Mazda MX5 1.6 Greddy Turbo
Discussion
I used to have this, a good few years ago.
DSCF1803 by simonholehan, on Flickr
It was, I wont lie, abso-flipping-lutely awesome. Ohlins, Mazdaspeed, all sorts. Wonderful wonderful, partly the car, partly what it reprsented just finished Uni, first sportscar, first car I did serious mechanical work on etc etc. 1.8 Import S-special, IMO the 'perfect' spec for an MX-5. Well documented by me here on the forum. Only car I really miss.
Eventually for some unknown reason I changed to this, a UK 1.8is Early Mk2, really nice, similar but also very different to the black one.
RedRoadster1 by simonholehan, on Flickr
Which was briliant, but basically standard. Perhaps should have tinkered more with it.
Since then I've had a Rev 5 MR2, which is brill, but in short - the roof doesn't come off.
Since Christmas I've test driven S2000's, a Boxster, some BMW's etc. All of which I could afford, but I didn't feel 100% comfortable I'd be able to play about with them much, and I didn't want to stretch financially. A niggle in my head suggested the MX-5 was not quite out of my system .
Enter stage left - the 1993 UK 1.6.
Day 1 washed by simonholehan, on Flickr
Day 1 Washed_B by simonholehan, on Flickr
Day 1 Engine bay by simonholehan, on Flickr
I thought about finding another nice, imported 1.8 car for about £2000, then looking at Supercharging it. Then this came up, bit more, and I'm still not convinced its the right choice yet, but its had a lot of the money already spent in most areas. Its a bit of a mixed bag though.
Spec, roughly, is
1.6, Greddy Turbo, Cast manifold, TD04 Turbo
Greddy E-manage
Gizzmo Electronic boost control
Front mount intercooler
RR fuel pressure regulator
full customer S/S exhaust
Gaz Coilovers
TR lane Rollbar.
OMP steering wheel and snap off boss
etc etc.
Power wise, could be anywhere between about 140-170 at the wheels. Compared to a standard one, between 4-6k rpm it goes like a b
d. Lots more midrange. Bit 'elasticy' on the power delivery though at the moment and it starts to get a bit wheezy at high revs. Suppose thats what you get with a 'basic' kit.
In some ways, its been done well. Previous owner has uprated the kit over the 'basic' Greddy kit, its got good boost control, the e-manage appears to be relatively safely tuned. It has an AEM wideband gauge for safe monitoring. Nice big intercooler. Suspension and chassis is sorted, it feels solid. Good wheels and tyres etc.
But there's a few things the owner has done which are not so great. Its still on puny 1.6 brakes, and 1.6 diff and driveshafts. Original rad too which is not clever I dont think. Chances are these are all in the later period of their lifetime now. The photos seriously flatter it. Each panel is a different shade of red. Silly teenager JDM-yo side mount number plate, black rear panel for what reason I have no idea.
A variety of things don't work. The softtop is ready for the bin. The interior is a mess. Grubby, badly installed gauges etc. Steering wheel way to small. Just a bit tatty. Drivers window not working, headlights relay dead. Nasty maplins type switches. Boost pipes supported by zipties. Stuff rubbing and touching that shouldnt, vac hoses and wiring dragging all over the engine bay, all sorts.
Its a bit of a project, suffice to say! Lots of parts will be ordered from breakers soon, going to find a local car in a scrappers and go to town. Its going to be semi-stripped, some parts sold on that I don't like. Hardtop going, replaced with good softtop. Lots of it getting repainted (DIY job, mates a painter thank god, payment in beer. Sort engine bay out. Strip it back, replumb, tidy up, make safe. Sort cooling system out, new big rad, mega major engine service, belts, waterpump, etc. All sorts.
Course the beuaty of it is - all this stuff sounds expensive, but its an MX-5, so its not. Theres no way I'd tackle most of this stuff on a Boxster, and thats the reason I've gone for one of these again, instead of something 'better'. Once done, even it it owes me say £4k, it should be a cheap to run, fun, reliable little whizzer for daily driving, hooning, trackdays, touring etc.
Can't wait to get stuck in!
DSCF1803 by simonholehan, on Flickr
It was, I wont lie, abso-flipping-lutely awesome. Ohlins, Mazdaspeed, all sorts. Wonderful wonderful, partly the car, partly what it reprsented just finished Uni, first sportscar, first car I did serious mechanical work on etc etc. 1.8 Import S-special, IMO the 'perfect' spec for an MX-5. Well documented by me here on the forum. Only car I really miss.
Eventually for some unknown reason I changed to this, a UK 1.8is Early Mk2, really nice, similar but also very different to the black one.
RedRoadster1 by simonholehan, on Flickr
Which was briliant, but basically standard. Perhaps should have tinkered more with it.
Since then I've had a Rev 5 MR2, which is brill, but in short - the roof doesn't come off.
Since Christmas I've test driven S2000's, a Boxster, some BMW's etc. All of which I could afford, but I didn't feel 100% comfortable I'd be able to play about with them much, and I didn't want to stretch financially. A niggle in my head suggested the MX-5 was not quite out of my system .
Enter stage left - the 1993 UK 1.6.
