Mazda Rotary Club

posting pics of how my project RX is goin. i have all the bits i need. just need to fix a few holes in the floor, take out dents and then prep the car for painting (velocity red perhaps?) i have all the small bkts that were missing / broken and got the headlamps working again, and two good condition front wings

anyway like most other T2\'s out there this one is a bit rusty on the drivers side the passenger side has been welded up already by someone..



Here are a couple of pics of the floor.

this is the bottom of the firewall on the drivers side where it curves round and the body streghening box section came apart in my hands.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/6f7a1720.jpg)



this one is pretty much self explanatory

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/07-07-05_1333.jpg)


heres an interior pic its in pretty good condition.

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/89ce9158.jpg)


engine bay

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/9638b74e.jpg)



here he is on my drive

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/04e07fd8.jpg)




biggest problem is the rusty holes. i  have got myself an arc welder. havent ever welded before but have read a few articles on the net. I will obviously have a practice go before doing anything to the car,

or i could pay  a local classic  car restorer 300 quid to do it, three days he thinks it will take.

thought about having a bash at it myself, i only really need the rods and steel sheet. just time consuming

Looks like yours has gone in a similar place to Stu\'s mate, and the floor pan seems to be pretty much par for the course on these cars.  My floor pan was only held in by wishfull thinking!

I see you have an aftermarket Blow off valve in there, I\'d photoshop that out of the picture unless you want Grinder to try and buy it off of you..........

already spotted it matey !!

the 2nd pic is the same where mine went - dead easy to weld up to be honest

you dont need to be overly neat aswell as Mr. MOT man cant see if from the under neath and cant lift the carpets

my hole started that big - my advice - get a hammer and chisel and start opened the hole up - one of mine was the size of a 10p by the time i found solid metal it was about 4 inch long

get practicing on some scrap metal - use thin rods in the arc welder - then get welding the car !!

like i said pic 2 is simple , weld a bit , bend a bit , weld a bit

go out and purchase a ball pein hammer - they are FANTASTIC !!

you weld to all the flats and then bend the metal into the orig shape of the floor - really easy and adds strengh !!

if you were closer i would have come down and lent a hand ( on that point - where are you based ?? )

do all that they prob pay someone to do the jacking point place - thats a right pain - took me ages to get mine looking anything like !

keep us updated on how this goes - we need more TII\'s on the road

ta

stu

haha i knew you two would be the first to be posting in this thread!


mate the BOV sounds terrific but its not for sale!! that came on the car and its got a decat too, the ECU has been taped back up too, wonder if its been fettled/fixed? it drives pretty well maybe its got a FCD where would you locate it???

it shouldnt be too hard to do the welding, thanks for the advice stu,  If i take my time i should be ok with it, just outta interest you used 2mm thick sheet didnt you??? these pics dont show the new front wings and bonnet scoop.

Might challenge you two on that 100 mph terminal speed!!

edit -- im based in Doncaster - just near Sheffield. NOt toooo far from chorley!  :D

My FCD plugs into the pressur sensor on the left hand side of the engine bay (your photo) in front of the suspension turret.

i used 1mm steel - easier to work with - not sure if that helps ??

sheffield - yeah its a fair trek away !

Turboinnutah- You from Donny too??I used to live in Cantley for  few years but now i m back in Manchester....i also have a Fc but in White..Luckily it doesnt have any rust on the car at all! Must meet up sometime in the future then

yeh sounds good. i live in bessacarr just down the road from you!! Next time you down give me a buzz on here or something mate! Oh yeh you might wanna check out donnycruise.com im a mod on there.  --- is that your fc in the avator? looks mint!

if the car is drivable - you could always bring it up here for some welding - we should bebale to get the inside done in a few hours )

just a though ( well the better half mentioned it :) )

ta

stu

hey stu, thanks for the kind offer! im going to get some metal for it tomorrow, i got the weekend off so im gonna have a stab at it then!

your missus did have a good idea but there is a small problem, I dont have an mot or tax. lol and half the floor of the car is missing too pmsl. otherwise i might have taken you up on the offer! thanks anyway stu your a diamond geezer! btw remember that i will need those rear lights from you at one point!

which show was it you was going to? the one up at york at the end of the month?

hiya matey

right then ... simple steps for you ( for the inside )

