Project Rika

[Sarah]

So I thought I'd post up my current car and on going project.

But first of all I wanted to breifly show my last car, she was a UK Mazda MX5, I had her for over 5 years and I did so much with her in that time.
When I first got her she looked like this.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/smallpic1.jpg

I did a lot of work including cutting and welding a new rear wing repair panel myself.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/nswing023.jpg

I got her looking like this
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/clear02.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/clear01.jpg

Unfortunately she came to a tragic end when a van driver cut a corner and wrote her off, however I did manage to pull some parts from her, which got transferred to Rika. The full story of Annabelle can be found herehttp://mx5scotland.co.uk/board/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8105&hilit=annabelle

So a bit of history of the car, some of which is from what I have been told by the previous owner and some from the large pile of paperwork that was given me with the car.
From the import documents she seems to of left Japan in March 2003 from Sakai-Shi area of Osaka.
From there she arrives in the UK and is registered in the UK in June 2003.
From here she lives down south in London/Surrey until 2007 when the last owner purchased her, bring her up to Scotland.
Over the last few years the last owner has put a lot of money into this car, this has included a full respray and of course those wheels.

So whats in the name, well I wanted to give her a name that was Japanese given that she is a import and most of her life was spent in Japan, so I have choosen the name Rika. The name is from one of my favorite Anime charactors, Rika Furude is one of the main charators of a Anime series called Higurashi When They Cry.

She is quite a basic model as far a imports go, she has manual windows, manual steering, no Air-con etc, but that does make for a very light car and the steering feels fine once up to speed with much more feel than my old Annabelle had with her power steering.

So this is how she was when I first got her.

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika04.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika02.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika08.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika06.jpg

As you can see the rear arches are in extremely good condition. As you can see the engine bay was pretty mucky.

She also came with these Fox Racing alloys, they are not in great condition, but they do have do have decent tyres on, I latter got a few quid for these anchors.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika05.jpg

So I start by getting a different set of wheels, a lot of people liked the Rotas that where on her, but I was not one those people, so I got a set of second hand 15' OZ Supperleggra for not much money with a good set of Toyo T1R's on.

I gave them a good clean up and then put them on.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika07.jpg

As you can see from this photo she had 3 chrome vent ring things, with one missing, I am not a fan of chrome and with one missing I just pulled them off.
I also removed the head unit that was in the car, I managed to take my head unit out of Annabelle. (this picture is it fitted to Annabelle but you get the idea).
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/audio03.jpg

I also fitted these, again these were taken from Annabelle
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/seatrunnerafter.jpg

I also fitted the Stubby Ariel from that I managed to take from Annabelle.

More to follow shortly:)

[Sarah]

Next job was to sort out the headrest speakers, I opened up the headrest, and found the original speakers in place, as you can see they were in very poor condition, they were making all sorts of funny noises, so they were coming out.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika12-1.jpg

Unlike when I did this job in my old UK car, this job is so much easier on the Roadster as all the wiring is already there. All I have to do is unbolt the speaker from the headrest, and then undo the 4 small screws as each corner of the speak, open them up, unplug the spade connector, pull the wires out the the original housing and plug the wires straight on to the JVC unit I removed from Annabelle. With a small bit of foam cut out the JVC units fit in fine, just do up the fit and I was done.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika11.jpg

Next up I fitted the leather handbrake boot that I had taken off Annabelle.

I then found these in the glove box, the previous owner had clearly intended on getting these fitted, so a couple of minutes later I had them fitted.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika15.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika14.jpg

The next thing I moved onto was the clear reflectors and side indicators.
Rika already had clear side indicators fitted, but they were the chrome surround versions, not the black ones like mine, I am not a fan of chrome so they came off and my old ones went on.
I had also rescued the clear reflectors from Annabelle, one was very slightly scratched front the crash, but it was quickly polished away using the plastic polish stuff.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika10.jpg

I then moved on to the engine bay.
First thing was to remove the Charcoal Canister. Next up was to fitted the strut brace that I had taken from Annabelle. I noticed that the washer bottle had only a tiny amount of mouldy water in it, clearly screen wash had not been in this bottle for a long time. So I took it off the car and using a bottle brush I gave it a good clean, and filled it up with some fresh screen wash. I made a start in here by cleaning all of the plastics.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika13.jpg

The next job I tackled was the limited amount of rust on the car, I love this car as non of the rust found was as bad as it looked, all of the below was just superficial surface rust and was quickly dealt with.

