Discussion
Since the last update I've done a bit more tidying to the engine bay and ordered:-
- New heatshield cover
- Wiretuck kit (to be fitted at a later date)
- VVT Solenoid cover
- Power steering reservoir cover
The battery on the car actually went flat during the lockdown due to the lack of use and I thought this would be a good time to do the engine cover so I dug out the hydrodipped part I had laying about:
There are a couple of imperfections in the dip with one being at the breather pipe end of the engine cover. The breather pipe is also at an odd angle for some reason. I had some rubber o rings laying about so used these to cover it up - I'll most likely do something similar to the VVT solenoid area when I can find an O ring the correct size.
New gaskets fitted
A little blow by evident on the silicone pipe that connects the turbo to the intercooler pipe:
Old cover off showing some engine innards:
This have me time to check the chain and the old engine cover. The chain is starting to catch the old engine cover with a few marks present. I plan to order a VVT kit when I next get paid so I can get this replaced. It's an expensive job but I would rather pay circa £750 for a VVT chain replacement kit to be fitted then around £3k for a new engine to be fitted. If anyone wants to know the mileage - I'm currently on 58k.
Putting the new engine cover on was not very eventful:
This was the second engine bolt cover I had snap on me and I have no experience of getting these out but with some time and patience I managed it and I managed to buy a load more engine cover bolts (thanks Ricky!). I do recommend that whoever changes the engine cover bolts on these cars has a few spare bolts spare so they don't get stranded
Putting it all back:
All back together with a custom breather hose made up:
I ordered a new heat shield cover from Benjeneering as it might protect the engine cover from a bit of heat plus it looks nicer than looking at a rusty exhaust manifold:
I also ordered a VVT solenoid cover and a power steering reservoir cover from Adapted Performance in the states:
VVT Solenoid cover fitted:
There's still a few parts I want to sort out visually such as the inlet manifold and doing some more hydrodipping but this can be done at a later date as I want to get the VVT done. In the meantime I treated the car to a good clean!
Some new additions to the Poorboys collection I have
I treated the car to some clay bar action followed by Poorboys SSR 2.5 and some Poorboys black hole before waxing the car with some Autoglym high definition wax.
The paintwork come out well but I still need to practice my DA polishing technique as I was getting a lot more dust then I would like..
- New heatshield cover
- Wiretuck kit (to be fitted at a later date)
- VVT Solenoid cover
- Power steering reservoir cover
The battery on the car actually went flat during the lockdown due to the lack of use and I thought this would be a good time to do the engine cover so I dug out the hydrodipped part I had laying about:
There are a couple of imperfections in the dip with one being at the breather pipe end of the engine cover. The breather pipe is also at an odd angle for some reason. I had some rubber o rings laying about so used these to cover it up - I'll most likely do something similar to the VVT solenoid area when I can find an O ring the correct size.
New gaskets fitted
A little blow by evident on the silicone pipe that connects the turbo to the intercooler pipe:
Old cover off showing some engine innards:
This have me time to check the chain and the old engine cover. The chain is starting to catch the old engine cover with a few marks present. I plan to order a VVT kit when I next get paid so I can get this replaced. It's an expensive job but I would rather pay circa £750 for a VVT chain replacement kit to be fitted then around £3k for a new engine to be fitted. If anyone wants to know the mileage - I'm currently on 58k.
Putting the new engine cover on was not very eventful:
This was the second engine bolt cover I had snap on me and I have no experience of getting these out but with some time and patience I managed it and I managed to buy a load more engine cover bolts (thanks Ricky!). I do recommend that whoever changes the engine cover bolts on these cars has a few spare bolts spare so they don't get stranded
Putting it all back:
All back together with a custom breather hose made up:
I ordered a new heat shield cover from Benjeneering as it might protect the engine cover from a bit of heat plus it looks nicer than looking at a rusty exhaust manifold:
I also ordered a VVT solenoid cover and a power steering reservoir cover from Adapted Performance in the states:
VVT Solenoid cover fitted:
There's still a few parts I want to sort out visually such as the inlet manifold and doing some more hydrodipping but this can be done at a later date as I want to get the VVT done. In the meantime I treated the car to a good clean!
Some new additions to the Poorboys collection I have
I treated the car to some clay bar action followed by Poorboys SSR 2.5 and some Poorboys black hole before waxing the car with some Autoglym high definition wax.
