Just took the car to the MX-5 specialist today. Told me it won’t need any welding, and that it was actually in pretty good condition, just looks much worse than it really is around those braces. Wheel arches are perfectly fine.
I’m going to have cavity wax applied and some of the surface rust treated towards the end of summer.
Massive relief!
Good news then
Great news,
Be careful putting (or letting anyone else put) on cavity wax. If not prepared and treated as well as being perfectly dry, it’s like locking a piece of damp metal in a nice cosy blanket, ie an ideal environment for the dreaded Fe2 O3 (rust).
I treated the MX-5 (Malcolm (2009 2.0 PRHT) with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80, followed by Dynax UB with great results. The TTS is presently in my garage undergoing the same treatment. I take as much of the suspension and control arms off as practical before; cleaning, wire brushing, sanding, re cleaning, treating and then sealing.
Dave, the new owner of Malcolm, has just had his MOT and the inspector says he rarely sees such well treated examples.
The great thing about Dynax UB is that unlike Waxoyl or similar, you can see the condition of the metal and so can inspect and treat any areas needed, before any serious problems occur.
Short of replacing the subframe with a new one, I think from all my research I did before tackling Malcolm that this is the way to go.
Thought I’d share a few before
And after
Photos of the underside protection I’ve just done on the TTS.
Should help protect it for another few years.
Did the ARB yellow as I did on the MX-5
Looks great!
