Refurbishing an MX5: Any advice?
Discussion
Hi all
My girlfriend has had a 1991 MX5 passed down to her. Mechanically it seems in good order: I've driven it for a couple of hundred miles with no apparent problems. Reasonable mileage for that age as well: about 50/60K IIRC.
On the outside, thought, it's tatty. Hood is grubby, patched in a few places and needs replaced. (Possibly just the front portion) Door handles broken (the mk1 MX5 has those fiddly chrome ones). Fuel filler cap broken. Windows are manual and a bit wonky. (Tend to slide down once fully wound up.) Paintwork is (non-metallic) red, faded to pink in places, and there are a few dings in the bodywork. Interior is just grubby, dirty and worn.
So the question is this: is it worth refurbishing the car, and if so, how much is it likely to cost? And how much could be done by myself?
Windows / Door handle / Fuel filler cap - I presume these are easily enough done at home?
Replacement hood - internet suggests that this can be done at home with the right tools and lots of patience? Any ideas on how much a replacement hood might cost? Cheapest I've seen is £340.
Dings - a professional job I presume?
Paint - is t-cut likely to help, or would we be talking about a respray? And how much would that be likely to be?
Interior - any suggestions? How hard is it to fit replacement carpet or seat covers?
Any help would be hugely appreciated. It's a lovely car to drive, and if it can be done up economically it'd be a shame to get rid of it. I'm just afraid of finding out that it'd be cheaper to buy a 1991 mx5 that was already in good cosmetic condition.
My girlfriend has had a 1991 MX5 passed down to her. Mechanically it seems in good order: I've driven it for a couple of hundred miles with no apparent problems. Reasonable mileage for that age as well: about 50/60K IIRC.
On the outside, thought, it's tatty. Hood is grubby, patched in a few places and needs replaced. (Possibly just the front portion) Door handles broken (the mk1 MX5 has those fiddly chrome ones). Fuel filler cap broken. Windows are manual and a bit wonky. (Tend to slide down once fully wound up.) Paintwork is (non-metallic) red, faded to pink in places, and there are a few dings in the bodywork. Interior is just grubby, dirty and worn.
So the question is this: is it worth refurbishing the car, and if so, how much is it likely to cost? And how much could be done by myself?
Windows / Door handle / Fuel filler cap - I presume these are easily enough done at home?
Replacement hood - internet suggests that this can be done at home with the right tools and lots of patience? Any ideas on how much a replacement hood might cost? Cheapest I've seen is £340.
Dings - a professional job I presume?
Paint - is t-cut likely to help, or would we be talking about a respray? And how much would that be likely to be?
Interior - any suggestions? How hard is it to fit replacement carpet or seat covers?
Any help would be hugely appreciated. It's a lovely car to drive, and if it can be done up economically it'd be a shame to get rid of it. I'm just afraid of finding out that it'd be cheaper to buy a 1991 mx5 that was already in good cosmetic condition.
Thanks for the advice everyone... some very useful suggestions and links there. I hadn't realised that you could deal with faded red paint by polishing it down, but since seeing these suggestions I've found a step by step guide at [url]www.totalbmwmag.co.uk/HandsOn/TechNov02.PDF[/url] which gives me the confidence to give it a try.
One question though... the paint is faded on the plastic body parts as well - can these be polished in the same way as the paintwork on the metal?
One question though... the paint is faded on the plastic body parts as well - can these be polished in the same way as the paintwork on the metal?
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