The paintwork come out well but I still need to practice my DA polishing technique as I was getting a lot more dust then I would like..
Time for a new air filter - I replaced the Ramair with an AEM Dryflow but it took months to arrive due to Covid. The AEM is supposed to be black but it looks more dark blue.
Marks on the old filter
Side by side comparison - the AEM is slightly shorter but wider then the Ramair
It was just a straight swap over
I feel that the new filter gives more torque and has made the acceleration nicer. I did do a run to see if it made any difference.
I know it's not scientifically accurate as the runs were of different days, different temps etc but there appears to be a nice increase with torque and the car gave some more boost this time around for whatever reason.
Next up was some long awaited bonnet vents. I was originally booked to get these done in April but delays due to Covid. I originally picked the M vents but wasn't sure on them.
The ventilation guy suggested some Z vents as it gave the car a wider appearance
The drive home was fun as I had do to about 40 miles in light rain with the bonnet covered in yellow tape. Once home I have the front end another clean and put the polish and wax back on the bonnet as this had to be all removed so the tape would stick.
All polished up
From under the bonnet
I decided to take the car out for a few photos whilst it was still clean
What I've ordered next is going to come out expensive but it's performance related at least
Marks on the old filter
Side by side comparison - the AEM is slightly shorter but wider then the Ramair
It was just a straight swap over
I feel that the new filter gives more torque and has made the acceleration nicer. I did do a run to see if it made any difference.
I know it's not scientifically accurate as the runs were of different days, different temps etc but there appears to be a nice increase with torque and the car gave some more boost this time around for whatever reason.
Next up was some long awaited bonnet vents. I was originally booked to get these done in April but delays due to Covid. I originally picked the M vents but wasn't sure on them.
The ventilation guy suggested some Z vents as it gave the car a wider appearance
The drive home was fun as I had do to about 40 miles in light rain with the bonnet covered in yellow tape. Once home I have the front end another clean and put the polish and wax back on the bonnet as this had to be all removed so the tape would stick.
All polished up
From under the bonnet
I decided to take the car out for a few photos whilst it was still clean
What I've ordered next is going to come out expensive but it's performance related at least
I'm not too hot on the sunstrip or mirrors but there's a lot there I do like new vents are good, can I ask how much they cost? I nearly got similar for my MINI, but found someone selling the bonnet with them already on and he wanted £600! Was put off then lol. Like the wheels and colour. Do you have spacers on?
new vents are good, can I ask how much they cost? I nearly got similar for my MINI, but found someone selling the bonnet with them already on and he wanted £600! Was put off then lol. Like the wheels and colour. Do you have spacers on?CrippsCorner said:
I'm not too hot on the sunstrip or mirrors but there's a lot there I do like new vents are good, can I ask how much they cost? I nearly got similar for my MINI, but found someone selling the bonnet with them already on and he wanted £600! Was put off then lol. Like the wheels and colour. Do you have spacers on?
The aero mirrors can be a bit marmite so a number of people do swap with with the standard mirrors. The things Mazda do to try and get more sales haha. The car has some 5mm spacers all round and the vents were £120 supplied and fitted by someone called Nick Wiley. I'm not sure if he's got a website but he's on Instagram and does travel around the country a bit doing vent installs new vents are good, can I ask how much they cost? I nearly got similar for my MINI, but found someone selling the bonnet with them already on and he wanted £600! Was put off then lol. Like the wheels and colour. Do you have spacers on?Podie said:
Yeah, not a fan of the sunstrip myself, but lots of good work there. Wider vents were certainly a better choice.
Question about the rear lamps... can you get a LHD reversing lamp to give you a clear housing for the rear foglight? I think that would look better personally.
You can but both the ones I tried rubbed on the other light and made a horrible rubbing/squeaking sound when driving due to some sort of fitment issue so I've swapped back to the normal one.Question about the rear lamps... can you get a LHD reversing lamp to give you a clear housing for the rear foglight? I think that would look better personally.
The big expensive box arrived this week - it came a lot quicker then I was expecting so thumbs up to VIP!
Inside the box was a VVT kit and one of these..
I've wanted a thicker wheel for absolutely ages so it was a good time to get one with a VVT kit. Also my old wheel was starting to wear out.
Trying to do a thickness comparison
Swapping the wheels over was straight forward enough apart from the scew on the earth lead not wanting to budge so I had to cut it. Luckily I had a spare screw laying about in my shed that fitted perfect.
