Jesters Collection - Mazda 3MPS/RX8 R3/RX7/MINI Cooper S
Discussion
Gilhooligan said:
Even as an auto, I fear that is far too nice to be butchered as a donor car with that mileage.
To be honest, at least she isn't being butchered then scrapped. The whole shell is obviously being kept and providing a base for the conversion.It has been a bit slow the last month or so with regards to car updates. I've been away with work on training and had some family duties to attend too!
But I inadvertently have some for today!
MPS
Popped out to take the mileage reading as car insurance was sorted today, a whole £30 cheaper than last year, which is nice. Decided to do a few checks and fired the old girl up and she roared to life without batting an eyelid and settled down nicely. Checked under the bonnet, cleared some leaves and general detritus out. Checked the boot......oh look a leak
Bottom right hand side of the boot under the tail light had a nice little puddle by it. Now in MPS land leaks in the boot area are usually one of a few things. Leaky rear lights, rear wiper bung, spoiler grommets. In some outside cases it can be the rear window seal pealing away. All of these are mainly down to age.
Now using the supreme leak detection powers that I am gaining, Wiper and left hand light I can rule out as the water is down by the right hand light. Spoiler looks less likely as I know this had to be resealed by the bodyshop after the respray so likely this bit is fine. So it does look like the right hand light is the culprit.
Now in the spirit of going completely overboard. I stripped most of the boot out.
This was just to try and make life as easy as possible, to try and dry everything up and make sure nothing looked too compromised. Also as we all know as soon as one side starts to fail the other one cannot be that far behind so now both lights came out. Super easy with 2 nuts off, 2 plugs off and off she pops.
I have stuffed some bin bags in the rear light apertures as some ghetto waterproofing while I get the lights sorted.
Now the rear light gaskets look something like this.
They are both soaked and looking rather weathered, so I've tried to remove one as gently as possible, cleaned the material off and used some glue remover. My plan is to make my own gasket and have ordered some material to make it happen.
Both lights have been cleaned, as much of the dirt and mould removed from the clear sections around the edges and popped by a radiator to start to dry them out. The right hand light has also got condensation and water droplets inside it which also points to this being the source of the leak.
The reverse and fog lights which are in the boot hatch will be next on the list to pop off, clean up and reseal. All of this was a job I was intending on getting round too, but hand has been forced.
As an extra precaution I have ordered a rear wiper blank from killallwipers.com as I will now remove and plug the wiper up. Over the years it has been painfully obvious that it is quite a useless wiper.
RX7
The good news is that the dehumidifier has been doing a stellar job and I have got nearly 1L of moisture out of the car.
The boot has remained dry, the hatch skin is all dry, No wet carpets I actually feel like I may have won.
In my confidence the spare wheel is back in the car for the first time in quite a few months.
I have also finished foam taping all of the boot plastics that I removed, so in the next week or so I'll pop them back in. Then she is a wash away from being ready to roll out and back up to TPS for rebushing, diff brace install, steering rack refurb and some tarting up.
Further work has been carried out on the MPS in the hunt for leaks.
My gasket like material had arrived and I DIY'd some replacements
Just something to compare old and new. I added a few mm to ensure they fitted the lights well.
Popped the gaskets on, there was some waterproofing around the LED unit plug which I added with offcuts of the material.
Refitted onto the car, this shows the difference with the reverse/fog lights on the hatch in cleanliness. The reverse/fogs are now off and have been given a darn good scrubbing and are currently sitting close to a rad drying out thoroughly.
Please forgive the obvious filth the car is wearing. She was going to be cleaned, then obviously found out she couldn't keep water out :lol:
Hatch trim has been removed so I could remove the wiper and plug the hole.
You can clearly see that it has been letting water in, and that you can see daylight through, obviously not ideal in stopping water.
Killallwipers kit. All well thought out and fits really well.
Expertly smeared sealant and plug in place.
Sealand applied on the outside as well, tidied up and this is the end result. Really not too bad if I do say so myself.
As a side note, if you are reading this and have an MPS. This is how you get out the interior parcel shelf trim clips. For some reason I couldn't find a good photo or description online.