1 - remove seat
2 - remove mazda trim on the sill
3 - pull the carpets back ( i wedged mine with a piece of wood against the door and the carpet folded back over the hand brake )
4 - pop the clips holding the wires that run down the sill
5 - if you want you can wrap this in a damp cloth - although i didnt
6 - smack hell out of the hole to get back to solid metal
7 - measure the hole
8 - add 15 - 20mm to that measurement
9 - cut metal
10 - fold the metal at 15-20mm ( make it an L shape )
11 - i welded the 15-20mm side so the box seciton - just tack it at one end first
12 - tack weld the same end but floor side
13 - get all ball pein hammer ( one with the ball on the end )
14 - hit abour 3 cms from where you have just welded to fold the metal to the car ( the weld holds it ) - or if you have a helper get them to hold the metal onto the flat points of the car floor and weld all of them ( you can then hammer the metal into the shallow bits - and yes it will fold that far )
15 - tack weld this
16 - do the same on the box section
17 - repeat until the plate is in and looks ok ( and is solid )
18 - you can now weld the whole plate on
19 - i gave mine 2 coats of hammerite paint
20 - rebuild car :)

i managed to get some plates in that were over 50cms long on the inside , but others were only like 15 cms long

use common sense and make the plates a managable size !!

hope this helps ( yeah right eh !! )

and the meet is 14 August at wakefield - if all goes to plan im going there - i will throw the lights into the boot ( i took them to RSII but didnt know if you went or not ?? )

shame about the car having no MOT and TAX - did you buy it like that or have they just expired

oh yeah - whilst you have the welder out - its worth checking the inside on both side - and check the bottom of where the spare wheel goes ( gets soft in there )

thats enough from me i think

good luck and if you need more advice - give me a ring < removed >

ta

stu

I\'d also recommend going over the area you intend to weld to with a rotary wire brush, that way you get good clean steel to weld to.

oh yeah good point

and to remove the sound deadening - use a chisel and chip it off a bit at a time

what about the underseal - shall i dig out my heat gun? i have got some sound deadening sheets that you can stick on so replacing it shouldnt be a problem. i might have a few sheets spare actually if you need any stu. gonna buy you a drink when i see you!  :guinness

hey thanks for the instructions!!!  maybe you should make a sticky on how to repair rust on the TII!!  :chat

on the INSIDE there is just sound deadening - so you could stick some back - but i didnt bother

like i said - on the inside it just got 2 coats of hammerite - let it dry and put the carpet back :)

the inside is the easy bit - although thats where my probs began - one i opened the holes on the inside - i ended up smashing thru the bottom of the floor

to be honest looking back - im glad i did - the welding still looks neat and it should be solid for a good few years

gonna get it back up on ramps and give it another few coats of underseal - at a £5 a tin from halfords ( with added waxoyl ) its cheap proventative maintenance

and even after 3-4 months its still tacky :)

if you can leave the car where it is to weld it make it soooooooooo much easier - i spent loads of time just moving the car up and down the drive :(

IF you have the space - get the car off the floor on 4 axle stands and work like that - makes it nice and easy ( in a fashion ) and you have a lot of clearance to get your head under and look round

whilst its like that check the front wheel bearings ( they are adjustable and come loose over time )

and get some underseal in the back arches

that should keep you going for the next week fews !!

it took me about 7 full days to weld mine together - but in real time it was about 7 weeks :(

good luck and you know where i am if you need me !!

Stu

Another tip, jack up one side as far as you can and get it blocked. As a rule its easier to lift one side2ft than it is to lift the whole car 10".  Once you\'ve done one side just drop it down and repeat the proceedure.  My reasoniung being, the more comfortable you are the less likely you are to make a mistake.

My advice would be flame proof Overalls,Gloves, Boots etc and tape the gloves to the overalls and tape boots to overalls. Whilst wearing them of course.

You will know why i say this if you forget to do it and it drips on you whilst welding it up. :(

Ouch......

I have most of the tools now. i got some thick leather/suade gloves and a pair of overalls, i dont have the jacket but i think i will be ok, besides if you dont hurt yourself doing something means your not working hard enough! i already have the hammer with the ball on one end, grinder, wire brush drill attachment, assortment of chisels, a welder, all i need now is some 1mm thick metal and some welding rods and that drilla ttachment which allows you to cut through metal, or i could use the electric saw i suppose.. rods shouldnt be a problem, theres like a guage on the welder which tells you the best rods to use for the current/metal thickness. i have managed to get a sheet of mild steel 2mx1m 1mm thick for £18 be picking that up in the next couple of days.

Answer to a few questions by Stu...