Day 1 washed by simonholehan, on Flickr
Day 1 Washed_B by simonholehan, on Flickr
Day 1 Engine bay by simonholehan, on Flickr
I thought about finding another nice, imported 1.8 car for about £2000, then looking at Supercharging it. Then this came up, bit more, and I'm still not convinced its the right choice yet, but its had a lot of the money already spent in most areas. Its a bit of a mixed bag though.
Spec, roughly, is
1.6, Greddy Turbo, Cast manifold, TD04 Turbo
Greddy E-manage
Gizzmo Electronic boost control
Front mount intercooler
RR fuel pressure regulator
full customer S/S exhaust
Gaz Coilovers
TR lane Rollbar.
OMP steering wheel and snap off boss
etc etc.
Power wise, could be anywhere between about 140-170 at the wheels. Compared to a standard one, between 4-6k rpm it goes like a b
d. Lots more midrange. Bit 'elasticy' on the power delivery though at the moment and it starts to get a bit wheezy at high revs. Suppose thats what you get with a 'basic' kit. In some ways, its been done well. Previous owner has uprated the kit over the 'basic' Greddy kit, its got good boost control, the e-manage appears to be relatively safely tuned. It has an AEM wideband gauge for safe monitoring. Nice big intercooler. Suspension and chassis is sorted, it feels solid. Good wheels and tyres etc.
But there's a few things the owner has done which are not so great. Its still on puny 1.6 brakes, and 1.6 diff and driveshafts. Original rad too which is not clever I dont think. Chances are these are all in the later period of their lifetime now. The photos seriously flatter it. Each panel is a different shade of red. Silly teenager JDM-yo side mount number plate, black rear panel for what reason I have no idea.
A variety of things don't work. The softtop is ready for the bin. The interior is a mess. Grubby, badly installed gauges etc. Steering wheel way to small. Just a bit tatty. Drivers window not working, headlights relay dead. Nasty maplins type switches. Boost pipes supported by zipties. Stuff rubbing and touching that shouldnt, vac hoses and wiring dragging all over the engine bay, all sorts.
Its a bit of a project, suffice to say! Lots of parts will be ordered from breakers soon, going to find a local car in a scrappers and go to town. Its going to be semi-stripped, some parts sold on that I don't like. Hardtop going, replaced with good softtop. Lots of it getting repainted (DIY job, mates a painter thank god, payment in beer. Sort engine bay out. Strip it back, replumb, tidy up, make safe. Sort cooling system out, new big rad, mega major engine service, belts, waterpump, etc. All sorts.
Course the beuaty of it is - all this stuff sounds expensive, but its an MX-5, so its not. Theres no way I'd tackle most of this stuff on a Boxster, and thats the reason I've gone for one of these again, instead of something 'better'. Once done, even it it owes me say £4k, it should be a cheap to run, fun, reliable little whizzer for daily driving, hooning, trackdays, touring etc.
Can't wait to get stuck in!
Edited by snotrag on Sunday 10th March 12:30
Mr MXT said:
Just don't dump £15k into it.
I'll try my hardest. I have a rather larger money pit in the form of my first bricks and mortar that is top spending priority, so that should hold me back a little at least!Anyway, the car sat for a while un-moving, while I've been clearing garage, sorting partners new car out etc. I got it insured and on the road this weekend, so had a chance for a proper 'shakedown'.
For a start, I've definitely decided I'm going to do something I've never bothered with, and get it into a body-shop - I'll get down to painterdaves at some point. Its had 2 cheap sill repairs which are not great, there's black stonechip paint where I want it to be red, and a variety of other odds and sods. This may well end up being my biggest cost, but I'm going to strike while the project still has its momentum and suck it up as part of the purchase cost.
As for the way it drives though, I'm really pleased. Its planted and has very solid feeling chassis - the best of my three. It has MASSES of grip on dry roads. Flat, quick to respond, brilliant. Bit of extra ride height on the shocks and some damping tweaks and we'll be sorted.
As for power? Well its not mega, mega quick, but noticeable more lively than a regular one - its nice to have the power slightly lower down - you can get away without having to dive for 2nd gear as often as you might usually. Bit flat below boost, with a definite 'powerband' but that should improve with tuning, change to megasquirt etc, all in the future. Something I have noted though - when I test drove it, we had the hardtop on - it was actually very quiet. I expected it to roar with the top down - but it doesn't. Its pretty quiet, and doesn't sound THAT good - above 60 there's just wind noise, my old Mk1 used to sound fab, so I'll look into my options there, Loud pipes save lives and all that. There's no induction noise to speak of, as presumably a turbo just damps it all out.
My first little job was just a bit of cleaning, whipped the seats out -
Interior muck! by simonholehan, on Flickr
No offence to previous owner, but
. I don't think the cars been cleaned properly for years - there much, dust, grubbiness, sticky glue mess, all sorts. The engine bay, boot, all the panel shuts etc are all in a similar state. Fair bit of moss growing on it too! Needs some serious steam cleaning and elbow grease, but it'll come good. The black plastic of the consoles, dash etc, needs a proper scrub to get all the ingrained dirt out, but again - that's just time really, doesn't actually cost a lot. It doesn't sound like I've done a lot, but there's progress - I have a long list of jobs to start ticking off, and can see a way forward. And the car is drivable and legal, so I can work on it but also use it and get about.
