MX5 Berkeley to MEV Exocet projec

[TooMany2cvs]

sleepera6 said:

It's sad that som many "limited edition" models (and the normal mk1 MX5 anyway) were scrapped in the scrappage scheme.
Someone scrapped a Delta Integrale.. and a 3-4 year old BMW X3 3 litre !!

The MOT requirement was... flexible.

And a 3-4yo car would not have been eligible for the scrappage.

[browno]

Time for another update on where things have got to... so from the other day I had stripped out most of the stuff I needed to, leaving me with this:

A2971413-62BA-4FF9-8FF6-05DAA5DB2EB6_zpswqdawqny on Flickr

42B31158-C04D-453C-B708-3378346D9E91_zpscuoyt9ha on Flickr

And the rear subframe was separated from the body as it dropped onto its support blocks

143142BD-86FE-415A-867B-9A6720146C05_zpsqhiujmje on Flickr

So tonight I rigged the block and tackle in the garage (and swung on it to check it was secure!!)

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And then released the last couple of bolts to allow the body to move...

C82839E1-AAEC-40AD-AE34-A6854F11130C_zpswuaejnzc on Flickr

231E3C62-0D2E-4E04-927D-17688DA0C3BD_zpsbanzngyg on Flickr

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And up we went:

F64E1006-C12B-4F5F-90A9-C9766125E438_zpsrl65qjjj on Flickr

And I balanced the shell while I pushed out the roller skate from underneath (having been especially pleased that there was nothing still attached!)...

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So now I have the running gear separate and ready to start refurbing - and the fuel tank, VIN Numbers and handbrake cable to remove before I can get rid of the remains of the shell - no turning back now!

A1A20D23-DC0A-4E8A-A32A-0CBC507EABAE_zpsaj7l3veo on Flickr

Those of a squeamish persuasion might want to look away now... (MX-5s were harmed in the making of this post)
 
First jobs were to remove the strut tops, fuel tank (and all lines down the tunnel - the reason for which will soon become apparent!) and also remove the VIN plate and stamped in VIN from the shell ready for disposal...
 
131F8633-A7A0-49F4-94C3-E035E93FB6C9_zpsek0iroyi on Flickr
 
Then it was out with the tools to make the shell a bit lighter to remove...
 
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and after a bit of swearing and chopping to get through all of the layers of the sills and the chassis rails underneath we had separation again... 
 
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Which resulted in me giving it a stretch...
 
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which then allowed me to recruit an extra pair of hands (and a trolley jack and creeper) to get it out of the way and ready to be removed - a sad sight, but at least the rest of the car will live on and the majority of other parts are going on to keep others on the road...

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Now I need to get cracking on stripping down the roller-skate ready to get everything looking nice and shiny ready for the kit arriving!

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 22:32

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 22:39

[browno]

Here goes with the latest update - and a little more stripping. First job after the last update was to get the roller-skate up on stands and start separating the front and rear halves.

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and one rear shaft even popped out quite easily

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Dropped the diff oil which has clearly been changed recently.

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and managed to strip back the subframe. It looks pretty ready for a clean-up, and you can see just how much rubbish had flaked off it in the process of stripping!

9CF24439-F7D2-44D8-990F-11AEF0F7E551_zpsk8bvfv2g on Flickr

In the meantime, the scrap man came and picked up the shell (and decided to hold it secure on the truck using the winch cable - which the kids found most amusing...)

2CA32BD3-D95D-4706-9830-E14FB40D0520_zpswffxvdu8 on Flickr

I haven't yet managed to get the long bolts out of the rear hubs, but am working on steadily cleaning up the bolts and getting plenty of penetrating fluid around to avoid chopping them out.

9D36DC4C-937C-47AC-9E58-022EE180789D_zpsrl4qdm3s on Flickr

next was to start stripping the front subframe - so I started taking off wishbones and separated the engine and gearbox (and created a bit more mess in the garage in the process!)