How they look when fitted (obviously sans plastic trim piece)
The top of the pin pulls out, and the whole plug comes out.
It took me about 15-20 minutes to work this out. I tried pulling, unscrewing, then rotating 90 degrees and pulling. Before I accidentally got it right using some molegrips as I was about to lose my patience. Not sure if I should be annoyed or really impressed with the dual parcel shelf clip and interior trim clip combo design!
My gasket like material had arrived and I DIY'd some replacements
Just something to compare old and new. I added a few mm to ensure they fitted the lights well.
Popped the gaskets on, there was some waterproofing around the LED unit plug which I added with offcuts of the material.
Refitted onto the car, this shows the difference with the reverse/fog lights on the hatch in cleanliness. The reverse/fogs are now off and have been given a darn good scrubbing and are currently sitting close to a rad drying out thoroughly.
Please forgive the obvious filth the car is wearing. She was going to be cleaned, then obviously found out she couldn't keep water out :lol:
Hatch trim has been removed so I could remove the wiper and plug the hole.
You can clearly see that it has been letting water in, and that you can see daylight through, obviously not ideal in stopping water.
Killallwipers kit. All well thought out and fits really well.
Expertly smeared sealant and plug in place.
Sealand applied on the outside as well, tidied up and this is the end result. Really not too bad if I do say so myself.
As a side note, if you are reading this and have an MPS. This is how you get out the interior parcel shelf trim clips. For some reason I couldn't find a good photo or description online.
How they look when fitted (obviously sans plastic trim piece)
The top of the pin pulls out, and the whole plug comes out.
It took me about 15-20 minutes to work this out. I tried pulling, unscrewing, then rotating 90 degrees and pulling. Before I accidentally got it right using some molegrips as I was about to lose my patience. Not sure if I should be annoyed or really impressed with the dual parcel shelf clip and interior trim clip combo design!
RX7
As we have started Easter, I have managed to finally get some time to pop the 7's interior back in.
Only one missing clip, which I managed to source from a Mazda Bongo spares supplier!
I was sat in the boot while doing this. It was the easiest way! Everything going back easily and refreshing any interior trim clips that looked weathered. The foam padding making everything a nice snug fit.
I think I mentioned I had my suspicions that the rear wiper had been removed before and while sat in the boot and putting the last trim piece I noticed that the rear washer nozzle was missing something quite critical......the washer pipe to the reservoir
Quite satisfying having everything back together. Fingers crossed thats me done chasing leaks in the 7.
In other news the 7's drop off at TPS has been delayed a few weeks due to woek backlog and Easter. A shame but just one of those things.
MPS
MPS leak work has been going well! Apart from having to remove the drivers side rear light again as it didn't seem to dry out properly. The fog and reverse light in the boot hatch have been cleaned and popped back in.
Rear light and reverse light looking much cleaner.
I've also bought another dehumidifier that is currently doing its work inside the MPS. The one in the 7 has been really good so felt like it was worth getting a second.
Another little bit of scope creep is that while I am doing all this work at the back I decided to replace the boot struts with fresh ones from SGS. Pretty cheap and definitely worth the little effort needed to replace them.
I know these aren't the most exciting updates, but it's the little things that count at the moment.
As we have started Easter, I have managed to finally get some time to pop the 7's interior back in.
Only one missing clip, which I managed to source from a Mazda Bongo spares supplier!
I was sat in the boot while doing this. It was the easiest way! Everything going back easily and refreshing any interior trim clips that looked weathered. The foam padding making everything a nice snug fit.
I think I mentioned I had my suspicions that the rear wiper had been removed before and while sat in the boot and putting the last trim piece I noticed that the rear washer nozzle was missing something quite critical......the washer pipe to the reservoir
Quite satisfying having everything back together. Fingers crossed thats me done chasing leaks in the 7.
In other news the 7's drop off at TPS has been delayed a few weeks due to woek backlog and Easter. A shame but just one of those things.
MPS
MPS leak work has been going well! Apart from having to remove the drivers side rear light again as it didn't seem to dry out properly. The fog and reverse light in the boot hatch have been cleaned and popped back in.
Rear light and reverse light looking much cleaner.
