Roberts Exocet Build - Central Scotland

[browno]

Excellent stuff - I've also been doing battle with bushes (it took me a couple before I had a decent technique, but once you have it sorted it's quite satisfying, isn't it!). I debated on which bushes to go for and had a chat with freakyparts at Stoneleigh on Sunday and have ordered a full set of energy suspension bushes (from Tegiwa imports), which seem a decent balance between the inconsistency of the cheaper sets or the higher price of superpro/polybush sets.

The MNR looks lovely - and bound to be pretty rapid, bet it was certainly good inspiration. Good to hear you've got your order in - having seen Julie on Sunday, apparently my chassis is built and coated and they are working on the bodywork - so I really need to get my finger out (but also aiming for mid-June collection).

[ciaoberto]

Browno,  I've ordered the same bush kit from the same company. I very nearly went for the cheapo ebay kit as I figured the risk was low financially but huge mechanically. 

I'm planning some new suspension eventually but in the mean time im going to live with cleaned up mazdaspeed adjustable dampers and lowering springs.
20170509_184650 by Robert McClure, on Flickr


Separated the transmission from the motor and was horrified at the mess? Can anybody tell me is this is likely to be the front transmission seal or rear main seal? It doesn't look like it's come in from above where I know oil is escaping  (cam cover) 
20170506_155514 by Robert McClure, on Flickr

And i panickedwhen I noticed what I thought was a crack...but whatever it is picked off. Phew!!
20170506_161054 by Robert McClure, on Flickr
Still it all cleaned up pretty well...
20170506_172430 by Robert McClure, on Flickr

Now to decide on polish or paint? 

I'm getting to the end of my enthusiasm for the cleaning of dirty/rusty  parts, I only wish I was ready to reassemble. Still another couple of days off next week SHOULD see the last of the flap discs wire brushes and spray cans....he says.

I'm awfully glad I'm finished burning out the old rubber bushes, that was a horribly messy job. I did riv up a threaded rod MacGyver puller but the torch used less effort. 

I still have part of my rear hub bolt stuck, the other came out after a couple of days of WD40 and a BFH. 

[gwnwar]

If you are just going to let the finished car sit in the garage not drive it I guess you could polish it.. What a waste of time..
Looks like a rear oil seal.. While you are there you could do both.. Don't loose the metal shim under the front trans cover it is for input shaft end play.. Are you going to replace the clutch unit and bearings and surface flywheel while you are there.. Check under the rubber boot on the slave for fluid if there replace cly.
When you fill the trans be sure to also fill the trans turret under the shifter and check/replace the plastic bushing on the lower end of the shifter..

[Fin]

May 9, 2017 20:45:30 GMT ciaoberto said:

Now to decide on polish or paint? 


Quite pleased with the result we got with Hammerite.

[ciaoberto]

Oooh, Fin. You've done well there. It looks all shiny like new!! and hammerite is handy as I used it on those shock bodies. I'll be honest, I think I might just replace those seals and put it back as is. Gwnwar, hit the nail on the head, the car isn't going to be a show car, and I don't have the luxury of a garage at home, so there's little to no point spending time, effort and cold hard cash on tarting up hidden goodies. 

I've been slow with progress this week with the weather and work having me beat. I really need to get myself going again as I'm close to flipping the ratchet round to reassemble the skate, post paint....

I've taken delivery of set of suspension bushings. I went with the Energy Suspension kit, recommended by others on the forum. 

Here's a wee tip for when you're stupid, like me, but you're well aware of it. I'm sure I witnessed this on here first, but it's surely idiot proof!!
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr

I've cleaned, bagged and labelled all the nuts and bolts I had piled up in a box, hoping to make the rebuild a breeze.

20170514_142214 by Robert McClure, on Flickr
Query on the steering wheel which was attached to my donor...

In it's current state it'd surely never pass the IVA. What would you suggest as a course of action?
1.edge trim and padding?
2.source a standard steering wheel?

[Fin]

Looking good. I ran some cling-film over the card with the bolts. Just to stop the odd one falling out of it's slot. Top two 17mm x 60mm finger-tight will hold it in place, then bottom two, then exhaust side, followed by starter-motor. Then torqued to 80Nm.

My bell-housing was no better prepped than yours, just thought whilst it was out I'd give it a quick spray. Might either impress the IVA man, or potetnial purchaser

[miket]

Re. steering wheel - some Momo wheels originally had a rubber/plastic cover in the middle - you could check if yours is one of them and get the cover from someone who's passed their IVA or who just doesn't need it?

