Hoodedreeper's MX5 The Purple Monster

[hoodedreeper]

I know there are still some parts dirty,but I was too excited to get it back together and take photos!

A MASSIVE thank you to AutoDoc and H&S Performance for their incredible work!

[MrBrooks]

Looks much better now the bay is painted. I'll have to stop by and see it in person soon!

[pablo]

That's a stunning transformation in a year and from how it started. All made even better by the fact that you've also been using the car and not had it in a garage for the year.
You also take a very cool pictures

[hoodedreeper]

A small update

I wasn't too keen on the BMW Sparkling Graphite painted rocker cover,it looked too dark against the black Inlet Manifold and the front cross over pipe for the air box. So I sent the spare over to a local Powder Coaters. I got it back at the beginning of the week and fitted it today



I also fitted a Polished Plug Cover,both work really well I also took a visit back down to H&S Performance who helped me fit a Stoney Racing Ancillary Hose Kit. These guys have been incredible the past couple of months and I cant thank them enough.





I have absolutely no idea what the colour of the purple is. I originally asked for Candy Purple (but they only do basic Candy colours). He said he can do Cadbury's Purple,but this looks very pearlescent in direct light.

Noobie error,i forgot to clean the threads for the front oil breather hose and Coil Pack,so those aren't currently bolted down

[Billy]

They do candy colours just not had any purple

[hoodedreeper]

I wasn't gonna buy candy purple powder for a single rocker cover lol

[hoodedreeper]

Heres a little video for you (PLEASE WATCH)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHq21QhaNE





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!





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.



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!



AEM Wideband from Dan at Fast5



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)



TR Lane Kit ordered,this was one of the most expensive items and took approx 6 weeks to be made.



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





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

[hoodedreeper]

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



Intercooler Pipework Mock Up (Driver's Side)



Manifold removed to fit the Wideband Sensor (its at a stupid place and was easier to remove the Manifold)



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











Nice and Stealthy!

[hoodedreeper]

IAT and Idle Speed Valve hose fitted to the Intake hose



RX8 Injectors Fitted (after several issues with a crushed O-Ring!)



Belt fitted and tensioned. Air ducting and Pipercross Foam Filter fitted too. Megasquirt 2 V3 had also arrived and was fitted



And there we have it! Supercharged in 7 days

[john B]

Great work mate.....

This really is a special 5