I've also bought another dehumidifier that is currently doing its work inside the MPS. The one in the 7 has been really good so felt like it was worth getting a second.
Another little bit of scope creep is that while I am doing all this work at the back I decided to replace the boot struts with fresh ones from SGS. Pretty cheap and definitely worth the little effort needed to replace them.
I know these aren't the most exciting updates, but it's the little things that count at the moment.
rotarygoth said:
That's a excellent write up and hats off to you on a superb automotive collection!
Looking forward to seeing how the NA MX5 turns out the 767B colours look great on the MX5.
If I had the space I'd love to have an RX7 (FC in my case) again, but it's not right without a garage.
Those compression readings on the 8 look pretty consistent so you should be ok for time yet.
Thanks for taking the time to have a read. Garage or no garage just get the cars you want! It might require a bit more TLC and thought but I keep all mine outside. They'll be fine (hopefully). Plus rotaries are just cool.Looking forward to seeing how the NA MX5 turns out the 767B colours look great on the MX5.
If I had the space I'd love to have an RX7 (FC in my case) again, but it's not right without a garage.
Those compression readings on the 8 look pretty consistent so you should be ok for time yet.
99Chimaera said:
Very enjoyable thread and very nice cars. I'm looking forward to updates on the rocketeer MX5, I remember Alex Kerstens from Car throttle, he loved it, the noise was amazing. I've been tempted to get one. ????
I feel very seperated from the Rocketeer at the moment, as I haven't had time to visit the workshop and it hasn't come time to lock in my spec yet. But I have every faith it is going to be an insanely cool thing. Again I am following the life is too short style, do it now.Soooooo came home today thought I would check on the 7 as we have had some rain and hey presto, a bit too much water came pouring out from the hatch trim on the drivers side.
So I had to have words with the car which resulted in boot plastics out and this.....
Cleaned up the areas where spoiler interacts with bootlid. Improvised some neoprene washers from other clips I had lying around and applied a liberal amount of silicon sealant to the areas of concern then bolted her all back up. The only clip I have my reservations with is the push clip part of the spoiler as you don't secure it from the bootlid like the others, so you cannot double down and seal it from underneath.
Now we wait.....
So I had to have words with the car which resulted in boot plastics out and this.....
Cleaned up the areas where spoiler interacts with bootlid. Improvised some neoprene washers from other clips I had lying around and applied a liberal amount of silicon sealant to the areas of concern then bolted her all back up. The only clip I have my reservations with is the push clip part of the spoiler as you don't secure it from the bootlid like the others, so you cannot double down and seal it from underneath.
Now we wait.....
RX7
So I went away for a week training. Came back and the wife told me we'd had some decent precipitation, so with baited breath I lifted the boot hatch and had.....absolutely no water run down the boot struts. Whisper it quietly.......it may be fixed
So she was dropped off at TPS yesterday for the following work.
Complete rebushing underneath.
New engine mounts.
Diff brace fitting.
Alignment
Removal and refurbishing of the steering rack.
New steering UJ.
Oil + filter
Popping off the wiper arms for sandblasting and refreshing.
So she will be away for a few weeks, the wallet will take a bashing but she should drive like an absolute dream afterwards.
Rocketeer
Called up Bruce for a chat and he said my donor is being stripped and should be heading off as a shell to be dipped very shortly. Am booking to go and visit the workshop hopefully at the beginning of May!
So I went away for a week training. Came back and the wife told me we'd had some decent precipitation, so with baited breath I lifted the boot hatch and had.....absolutely no water run down the boot struts. Whisper it quietly.......it may be fixed
So she was dropped off at TPS yesterday for the following work.
Complete rebushing underneath.
New engine mounts.
Diff brace fitting.
Alignment
Removal and refurbishing of the steering rack.
New steering UJ.
Oil + filter
Popping off the wiper arms for sandblasting and refreshing.
So she will be away for a few weeks, the wallet will take a bashing but she should drive like an absolute dream afterwards.
Rocketeer
Called up Bruce for a chat and he said my donor is being stripped and should be heading off as a shell to be dipped very shortly. Am booking to go and visit the workshop hopefully at the beginning of May!