This morning I took a trip out to meet another local PH'er. Turns out he's got the bug too, got a variety of MX-5s in bits, all sorts of odds and sods. Top bloke, going to help him out with his, see what bits he has that I need etc, very productive morning actually.
I think I'm falling for it, I'm sure my friends can just see a heap of grotty rattly jap-scrap, but I just see a potentially very lovely little old roadster.
After that bit of mild cleaning, I used the car a little, just to get used to it and try and find any potential issues. Was good to pop the roof down and get some sunshine! I fitted a larger Momo wheel, much nicer for road use. Then didnt really do much for a few weeks.
Red and Silver by simonholehan, on Flickr
interior top down by simonholehan, on Flickr
Then with the clocks changing, suddenly its all systems go. MR2 is staying for a while as I piss about with the Mazda. Got cracking wiht working out what I actually need to do, its been great being able to work on the car in the evening after work, enjoying it finally feeling like spring.
Got the dash and complete interior out now - removed masses of surplus wiring, 2x central locking kits, an old phone kit, various old bits of audio wiring, sub cables etc. Some of the wiring for the ECU, wideband, boost control etc needs tidying up a little so its sooo much easier to do when the car is like this! Also sorted both electric windows, so they move faster than weather erosion now!
Been prepping the door shut seams today for seam welding tomorrow, may aswell do it now for nothing while I'm in there - by all accounts makes a very positive difference to chassis torsional stiffness.
Finally I've got 2 massive rolls of thermal and acoustic insualtion (from a classic car type place) ready to fully line the cabin, bulkheads, boot etc. I want a rattle free, comfy, cool, refined car - it should by all accounts be a significant improvement over standard. Lots of new fasteners and various methods for making sure the interior all goes back together very tightly too.
interior stripped by simonholehan, on Flickr
interior stripped2 by simonholehan, on Flickr
The car is so lovely to work on, logically built, good quality fasteners, they really don't make them like this any more. This level of surgery on most modern cars would be an absolute nightmare.
While dash is out it will get thoroughly cleaned, maybe add some soundproofing underneat, thats about it. I did consider a Mk2 dash swap, its not hard and would be quite cool (I liked my Mk2s interior a lot) but I think I should keep the car looking suitably retro. Will trim door panels etc all in good time.
dashboard out by simonholehan, on Flickr
Red and Silver by simonholehan, on Flickr
interior top down by simonholehan, on Flickr
Then with the clocks changing, suddenly its all systems go. MR2 is staying for a while as I piss about with the Mazda. Got cracking wiht working out what I actually need to do, its been great being able to work on the car in the evening after work, enjoying it finally feeling like spring.
Got the dash and complete interior out now - removed masses of surplus wiring, 2x central locking kits, an old phone kit, various old bits of audio wiring, sub cables etc. Some of the wiring for the ECU, wideband, boost control etc needs tidying up a little so its sooo much easier to do when the car is like this! Also sorted both electric windows, so they move faster than weather erosion now!
Been prepping the door shut seams today for seam welding tomorrow, may aswell do it now for nothing while I'm in there - by all accounts makes a very positive difference to chassis torsional stiffness.
Finally I've got 2 massive rolls of thermal and acoustic insualtion (from a classic car type place) ready to fully line the cabin, bulkheads, boot etc. I want a rattle free, comfy, cool, refined car - it should by all accounts be a significant improvement over standard. Lots of new fasteners and various methods for making sure the interior all goes back together very tightly too.
interior stripped by simonholehan, on Flickr
interior stripped2 by simonholehan, on Flickr
The car is so lovely to work on, logically built, good quality fasteners, they really don't make them like this any more. This level of surgery on most modern cars would be an absolute nightmare.
While dash is out it will get thoroughly cleaned, maybe add some soundproofing underneat, thats about it. I did consider a Mk2 dash swap, its not hard and would be quite cool (I liked my Mk2s interior a lot) but I think I should keep the car looking suitably retro. Will trim door panels etc all in good time.
dashboard out by simonholehan, on Flickr
Got me thinking.Looks like a great project, wish I had the room to have something like that on the go.
One thing I've sometimes wondered is why (given that you generally need to use 1.8 brakes & diff) people so often use the 1.6 as the basis for an FI car? There's also the fact that in standard form, the 1.8 makes more power.
Is there any reason why the 1.6 seems to be the more popular starting point?
One thing I've sometimes wondered is why (given that you generally need to use 1.8 brakes & diff) people so often use the 1.6 as the basis for an FI car? There's also the fact that in standard form, the 1.8 makes more power.
Is there any reason why the 1.6 seems to be the more popular starting point?
Or888t said:
How many years have gone past since that 1st mx5 purchase post uni can i ask?
Bought it Nov 2008 I think!