Here water had made its way under the paint at the seam in the sill just behind the drivers door, the paint had bubbled up, when I rubbed it down it was all surface rust, I rubbed it back to clean metal and applied rust converter and finished it off with stone chip paint.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika18.jpg

I also dealt with this surface rust on the under side of the boot lid, most of this is because the paint had fallen off, again taken back to clear metal, rust converter applied and then sprayed up.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika20.jpg

The last bit of rust was on the door.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika19.jpg

When I rubbed this back I found this. This is quite strange, it looks like a fracture in the metal, possibly from when the panel was made 21 years ago!
So I got out my welder, put a small bead of weld down it and then painted it all up.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika16.jpg

To ensure that Rika stays in the same great condition I completed fully rust proofing on her using Dinitrol (http://www.dinitrol.co.uk/rust_prevention_waxes_and_oils.aspx)

More to follow shortly

[Sarah]

The nearside mirror had become lose and flopping all over the place, in the past someone had tried to hold the mirror in position with a zip tie around the base of the mirror, not with much success, so I took it apart, and set the bolt tightness in side the mirror.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika21.jpg

I have also managed to fit the cabin brace bar that I used to have in my old car.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika17.jpg

I also got the drivers side wiper arm painted up, and I have also fitted the Front Lip Spoiler that I had on my old car

Got my Cam Cover painted up.

I really like this colour.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika23.jpg

At around this time I have a few probems with the car, including the alternator going, 2 different coolant leaks, and needing to replace a fault radiator cap and termostat giving up on me. Thankfully she has been very reliable now that I those issues have been sorted.

I have installed a lights on buzzer using this method with the relay.
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/192.aspx

I have sown up a small hole in my drivers seat using to embroidery thread.
Before
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/seat2.jpg

After
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/seat1.jpg

I had a go at getting the old Nardi steering wheel that is fitted to the car looking better. The wheel its self I have managed to improve using a combination of Leather Balsom and Shoe polish (the kind you put on kids shoes when they stuff them).

This left the centre rubber part looking pretty tired with bits where the colour that rubbed off.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/steer1.jpg

So I used some of this stuff to bring is back to one uniform colour
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/steer3.jpg

And this is the end result, I am very impressed with how it has turned out, I just hope it lasts ok.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/steer2.jpg

I removed the rear mud guards as I think I prefer the look of the car with out them.

I found these rubbish things in the door, no wonder they were making funny noises.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/speaker.jpg

So I fitted some JVC 165mm 230w speakers (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/210w-door-speakers-p-656.html). The sound is so good from these.

At the same time I fitted electric door locks and a electric boot release. I got a new security system fitted, so she now has remote control locking and boot release :D .

For Chistmas I got a set of Satin finish vent rings (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/satin-vent-rings-p-56.html).
They look awesome, I bit more understated than Chrome and much more to my taste.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/vent.jpg

The next thing to sort out was the front side lights. Both side light bulb holders had lost their lugs so I had to get 2 newside light/indicator looms (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/front-indicatorsidelight-bulb-holder-loom-mazda-p-867.html)
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/sidelightwire.jpg

On the offside the back of the side light had melted.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/sidelight1.jpg

I got a cheap second hand one off ebay, this is what it should look like.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/sidelight2.jpg

More to follow soon

[Sarah]

Some time ago I had noticed that the the boots on the track rod ends (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/track-p-555.html) and top ball joints (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/upper-ball-joint-boot-p-417.html) had split on both sides of the car.