Old
New
All fitted
I just need to get some gauges now
Another refresh I'm currently in the middle of is sorting out the badges as they're starting to wear out and the chrome is coming through. I did start with a metallic black spray as an alternative to the hydrodip but the paint came out too light do I've found a matt black thats more suitable even though it will move it away from the carbon fibre look.
Removing the rear badges was a bit uneventful as it left a right mess I'm still in the middle of cleaning up.
Things started to go terribly wrong with the main rear badge..
I've still got some stuff to remove but it's looking much better now - however I've got no pics of the current state of it as it's still WIP. By chance at the weekend I spoke to someone who said they can 3d print badges so I'm going to wait for them to come through as it will save the paint wearing through to the chrome again in the future.
Another probably not popular small addition
It's just a cheap, slightly amusing sticker I've used to cover up some reaction on the hydrodip. Unfortunately during the dipping process there was a few reactions with the plastic which made the dip go slightly bubbly.
Although hydrodipping can look great, it can still wear out over time. Here's a picture of the passenger door switch which one of my friends managed to scratch with his s**tty coat
There's also a few minor issues on the main trim that goes along the dashboard. I suspect the heat from the sun gets to it as I'm parked up all the time. I did have a look into some 5d carbon fibre wrap and to be honest it doesn't look too bad. I did a test on the main trim, although I managed to wrap it in the wrong direction..
On the car
The wrap isn't perfect as it wasn't in a cardboard tube when it was posted so it got slightly creased so I've ordered some more somewhere else that hopefully will not get slightly creased. The dilemma now is what to do with the other dipped panels as the patterns won't match??
Inside the box was a VVT kit and one of these..
I've wanted a thicker wheel for absolutely ages so it was a good time to get one with a VVT kit. Also my old wheel was starting to wear out.
Trying to do a thickness comparison
Swapping the wheels over was straight forward enough apart from the scew on the earth lead not wanting to budge so I had to cut it. Luckily I had a spare screw laying about in my shed that fitted perfect.
Old
New
All fitted
I just need to get some gauges now
Another refresh I'm currently in the middle of is sorting out the badges as they're starting to wear out and the chrome is coming through. I did start with a metallic black spray as an alternative to the hydrodip but the paint came out too light do I've found a matt black thats more suitable even though it will move it away from the carbon fibre look.
Removing the rear badges was a bit uneventful as it left a right mess I'm still in the middle of cleaning up.
Things started to go terribly wrong with the main rear badge..
I've still got some stuff to remove but it's looking much better now - however I've got no pics of the current state of it as it's still WIP. By chance at the weekend I spoke to someone who said they can 3d print badges so I'm going to wait for them to come through as it will save the paint wearing through to the chrome again in the future.
Another probably not popular small addition
It's just a cheap, slightly amusing sticker I've used to cover up some reaction on the hydrodip. Unfortunately during the dipping process there was a few reactions with the plastic which made the dip go slightly bubbly.
Although hydrodipping can look great, it can still wear out over time. Here's a picture of the passenger door switch which one of my friends managed to scratch with his s**tty coat
There's also a few minor issues on the main trim that goes along the dashboard. I suspect the heat from the sun gets to it as I'm parked up all the time. I did have a look into some 5d carbon fibre wrap and to be honest it doesn't look too bad. I did a test on the main trim, although I managed to wrap it in the wrong direction..
On the car
The wrap isn't perfect as it wasn't in a cardboard tube when it was posted so it got slightly creased so I've ordered some more somewhere else that hopefully will not get slightly creased. The dilemma now is what to do with the other dipped panels as the patterns won't match??
Refresh:
The badges were looking a bit worn so I treated them to a respray. unfortunately I managed to break the MPS badge I ordered
I went for a matt black in the end
I also gave vinyl wrapping a try on the interior. Many hours and cut fingers later..
To say this was hard was an understatement. I had plenty of time due to lockdown
This was all done to save money re-dipping which may not have the same finish as before plus it's relatively easy to replace vinyl wraps.
I also done the stereo surround which was looking a bit left out
K brace:
I've had an eye on these for a while and they appeared on a group buy with a good discount so why not Fitting was fiddly but got there in the end. It does tighten up the rear and helps with cornering.
Install pics
I've kept the carpet out as it was quite hard to cut plus I like the raw look. The plastic tool tray has now been removed but I wanted to keep it in for the trip mentioned below.
