[ OUR CARS ]
Summer 2019 | TOTAL MX-5 |^73reasonably priced because of
that absence of vertical
adjustment, yet with the ability
to alter the damping rates.
Michael nodded his approval,
citing the fact that Gaz has a
great reputation, and adding
that he’d always wanted to try
some and now I could give him
the opportunity to do so.
It made sense to have the
Gaz parcel delivered directly to
Cleverley’s and by the time I
arrive there Vince has already
unpacked the box and married
the right springs with the right
damper units, as they’re
different front to rear. We put
the car onto the MOT ramp
(dear god, don’t let it get stuck
there or neither Vince nor
Michael will ever forgive me)
and jack up the rear end. Vince
dives underneath with the
WD-40 and douses each and
every nut and bolt he’s about to
start working on. We grab a
quick cup of coffee while we
wait for the magic to happen,
and then it’s time for the
moment of truth...
Vince grabs a spanner and
confronts the first nut. It turns.
Undoes. Vince smiles. I smile.
And so it continues, not entirely
trouble-free but with a notable
absence of drama. Until, that is,
he goes to re-use the first
damper top mount... ‘Someone
has drilled out the hole to be
larger,’ Vince sighs, ‘and by doing
so has taken away the flat that
securely locates the damper
shaft. We can’t use these
mounts.’ Damn, the curse of
P874 APH strikes again.
Fortunately Vince is
nonplussed. He whirls around
the workshop, ferrets through
boxes and along shelves,
returning with a quartet of
appropriate and unmolested
top mounts. You see,
sometimes keeping hold of
loads of stuff actually isn’t
hoarding...Without a single swear word
or recourse to holding his head
in his hands, Vince completes
the last corner of the car. It
seems that he and my mk1 now
have a happier relationship than
in the past, and long may that
continue. But before I can head
off to the open road, there’s the
small matter of suspension
alignment.
Vince has left all the
adjustment cams on the
wishbones loose to make the
set-up easier, so when we look
at the screen on the laser-
alignment machine the wheels
are pointing all over the place.
Then he jumps under the car,
big spanners in hand. To me it’s
like watching a practitioner of
some ancient mystic art as
Vince manipulates cams and
nuts this way and that while he
focuses on the screen to ensure
the numbers are moving in the
right direction. Adjusting one
parameter can throw anotheroff-kilter, so it’s a delicate
balancing act to achieve a
setting that makes all the
variables line up: I don’t
begrudge him a smug smile
when they do!
So what’s the car now like?
Can’t tell you too much right
now, I’m afraid, as I have come
straight from Cleverley’s to sit
in front of my computer and
write this piece, and it’s only
about five miles. What I have
noticed thus far, though, is that
it’s going to take a while to get
used to seeing the car sitting so
high – it isn’t like a standard
mk1, but compared with what it
was like before... Immediately,
though, the ride is soooo much
more forgiving and thanks to
the alignment the steering is
more immediate.
Let me get a few more miles
under my belt while the Gaz
units bed in, then I’ll report in
greater depth on the
improvements next time.Above: Matching numbers! Vince’s
diligence with the alignment of
Fraser’s mk1 pays off
Left: Vince hates having his picture
taken – whoops...
Right: On the alignment rig. Note
the water container in the boot
simulating a passenger’s weight
Below: Gaz coilovers appear
extremely well made