Updaaaaaaaaaaates!
RX7
Unfortunately TPS have been very busy and work hasn't started just yet. No biggie, hoping to have it done by the end of May. All fingers crossed.
MPS
Got its first clean in a long time, the mucky thing as we were heading to Rocketeer and I needed to blow the cobwebs off. She fired up and performed flawlessly for the 250 odd mile trip.
As luck would have it someone in the MPS groups managed to pop a cylinder pushing for close to 500bhp and decided to break his car and sell off the goodies. I may have secured some OZ Ultraleggera's and 8 pot KSport calipers for an absolute steal, the kind of steal that I felt almost bad for the owner.
The wheels should be the right dimensions to run under stock arches at the aero ride height without rubbing and clear the frankly stupid sized calipers.
Rocketeer
So I managed to pop down to see Bruce at Rocketeer for a chat and to see my shell. It looks like they managed to secure a really good example.
Manged to spend near on 3 hours chatting, putting my vision across for the car and starting to build that relationship. Definitely have a clearer picture of where I want the car to go, while trying to remain remotely objective and within budget. The within budget bit is probably going to be the victim of some insane man maths.
One of the cool things is, it appears my build will only be restomod 5 that Rocketeer have done. So I am in the exclusive single digit club!
We may also still be on for an August/September delivery.
The excitement levels are really beginining to get going.
RX7
Unfortunately TPS have been very busy and work hasn't started just yet. No biggie, hoping to have it done by the end of May. All fingers crossed.
MPS
Got its first clean in a long time, the mucky thing as we were heading to Rocketeer and I needed to blow the cobwebs off. She fired up and performed flawlessly for the 250 odd mile trip.
As luck would have it someone in the MPS groups managed to pop a cylinder pushing for close to 500bhp and decided to break his car and sell off the goodies. I may have secured some OZ Ultraleggera's and 8 pot KSport calipers for an absolute steal, the kind of steal that I felt almost bad for the owner.
The wheels should be the right dimensions to run under stock arches at the aero ride height without rubbing and clear the frankly stupid sized calipers.
Rocketeer
So I managed to pop down to see Bruce at Rocketeer for a chat and to see my shell. It looks like they managed to secure a really good example.
Manged to spend near on 3 hours chatting, putting my vision across for the car and starting to build that relationship. Definitely have a clearer picture of where I want the car to go, while trying to remain remotely objective and within budget. The within budget bit is probably going to be the victim of some insane man maths.
One of the cool things is, it appears my build will only be restomod 5 that Rocketeer have done. So I am in the exclusive single digit club!
We may also still be on for an August/September delivery.
The excitement levels are really beginining to get going.
No huge updates except I went and collected the goodies for the MPS that my good friend picked up for me.
Very happy with what I have managed to snap up.
So some 8 pots....
Featuring some OZ Ultraleggeras
Now at the moment I am in no hurry to refurb the wheels, paint the calipers and fit as I need to keep a lid on spending to throw as much at the Rocketeer as I can. But in my head I'd like to take the OZ's back to a matt bronze and go for a purple on the calipers. Something a little different but in my head will look great.
Very happy with what I have managed to snap up.
So some 8 pots....
Featuring some OZ Ultraleggeras
Now at the moment I am in no hurry to refurb the wheels, paint the calipers and fit as I need to keep a lid on spending to throw as much at the Rocketeer as I can. But in my head I'd like to take the OZ's back to a matt bronze and go for a purple on the calipers. Something a little different but in my head will look great.
Quick update on the RX7
This will just be text but I hope I can convey the emotion of it. Picked her up yesterday from TPS, and the transformation is absolutely incredible.
So just a quick breakdown of work.
1. Full suspension rebush - Bushes supplied by me.
2. Steering rack removed and refurbed.
3. Vibratechnics engine mounts installed (this was an addon on the day of drop off, proved to be a good idea as 1 was way perished)
4. Alignment.
5. Oil & filter.
6. Diff brace fitted & diff oil changed.
7. Ball joints on the upper front arms both split when the arms were removed. Replaced.
8. Sandblast & repaint of wiper arms.
I cannot begin to explain how good the car felt on the drive home. No slop in the steering wheel, I had dead travel in the wheel before the work, now completely disappeared and added weight to the steering. All 4 corners of the car feel more....connected to the road. So much more confidence in the way she handles and puts down the power. I can barely notice the change between the turbos now as she pulls hard to redline.
