octyal

All painted with Buzzweld RE (rust encapsulator) primer - 2 coats - then topped with CIO (Chassis in One) black for the frame and uprights and gold tinted for the arms. Only a quick mock up (bushes haven't arrived yet) for now to give the overall idea of how it will look. If you are doing any kind of metalwork repair or maintenance give the Buzzweld stuff a try - it's lovely stuff to apply, and gives a nice tough finish, way better than any of the offerings from Hammerite (and cheaper in most cases as well)

Not a lot happened with this one last year due to out lovely damp summer weather - fingers crossed for some good weather this year to FINALLY get the welding finished - plus a few other jobs....... Starting with......a refurbished rear sub frame, suspension arms, uprights and refurbished Bilstein shock absorbers - all polybushed. Front subframe will be done as well, although i am keeping my eyes peeled for one being sold to refurb so i can just swap and change in a few hours rather than having the car out of action for a few days. Anyway, the crispy looking rear unit i nabbed for a good price...

180nmwith the wheels off the ground, then another 180 deg with the wheels on the ground. The bolt looks like a female triple square (12 point) from the image i have)

Just over 12 months on - and another MOT pass in the bag - after having to replace the catalytic converter for the correct Post 2001 compliant unit. A previous owner had replaced the original one with a non type approved (pre 2001) cat for a 1.6, so the emissions were way off. Not much been going on really, i have managed to source a complete new sill, rear arch and inner sill/arch panel for the LH side, so will be getting on with that before too long now that a few other jobs are sorted and out of the way. I have managed to paint the rocker cover though 😁other than that, just enjoying driving it (averaging between 40-45 mpg as well on v power)

and after all the hard work - MOT passed 😀 couple of advisories to deal with, o/s/f brake binding slightly, n/s/r spring corroded, "corrosion to underbody components" and repairs covered in underseal (understandably) - time to enjoy some top down fun, then onto sorting the external bodywork out (lots of small dents and stonechips plus a new n/s/r outer arch)

LH side all done now as well. All seam sealed, under sealed and cavity waxed to within an inch of its life 🤣

Cheap repair job in the past by a previous owner. The rot had been badly plated over so it carried on rusting from the inside out. Thankfully i got to it before it has spread too far to make it repairable. The Mk 2 came with a built in rust trap where they double skinned the chassis legs for crash protection.

One side done, and the front panel treated where there were a few rust spots. Just need to inject some cavity wax inside when i have finished the other side. Next is onto the LHR arch and then MOT time next month (hopefully)

Genuine replacement legs sourced from Germany for less than the ebay ones (even with postage) this is why rot should always be cut out and replaced

Have now got back into it with the weather being more favourable to work in so have started on the crusty chassis rails. Wings removed for extra space and also so i can treat the rust trap where they meet the front of the sill, thankfully it looks worse than it was, still solid so ground back, rust killer, zinc primer and then red oxide followed by stone guard over the top. Wings will be getting the same treatment and then some cavity wax sprayed into the gap once refitted. Will be coating the whole of the inside of the wing with stone guard etc as well.

Managed to get the top coat and lacquer applied over the weekend, and one wheel painted up as well

More progress made. Skim of filler, plenty of flatting and a coat of high build primer/filler. Still a few areas that need some flatting and a smidge of filler as they only show up once the primer is on and flatted. Picked up the top coat from a local autopaints specialist yesterday, hopefully get the top coat and lacquer on this weekend as the forecast is looking dry and mild.

I took my 2015 vRS there last year to check why the lane assist/HBA assist wasn't working (obvious fault - the heater plate had distorted). They then sent me images of the part that had a 2016 date sticker on it - car is a 2016 MY - and they refused to cover any of it under warranty. £21 for the part plus fitting and £499 for calibration. Told them no leave it then. Went to collect car and found the windscreen had cracked directly above the camera, informed the service department who agreed whilst stood next to the car to supply and fit a new screen with calibration. Two weeks late took the car back for them to do the screen, picked it up - no calibration done, thats £499 please. Then to top it off, noticed when i washed it a week later that they had damaged the paint on the A pillars when removing the screen. So another trip back to get the paint sorted -all of this took 3 visits (35 miles each way, plus time off work) and all i got out of it in the end was the new heater plate fitted FOC (i had to pay for the part as well!) and no refund of the original £120 diagnostics charge. Certainly won't be going back.

Coated with buzzweld rust encapsulator and a quick outer coat of zinc rich primer to keep the worst of the weather off for now. Fingers crossed for some more dry weather to get some filler work done.

Productive weekend - arch all finished after some careful trimming and plate making

Bit of CAD work done (Cardboard Aided Design ) and some new repair panels fabricated. Rust killer and zinc primer applied and my Buzzweld delivery arrived as well. Time to crack on with welding some new metal back in.

Cheers. It had been badly bodged, no idea how long ago though. The drain holes on this side were non existent, hence the excess of rot inside, only way to do it is to cut back slowly and then rebuild. Have ordered some buzzweld stuff this morning that should be delivered tomorrow so that i can get something on it before the weather shifts to wet after the weekend and give it some basic protection until i can get the outer panel on and sealed properly. Planning to keep this one for a fair few years yet, so want to make sure it lasts.

At least i managed to get a new arch from Facebook for £20 brand new

I was right about the rust being worse than it looked - previously bodged with a panel "welded" over the rot - Before shot and the result of prodding it, maybe a bit too hard. Dread to think what the other side that has been "repaired" will be like - and i have the chassis legs to do yet as well. Good job i enjoy this stuff.

It does sound like the battery. It may be OK voltage wise, best to get it drop tested by an auto electrician though as it may not be kicking enough amps out.

Obviously the 1.6 is ok as VAG convert them anyway - my bad, brain wasn't fully functioning this morning when i typed that out

The 1.6 was actually converted by VAG. If you go to the dealer now they supply the early ones that had a DMF with a single mass and appropriate clutch - i think there is also a software update to accommodate the change as well (something to do with the torque characteristics). As for anything common rail - just don't - the tolerances and characteristics of the injection cycle coupled with the higher injection pressures will lead to all sorts of issues within the power train.

Nice, I did look at mk1's, way out of my price bracket now though. Got this one for a decent price I reckon, 04 plate, full history and minimal rust arches need sanding back and some rust killer on them, should last a while before requiring replacement, same as the RH sill, surface issues. Chassis rails need doing (as do most of them, lol), gives me an excuse to dust off my welder

So, the mid life crisis has hit me (according to my wife) and i have purchased a 2005 MX5 Sport It needs the wheel arches tidying up, thankfully it still seems pretty solid underneath (O/S chassis leg needs replacing) with just some surface rust present at the moment, although once i start digging i am sure it will be worse than it looks. More to come as i crack on with it. So far the only thing i have done is make a heat shield for the air filter. Audio needs sorting as well due to intermittent front speakers and the standard in dash 6 cd changer being a bit too out of date - so something with USB connectivity for my mp3 collection will be getting fitted. Wheels need a refurb (£55 each for stripping and powder coating locally)