So first thing is to take it all apart, removing the old split pins from the joints and splitting the joints is not that easy a job, but with the right tools its not to bad.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/balljoint1.jpg

The boots on both the track rod ends and the top ball joints are very much past thier best.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/trackrodend1.jpg

Next the top ball joint needed to be cleaned out, removing the old grease and then repacked with fresh grease. Then using a 30mm socket the new boot get pushed into place.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/balljoint2.jpg

Then I put it all back together with new castle nuts, split pins and track rod ends.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/balljoint3.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/trackrodend2.jpg

I then repeated the process for the other side. Whilst I was doing these I also noticed that thelower ball joint boots (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/lower-ball-joint-boot-p-418.html) are also split, so they are on order and I will get them done in the next couple of months before the MOT. I have also ordered new bump stops/shock boots. (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/shock-absorber-boot-p-358.html)

[Sarah]

I replaced the chrome door mirrors with the some silver ones, Chrome is not my taste.

I replaced the Interior mirror as the old one had tarnished around the edges, its details like this that really bug me.

Top is the replacement and below show the old one with the tarnished edges on the glass.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/mirror.jpg

I got my fog light switch replaced with one of these http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/light-switch-p-129.html

Its quite expensive for what it is.

The current switch was a very cheap thing hanging from the dash, looking rubbish.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/fog1.jpg

The new switch looks so much better, I latter found a Rubber blanking grommet to fit in the hole left by the old switch. I also think its a shame that Mazda decided to go with a more matt finish that the older blanking plugs.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/fog2.jpg

This is how the car is now, she currently has her winter wheels and tyres on, I can't wait until spring.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rika09.jpg

I will update as I make more progress.

[Sarah]

Got a few things done over the last couple of days.

I got new boots fitted to my lower ball joints.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/combined1.jpg

I fitted new Shift lower and higher boots, got the nylon cup at the bottom of the gear lever replaced, and changed the oil in the turret. I also changed my fuel filter, removed one of the rear tie down hooks, and painted the front ones up in some black Hammerite.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/combined.jpg

I also got IL Motorsport front and rear Chassis braces fitted.

Rear Brace
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rearbrace2.jpg

Front Brace
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/frontbrace.jpg

I think between the chassis bracing and the new gear lever bits she will drive quite a bit better, just how much better I will find out tomorrow :D

[afc2112]

I like those Superleggeras. A tiny bit lower and those would look really nice!

[sss1987]

i always find mx5s on super legs..in pictures dont do it justice but in real life..the car looks awesome on them!

[Sarah]

You are correct, I do want to lower my car, but at this point I am leaving it as I am spending my money on other things. Even when I do lower it it, it won't be very much. When I first got the Superleggeras I was not sure about the look of them, but they have grown on me over the last couple of months. Plus they are nice and light, so they will be stay around for while yet.

[psulja]

Nice looking build, keep it up! Should look great after it's been lowered a bit

[Sarah]

Over the last couple of days I got a few things done.

I continued to tidy up the engine bay some more.

I got out my welder and modified the diagnostics plug bracket so that it sits in a less prominent position, but is still easy to access
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/bay01.jpg

Whilst my welder was out a also modified the fuse box bracket so that the igniter could be repositioned, allowing for complete removal of its bracket.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/bay02.jpg

The engine bay is now looking a bit better than it was when I got the car, there are other bits I want to paint up and make it look even better, but that will have to wait as I am starting a new job in a few days time.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/bay03.jpg

[WASABI]

A gal that knows how to weld...AWESOME!!!! Your engine bay looks 100% better cleaned up. Keep up the good work.

-Jim

[Sarah]

Ok I have neglected this thread for far to long, progress has slowed due to money flow not being as good as it once was, like many at this time I guess.

That said some things have been done, the following work I did in September.

So the cam belt change was due. I was given a new cam belt and pulleys by the previous owner when I bought the car. I added cam shaft seals, crankshaft seals, water pump, and a couple of other bits to list of stuff I wanted to do.

First of all was to take it all apart, once this was done gave it a good clean up, the area was covered in oily sludge.