Bought the car off ebay,  didnt have an MOT, i knew it needed work, mainly body work. the engine ran and started cold and hot with no problems,. I drove it and it went like a rocket down the road - fell in love didnt i!!!

I bought it for 700 quid, and so far i have spent about 250 quid on transportation, tools, plugs, and various parts. after the welding is done i am going to prep it for painting which i can do myself, (done a car a few years back) and im going to pay a guy i know to spray him up cos i want a pro finish. all in all it should cost me around 1500 quid on the road, including exhaust and if everything goes ok with the MOT.
 
i did a compression test and got 7\'s all round. well only just slightly lower than a 7 on the rear rotor. so theres plenty of life in the engine. i was intending to buy it fix it sell it. but now the bug has bitten so im thinking about keeping it as a weekend toy.

I hope this welding goes well, its the only bit i wasnt sure about. but im glad you lot talked me into doing it myself, cos 300 quid is a lot of money for something you can do yourself!


Nas

I may be being thick, but I didnt see mention of safety glasses or a welding mask in your list Nas.

Don\'t forget somthing to put out fires (better to be safe than sorry)

And the tape bit is quite inportant. its ok having fire proof gloves is the hot stuff is on the out side :)

haha, wouldnt say thick mate, "there is no more an important rule than these - safety glasses!" - that dude from new yankee workshop.

yeh i do have the safety glasses. that goes without saying doesnt it!  ;)  :cool

"SAFETY FIRST , DIY SECOND"

harry from QVC :)

best thing for putting out fires - old fairy washing up liquid bottle - you can squeeze and then direct the water to the exact spot !

bargain car though matey !! :)

so how come you need the back lights ??

ta

stu

i welded mine , in a t-shirt , no mask , no googles etc... - i found they got in the way - but i DONT recommend this :)

the poor car was vandalised as it was stood waiting for work to be done to it to pass the mot. the mirrors were smashed off, rear lights smashed, there are names scratched into the paint work and also its been dented and bits of kit were pulled off it too. bit of a sorry state when i saw it. There was also an attempted break in, but i hpi\'d it and there is no stolen recovery. The guy  i bought it off said that he was going to work on it himself but lost the will to do it in the end...

I have acquired a bargain set of old style lights cos i couldnt look at the car on my drive in such a state. really need the s5 style round kouki ones!

edit -- BTW im not planning on setting the car on fire! but will have a bucket of water near by and a blanket to use to dowse flames! ahh i seen welding being done before it didnt look that difficult, and the guy must have ha big balls cos he wasnt even wearing a shirt, and was using the "close your eyes" method!

i use the "close eyes" method aswell

but thats cause i couldnt get the mask under the car

still a bargain car though - just a shame to see it in that state

will it be ready for the wakefield meet thingy ???

dont worry grinder soon i will be resurecting this rx! I had a go at it last night and chipped away the sound deadening,

lemme get something straight yeh.

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/untitled.bmp)

ok the floor goes right out to the outter sill, and then i weld the inner sill using a l- shaped piece?

Looks about right, you may have more luck by measuring up and welding the L shaped section to the floor piece b4 you begin, its hard to say with out actually being there.

hey - thats really annoying i did a huge reply to that and its not here - gutted

simple gist was

yeah do that :)

pmsl , yeh annoying when that happens! cheers guys.

well ????? any news matey ?

ok bit of a hectic weekend, still found the time to do work on the rx. u might get a little worried that i got carried away with the ol grinder.  


ok from (a lot of) this  ----  

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/07-07-05_1333.jpg)

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/23-07-05_1640.jpg)


so far i have removed three other piles similar in size!  :eek:   :mad:

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/23-07-05_1929.jpg)


couldnt resist taking a pic of how my car would look with a 20b conversion!! lol

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/23-07-05_1852.jpg)


ok so after much grinding, wire brushing chipping, smackin with hammer etc. i came up with this

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/23-07-05_1927.jpg)

ok hopefully my numbnut little bro will remember to grab that metal sheeting from the merchants tomorrow,then i can get on with making replacement panels!!!