Risotto said:
Is there any reason why the 1.6 seems to be the more popular starting point?
your right, doesnt make a lot of sense - probably just historical These old turbo kits have been about for decades, I suppose 1.6's became readily and cheaply available earlier that's all back in the 90's. If I'd not bought this one ready built, I was strictly only considering a 93/94/95 JDM 1.8 models (because they are the best, don't let anyone tell you otherwise!).
TheJimi said:
Snotters, what are you doing with the MR2?
Oh and cool project! Looking forward to the progress.
Its been up for sale, but really I'm just thinking - why sell it and buy a diesel mondeo or something, when I can just continue using it while this red one is in progress! I've got it up for sale but unless I get money waved at me I'm not making a huge effort to sell it as its a lovely, lovely car. Only other option is to p/x or swap it for somehting sensible but it would be criminal to give it to a backstreet trader and not go to an enthusiast. Oh and cool project! Looking forward to the progress.
Anyway, slow but steady progress.
Both sills done, cleaned up, prepped and primed. Will the seam welding make a difference? God knows.
OS Sill welded by simonholehan, on Flickr
NS Sill welded by simonholehan, on Flickr
Please - no comments on welding quality, I bet you can guess which bit go done first! It'll do for the cost of nothing!
I got the wings and bumpers off at last. Should be an easy job, just lots of snapped studs left for me to drill out. The lower wing mounts will get replaced with riv-nuts probably. Theres a particulary hidden fixing at the front corners of the wing 'twixt shell, wing and bumper. Proper little b
d. Works wonders for access though once everthing is off! nice stainless fasteners will go back on everywhere, because if you ever need good acces to the front of the car, its an absolute delight with the bumper off.
Bonnet and boot are loose too, just sat to keep the rain off.
Wings and bumpers off by simonholehan, on Flickr
Shows the simpleness of the shell too. Stacks of mud fell out the front wing lowers - everyone MUST please please wash these out with a jet wash as if the shell goes here your buggered.
We all know MX-5s rust BUT lets be reasonable - if this was a 20 year old BL car or something from the 70's, we wouldnt be looking at much more than dust.
Its 20 year old, been kept outside, previous owner drove it over s
tty muddy roads, its been used through winters, its not been particularly pampered. Theres lots of surface rust and flaking, but actually its all solid - the box sections and seams are all really good solid gauge steel. Its certainly much better put together than the later Mk2's. This shows what you might find - I'm pleased with this.
OSF Wheelarch by simonholehan, on Flickr
No real horrors all the way round, the entire shell has been thoroughly checked. The front is easy, at the back there are some crevices and hidden parts you need to get right in and around to check. Whole car was wire brushed, picked at, stabbed with screwdrivers etc. Generally very happy, couple of grotty bits but nothing else needs new metal. Couple of previous repairs not the prettiest but solid and safe.
Its obvious the suspension and mechanics need some love, but I'm very deliberately ignoring it to prevent project creep - lets get it on the road, and driving first. Subframes & suspension etc will all get the same treatment but not yet. Probably buy spares of everything and restore off the car to prevent another long period with VOR. Gaz shocks need full rebuild and clean up all round.
I then used a good half a litre of Kurust over the outside pieces, turning that metal lovely and inert and black/purple. I've got stacks more photos of the rest too to upload, this is just a neat before & after example.
OSF Wheelarch primed by simonholehan, on Flickr
Next step - one final small part of welding on OS sill. I've some POR15 on order, and a full dinitrol sealing kit. I've decided to do the underseal BEFORE paint as overspray goes everywhere so it makes sense.
The entire underside will be freshly painted and sealed, also all the cavities, the box sections, the inner wings and arches. I flirted with doin these in body colour, Aerosol over polyurethan underseal but I'm not sure yet. Body colour nice on a show car but black probably more sense for a daily. Then thats it done for the shell! I'm not doing subframes/suspension etc - I plan to get it back on the road first before I tackle the mechanicals otherwise ill end up with some serious project creep which I dont want to happen. I've booked a week off in a months time, thats the target for rebuilt and moving.
So paint time soon - I've got 8 cans of SU mixed up, plus 4 litres of proper 2 pack too. Compressor on its way from a mate. Bumpers/Wings/Doors/Bonnet/Boot and Mirrors/trims will all be painted off the car, which makes it easy, leaving only the rear quarters and sills to paint in situ.
Garage will be a makeshift booth, with sheets going up, mates a pro painter so its costing beer and burgers only. No heated booth, and were at the mercy of the elements - but what I DO have compared to paying a bodyshop, is time and elbow grease. Plan is to lay plenty of paint on, to give room to rescue any runs/flies etc that come from doing it half outside/half in a concrete garage.
Bumpers/Wings/Doors/Bonnet/Boot and Mirrors/trims will all be painted off the car, which makes it easy, leaving only the rear quarters and sills to paint in situ.
I've picked up a genuine front lip (not horrid fibreglass) and the rare rear boot lip to suit. Its going to be a funny combo when its done - UK car, rectangular plate, bumper with cutout for fog, the rear spoiler to suit high level brake but a UK boot with no light. Only the geekiest of MX-5 nuts will notice but there wont be many like it.