With my car being produced in the first month of manufacture, the engine is of the short nose type. But I am happy to say that there is no sign of any problems in this department. I was very careful about torquing it back up when I was done.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/crankshaft01_zps98e7289e.jpg

The seals, in particular the crankshaft seal had gone really hard, no wonder they were leaking, below shows the new water pump, camshaft and crankshaft seals in place.


http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/frontengine01_zps8b6d44a0.jpg

One of the extra things I decided to replace was the thermostat housing pipe, the small bypass pipe "T" section had come off, the previous owner had gotten the thing to be ok with the aid of a plastic "T" piece. Whilst it didn't leak, I was concerned that this could be something that could cause me problems in the future.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/thermostat_zps7d691476.jpg

More new stuff installed and everything cleaned ready for the new cam belt.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/frontengine02_zps53fab4d4.jpg

After I got it all put back together, there was a horrible noise coming from the front of the engine, my thoughts were running through everything that I could have done wrong. After taking things off one a time I saw that the cover seals that protect cam belt area had been snagged by the tensioner pulley. The seals that go around these cover had been saturated in oil, had expanded to the point of not being able to fit correctly, I put the covers back minus the seals and everything has been ok since then. I have new covers, I just need to get them fitted.

Since this was done the she is hardly going though any oil, I know she has a small oil leak from the rear main crankshaft seal, again I have all the stuff including a new clutch to go in, it just a case finding the time to do this.

[Sarah]

I didn't get much for the car for my birthday in December, just this little handbrake button, its pretty subtle but I like it.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/button_zpsa402062e.jpg

[Sarah]

And this brings me to today and the beginning of the installation of my xmas present.

Cunningly wrapped so no one can guess what it was, ok perhaps not. :lol:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rollbarwraped_zpsaa93b4c6.jpg

Time take the interior apart to get this installed, a couple of minutes after I took this photo I decided that the seats needed to come out to make it a lot easier to move around.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/rollbarint01_zps8d5e39cf.jpg

At the same time I am installing a new drivers side seatbelt, the webbing on the old one had seen better days, it had been affected by the Japanese sunshine, and had faded. Though the passenger side has also faded, its in considerably better condition, and these things are not cheap dispute being in MX5 parts clearance. and being ordered during a 10% sale weekend.

There is something very special about getting brand new OEM parts.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/seatbelt_zpsf1600c94.jpg

So that is were I am up to as of right now. The roll bar in partly bolted in the car, waiting for me to get more done tomorrow.

[Demon I Am]

lots of great progress. I want new seatbelts!

[tsingson]

Great progress so far! Glad to see this build back from the dead.

[Sarah]

Following on from above we proceeded to finish up bolting it in place.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/rollbarint02_zpsdd63a63e.jpg

From there we went on to trim the tin parcel shelf panel, this was easily completed with tin snips, then the carpet was trimmed and fitted. Some people don't bother refitting the seat belt tower covers, but I decided that I wanted the install them, so I cut them down the corner and refitted them.

So with it all fitted I got a couple of other things done including an oil change and putting on the Summer Wheels (despite having snow on the ground at the moment).

I still have some padding to fit, but wanted to take some photos without it fitted first.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/rollbarfitted05_zps16d13bea.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/rollbarfitted04_zps8f5b0c0f.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/rollbarfitted03_zps1050a53e.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/rollbarfitted02_zpscf180975.jpg

As always a special thanks to my Dad who helps me on all of these bigger jobs.

[WASABI]

Great job! The install looks good.

[treeafodo]

Your attention to detail is pretty good on this build. :)

[Sarah]

Hi All

Its been over 2 years since I posted anything on here. Over the last 2 years I have bought a house, got into cycling, and a returned to other hobbies that I enjoyed when I was younger and don't involve cars.

But recently I have been getting the motivation to start giving Rika some more attention. I don't drive Rika every day any more, she is a weekend car, she has become the toy that I always wanted. I no longer need a car, I have a car because I want one.

So last time you saw me put the roll bar in, that stayed in the car for just over a year and then got removed, due to the MOT tester being a bit of an arse about it. I fully intended on putting it back in, but over a year later its not been reinstalled. I have been thinking about selling it, but I'm still not sure.

