Mx5 J30 V6 Swap Project

28/08/2026

My exhaust started blowing at the end of the track day on the driver's side. Found the culprit yesterday under the exhaust wrap. Cracked weld on the downpipe.

The downpipe itself is very rusty due to the wrap, so that was not a good idea wrapping the whole thing and using a SS bend I had knocking about with mild steel also being part of the cause of the crack due to different expansion rates.

All welded up, wasn't a neat weld due to all the rust and contamination, but should hold for now after using a 309 rod on the Tig.

Back together and nice and quiet again.

Once my Haynes Roadster is done, this winter I'll focus on building a new SS downpipe and modify the drivers side manifold to clear the steering column.

25/08/2026

Some pics from Javelin's track day

25/08/2026

Had a great time at Angelsey race track in the MX5 with 2 mates. I was hassling a bunch of Lotus's in the afternoon. Went to have a chat with them and had a good laugh when they said they had spent loads on buying a Lotus and an mx5 was keeping up with them. 🤣

04/08/2026

A few pics shared with me and some I took on the day.

04/08/2026

Awesome track day at three sisters yesterday. Mx5 ran well all day. Brakes and tires were working hard.

08/01/2026

My mx5 is pretty much sorted at the moment and there's not much development or work happening on it. I do want to install tubular exhaust manifolds next winter and look at the intake setup to improve the air flow of that. For now I'll be focusing on getting my Haynes Roadster Locost Kit car build finished. Give that a follow it you wish.

Haynes Roadster
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BhNxhUuLh/

Kit Cars, Haynes Roadster, Locost, why buy it when you can build it!

26/08/2025

Home sweet home after an awesome adventure with my mates Ollie and Tom to Scotland to do the NC500.

Some stats:
1557miles covered
AVG fuel consumption: 28.03mpg
Litres of fuel used 252.5l
Litres of oil used: Zero. 😁

The freshly swapped V6 engine and gearbox resulted in a lovely drive. I didn't have to top up the oil every 200miles, like I used to with the previous V6 engine. The dipstick is still above full.

A few things resulted in getting the tools out for some running repairs to mine and Tom's cars.

1. The oil pressure gauge on the V6 started being erratic after the first 30miles and turned out to be a loose plug on the sensor. 🤯🫣 That resulted in a wee bit of stress at the start of the trip. After being reattached properly it was fine for the next 1530miles.

2. The V6 rear exhaust fl**ge bolts came loose on day 3 and exitted the chat somewhere near Ullapool along with the gasket. New bolts fitted without the gasket gave the car a more throaty V6 noise, I'll get a new gasket sorted now that I'm home.

3. The coolant pipes required a bit of fettling their positions as they were rubbing on each other and the ARB.

4. On the last day at Knockhill race track, Tom's gearbox decided 5th gear was the only gear he could select. Instead of using breakdown to recover him all the way home, rallied round and decided to source and fit a replacement gearbox, at Knockhill race track in the afternoon. The team rallied soon to get found a 5 speed gearbox, axle stands, oil etc and then helped spanner to get it fitted in 4 hours so that Tom could drive 6 hours home on Tuesday. 😳

20/08/2025

Scottish NC500 trip in MX5s with some mates. A stock 130bhp MK1, my 210bhp V6 and a mental 350bhp monster. Makes for great fun!