[ciaoberto]

I.m very happy to report that my project has turned a corner. Finished cleaning up all that rusty metal and got to the fresh paint. The sun was splitting the sky on my day off so I decided to get myself set up and blitz everything that was ready for it...
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr

As I've mentioned I do not have the indoor space for this project so the bottom of the garden under the gazebo was the next best thing. I just used brush on paint for the bulk and squirted some spray into the hard to reach places to achieve full coverage. Having hummed and hawwed about powder coating and feeling apprehensive about my lack of painting talent, I have to say I'm proud of the finish...
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr

It's not perfect, but I can say I did it myself. 
I'll leave it for a couple of days to dry completely then get to fitting my new bushings, a task I'm looking forward to as it's the first big step in reassembling the pile of parts I have littered around the garden/sheds/kitchen!!

I've got rear lower hub bolts to replace the originals which I absolutely destroyed, transmission seals and rear main seal on order, expected at the end of the month, once they arrive and I get them fitted, everything can go back together.

One of my lower ball joint bolts (the ones that go in from above the wishbone) sheared during the strip down, I've made an attempt at drilling it out, but what's left just doesn't want to budge. I think I'll just order another? 

miket: I've had a good search for a cover that might fit this wheel, but I'm not convinced it exists?!!   I'll keep looking/considering alternatives. 

[miket]

You could nip over to one of the mx5 forums and see if anyone​ can confirm?

[miket]

... now you've gone and piqued my interest ... a bit like this perhaps ...

[ciaoberto]

So, the progress has been slow lately, I've been waiting for some new parts (rear main seal etc) which have finally arrived. I'll now need to clear the shed out to get to work on the motor. 
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr
oil seals, new rear hub bolts, alignment bolts, shifter cup/boot, valve cover gasket and some more in the post. All unexpected items which have dented the budget a little, but necessary to do it right.

I curiously experimented with some rust removal and can report that cyder vinegar performed INCREDIBLY well.
20170606_120900 by Robert McClure, on Flickr

It's cheap and the results I got speak for themselves. As I swapped my other hardware into the vinegar I grabbed this comparison. I soaked everything for around about 28 hours, then scrubbed them with a nylon brush in water, dried them off and coated them in oil for now. 

once all my painting cured, I set about the new poly bushes. What an absolute pleasure to finally work on a clean job (sticky grease aside), they are a snug, satisfying fit. 
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr
The supplied grease just about did the whole job, I think I'll need another little sachet for the diff bushes which I've still to replace. 

At this point, I'm waiting for the weather to align with my free time so I can get out and work while staying dry. Fire brigade has been out pumping flood water nearby this week, which has slowed me down. still, when the opportunity presents itself, most of the 'skate' is read to go back together and once I've replaced some seals/gaskets the motor/trans can be reunited either end. Still not expecting my kit to be ready for a couple of weeks yet, so I'm not panicking. 

As for the steering wheel, IIRC it's a little too petite when it comes to line of sight to the instruments, so I'm resolved to sourcing an IVA compliant option. *sigh*

Anyway, expecting a visit tonight from a gentleman interested in trading a few of my donor parts for beer tokens...I'm off to sit by the window waiting...

[ciaoberto]

Progress update:
It's been slow...
I've started to reassemble parts of the sub-frames, and set up a tarp-tent to drag over everything at the end of each session. I've since placed boards between painted items and the gravel, because that was a recipe for disaster.
 
You can see my potatoes are growing well behind!! 

20170611_124604 by Robert McClure, on Flickr

I'm setting things up with the view to having the transmission and motor reunited so I can connect the front and rear sub-frames through the course of next week. Now with this lot out of the shed, I've got some space to work on the engine...

So the clutch/flywheel is off. I'd like some opinions on this rear seal. 

Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr

I'm planning to replace it tomorrow, is it likely (as best as one can tell from a photograph) that replacing this seal will fix that leak? or should I be removing the surround/housing above it too?


Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr
It seems to be sealed with a grey RTV type sealant. Can I just un-bolt it, clean the mating surface and reseal with RTV?

While I'm getting dirty I'll replace the transmission front seal too, which was in my parts delivery the other day, that's all that's needed before mating them back together. 

[gwnwar]

Before you start clean the rear of the engine Gunk work good and a hose on full force.. When you remove the trans front cover there should be a shim under it for end plat in the input shaft make sure you put it back..A dab of grease will hold it in place.. If you haven't changed the CAS O ring do that too. Mark the CAS to the head before removing it.. They only go in one way.

[ciaoberto]

So, I've been pretty much absent on here for a while.

Progress to report:

I've rebuilt the PPF


20170623_121315 by Robert McClure, on Flickr



20170623_121450 by Robert McClure, on Flickr


I plan on decorating that valve cover eventually which should help the look of the ageing motor.


