WallerZ

Just use cable ties and you'll be ok

Sounds like a plan, run out, beers, hog roast. Dates depending, I'm in!

Can you not stick this on the back and make this a hot tub? As you like a challenge....

I assume you mean installing? Coz you wouldn't be wrong lol. I vaguely remember seeing something about it, it may have been on Facebook as I can't find their page now....

I have a rapid fit, once I realised how to use it, it was simple enough. I vaguely remember the guy has now stopped doing kit looms though....

Whilst my new driveshaft has now arrived, I don't think a long trip will be ideal to test out my fixes. Think I'll keep it local where Gaz can come rescue me again Think I'll sit this one out and make sure I get an AA free period next season

Alfa 159 2.2JTS, I have one taking space on my driveway

As it happened, the alternator has decided its no longer going to charge the battery, so the car has been sat untouched for 2 weeks. Probably for the best before I broke something else....Didn't seem to have any issues with some minor spirited driving Anyway, update, GBS have just despatched a new driveshaft. Hopefully here Thursday but I'm away from Thursday night so I won't find out whats happened until Sunday at the earliest maybe Monday if I need to collect it from somewhere. Hats off to GBS though. From drop off to receiving it back, it will have been just a day over 3 weeks. Better than the 2 month wait I had originally

Sounds like a plan

I'll be there! New driveshaft from GBS in the post Monday apparently so I best get my alternator charging again this weekend if not, it won't be the last trip I'll bring you a blanket old man

Show off with your fancy mahcines! Us mere mortals have to stick to MDF!

Looking good! Looks better if it it was orange I've been trying to figure out why my car needs to leak something. Solved the oil leak, coolant leak and fuel leak....now its leaking electricity! Still...not touched it since last weekend so should probably go investigate.....

theres a variety of share links to use from postimage, just find one that works

Yep, need to get correct bolts and mill out the centre (hence the washers) but it keeps me moving at a gentle pace and finding issues lol. Will most likely have it off again this week as an alternator issue has grounded me again

Yeah I enquired about a hunter set up and again, they wanted to know all the settings. Problem seems to be GBS don't wish to share their standard factory settings and everything else is personal taste!

This will do as my temporary fix until GBS can get me a new shaft 20mm spacer between the bolting faces, the limit is apparently approx 25mm spacer for this diff type so we'll give it a go. 150-200 miles and it seems to be ok so far. Although majority of those miles have been cruising and careful throttle usage. Keeps me moving though

Morning all, I have done circa 800 miles in the Zero and found the rear end to be very jittery on supposedly smooth dual carriageways/motorways at ~70mph. Just cruising there feels to be a bit of wobble/minor tank slapper coming from the rear of the car. To add to this, acceleration feels the car pulling slightly to the left whereas off throttle deceleration the car pulls right a bit more aggressively. Now I've already checked tyre pressures to see if they're equal and wound off the brake calipers to ensure there is nothing dragging yet still have the problem. Nothing seems to be loose or wobbly when I jack the end up and shake things and all the fittings in the rear appear to be tight and unmoved. Is there something I am missing or could this issue be coming from something wrong at the front of the car instead making slight steering inputs making it feel like the rear is going? In Wales the front was very skittish through the lanes but softening the front dampers has helped that along. Does it sound like a decent geometry session is required or something more sinister on its way out? Cheers, Edit to add: Had these issues before my driveshaft went into retirement and doesn't feel any different with the spacer fix.

As its something that shouldn't have failed I shall try a replacement presuming the failure was due to the step in the shaft (which shouldn't have been there) and all being well, the replacement works perfect. Sure its not ideal but it happens and so far GBS have done exactly what I'd hope they would rather than what I feared they would do.....

Well I've definitely not seen another lol. Unfortunately there isn't a register of Mazda Zeros with how many miles each has done however as one of the first built and used as a daily for 9 months, I'd put it up there... To be honest though, logic is saying the difference in shaft diameters, hence a step, has created a stress hot spot which has finally given up. Equally the weld should have held or meant the shaft broke before the weld, so again, failure could have come from the process. Eitherway, I have a containment in place to ensure I don't lose more summer (or whats left), I need to test it but it has been approved as an acceptable alternative to friction welding. Hopefully I make the West Mids meet tonight with it haha. I may throw the replacement in whenever it arrives, I may not. A custom shaft elsewhere is an avenue I am exploring though as I doubt GBS have a guarantee on what these shafts can take.

