Cheap summer project (mk1 MX5 content)

[Paul.M]

Hi all

Well thought I was start off a thread, I have been looking for a mk1 mx5 to have some fun with for a while now, I Kept getting outbid on the ones on ebay and had started to give up finding one for now.

Then I decided to have a check and this one popped up and caught my eye, it was a bonus that it was about 5 miles away from my house! anyway I popped for a look at it on my break at work, it all checked out so I left a deposit on it.

It is a 1993 k reg eunos, imported in 2004 and has had one owner since then!
120k
A massive pile of receipts
New roof/tonneau cover/wind breaker 2 years ago
Luggage rack
4 pretty new tyres

The car seems pretty solid underneath, the sills are good with only a tiny amount on the drivers rear sill, arches are all solid.

Bad points:
The paint needs attention, the bonnet is all faded which is an easy fix and there is laquer peel on both doors/ front bumper
Rocker gasket is seeping a small amount of oil but nothing terrible
Possible a wheel bearing or something whining a bit whilst being driven
Passenger front arch has a slight dent
I need to realign the bonnet a bit

Anyway a couple of pics after I picked it up:


IMG_3745-2 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


IMG_3749 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


IMG_3752 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


IMG_3757 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


IMG_3747 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


IMG_3748 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

The engine bay needs a damn good clean!

IMG_3758 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

With my friends MX5:

IMG_3743-2 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3744-2 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

 

[Paul.M]

Todays job was to give the car a good clean and start doing a couple of bits and pieces.

IMG_3762 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I started off by trying (and failing) to remove the luggage rack, one snapped bolt head and another rounded off torx bit (I hate these things) and it is still well and truly stuck to the boot so back to the drawing board.

IMG_3761 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I then gave the interior a good clean which it really needed, I'll try and pop up the video off the mats that those on my instagram may have seen.

IMG_3769 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I also took out the wind breaker and cover to give them a good clean, it all came up very nice considering that interior is 21 years old.

Next up I tackled the nasty rusty wiper arms, these were sanded down and then sprayed with 4 coats of hammerite spray.

IMG_3765 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3766 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I then planned to to start on the outside however my friend phoned me and asked me to go for a bike ride so I tucked the '5 back up in its corner and went out to enjoy the sun.

IMG_3770 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3771 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


The plan is to put it through it's MOT next week while I have it insured, I'm not expecting it to pass but I would like to find out what it fails on so I have a list of what to work through, then I shall be doing the required work and getting it on the road, after that who knows!

One thing I will say though is it is great fun! I have been driving around with the roof down at 12-1 o clock at night just because I can, I'm really enjoying it already.

 

[Mr Burns]

Ah, so it's you on Instagram lol.

Great little project, can't beat them for cheap fun!

 

[Paul.M]

Ah, so it's you on Instagram lol.

Great little project, can't beat them for cheap fun!

Yes it would be me!

I agree I'm loving it, and I got change from £500 price wise so I'm well chuffed!

 

[Mr Burns]

Bonus! RWD, cheap, nippy, enthusiastic owners, almost classic car status, easily accessible spares, loads of upgrades and mods out there... What's not to like

 

[Goodj]

awwww, another 5 in CS

 

[Paul.M]

Bonus! RWD, cheap, nippy, enthusiastic owners, almost classic car status, easily accessible spares, loads of upgrades and mods out there... What's not to like

that sums it up perfectly, I can't wait to get stuck in properly with it.

awwww, another 5 in CS

I just wanted to fit in

 

[not normal dan]

These are appealing to me more and more recently, the missus old man has an 1800 in the green with the tan interior. I've been helping him maintain and tart it up a little and sort out a few electrical gremlins caused by previous owners.

I've only drove it the once but I can certainly see the appeal and after speaking to a friend who works for a very respected geometry company "centre of gravity" they are also very adjustable in terms of alignment

 

[Paul.M]

This evenings job was to give the exterior a good wash and start correcting the paint, I got the bonnet and headlight covers done, tomorrow I'll make a start on the front wings...

IMG_3775 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3779 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3777 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3783 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3784 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3788 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

Looks much better, at the same time I also fitted new wipers, a new front fog light bulb so both now work and topped up all the fluids.

Wednesday it goes in for it's dummy MOT to see what I'm going to have to work through before it runs out at the end of next month.

 

[JoeyD]

WOW that was really bad before hand! Great job!

 

[Loz H]

Looks ace! good job so far

 

[Mr Burns]

I've still got a few bits lying around, probably nothing of any use to you though lol.

 

[Paul.M]

Cheers chaps.

Well after giving the car a once over it is no way near as bad as I expected! actually I am quite happy with it!

