Hello, Ryan here, based in the Midlands.
I’ve always thought the MX5 was a beautiful car and recently have found myself frustrated by my lack of vehicle and mechanical knowledge, so I have decided to combine the two in my first project car.
I picked up a beautiful, but quite rough, NB from 2000. She’s had rust repairs carried out in the past though may need a little more, the bodywork needs touching up, the interior is very worn and she needs a new roof… and then there’s the big issue. The engine. The engine has developed a fairly terrifying clattering noise that is going to need thorough investigation and probably something like a rebuild or a transplant.
So, I have a huge amount of work ahead, but this project is a bit of a dual stream; my purpose is to learn a lot about vehicles and DIY mechanic jobs so I am much better prepared for looking after my family’s daily drivers, and my desire is to take this beautiful car from the “selling for parts” state she was in to a good, preserved car that I can take to events and things like that.
My mechanical friends at work have laughed at how much work it will be or that I will spend more than the car is worth etc. and while I understand their concerns, they miss the point. I want a project, the work is its own reward, and at the end of it I will have a car that contains a bit of soul.
So that’s me. An optimistic mechanical novice, diving in head first to the deep end and hoping to share it with some folks who at the least will appreciate that I don’t want the car to go to the scrap heap
Hopefully see you around.
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Welcome to the club / forum.
A wealth of knowledge.
Other knowledge can be found online or watching the likes of wheeler dealers to gain a basic level of how to strip down / replace parts etc.
I’ve a 2006 NC which is also a project / hobby.
Time hasn’t been an issue , no timescale on completion, a bit at a time really.
First thing I’d tackle (and did on the NC) rust !
Do it once do it right. Once sorted it’s the foundation for everything else that may follow.
Please keep us updated with your progress, especially photos 
Oh and don’t be afraid of asking questions regardless of how daft you may or may not think they are 
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Thank you - I’m in a similar situation, there is no time pressure on this project so I can tackle it a little bit at a time.
I’ve got the back end up on ramps at the moment so I’m going to start on rust from the back, going forwards. There’s a fair bit of surface flaking but I haven’t seen anything structural yet - my plan was to give a decent soak in WD40, then knock off loost stuff with wire wool and paint with a rust converter. Following that, give it a decent coat of under-body sealant. Going forwards it will be kept under a cover and only driven in the dry
I used a drill and grinder with these attachments.
Just got stuck in to ensure good solid clean metal.
They revealed more than I expected but I’m happy it did.
Spent many hours on my back getting covered in s**t🤣
Then I used ‘Buzzweld’ products for base coat
“rust encapsulator” on clean metal.
Followed up with Dinitrol products to underseal and cavity wax fill.
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Brilliant, thanks. On the family daily cars I’ve just used wire wool, but there really wasn’t much needed treating on those. This might take a bit more so those brushes could well come in handy
Welcome aboard. Great choice of model😃
Please feel free to share as many pics as you like as your project progresses. It’s fun to follow folk’s journeys.
Cheers,
Guy
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Hi Ryan
From 2005 NB 2.5 owner in the West Mids [owned since 2007]
I’ve had to pay specialists to e.g. weld, underseal and replace her soft top because I’m too ‘cream crackered’ to have done it myself …[but back in my youth did similar on a Triumph Spitfire Mk IV]
Yep…and I was told I’d spend more money on Bullit than she’d be worth. Didn’t care !
So from one NB owner to another I applaud you taking on this project 
It will be fun, frustrating and as you are doing DIY you will learn so much…I envy you !
And this is totally the right Forum if you get stuck because so many members/visitors have ‘Been There, Worn the T-Shirt’ etc
And as Pale Rider said ‘Don’t be afraid to ask !’