HOLY **** !!

just how mine looked !!

so thats the drivers side - still not a bad job to be honest

you are best making a big hole to start with - at least you know you can weld to something solid !!

you will need to do inner and outer now - but as i said - you will know its solid !!

so what i said and do the L shape bracket - and it will hold it all back in place

Good Luck

Stu

Yeh, theres rusty bits on the inner wheel arch and some of the rear outer sill as  well. and a little on the other side where the front wing meets floor. im probably going to be welding this bugger up for the forseeable future. I was removing rusty metal and couldnt help thinking what a mistake the designers with the old "make each part lighter" mentality. have you seen how thin the metal is? its about the same thickness as a rizla paper! Its not made my life easier, but as brett said i have probably saved a small fortune in petrol while its been laid up!

i went for a dig and found your post called rusty rust rust, saw the job you did stu and yeh very similar only i think mine is a little worse. i checked the spare wheel bin - its ok.

however some previous owner has decided to put a trailer hitch on the back  :spank , didnt notice it at first as the towing ball is missing the nuts are all rusted on so i decided to leave it should help me with traction and also provide give me protection from rear end smashes!

tell you what tho, that electric saw will come in handy when im cutting that sheet, my tin snips are rustier than the RX!

Just remember to get waxoyling after you\'ve finished welding mate, it will save you having to do all this again. Waxoyl once every 2 years or so and you will be ok :D

hang on - i can see the steering wheel matey !

your gonna need a LOT of luck i think matey

thats some serious fabriaction needed - i didnt realise it was THAT bad ... eekkkk

stu

cheers for that stu, first you give me hope and then smack me back down to earth. yeah i got my work cut out for me, im gonna have a go at it regardless, if i screw it up i will pay that classic car restorer to sort it! anyway my mom says that she will pay the 300 quid  to get it sorted if i fail, as its my birthday soon, bless!

might change my user name to fred flintstone.

Dont worry mate, the hard stuff is still welding along the floor edge, a bigger hole towards the middle of the car is not too much hassel to weld up :D  Stu has been slapped for his confidence sapping via email :rollin   A good dry day should see you finished :D :yes

yeah sorry matey - and yes brett did rant at me over email - real sorry buddy

on the other hand

do the sill ( both inner and outter ) - and that should bring the cost down if you get stuck :P

saying that - the driver side footwell - its just a bigger plate :)

stu

yeh i didnt think you need a bitch slap grinder, but glad you got one anyway! pmsl. im having some right difficulty paying for membership, luckily its just confirmed itself now thank god i was at my wits end and this pc would have surely been thrown outta the window..

Anyway im not disputing that the hole is very large, so large in fact i havent opened the drivers door to ensure the car stays straight.

Now i know we have been over this a couple of times lads, am i welding the inside to the interior sill, then underneath im welding from that plate to the outer most sill, what about the sill thats in the middle? it would help if you drew me a picture!

right then

the inside is simple - just one L shape plate - or the number you need ( i put about 4 in mine )

then the under side - this is the tricky bit :)

there will be a seam that runs from front to back - its where the jack sits - you cant miss it - you bang your head on it when looking underneat

is this still in one peice ??

mine had corroded away - so i took off the side skirt - and weld from the there to the floor

if the seam is still there - just weld it to that

cant say much else really !!

Also, if the box sections are rotten, make up the floor first, then weld the box sections. :)

ok lads with you now, the sill edge hasnt corroded away,

leave it with me now lads, i will figure it out as i go along, you  must be gettin ****ed off with all these questions!

No problems with questions mate :D   The FC is fast becoming an endangered species, so if we can help to keep another alive then its for the good.

And its another person for the elite FC posse :cool :bandit

ok got as far as making the inner floor panels, and beding hammering them to the shape,
decided i would have a practice go with welding last night on scrap metal. tell you what lads its harder then it bloody looks!!!

Make sure you dwell for a few seconds at the start, then you should be able to run a bead along without too much trouble.

it doesnt seem to make a vey strong joint, i welded two bits together and i was able to pull em apart with not that much effort.

so you strick the stick and make sure you angle the rod about 20 degrees and then drag it along?? you do it at the seam or over the top bit of metal where it overlaps?

my car is so ****ed, im thinking about breaking it.

DOnt break it mate, unless you want Grinder on your doorstep with a £50 note and a hopefull look in his eyes.