The only negatives so far, is that she feels a touch firmer and the engine mounts have introduced a bit more exhaust resonance into the cabin but it is by no means a dealbreaker as cruising along it isn't an issue. Just when you are getting on it and ripping up through the gears.
The team at TPS Reece, Josh & Kim have been excellent, and even though the work took a bit longer than originally thought I am extremely happy with the end result. She drives how I always thought the RX7 should, and it also goes to show that buying garage queens is never always straightforward. You buy a solid base, then have to spend to bring them up to a proper driving standard.
This will just be text but I hope I can convey the emotion of it. Picked her up yesterday from TPS, and the transformation is absolutely incredible.
So just a quick breakdown of work.
1. Full suspension rebush - Bushes supplied by me.
2. Steering rack removed and refurbed.
3. Vibratechnics engine mounts installed (this was an addon on the day of drop off, proved to be a good idea as 1 was way perished)
4. Alignment.
5. Oil & filter.
6. Diff brace fitted & diff oil changed.
7. Ball joints on the upper front arms both split when the arms were removed. Replaced.
8. Sandblast & repaint of wiper arms.
I cannot begin to explain how good the car felt on the drive home. No slop in the steering wheel, I had dead travel in the wheel before the work, now completely disappeared and added weight to the steering. All 4 corners of the car feel more....connected to the road. So much more confidence in the way she handles and puts down the power. I can barely notice the change between the turbos now as she pulls hard to redline.
The only negatives so far, is that she feels a touch firmer and the engine mounts have introduced a bit more exhaust resonance into the cabin but it is by no means a dealbreaker as cruising along it isn't an issue. Just when you are getting on it and ripping up through the gears.
The team at TPS Reece, Josh & Kim have been excellent, and even though the work took a bit longer than originally thought I am extremely happy with the end result. She drives how I always thought the RX7 should, and it also goes to show that buying garage queens is never always straightforward. You buy a solid base, then have to spend to bring them up to a proper driving standard.
samoht said:
Fantastic, ever since you got the 7 I was hoping you'd get the chance to enjoy it in good order. For me the FD is a 'chassis car' first and foremost, despite the characterful and high-potential engine, the great looks and the cool factors it's the way it dances towards the limit that's special. Just how it rotates around the driver in response to your inputs, so willing and responsive, is very special, and justifies all the expense of getting it there.
Thanks samoht! I just had to have some faith in the car and not judge it by the first drive. That and pop some investment into her!Need to get some miles under the belt now to enjoy and bond with her a bit more.
An update I must admit I wasn't expecting to have to make but.
Due to my wife quite suddenly asking for a divorce last week, I have had to call Bruce and cancel the Rocketeer build. Thankfully for me it looks like I will still be able to keep hold of the MPS, 7 and 8. Oh and keep my house, that being the most important thing!
So major projects aside, hopefully I'll still be able to do some tinkering and continuing the journey on the other cars.
Due to my wife quite suddenly asking for a divorce last week, I have had to call Bruce and cancel the Rocketeer build. Thankfully for me it looks like I will still be able to keep hold of the MPS, 7 and 8. Oh and keep my house, that being the most important thing!
So major projects aside, hopefully I'll still be able to do some tinkering and continuing the journey on the other cars.
Thanks for the thoughts gents. I do appreciate it, I hope you will still enjoy the journey as I stumble through!
Definitely leaning more towards Enkei RPF1's for being just as iconic as the TE37's at about half the price.
ThomW said:
White TE37's . You know it makes sense! 
I mean TE37's are probably one of the sexiest wheels going, although they are also eye wateringly expensive Definitely leaning more towards Enkei RPF1's for being just as iconic as the TE37's at about half the price.
Good evening fellow PHer's.
I hope you all enjoyed PH25, I would have loved to have attended but it was my godson's fathers 40th so that came first.
