Finally started, kind of

[Dave F]

Well after years of watching, wishing and waiting I feel I am now underway. Got a donor. 1991 MX5 1.6. As you can see there is very little left but all that I need, I hope, and I think a bargain at £200 delivered to my drive it have 4 space saver wheels on now and I drove it onto my drive and must say the engine seems very sweet and tight.
Will be stripping it in a couple of weeks. I am planning to order a flatpck chassis in a week or so once I can get the payment below the wife's radar. Build table will then be built, welder will be fired up, beers will be cooled down.

[SteveH1]

Welcome to the mad house.
And goodluck

[Dave F]

Welcome to the mad house.
And goodluck

Thanks. I will need all the help you good lot can give me.

[rpjg1975]

Good luck with your build.....best bit of advice I was ever given......if you have a question, no matter how daft it may seem.....ask away......someone else will have already asked it!!!!

Russ

[Dave F]

Good luck with your build.....best bit of advice I was ever given......if you have a question, no matter how daft it may seem.....ask away......someone else will have already asked it!!!!

Russ

Just wait for the daft questions, you may well regrets that statement

[rpjg1975]

Been there, done it :D

[dean211277]

Hi Dave,
You sound at about the same stage as me. I have started stripping my donor, a 1.6 eunos roadster.
Also have talons flat plack chassis kit in the corner of the garage waiting for the space so I can start welding it together.

[Dave F]

Hi Dave,
You sound at about the same stage as me. I have started stripping my donor, a 1.6 eunos roadster.
Also have talons flat plack chassis kit in the corner of the garage waiting for the space so I can start welding it together.

How you going with the strip? I'm still torn between removing the body off the sub frames or just strip with it joined. I'm leaning towards removing the body, not only for ease of stripping but I can also take the shell to the scrapers and all the other parts in stages, on my motorcycle trailer but the whole car would be too heavy.

[dean211277]

I have a very rusty donor so some bits have been a pain to remove, had to bin a few bits that where in to bad a state to sell on!
I have decided to remove the body, like you I'm thinking it will be easier for access to remove the engine, gearbox etc.
It isn't to far off of lifting the shell off now.
Plus I can send the shell to the scrappys and have a bit more space!

[Dave F]

I have a very rusty donor so some bits have been a pain to remove, had to bin a few bits that where in to bad a state to sell on!
I have decided to remove the body, like you I'm thinking it will be easier for access to remove the engine, gearbox etc.
It isn't to far off of lifting the shell off now.
Plus I can send the shell to the scrappys and have a bit more space!

Sounds like we have the same idea, i will be starting probably a week tomorrow and plan to have it all stripped with the shell and sub frames weighed in within a week or so as I have 2 weeks off when the kids are at school. Got a nice pile of cutting disks for my grinder as I am going down the 'if you can't undo it,grind it' route. There is not much left on mine to sell but it stands me at very little so if I don't get anything back I'm not overly bothered.

[Ianr]

the MX5 is very easy to strip if you take the body off. can't remember exactly but its only a few bolts front and rear and you can lift the shell off. Makes it very easy to get at all the bits you want. the shell has a lot of useful bits, wiring loom, ECU etc so label everything as you take it apart, its a pain to work out what goes where afterwards. Good luck and enjoy it!

[Richard Dryden]

Welcome, good luck and enjoy it.

[Dave F]

Well been busy today,
1. I’ve ordered my chassis, Phil you should have my order.
2. I started stripping my donor, Got the whole loom out, The loom didn’t worry me as I like to think I’m quite good at electrics, it worries me now, there’s a bloody lot of it and some of it needs rewiring, that’s in a box in the back of the garage and I’m going down the ‘out of sight out of mind’ route till I decide to grow a pair and tackle it.
Steering column is out and I’ve disconnected most of the things around the engine, managed to snap my breaker bar trying to crack off one of the rear hub nuts, so ordered another and all on hold till that comes, a bonus was brand new hubs on the front so no need to replace them. All that’s left to do before lifting the body off is cut the break lines, disconnect the clutch, undo all the nuts/bolts holding the PPF to the shell and I’m away, that should be all done in the next few days.

Now for the questions:
1. Do I need the break servo?
2. Do I use the Pedals?
3. Do I just cut the break lines as I’m not using them or shall I disconnect properly?
4. How do I drain the petrol out of the tank, probably about £10's worth in it?
5. Any further advice?

[vmax1974]

1 no just the cylinder and reservoir
2 no not at all keep any clevises they may come in handy
3 just cut them off
4 I just syphoned it out after taking the top off
5 erm......apply heat to the rear hubs and try and break off the rear lower outer long nut cause bet what you like at least one is siezed solid

[Dave F]

1 no just the cylinder and reservoir
2 no not at all keep any clevises they may come in handy
3 just cut them off
4 I just syphoned it out after taking the top off
5 erm......apply heat to the rear hubs and try and break off the rear lower outer long nut cause bet what you like at least one is siezed solid

Thanks Vmax, I will bin the servo and pedals then. All the nuts and bolts have come off very easly so far so the law of sod dictates the last one will be siezed solid and will take hours to get off.

On another note Vmax, I have just won your bonnet on eBay. A little premature I know but as my finances are limited my body work will be made up of seconds so I will snap them up as and when they come available.

[Dave F]

Body is off the donor and the rear end is dismantled, front uprights off and rest of loom, all that s left now is to get the engine off the front sub frame and that will be it done.
Could do with some advice on getting the rear half shafts out of the hub, I was all smug because the infamous bottom hub bolts came off with nothing more than a 750mm breaker bar and some WD40 but I can’t get the half shafts out of the hub, I wacked it good and proper and neither budged, I have removed the whole upright and tuned it up and filled the void with WD40, going to keep topping it up and hopefully that will do the trick.

http://s765.photobucket.com/user/david_fowler4/media/DSCF0043_zpskxymo5tg.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

http://s765.photobucket.com/user/david_fowler4/media/DSCF0056_zpsiw8ebtid.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[twinturbo]

Check the condition of the crankshaft nose and pulley they are a common fault on the early engines.

TT

[Ianr]

I have used the servo and pedals on mine. I cut a section of bulkhead out around the throttle, brake clutch area and welded it to my car making a box frame around it all for support, all seems to work well.

[Dave F]

Check the condition of the crankshaft nose and pulley they are a common fault on the early engines.

TT

I think it is OK as it is the long nose engine but will check it when I strip it back

[Dave F]

I have used the servo and pedals on mine. I cut a section of bulkhead out around the throttle, brake clutch area and welded it to my car making a box frame around it all for support, all seems to work well.

My shell has gone now so can't cut anything out, I did see a car, yours I believe, with the servo so have kept it to see if I can get it to fit, kind of like the idea of having good brakes but I'm not even sure if it's needed.

[Ianr]

I have arthritis in my knee so want as much help as I can and after a lifetime of driving Citroens with just a button on the floor am well used to brakes which demand no pressure to use them

[Numplumb]

I would keep the pedals, servo and anything else you remove if you don't use them you can always sell them.

I fitted the servo and pedals to my car just have to reshape the brake pedal and the loud pedal and the engine has to go slightly further forward to clear manifold.

Regards Mick.

[Dave F]

I would keep the pedals, servo and anything else you remove if you don't use them you can always sell them.

I fitted the servo and pedals to my car just have to reshape the brake pedal and the loud pedal and the engine has to go slightly further forward to clear manifold.

Regards Mick.

considering using the servo but going to wait till the chassis is built and engined placed in to see what sort of room i hhave to play with.