MX-5 V-Spec - Project / weekend toy
Discussion
So finally after about 4 years of browsing this site, dreaming of having a weekend toy, and keen on a project to get stuck into.. i bought my first ever 'second car' as a toy / project.
So last weekend i turned this:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
into this:
IMG_1520 by notkenblock, on Flickr
It is of course the ever famous Mk1 MX-5, well in this case its a Eunos jap import, 1.6 V-special.
I'll let the pictures do the talking really:
IMG_1523 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1527 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1528 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1529 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1530 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1532 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1533 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1537 by notkenblock, on Flickr
So as you can probably tell, im really really pleased. Its runs like a dream and is such a planted drive. I wont gush too much as if you have one... you will know, and if you havent, you've probably heard.
Now there are several things that need addressing... from a distance it looks pretty tidy, but close up there are quite a few jobs that need doing. Not really a problem as thats what I bought it for.
Under the bonnet jobs include:
- Fix a small oil leak
- New brakes
- New bonnet stay (I might start with this one)
- Replace gearbox rubber boot things and change turret oil
- Full service (Filters, lubes and plugs)
The rust on this appears to be surface only (crosses fingers):
Front passenger arch:
IMG_1524 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1525 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Rear drivers arch:
IMG_1542 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Door step:
IMG_1540 by notkenblock, on Flickr
I must say this one worries me... what the hell is under that chrome panel!
Other bits to tidy up over time:
Drivers wing mirror is screwed in place.. will replace both sides.
IMG_1539 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Drivers seat bolster, seems common on all older MX's, although not quite sure what i can do to fix apart from replace the whole seat?:
IMG_1535 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Polish the nardi gear knob, i was going to just buy another, but £75 on ebay new!:
IMG_1536 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Looks like the front took a knock at some point and had a crappy repair:
IMG_1526 by notkenblock, on Flickr
All in all I am thrilled with the whole experience, a bit daunting at first looking at the list of jobs. I dont want to spend a fortune so will have a go at all of the body related stuff, and get a local MX specialist to do the oily bits at first until i gain some confidence.
So expect some updated and pictures of me having a crack at a few jobs... wish me luck!
Advice welcomed!
So last weekend i turned this:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
into this:
IMG_1520 by notkenblock, on Flickr
It is of course the ever famous Mk1 MX-5, well in this case its a Eunos jap import, 1.6 V-special.
I'll let the pictures do the talking really:
IMG_1523 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1527 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1528 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1529 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1530 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1532 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1533 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1537 by notkenblock, on Flickr
So as you can probably tell, im really really pleased. Its runs like a dream and is such a planted drive. I wont gush too much as if you have one... you will know, and if you havent, you've probably heard.
Now there are several things that need addressing... from a distance it looks pretty tidy, but close up there are quite a few jobs that need doing. Not really a problem as thats what I bought it for.
Under the bonnet jobs include:
- Fix a small oil leak
- New brakes
- New bonnet stay (I might start with this one)
- Replace gearbox rubber boot things and change turret oil
- Full service (Filters, lubes and plugs)
The rust on this appears to be surface only (crosses fingers):
Front passenger arch:
IMG_1524 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_1525 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Rear drivers arch:
IMG_1542 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Door step:
IMG_1540 by notkenblock, on Flickr
I must say this one worries me... what the hell is under that chrome panel!
Other bits to tidy up over time:
Drivers wing mirror is screwed in place.. will replace both sides.
IMG_1539 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Drivers seat bolster, seems common on all older MX's, although not quite sure what i can do to fix apart from replace the whole seat?:
IMG_1535 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Polish the nardi gear knob, i was going to just buy another, but £75 on ebay new!:
IMG_1536 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Looks like the front took a knock at some point and had a crappy repair:
IMG_1526 by notkenblock, on Flickr
All in all I am thrilled with the whole experience, a bit daunting at first looking at the list of jobs. I dont want to spend a fortune so will have a go at all of the body related stuff, and get a local MX specialist to do the oily bits at first until i gain some confidence.
So expect some updated and pictures of me having a crack at a few jobs... wish me luck!
Advice welcomed!
