g40jon
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Sept 21, 2017 12:45:11 GMT
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What's 30cm between friends! my comparison was between the estate versions going by eye, so no surprise to find the 75/zt-t is a touch bigger. As luck would have it some zt-t springs appeared on ebay in slightly used condition. The powder coat is still mint, so clearly not that old, so I purchased them. Interestingly, they don't look much different to a pair of heavy duty e36 touring springs which I have sat in my garage. I will have to take a closer look to see how they compare in terms of length and number of coils! So onto shocks. In the end I went with the cheapest generic rover 75 platform shocks I could find, purely on the logic that they would give far better damping than a pair of old dampers which have lost 50% of there ability to damp anything, that and I doubt how long we will retain the MG for, so I see little point in spending megabucks on it.
Interestingly the MG is also available with sport and comfort options, just like a BMW. The sport spec shocks are very hard to come by as apparently most people were of the opinion that they were to firm! (perhaps the owners were too old and brittle?!) I was impressed with the zt handling for a big fwd car.
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Sept 20, 2017 7:08:42 GMT
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I'm with strikey! To bring it up to date, while colleagues are buying PCP cars, i am looking for and finding several 2003 to 2005 Focus from £300 to £900 that i think will pass another MOT or even 3! I just wish the Escorts i am finding doon sooth for similar money were close enough to grab! All the very best, Geoff. The focus makes a great cheap banger at the moment. I bought a facelift 2003 1.6 zetec model for £200 with 8 months mot left on it. Clean little car other than being a cat d, mint underneath, good on fuel and pretty fun to drive. I thought I had a real bargain till I saw another focus for sale with mot for £60! They seem to be really super cheap!
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Sept 11, 2017 21:16:11 GMT
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I figure anything is an improvement over the shocks currently on the car. I would bet any money they are the original dampers, so they have seen 13 years and 130k of use. If I had any intention of running the car for the same amount of time, the cost would be something I could live with, however the mrs goes through cars quicker than I do! 9 months and she is normally bored! Oddly enough the car still drives really well, even with the suspension on the rear being past its prime. I only noticed the orange/brown liquid running down the damper when pulling the wheels of to refurb them! The 75 seems to offer a much wider range of suspension options, but clearly they will be softer and slightly higher on the ride height. I still can't find any definitive answer as to whether the mg zt runs different dampers and springs to the zt-t which is frustrating as I have found some parts for the saloon which are half the price of any zt-t option I have so far come across.
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Sept 11, 2017 11:43:45 GMT
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lol, fair enough, I'd be giving those Sachs dampers for a BMW a shot tbh. I put about £600 of bilsteins on my £650 E34... I've got an old damper off my e36, I think I will dig it out and see how it compares with the mg dampers. I can understand putting £600 of billies onto a quality product like BMW, even a £650 one :-)
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Sept 11, 2017 10:55:51 GMT
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I looked hard enough to spot the extortionate price tag in comparison to how much you can pick up a pair of e46 or even e36 rear shocks for! Perhaps I shoud have added that I don't/won't be paying £100 per shock on a car which doesn't have enough value in it to warrant such investment.
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Sept 11, 2017 10:36:04 GMT
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So a quick bit of background...... The wife has an MG ZT-T with the derv lump in it, the rear shocks are getting tired and one spring has cracked low down on the spring cup. Having already wasted hours of my life searching for replacements, I am really struggling. I have found some springs specific to the zt-t for just over £100, however I am really struggling to find any shocks. I'd love to know if the spring shock combo is specific to the tourer, or if it is the same as fitted to the saloon in terms of spring and damper rates. I know there was a comfort and sport option, but beyond that I can't seem to find much info. This got me thinking, the 75 platform uses a bmw z axle just like the e46 3 series. BMW made a touring e46 which is similar in size to a 75 tourer, so my idea is a simple one, can the shocks from a 3 series tourer be used on the 75 platform?
Any help would be much appreciated, as this is driving crazy to the point of considering just selling what is an otherwise decent, practial motor in favour of a car I can actually get parts for!
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Sept 8, 2017 23:39:40 GMT
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leaves you some money left over for some decent gauntlets! Gauntlets? You mean panzymittens..? LOL well having recently made my arms look like i had a serious shooting up habit from weld/waxoyl spatter burns whilst grinding and welding the floor rails on a friends mx5, i'd say they are worth having yeah!
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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The cheap ebay ones are fine, they most likely all come out of the same factory anyway. Make sure you check the listing, as some may appear to be selling from the uk, but ship from china, which can mean waiting a little longer for it to arrive. You can get an auto tinting mask which is solar powered for around £20, leaves you some money left over for some decent gauntlets!
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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The other option is to just ditch the old oil, put some super cheap oil in to run it up for a bit, then ditch that for better oil. Expensive way of doing things and tbh I wouldn't bother on an mx5. They are hardy little engines. Mine sat for 4 or 5 months without being started. I checked the levels, the oil wasn't dirty, so I just used it as it was. My car is just shy of 200 000 miles. Doesn't appear to have suffered!
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g40jon
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It'll just be corrosion lifting the the final finish around where the tyre bead seats on the rim (be that wet paint or powder coat). The solution is simple. Get the tyres removed from the rim. Get a wire wheel attachment on the end of a drill, or even better, you can get a similar wheel attachment which is a bit like a hardcore version of a scotchpad and remove any loose material or corrosion from the bead seat on the rim. Once you are back to bare metal the tyre will seal providing it isn't pitted badly. It is however worth re-painting the affected area (essential on a steel rim, but less critical on decent quality alloys). I find a couple of coats of hammerite smooth spray paint is pretty effective. I have diy refurbed many sets of wheels and never had an issue with the beads leaking after doing this. The fact you can see bubbles from around the bead would suggest the wheels being pourous would be unlikely (although it can be another reason for tyres going flat).
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Would it not be more cost effective to get one custom made up to the same specification? (assuming you know the specs?)
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172772986029?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649Weber 32 34 dmtl twin choke carb listed for spares or repairs, as I don't have a suitable car to test it on. Looks to be complete and in good if dusty condition. Has been dry stored since being removed from a mk2 golf. Suitable for a variety of classic cars ranging from old fords, land rovers, 80s vws with the right adaptors and base plates. (None of these things are included, you get only what you can see in the pictures (manky plywood optional!))
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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TTT
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Jun 29, 2017 10:16:38 GMT
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Its the same 1400cc engine Learn something new every day! I always assumed they would have used the 1.7 in the 11!
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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I thought the 11 ran the larger cc block, i.e. it was a 1700cc turbo and the 5 was a 1400cc turbo
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g40jon
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Jun 16, 2017 12:26:29 GMT
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Unfortunately I don't weld or have a welder so it will need to go somewhere. That was the 3rd time I had welded anything since college 18 years ago. If you take it anywhere insist they make a photo log of the work carried out. Mine had been previously done, but clearly to a worse standard than even I could achieve!
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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Jun 16, 2017 10:03:07 GMT
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You are gonna be in for a big old shock when you start cutting into that! This is along the lines of what to expect Hope you like welding! I cheaped out and patched my car up using sheet steel rather than ready made panels due to cost and time issues.
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Last Edit: Jun 16, 2017 10:08:55 GMT by g40jon
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g40jon
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g40jon
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May 22, 2017 21:38:08 GMT
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g40jon
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Posts: 2,569
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May 22, 2017 21:31:57 GMT
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