of the JDM S-Special mats to go on there as well. Little touches!

[suggs_84]

In true MX-5 style i noticed last week when putting some shopping in the boot that I had a damp carpet and mini paddling pool in my spare wheel. Lovely stuff! We’ve had sooo much rain here lately that despite being under our car port, it still has got soaked on many occasions in the the last three weeks.

Anyway, dried it all out with the hair dryer etc, plus gave the grubby old tool roll a wash (they were in the wheel well and soaked - excuse for a clean!) and it’s not been too bad since, i did buy a double ended brush off eBay to clean out the drain holes. I saw a Youtube video where someone said this was a trombone cleaner and thought nahhh… sure enough, mine turned up and despite being sold as an MX-5 part, the invoice was from a music shop Anyway, hacksawed one end off and cleaned out the channels which despite looking pretty good, was still well worth doing! So this will be something to keep an eye on as my mohair roof is all good and doesn’t let in water.