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Yes probably got a couple of half days of little jobs to sort out including raising the passenger side of the bumper bar then a couple of days to fit the coilovers which I will do before the MOT.
Aiming for end of Jan to be ready for the MOT but you know how it goes with grand plans and everything!
Well grand plans and everything again .... it’s now May and I’ve only just got round to fitting the coilovers! I decided the garage was really too much of a mess and so the new project to tidy up the garage, fit shelving racks etc seemed to consume more time than I expected!
Fitting the coilovers actually turned out to be an easier job than I expected and was really just a couple of half days spread over the last 10 days. Many thanks to Nostromo for helping out with what was involved here. A good breaker bar and impact driver were a godsend and I’ve managed to lower whole car by around 55 - 60mm. There’s probably another 30-40mm it could go lower but the ground clearance particularly under the engine area is now significantly reduced so I’ll give it a chance to settle further and then decide.
I’m pretty pleased with the lower look and improvements to the stance, although as expected the BC Racing Coilovers are much stiffer but they are on the factory setting as they came out of the box.
I did find that because the front is lower, the passenger side front tyre is fouling the bracket I fabricated on that side to support the front bumper on full lock. Another one for the odds and sods list to finish before I can get the MOT.
I still need to sort out the passenger side of the bonnet/bumper where there’s gap and there’s a couple of other bits to get done included fitting the inner wheel arches I’ve made up.
Thanks for the positive feedback everyone. For anyone else doing this with an MR2 Roadster I meant to say fit new drop links on the rear as it makes removing the old drop links that much easier with only one end to undo.
Spurred on by the coil overs I spent a couple of hours today working my way through the remains of the to do list.
Sorted out the gap on the passenger side bonnet/bumper join and at the same time reworked the brackets supporting the outer edge of the MRS200 bumper on each side to stop the tyre fouling on full lock.
Then sorted out the alignment on the drivers side...
The tops of the doors required a bit of work. I had already purchased a pair of rubber stops (Land Rover Defender) which I fitted on each side to provide some support in the top corner. This helps when closing the door and stops most of the rattles in that area.
....
Doors lineup better but I need to still stiffen up the window frame part of the door skin on each side as they move about a bit too much for my liking. Thanks Nostromo for sharing with me how you did this on yours.
Slow progress since the last posts - various house projects and work seem to have taken over. I did get it out on the drive a couple of weeks ago and to my horror the area I filled and primed on the rear clam to use original Sierra lights has sunken somewhat . Will need to remedy that and pull my finger out to get it finished - with a bit of focus and attention I reckon I can be ready for MOT with a good couple of half days work.
Keep watching and this may have just spurred me on to get it finished!
Oh dear, not good. I am sure that you will sort it in not time at all, i have just started another build so i can egg each other on to get them completed.
Any idea what could have caused it Dave? Not enough hardener maybe?
I'm finding little bubbles appearing under the paint in a couple of places where i'd missed the air gaps under the gelcoat. Got a big one on the drivers side under the side intake. Bit annoying but luckily my paint is really easy to blend back in. Just a note to try your damndest to find them all before you send it for paint.
All jokes aside and thanks for comments/replies but I think the excess use of hardner is probably to blame here on my part. For those who’ve tried to fill the area around the lights on the MRS200 kit when using MK1 lights, there is quite some gap to fill.
I built this up using UPOL GRP resin filler which has pretty much remained solid. I then filled the top layer of this with Big Boy (!!) Easy sanding filler. I reckon it’s this that I first left too thick a layer first off to fill and then second used too much hardner in it when applying.
Anyway not too difficult a job to sort and on the list of 6/7 minor jobs left now to get done before MOT.
Thanks Nick for the pointers on the gel coat - I think I’m a long way away from actual paint yet :-)
All jokes aside and thanks for comments/replies but I think the excess use of hardner is probably to blame here on my part. For those who’ve tried to fill the area around the lights on the MRS200 kit when using MK1 lights, there is quite some gap to fill.
I built this up using UPOL GRP resin filler which has pretty much remained solid. I then filled the top layer of this with Big Boy (!!) Easy sanding filler. I reckon it’s this that I first left too thick a layer first off to fill and then second used too much hardner in it when applying.
Anyway not too difficult a job to sort and on the list of 6/7 minor jobs left now to get done before MOT.
Thanks Nick for the pointers on the gel coat - I think I’m a long way away from actual paint yet :-)
You need to get a move on mate as the car we started on Thursday will have the panels done by Monday and then it can go for paint
Panels are the easy part Wozzy :-) It’s all the fiddly finishing bits to get it looking good and the engineering along the way to get stuff to work day to day like the fuel flap release.
Anyway I don’t think projects like this are ever really finished and that’s 90% of the fun of it for me - I will probably keep tinkering with it still once it’s on the road before I commit to spending £3k on a proper paint job with stripes !
and then it can go for paint