Today I modded a car

Timo Geusch gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Reckon it must.

Today, I've been modding a car, too. The repaint of the van has properly begun.

Fuck me, but it's bright... The man in B&Q looked quite worried as he took the lid off the mixed paint and showed it me.

CIHAGM?

Be interesting to see how it feels compared to the one I had a few months ago (which incidentally, I really wish I'd kept).

On a modding note, the VFR was yesterday de-wing racked, seat hump fitted in its place and a carbon ART can was fitted.

Any f***er who now SMIDSYs me will be asked if they're stone deaf. :-)

-- JackH

Yeah, why not. If I don't crash it at Abbeville on the 7th...

I know that feeling. Out of the whole fleet with the possible exception of the A8 (because she hasn't spent much time in it), Ann prefers the MX5 and I'm slowly going the same way.

Did you have a 1.6 or a 1.8?

Mine'll probably feel almost exactly the same, possibly a bit sharper due to the lower profile tyres and coilovers.

Heh. Reminds me of the first time I rode my Milwaukee tractor without wearing earplugs. And that was with the "quiet" baffles in the exhaust, too.

LOL... I trust Sir has European recovery booked for this.

1990 1.6 Eunos Roadster in black... picked it up for the princely sum of =A3450 - a good runner with a hint of MOT and a recent new roof.

Which was fine... until, as I think I explained the last time I saw you, I got a bit carried away along a country lane and realised all of a sudden my driving skills have possibly been blunted by a succession of ABS equipped FWD cars.

End result, one broken mirro, and a front wing and my pride dented in equal measures.

Still... I still got =A3750 for it, so all wasn't lost. :-)

Do wish I'd kept it now though... in fact I've come up with the brainwave today that perhaps if I end up with a company car soon, I may offload the Passat, work out how much of the money that gets spent on that is then going in company car tax, and then get a decent MX5 on a similar finance deal as the Passat, with the change. :-)

That is, if I can't find anything as remotely entertaining cabriolet wise as an MX5 but with four to five seats.

Mine was lower than standard, but no bracing etc.

Aye, but anyone who SMIDSY'ed you on that would have the excuse they were dazzled by the glare...

-- JackH

Yeah right. As if anybody would offer breakdown cover for a 19yo car.

Not bad.

Indeed.

You can pick up a very decent early one for 1500-1700 quid...

I don't think there is anything like that out there.

It wouldn't have any much, no. I'm slowly adding the bracing as I find the bits.

Oi! It's at least 50% black and the rest of it needs a polish.

Not even Autie Carol?

I know our 75 is fully covered for Euro breakdown with them.

Erm, if Sir bins it and has no recovery cover, Sir is probably financially better off leaving it where it is if it's in such a state that it can't move on and off the ferry under its own steam.

I'd seriously try to find some cover before you go, especially given the nature of the trip.

Bloody bargain really.

It needed a blowover more than anything.

It was otherwise solid and I sold it to a local MX5 freak who commented on how well it drove.

Might have been the 40k from new lump it had had fitted the year before I suppose...

I'm thinking more of getting a later one like Dougs.

Nor do I, and I have looked.

I'm tempted to get a Rover 216 Cabriolet as a stop gap actually - they cost sod all these days, and they're the same 130bhp D16 lump as the

216GTi Twin Cam / Civic / CRX.

Not going to be anywhere near as much fun though.

They're not exactly that much of a flex monster standard from what I've seen.

;-)

Have you actually tried anything as daft as commuting to work on that thing yet???

-- JackH

Yes, after the current MX-5 I have set my sights on a 6Series convertible.

Seems like a logical progression to me.

(c:

Douglas

Auntie Carol has had problems with insuring modified cars in the past, and this one isn't exactly standard. Plus the current insurer treats this car and the A8 as if I had the same kind of NCB on them as I do on the RX7, which leads to very favourite quotes.

Yep.

I hear you. Trouble is that most recovery contracts will *not* cover your for incidents happing on the track anyway, but there are some specialists who will. I guess I'll better have a word with them.

The good thing about this trip is that there are supposedly only four cars on the track as it's an intensive track instruction day rather than the usual free for all. Plus, Abbeville has decent runoff compared to places like Brands.

Yes, a lot of them do. Including mine.

Even the higher mileage ones are OK unless they've got crank nose problems, which was the most likely explanation for yours having another engine put in. Incidentally, that's how mine acquired another engine, too.

Mk2? Personally I prefer a Mk1 but that's just personal preference.

Yes and no - you can still improve them for track use, though. It doesn't feel that flexible but you notice how much stiffer it gets when you put the hardtop on.

I've done it a few times and if the weather stays like this I'll be using it for commuting again next week. I hadn't used it for a while because I was sorting out a few issues that the previous owner kindly left over for me, like the leaky intake gaskets (they all do that, sir) and a throttle cable that had rusted through.

That's just because you couldn't live with the awesome cross country abilities of the hallowed hairdresser mobile in a canal road type thrash.

Or.

You were just hanging back to give me a chance :-)

P.S. Family duties beckon today - enjoy the autotest. :-(

That's as maybe, but I'm sure you can still get breakdown cover on them, infact I'm certain you can - have you tried or did you assume it was a no go?

I've had a look around and all the standard policies I've encountered so far are only good for cars up to 15 years old. The MX5 is 19...

I know loads of people with classic cars. Some of the cars are as old as 1930s.

They all have breakown recovery to suit their usage - some of which includes european travel.

Don't know if these guys are any good.

A quick google dragged it up.

Hehehe, the canal road is cool. I've been along there faster, as I'm sure you have, but the pace was comfortable.

Autotest was cool. Awesome day and barbeque. The field owner brought her daughters, a Mini and some sort of Bentley special which they all proceeded to rag merry hell out of in the full spirit of the event.

There was some fairly serious sideways action. My car is now caked in cowshit. (c:

Sorry you couldn't make it.

This is why you make sure someone drags the car a few miles up the road before you call the recovery service.

HTH

What do they normally race there, just out of interest?

Aye.

I want ABS after what happened with the last one. ;-)

I don't think I'd be up for that - I likes my fairings when doing runs like that. :-)

-- JackH

Tried ADAC ?

Aye, but a Eunos rather than UK spec MX5 is considered a grey import and thus you can't get classic insurance on them from what I have seen.

A stupid set of rules if ever there were IMHO.

-- JackH