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So I now have everything split (and have removed the final wishbone from the front subframe), I have started to get ready to clean things up. I have had a good look over everything and have decided that I am not going to be changing bushes as they are all absolutely fine, and I think decent standard bushes will be as good as cheap poly bushes (and I will see more impact on handling spending the money on decent springs and dampers). As a result, I will paint the wishbones rather than powder coat them, but I am going to get the subframes and other bits off for coating this week.

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Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 22:46

[browno]

Time for another update, and some good news! Using a combination of 3 mechanical engineers, a 20 Tonne press, a blasting cabinet, a large impact gun and a big bar, we have managed to remove the lower wishbone long bolts and the n/s driveshaft...

8A1E2EC6-0872-4342-9B58-CF203B4D34D6_zpsip9n2dzj on Flickr

There was, however a casualty in the fight - we (well, ok, I) got a bit keen to load up the press on the first bolt, and while it moved with a bang, we realised that the bang wasn't only down to the bolt moving...

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So, I have ordered a replacement arm from Autolink, which wasn't too costly. One good note was that the bolts both came out good and straight and are reusable with a good clean-up (you can see where I tried to clean up the right-hand one in-situ with the soda blaster, which helped a little).

3BA26D31-8145-4099-9C43-9CF05BF06F53_zpsjruhylzo on Flickr

The next job was to work on removing the bushes, for which I first planned on making use of the press again - I tried one using sockets and threaded bar and just succeeded in devising a way to tension the threaded bar until it snapped! I then had a go on the press, and was a little worried about how much pressure was needed to push the bushes out, and that this might affect the integrity of the wishbones (I don't want to damage any more!), so I resorted to FIRE!

I set myself up a workstation at the bottom of the garden and attacked the bushes with the blowtorch - which (after I had got a decent technique and replaced the gas canister!) was proving relatively quick at about 5 minutes per bush, and was quite satisfying!

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So I now have a good pile of wishbones without bushes that just need a bit of a cleanup of the last traces of rubber before I can take them off for powdercoating early next week (hopefully should get the replacement wishbone from Autolink today, so I can get that prepped too).

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Hopefully I can also have a decent weekend - and pick up some more bits and bobs at the kitcar show on Sunday!

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 22:57

[browno]

So, update time again and more progress (and a trip to the kit car show too)

Firstly, while waiting for my bits to arrive, I have got the engine mounted on the engine stand, and have started cleaning and painting some bits, starting with driveshafts, diff housing and engine block...

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I have also been getting the last bits of pre-powder coat prep done, including trimming the edges of the front subframe to prevent interference with springs (as recommended by Stuart when I visited MEV) - I have chopped back so the edge is now 15mm from the outer edge of the bolt holes.

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and also trimmed the rear U-brace to remove the extraneous end sections

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I had a good trip to Stoneleigh on Sunday where I had a good look over all the various cars there, and a chat to a few folks about my build. I did get a bit of a kick to get moving when I went to the MEV stand and Julie told me that my chassis is built and powder coated (and apparently looking very good!) and they are now getting the bodywork made up - so it will be ready imminently!

Today I have been able to make some more progress, as I had still be waiting for my bits from Autolink and had thought that they were delayed due to the bank holiday - and thankfully checked the tracking, which told me that (despite no card being left at my home), the parcel had been taken to the post office in the next village. At least that meant that I could fetch that and now have my final wishbone - so tonight whipped out the bushes from that and have got all my bits ready to drop in for powder coating in the morning, which will be a good step in the right direction.

I also had a second parcel today, in the form of my Energy Suspension bush set - which looks very good, but also makes me think I've still got plenty of work to do to get all of them fitted!

B8240572-A9CD-42A7-86EC-EE5887672582_zpsenumwsle on Flickr

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 23:06

[browno]

So, a bit more progress again, so time for another update...

Firstly, I painted up the manifold heatshield and remounted to the block (replacing a downpipe stud that snapped during removal in the process)

30363948-75BD-40A4-AD90-5CE616ADDA9A_zpspeeppuj2 on Flickr

and started cleaning up my front upper wishbones with rust converter followed by hammerite (I hadn't sent these for blasting and coating due to the upper balljoints), and also my rear hubs.