But I have slowly got myself sorted, things have kind of smoothed off and we are heading for calmer seas and there are updates.
MPS
In true sods law style, the day my ex moved out. The MPS decided to reward me with an MOT fail
One of the Eibachs had snapped near the bottom of the spring which was most unusual and seeing as the car had only done 1700 miles this year....really unfortunate. I've never had an Eibach snap so it seems to have been, just one of those things. When Neil from VIP Motorsport got back to me with £120 for a single spring or a whole set for just shy of £200 I went for the whole set. You never know when you need spares.
This fail meant a little bit of the old man maths. As I felt the springs should be replaced as a pair, and as she would have to come apart a bit. It would be a real shame not to have the K Sports fitted along with the OZ's at the same time.
So I disassembled the K Sports enough to be sent away to BCR for testing and repainting.
Checked over the pads and discs, so much life left in all the consumables so I've put them to one side in their pairs.
Posted on the Wednesday and had them returned by the following Tuesday so excellent service. Now I've gone for Merlin purple, which has come out really well. Not too in your face, with black K Sport decals. The OZ's are being refurbed as we speak and hopefully will be done by the end of the week.
Here's a cheeky few photos of the calipers.
RX8
The RX8 took me all the way up to just north of Derby and back for the 40th. So not too far off 500 miles, without missing a beat. Gave her a good amount of stick as well. Soon I'll transfer some attention to her for some loving.
RX7
Haven't had too much time out in the RX7 but we've done a few runs. Still feeling excellent after the suspension refresh and hoping to take her out a bit more in the coming months.
I hope you all enjoyed PH25, I would have loved to have attended but it was my godson's fathers 40th so that came first.
But I have slowly got myself sorted, things have kind of smoothed off and we are heading for calmer seas and there are updates.
MPS
In true sods law style, the day my ex moved out. The MPS decided to reward me with an MOT fail
One of the Eibachs had snapped near the bottom of the spring which was most unusual and seeing as the car had only done 1700 miles this year....really unfortunate. I've never had an Eibach snap so it seems to have been, just one of those things. When Neil from VIP Motorsport got back to me with £120 for a single spring or a whole set for just shy of £200 I went for the whole set. You never know when you need spares.
This fail meant a little bit of the old man maths. As I felt the springs should be replaced as a pair, and as she would have to come apart a bit. It would be a real shame not to have the K Sports fitted along with the OZ's at the same time.
So I disassembled the K Sports enough to be sent away to BCR for testing and repainting.
Checked over the pads and discs, so much life left in all the consumables so I've put them to one side in their pairs.
Posted on the Wednesday and had them returned by the following Tuesday so excellent service. Now I've gone for Merlin purple, which has come out really well. Not too in your face, with black K Sport decals. The OZ's are being refurbed as we speak and hopefully will be done by the end of the week.
Here's a cheeky few photos of the calipers.
RX8
The RX8 took me all the way up to just north of Derby and back for the 40th. So not too far off 500 miles, without missing a beat. Gave her a good amount of stick as well. Soon I'll transfer some attention to her for some loving.
RX7
Haven't had too much time out in the RX7 but we've done a few runs. Still feeling excellent after the suspension refresh and hoping to take her out a bit more in the coming months.
trails said:
Man maths at its finest
How much was the repaint/test for the brakes, colour looks like it will match well
Haha that is what I thought! It was £310 including return postage. If you don't need return postage 8 pots are £290.How much was the repaint/test for the brakes, colour looks like it will match well
Escy said:
Nice colour choice on the calipers
Thanks bud!The OZ's are done and collected.
Really happy with how these have turned out, not too in your face and fits in with the colourful yet subtle theme to go with the calipers. I'll be dropping everything off next week. Really excited to see how they look on the car.
Under the garage LED lights.
Really happy with how these have turned out, not too in your face and fits in with the colourful yet subtle theme to go with the calipers. I'll be dropping everything off next week. Really excited to see how they look on the car.
Under the garage LED lights.
Good evening everyone,
So it has been a bit of a rollercoaster last 6 weeks. But here are the updates, trials and tribulations.
