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Not a very exciting update. In a bid to make the roof removable, i've added a lip on each side of the roof which I can drill some holes through and then into the hardtop to fix it down. Now just need to fill in the gap at the rear and add a couple of brackets at the bottom of the A pillars then it'll be ready to be fitted. Am still successfully putting off fitting the headlights
Re the masking tape , have you tried tar and glue remover , i get mine from Wholesale Automotive Products (WAP) in Essex i think they do mail-order 01708 726995 . Its great for removing sticker residue and has never reacted with anything i have used it on
Thanks Ned. I ended up using a head gun to get most of the stuff off, then used 3m label remover for the rest of it. Did the trick and hasn't made the lexan go cloudy.
Badrep, have a chat with Bill Watson at http://rallyreplica.co.uk/. I'm not sure if the hinges are advertised on his site yet but that's where I got mine. If you're interested, he can also does the headlight bowls, rear screen etc.
The wheels are 17s, I think 7j wide. However, I'm on the lookout for some wide 16s now and stick some chunky tyres on as I think they'll suit the car better.
Cut the bottoms off the doors! All went quite well but then the cat turned up looking a bit rough so had to get him to the vets So, as you can see, theres now nothing for the door seal to attach to at the bottom and as much as this is to be a fair weather car, I'd still like something there just in case. Suppose i'll worry about that when the cars ready to go outside. A bit of additional bracing will be added and I need to remove some more door metal at the rear so that it clears the rs200 bodywork before they can go back on... maybe a bi of rust repellant too!
Blast from the past, but can you remember how much you cut off the bottom of the doors - or is it just a 'that looks about right' amount?
Got the windows fitted, they still need a little strengthening along the bottom and not sure how i'll go about that yet.
Filled in the fuel cap slot. My initial idea was to do away with an external cap and lift the rear end each time I want to fill up because lets face it, that's pretty cool. Then I thought about adding some short gas rams to lift the rear end a small enough amount just to allow access to the fuel filler. Now I'm thinking I may cut a hole in the side and add a dimma type cap and behind that will be the original filler. Basically, I'm totally undecided.
Finally, I got round to fitting the headlights thatks to some help from the guys on here and also Luke who's doing the soft top version although not sure he's on here. Since fitting the lights, I feel like I may actually finish the car one day.
I've also realised that the bumper and rear end need beefing up a bit as far as fitting goes. The bumper is a bit too wobbly for my liking so i'll be nut and bolting through the crash bar and I'm terrified of the rear end falling off so think i'll fiberglass the hinge plates in for some extra strength.
That's coming along nicely,
i used the original fuel cap as i want the option of either lifting the clam or using the flap, i got a postbox lock off ebay for a few pounds item number
252325313444 if anyone needs one.
I have also got gas struts to lift the clam
Glassed in the whole hinge assembly and painted it all over:
Will be doing the bumper today then I can start adding colour on the outside! The wife is due any day now though so depending on how it all goes, I may not be able to do anything on the car for some time
Have started rubbing down in preparation for adding colour. Interesting to see which coloured primers bring out the imperfections in the fiberglass best. Looked good when it was all white!
Well done Nick. Did you send pictures before and after along with the forms and manage to do it based on original MR2 paint colour? Presume you haven’t MOT’d it so no problem making change without current MOT?
I was holding fire with mine until I was nearing completion but you’ve got me thinking now I should just go ahead and do the V5 changes now.
Well done Nick. Did you send pictures before and after along with the forms and manage to do it based on original MR2 paint colour? Presume you haven’t MOT’d it so no problem making change without current MOT?
I was holding fire with mine until I was nearing completion but you’ve got me thinking now I should just go ahead and do the V5 changes now.
I sent about six photos which tell the story. Original MR2, kit, MR2 with panels off, panels to be sold, MR2 with new panels on from the front and one from the back. Also sent a link to this site in case they needed or wanted to see anything else. A copy of the receipt from Tribute and the v627 form. I also sent a cover note outlining what I'd done and to ask if the paint colour could be changed to black. No particular MR2 colour, just black. If you want, send me your email address and I'll send a copy of what I did. Also, yes, no current MOT yet.
So, as you can see, theres now nothing for the door seal to attach to at the bottom and as much as this is to be a fair weather car, I'd still like something there just in case. Suppose i'll worry about that when the cars ready to go outside. A bit of additional bracing will be added and I need to remove some more door metal at the rear so that it clears the rs200 bodywork before they can go back on... maybe a bi of rust repellant too!
No air con though... its gonna be an oven in there! 