Edited by NotKenBlock on Monday 6th June 17:38
Edited by ReaperCushions on Saturday 3rd March 22:47
Brilliant stuff! I keep getting so tempted to spend a grand on one of these, pretty much every time the sun makes an appearance! But, at a grand, I can never build up the balls!
Yours looks like a decent enough example and hopefully the niggles are just minor. Be great to hear how you get on!
Yours looks like a decent enough example and hopefully the niggles are just minor. Be great to hear how you get on!
Thanks for the replies chaps.
Funnily enough I've always loved BRG with a tan leather interior (on any car really!) but when it came to this one, I knew I had to have the V-spec. The missus wasn't at all sure at first and hated it in the picture in the ad. But on the flesh she loved it, thankfully
I test drove quite a few in my local area, each one had pro's and con's. I saw one with a much better body, but was a shed to drive and was looking like a blown head gasket was on the cards. So i decided to go for the mechanically sound one that I could tinker with the body.
snorkel sucker - I would say that if you are going to splash a grand on a fun weekender you are pretty much in the safest hands here compared to the other options in that price bracket! Worst case its probably worth as much in parts if it all goes wrong. I think the steering wheel and the gear knob seem to be worth a few hundred alone!
Well a quick updated already is that I've been down to halfords and bought myself a bit of primer, paint and some sanding tools. Don't think the weather is right for a go today but soon!
Funnily enough I've always loved BRG with a tan leather interior (on any car really!) but when it came to this one, I knew I had to have the V-spec. The missus wasn't at all sure at first and hated it in the picture in the ad. But on the flesh she loved it, thankfully
I test drove quite a few in my local area, each one had pro's and con's. I saw one with a much better body, but was a shed to drive and was looking like a blown head gasket was on the cards. So i decided to go for the mechanically sound one that I could tinker with the body.
snorkel sucker - I would say that if you are going to splash a grand on a fun weekender you are pretty much in the safest hands here compared to the other options in that price bracket! Worst case its probably worth as much in parts if it all goes wrong. I think the steering wheel and the gear knob seem to be worth a few hundred alone!
Well a quick updated already is that I've been down to halfords and bought myself a bit of primer, paint and some sanding tools. Don't think the weather is right for a go today but soon!
Just done something similar myself, a '97 Harvard special edition.
Mine has a small tear in the driver's bolster, the best advice for a cheap fix I was given was to remove both seats, remove the leather covers from each seat and swap them over, so that the damaged bolster is on the inside of the passenger seat where it won't get any more wear.
At the same time, you can 'repair' the tear invisibly by using gaffer tape on the inside of the leather to hold the edges together.
I plan to do this when I get a free couple of days, as I believe the cover removal and replacement is a bit of a PITA.
Oh, and get that sill protector off and have a good look at the sill underneath, MX5 sills are notorious for rust, especially just in front of the rear wheels.
Good luck!
Mine has a small tear in the driver's bolster, the best advice for a cheap fix I was given was to remove both seats, remove the leather covers from each seat and swap them over, so that the damaged bolster is on the inside of the passenger seat where it won't get any more wear.
At the same time, you can 'repair' the tear invisibly by using gaffer tape on the inside of the leather to hold the edges together.
I plan to do this when I get a free couple of days, as I believe the cover removal and replacement is a bit of a PITA.
Oh, and get that sill protector off and have a good look at the sill underneath, MX5 sills are notorious for rust, especially just in front of the rear wheels.
Good luck!
Thanks Mark.
Well after your post I thought sod it.. lets have a look under those chrome plates and see whats there (i was pretty scared to be honest):
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Well it turned out not that bad actually:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Quick bit of this on it:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Not bad at all underneath:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
And then it started to rain!
More later if it dries up!
Well after your post I thought sod it.. lets have a look under those chrome plates and see whats there (i was pretty scared to be honest):
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Well it turned out not that bad actually:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Quick bit of this on it:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Not bad at all underneath:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
And then it started to rain!
More later if it dries up!
Right, well the rain cleared up so I continued:
3 coats of this plus flatting back:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
3 top coats, flatting back inbetween:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Quick re-trial of the chrome plate and im pretty pleased with my first effort:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
I need to blend the edges where the tape was, and to be honest I should have taped up a much smaller area.. But not bad for my first ever attempt at painting anything since my Warhammer models about 15 years ago!
