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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 16:55:28 GMT
Hello Mighty5's, Been lurking on Nutz for a few years having loved MX5's since I was small but my other hobbies have always stopped me owning one, until now! I'm really scared about rust/age/reliability etc and viewed a couple at various prices, one of them was so gross the bonnet held itself open without the use of the stick thing! After much MOT History checking on many potentials and being scared off by corroded seatbelt anchorage points/suspension components/sills I found one I thought would be worth a look. With no mention of rust on the MOT history, lowish mileage (112,000km), 3 owners since it landed in the uk in 2004 and only 50 mins from home. I took a trip, took a friend, took cash, took a lengthy test drive, got it in the air and looked around underneath which is super solid and shows no signs of welding, took a punt and ended up with the monstrosity you see here! I guess with any car there's a compromise and this is no exception... The compromise was the paint isn't very good at the moment, generally a mark/scratch on most panels and mechanically she's in need of some loving. The old guy selling it said he had focussed on the appearance (apparently) and just had it serviced by a local garage in his time of ownership. My plans are to service it big time, clean, wire brush, treat and then underseal the underbody to ensure it stays as solid as possible and then focus on the outside and making it pretty again. ** ENOUGH WAFFLE, PICS INBOUND ** Behold the Silver Shed on the day I brought it back home.    Intro AF, more details to follow. |
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Post by minty on May 31, 2017 17:00:17 GMT
Quite the opposite of a shed I would say, very smart!
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Post by wannabe on May 31, 2017 17:04:56 GMT
Looks tidy!
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 17:08:20 GMT
So once I'd got it home I compiled a list of immediate service parts: Cambelt kit. Waterpump. All new hoses everywhere. Plugs. Pads & discs all round. Coolant. Brake Fluid. Fuel Filter. Panel Filter. Aux Belt. Power Steering Belt. Fresh Oil & Filter. Engine Flush. Bulbs. Rinsed MX5parts and GSF for the genuine water pump, ran an engine flush then got the car into my friends garage, up on 4 axle stands and got cracking.  Gross and grubby bay as it was:   Most swollen hose of the lot:  Head off, looks clean enough inside thankfully:  Ben getting the old belts off for me  New belts on and pump in:   Whilst the SRS mechanic work was going on, I was mincing about cleaning up the grubby bits from one side of the bay:    PLUS OTHER PARTS I COULD REMOVE BUT DIDN'T TAKE PICS OF... I also pulled off the old man bling kick plates expecting to find rust and death:  But pleasantly surprised all was good. Replaced those chrome turds with the correct Roadster ones:  Cleaned up a spare Eunos badge to replace the chrome BS MX5 one the guy had put on it   And the correct one in place  Yay!  . So I put the rocker cover back on, put fresh oil in the block and got ready to put the hoses on and fill her up with nice fresh coolant... |
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 17:30:34 GMT
At this point I was super hyped, this was all learning for me as I am mechanically a bit special. All new hoses fitted, mixed up some jazzy coolant and started topping her up. 3.5 litres of fresh in, one of the pipes from the side of the thermostat housing snapped off, there was some sealant in there which suggests the poor car had a leak at some point. AIDS!! Can you see the problem!  So the engine got stripped again, I got a new thermostat housing and thermostat for it, rebuilt it, filled it with coolant and the water pump sprung a leak... FURKKKKK Stripped the engine again, 3rd time lucky hopefully...Could see the gasket supplied had already failed, typical. Checked the reviews of that pump and it had '2 stars, it leaks'. Whipped the Instagasket out ( 4 da boiz), made a gasket and rebuilt the engine, getting faster at this with each issue!! As the car was still up on stands and my friend is MEGA KIND with his garage being filled with my shed I made a start on the brakes. All discs, pads, calipers and carriers removed, cleaned, painted, new parts on and reassembled all 4 corners.      Then started cleaning the bottom ready for treatment and underseal: Before: It's sunny at one end of the garage so it looks a bit orange but it's just dusty and in the sun   Got the wire brush out, many hours of cleaning, Hammerite and Tetraseal later and it was looking pretty again.  Got the majority of the underbody done over a week of evenings after work, my painting arm was like Vin Diesel at this point... Next step to remove the splash guards, clean up, treat if necessary and paint the wheel wells. |
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 17:35:22 GMT
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 17:41:43 GMT
Binned off these tasty chrome cover things for some stock black ones:   Swapped in my double din from my current Celica:  It came with a single din that wasn't secured and actually fell out on the drive home from buying the car  My friend got me some JASS brushed steel vent rings for my birthday (yet to fit)..  And I got the 5 panel out of my scene kid Celica ready to put in here one day:  Celica for reference, never will I ever go the 'stance' route with a car again. My poor Celica!  . |
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 17:55:48 GMT
ALMOST UP TO DATE NOW, FEAR NOT! Everyone (myself included) laughed at the disgusting, wonky and perished stick on front plate that the car was sporting.  BYE FELICIA!Much better! Excuse the wonky headlight cover...Ordered a JASS relocation bracket and some new plates for it when it's back on the roads too.