Inlet manifold:
I chose the Corksport manifold due to the even flow it gives plus it has the brackets the oem manifold has so the airtec intercooler pipes should fit on with no mods (well that's the theory!) I did also look at the Damond ST adapters and the JMF but I wasn't keen on the JMF's chrome style finish plus the Damond kit looked a little hard to fit. After a few months of waiting the Corksport manifold finally arrived!
Funnily the manifold came with a sticker warning about the finish but the plan is to get it powdercoated black before getting it fitted with the catch can setup.
Finally as the cars been sitting about for ages I felt like doing a road trip. I was planning on doing something like a road trip next yet but recent events and me going mad being stuck at home all the time brought things forward.
First up was to change the tyres as they needed changing. Luckily a got a good deal on a pair of Potenza's a few days before the trip as money needed to be saved for fuel..
Despite the K-brace there was some extra space to store stuff around the wheel arches not the carpets gone. With a bit of planning I squeezed everything in the boot.
So in the boot was a suitcase full of clothes, booths, air bed, tent, sleeping bags, camping stove, 5L oil, tools and tool box, digital tyre inflator, and 2/3 large bags of food/wipes along with probably a few bits I've missed off - even with all this the parcel shelf still went on just about!
The trip was to visit Scotland and the west coast. I got a map on the car so it could take 95 run just in case and some AA cover just in case.. I was planning on doing about 1800 miles but in the end I totalled just over 2100 Not sure on the mpg but plenty was spent on fuel!
Here's a few car related holiday pics as it wasn't all about driving - I highly recommend Scotland as a place to visit!!
Sleeping in the car when the temp dropped to 1c wasn't a great idea and isn't recommended. Unfortunately I couldn't find any campsites as I finished a boat trip later then expected.
Also don't do Applecross with a partially steamed up rear window as it makes reversing back near the cliff edges that little but harder..
The badges were looking a bit worn so I treated them to a respray. unfortunately I managed to break the MPS badge I ordered
I went for a matt black in the end
I also gave vinyl wrapping a try on the interior. Many hours and cut fingers later..
To say this was hard was an understatement. I had plenty of time due to lockdown
This was all done to save money re-dipping which may not have the same finish as before plus it's relatively easy to replace vinyl wraps.
I also done the stereo surround which was looking a bit left out
K brace:
I've had an eye on these for a while and they appeared on a group buy with a good discount so why not
Fitting was fiddly but got there in the end. It does tighten up the rear and helps with cornering.Install pics
I've kept the carpet out as it was quite hard to cut plus I like the raw look. The plastic tool tray has now been removed but I wanted to keep it in for the trip mentioned below.
Inlet manifold:
I chose the Corksport manifold due to the even flow it gives plus it has the brackets the oem manifold has so the airtec intercooler pipes should fit on with no mods (well that's the theory!) I did also look at the Damond ST adapters and the JMF but I wasn't keen on the JMF's chrome style finish plus the Damond kit looked a little hard to fit. After a few months of waiting the Corksport manifold finally arrived!
Funnily the manifold came with a sticker warning about the finish but the plan is to get it powdercoated black before getting it fitted with the catch can setup.
Finally as the cars been sitting about for ages I felt like doing a road trip. I was planning on doing something like a road trip next yet but recent events and me going mad being stuck at home all the time brought things forward.
First up was to change the tyres as they needed changing. Luckily a got a good deal on a pair of Potenza's a few days before the trip as money needed to be saved for fuel..
Despite the K-brace there was some extra space to store stuff around the wheel arches not the carpets gone. With a bit of planning I squeezed everything in the boot.
So in the boot was a suitcase full of clothes, booths, air bed, tent, sleeping bags, camping stove, 5L oil, tools and tool box, digital tyre inflator, and 2/3 large bags of food/wipes along with probably a few bits I've missed off - even with all this the parcel shelf still went on just about!
The trip was to visit Scotland and the west coast. I got a map on the car so it could take 95 run just in case and some AA cover just in case.. I was planning on doing about 1800 miles but in the end I totalled just over 2100
Not sure on the mpg but plenty was spent on fuel!Here's a few car related holiday pics as it wasn't all about driving - I highly recommend Scotland as a place to visit!!
Sleeping in the car when the temp dropped to 1c wasn't a great idea and isn't recommended. Unfortunately I couldn't find any campsites as I finished a boat trip later then expected.
