Blimey, that’s looking finger lickin’ good.
Yum!
First class restoration you should be proud .
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I do love seeing these cars brought back to full glory by an attentive owner! Continuing great work, bud!
Arrived to find the doors and wings painted to my surprise. Starting the slow process of rebuilding. New screen in, new headlamps and side lights ordered along with windscreen panel and mudflaps.
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Would it be very rude to ask how much the paint job cost?
All the new parts arrived today and look very nice. Hopefully I will get to fit them at the weekend or next week. Also received the new Mazda wheel centre cap motifs from Jass performance. A few mods to the original centres should work. The boot lid has been prepared but there Will not be a boot rack fitted. Too many dents to get a good enough finish. Not original, I know, but should be a better finish.
Removed the old rusty headlamps, undersealed the front wings, protected the doors with Dinitrol ML. Headlamp bezels off to the powder coaters.
Headlamp bezels back, adjusters treated with Evaporust and like new again. New headlamps fitted. New door glass fitted and door card back on. IL Motorsport pedals fitted, bought by my son. New Alpine door speakers fitted. Stitching has rotted near back window so removed and my trimmer Bob who did the seats has re stitched it all.
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Rear bumper, number plate panel and mud flaps fitted, roof back together and re-fitted, mirrors back on but need to glue trim and mirrors back on. New door seals fitted with Eastwood flexible strip caulk, which is nearest to dumdum and really easy to apply.
Only the boot and brake light, front bumper, mudflaps and wheel arch liners and underway to fit and side lights/indicators, then number plates. Can’t wsit to drive it as it hasn’t moved since the beginning of April.
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Thats a proper job! its looking really great. I bet you cannot wait to get it back on the road, but I bet you don’t want to get it wet… However I reckon the total bill is not pretty - keep it to yourself.
thanks for sharing.
The car was finished a couple of weeks ago. However, there was a bad leak from the back of the soft top. I had fitted a new genuine Mazda rain channel, which looks like it doesn’t go high enough and water leaks down the back and into the boot. Hardtop fitted until i get chance to sort it or find out how to sort it. The ride was terrible and so low it caught every speed bump and I thought it would rip the bottom of the car off. New sta dard springs ordered from Autolink and fitted in 3hrs. Photos show the difference in height. Rides so much better now and so off to Altec Align in Huddersfield for Chong to do his magic. So much better to drive now . All I need now is to find somewhere to store it inside over winter or all my hard work will be wasted. Chong commented on how it was the best MK1 he had seen for a long time. Result!
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Looking great👍
The hood leak, did you use silicone and washers over the studs holding the rain rail and hood in place?
A very impressive project and a lot of attention to detail you obviously have far more patience than me
I also have a Berkeley but doesn’t have as many issues as yours , that or I havnt looked hard enough
I advertised it on face book earlier today , but life is to short and withdraw the ad , I feel its a perfectly acceptable example of an mx5 that could do with some fettling mot until late Jan new tyres and clutch with less than 400 miles fitted last year , put it up for a £!000 which I thought was reasonable price for a 3 owner mk1 , I am not sure if Im contravening any mx5 club rules but if anyone is interested or want more info please pm me
Pete,
Congratulations upon your rather epic restoration.
Some help if I may?
I have a severe ride height issue after my restoration last year by fitting a Koni SRT Kit, non adjustable. Basically, it is knocking the daylights out the chassis braces, and is pretty unsociable in comfort terms on anything bar the smoothest of metalled roads…though it handles like a go-kart on speed.
If only…I’d pushed the boat out and bought the adjustables…
Could I have the code of your OEM springs?
Did you get them from Andrew in Dumfries or the southern branch?
There are variations…they do swing back and forth it seems in specifications. Also, what shocks are you running?
I’ll be taking a chance…as springs & shocks are tuned to work as one, but I set the shocks to softest prior to fitting, and even so they are firm.
Many thanks.
When I acquired the car it was on Bilsteins. However, as they were rusty I did not realise and duly sold them for £70! I managed to trace the second owner, by chance and he informed me that there was £1000 of suspension on when he sold it. My father in law had these items in a box, as one had leaked and been replaced by a second hand set (Bilsteins) The shocks were KYB AGX and they were fitted with a set of Ground Control adjustable platforms with special Eibach springs. Because of that I read up on the KYB and they seemed to get good reviews and I was going to fit the Ground Control set up. These are American and are still available at a cost of $499. In the end I went for a set of Eibach ProSport springs which I managed to fit the wrong way. It is the first car I have come across where the rear springs are longer than the front. I asked on Facebook MX5 MK1 and Anand Vaid, who I am told is the guru of MK1 advised a set from Andrew in Castle Douglas. They were Just less than £100 with delivery and have made a massive difference. They are the same ride height as the early MK1 and therefore slightly lower than mine was originally. The ride is still firm, but still ok and seems to handle well. I hope this assists you. I will be selling the Eibach ProSport springs and the Ground Control/Eibach springs shortly.
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That’s great info Pete.
I deal with Andrew a lot…have done for years…for good reasons.
He’ll know the code of the springs when I’m ready if it’s OK for me to refer to you?
I recall rhe the springs came in boxes labelled 149 and 150. I think that forms part of their longer reference number
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