4710308A-C38D-4D04-81ED-1DF494C95DC4_zpsrzirtgkh on Flickr

5B10D8B9-56CF-4C02-8020-C98C5CC5A6A9_zpsmbvxtjrj on Flickr

and also picked up a bit pile of now shiny bits from powder coating - which look completely transformed!

C12E4861-0B47-44EB-9F8A-395ADBF4C939_zpsbl6vvn0b on Flickr

I'm happy with the job they've done at even ensuring that the insides of some of the open sections on the wishbones and subframes are well coated too.

86A7212A-C665-49DE-93C8-65E60D5805C3_zpskwuyiybp on Flickr

I also started cleaning up some of my nuts and bolts - and to do this, after looking around I used "frost rust remover" which was £25 for 5 litres and is said to remove the rust without the use of acids or alkalis (being an inorganic chemist, this will be using selective chelation of the iron oxide - essentially pulling the rust into solution). So far, I am impressed by the results - essentially leave the parts in the solution overnight and then give them a rinse off and a clean with a wire brush and it has a pretty decent effect (this is a very good one - others have needed a second dunk in the solution).

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I have started mounting the diff into the subframe, ready to begin making the pile of parts back into something more like a powertrain, and have given the garage a good clean out, as I am now hopefully finished with having flaky rust and dust everywhere, and can start building in a cleaner environment! Once all was clean, I have then laid out the bits in preparation for a rebuilding session!

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So, it feels like I am making progress and finally turning the corner from stripping down and dealing with mucky nasty parts into actually being able to start building something that will look nice and clean - hopefully the next update will continue that trend!

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 23:16

[browno]

So since the last update I have been cracking on with assembly - and getting sticky polybush grease over everything I touch!

First I started on the back-end and got everything together (although I initially put the hubs on the wrong sides, as I had turned the subframe around while assembling !

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I haven't yet got the driveshafts located into the diff - they are not locating by simply pushing them in, and I didn't want to get too aggressive with them - will have another go tonight. I guess it is just a case of getting the spring clips to pop into place - I can feel that the splines are lined up, so it is just that last push I think.

CC0BBBA1-2141-40CB-9653-2F341A676416_zpsmnevkmi5 on Flickr

next, I decided to mount the front subframe to the engine while it was on the stand, and got one pair of wishbones fitted

49210ABB-D209-4E10-9E29-44E7FE6DA5A0_zpsvmsst77d on Flickr

following which I then dropped the assembly onto axle stands to allow me to fit the new clutch - this was a step that I had wondered about, as the clutch was not too worn (but is on 74k) - and I am thinking that FI might eventually be on the cards, but having won some money in our monthly tote at work, I thought I'd get an Exedy clutch kit sorted and put it in while I had everything apart.

3C2F3E18-70D2-46EE-9EB0-37F6E7B1B956_zpsxpzktsjn on Flickr

So with that done, I could reattach the gearbox - which I haven't painted - since it is bare alloy, I figure is isn't going to corrode, and isn't on display, so I've simply given it a good clean and will put some decent new fluid in it (as it is my job to develop gearbox oils, I am going to make sure of that!). I have also rebuilt the other wishbones too, so I am starting to pull together the powertrain. You will notice that the top end of the engine hasn't been played with yet - I am going to paint/coat the cam cover and change the gasket and CAS o-ring, but figured I can do that at any stage in the build.

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I have a few more jobs to do tonight, which include fitting up the front hubs (with new upper balljoint boots and one lower balljoint where I had to chop out a stuck bolt), swapping in the new clutch slave cylinder, fitting the rear driveshafts and hubs and then trying to get the PPF and propshaft installed so that I have a complete powertrain! (obviously I then need to add brakes - but they are also ready with new discs, pads and calipers all round to go on).

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 23:26

[browno]

So, it has been a couple of weeks since the last update and I have a little more progress to report.