I forgot to add the best bit - with the sale of some of the bits I didn't need/want, I've not yet spent a penny on materials/kit to do all this, that includes all the paint/prep materials, MASSES of soundproofing (seriously, I ordered way too much it will be going in the classifieds in a few months for the rest of you lot), underseal, flap discs, wire brushes etc etc. So I'm still in 'credit' from the original purchase price!
Edited by snotrag on Monday 29th April 21:49
Edited by snotrag on Monday 29th April 21:52
Edited by snotrag on Monday 29th April 21:54
Bit more done today. My Dinitrol turned up (no-connection plug - rejel.co.uk are a fantastic company to deal with).
dinitrol by simonholehan, on Flickr
The amount I'm spending on paint and consumables is racking up a bit, but still not too bad all in. At least the cars small!
Front wheelarchs area now finished.
Heres a good example. From this -
Untitled by simonholehan, on Flickr
To this -
OSF arch treated by simonholehan, on Flickr
Which is -
- Throughly jetwashed
- Wire wheel/wire brush by hand, remove all flaky bit, back to fresh metal where needed, flaking underseal removed. Bit of thinners helped too.
- Prime with Dinitrol RC900 (sprayed) and/or Kurust (painted) depending on the area.
- Overpaint with POR15 Chassis black (expensive!) or Hammerite direct-to-rust, 2 full coats. I used the POR15 in the high wear areas and the Hammerite in the less important bits. Both dry to a rock hard shell, impermeable barrier to moisture.
- Overcoat with 2x coats of Dinitrol 4941.
Over about 3 days total, lots of drying time between coats. Which gives the following finish -
Chassis finish by simonholehan, on Flickr
Which is a lovely, Matte, self-amalgamating but non sticky or drippy finished underside. From experience it cleans off lovely too back to as new with a jet wash.
So, so much nicer than blathering horrid wax-oyl everywhere. According to the now owner of the first car I did this too about 5 years ago, its holding up really well too.
After this, comes the internal sections, now I'm happy that no more welding needs to be done. Which involes injection or rust converter into every possible orifice in the car, let it react for 24 hours, then Cavity wax injection EVERYWHERE which is horrifically messy but its very clever stuff, 'creeps' and prevents the car rotting from the inside out. Note used of Tarp to protect driveway. You also end up absolutely black bright every time you do any of this kind of work, I have to wash my face with a scrubbing brush.
RC injection by simonholehan, on Flickr
chassis rail injection by simonholehan, on Flickr
Tomorrow I hav the flat sections underneath the main body of the car to finish off (you can see the surface rust caused by speed bump damge to frame rails above) and the rear arches get there final coats of 4941. The entire underside will look like that finished photo above, and should remain rust free for many years. I've made a very deliberate decision to completely avoid the mechanicals - thats outside of the scope of this paint job and I'll do it all later.
Final job to tackle on the body is sorting out the stone chip finish on the sills, before paint prep.
Currently struggling to decide on whether to paint body colour all the way to the bottom, or keep the black sills. Seems to be some confusion on what the OEM finish should be too.
dinitrol by simonholehan, on Flickr
The amount I'm spending on paint and consumables is racking up a bit, but still not too bad all in. At least the cars small!
Front wheelarchs area now finished.
Heres a good example. From this -
Untitled by simonholehan, on Flickr
To this -
OSF arch treated by simonholehan, on Flickr
Which is -
- Throughly jetwashed
- Wire wheel/wire brush by hand, remove all flaky bit, back to fresh metal where needed, flaking underseal removed. Bit of thinners helped too.
- Prime with Dinitrol RC900 (sprayed) and/or Kurust (painted) depending on the area.
- Overpaint with POR15 Chassis black (expensive!) or Hammerite direct-to-rust, 2 full coats. I used the POR15 in the high wear areas and the Hammerite in the less important bits. Both dry to a rock hard shell, impermeable barrier to moisture.
- Overcoat with 2x coats of Dinitrol 4941.
Over about 3 days total, lots of drying time between coats. Which gives the following finish -
Chassis finish by simonholehan, on Flickr
Which is a lovely, Matte, self-amalgamating but non sticky or drippy finished underside. From experience it cleans off lovely too back to as new with a jet wash.
So, so much nicer than blathering horrid wax-oyl everywhere. According to the now owner of the first car I did this too about 5 years ago, its holding up really well too.
After this, comes the internal sections, now I'm happy that no more welding needs to be done. Which involes injection or rust converter into every possible orifice in the car, let it react for 24 hours, then Cavity wax injection EVERYWHERE which is horrifically messy but its very clever stuff, 'creeps' and prevents the car rotting from the inside out. Note used of Tarp to protect driveway. You also end up absolutely black bright every time you do any of this kind of work, I have to wash my face with a scrubbing brush.
RC injection by simonholehan, on Flickr
chassis rail injection by simonholehan, on Flickr
Tomorrow I hav the flat sections underneath the main body of the car to finish off (you can see the surface rust caused by speed bump damge to frame rails above) and the rear arches get there final coats of 4941. The entire underside will look like that finished photo above, and should remain rust free for many years. I've made a very deliberate decision to completely avoid the mechanicals - thats outside of the scope of this paint job and I'll do it all later.
Final job to tackle on the body is sorting out the stone chip finish on the sills, before paint prep.