I have been running it on the road for the last 3 weeks however today it was declared as 'Sorn' and taken off the road so I can start my plans.A

As it stands the car looks like:

IMG_3964 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr


IMG_3965 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I'm happy I finally got the luggage rail off! but it has left a few marks on the boot that I need to polish out.

My initial plans are:

Cambelt
Full Service
Rocker gasket/o ring
ARB bushes need replacing

Then moving onto the body work:
New front bumper
Sort out the laquer peel on the doors
Sort out the dent on the front wing, I'm going to try and knock it out at first, if not then a replacement wing will be sourced
Sort the alignment on the bonnet

Then get it mot'd, tax/ insure it followed by fun things like change the cd player as radio two has now outstayed its welcome, wider wheels and other bits and pieces.

And finally to finish two with my 182:

IMG_3966 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_3967 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

 

[Mr Burns]

Credit to you pal, looks reet nice!

 

[James28]

Look forward to seeing what happens with this

 

[Goodj]

Look forward to seeing what happens with this

I'm scared to see what (inevitably) is going to happen to this

 

[JoeyD]

Paint the sills in black Hammerite - they'll look a lot tidier being all one shade!

 

[Goodj]

Paint the sills in black Hammerite - they'll look a lot tidier being all one shade!

So pauper, but it is a good way to keep your sills in vaguely good order.

I'd suggest a f*&^-ton of hammerite / other protective paint,then prep the surface and repaint in body colour. But I don't know about painting stuff, so that may be a bad idea

 

[cat171]

I'd go with sills in red, they'd look a lot better then.

 

[Paul.M]

Credit to you pal, looks reet nice!

Cheers Ste, yours isn't too shabby either! looking forward to getting it to a similar level to yours.

Look forward to seeing what happens with this

Cheers matey I'll try to not let you down!

I'm scared to see what (inevitably) is going to happen to this

I know your feelings when it comes to these but you'll be pleased to know it won't be going full on JDM Yo'
Mainly because I can't be bothered paying the rediculous scene tax that seems to come with the parts, I do however need wider wheels because the daisys just don't do it for me.

Paint the sills in black Hammerite - they'll look a lot tidier being all one shade!

I'd go with sills in red, they'd look a lot better then.

I'll be doing something sill wise, I will be undercoating it one weekend soon so I'll probably do them at the same time.

 

[Goodj]

wider wheels? For a 118hp car? Behave
But I know what you mean, the daisies aren't the nicest design. Worth holding onto, but some OEM 15s would be a good move

 

[JoeyD]

Don't bother painting them the same colour as the body. It's too hard to get a good colour match and IMO it doesn't look as good anyway. Tin of satin/gloss black hammerite, mask it off and job's a good 'en.

From:

To:

Took about ten minutes!

 

[Goodj]

Took about ten minutes!

or...

or, this time in red

That said, I didn't realise Mk.1s had black sills as standard, in which case, yes, hammerite those rusty buggers

 

[Paul.M]

wider wheels? For a 118hp car? Behave
But I know what you mean, the daisies aren't the nicest design. Worth holding onto, but some OEM 15s would be a good move

haha good point. I'll be keeping an eye out on ebay etc to see what pops up anyway.
Like I said it is supposed to be 'cheap fun' how long that lasts we shall have to see.

Albino mx5

That looks miles better and I have a can of that in my garage from doing the wipers, I'll give that a shot, cheers!

 

[JoeyD]

Colour coded sills don't look right due to the height of the front and rear bumper IMO. Unless you're going to colour code the front lip, I'd leave them black.

That looks miles better and I have a can of that in my garage from doing the wipers, I'll give that a shot, cheers!

No worries. Any issues or anything feel free to ask. I'm on my fourth one now!

 

[Goodj]

Colour coded sills don't look right due to the height of the front and rear bumper IMO. Unless you're going to colour code the front lip, I'd leave them black.

Y'see, I never had that problem

I just have to deal with soluble metal in the wings & sills instead

 

[JoeyD]

Y'see, I never had that problem

I just have to deal with soluble metal in the wings & sills instead

Don't forget the rusty MK2 chassis rails!

 

[Paul.M]

No worries. Any issues or anything feel free to ask. I'm on my fourth one now!

thanks a lot buddy, you don't happen to know what size steering wheels people run to be slightly smaller than standard do you?

I'm 6'5" and the standard one is a bit big and catches my knees.

 

[JoeyD]

350 or 330. My standard steering wheel was actually smaller than normal steering wheels at 350 (they're usually about 370ish) I've now got a 330mm dished Nardi and it's perfect! So go for 330mm and get a slightly dished one if you can, the dish will help with legroom massively!