Firstly, continuing from the last update, I got the driveshafts popped into place properly, and then started to reunite both ends.

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Then I fitted up the new slave cylinder and pipework.

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I also replaced the bottom ballpoint that I had had to chop out and so could put the front hubs in place (not torqued or finished in this pic).

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And tonight (after a week's holiday) I have been depowering my steering - getting rid of the seals from the rack by carefully cutting it away.

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and all rebuilt (but needing a clean off before refitting)...

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Now I need to get cracking as I have been in touch with MEV and my kit is ready - so I will hopefully be getting a van sorted to go and get the missing bit of the equation sorted out very soon - I just need to shift my Mini out of the garage temporarily so that I will have space to do the floors and pipework prior to fitting the chassis to the rollerskate.

Edited by browno on Tuesday 15th August 23:33

[browno]

Another update today, and it is a big milestone!

Firstly, I have been getting a series of little jobs on the mechanicals to get them sorted, and ordered (and quickly received) my suspension. I debated a lot about what to use on the Exocet - whtether to upgrade later or to go straight to coilovers. I have been very happy with the Meister R's that I have on my mk3 - and had thought to go for another set, but I have ended up with a set of Gaz gold pros - as many Exocets seem to use them, and to try something different. So they are ready to be fitted, along with a set of silicone hoses en-route from fast5 to sort the cooling system.

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Then, the big event - having seen Stuart and MEV getting a bit of coverage on the local news the other night - https://youtu.be/YU67dhQOOP0 with my kit clearly visible in the background, I was keen to see it in the metal!

I was pleased to head out of work early yesterday to pick up a van and head up to Mansfield, where I could pick up my kit. As you will see, I have decided that the car deserved a striking colour scheme - I was originally planning contrasting body and chassis as many (most) builders go for - but after deliberating and playing with photoshop, decided that a single colour would be good and allow me to have the option to add some vinyl to break it up later if it is too much!

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We were upgraded to a jumbo transit - which was enormous, and so we had no worries about space!

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I had taken a trip to screwfix and bought a load of 28mm pipe lagging to make sure I could protect the powder coat - and so got plenty of that on to prevent chips - and after a short drive, we could lift it into the garage...

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And then set up the inevitable picture with the panels...

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So - thoughts so far are that I am liking the colour (which is a good start!) and I am liking the styling tweaks that have been done - the flat roll hoop is a big one, but also the new rear cover with the flat-top and areas mounded in for fog/reverse lights tidies up the rear end nicely.

Overall, I am a happy customer - now to keep the momentum up and get ready to reunite shell and skate!

Edited by browno on Wednesday 16th August 22:44

[Justin S]

Really enjoying this build. How comprehensive is the kit ? Do you get a build manual with it ? Having just built a Westfield, there is nothing better than owning a car you built from a frame and driving off down the road when all completed.

[browno]

The kit is pretty comprehensive - chassis, panels (bonnet/nose, "bootlid", cycle wings and stays, lower side panels), pre-bent tunnel and sheet to cut the floors, chassis bolts and even some rivets, brake pipe and edge trim. I reckon if you were doing a budget build using as much of the do or as possible, you wouldn't need too much more - although I am going a bit beyond that and will add my own choice of seats, replace all suspension etc.

The build guide is here if you want to take a look - http://www.mevltd.co.uk/assets/documents/MEV_EXOCE... - I like the fact that it uses a lot of the MX-5, but can still be personalised quite a bit, so should be a good first build - I think it is likely to be a different build to a Westfield (I did consider the Westfield SDV kit, but the balance of costs and being a bit different drove me to the Exocet - I reckon I can build a pretty trick exocet for a fair chunk less than a relatively basic Westfield). I am on track at the minute and reckon I will be IVA'd for under £7k all-in with refurbed running gear, coilovers etc (ready for a turbo later!), which I think is great value.

[jsims1]

Great set of recent updates, looking forward to seeing this come together and with some FI this is going to be something special!