Currently struggling to decide on whether to paint body colour all the way to the bottom, or keep the black sills. Seems to be some confusion on what the OEM finish should be too.
Got underside painting completed on the whole today, looks great. Mr painter mate got a bit more done on panels too, popped a nasty dent out (from loose battery bouncing about!) and flatted off.
Compressor is in now so lovely fast, torquey air tools to use aswell Makes turning an MOT'd and previously perfectly roadworthy car into piles of dust and filler, all the more easy!
OSR Wing flatted by simonholehan, on Flickr
However me and mate were looking at the sill repairs that were done previously. In for a penny, in for a pound, decided I wasn't fully happy with the quality of it.
Both the undersides have had patches and these have been done well, good thick gauge metal, chunky welds, not pretty but strong and solid. The outers are a different matter.
NSR is ok, original outer all solid, just needs finishing off better.
NSR sill ground down by simonholehan, on Flickr
OSR just wasnt right, so got medieval on its ass and ragged it all off with a cutitng disc. Turned out to be a 'skin' welded straight over the original (hence the step in the sill seen earlier), and of course the inside has then just gone crusty as hell.The original repair was pretty poor quality to be honest, and the metal used was for too thin. It was 'stuck' on with filler to be honest more than the token amount of splodged welding present. I am guessing it will have been done at MOT time in a rush.
OSR Sill rust cut out by simonholehan, on Flickr
That might look terrifying but its actually not too bad. Mid section of sill (forward of the join line ) is solid, fresh metal. The wing is solid down to the line we've cut so we have a good edge to weld to. And the bottom is solid, using the underside repair which is in good thick steel. It was just the outer that was crap. With it all open, I can deal with the rot, stop it, new metal where required and weld on a new, good quality patch over the outside, blended in properly instead of just stuck down. While I'm at it, and all that...
At least I know it will be sorted, I better bloody keep this one!
Compressor is in now so lovely fast, torquey air tools to use aswell
Makes turning an MOT'd and previously perfectly roadworthy car into piles of dust and filler, all the more easy!OSR Wing flatted by simonholehan, on Flickr
However me and mate were looking at the sill repairs that were done previously. In for a penny, in for a pound, decided I wasn't fully happy with the quality of it.
Both the undersides have had patches and these have been done well, good thick gauge metal, chunky welds, not pretty but strong and solid. The outers are a different matter.
NSR is ok, original outer all solid, just needs finishing off better.
NSR sill ground down by simonholehan, on Flickr
OSR just wasnt right, so got medieval on its ass and ragged it all off with a cutitng disc. Turned out to be a 'skin' welded straight over the original (hence the step in the sill seen earlier), and of course the inside has then just gone crusty as hell.The original repair was pretty poor quality to be honest, and the metal used was for too thin. It was 'stuck' on with filler to be honest more than the token amount of splodged welding present. I am guessing it will have been done at MOT time in a rush.
OSR Sill rust cut out by simonholehan, on Flickr
That might look terrifying but its actually not too bad. Mid section of sill (forward of the join line ) is solid, fresh metal. The wing is solid down to the line we've cut so we have a good edge to weld to. And the bottom is solid, using the underside repair which is in good thick steel. It was just the outer that was crap. With it all open, I can deal with the rot, stop it, new metal where required and weld on a new, good quality patch over the outside, blended in properly instead of just stuck down. While I'm at it, and all that...
At least I know it will be sorted, I better bloody keep this one!
Edited by snotrag on Saturday 4th May 18:43
Edited by snotrag on Saturday 4th May 18:44
Wow, can't believe the work you are doing on this mate! Should be an absolute minter like your old black one when its done!
I spoke to you on MiataTurbo about it and told you I rang to view it but you pipped me to it! My black one is back up for sale as I found a Spec B Mazdaspeed one with a Greddy kit on and bought that instead. Nothing like how yours is gonna look when its done though!
Are you doing much to the engine side of things or is it OK as it is?
Adam
I spoke to you on MiataTurbo about it and told you I rang to view it but you pipped me to it! My black one is back up for sale as I found a Spec B Mazdaspeed one with a Greddy kit on and bought that instead. Nothing like how yours is gonna look when its done though!
Are you doing much to the engine side of things or is it OK as it is?
Adam
So in classic fashion, the 'deadline' has flown by with the speed and grace with which I hope this car will have. I'd booked a week off end of May when I hoped to be finishing off, but, bnasically, it pissed it down all week, and feck all I can do about that. Ah well. Anyway, weathers turned a bit now...
So take that big gaping hole, add some repair patches (these worked a treat, I can fab + metal bash but for the cost these were bang on and so much easier)
repair plates by simonholehan, on Flickr
Some fire and brimstone
Welding outer sill by simonholehan, on Flickr
Correct tools used by simonholehan, on Flickr
And it starts to take shape. New inner sill welded onto solid metal, outer sill plug welded over top. Minimal filler required, proper shape, solid. Pleased.
