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Barn find mx5

ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 15, 2021 18:13:54 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Fantastic result this evening. Bought a new battery, refitted spark plugs & leads. Checked fuel pump feed & turned the key. The little Eunos fired straight into life.... then died. I don't think there's any fuel in the system as it's probably evaporated. While the front of the car was up in the air I pressure washed the underside. I'm really pleased how clean this little car is.


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flyingphil Posted a lot Posts: 2,486	Barn find mx5 flyingphil @flyingphil
	Mar 15, 2021 18:32:58 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Great news on the engine fire up...as others have said, a check that the alternator spins freely is a good idea.


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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 15, 2021 18:48:34 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	I plan on removing the belts this week to check the pulleys so ye that's a good idea.


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75swb Beta Tester Posts: 1,052 Club RR Member Number: 181	Barn find mx5 75swb @75swb Club Retro Rides Member 181
	Mar 15, 2021 19:54:00 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mar 14, 2021 18:32:39 GMT ianlea73 said: Also picked up a roof from a mk2 today with a glass window. The guy was scrapping the car so let me pick at the shell so I had hands full of nuts, bolts, trim & the petrol tank covers as they looked like new. Also got the fuel filler pipework & the rubber surround. Checked my wheels & found them to, be the light weight hollow spokes, which is nice. Win win win! Especially with the engine firing also. Did you get the rain rail from the mk2 or was it shot also?
	Last Edit: Mar 15, 2021 19:54:37 GMT by 75swb

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kevins Posted a lot Posts: 4,860	Barn find mx5 kevins @kevins
	Mar 15, 2021 21:21:53 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Great it started but if it's been sitting for 10 years the fuel in the tank will be pretty rank, it probably would be best to drain it and fit a new filter, unfortunaley the stuff in the tank can form varnish like deposits in the tank that are difficult to get rid of, for long term reliability it might be worth just fitting a second hand tank from a recently broken car.


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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 16, 2021 18:23:09 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mar 15, 2021 19:54:00 GMT 75swb said: Mar 14, 2021 18:32:39 GMT ianlea73 said: Also picked up a roof from a mk2 today with a glass window. The guy was scrapping the car so let me pick at the shell so I had hands full of nuts, bolts, trim & the petrol tank covers as they looked like new. Also got the fuel filler pipework & the rubber surround. Checked my wheels & found them to, be the light weight hollow spokes, which is nice. Win win win! Especially with the engine firing also. Did you get the rain rail from the mk2 or was it shot also? Thanks really appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately the rail was goosed so I'm going to order one from ebay.


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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 16, 2021 18:24:28 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mar 15, 2021 21:21:53 GMT kevins said: Great it started but if it's been sitting for 10 years the fuel in the tank will be pretty rank, it probably would be best to drain it and fit a new filter, unfortunaley the stuff in the tank can form varnish like deposits in the tank that are difficult to get rid of, for long term reliability it might be worth just fitting a second hand tank from a recently broken car. I don't think there is any fuel in the car anyway but I do intend on removing the tank when I drop out the rear subframe.


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Mercdan68 Posted hell of a lot Posts: 9,223 Club RR Member Number: 68	Barn find mx5 Mercdan68 @forddan68 Club Retro Rides Member 68
	Mar 16, 2021 18:27:36 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Result !! She fired up and well chuffed for you she don’t seem rotten
	Fraud owners club member 2003 W211 Mercedes E class 1989 Sierra sapphire 1998 ex bt fiesta van

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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 16, 2021 20:07:03 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mar 16, 2021 18:27:36 GMT Mercdan68 said: Result !! She fired up and well chuffed for you she don’t seem rotten Thanks mate I'm really pleased with it so far. Tomorrow after work I'm jacking up the rear end & pulling the wheels off to inspect the ends of the sills & I can poke thr chassis rails front to rear. Hoping not to find anything else.


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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 17, 2021 12:48:18 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	So I'm unsure what to do tackle first. I want to drop out the complete front & rear subframes to complete replace bushes, balljoints, paint etc & tackle the underside of the shell. The welding needs doing. I need to replace the roof & door window seals. The other thing is the cars on my driveway with limited space in my garage so can't put the complete interior & full mech6parts in there all in one. What would you tackle first? Fit the replacement Roof & window seals to make it water tight but this means spending money on rain rail & seals which is about £200. Welding, which is a set of inner & outer rear sills @£85ish plus paint & sourcing a front wing. Mechanicals including chassis overhaul which ideally I'd like to drop out both subframes as this also gives me access to the floor of the car to clean & then fully underseal. I need a bit of guidance please.