 

[Euan94]

wider wheels? For a 118hp car? Behave
But I know what you mean, the daisies aren't the nicest design. Worth holding onto, but some OEM 15s would be a good move

Does that mean you've managed to sell your wheels that you tried to sell to every mx5 owner on here?

 

[Paul.M]

350 or 330. My standard steering wheel was actually smaller than normal steering wheels at 350 (they're usually about 370ish) I've now got a 330mm dished Nardi and it's perfect! So go for 330mm and get a slightly dished one if you can, the dish will help with legroom massively!

Sweet gives me somewhere to start thanks!

 

[Paul.M]

@JoeyD did you do your sills in the satin or smooth black? I picked up a second tin of smooth black today for the sills but I think I'll go and swap it for a tin of the satin.

I did my wipe arms in the smooth and it turned out quite glossy so I think the sills would look a bit dodgy in it.

 

[JoeyD]

@JoeyD did you do your sills in the satin or smooth black? I picked up a second tin of smooth black today for the sills but I think I'll go and swap it for a tin of the satin.

I did my wipe arms in the smooth and it turned out quite glossy so I think the sills would look a bit dodgy in it.

I did the sills in smooth and the wiper blades in satin! As standard the sills are gloss anyways!

 

[Paul.M]

I did the sills in smooth and the wiper blades in satin! As standard the sills are gloss anyways!

Ahh sweet okay thanks, I'll crack on and try it then I guess!

 

[Paul.M]

I managed to get a couple of bits and pieces done to the car this weekend.

Firstly I painted the sills to keep JoeyD happy.

Before:

IMG_3979 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I treated them with some Kurust first underneath/ the rear of them to just be doubly safe:

IMG_3984 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

Then masked up and sprayed:

IMG_3988 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

During which I got papped in my gypsy vest:

IMG_3992 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

Done and looking much better:

IMG_4004 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

when I went to unfold my drivers wing mirror back out it popped off in my hand, turns out the bolt was rather rust and snapped clean in half

IMG_4005 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I then sanded down the edges of the peeling laquer on the door and put two coats of laquer over it to stop it peeling any more until I decide to sort the paintwork properly (yes that is a load of overspray on the window)

IMG_3999 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I then pulled off the horrendous snapped numberplate surround which now highlights just how much a new front bumper is needed, started cleaning the engine bay (then gave up) and greased up the bonnet hinges which seems to have helped the alignment a little although it still needs adjusting more.

IMG_4009 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_4007 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_4006 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

And lastly I pulled apart the interior to get rid of the awful standard tape player, I found some old japenese documents behind there which I thought were pretty cool, I think one is some sort of parking machine ticket but the rest it would be good to find out what they are.

IMG_4008 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_4001 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

IMG_4002 by theycallmepaul, on Flickr

I'm hoping to get a couple of bits ordered this week to start on the mechanical side of things next weekend.

Thanks

 

[JoeyD]

Happy days! Easy peasy isn't it!
While you've got the dash apart it's worth taking the arm rest off and having a look what kind of condition the gear stick boot is in. Chances are that it's fubared, which will allow heat and noise into the cabin. Needs one of these: http://doctormx5.com/shop/article_8...Miata-1989-2005.html?shop_param=cid=2&aid=87&
Last longer than standard ones and I think they're a bit cheaper too!
Great progress again though!

 

[Paul.M]

Happy days! Easy peasy isn't it!
While you've got the dash apart it's worth taking the arm rest off and having a look what kind of condition the gear stick boot is in. Chances are that it's fubared, which will allow heat and noise into the cabin. Needs one of these: http://doctormx5.com/shop/article_8...Miata-1989-2005.html?shop_param=cid=2&aid=87&
Last longer than standard ones and I think they're a bit cheaper too!
Great progress again though!

Nice one cheers, I'll pop down and have a gander in a minute then, It's all loose in there anyway so will be a thirty second look, I'll get one ordered if so.

 

[JoeyD]

Also, with regards to the front bumper, red is probably the most common colour for an MX5 so hold out until you find a good one without any holes! I'm currently filling ELEVEN number plate holes in mine FML!!

 

[Paul.M]

Also, with regards to the front bumper, red is probably the most common colour for an MX5 so hold out until you find a good one without any holes! I'm currently filling ELEVEN number plate holes in mine FML!!

Sod that for a laugh! I was going to get it resprayed but for what they are selling for on ebay there is no point I may aswell just buy one in good condition.

 

[Mr Burns]

Nice work, Paul! I've just had to fix my mirror for the exact same reason!