 The car is almost ready to use again so I made sure all the brakes were tightened up, did a full flush of the brake fluid which looked like old vinegar   Flushed out, filled with fresh, brakes bled, fuel filter switched out for a new one, put the wheels back on the hubs. Fired the car up to see how the brakes felt with the system pressurised ( so far so good ), whipped the jack out ( 4 da boiz) and readied my boner for lowering it down and taking it for a test drive. **** AT THIS POINT DISASTER STRUCK ***** Got the back end down, went round to start on the front, looked under the car and it's dripping cooooollllllaaaannnnttt AGAINNNNNNNNNN! It was 11:30pm the night before my birthday and I was hoping to take my sceptical mum out for a drive the next day to sway her on the car she hasn't seen and already hates. DEATH. Undertray off, inspect, WATERPUMP AGAIN.. So as it stands I've ordered another pump the one with good reviews on MX5Partzzzz, 3L more coolant to mix up as I want to be sure it's clean AGAIN and the car is still in my poor friends garage looking sad  . So hopefully on Saturday I will go back round, strip the engine for the fourth time since buying the car (second weekend of May) and fitting hopefully the pump of all pumps. I have only driven this car 70 miles since owning it and REALLLLLLY want to get ion with the fun stuff now the underside is protected and the engine is serviced! THANKS FOR READING, SOZ FOR THE ESSAY!!!!!!  |
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Post by wannabe on May 31, 2017 17:56:10 GMT
Am loving your work!
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 18:02:57 GMT
LAST POST FOR TODAY I PROMISE GUYS! Spotted some 14 x ? ET? Compomotives on Gumtree half an hour from the crib so took a drive in the trusty Celica and picked them up. I think they are 14 x 6 ET25, they are surprisingly light given the amount of metal and have just been 'refurbed' AKA rattle canned within an inch of their lives. Waxed, sealed and stored in my garage until coilies and tyres (next month I hope).   ** ROUGH MOCK UP ALERT **  . Hopefully they suit the vintage of the shed and with some chunky rubber will be good until some SSR's/Enkei's/Wat's/Sprints turn up. So there you have it sports fans, hopefully the start of a fun filled car I can pamper, upgrade and enjoy and maybe my mum will warm to the idea once I take her to an Autosolo and spin it into a tyre wall with her. Thanks so much for reading if you did, sorry it's a hardback novel worth of blurb, the hype is real as this is one of my all time dream cars . Updates soon no doubt! All comments and criticism welcome, any ideas etc also welcome.  |
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 18:05:06 GMT
The pics make the exterior look a lot fresher than it is! Thanks though, it's the best base I could find with my budget and specifics! |
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 18:05:57 GMT
Quite the opposite of a shed I would say, very smart! Ha cheers Minty, it is a bit of a ten footer but operation clean up is in full swing!! |
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Post by minty on May 31, 2017 19:14:20 GMT
Good luck mate, looks like a labour of love
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Post by atlex on May 31, 2017 21:32:55 GMT
Those wheels are *lush*.. hang on to them.
Also, you're clearly dedicated. I'm impressed. Never go cheap on a waterpump lol. The only one with decent fitment is the original mazda one, from what I've heard.
Buy cheap buy twice!
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Post by LewisEK on May 31, 2017 21:57:09 GMT
Those wheels are *lush*.. hang on to them. Also, you're clearly dedicated. I'm impressed. Never go cheap on a waterpump lol. The only one with decent fitment is the original mazda one, from what I've heard. Buy cheap buy twice! Yeah I'm a bit concerned these water pumps will be the Achilles heal of the car, I got the premium one first time but the one arriving tomorrow is supposedly better!? If not then it'll be 'buy mid range, buy three pumps' and get the legit Mazda £100+ afair but I'm truly expecting this new unit to be a great success! Glad you like the wheels, can't wait to get them on the car for good and actually enjoy the thing! My trusty Toyota must go as soon as this is up and running so plz pray 4 me! Thanks for reading 😀 |
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Yay!
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