So I mentioned getting into cycling, generally these cars and carrying bikes in them are considered in compatible, like some others before me I manage it by removing the passenger seat.

Out for a ride with my mountain bike
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/bikeandrika_zpsghuxdkr0.jpg

Shortly after the last update back in 2013 I got new middle and upper timing belt covers to replace the originals that were damaged.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/timing%20covers_zpsxb9rhwvv.jpg

And the valve cover coat stripped back and painted red.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/valvecover_zpslv8xpm1i.jpg

With the car getting used less often I got a battery cut of thing for her, saves my battery going flat, as sometimes Rika sits around for 2 weeks and more without a drive.

At the last MOT in May they advised the brake hard lines were getting corroded. So I replaced all of the main brake lines with copper. I still need to do the fuel lines as they been noted as well, I have the stuff to do it with, just need to get round to it.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/brakelines_zpsscvimieb.jpg

Over the last few months rika has been suffering from coolant leaks. The issue is with the kevlar reinforced coolant hoses that I got from autolink. These are only about 4 years old, and replaced the 21 year old original rubber ones back when I go the car. They have cracked badly and have now caused 2 leaks

Top hose
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/hose02_zpsydmuminu.jpg

Heater hose
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/hose03_zpsyenatni5.jpg

I have already had to replace the inlet manifold hoses. Today was the turn of the top hose and the heater hoses, new ones are silicone MX5parts hoses.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/hose01_zps7wwy6zf0.jpg

Full shot of the engine bay
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/2015enginebay_zpsizcxrmuk.jpg

Got at set of 14' OEM BBS alloys for a not a lot of ££

They are in ok condition, only one bit of kerb damage on one of them, no centre caps, but I have some on the way.

Just need to decide if they are going to get refurbed, or just get some tyres and get them on.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/BBS01_zpsy8z4ebyf.jpg

[Sarah]

With the weather starting to warm up I got a couple of things done on the car.

First off was a quick cosmetic change. I managed to get some roadster sill plates so I changed from these stick on ones from MX5 parts and went to OEM style ones. I got them off ebay for not a lot of ££, and they polished up really well. Very happy with these.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/P1020940_zpsrvke4kgs.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/P1020942_zps1awee6vc.jpg

The other job I got done was in preparation for the cars MOT in May. On the last MOT the fuel feed and return hard lines were noted as having in their words "severe rust". It was only an advisory but I decided not to risk a fuel leak or a MOT failure from them. So I bought 25ft of Copper/Nickle pipe 5/16'' pipe and set about replacing them. With them out of the car this is the rust the MOT mentioned.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/fuel02_zpsnjcu78b3.jpg

I cut the original return pipe just by the fuel filter area, just before it goes up behind the fuel tank. The new piping was bent to match the original items out of the car. The ends of the new pipe and the cut end of the return pipe was flared to give a good solid mounting for the new J30 R9 grade fuel hose with new clips.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/fuel01_zps31ltpy4l.jpg

With everything put back in the car I reattached the Fuel pump relay, primed the system by bridging the F/P and GND pins in the diagnostic plug. Checked for leaks (there were non), and then started her up, she started as normal :D

Much more work planned to follow in April as the weather improves further.

[Demon I Am]

Great work!

[Sarah]

So it time to tackle a little rust that has just started to develop before it becomes a real problem.

Today I cut out a small bit towards the rear part of the frame rail on the drivers side close to the fuel filter. Here is a seam that has rusted through.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/framerail1_zpslfogsflv.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/framerail1_zpslfogsflv.jpg.html)

Got it cut out with a combination of the angle grinder and my Dremel with a cutting disc on. Cleaned up with a power file.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/framerail2_zpspkdjfsmq.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/framerail2_zpspkdjfsmq.jpg.html)

Sprayed with weld through primer and a new bit of metal welded in, welds ground down a little and sprayed with high zinc primer.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/framerail3_zpsdlp0vxym.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/framerail3_zpsdlp0vxym.jpg.html)

Not bad for and afternoons work. Need to finish this repair,then more rust areas tackle tomorrow.