Also don't do Applecross with a partially steamed up rear window as it makes reversing back near the cliff edges that little but harder..
Edited by maxdb on Tuesday 20th October 23:49
Edited by maxdb on Tuesday 20th October 23:50
MOT:
Another year, another MOT and another pass but this year we got some advisories, these were on the rear brakes and all the tyres. We got the brakes done and left the tyres as I want to get the wheels refurbed so might as well get new tyres all around when I do them.
Splitter:
I wanted to try out a new splitter without spending hundreds and having it break on a speed bump or similar. I ended up finding a 3 piece splitter for an STI204, which I would know could fit with some modding. The plan was to get one and bolt it to the bumper and see how it goes - £55 or so later and it arrives:
Some lining up and chopping commences
The initial fitting was slightly off but I've managed to tweak it better - I would say a one piece would've been a lot better.
Odd's and Sod's:
Replaced these as they were fading
Found a spark plug tool in the engine bay
Finished off spraying the last 2 interior panels now the weathers a but warmer:
Fitted some new led sidelights as one of the bulbs went on the old set - big shout to Rav for the bulbs! The splitter is also lined up better in this shot.
Wheels:
I spotted another set of RX8 wheels with good tyres for £100 and given the old ones I have need new tyres all round and a good refurb it just made sense to get these. Even a set of 4 part-worns would cost £120 plus the cost of the refurb. I did start to sand one of the old ones down but they look really far gone to make any home attempts worth while.
Getting the RX8 wheels fitted:
The tyre's are quite large being 225/45/18's so they get really close to the arch and at the moment I get scrubbing with people in the back so having passengers is a no go..
I'll be going back to 225/40/18s once the wheels are done..
Here's the old wheels, there's another slight bend on the lip due to a pot hole.
I noticed that Rota do another style centre cap that don't have the gel logo's on. I ordered a black set as the gel logo's don't last long before fading. These are staying black so hopefully should last a long time. Here's a couple of comparisons and a test fit.
Next on the list is to pick a colour and get a refurb booked in!
Another year, another MOT and another pass but this year we got some advisories, these were on the rear brakes and all the tyres. We got the brakes done and left the tyres as I want to get the wheels refurbed so might as well get new tyres all around when I do them.
Splitter:
I wanted to try out a new splitter without spending hundreds and having it break on a speed bump or similar. I ended up finding a 3 piece splitter for an STI204, which I would know could fit with some modding. The plan was to get one and bolt it to the bumper and see how it goes - £55 or so later and it arrives:
Some lining up and chopping commences
The initial fitting was slightly off but I've managed to tweak it better - I would say a one piece would've been a lot better.
Odd's and Sod's:
Replaced these as they were fading
Found a spark plug tool in the engine bay
Finished off spraying the last 2 interior panels now the weathers a but warmer:
Fitted some new led sidelights as one of the bulbs went on the old set - big shout to Rav for the bulbs! The splitter is also lined up better in this shot.
Wheels:
I spotted another set of RX8 wheels with good tyres for £100 and given the old ones I have need new tyres all round and a good refurb it just made sense to get these. Even a set of 4 part-worns would cost £120 plus the cost of the refurb. I did start to sand one of the old ones down but they look really far gone to make any home attempts worth while.
Getting the RX8 wheels fitted:
The tyre's are quite large being 225/45/18's so they get really close to the arch and at the moment I get scrubbing with people in the back so having passengers is a no go..
I'll be going back to 225/40/18s once the wheels are done..
Here's the old wheels, there's another slight bend on the lip due to a pot hole.
I noticed that Rota do another style centre cap that don't have the gel logo's on. I ordered a black set as the gel logo's don't last long before fading. These are staying black so hopefully should last a long time. Here's a couple of comparisons and a test fit.
Next on the list is to pick a colour and get a refurb booked in!
Some updates over the last few months:
1st off - we got a new stereo!
Someone was selling the new style Eonon stereo's cheap and it's really good as it has the usual FM/DAB features plus I can have gauges built into it that link to a bluetooth ODB reader. It also has Waze installed, which is quite handy.
I should've cleaned the inside before taking pics though
The front splitter was being a pain as it kept coming away at one of the joins. I put some screws underneath to secure it in place but I lost these due to a speed hump incident. As a result I bought a new one, which is the same design but using some better plastic and a one piece design. Fitting this wasn't too bad as I could use the old one as a template/guide:
The usual bumper off malarkey ensued
I managed to give this one a cleaner fit this time and whilst the older wheels were on I decided to paint the brake callipers orange.