3 coats of this plus flatting back:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
3 top coats, flatting back inbetween:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
Quick re-trial of the chrome plate and im pretty pleased with my first effort:
photo by notkenblock, on Flickr
I need to blend the edges where the tape was, and to be honest I should have taped up a much smaller area.. But not bad for my first ever attempt at painting anything since my Warhammer models about 15 years ago!
Well its been a good few months now since the purchase, I've not done most of the things on the list I have to admit, because... well... I've simply been driving it and having a great time!
Most significant change has been the wheels. I needed some new tyres at the back so decided it was the perfect opportunity to get some OEM wheels back on it. Ebay turned up loads but none local (didnt see the point in driving hundreds of miles for a £40 set of wheels). I put a wanted Ad up on Nutz offering around £50 - £60 for some wheels, with only criteria being they were OEM and had good tyres.
Well I struck lucky and a lovely bloke from about 15 miles away offered me his old ones for free! Chuffed was not the word, so after a cracking chat and a swap for a crate of beers, I drove them home and set about refurbing them and respraying them.
The refurb turned out that they were in actually pretty poor conditon so I didnt put too much more effort into it other than a wash, sand and respray. They're not great and never will be, but for free, I cant complain!
Anyway, here she is now:
IMG_2152 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_2151 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_2147 by notkenblock, on Flickr
I also set about trying to refurb my peeling knob.... so to speak. Well again after a decent attempt, it was determind that it was never going to be as good as new, so I bought this off a fellow Nutz'er as well
IMG_2141 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Its a 6 speed gate, so not really suitable, but its got a great feel and it matches the wheel colour perfectly so it will stay.
Thats really it for now other than washing it and a couple of minor rust spot repairs. Its never going to be a show car, but I love it and its mine
Most significant change has been the wheels. I needed some new tyres at the back so decided it was the perfect opportunity to get some OEM wheels back on it. Ebay turned up loads but none local (didnt see the point in driving hundreds of miles for a £40 set of wheels). I put a wanted Ad up on Nutz offering around £50 - £60 for some wheels, with only criteria being they were OEM and had good tyres.
Well I struck lucky and a lovely bloke from about 15 miles away offered me his old ones for free! Chuffed was not the word, so after a cracking chat and a swap for a crate of beers, I drove them home and set about refurbing them and respraying them.
The refurb turned out that they were in actually pretty poor conditon so I didnt put too much more effort into it other than a wash, sand and respray. They're not great and never will be, but for free, I cant complain!
Anyway, here she is now:
IMG_2152 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_2151 by notkenblock, on Flickr
IMG_2147 by notkenblock, on Flickr
I also set about trying to refurb my peeling knob.... so to speak. Well again after a decent attempt, it was determind that it was never going to be as good as new, so I bought this off a fellow Nutz'er as well
IMG_2141 by notkenblock, on Flickr
Its a 6 speed gate, so not really suitable, but its got a great feel and it matches the wheel colour perfectly so it will stay.
Thats really it for now other than washing it and a couple of minor rust spot repairs. Its never going to be a show car, but I love it and its mine
Excellent purchase. Well done. You will not regret this car.
It would be worthwhile waxoyling the inner sills through the sill holes you exposed. The MX5 suffers from serious corrosion in the sill and wheel arch areas. You obviously have some bodywork knowledge. I would take the time to expose and saturate all the sill and wheel arch area.
Whilst this will not be as good as being done from new Waxoyl is a remarkably effective sealing product and this would significantly improve the life of the sills.
Mechanically these cars seem typical Toyota. Robust!!
With the trim level and comfort this is an excellent car to enjoy for some years.
But rust will get it in the end.
Anything you can do to slow it down would be good.
It would be worthwhile waxoyling the inner sills through the sill holes you exposed. The MX5 suffers from serious corrosion in the sill and wheel arch areas. You obviously have some bodywork knowledge. I would take the time to expose and saturate all the sill and wheel arch area.
Whilst this will not be as good as being done from new Waxoyl is a remarkably effective sealing product and this would significantly improve the life of the sills.
Mechanically these cars seem typical Toyota. Robust!!
With the trim level and comfort this is an excellent car to enjoy for some years.
But rust will get it in the end.
Anything you can do to slow it down would be good.
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