We bought a mk2.5 in silver last year since then we have discovered a couple of patches of rust ont the wing panels and a small hole in one of the rear wheel arches, is there a recommended garage/workshop in the area above that would undertake the job to repair/replace the wings and repair the hole?
I’m hoping to learn how to service this car in the spring but am very much a newbie to all of this so it would be great if someone is in the area that could possibly take me under their wing before I try to do this on my own armed with only a Haynes manual and a spanner
Welcome to the club, cant reccommend anyone as Im not in Scotland.
Wheeler dealers mate on Prime a great watch and Ive found myself then thinking … yep I can do that.
Im currently doing lots of jobs on the mx and have replaced dampers , springs ,arb’s , intercooler and custom pipe work, rebuilt Brembo callipers, fitted braided brake lines and going to fit hybrid turbo on my Merc c320 cdi… all done at home thanks to watching a few programs.
A good old hammer , big spanner , pack of 20 cigs and a supply of tea and a little self belief… sorted mate
Yeah, I saw that (and thank you for creating it) I was hoping for someone a little closer to home as we only have the one car and from what I’ve seen/heard it might take a while to do.
Hi Scott, I’m in Lincoln and haven’t found anyone on our doorstep so if you do find anyone I’ll be eager to hear.
When I needed some welding doing I used
SPA in Ilkeston.
They came over and picked my car up on a flatbed. My missus then gave me a lift over there to drive it back after it had been MOT’d with them.
Nice, enthusiastic blokes.
There’s also https://thrussingtongarage.co.uk/
I haven’t used them but they, too, specialise in MX-5s.
If you can’t find anyone nearer J R Classics at Askern, Doncaster do corrosion repairs in addition to rust proofing. Not too far from Gainsborough. Couple of buses or bus and train back to Gainsborough.
He has a good reputation but there is a waiting list.
If you have corrosion on the wings and rear arch have you checked the sills and the front chassis rails. These are prone to severe rusting on the Mk2.5. If you are not able to get underneath the car to remove the undertray and inspect the chassis rails your local MOT garage should be able to give you an opinion as to their condition.
I approached JR Classics last week about doing my ND… They are apparently booked up till late August, but said if I leave my car with the for about 2 weeks, they could do mine in stages between jobs. So they look pretty stacked… I’m just going to keep my ND away from the salt-roads for now
Rob
don’t suppose you fancy popping over in spring to point out the stuff and things I should be looking at…once lockdown if over etc. We out passed Saxilby in Fenton off the Gainsborough road.
I wouldn’t bother getting an ND done, in my opinion.
Just pressure wash the arches and floor after the winter. Most corrosion is just caused by neglect and lack of cleaning.
I don’t see the point of paying to have horrible thick black rustproofing sprayed everywhere, (even over the lovely alloy parts!)
It just peels after a few years and traps more moisture and dirt to promote more rust.
Seriously get a set of low profile ramps, wash the underside yourself, that’s all it will ever need for years.
I touched up the rear subframe on my ND, 3 years old, just starting to surface rust in places. 30 mins with a can of hammerite, it looks like new.
Thanks for that… I only have a hose with spray nozzle (not ideal) and I cannot get underneath very well, but did get round the arches and underneath where I could.
I saw the underneath of an ND that had been treated, and the black stuff covered everything - Wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted and looked a bit “Overkill” to me! (Not sure which company it was) Will look at options over the next few months, but in the meantime, enjoy owning my ND and not worry…!
Great thanks mate, it will be my first car to get my hands dirty with and so far have only replaced the stereo and cleaned her regularly. Just waiting for some nice weather and then hoping to do a service.
I’m a Jonah with this sort of thing as I had my NA arches done by an MX5 specialist and they didn’t tell me about the extensive rust in the sills up to the a post. Fixing the whole sills up to the A post including the inner is a substantial welding job that not that many will take on. It’s fixed now but at a price people say mad, nuts, crazy - but that’s what it is. You can’t see it happening but MX5s are prone to water getting into their sills. If it’s left to sit there it eats them inside out so you don’t know until it starts coming through - normally at the base of the inner sill at which point the who sill structure, which in a convertible is critical, is a disaster.
In assessing what is to be done as others have said look into the sill using a borescope if needs be (usb borescope not dear on Amazon) and the front chassis rails on an NB. If it’s all black underseal or grey 2k primer all is well. It all depends on whether former owners have drained the sills if they have become waterlogged or not and or done sufficient rust protection.
