Hi, I’m Lawrence, and welcome to my very expensive therapy session.
The Origin Story
Once upon a time, I had a perfectly good MX5 and a perfectly reasonable bank balance. Then MX5Nutz.com decided to delete my entire build thread (still not over it), which was clearly the universe telling me I needed my own website to document my descent into automotive madness.
What started as “I’ll just write this down so I remember it” has evolved into a full documentary of one man’s quest to prove that Honda engines belong in everything, especially small Japanese roadsters that were perfectly happy with their original powerplants.
The Current Situation
My MX5 NC now contains more Honda DNA than a Civic Type R convention. We’ve got a K24 that revs to 8000rpm (because 6000rpm is for quitters) mated to a ZF 8HP automatic that shifts faster than my attention span during budget meetings.
This combination makes about as much sense as pineapple on pizza, but somehow works better than my last relationship.
The Journey So Far
Along the way, I’ve bent Molnar forged rods (apparently even the strongest parts aren’t Lawrence-proof), gone dry-sump because wet-sump is for peasants, relocated more components than a nervous house-buyer, and developed an unhealthy obsession with ZF gearboxes that genuinely concerns my family.
I’ve also had more “learning experiences” than a gap year student in Thailand, each one meticulously documented here – partly for education, mostly so I can remember why I thought that was brilliant at 2 AM in the garage surrounded by increasingly expensive mistakes.
What You Get Here
- K-Swap Psychology: Why rational people do irrational things to perfectly good cars
- ZF 8HP Evangelism: Converting the masses to 8-speed automatics
- Failure Analysis: Learn from my mistakes (there are plenty)
- Real Documentation: No Instagram filters, no glossing over the bits that went wrong
The Philosophy
If you’re going to do something stupid, at least do it properly. Use forged internals, get the proper kit, and be honest about questioning every life choice that led to this moment.
This isn’t about show cars that look pretty under lights. This is about properly engineered solutions that’ll embarrass supercars on track days while still being reliable enough to drive to Tesco.
The Community
Turns out there are other people with similar afflictions. Whether you’re planning your first K-swap, wondering why your 8HP is having an identity crisis, or just enjoy watching someone else’s bank balance suffer for your entertainment, welcome to the club.
I’m not here to sell you anything except the occasional sticker to help fund the next mechanical disaster.
Support the Madness
Want to enable this chaos and keep the technical content flowing? Grab a Tracktuned sticker. Every sale goes directly into the “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” fund, which maintains a surprisingly healthy balance considering my track record.
Warning: Side effects may include sudden urges to K-swap everything, irrational love of ZF gearboxes, and the uncontrollable need to explain why your modifications make perfect sense to people who clearly don’t understand your vision.
Follow @tracktuned.uk for more frequent mechanical mayhem.