I recently managed to change the Battery in Bullit [nearly gave myself a hernia] by asking ‘numpty’ questions because there is stuff that even the Haynes Manual doesn’t show…
They say ‘Once you know how to do something it’s easy’
Truth is…‘Once you’ve physically done something yourself…then you really know how to do it’ 
Enjoy the experience you are about to embark on and gratitude for your forthcoming efforts 
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Thank you for such a lovely message. Mine has already had some rust repair welds done, though she may need more, there’s a fair bit going on under the back end though only surface stuff that I’ve found so far.
I am honestly genuinely excited about getting stuck in and starting to learn, and hopefully one day will have this car back up and reliable - the NB is just too beautiful a shape to let this one go
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“The NB is just too beautiful a shape to let this one go”
Yep…kept seeing one or two driving around back in 2006/07…What is that car ?!?
Finally approached one parked…‘It’s called an MX-5 and the Model is Mark 2’
Told my mechanic that I was buying a Sports Car [he thought I was having a mid-life crisis being in my forties and told me I didn’t need a Sports Car]
I ignored him and Bullit and I have been together since 2007
And guess why I called her Bullit…hint…‘Shape’
[plus obvious deference to the late Steve McQueen actor and his film Bullitt where he drove a 1968 Mustang]
I mean…what’s not to ‘fall in love with’
Perfect! I had a similar conversation with my mechanic who keeps talking about “is it worth it?”
Is it worth what to whom? That’s what I say. It’s worth a lot to me to have a car to learn on, and to renovate and to ultimately end up with a beautiful car. I recognise that it will possibly cost a few thousand to get there, and that the final car will be “worth” less than it will likely cost me to restore it, but that is rather missing the point
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It’s not the learning. That’s almost always a ‘good thing’.
It’s not the cost. Hobbies cost money. You’ll never get your money back for a golf club membership or the set of sticks you need for that.
The real issue is enthusiasm.
Somebody once told me it’s easy to work on something you love: much less easy to love something that all you do is work on.
Buy an older car but spend a bit more to get one that drives so you can have the fun that Mazda actually intended as well as the enjoyment of tinkering.
But then again I just bought an unfinished MEV Exocet project, so what do I know? I do already have the facilities, the time and most of the tools, though.
Come to that I bought an aeroplane many years ago and only then began to look for somewhere to put it. At that point I started learning to fly! Sometimes you need to jump right in as if you try to rationalise things you’ll never do it.
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For me it’s the fact that it doesn’t drive right now that is endearing it to me so much. If nothing is done, it will break down and never run again. As it is, a bit of work and a bit of money and it will be fully restored and back to what it should be.
That’s what is driving me at the moment, that and the desperate need for a proper project - like you say, you need to just jump in sometimes
Also the accumulation of tools will work well in my ultimate goal of being able to do a lot more DIY maintenance of my family daily drivers, which is what this project is all about at its core - I’m using my desire to rebuild this mx5 to develop skills needed to better support my family in the long run
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I recommend the first job you do is the body work. If you are not a skilled welder or body work person get it done by the experts. The mechanical side is much easier you may find it easier to buy a second hand engine. There are specialists around that strip these cars for parts as the rust is the main enemy. Many people buy these cars as and dont really maintain them and over time the rust sets in…good luck and have fun .
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That’s the plan - the bodywork has already been professionally welded and is in fair shape overall. The rear sub frame and anti-roll frame are covered in quite a bit of surface rust so I’m going to clean all that off and see what they look like when I know what’s left. Hopefully treat it and move on, but I won’t cut corners, if it needs more welding then that’s what I’ll do.
A transplant engine might be necessary, but I want to at least disassemble this one and understand what’s gone wrong, and how it all goes together - the whole project is intended as a journey of learning and experience, rather than exclusively to have the car ready as easily as possible
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Good luck Ryan. The real value is what it is worth in your mind and long time pleasure. I have had many cars over the years and the 5’s are all pleasure to sit in and enjoy the country in.
Jimbo
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Welcome Ryan you will love having a mx5 as you will see so much knowledge on here and passion
