Total MX-5 – July 2019

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Summer 2019 | TOTAL MX-5 |^71

didn’t come with a limited-slip
differential, something I loved
about my previous MX, a 1.6 RS
Limited mk1 Eunos. Not only
does an LSD give an extra edge
accelerating out of corners, it
gives you control of (and
responsibility for!) what your
rear wheels are doing. That
makes it more fun to drive in
the wet, where working out
how much grip you have
available (as it turns out, with a
set of Michelin Pilot Sport 3s,
more than a lot) makes life a bit
more fun. Nick Bailey at Skuzzle
pointed me in the direction of a
Torsen 4.1 LSD on eBay and I
picked it up for £350, which is
about the going rate.
All was in order and then the
day before the work was due to
start, Nick called to say the
clutch hadn’t arrived and it
would be another month before
enough time was available to do
the work. April 11 rolled up and
work began. The gearbox came
out first and...no oil leak. A
couple of the oil seals were
replaced as a matter of course
while it was out, but it seems

the oil is coming from the

engine and had blown onto the

gearbox in such a way that it

merely looked like it was

coming from there.

A quick inspection of the

engine showed nothing too

untoward and it isn’t losing a

sufficient amount of oil to be

worried about, so I’ll be keeping

an eye on that (and we can

address it if the engine comes

out for the ITB work). As the

clutch was about to go in Nick

dropped a spanner in my

finances and suggested he swap

out my flywheel for a lightened

one. The standard one weighs

around 9kg and Skuzzle’s

lightweight version is around

half that. It would make the

engine feel much revvier –

although without making it any

faster – and as the revs drop

faster when you change down,

heel-and-toe gearshifts become

even more entertaining.

Being as irresponsible with

money as I am, how could I

resist? So in it went along with

the new clutch. Next up, the

diff. Which proved a little

harder to remove with one

driveshaft declining to pop off.

It did so eventually, and with

new seals in the diff it was re-

fitted relatively easily.

While under the back of the

car we noticed the exhaust

mounts were shot, so we

replaced those next. The only

problem is the exhaust is now

too loose on its new mounts, so

it constantly clangs against the

rear subframe.

Off came the subframe,

another thing to be sorted out

when the car gets a power hike

and the exhaust can be properly

placed and secured.

The moment of truth. The

clutch is much lighter. The

flywheel took a little getting

used to: when you’re pelting

along enthusiastically it makes

the process of shifting gear

more enjoyable, though you do

have to be quick to catch the

revs on the downshift. Not so

much fun in traffic jams, but

that’s not what this car is for.

The diff feels fantastic, so much

more direct and responsive. The

rear end initially felt a bit

wobbly at speed through

corners, so the rear subframe

will definitely go back on when

the exhaust is sorted. But I

played with the dampers and by

stiffening the rears one click,

the uneasiness has gone. Overall

the car feels fantastic to drive

but I still have some way to go.

Next up are a new mohair

hood and some better brakes.

And a large decision to make

about turbo or throttle bodies!

New clutch and lightweight flywheel to go with the secondhand limited-slip differential

Right: Secondhand LSD required new
seals; one of the driveshafts proved
reluctant to leave its post...

Below: Looked like the gearbox was
leaking oil, but it was just some
seepage from the engine