Hi everyone, newbie MX5 owner here!

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:16 pm

welcome to the forum!
so your baby is gonna need some work...! it looks like its been treated to some mods (323 steering wheel, red seats etc)
first off get it it running. looks like the intake and airflow meter are missing as is the thermostat. i am assuming that it had some overheating issues which are 99% of the the time caused by a blocked radiator. alloy rads easily available on trademe. replace the thermostat etc and see how you go. hopefully the headgasket isnt toast from overheating.heater cores have also been known to leak which is a bastard of a job to do (dash has to come out)
while your in there replace the cambelt AND THE WATER PUMP. to get you on the road.
Soft top is obviously shagged. you can get tops on ebay from the likes of robbins or cabrioworld and have a look for tutorials on the net on how to change them.

So your gonna need to do something about the boot rust. most probably only surface rust. you can get away with using a normal battery. (I have for 14 years) but the correct battery is an "agm" battery which are costly. a normal battery will need a taller battery bracket. just get one from supercheap for under $20.

the door window trims are bit trickier. best bet is to screw your local mazda dealer down to as little as possible...expect around $100-150 each.
your gonna need new brake discs and pads(cheap from part master) and a full bleed. and the clutch hydraulics will need bleeding. although my bet is that the slave cylinder will be toast anyway needing replacement.
if she still has the original paint then you will be surprised at how well it will come up with a good claybar/cut/polish. the original paint has no clearcoat so dont be surprised if your polishing cloth turns blood read after one panel.
other than that...she's a beauty!!

Ozzy · Post by **Ozzy** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:40 pm

Wow awesome advice thankyou. Yes it has had several mods, including a sports clutch? Yes the intake and airflow meter are gone, also the thermostat housing.
When it was last driven it was running like a dream, no overheating issues. The reason it was parked up is because the MIL who was driving it at the time, whacked it into first when she was still rolling backwards

Since then one of her grandsons had a manic episode and started pulling it apart. I think this is when the airflow etc went missing. The cambelt was done not too long before it was put off the road.
The boot rust is only surface rust but i need to get in there and have a proper look. The paint is in pretty good nick and should come up well with a cut n polish and a buff.
Cant wait to drag it home from my mates place this weekend and get stuck into it! Just been to check out a wrecked 99 NB and we are going back tomorrow for the carpet, centre console and the soft top (which he is giving me free). Its got a glass back window BUT the leather has a few tears in it.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:52 pm

trust me... you dont want to be messing with trying to repair a ripped top.

Ozzy · Post by **Ozzy** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:56 pm

i did wonder if it would be a bit of a mission, maybe i wont get the soft top from this guy then. How much do new ones go for on ebay? roughly.....

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:11 pm

you can get the haartz tops on ebay for as little as $275 shipped to nz but that doesnt include the rain rail or tensioner wires. so youd need to check yours before ordering.

Ozzy · Post by **Ozzy** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 2:43 pm

Just bought an intake and airflow meter off trade me! Heading off soon to go get the parts off the other mx5 we looked at last night, will check out the tensioner wires and rain rail on that and stop in and check the ones on my own top

Hi everyone, newbie MX5 owner here!

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