I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: A plan to upgrade
Over the past few weeks I have put together a number of questions about what I want to do the car, getting ideas, and sourcing my upgrades without to much cost. I think I have now got a list of what I want to do. But in what order am I best to do these?
Issues with the car already resolved :-
Roof drains cleared and fish tank filter put up the underneath of the car to lower road noise.
A new seatbelt on the passenger side as it had a cut in it.
A spare key has been made.
A full service has been done to identify rust.
All trim clips fitted as loads were missing.
Paint clayed/waxed but not fully corrected yet, I will do that prior to the summer.
A horrendous rattle under the car was identified as being the heat shield on the cat and so it has been clipped on tight.
Current Problems to resolve:-
The car smells of smoke.
The steering wheel has a little vibration from it, this is due to wheel balancing.
The wheels either need replacing or refurbishing as a couple are a bit tatty.
New car mats needed as the ones fitted are poor and ill fitting (not MX5 ones).
Roof needs a good clean still, some white has shown up since I cleaned it myself.
Headlights need a machine polish.
Replace side repeaters with clear ones and orange bulbs.
New gear knob, as I hate the current one.
Some rust repair on rear of the nearside needed.
What I want to do to the car (excluding further cleaning):-
Replace the exhaust with a cat back system (probably Tony Banks)
Remap to ensure MOT passes (probably Blink)
New Eibach springs (30mm) over the current shocks (probably MX5 parts and mate to fit).
New wheels or refurb existing wheels (probably Demon Tweaks or a repairer) - do I go 16" (currently fitted) or go for 17"
Wheel alignment (probably Blink)
Rust repair
From the above 6 upgrades, what order should I do them in please? I appreciate people will say coilovers not springs blah blah blah but cost needs to be kept down, at least at present. Also the companies mentioned I appreciate Demon Tweaks can be expensive, but I just want ease of fitting with tyres etc and a wide choice to go through.
Also what other, easy and cheap upgrades could I consider and also where would you slot them in to my plan?
Sealant seems to have done the trick for most people.
Another important area of rust is the rear bumper reinforcement bar attachment points as this is almost 100% going to need attention and not easily visible.
Good because the oem gaskets are biodegradable for some reason and don’t last, so sealant is actually better.
It seems to be pretty normal for MX5s to have a clutch biting-point somewhere in the carpet.
This makes for clutch drag and awkward gear changes, so adjusting the clutch really helps.
If yours is fine, that’s a real bonus.
Dead boring, I know but the rust would be my first priority. Get it sorted well and the rest can follow! There are plenty of wheel & tyre packages out there, so plenty to choose from. I had mine refurbished.
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3+2 All the rest DIY and inexpensive
Get the car shipshape and then decide the next steps once you are ready. A back box on its own can improve/alter the exhaust note without more effort/costs too.
Get anything to do with corrosion sorted as a priority! It’s no good having cosmetic “upgrades” done if the car itself is going to rot away in the meantime!!!
My advice would be get the rust done first, followed by the mats. I had a poor fitting mat take control of the throttle pedal!
Then attend to your minor jobs, wheel balence would be a good idea unless you are ready to change the wheels. Not good to have wheel wobble.
If you go for 17" wheels consider the weight of the wheels and ensure you have the budget for good tyres. Tyres are the best modification.
A good route for exhaust upgrades in stages would be just the backbox, no mapping needed so best budget change. Primary Cat with manifold with map which is the main power gain then the mid pipe as an option, as it doesn’t really contribute much by itself.
Spring changes will need an alignment after install so those changes will need to be done together. Budget for replacement alignment bolts as these rust and can need cutting off. Also check your trackrod ends for rust and play and replace if needed before the setup.
It’s really amazing that people spend a small fortune on suspension, wheels, tyres and lots of chrome bits including the engine and then suddenly find that their car is suffering from the usual NC rust problems. If you’re really serious about keeping the car for any length of time then rust and fluids are the very first thing you should be looking at.
Gearbox and Diff fluids are often “forgotten” or just avoided on many cars, particularly ones which don’t get much use. If the car is new to you and with a sketchy service history it does it harm to get these changed. I’m making no recommendations on what to use, there are plenty of posts with what others have tried.
Had all the engine oil replaced as part of the service. I will take on board the gear box oil. As for Diff oil, it doesnt have an LSD. Or is there something else by which you are referring?
Still need the diff oil changing if not done recently. Have you had the brake fluid and clutch fluid flushed / replaced as that’s another thing that often gets missed even if the pads or rotors are changed. Makes a significant difference to braking performance at little cost.
I’d add another vote to doing the rust correction & underseal first.
I thought my NC1 looked immaculate on purchase (it was about 9yrs old when I bought it) and had checked the visible areas, bought from reputable garage etc. Took the car to MX5 Restorer 6 months in and, to my horror, needed a little welding before the sealing had been done! Knowing it’s going to last longer helped to justify the small fortune spent on mods ever since
I think first job has to be the suspension or the exhaust. I think I will get more enjoyment though from the exhaust, so might do that before suspension.
good job!!