[abarber]

Very enjoyable read. Thanks for the update.

[browno]

Thanks again for the positive feedback! It's good to see that folks are enjoying reading my build!
 
Time for another progress update. First job was to whip off the front hubs and remove the remains of the brake heat shields. Of course, the bolts weren't too happy to be removed, so four of six snapped (despite me carefully trying to work them out!), so it was out with the drill and taps to provide a thread for the next stage - fitting the front wing stays temporarily (I have removed them again until after the body is on, so that I don't damage them in the meantime). As I was looking at the front-end and torquing things up, I discovered that both front upper balljoints have dodgy threads which don't want to tighten up. As a result I ordered a pair of new ones - by searching eBay for MOOG K500210, which I found is the part number for the replacements with built in grease-nipples, I got a pair for £50 posted inc. customs charges - a fair bit cheaper than the £35 each + post from the UK. They should hopefully be here later this week to install using the press at work.
 
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I then finished off fitting the bushes to the ARB drop links now that I have some more grease for the polybushes - I have left off the front ARB until I have the shell on and can bolt it into place.
 
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I also rebuilt the rear brakes with new discs and pads and had a look if the lovely green HEL lines that I have acquired from a race-prepped Evo might do the honours - and I think that they will route nicely along the tunnel to meet a hard line along the way (they will be properly secured, I have just used a few cable ties to hold them in place for now).
 
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I then fitted my silicone hose set from Dan at Fast 5 - which are very nice, and should keep things water-tight once it is all up and running - even coming with a full set of replacement hose clamps.
 
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I also tidied up the strut tops (seen here in primer), and have fitted them to my coilovers.
 
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and finally, I have suspended the bonnet panel from the roof to keep it out of harm's way while I get busy preparing the floors and pipework into the shell, which is the project for the start of this week.
 
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Edited by browno on Wednesday 16th August 22:53

[browno]

A bit more progress tonight - I have floor panels!

First we marked out the panels and then started cutting - the jigsaw cutting through beautifully with a fine metal blade.

0B0B2548-415F-4D22-ABDE-7558325797E5_zpsk26js15f on Flickr

Then we turned the frame over and made use of my scissor lift as a very good table to keep the rollbar off the floor.

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Overall - happy that we have done a good job - just one small area to fettle a little bit and they will fit nicely. Next job is to start marking and drilling and then decide how I am going to finish them off... do I wrap them or coat with bedliner?

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Edited by browno on Wednesday 16th August 22:58

[5harp3y]

Loving this thread, thank you for putting so much detail in.

right choice in the end, millions of rusty mx5's out there, one wont be missed.

love the idea of building one of these in the future

i just wish that the front end treatment was a little prettier on the MEV

[ForZiE23]

Great work so far an looks like its coming along really well. Look forward to updates and following.

[Justin S]

I painted the floors of my Westfield with Por 15 bed liner and wasnt a success. So sanded it down and used shultz in the end, although it doesnt set on silicon sealant and covers your arms, legs, shorts and T shirts in the stuff. On the panels it set fine. I would use some kind of epoxy stone chip guard if I did it again.

[browno]

Thanks for the positive comments folks - I am really pleased that I have taken the plunge and certainly glad to be seeing some progress! I am glad that the details are of interest - I like to see what is happening in a build and have been taking the approach of making sure I take plenty of pictures and use those rather than long blocks of text, but trying to cover all of the stages I have gone through.

Thanks for the thoughts on the floors Justin - I had been wondering about bedliner as while it is in theory durable (if it sticks!) I am not sure what a textured finish might be like against the other surfaces in the car. After pondering, I have done as many others seem to on exocets and am going to wrap the interior floor - and am likely going to give the underside a coat of paint of some sort.

[Smitters]

Love this - it sent me on a big old rabbithole daydream about a Mev Replicar, until I discovered MEV have just sold the Replicar to a third party. I hope they continue the great start MEV made. I shall continue to follow with interest as I see a dismantled MX5 in my future...