Next was the refurbed wheels - I chose Lamborghini Imola Bronze as the colour and they looked great when I picked them up from the powdercoaters:
I was a bit unsure how the colour would look on JDM style wheels but they look great
The next job was to fit them on the car with new tyres. This time I wanted to give Rainsport 5's a try so I got these on all around. Here's a few pics of them fitted:
The different lighting angles really helps change the colours.
Impressed with the wheel refurb, I asked them to do the inlet manifold:
A lot of work is planned around fitting the new inlet manifold as I want to get the valves cleaned at the same time along with adding some new cleaned injectors, Corksport injector sills plus fitting the oil catch cans.
1st off - we got a new stereo!
Someone was selling the new style Eonon stereo's cheap and it's really good as it has the usual FM/DAB features plus I can have gauges built into it that link to a bluetooth ODB reader. It also has Waze installed, which is quite handy.
I should've cleaned the inside before taking pics though
The front splitter was being a pain as it kept coming away at one of the joins. I put some screws underneath to secure it in place but I lost these due to a speed hump incident. As a result I bought a new one, which is the same design but using some better plastic and a one piece design. Fitting this wasn't too bad as I could use the old one as a template/guide:
The usual bumper off malarkey ensued
I managed to give this one a cleaner fit this time and whilst the older wheels were on I decided to paint the brake callipers orange.
Next was the refurbed wheels - I chose Lamborghini Imola Bronze as the colour and they looked great when I picked them up from the powdercoaters:
I was a bit unsure how the colour would look on JDM style wheels but they look great
The next job was to fit them on the car with new tyres. This time I wanted to give Rainsport 5's a try so I got these on all around. Here's a few pics of them fitted:
The different lighting angles really helps change the colours.
Impressed with the wheel refurb, I asked them to do the inlet manifold:
A lot of work is planned around fitting the new inlet manifold as I want to get the valves cleaned at the same time along with adding some new cleaned injectors, Corksport injector sills plus fitting the oil catch cans.
I've just done a few odd bits and bobs over the last 6 months or so. Being parked up all the time can take it's toll so the sunstrip got replaced and the headlights got re-tinted as one started to react. The wiper arms and scuttle panels were also fading and some of the window switches were getting marked so I've started going through some renewing.
New sunstrip and tints fitted:
I have started to notice the passenger side headlight has started to go funny again so I will need to get a new headlight at some point. The drivers side is a newer light that got changed just after I got the car.
The boot struts were also starting to squeek so these got replaced with some newer ones. Some really boring boot strut pics are incoming:
The new ones are so much better and no more annoying noises when opening and closing the boot!
Next up was doing the wiper blades as the drivers one in particular was faded and had these chip marks in it that were really annoying to look at.
These got spraypainted with some black Hammerite and now look much better
The scuttle panels are next to do but I need the weather to be better before I attempt them.
Back to the interior I used some sound deadening left over from a boot install (further details below). To do a few bits to cut out some annoying vibrations that are coming through. I didn't take pictures of it all but we did a few bits behind the dash to hopefully eliminate some of the noises.
Unfortunately the issues remains so I'm going to check out the engine bay to see if there's anything I can do under there.
I re-done the window switches in carbon wrap. The new wrap is different to the old one and has a tighter weave. This time I got piano black window switches to make them look better.
I also did a bit of extra work on the handbrake surround trim as it wasn't looking too great from before and I knew I could make it better with a bit of patience.
Boot work:
I can't really call it an install as I'm not adding big subs or anything but the road noise from the boot being empty was getting annoying plus everything going in had to go around the spare wheel. To get around this I soundproofed the boot and added some custom carpet so I can still show off the K brace a bit more. I then removed the spare wheel and added a false floor which has also been carpeted. The original cover then goes on top of the false floor.
I don't have a complete picture set of the work so I'll have to get some of the completed work and will upload them. I did end up having to re-do a lot of the sound deadening so the carpet laid better.
The bonus with the new boot work is that I still get a bit more space and the boot is still deeper than oem plus I now get less road noise.