Outer sill patch by simonholehan, on Flickr
So now we had 2 good sills at last! More rain meant doing non-bodywork things. Started on the insulation, done the whole cabin, bulkhead, boot floor, rear wings and the inside faces of the door skins (much blood was lost). Really 'deadens' the panels, in combo with the nice thick rubbery felt backing I have for the 2nd layer, it should be positively Rolls-like when cruising. Maybe.
Insulation by simonholehan, on Flickr
I bought way, way too much of this stuff too! Also tackled engine bay. Cam cover, timing belt cover, inlet manifold, PAS tank, lots of brackets, boost pipes, all hoses, etc all stripped. Cleaned, painted (more black, less naff shiny pipe). Wiring re-routed, re did all the extra stuff going thru bulkhead to cabin. New Vaccum hose, new positions for MAP sensor, Boost control actuator etc etc. All boost pipes rebuilt with proper stainless T-bolt clamps, intercooler cleaned and mounted more securely etc, got P-clips on way to route all hose and wiring, windscreen washer moved to cold side of engine instead of practically touching the turbo, etc etc. Its not finished, but its much, much neater. Also cleaned out years of gunk from the engine bay and scuttle, and painted the scuttle cover satin black.
Intercooler by simonholehan, on Flickr
Note this is a WIP photo!
Engine bay cleaned by simonholehan, on Flickr
Then, just in the past week or so - Hallelujah. The sunshine arrived!
Sunshine garage by simonholehan, on Flickr
Playing cars by simonholehan, on Flickr
I'm really, really glad I chose a house with lots of parking. This day a full on playing with cars day, BBQ on, lovely. Got cracking on the actual paint prep, sill primes up etc
Never been mad keen on the Rota Wheels, and there pretty heavy. Looked a state. Plan was to get refurbed silver but for a decent job its a fair chunk of money.
Grotty Wheels by simonholehan, on Flickr
Yuk.
Decided to try the cheap route. Muchos elbow grease (all done by hand!) and a wodge of wet&dry. Ta da!
Polished Rim by simonholehan, on Flickr
Shiny rim by simonholehan, on Flickr
Somewhat better, enough to convince me to keep the wheels like this for a bit and see how I like it. I can paint the centres (Gloss white?) later if i fancy. In fact I like the polished rim so much I bought a steering wheel of ebay that was matte anodised and polished that too! Think I'll find and do a gearknob to match.
Polished Luisi Wheel by simonholehan, on Flickr
Talking on ebay, I've started buying 'trinkets'. I fear I may turn into one of those people at car shows with a little stand under the front wheel and a laminated booklet of these photos...
Brochure 2 by simonholehan, on Flickr
Brochure from the year this was born. Its actually a really lovely document, lots of technical info, nice photos. I really can imagine how this car must have created such a buzz back in '89 when it was released.
This weekend, at long last... The main event.
Paint 'booth' by simonholehan, on Flickr
After chatting with a lad who does repairs, my mate the painter was determined that rather than fanny about sheeting the garage up, vaccing it out etc - just paint the thing outside. It'll either work, or it wont, and we'll have to rub it all off. We reckoned that in a small garage there was actually a bigger chance of tripping up, catching it, crap falling off the roof, cobwebs etc. Waited till it was warm-ish and wind free...
Prepped for paint by simonholehan, on Flickr
Decided to do the biggest single bit first, rear quarter plus panel across back.
Rear quarter painted by simonholehan, on Flickr
Door shut by simonholehan, on Flickr
It went surprisingly well! It DOES have the odd bit teeny bit of crap in it, but its really not bad. Slight texture but no worse than many modern cars have from the factory. One run near a corner that will flat out. But its very bright and glossy, lovely and thick to give lots of 'room to manouvre' for polishg, touching up etc.
Wish we'd done more at once! But now we know it works, as soon as we can were gonna get the rest done, hopefully in one shot.
So bearing in mind I only really get to work on it on Saturdays, reading that back I'm quite pleased how its going. Biggest thoughts now are - once its all painted, its going to look rally, really lovely! Can't wait!
So take that big gaping hole, add some repair patches (these worked a treat, I can fab + metal bash but for the cost these were bang on and so much easier)
repair plates by simonholehan, on Flickr
Some fire and brimstone
Welding outer sill by simonholehan, on Flickr
Correct tools used by simonholehan, on Flickr
And it starts to take shape. New inner sill welded onto solid metal, outer sill plug welded over top. Minimal filler required, proper shape, solid. Pleased.
Outer sill patch by simonholehan, on Flickr
So now we had 2 good sills at last! More rain meant doing non-bodywork things. Started on the insulation, done the whole cabin, bulkhead, boot floor, rear wings and the inside faces of the door skins (much blood was lost). Really 'deadens' the panels, in combo with the nice thick rubbery felt backing I have for the 2nd layer, it should be positively Rolls-like when cruising. Maybe.
Insulation by simonholehan, on Flickr
I bought way, way too much of this stuff too! Also tackled engine bay. Cam cover, timing belt cover, inlet manifold, PAS tank, lots of brackets, boost pipes, all hoses, etc all stripped. Cleaned, painted (more black, less naff shiny pipe). Wiring re-routed, re did all the extra stuff going thru bulkhead to cabin. New Vaccum hose, new positions for MAP sensor, Boost control actuator etc etc. All boost pipes rebuilt with proper stainless T-bolt clamps, intercooler cleaned and mounted more securely etc, got P-clips on way to route all hose and wiring, windscreen washer moved to cold side of engine instead of practically touching the turbo, etc etc. Its not finished, but its much, much neater. Also cleaned out years of gunk from the engine bay and scuttle, and painted the scuttle cover satin black.