I can now confirm Nelmo that in the MX5, the diff is slightly offset due to the PPF (Power Plant Frame) which is taken up in the diff with different stub axles in the diff. This allows the driveshafts to be common on the MX5. GBS however have mounted the diff centrally to aid balance and allow space in the trans tunnel (how many of us would be concerned with a prop flange offset when building lol?!) Hence the modified shafts. As Richard confirms, it would appear the Ford set up was central already so no modification required. Marlin, I have it from 2 shaft specialists that it is the common choice for shaft modification and with my set up, I should not have seen the weld fail like that. I have been quoted a price for a set of new custom, single bar shafts which sadly are waaaay overrated for my needs or even future needs. I'm sure the chassis would go before they did! It did indeed. It was one hell of a bang! Felt it through the car. Luckily it quickly found its place on the lower wishbone and sat there rotating happily lol. No obvious damage at all thankfully. In other news, I have spoken with GBS and they are going to swap for a replacement so they can also investigate why this has failed. This is news to them so hopefully an isolated incident. My money is on the modified shaft being stepped, adding a further stress point to the weld which has subsequently let go. Hopefully the new shaft is all the same diameter

They will take your donor ones in, refurb and modify them (no details every given on what modify means) then handed back with a hefty bill and away you go. Its common for shafts to be friction welded like this, and I have on good authority, that it is usually more than suitable for our needs. Yep, it is a solid bar with continuous diameter in standard form. As such this change probably had a role to play in this failure. Having a vague understanding of the way GBS work, I believe they would have sent a batch of shafts off to a supplier to modify,(I do not believe they possess this ability in house - or certainly didn't when I visited during my kit purchase/build) who will have produced finished products from the batch they were given, hence the different diameters and therefore a step. Make of that what you will.....

I'll be there, again with broken goodies! This is becoming a regular occurrence that needs to stop...............

So, here is the latest picture of my car. "What a strange and dangerous place to park for a photo?!" I hear you say? Well...it was not by choice..... Ah. Well. I'm sure that used to be attached to something..... Far from ideal. Inside lane on the A444 and M6 roundabout in the dark, with speeding cars, tired truckers and general muppets on the road. Needless to say, hazards were on and I was 10m up the road warning road users of my predicament! Thankfully, Gaz lives round the corner and was able to come rescue me with a tow rope, again. Big thanks to Gaz! Here are some more photos of the issue.... So there we have it, a snapped driveshaft....anyone done that in their Zero before?! I have already made my own conclusions on the matter however I have requested some further information from GBS (long shot I know) with regards to the process that goes into manufacturing these. As you can clearly see, this is two different shafts friction welded together (which is common for shafts) however having spoken with a driveshaft specialist, they find it hard to see if it has been friction welded properly and suggested it was a single shaft that has a step. As I know the MX5 shafts are not stepped and there are 2 diameters depending on the car, plus GBS having the shafts to "modify" under cloak and dagger, it was disregarded and refocused on the friction weld. Common shaft failures from friction welds occur 3-4mm away from the weld in the weakened HAZ (Heat Affected Zone) from the welding process. To see one fail so cleanly on the weld raised concerns over the original weld, hence the required information from GBS. Initial viewing by eye says the outside failed (potentially due to the weld quality) which caused the centre to fatigue due to the reduced diameter and torsional movement of the shaft. As such, this polished the outside faces and left the centre to break. I'm hoping to squeeze in some time with the Metallurgy expert at work to confirm under a microscope the likely series of events and during that time I hope to at least open some discussion with GBS...other than their usual "out of warranty" statement when things go wrong....I'll keep you posted on those fronts.... It will not however keep me down. Plans are already in motion to get the car back up and running, avoiding the GBS option and a recurrence of this failure (I like to make my own problems!). Watch this space!

To go back to your original question Marlin, I'd stick 1840cc in and have done. Its common that MX5 engines get rebored and used on the stock ECU. As you mentioned, you will be monitoring and driving parameters from you AFR, MAP and TPS rather than cc. Having that rebore and a few cc missing from the ECU isn't going to harm you

https://www.venhill.co.uk/cables-amp-components/universal-cable-kits/throttle-cable-kits.html I found these guys originally on eBay. I've used them since IVA and never had any cable issues. The universal kit has all the bits needed to suit your carbs/throttle body and more than enough cable for you to suit your own length. Pedal end, I currently loop it though some brake pipe bent at 180deg through the pedal and a cable clamp however looking to go for a more robust clevis pin with proper cable fixing. Saying that, its worked since IVA so probably wait until it fails lol. From my experience recently running a twin cable for my throttle bodies, I would strongly suggest a single cable. It will take a lot of effort to get the two cables acting perfectly together, especially if one is under more tension than the other, they can stretch at different rates meaning more problems.