Deans mx5 roadster build

[dean211277]

Time to start a thread on my build.
Firstly I think I should introduce myself my name is Dean andI live in a little village called Cottesmore, I'm an ex aircraft engineer and now work in a factory as a mechanical maintenance engineer, the good thing is I work shifts so will have plenty of garage time however I don't have a big wallet (wife and two young boys see to that!)

Hopefully attached is a picture of my donor car, it is a 1.6 eunos roadster with terminal rust, I did attempt to restore it but it is just to far gone.

The plan is to order the steel and cut and weld my own chassis.

I'm going to soak the hub nuts in some shock and unlock then attempt to loosen them.

Is there anything else I should consider before I start stripping it down?

Cheers Dean

[vmax1974]

The rear lower outer hub bolts are sometimes siezed mine too a load of heat and a 20 ton press to shift them

good luck with the build

[SteveH1]

Good luck with the build.
They are pretty simple to strip hardest part being the wiring make sure and label it all.

[garyt]

Hi Dean and welcome to the fold, there is a wealth of knolage on here so never be afraid to ask any questions
Good luck with the build

[TheArf]

Welcome to the mad house, nice to see another build starting, good luck and just remember the only stupid question on here is the one you didn't ask.

Arfon

[Rosco]

Hi and welcome, just get stuck in! Building the chassis in the best bit i think because it starts to look like something in no time, i used one of these to clean up the ends of my box section once i had cut with an angle grinder, just keeps the ends nice and the correct angle

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-100...AOSw0e9Uy5p 2

not the exact one i used but this kind of thing

Rosco

[dean211277]

Thank you everyone,
There is a press at work that I will be able to use if it's up to the job!
I will definitely be asking lots of questions as this is my first go at building a car.

I will be using the Haynes roadsters book and I also have downloaded a pdf file of the old Saturn plans of the mx5 chassis, is this the best way to go?

[SteveH1]

Saturn plans are a bit vague in places but they do the job
I printed off the last page and marked them off as i cut them makes it a bit easier.
Also some of the measurements for the diagonals are a bit off cant remember off the top of my head but just check before you cut them.

[SeriesLandy]

Welcome and have fun building. Use the manual as more of a guide than as a bible. Look at peoples builds on here as there are some better solutions than what is shown the the book. Off the top of my head, roll bar harness fixings and the pedal box.

[Badger]

Welcome! As above this forum (and Locost Builders) are a wealth of knowledge and cunning ideas
One thing I would say is try to take as much as possible from your donor - it saves money in the long run! I didn't have a donor and it's definitely turned out more expensive. Also maybe check out the prices of components on ebay and take extra care removing items which fetch a good price