Engine bay:
There was a really cheap strut brace going for sale on Ebay so I thought I would buy it to brighten up the engine bay a bit:
At the same time I painted the bracing underneath black and added a black power steering cover as I can't get anything hydrodipped in the style and design I want anymore
Mechanicals:
MOT time was in Feb and it passed with no advisories!
I also got the VVT changed - pic of the kit below
I'm very pleased with the garage I had recommended to do the work. They have loads of knowledge with the MPS platform and the work done also didn't cost the earth so I will be using them again at some point.
New sunstrip and tints fitted:
I have started to notice the passenger side headlight has started to go funny again so I will need to get a new headlight at some point. The drivers side is a newer light that got changed just after I got the car.
The boot struts were also starting to squeek so these got replaced with some newer ones. Some really boring boot strut pics are incoming:
The new ones are so much better and no more annoying noises when opening and closing the boot!
Next up was doing the wiper blades as the drivers one in particular was faded and had these chip marks in it that were really annoying to look at.
These got spraypainted with some black Hammerite and now look much better
The scuttle panels are next to do but I need the weather to be better before I attempt them.
Back to the interior I used some sound deadening left over from a boot install (further details below). To do a few bits to cut out some annoying vibrations that are coming through. I didn't take pictures of it all but we did a few bits behind the dash to hopefully eliminate some of the noises.
Unfortunately the issues remains so I'm going to check out the engine bay to see if there's anything I can do under there.
I re-done the window switches in carbon wrap. The new wrap is different to the old one and has a tighter weave. This time I got piano black window switches to make them look better.
I also did a bit of extra work on the handbrake surround trim as it wasn't looking too great from before and I knew I could make it better with a bit of patience.
Boot work:
I can't really call it an install as I'm not adding big subs or anything but the road noise from the boot being empty was getting annoying plus everything going in had to go around the spare wheel. To get around this I soundproofed the boot and added some custom carpet so I can still show off the K brace a bit more. I then removed the spare wheel and added a false floor which has also been carpeted. The original cover then goes on top of the false floor.
I don't have a complete picture set of the work so I'll have to get some of the completed work and will upload them. I did end up having to re-do a lot of the sound deadening so the carpet laid better.
The bonus with the new boot work is that I still get a bit more space and the boot is still deeper than oem plus I now get less road noise.
Engine bay:
There was a really cheap strut brace going for sale on Ebay so I thought I would buy it to brighten up the engine bay a bit:
At the same time I painted the bracing underneath black and added a black power steering cover as I can't get anything hydrodipped in the style and design I want anymore
Mechanicals:
MOT time was in Feb and it passed with no advisories!
I also got the VVT changed - pic of the kit below
I'm very pleased with the garage I had recommended to do the work. They have loads of knowledge with the MPS platform and the work done also didn't cost the earth so I will be using them again at some point.
So here is the final ever update - I got the scuttle panels done 
And a final pic of the car before it was sold
I've been thinking of selling the car for a while as fancied a change as I've owned the car for over 6/7 years now. Someone on the MPS groups was looking for one to buy and I mentioned I might sell mine. After a conversation the new owner came down from Leeds and picked it up and offered a reasonable amount for the car given the condition. I should also get some money back on some parts not yet fitted to the car so I don't think I could of got much than a better deal.
There has been some personal changes since I bought the car, the girlfriend now drives and has the family car so I don't really need to drive much, if at all. It also means I can get something less practical, like a 2 seater
I do want to move away from having a car with a 4pot engine just because I fancy a change so something with a v6 or flat 6 would be nice. Currently I'm torn between a 987 Boxster or a Cayman but I may consider a 986 Boxster if I can fit inside one ok. I best get saving!
And a final pic of the car before it was sold
I've been thinking of selling the car for a while as fancied a change as I've owned the car for over 6/7 years now. Someone on the MPS groups was looking for one to buy and I mentioned I might sell mine. After a conversation the new owner came down from Leeds and picked it up and offered a reasonable amount for the car given the condition. I should also get some money back on some parts not yet fitted to the car so I don't think I could of got much than a better deal.
There has been some personal changes since I bought the car, the girlfriend now drives and has the family car so I don't really need to drive much, if at all. It also means I can get something less practical, like a 2 seater
I do want to move away from having a car with a 4pot engine just because I fancy a change so something with a v6 or flat 6 would be nice. Currently I'm torn between a 987 Boxster or a Cayman but I may consider a 986 Boxster if I can fit inside one ok. I best get saving!
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