MPS
Oh you, it has been a stressful time with the MPS. I'll try and keep the story relatively concise.
She had springs and brakes fitted and rolled back to have her MOT which led to a ......... FAIL. I was a little bit miffed as the same MOT centre found additional items that they did not flag the first time. Those were as follows:
1. Passenger side front wheel bearing (Was definitely an issue and needed replacing, would have appreciated it being found before suspension and brakes were apart the first time)
2. Nearside rear ARB linkage insecurely attached (Some of the powder coat had rubbed away and was a quarter turn nip up kind of thing, not really an issue)
3. Emissions Failure (So it passed the first time but failed the second time, a bit head scratchy)
So back to my faithful garage, who suffered through the wheel bearing to the extent the poor chap had to weld something onto the circlip as it was refusing to come out. Nipped up the droplink and sent it to their MOT guy for a test as I didn't want to take it to my tester again.
She has come back with a completely clear pass, which I have been told is fully legit and no £20 notes over the testers eyes. With the following comments.
1. Emissions, had absolutely no idea what they were doing as she passed completely fine when up to temperature.
2. The previous advisory on subframe corrosion was commented as a bit silly. As it was not anywhere near being an issue and apparently if it won't be a failure in a few months time it is a little pointless to have on the MOT. So wasn't added as an advisory this time.
But the interesting photos are as follows. Brakes and wheels!
So immediate thoughts are that the wheels and brakes are supremely sexy and do look great. Brake pedal feel is much better and although no proper stopping in anger has happened as I only picked the car up today I am super happy.
RX8
Doing awesome rotary things and took me to Hastings last week for a good hour out and hour back blast.
RX7
Will be having a good clean before taking me to Go Japan! on Sunday for the last (and my only) show of the year.
It has been a terrible year for me for shows and car activities all down to issues at home. But with that on the way to being free and clear I am hoping 2024 will be a much better car year.
Other News
So I have decided to get myself a divorce present. As we all know the best way to get on after major life events is to buy cars or car parts. I wanted to roll this into a bit of a challenge, it seems to be a bit of a Youtuber thing at the moment, so I thought why not. I wanted to get a car sub £5k and make the pilgrimage to the ring next year. I have never been and thought it is about time.
So I have put a deposit down on the following car, with collection this coming Saturday.
Key Options are as follows:
Limited Slip Differential (25%)
Chilli Pack
2 stage Heated Sports Seats
Anthracite Headliner
Rear PDC
Visibility Pack
Auto Xenon Headlights
Auto Wipers
Heated Windscreen
Auto Dimming Mirrors
Auto A/C with Digital Climate
S228 Sports Suspension Settings Plus
Sports Leather Multifunction Steering Wheel (3 spoke)
Cruise Control
I've always had a soft spot for the R53 since I drove one round Donnington a good 15 years ago and wanted something that wasn't a Clio or MX5. This one is on 137k miles and comes with a good slab of history but with some bits for me to work on. It is coming in a good chunk under the £5k limit I set myself.
So it has been a bit of a rollercoaster last 6 weeks. But here are the updates, trials and tribulations.
MPS
Oh you, it has been a stressful time with the MPS. I'll try and keep the story relatively concise.
She had springs and brakes fitted and rolled back to have her MOT which led to a ......... FAIL. I was a little bit miffed as the same MOT centre found additional items that they did not flag the first time. Those were as follows:
1. Passenger side front wheel bearing (Was definitely an issue and needed replacing, would have appreciated it being found before suspension and brakes were apart the first time)
2. Nearside rear ARB linkage insecurely attached (Some of the powder coat had rubbed away and was a quarter turn nip up kind of thing, not really an issue)
3. Emissions Failure (So it passed the first time but failed the second time, a bit head scratchy)
So back to my faithful garage, who suffered through the wheel bearing to the extent the poor chap had to weld something onto the circlip as it was refusing to come out. Nipped up the droplink and sent it to their MOT guy for a test as I didn't want to take it to my tester again.
She has come back with a completely clear pass, which I have been told is fully legit and no £20 notes over the testers eyes. With the following comments.
