Mk1 Super Edition F227OVU

[5705]

OK, I said 'hello' a little earlier and promised to start a project thread, so here it is. F227OVU was (as I understand it) imported in about '98, owned by Lauren's 'other half' and then sold to a chap in Northern Ireland and then I bought it (Sept 2011).



Still largely original as far as I can tell, with some previous rust repairs to whatever the bit behind the rear wheels is called (!)

There are a few things that do need attention:
1) rust bubbling through above windscreen - #1 priority
2) few small dings here and there - may keep these as 'patina'
3) drive it!
4) move indicator stalk to left hand side of the steering column

F227OVU will be living in a garage (with dehumidifier) as a long-term keeper, for weekends and fundays. (And I was joking about the indicator stalk.)

[tonigmr2]

hello! Looking forward to what the old girl looks like now!

[Quigonjay]

you will need 15 posts before you can post links or pics mate (to stop the spammers)

[5705]

^^ thanks for the heads-up.

I'll get busy on both aspects (uploading the pix and wibbling away around the forum!)

[Neil_turbo]

thought i recognised the number plate!

look forward to the pics in a few posts time!

[5705]

Aaarrgghhh!!!! Should have asked the former owner to put some extra tax on the car.

It seems that I can't just send off the V5C(NI) to DVLA and tax the car using the 'new owner' bit. I've got to take the whole document to the local DVLA office and apply for a GB V5C. Then - hopefully - I can get the new docs needed to tax the car before the end of the month.

Let's see, what's DVLA's rep for timely turnaround of documents... Oh f***

[5705]

Well, V5C(NI) is traded in and - after two trips to the local DVLA office - I have a new tax disk.

Had some time today to get out for a proper run for the first time. Fantastic. Caveat: I've never driven an NA MR2 to know what that's like, but this one kept me grinning. Seems not quite as light on its feet as the X1/9, but there's so much more driveability. Rained a little this afternoon, so I didn't go crazy in the curves.

Has a Magnex exhaust that's a little bassy, although not as boomy as the X1/9 with a sports exhaust. On cruise it has one note, but when accelerating a second, harder, bass note seems to come in.

Gearbox is far slicker than the X1/9's, but I've got to get used to the feel of the clutch a little more. Brakes are in a completely different league to the X1/9's.

Safely tucked up in the newly emptied garage for now.

(Yes, pix to be added as soon as I have permissions)

[5705]

A few more pix to properly document the condition...



Not sure if this one shows much of the repair to the rusted area that (ISTR) Lauren's earlier photos had shown?

Magnex (again, I think) exhaust.

Show plate is now off (I live around the corner from a police station and don't want to be easy meat).

[5705]

On this one, you can just about make out a small ding in the rear bumper, just below the three-stripe decal at the point above the foglight. Part of the 'patina' and probably will leave that as-is unless/until I did a full restoration with respray.

I absolutely hate bolt-on foglights. Always a complete afterthought and as pretty as a plook on a Glaswegian goddess. I might even try long-term to include it within the stadard rear lights. My old X1/9 had one of the reversing lights red-tinted and bulbed/wired as the foglight.

One other thing: you can just about see that there's a rear window tint film. It's quite light - not a chavvy dark tint. Do we know if this was original to the SE? I'm not a fan.

[5705]

And here we have the #1 priority - a rusting and bubbling scar above the windscreen. Will be getting this attended to as soon as I can find someone I can trust to not do a temporary bodge. (Recommendations close to Suffolk are very welcome.)

[5705]

Took advantage of what may be the last decent sunny day to go for a quick blast around Suffolk this afternoon.

One thing I have now noticed, there's enough torque with the SC that it's really quite forgiving of being in the wrong gear. Coming from an X1/9, it's quite a change to have such easy driveability. I'm 99% decided to buy a NA Mk1, too, which I presume will need more use of revs for enthusiastic driving?

Couple of pix from today's jaunt...

[donna]

Looks fabulous! your a lucky guy

[craig]

Nice example there fella, looks well
Welcome to IMOC by the way

[mr2.me]

pm!

[SrSilkie]

Sooo clean!

[Ben]

Sooo clean!

And sooo mine

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=168307