MadaboutKitcars

Thanks Mick - also following your latest build which looks great.

Managed to get out and about in the car quite a bit this week despite the weather. At least the fact the kit keeps the MR2 doors / windows as-is means it’s water tight, and so far (touch wood) the bottom the door where it had to be cut down to fit the MRS200 door skin is staying dry.



It’s surprisingly refined with the MR2 windows up when driving but not so refined that you can’t hear the induction roar from the kit I fitted. That, together with the non-standard exhaust I fitted early on in the build, means it feels faster than the MR2 donor. I need to find a quiet straight road to check if it is actually any quicker :-)

I’ve got a few areas I’ve spotted through the road tests so far that I need to take a look at over the next week or so. The front engine undertray has come away - not enough to drag but on inspection at some point the retaining fixing had been lost and replaced with a cable tie that had snapped - missed that one in all the checks but easy to sort. I’m also still not 100% happy with the fit of the drivers side rear light assembly where it meets the wing area - it needs shifting towards the centre or the car by about 5mm to sit better. I need to open up the aperture in the rear clam a bit so it moves over.

Being white means it only needs the slightest bit of wet or damp on the road and it looks filthy ! At least the arches front and back look a bit more ‘lived in’ now :-)

From this angle it looks like there is a nice little pocket behind the mud-guard for crud to collect in... can it get out the bottom, or is it just going to fill up?

The car looks great

Yes Kon that is a bit of a mud trap just behind the flap - but the wheel arch liner curves in towards the bottom of the wing so the pocket isn’t that deep.

I’d not thought about it until you pointed it out so will keep an eye on it and keep it cleaned out. Many thanks

Early Christmas present - the black lamp pod cover.



The lamp pod itself came with the kit from Tribute but I didn’t really want the 4 extra lamps and weight on the bonnet. Wasn’t going to fit it then saw some pics of the original Group B cars with the black lamp pod cover and quite like the look.

So the lamp pod assembly was brought down from the loft and I found a supplier for the black GRP pod cover.

I need to polish up both the pod and the cover and work out a way to mount the pod on the bonnet so it’s removable without leaving too many holes - ideally no holes!

I don’t really want to fit the lamps as I will never use them so it’s really about what it looks like - bit sad I know!

Hey Swifty,

Just a friendly warning ref waxing the gelcoat, not a great idea if you intend to get it painted at a later date.

It could get absorbed into the gel coat and cause you contamination and fisheye (silicone) problems in the future.

Car looks great by the way.

Thanks Jeff - I’ve stayed away from waxing it so far so hopefully should be ok. Will just keep washing / wiping it down with microfibre towel.

the simplest way to mount the pod is to have a spare bonnet and glue/screw/bond it on. Swapping the bonnet is a 5 min job

other fastening solutions are "functional not elegant" shall we say.

if you really want demountable, then the neatest solution is 2 nuts bonded in to the underside of the bonnet skin, and a "hook" on the pod that tucks under the front of the bonnet. a bit of rubber feet to protect the paint. Make it good so it doesn't rattle too much

Thanks Andy - I was trying to work out how I could minimise the bolts and holes! Don’t have the space to store a spare bonnet so needs to be a bolt on/off job

Very strong magnets!

velcro

hard-drive magnets

I’ve had a couple of suggestions now about magnets - to be honest I thought there was no way I would find anything strong enough. I know I’m not fitting any actual lamps but the GRP for the lamp pod assembly itself plus the cover is quite heavy.

Do folks think magnets would really hold this...plus the fact it’s going onto the front of the bonnet where it slopes down ... where the Shell sticker is?

A lot of taxi roof sign rely on two magnets. Strong
magnets like on the bottom of dishes for holding nuts and bolts when working on the car would do and have a plastic cover to avoid scratching.

I don't know about other posters' comments, re magnets, but mine was meant in jest. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I wouldn't want to rely on it. Thinking laterally,,,,, someone suggested 'hooking' at the front (good idea) - could this be supplemented by some fixings (maybe screws on the pod? which go through the bonnet and are secured with penny washers and wing nuts (with suitable spring washers/star washers to ensure shake proofing). Now here's the good bit a thin piece of metal with a similar screw attached which can be put through the hole (s) when the pod is removed - this thin piece of metal has one of your decals on it, which renders it almost invisible!

neodymium magnets on bottom side of the bonnet, and additional
magnets on the pod.

actually, if you have your bonnet vent cut out, you could effectively strap it on!

as long as it sat on rubbers to save the paint.

wouldnt be SECURE in terms of theft, but would be secure enough to drive about.

where is your front plate? if its a stick on one, you could mask the bonnet holes within that?

Been looking at the magnet options - never knew the kind of weight rating neodymium magnets could hold and not too expensive. Going to order a couple of those and see how it works first.

If that won’t hold it I’ve worked out a mounting system where the holes are concealed at the back of the bonnet vent and under the return edge at the front of the bonnet.

Thanks for all the comments/feedback - clearly proved an interesting topic :-)

I keep a supply of neodymium magnets stuck to the side of the toolbox.
Attach one to the shaft of a screwdriver or socket and it will hold the screw, bolt or nut in place while you thread it into a tight awkward space.

Thanks - just found some relatively small ones that claim they can hold 34kg!

Very belated congratulations from me.

Great to see you out and enjoying the car after all the hard work you put in.

I think picking up a bit of mud over the winter will just add to the overall look.

Enjoy, Paul.

Thanks Paul - it’s certainly getting dirty!

A few pics from earlier today to prove it’s also capable of carrying the weekly shop .....

Still a fricken good looking car that. My compliments

Dave

"WOW" factor high!