1. Emissions, had absolutely no idea what they were doing as she passed completely fine when up to temperature.
2. The previous advisory on subframe corrosion was commented as a bit silly. As it was not anywhere near being an issue and apparently if it won't be a failure in a few months time it is a little pointless to have on the MOT. So wasn't added as an advisory this time.
But the interesting photos are as follows. Brakes and wheels!
So immediate thoughts are that the wheels and brakes are supremely sexy and do look great. Brake pedal feel is much better and although no proper stopping in anger has happened as I only picked the car up today I am super happy.
RX8
Doing awesome rotary things and took me to Hastings last week for a good hour out and hour back blast.
RX7
Will be having a good clean before taking me to Go Japan! on Sunday for the last (and my only) show of the year.
It has been a terrible year for me for shows and car activities all down to issues at home. But with that on the way to being free and clear I am hoping 2024 will be a much better car year.
Other News
So I have decided to get myself a divorce present. As we all know the best way to get on after major life events is to buy cars or car parts. I wanted to roll this into a bit of a challenge, it seems to be a bit of a Youtuber thing at the moment, so I thought why not. I wanted to get a car sub £5k and make the pilgrimage to the ring next year. I have never been and thought it is about time.
So I have put a deposit down on the following car, with collection this coming Saturday.
Key Options are as follows:
Limited Slip Differential (25%)
Chilli Pack
2 stage Heated Sports Seats
Anthracite Headliner
Rear PDC
Visibility Pack
Auto Xenon Headlights
Auto Wipers
Heated Windscreen
Auto Dimming Mirrors
Auto A/C with Digital Climate
S228 Sports Suspension Settings Plus
Sports Leather Multifunction Steering Wheel (3 spoke)
Cruise Control
I've always had a soft spot for the R53 since I drove one round Donnington a good 15 years ago and wanted something that wasn't a Clio or MX5. This one is on 137k miles and comes with a good slab of history but with some bits for me to work on. It is coming in a good chunk under the £5k limit I set myself.
Edited by Jester86 on Thursday 21st September 17:12
cerb4.5lee said:
I bet you're excited about getting the MINI, nice one. Enjoy collecting it. 
Your updates are always quality too.
Appreciate you still like a bit of a read! Your updates are always quality too.
trails said:
MPS looks cracking, mini looks to be a great buy too...hopefully no nasty surprises
Oh I am sure there will be C70R said:
Lots of useful info and opinions!
This one has had some money chucked at it, the only thing it doesn't seem to have is evidence of the supercharger service. Here is a quick copy paste of some of the work from the advert.Edited by C70R on Friday 22 September 11:02
In my ownership since December 2022, I have done the following
Brake pads all round
Heater matrix
Shifter box and cables
Alternator
Service every 5k miles
Last service was done approx 300 miles ago in early August where it had fresh Fuchs Titan Pro Race 5w-40 with filter, new spark plugs, oil filter and Redline MTL fluid for the gearbox/LSD (this is crucial as it means the LSD doesn’t groan during low speed manouvers like most R53s, it is silent)
Work from previous owners includes
3 piece clutch kit
Crankshaft main seal replacement
Inner CV boots
Cam cover gasket replacement
Sump gasket replacement
Oil cooler and filter housing gaskets
Cam chain tensioner
Inner and outer tie rods
Front top mounts
Exhaust mounts
I have seen receipts for a coolant expansion tank and dipstick also.
Some of the bad points are. She has rust around the rear lights and on the hatch, hence why she is priced very well along with cosmetic bits and bobs. Has started to develop an intermittent misfire and the passenger door needs a bit of persuading to open.
I've already got an OEM coilpack and a set of magnecores at home ready to go on.
She will be booked into a specialist for a 'charger service at the very minimum, which will include the fan resistor also. Front discs are a bit scored so it would be rude not to upgrade to the R56 4 pot package for circa £600. Mods will include a pulley, which in my head is going to be 15% / Orranje airbox / Colder plugs. If I can snag something like an Airtec intercooler I will as well. Currently the only mods are a resonated Milltek, silicon airbox hose and the MG "Straights" alloys with almost brand new Michelin Primacys. Apparently the wheels are almost 2kg a corner lighter than the OEM bullets.
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