Hugo

Hugo is our (NA) 1991 Mazda Eunos Roadster.
The engine is the 1.6 L (1,597 cc) B6ZE(RS) - (78x83.6 mm).  It uses a non-interference DOHC 16-valve alloy head with a lightened crankshaft and flywheel to allow a 7,200 rpm redline.  It has the Japanese version of the engine with a 9.4:1 compression ratio and a factory rating of 120 hp and 100 ft·lb of torque.  As it is a Japanese import, it has a few extra features: air conditioning and an automatic gearbox.  Not a lot of MX-5's have auto gearboxes, as people believe changing gears is half the fun of having a 5.  I would love to have a manual gearbox, but my knees won't allow such niceties.
 My wife and I purchased the car in October 2010, and have had a lot of fun with it.  I've decided to keep a blog to keep track of the modifications and repairs I have done to the car.  At this stage, it will be mostly retrospective and fairly image free, as I haven't recorded much of what I've done.  As the car is an auto, perhaps some other auto-owners will be interested and can see what I've done - at least they might know what not to do!
We're also members of the MX-5 Owners Club, which has a lot of things going for it.  We've only joined recently and haven't had much opportunity to do stuff with the club, but as summer approaches, I think we'll be deep in it.

Here's what I've done in repairs so far:
In the winter, I noticed the radio kept cutting out.  I thought it would be time for a new radio!  The next day, the lights were dimming....
The next day, the car wouldn't start...
I hunted high and low for an alternator, and found a used one on eBay.  When it arrived, I stood outside in the cold, and removed the old alternator.  I then discovered the replacement was the wrong one.  I'll post the details of the eBay seller when I find them.  He was a good guy who bent over backwards to help me out, and I recommend him!
I was able to return the alternator, and the chap sent me another - this one worked!
I read a bit about the process of replacing the alternators on these cars, and people seemed to think it was fairly involved and not very easy.  I found it to be not too difficult, and the part went on okay, with no major issues.  I replaced the alternator and the power steering belt at the same time.

I've also replaced the tie rod ends, as I noticed the rubber seals were cracked, and there was very little grease left.  I marked the tie rods, but now the steering wheel points a bit to the left when going straight ahead, and it does drift left - a sure sign to get the geometry done.  I will do this when I upgrade the wheels and tires.

I have replaced the worn out plastic bushings for the gear selector.  A fairly common mod, as the original bushings tend to wear out and makes the gear selector wobbly.  Changing the bushings was okay, and made a big difference in the way the car 'felt'.  

For a twenty year old car, that's not a lot of repairs.  It's treated me quite well!

I've also upgraded the shocks, as one of them broke on a particularly nasty London pothole.  I decided the car would look nice if it was a bit lower, so I bought some Raceland coilover shocks, with adjustable coils for all four corners.  Putting the rear ones on was a breeze; the front ones were a pain - I ended up having to undo the lower ball joints to get the shocks off, so I replaced them at the same time.
I know Raceland aren't as famous or fantastic a brand as Koni, but they do the trick for me.  The car sits nice a low, and the ride is not bad - it's a bit jumpy, but I'll put that down to the geometry.
Other mods have been fairly cosmetic:
- Replaced the front marker light bulbs with white LED bulbs
- Replaced the sealed beam headlights with clear glassed lenses and fitted with H4 bulbs ( an easy fit, no problems, and looks good!)
- Replaced the rear brake lights with white LED bulbs
- Installed 1 inch dome tweeters in the outer vents, and replaced the original speakers in the doors with Pioneer 6.5 inch speakers
- Stubby aluminium antenna
- Chrome effect Mazda mirrors.
Why did I replace the mirrors?  Well, that's a story for another entry.  This one will have pictures!