It been a while since I last did any welding and it took me a while to dial in my welding again. Glad it was in a hard to see area.

[Sarah]

Another day and more rust. This time the usual bit on the back of the drivers side sill.

The top layer of metal that is the bottom of the wing was cut out. I accidental cut in the inner part of the sill here and had to run a bit of weld down the cuts to ensure strength remains in this solid metal. I applied rust converter (Rustbuster FE-123) which seems to work extremely well. I have made up the repair sections, and have coated the inner metal with weld through primer, ready for welding in in the morning.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/driverside01_zpse8oifxvi.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/driverside01_zpse8oifxvi.jpg.html)

More to follow tomorrow.

[Sarah]

Today I got the new metal welded in, the weld ground down.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/driverside02_zpsnczft0le.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/driverside02_zpsnczft0le.jpg.html)

I then put in some seam sealer down at the forward edge of the patch in the same location as the original seam. Then came some zinc rich primer, a little filler to smooth things off and primed, ready for top coat tomorrow.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/driverside03_zpsswuiulrl.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/driverside03_zpsswuiulrl.jpg.html)

Also today I made a repair to one of the hangers for the exhaust, to extend the life of my mild steel exhaust until I get the chance to fit the stainless steel one I have stored in the loft.

[Demon I Am]

Wow, I wish I had bodywork skills! Great job, so far.

[Sarah]

Wow, I wish I had bodywork skills! Great job, so far.

Thank you :), its all about just having a go.

Another day and more rust.

Today I started on the passenger side. This is what it looks like before I started.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/passside00_zps8necsied.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/passside00_zps8necsied.jpg.html)

Doesn't look too bad, but looks are deceiving when it comes to this area on these cars. I cut out the bottom section of the wing and dealt with the surface rust on the inner structure with Rusbuster FE-123 rust converter. Then over painted that with weld through primer. It was every bit as bad as the other side, perhaps worse. I am certainly glad that I am in time to save the inner structure on both sides.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/passside01_zpsc41fssrc.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/passside01_zpsc41fssrc.jpg.html)

I have got a new piece of metal cut, bent and drilled for plug welding, ready to be welded in tomorrow. This also has weld through primer on the reverse side.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/passside02_zpsy22yzpqh.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/passside02_zpsy22yzpqh.jpg.html)

I have started with the top coat on the drivers side, but a problem with a faulty can of paint means this won't be completed until tomorrow now. More to come tomorrow.

[Sarah]

This update comes a day later than planned due to issues with paint on the drivers side meaning I worked on the car way into the evening yesterday. The paint may still need more attention on the drivers side but its not too bad for now.

Anyway back to the passenger side process. The metal was tacked in and the wheel arch shape achieved by making relief cuts before bending it over and trimming to size.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/passside003_zpstir2fw3q.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/passside003_zpstir2fw3q.jpg.html)

Then it was welded up fully, the welds ground down and the seam sealer put in at the front edge.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/passside002_zpsrcefuxna.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/passside002_zpsrcefuxna.jpg.html)

A coat of zinc rich primer followed by a small amount of filler to smooth the welds so that they are invisible once painted. 3 coats of high build primer, then silver coats, and clear coats where need. Finally followed up by spraying the satin finish black coats.

Finished Passenger side, which I am very happy with. :)

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/passside001_zpscyyxy2tu.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/passside001_zpscyyxy2tu.jpg.html)

The drivers side came out ok, but not quite as good as the passenger side. Some further attention to the paint will be needed in a couple of weeks time once everything has hardened fully and can be sanded back.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/c79sarah/Rika/driverside%20finished_zpsundwmyyz.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/c79sarah/media/Rika/driverside%20finished_zpsundwmyyz.jpg.html)

Today I drove back up from my parents place, which is a two hours drive and gave the her a wash once I got home as she was covered in dust from 5 days of body work. MOT booked for the 7th May and i'm back to work tomorrow.

[NCGreasemonkey]

Nice work! If I ever make it to Scotland can I bend an elbow with you to celebrate? :drinkto: