Selene - Nev's NB SE

[Nevyn72]

Maybe consider something like this:



There's an amazing array of silicon hose combinations available, one may be suitable.

I'm sure there's something out there that exactly fits the requirements for what I need..... But where's the fun in that?

Besides, I already have two hoses for that location, I don't need another!
That would also involve spending more money and waiting so I would rather modify one of the ones I have and see how it works out......
Anyway, I've done the mod already and it seems to have worked well, just need to give the glue a bit more time to dry.

Pictures of this mod and the DRL install later on.

[Nevyn72]

And away we go with today's projects!
Completed two today, fitting the FM inlet elbow and wiring and installing the DRLs....

First off the DRL install.

I decided to install these for safety reasons, a small, low, grey car isn't particularly visible.
I've already had 3 vehicles pull straight in front of me, one on the way home from picking my car up after purchase!
The visibility of cars with DRLs is much greater but there are laws regarding how you can install them. The must only be visible from the front of the vehicle and they must turn off when any other lights are switched on, including the parking lights.....

First off was to source the parts required. These came from eBay and included;

- a control unit. Most for sale seemed to be designed to work directly from the battery, which doesn't work particularly well with the MX5's battery being in the boot. I ended up settling on this one which is wired into the ignition circuit.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400392351503 ... 1497.l2649

- some DRL globes/fittings. Cheap isn't the word for these units, incredibly light and flimsy, with wires that seem to have only 4 or 5 strands.....
However they are very slim, which is what I was after, and for ~$5 delivered worth having a go with!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400581140780 ... 1497.l2649

Here's a picture of the actual unit.



The first step was to dismantle the unit and spend some time with some roof & gutter silicone attempting to make it more water resistant.
I also don't think it's at all UV resistant but that shouldn't be too much of an issue with where I have them mounted....

Next was to wire up the harness and route the cables to the front of the car. Fortunately there was previously a hands-free phone setup in the car (which I removed, was for an older phone type) so I had an ignition wire handy, I just needed to get it into the engine bay. A bit fiddly but there's a rubber grommet just below where the accelerator cable passes through the firewall which I made a hole in to pass the wire. The rest of the harness is secured just behind the driver's side headlight with the two globe wires fed through with the rest of the factory loom to behind the bumper and down into the opening for the intercooler/radiator.

Here's a picture of the main harness, I'll shorten all the wires later on when I'm completely happy with the setup.



The globes themselves are positioned in the top right and left hand corners of the main cooling opening.
They are positioned all the way back and one side of the globe housing actually rests on the factory tow hooks. This keeps them well out of sight, they are not restricting airflow at all and there's a helpful bolt located there that I was able to use to mount the small right angle bracket the globes sit on.

Here's a picture of them installed and turned off.



..... and here's a picture of them on.



Finally here's a picture standing up a little to show how they largely disappear when not looking straight on at the vehicle from a distance....



I may end up moving the globes a little further forward but the whole point is to seen from a distance not up close. I'll spend some time testing in the real world before I make up my mind....
Additionally the globes are VERY directional so need to tweak the alignment a bit.

So there you have it, total cost of less than $30 and so far I'm pretty happy with the result!
Time will tell if that lasts and to see what the durability of the globes is like. I may replace them with better quality units, or I might just order a few spare sets and replace them as the die, at $5 a set this is the most cost effective way but I'll wait and see how long the first set lasts.

[Nevyn72]

Ok, next was the install of the Flyin Miata Chrome inlet elbow, which is what MX5 Mania use in their stage 1 kit.

First job, thanks to some good advice from Lokiel, was to add a vacuum line barb to the inlet hose between the intercooler and inlet elbow to supply a signal to the factory EBC.
I almost connected as it was previously installed which was to the inlet manifold which I have since discovered is not good....

Now being a fan of cheap, creative solutions I decided to make the barb out of an old valve stem from a tyre tube I had lying around.
The valve stem was cut away from the tube with an extra 'foot' around the base and I drilled out the centre of the stem to 4mm to make sure I got good airflow.
Here's a picture of the bitz ready to be assembled.



And here's the finished product!
The threaded end of the valve stem will make a nice surface for the vacuum hose to grip on.



And finally here's a picture of the inside of the tube where the 'foot' is glued to inside wall.




Now the main reason for installing the inlet elbow is that the factory rubber unit is hopeless.
It expands like a ballon, even under modest boost and is know to blow off completely even on factory standard cars! Not much good when you start to increase the boost levels as the mod process continues...

If you don't believe me have a look at this shot, It looks like mine wasn't far from letting go!

[Nevyn72]

The rest of the install was pretty straight forward for once, (gotta have a win on occasion!)

The pipework is a little messy at the moment but that will all be tidied up after the CAI 'creation', Carbing strut tower brace and replacement oil catch can are installed....

Here are some pictures of the finished result.
In the first and final shot you can see the Nopro washer relocation kit sitting in the wet area in front of the driver.










The final thoughts?

Well replacing the intercooler and inlet elbow should have had absolutely no impact on the performance of the car..... However on the shakedown drive around the block a couple of times I swear the car was running a bit better, powering a bit more responsively..... Gotta love a bit of placebo!

What's next?
No more Mods for the moment until I get the catch can replacement (whatever that may be).

So the next job will be a front to back, top to bottom detail.
Since buying the car I've only ever given it a basic wash & rinse, time to do it properly!

[track_addict]

Great idea with fitting a valve stem to the inlet pipe. I might use that idea when I get around to fitting an inlet elbow. Good work on getting some jobs done over the past few days as well.

On the catch can front, I've seen Mishimoto have released a new catch can. A bit pricey but looks like good quality. Heres a link http://www.mishimoto.com/mishimoto-baff ... h-can.html.

[Nevyn72]

On the catch can front, I've seen Mishimoto have released a new catch can. A bit pricey but looks like good quality. Heres a link http://www.mishimoto.com/mishimoto-baff ... h-can.html.

Thanks for the link there mate, it's a lovely bit of engineering, but not really the style I was after.....

Besides, it would probably work out at ~$500 by the time it turned up!
A bit more than I was hoping to spend.




As for this...

Well replacing the intercooler and inlet elbow should have had absolutely no impact on the performance of the car..... However on the shakedown drive around the block a couple of times I swear the car was running a bit better, powering a bit more responsively..... Gotta love a bit of placebo!

I think I worked out what was happening. I actually forgot that in addition to everything else I did I also replaced the air filter!
This may have had something to do with the perceived improvement in performance......

[WASP]

..

Out of interest, the straight piece of hose that resembles a radiator hose, doesn't it balloon under boost
Steven

[dave2221]

Doing a quick look around i didnt find anything NSW specific.

but i wonder if you could turn the fog lights (which i personally dont really use) into DRL's

Rewire the switch so that they only work when the parking/headlights are off.

ill do more research.....

UPDATE....

check this forum here
http://forums.mightycarmods.com/showthread.php?30614-3-Steps-to-make-your-DRLs-legal-or-convert-factory-fog-lights-into-legal-DRLs

To make this legal (not 100% certain on this) the factory fog light must be changed.
Fog lights are defined partly by their light type and spread.

By removing the factory lights, and replacing with lights similar to these, you would be able to rewire the factory switch to operate DRLs

Seems to me a neater solution to the other aftermarket lights in the grill

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2x-4-LED-Round-DRL-Daytime-Running-Driving-Auto-Car-Fog-Light-Lamps-Bulb-Kit-Set-/390688290907?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5af6d6385b&_uhb=1

[Okibi]

Good write up on the MCM forum, I think you'd still get pulled over thinking you were running fog lights.
You'd have to explain to the Police officer about the modification you've made. Given its a mod to increase safety then it should be pretty easy to convince them it's 100% legal (depending on how fast you were going when they pulled you over and what other modifications they notice while you're stopped).

[Nevyn72]

...the straight piece of hose that resembles a radiator hose, doesn't it balloon under boost..

No, because unlike the inlet elbow, it has mesh webbing reinforcement embedded in the rubber.

[Nevyn72]

Doing a quick look around i didnt find anything NSW specific.

but i wonder if you could turn the fog lights (which i personally dont really use) into DRL's

The only car I know of that have DRLs that look like fog lights is the GT model of the Toyota 86.
These get constantly pulled over and booked for illegal use of fog lights, even when the driver shows the officer the owners manual that prooves they actually are DRLs!!

It might be easier using the globes you linked but probably not worth it..... If I was to anything with the fog lights (although as fog lights the work very well) it would be to change them into high powered driving lights!

[dave2221]

wouldnt be too hard to show they are DRL's

if they turn off when the headlights come on

[Nevyn72]

wouldnt be too hard to show they are DRL's

if they turn off when the headlights come on

Ummm..... Have you ever actually tried to reason with a highway cop who's decided they're right or in a bad mood?

[Okibi]

Depends what other mods you have, they might agree that they're DRLs but find other things once you're pulled over. I find its best not to get pulled over in the first place.

[Nevyn72]

Depends what other mods you have, they might agree that they're DRLs but find other things once you're pulled over. I find its best not to get pulled over in the first place.

Bingo!

Part of the reason I'm trying to make as many of my mods look as OEM as possible!