 An overlap is the best way of doing it on the car. Make sure both surfaces are clean.
Make sure you are moving at the correct speed, too fast and there will not be a proper weld, too slow and you will burn through it. If tis spitting and popping its not going right either.  You will know when its going well, the weld will seem to flow along the join line as you steer it :)
Keep at it, its not a skill you will pick up over night, it takes a bit of practise.  I would suggest finding some old angle iron thats quite thick to start practising on, then practise on the thinner stuff.

i have used an arc welder for about 10 seconds - its not simple

i still go with the same theory

1 - bend plate
2 - tack weld one corner ( about a 3mm blob of weld to hold it )
3 - shape it
4 - tack weld
5 - shape
6 - tack weld

keep going until the plate is held on all the way round with little tacks of weld

this always helps you to focus on the welding not the holding and shaping and welding

once this is done and you are happy - then you can spend the time welding the little blob to the next little blob

once this is done - get out the grinder ( there is a joke somewhere there ) - and grind it all nice and neat

have a good look around the welds - weld up any crappy bits

grind it again

once happy - then hammerite it

sit back - open beer - and relax in knowing that YOU have done it and no one else

feel free to ask all the quesitons you want matey - we are here to help !

Stu

i was told that with arc you push the bead along the seam

so when i did some

1 - arc it up
2 - wait a few seconds for the pool to appear
3 - then push the pool slowly along
4 - keep it at a nice pace - i ended up singing to my self to that i kept a steady pace
5 - failing this buy / borrow / steal a MIG welder ( Makes Idiots Good )


try it matey - see what happens

me again !!

breaking it - hang on a minute here fella

i want the BOV - no seriously - you are now where i was with mine - that pssed off that i wanted shut of it

sit back and relax for a day or two

i spent the best part of 4 weekends just welding together crap metal to see what happens - then i started on the car

then i got problems with the welding on the car - so sit back again , quick rethink and start again

i couldnt weld one bit and was ready to give up - went away , watched some tv , went back out more prepared and welded it fine

why do you live so bloody far away - i would be down to help - just to keep the FC on the road

haha, yeh got some old angles in the garage, i maged to get close to the shape of the fllor by using 1inch scraps of wood and bashing the metal around them at where i marked it. did a good job of that actually.

i will have another go when it stops raining, i dont think its safe to weld outside in the rain! #

Not to mention the fact that you will get cold :)

You\'ll get there mate, I\'ve been in the same position with my Mini, It\'s been a year now since I started and I\'ve finally finished the bodywork having never welded before I started it.  It\'s a great feeling to think you\'ve done it yourself!

This was the Mini floor after i\'d cut the rust out... (http://16vclubby.3cmc.com/mini-os-floor1.gif)

Keep going coz it\'ll be worth it in the end!

Will

QuoteKeep going coz it\'ll be worth it in the end!

Amen to that :)

you didnt need to shape the metal round the wood - thats what the ball pein hammer is for - you weld to all the flat tops and then there is enought stretch in the metal to shape it into the shallow bits

but if you have done it now - it should make life easier !

keep trying matey ( failing that i want the bov - sorry had to say it :( )

You know we are here to answer any questions

take care

stu

( we need more pics )

i dont know what make the bov is but it makes the most loudest whoosh noise ever. the old biddie across the street came out and said it sounded like an old WW2 missile being fired! pmsl.

Anyway lookin at your mini has given me a bit of confidence actually! yeh i dont see any problem shaping and cutting metal, its just welding i need to learn. maybe it might be worth it going to college and doin a little course on it. Might become a mobile welder, tell you what lads i would be earning way more than fixing atm\'s!

MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm BOV ... < droool >

keep up the good fight matey and save that FC

just dont expect it to happen over night - it took me about 7 weeks to do mine

it got annoying towards the end - but i really enjoyed it to be honest

like i have said in the past - stand proud that YOU have done it - too many people with rx7 just get someone else to do the work

or the other hand is that FC owners are just cheap !!

pmsl if fc owners are cheap you need the crown dude

and i would wear it with pride :)

No you wouldn\'t, it would be on ebay within the hour! :rollin

ok lads, im NOT one to admit defeat easily, time is come to entrust this job to an expert.


the guy is a classic car restorer and showed me photos of stuff hes done. hes saying 250 quid as i have saved him a couple of hours of labour he says that the job should be a good un (he had better do a good job actually, as i can see this car becoming my baby). hes coming to pick it up on wednesday and i should hopefully have it back next week.  after that its an MOT and then i can start working on the body.  

you lot are probably thinking "after all that!" but please trust me your help has been much appreciated, so much so that after your input on this thread i decided to become a full member!

should have this car on the road by the end of this month with luck and it will be a stunner you will see!

Quoteok lads, im NOT one to admit defeat easily, time is come to entrust this job to an expert.

your just not as big of a cheap skate as me :) LOL

i dont blame you to be honest - its peace of mind for 250 - even brett chickened out of doing his own welding

keep us upto date with whats going on matey

Stu

lol mate, trust me some perople were asking double that, although i know when i get value for money, personally i think mine was even worse than bretts.

i gotta start a new thread in a minute.........

