Eunos Chump

That's what the previous tyres felt like compared to the BF Goodrich ones I had fitted today. Been out this evening with the top down, going too damn fast and considering if there is actually any great need for a turbo. It's quick in any gear, and once you hit 5000 rpm all hell breaks loose; I reckon I'd be constantly feeding it gears if I went the forced-induction route, unless the wheel diameters increased too. Took it to Guildford for the first time today, it's not a very pleasant way to commute. Doddering along in the dark, roof up, you quickly become aware of how small, noisy and uncomfortable it is. Can't have everything I suppose, and to be honest it's no different to the Barchetta or X1/9.

This evening I've scrubbed all 4 wheels back to some kind of decency. First I hit them with cellulose thinners applied with a toothbrush (gentle scrub first, then a 2nd more severe one), then it was soapy water and an abrasive sponge thingy, then a rinse. The photo shows a half-completed wheel, the difference is pretty startling. Nothing could be done with the plastic centre caps, so I've slung them into the back of the garage for now. New tyres tomorrow (BF Goodrich Profiler 2), and it's first trip to work so I expect the hairdresser/homo jokes to begin in earnest. How very dare you!

Did a lot of fiddling today but didn't seem to get a great deal done. I've finally washed it, attempted to revive the alloys with a pressure washer (didn't really work), refinished the wiper arms in black satin paint (new looking now), and treated the hood. I had a go at adjusting the ignition timing from 10 degrees BTDC to 14 but the cam angle sensor wouldn't budge, will have to revisit this.

Gave the roadster a service today. I've removed the strut brace (to allow access to the plugs and because it's undeclared on the insurance), and I can't notice any difference. I assume this was fitted by it's Japanese owner because it has some of that fantastic grammar-free-bollocks-written-in-English writing on it which they seem to love; "It gives full satisfaction to the driver who, for more and further more speed fights for his life in a competitive world that demands the utmost limit of his capacity". Yes. I'm going to start talking like this, I will be cool.

Failure of the door mirror pivot is pretty common, it seems. The steel rod linking the mirror to it's base is too thin and ungalvanised, so it's really just a matter of time before they go, especially if you're a big clumsy ape like me. It can be fixed though, the solution is here . All the metal parts in my mirror body had rusted into a single lump, so I tore it out with molegrips. The pivot in the base was rusted solid too, so I hammered it out (ape style), then used a galvanised bolt, 3 washers, 2 spring washers and 2 nuts to secure the lot together again. Put it back on the car, waggle it about to work out any free play, retighten the nuts, then put the glass back and glue in the edge trim. Proper engineering, this is!

While racing about in cars is fun, the primary purpose of driving is of course to listen to Radio 4. The speakers in the 5 were the most dreadful I've ever heard, so investigation was required. Take a look at the photo - the edge of the speaker has totally gone! There was no debris so I reckon they've just rotted away. I've got some vaguely better ones I pulled out of the Benz to replace them, look like standard 16.5cm jobs. I also took a look at the headrest speakers, they're rubbish too but I'll probably leave them alone. Tried to adjust the door mirror and ended up breaking it off. I'm searching t'interweb for a fix right now so I don't have to spend any precious brass on a new one.

Finally got the 5 on Sunday. Yes I fit, yes it's a hoot to drive, and yes it's in sound overall condition. It does need some TLC though. Hoofed about the back roads near Hunstanton late that night with the top down, giving it ample loud pedal, shredding the tyres, and giggling a lot. Almost crashed it a couple of times so decent tyres are now top priority because as much as I like oversteer, I don't like it when it arrives unannounced at 50mph. I've got a long list of jobs to do, far too much to list here, and in fact I've had to call on the power of Microsoft Project to organise things. My bandaged finger and the cold weather are really holding me back, but I've now moved it into the garage so I can have a little comfort. I'd be out there now working on it, but... you know... it's cold out there. It's much easier to sit here writing down all my good intentions instead. The Benz seems to have taken exception to my tarty new girlfriend, and maro...

I finally have the Eunos. My brother bought it on my behalf on Sunday, because he's kind and certainly not an illegal turnip dealer with dirty cash that needed laundering! That is a wicked rumour with not a hint of truth in it. I should be able to go and collect this weekend, which will be my first time in an MX5... I'm sure it'll all work out fine. I should have posted this earlier but I'm being worked to death at the moment. I was allowed a few hours to go to hospital today after chopping a chunk of meat off my finger though, after being savaged by a HP Proliant server. It was bad, it almost ruined my lunch.