1990 Mazda Miata MX5 - service

Due to lack of motivation and time, pressure from current workload, and pressure from SWMBO, the MX5 has gone...





... but only to the bodyshop/garage! The instructions are make it structurally sound (sills), sort out the handbrake and get it MOT'ed. Should have it back in a couple of weeks, it'll still look rubbish but will be a sound base to work on. Then I'll be able to use it through the summer before deciding what to do next. Just driving it for 5 mins this morning reminded me of why I want it back on the road.

The pressure from SWMBO was get it fixed or get rid, but also she wants to drive to work in it!

Was thinking the other day that you’ve been very quiet, so this sounds like a good result!

Looking forward to more updates (on the MX5, there are other forums for updates on your wife And my wife doesn’t let me on those forums! )

Progress report, visited the body-shop this morning. Initially greeted with you might not like what you're going to see! Actually the rust was about as bad as I expected and not as bad as some I've seen on here.

So far they've pretty much finished the passenger side, putting in the sill and closing panels I supplied. On the drivers side they've cut a lot out and will need to put in the rear section of sill., Then put on some lower wings, the arches themselves are all good.

Anyway some pictures...


my_mx5_125 by Mark Palmer, on Flickr


my_mx5_126 by Mark Palmer, on Flickr


my_mx5_127 by Mark Palmer, on Flickr


my_mx5_128 by Mark Palmer, on Flickr


my_mx5_129 by Mark Palmer, on Flickr


my_mx5_130 by Mark Palmer, on Flickr

Went and had another progress visit this morning, I had to buy tyres for the Disco from the same estate, it's nearly finished body wise. Both sides now fully welded up, they've used the whole sill panels, lower wing replaced, a splash of red spray paint. Wings will be primed (2 pack) and the sills fully waxoiled.





Then it's off to have the handbrake sorted and I should get it back on June 1st (expect it to start raining from next weekend)!



The slightly less pleasant part was getting the bill, this is after spending £400 on 4 tyres for the Disco, mumble, mumble, cough, £2,200 and that doesn't include the handbrake fix and I supplied most of the panels (good job SWMBO has just got a new horse that I paid for).


I would thoroughly recommend Autocolour in Royal Wootton Bassett for any repairs modern or retro, may not be the cheapest but the quality and service is brilliant. Tell them I sent you, I might get a discount of the re-spray then.

They'll be sending me photos they've taken during the repair as well. The paint finish at the moment is just temporary, when finances have recovered I'll get them to paint it properly.

Well I was hoping to get it back today but there are delays getting the handbrake sorted (no issues, yet, just the garage is busy). Shame as I'm off on holiday next Friday so that'll be half of June wasted



ABC Tyres (now Wiltshire Tyres)? good prices and service been using them for about 25 years.

Close though, and you have a list!

It's back (sans MOT of course);



looking even more of a Shed than before but it's all solid now! The paint that's been put on the sills and wings is temporary and the wings are ion 2-pack, waterproof, primer.

Now just the MOT to sort out, visit to Halford's this afternoon for some bulbs/wipers and tomorrow brakes. This is the list of shame;



Oh and this just happened yesterday with my Alfa (who said they were unreliable, well mine has had top end rebuild and replacement gearbox but apart from that).

Following on from luckyseven have a musical interlude,



Yes Phil Collins very much of his time, although I was in a student house where you could hear 4 people playing Face Value at the same time. I do know it's a cover originally by the The Mindbenders, al;so covered by Petula Clark, in a medieval style.





actually its the dimples that do it for me...

EBC turbo groove discs with green-stuff pads. This is what they're replacing;


comparison of disc size, they are bigger (1.6 to 1.8 discs)


and fitted, looks good and should perform well, the black is an anti-corrosion coating that will wear off.


and hidden behind the wheel


Was it straight forward, of course it wasn't. I had to put the calipers back together and for the life of me I couldn't get the dust seal on, ruined one of the new seals so went inside for lunch and a look on YouTube. After watching a video fitted it in 5 mins! but now I was a dust seal short, spent ages trying to get the dusts seal from the caliper I'd taken off but couldn't, took other caliper off but pushed the cylinder out before I disconnected the hydraulic line. So one caliper fitted with a seal that has got a hole in it and one with an old seal. After that it was all fairly easy. Got SWMBO to do some brake pedal pushing and bled them (needs doing again). Clearing up guess what I found, 2 old but serviceable dust seals, grrrrr

I'd sorted out all the missing, wrong colour lights and it seems to be idling OK now but by this time it was too late to take it for a re-test,.