Quote from: grindereven brett chickened out of doing his own welding

I refute all allegations of \'Chickening\' :p  I did some welding, just not all of it! (Ok I did about 10% total)

Any idea of a Time scale Nas?

ok the car got picked up today, should have it back within a couple of weeks.

went to visit it last night, hes nearly done actually, job looks like it should be a good un. i will post some pics when i get it back, the quality of the welds is good, and he will put some long lasting gooey stone chip stuff afterwards to protect it.

Good news, dont forget to get under there with the waxoyl now, do everything you can see that might rust.

keep us all posted matey

another rx lives to fight another day eh !!

right its back and looks in good shape, been undersealed using that stone chip stuff. he went over the whole car and repaired all of it, the car is now solid. no holes (apart from the ones that are supposed to be there lol)




Now i got to get on with getting the body work all gorgeous and shiney.. then the dreaded MOT!

WELL DONE MATEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i bet your well pleased :)

CONGRATS !! :)

Stu / Grinder

hahah yeh, felt good having it back off him, hes a good lad he picked it up took it to his garage, and delivered it back,

asked him how much he wants for a respray, hes saying he wants a 1000 pound thats all in including all prep work and sorting, and in a nice red mettalic! think thats too steep, so im going to be doin some oof the filling / prep work myself.

Stu, not long now till i get him on the road, took it for a little blast up and down the cul de sac, ohhh thats one for the wank bank! lol

Well done mate :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

And £1000 for the respray is a damn good deal, the cheapest I\'ve been quoted for a respray and some tidying is £1700 and about 6 weeks to do the job.

1700 quid!!! haha get another qoute mate, hes having a laff!

yeh i had a big smile when he dropped it off i was like "go the rotor" he said "what???" LOL.

How goes the restoration?
Are you any closer to getting it ready for an MOT?
Inquiring minds need to know! :D

The MOT i have to sort out the indicators they dont seem to "indicate"  and then its the power steering pipes, but i have sussed out a plan for them. apart from that i cant see anything else it would fail on besides the old emissions!

you kmnow what lads, i got this horrible feeling about this MOT thats why  instead i all i have been doing since i had it back from the welders is filling in dents and stuff, and marked out where all the creases are and just generally going round the motor and finding scratches etc.  i will grip some pictures of it and post em up but they hardly interesting.

The RX is the last of my worry at the moment

I got a \'99 mazda 323 sport. The 323 needs new engine mounts, ****ty mazda standard crap mountings have "expired" after only 60K not surprised cos they are really really soft everytime you lift off harsh on the throttle the whole car lurches about, it can work to your advantage cos on a roundabout if you lift off and then tap the brakes with your left foot and floor it you can pull off a cool drift lol  :burnout  

luckily tho i have ordered some new ones from the yanks at a very reasonable price, including shipping its 35 quid for the front and the rear mounts and they are nice red polyurathane, they are inserts but as i understand it i wont be needing to press them in.

I have been driving a \'93 cavalier turbo diesel about and tell you what, its such a boring drive that i nearly slipped into a coma this morning and it doesnt have a stereo either.

What do you think then lads? shall i just work on the car for the MOT or shall i carry on and do all the bodywork first?

I would carry on with the bodywork, but get it MOT\'d anyway, that way you will get a good idea of what needs doing :)  Better that than thinking its done only to be dissapointed :)

 (I took mine down expecting it to fail on the exhaust and brakes, but it passed which was a surprise!)

Heard a phrase on Tuesday night (at the retro car meet) and it made me think of the FC section.

\'Rust is lighter than Carbon fibre\'

:rollin

lol did you have to post that in here!

WEll i been a busy boy actually i went and got the door from that scrapper last week, he told me on the phone it had a few scratches but in reality it was only slightly better than the one i have got! lots of little dings and one dent which i managed to bang out, its nearly sorted now, just need to finish off a couple of things. he had the side skirts that i needed, however the bits which go over the front wings were missin i really need those! he let me have half a side skirt and a door (with no glass trim etc) for 30 quid. he wanted 50 first!

Anyway i will post some pics up after i finish the door and give it a first coat of primer, like before and after later on when i get home.

Sounds better every day mate :)
The front wings are a bit of a bitch though, I\'m sure you will find some though. :)

............... (useless post)

er................................? What?

i posted by accident! sorry mate!