Replaced some parts including some shiny new ball joints from MX5Parts IL Motorsport offerings


20170623_115514 by Robert McClure, on Flickr



I picked up my kit two weeks ago. Loading it into the van for the 300 mile trip home was a breeze...
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr

Have fitted the floor, having wrapped it in 'carbon fiber' (excuse the rug, I used it to protect the frame from the gravel)
Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr
I used the supplied rivets and some sealant/adhesive for extra stuck-on-ness (technical term) and in the hope of preventing some rattles and limit water ingress.

For anybody who struggle with the sheet floor dimensions. I set the sheet under the frame on the driver side and traced around the inside and outside edges of the frame.

Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr

Then shifted it over to the passenger side (about 2 inches) and traced around the inside/outside edges of that side. Here you can see the shift through the centre tunnel...

Exocet the story so far by Robert McClure, on Flickr



A question about the rear brake distributor. I have it installed orientated backwards (I think) because there was no way I cold fathom to have it flipped 180 and have the fitting and brake line clear the rear panel.


Rear brake distributor by Robert McClure, on Flickr

Have others done similar? or is there a trick I'm missing here. I am worried about the wishbones, despite checking for contact through the entire movement of those pieces.

I've also fitted new fuel/rear brake lines having decided it'd just be silly to try and use the donor lines. I foresee my budget getting obliterated as I take the same approach to a great many other items.    The front brake lines are also set to be replaced. 

Currently sat with a light refreshment making a list of my next 'items to attack'...

I've moved all of my photos to Flickr and hope to get comfy one evening and fix all of my Photobucket links, it's a real shame a lot of the awesome visual information has disappeared from this forum.

[ciaoberto]

So the weather has been garbage for the past few weeks meaning there's been little opportunity to gain any momentum.

As I'm tackling this project as me, myself and I, on my gravel 2.5 space driveway, I have to often get creative at times when I could've really utilised another pair of hands...



20170730_123107 by Robert McClure, on Flickr



This is obviously not recommended, however I can report that this setup held secure while I sat underneath drilling/hammering/swinging around to fit rivnuts etc for brakes and fuel lines.

Please don't try this at home!! 


I started on the pedals and steering column to figure out whether I needed the spacers on the drivers side or the motor side of the bulkhead, and whether or not I needed the extra long bolt and spacer for the clutch pedal as is detailed in the MEV build bible...I mean guide.


20170730_165855 by Robert McClure, on Flickr



So I ground off the spot welds holding the brake pedal spacers on, tidied up the burrs and gave them a quick touch up of paint, ready to be installed on the motor side of the bulkhead. I also swapped the clutch pedal bolt (the one which the steering column bracket uses for those who have not seen the build guide) and ordered some spacers from an eBay listing. Quick, cheap and painted convenience!! I actually ordered a few as I realised the seat runners from the donor will not fit right onto the bonded in brackets on my GRP seats from MEV. I mean they would, but the locking mech of the sliders would foul on them without spacers.


My clutch pedal doesn't seem to want to line up perfectly with the rest of the ensemble though, it's settled towards the centre. I think i'll cure that with a washer between one side of the pedal and the bulkhead, or grind down some of the material on the other. There's really not much in it, I can force it to line up but as I say it doesn't settle there like the brake pedal does.


20170802_135005 by Robert McClure, on Flickr


20170802_134957 by Robert McClure, on Flickr


I've installed my Mazda Speed suspension, which is APPARENTLY KYB adjustable dampers and Tein springs???
But I'm not enamoured by the finish I've given them. I convinced myself a long time ago that I wanted to replace them with new or good used set up. These are now 23 years old with 74,000 miles on them, and although they performed very well in the donor car during the year I used it, something newer and shinier would fit the build much better. (please everybody agree with me so I can justify the cost.... )

I don't have spring compressors either, so I bolted in the bottom of the damper into the wishbone, the 'top hats' onto the frame, lined everything up and compressed it together with a meaty ratchet strap around the wishbone and frame with some microfiber cloths to protect the coatings. Again...not the preferred method, but...if it looks stupid but works, it's not stupid.

20170803_164210 by Robert McClure, on Flickr


The shopping list grows....


And things could only end in a quick mock up of the fuel tank cover and nose cone, still in it's packaging because I'm clumsy.



20170803_164848 by Robert McClure, on Flickr



When I was rebuilding the 'skate' I measured the diagonals of the mounting holes on the sub-frames which were perfectly equidistant indicating everything was square. Still when it came time to bolt on the Exocet frame, things didn't quite marry together. I had to loosen the PPF to trans bolts (the ones right around the gear shifter you can see under the steering column picture above) and man handle the sub-frame until the bolts dropped into their forever home.