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cortinaman Part of things Posts: 948	Barn find mx5 cortinaman @cortinaman
	Mar 17, 2021 12:57:33 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	For what its worth, I would do the welding first - outlay on panels is quite cheap and if you find the rust is much more extensive than it appears, you haven't shelled out on expensive parts for a scrap shell. Good luck! Cortinaman
	Old Fords never die they just go sideways

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glenanderson Club Retro Rides Member Posts: 4,359 Club RR Member Number: 64	Barn find mx5 glenanderson @glenanderson Club Retro Rides Member 64
	Mar 17, 2021 13:16:05 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Welding/paint/protection first. Then make it watertight with the new hood etc. Then do the mechanicals.
	My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...

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kevins Posted a lot Posts: 4,860	Barn find mx5 kevins @kevins
	Mar 17, 2021 13:30:03 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Front wing just bolts on but Mazda made the bolts out of cheese so expect a few to snap and need drilling out but even then it's not a difficult Job, it's a good idea to take both off and leaves etc build up at the bottom and rust the sills. that said I just folded up a repair section and welded it into our wing which rotted in the same place. I would cut all the rot out and do the welding first so I know what I am dealing with before spending much more, if it is local rust It usually takes me 3 or 4 hours to do a rear sill to a filled an primed condition so it's not that big a job, once you have a solid shell anything you fit is pretty much just adding value to it.


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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 17, 2021 18:23:27 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Thanks for the advise guys. I've jacked up the rear this evening, removed the wheels, plastic guards & had a good poke around the whole car. Based on comments above I removed the bolts holding the bottom of the front wings & cleaned out the debris & inspected the lower pillar. On the whole car I've only found this patch on the chassis rail & the 2 obvious holes in the rear sills. All the rear inner pockets are immaculate. I did notice that both rear shock springs were snapped. Then I wanted to fix the passenger door lock mechanism as it was stiff & wouldn't stay unlocked. So I stripped the whole lock system, wd40 & cleaned everything & put it back together. I then took the time to clean all the inner door panel. Really pleased with how clean it looks so now I want to do the drivers side tomorrow. Car currently looks like this. I want to cut & polish the paint to see how clean it could look.


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75swb Beta Tester Posts: 1,052 Club RR Member Number: 181	Barn find mx5 75swb @75swb Club Retro Rides Member 181
	Mar 17, 2021 23:37:20 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mar 17, 2021 13:16:05 GMT glenanderson said: Welding/paint/protection first. Then make it watertight with the new hood etc. Then do the mechanicals. This^. Do the mucky horrible jobs on the shell first and then get that right with paint/protection. Once the shell is good do the hood and interior to keep it all watertight and dry, then mechanicals can be done off the car without the risk of damaging the paint or smearing greasy hands on your new hood/interior. Et voila. Sound easy...


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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 18, 2021 5:20:59 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Mar 17, 2021 23:37:20 GMT 75swb said: Mar 17, 2021 13:16:05 GMT glenanderson said: Welding/paint/protection first. Then make it watertight with the new hood etc. Then do the mechanicals. This^. Do the mucky horrible jobs on the shell first and then get that right with paint/protection. Once the shell is good do the hood and interior to keep it all watertight and dry, then mechanicals can be done off the car without the risk of damaging the paint or smearing greasy hands on your new hood/interior. Et voila. Sound easy... I was thinking of getting it water tight with the roof & window glass seals then at least its water tight so once I start the welding I should already be leak free. The roof is shot & the rain rail must be split everywhere as water drips into the car just inside the boot.


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kevins Posted a lot Posts: 4,860	Barn find mx5 kevins @kevins
	Mar 18, 2021 8:25:35 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Have you checked the drain holes for the roof drip rail, they are just behind the seat belt mountings and easily get blocked if left under a tree (or in a hedge!) The last one I did the rear sills on had a similar spot on the chassis rail, as long as it's only the bottom it's easy enough,if you need to go higher the brake and fuel lines become a problem.


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glenanderson Club Retro Rides Member Posts: 4,359 Club RR Member Number: 64	Barn find mx5 glenanderson @glenanderson Club Retro Rides Member 64
	Mar 18, 2021 8:33:28 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	The only issue with fitting a replacement roof before welding etc is making sure a stray spark doesn’t ruin it.
	My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...

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goldnrust West Midlands Minimalist Posts: 1,889	Barn find mx5 goldnrust @goldnrust
	Mar 18, 2021 8:45:54 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	glenanderson raises a good point. I’d be inclined to invest in a cheap car cover, or something, to keep the water out till you’ve got through the welding / painting stage.
	1968 Daimler V8-250 Restoration 1965 Fiat 500F Restoration 1972 Suzuki T500 Cafe Racer / Custom Build

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ianlea73 Posted a lot Posts: 1,446	Barn find mx5 ianlea73 @ianlea73
	Mar 18, 2021 10:18:24 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	All good points well made guys. I'll see if I can find a cheap but waterproof cover. I might then remove the roof anyway & bin it so I can check the mounting plates to check they're not rotten.


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