Intercooler by simonholehan, on Flickr
Note this is a WIP photo!
Engine bay cleaned by simonholehan, on Flickr
Then, just in the past week or so - Hallelujah. The sunshine arrived!
Sunshine garage by simonholehan, on Flickr
Playing cars by simonholehan, on Flickr
I'm really, really glad I chose a house with lots of parking. This day a full on playing with cars day, BBQ on, lovely. Got cracking on the actual paint prep, sill primes up etc
Never been mad keen on the Rota Wheels, and there pretty heavy. Looked a state. Plan was to get refurbed silver but for a decent job its a fair chunk of money.
Grotty Wheels by simonholehan, on Flickr
Yuk.
Decided to try the cheap route. Muchos elbow grease (all done by hand!) and a wodge of wet&dry. Ta da!
Polished Rim by simonholehan, on Flickr
Shiny rim by simonholehan, on Flickr
Somewhat better, enough to convince me to keep the wheels like this for a bit and see how I like it. I can paint the centres (Gloss white?) later if i fancy. In fact I like the polished rim so much I bought a steering wheel of ebay that was matte anodised and polished that too! Think I'll find and do a gearknob to match.
Polished Luisi Wheel by simonholehan, on Flickr
Talking on ebay, I've started buying 'trinkets'. I fear I may turn into one of those people at car shows with a little stand under the front wheel and a laminated booklet of these photos...
Brochure 2 by simonholehan, on Flickr
Brochure from the year this was born. Its actually a really lovely document, lots of technical info, nice photos. I really can imagine how this car must have created such a buzz back in '89 when it was released.
This weekend, at long last... The main event.
Paint 'booth' by simonholehan, on Flickr
After chatting with a lad who does repairs, my mate the painter was determined that rather than fanny about sheeting the garage up, vaccing it out etc - just paint the thing outside. It'll either work, or it wont, and we'll have to rub it all off. We reckoned that in a small garage there was actually a bigger chance of tripping up, catching it, crap falling off the roof, cobwebs etc. Waited till it was warm-ish and wind free...
Prepped for paint by simonholehan, on Flickr
Decided to do the biggest single bit first, rear quarter plus panel across back.
Rear quarter painted by simonholehan, on Flickr
Door shut by simonholehan, on Flickr
It went surprisingly well! It DOES have the odd bit teeny bit of crap in it, but its really not bad. Slight texture but no worse than many modern cars have from the factory. One run near a corner that will flat out. But its very bright and glossy, lovely and thick to give lots of 'room to manouvre' for polishg, touching up etc.
Wish we'd done more at once! But now we know it works, as soon as we can were gonna get the rest done, hopefully in one shot.
So bearing in mind I only really get to work on it on Saturdays, reading that back I'm quite pleased how its going. Biggest thoughts now are - once its all painted, its going to look rally, really lovely! Can't wait!
Lovely car - so much work gone into it, well done.
After selling my mk1 MX-5 I've always hankered for another one to do up as a project over time, just need to bag myself a new house with a drive first and I'll be doing it, but no way near as big scale as you, a lot of the stuff you've done takes some balls!
After selling my mk1 MX-5 I've always hankered for another one to do up as a project over time, just need to bag myself a new house with a drive first and I'll be doing it, but no way near as big scale as you, a lot of the stuff you've done takes some balls!
adz9 said:
Are you doing much to the engine side of things or is it OK as it is?
Adam
Not yet, but I will. Although I'd not driven it much before the strip down, there werent any major problems, nothing I cant sort. But the idea is to sort the body shell out first, then just drive the thing. Mechanical issues tend to be easier and quicker to fix. I'll just have to start using it, find the weakpoints, and then go from there. Adam
Riknos said:
Lovely car - so much work gone into it, well done.
After selling my mk1 MX-5 I've always hankered for another one to do up as a project over time, just need to bag myself a new house with a drive first and I'll be doing it, but no way near as big scale as you, a lot of the stuff you've done takes some balls!
Thanks - I've always wanted to do this kind of project. I'm glad I chose to do this rather than just buy an S2000 or Boxster and not be able to do anything to it. I've only been in this house a year and by rights I already had a fairly large project in that form! But I just love to play with cars, what can I say. After selling my mk1 MX-5 I've always hankered for another one to do up as a project over time, just need to bag myself a new house with a drive first and I'll be doing it, but no way near as big scale as you, a lot of the stuff you've done takes some balls!
Nice looking job on the paint. What paint are you using? it looks to me like some kind of 2 pac enamel (sp?) I recently sprayed a motorcycle tank but used acrylic lacquer which needs loads more coats and then to be buffed for gloss. Reason was concern about health and environment effects. Anyway, just wondering if you bit the bullet and did it anyway and with or without appropriate breathing gear?
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