Discussion
I'm taking the plunge on a Mk 2.5 2001 1.8i S tonight, it will be my first MX-5.I have always fancied one ever since my old mate bought one new back on G plate many moons ago. I've read up lots on here and have scared myself now over the rust situation, I know that this particular one has a little on one rear arch, visually that is about ituntil I can check the chassis rails.
The first thing that I will be doing is fixing the electric aerial which apparently 'only recently' failed to operate anymore, secondly would be the wheels as they are pretty scabby. I can't make my mind up whether to have them refurbed at a cost of £200 locally or buy a new set, probably £250-300 , should I keep her original or not, I can't make my mind up ?
The first thing that I will be doing is fixing the electric aerial which apparently 'only recently' failed to operate anymore, secondly would be the wheels as they are pretty scabby. I can't make my mind up whether to have them refurbed at a cost of £200 locally or buy a new set, probably £250-300 , should I keep her original or not, I can't make my mind up ?
The owner insists its clean but I will have good look before buying tonight , I've already knocked him down the cost of a set of wheels and an aerial , can't push for more off unless I just pull out altogether, I know there are loads about. I'll post some photos if all goes well, cheers.
Well I just picked it up and there is an awful rattle when going over bumps coming from the passenger side rear,it has new discs and pads, so I'm wondering if it is a pad needs a shim or two ? The rust didn't look as bad today, although I did notice a little in the engine bay on one of the rails . I'll post some pics over the weekend as I'm off to Lydden for the Rally X tomorrow.
I need to sort the rattle/clunking from the rear nearside corner first as it's p#***ng me off. The pads are very loose on that side and the noise goes when I left foot brake , but I'm not convinced it is the pads . It has a fresh years ticket on it so I'm not desperate to see how bad the rails are.
Well I've had the car for over a week now so have had the chance to give it a look over. I ordered a new electric aerial and replaced that, it was easy once I had removed the broken part of the plastic gear thing from the elictric motor. I sorted the pad rattle, a fitting kit had not been used with what are after market pads, I could not get the W springs to fit as there isn't provision for them with these pads, although I did manage to fit the top and bottom clips, to stop the pad rattle.
I had a awful squeal on the nearside electric window, that was solved with a bit of white grease in the runners.
The ride seems very firm almost as if the pressures are too high, I have set them to 26 psi all around,it feels as though it is skipping across bumps to me ? The gearbox is very notchy, I have found that I skip gears now, from 2nd to 4th, 1st to 3rd and I found I was coming from 6th to 3rd at first with the close gate. The clutch bites very early, probably not a good sign ?
As for rust - apart from the nearside arch the back end of both seals has some lovely bubbles which ooze water when pressed,the paint hasn't broken there yet so they don't look too bad. Under the bonnet the chassis on the driver side has some flakey rust , I haven't had it on a ramp with the cover off yet, so I'm not sure how bad it is underneath there ?
Overall the body looks pretty clean, with just one or two shopping trolley dents on the nearside, the hood has a couple of little tears on where it folds back, but it doesn't leak. I've given it (the hood) a coat of sealant (Wonder Wheels product ?) and have resin coated the body work with Autoglym.
I'll try and upload some photos this week, I do want this car to be a project as I have the spare time and patience to tidy her up, I'll just have to plan where to start.
I had a awful squeal on the nearside electric window, that was solved with a bit of white grease in the runners.
The ride seems very firm almost as if the pressures are too high, I have set them to 26 psi all around,it feels as though it is skipping across bumps to me ? The gearbox is very notchy, I have found that I skip gears now, from 2nd to 4th, 1st to 3rd and I found I was coming from 6th to 3rd at first with the close gate. The clutch bites very early, probably not a good sign ?
As for rust - apart from the nearside arch the back end of both seals has some lovely bubbles which ooze water when pressed,the paint hasn't broken there yet so they don't look too bad. Under the bonnet the chassis on the driver side has some flakey rust , I haven't had it on a ramp with the cover off yet, so I'm not sure how bad it is underneath there ?
Overall the body looks pretty clean, with just one or two shopping trolley dents on the nearside, the hood has a couple of little tears on where it folds back, but it doesn't leak. I've given it (the hood) a coat of sealant (Wonder Wheels product ?) and have resin coated the body work with Autoglym.
I'll try and upload some photos this week, I do want this car to be a project as I have the spare time and patience to tidy her up, I'll just have to plan where to start.
I know I will find rust Chris and that it will need new sills and possibly chassis rails I'm not doubting that, but I can't see the point of me stressing over it now, when it has a 12 month ticket and it is the best time of the year for a convertible sports car ? The rust jobs can wait until autumn and the car can be off the road for the winter, that is no big deal for me . If it cost up to £1k to fix it up then so be it.
At the moment I just want to make my ride as comfortable as I can, the car looks great from the outside even if it is on the way to being f****d from the inside (in places). Little jobs I can handle for now and I'll leave the big stuff to the experts who can earn their money fixing the car up.
At the moment I just want to make my ride as comfortable as I can, the car looks great from the outside even if it is on the way to being f****d from the inside (in places). Little jobs I can handle for now and I'll leave the big stuff to the experts who can earn their money fixing the car up.
Just back from Le Mans where I was pleased to see several MX5s on our campsite away from the circuit, I didn't take mine this year due to the amount of camping gear that goes down with us, however we are going down to see the KZ Karting World finals in September, so may take it then.
The rust on mine is prodominently on the near side, the previous owners were unaware of the possible blocked waterways until quite recently, so this could have been a lot of the problem ? I've bought one of those bendy brush things to keep them clear now.
I still haven't done many miles and am looking to address the clutch issue first using pewe's suggestion of a new slave cylinder/decent bleed. I need to sort the ride out next as the car does tend to judder and skip over bumps (along with the rattles), I'll go to our nearest MX5 specialist for that here in Chatham Kent.
The rust on mine is prodominently on the near side, the previous owners were unaware of the possible blocked waterways until quite recently, so this could have been a lot of the problem ? I've bought one of those bendy brush things to keep them clear now.
I still haven't done many miles and am looking to address the clutch issue first using pewe's suggestion of a new slave cylinder/decent bleed. I need to sort the ride out next as the car does tend to judder and skip over bumps (along with the rattles), I'll go to our nearest MX5 specialist for that here in Chatham Kent.
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