Back on the Road :)

Discussion and technical advice the SW20 MR2. 3S-GTE, 3S-GE, 3S-FE etc
Anything and everything to do with maintenance, modifications and electrical is in here for the Mk2.

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Shmed
Posts: 3568
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Back on the Road :)

Post by Shmed »

Well, it's been nearly three weeks, but after my suspension spring snapped I embarked on a mission that would change my life forever, or three weeks.

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Decided to upgrade to a Koni kit and removed all the old legs.

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Had to cut off all the droplinks as the bolts were rotten, if only I knew how much they were!! Found the lower balljoints were both fcuked, as were the trackrod ends. The top mounts had collapsed and the rubber brake hoses had corroded around all the metal bits.

All in all things weren't looking good, bought new braided hoses, droplinks, top suspension mounts, suspension kit, rear legs (as the old ones had rust holes in the lower spring seat), lower ball joints, track rod ends and some dot 5.1 (and some Autoglym cleaning products to treat her after the abuse she was getting!)and a new lower strut as mine had...wait for it.....rusted, surely nothing else could go wrong?!

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Got nice shiny new stuff ready to go on and notice this!!
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A hole the size of a mother of twenty!! Upon closer inspection, and an attempt to treat this, I find THIS!

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and THIS!
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Thoroughly pi55ed off about the rot on a car that I only bought in May last year, knowing that it should never have passed it's MOT last year (unless I drove through a vat of highly corrosive stuff, I was ready to get rid, but a bit of perseverance and I now have this
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This,
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this
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and this
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and this
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Finally, I can get it on the road, but alas whilst bleeding the brakes, fluid starts weeing out where the steel pipe meets the braided :cry: :cry:
Had enough by now, I'd managed to knacker the thread on the union so had to cut the pipe, put a new union on and reflare it. Sounds easy enough, does it seal? Does it xxxx!!

Off to Pirtek, £5 for a new copper pipe, refit and wahay!!! What a bl00dy mission!!

Anyway, as I'm sure you can imagine, the car is a completely different beast, no wishy washy steering, just point and go, nice brakes and everything is rosy :D (until the next thing, MOT on Tue :( )

Thanks for listening!! As I'm sure you can tell, this has become such a huge part of my life, I thought I just had to share it, coz that's what it's all about isn't it? Sharing?!
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Lauren
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Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 5:37 pm
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Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by Lauren »

Good post I thought and a bit more interesting than "how much boost can run, HK$ SSQVC dump valve" ;)

so where exactly was the rust? I wonder given the age of MK2s now that more will be apearing with corrosion, given that that has been the speciality of the MK1 in the past.. ;)
Shmed
Posts: 3568
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by Shmed »

Cheers Lauren, glad my efforts haven't been wasted :)
All the rust was up in the rear arches! The hole went though into the engine bay behind the air filter and the long holes were along the inner wheel arch at the bottom of the suspension tower. It was just as bad on both sides.

Think mine has been put into a barn for storage where the damp has got at it, there is a surface rust over a lot of the underside of the car, gonna get it waxoyled fully, once the bank account has recovered from this little task.
Last edited by Shmed on Fri Mar 04, 2005 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
January 2014
..the only thing I can promise for sure is slow progress.

May 2015
just have this niggling thought that if I rip out the wiring, then the car will never get out of the garage again.

Still in the garage...
ENSMR2
Posts: 12008
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:35 am

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by ENSMR2 »

Lauren wrote:Good post I thought and a bit more interesting than "how much boost can run, HK$ SSQVC dump valve" ;)


I agree. Thumbs up. We need more post like this around here. I've learnt so much previously from these kind of posts.

I think maybe the increase in newer / younger members has had this effect.

Cheers schmed: Its helped me out as Im gonna be looking to buy a MK1 at some point.
Shmed
Posts: 3568
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by Shmed »

Mine's a Mk2, but hope it helps all the same. Have really found the site valuable in my hour of need, made me realise that getting 'Max Power' is a waste of time whne the car's poorly maintained. Thought a nice detailed report may come in handy, wish I'd taken more pics now, for my car records.
January 2014
..the only thing I can promise for sure is slow progress.

May 2015
just have this niggling thought that if I rip out the wiring, then the car will never get out of the garage again.

Still in the garage...
tonigmr2
IMOC Committee
Posts: 18054
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:30 pm
Location: Here

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by tonigmr2 »

Blimey on a 1993 as well...did you waxoyl/underseal afterwards?
T
Shmed
Posts: 3568
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by Shmed »

Yep, the black stuff is Hammerite Underbody Seal, let that set, the attacked it with a hot waxoyl. That rust won't be back in a hurry!!
January 2014
..the only thing I can promise for sure is slow progress.

May 2015
just have this niggling thought that if I rip out the wiring, then the car will never get out of the garage again.

Still in the garage...
ENSMR2
Posts: 12008
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:35 am

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by ENSMR2 »

I should really check profiles before I reply. I thought it was a MK1 due to the rust..jesus! :shock:
Shmed
Posts: 3568
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by Shmed »

Yeah, it's bad isn't it. A fine example!!
January 2014
..the only thing I can promise for sure is slow progress.

May 2015
just have this niggling thought that if I rip out the wiring, then the car will never get out of the garage again.

Still in the garage...
steve b
Posts: 3238
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 1:49 pm
Location: Trackdays in the South
Contact:

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by steve b »

White, thats the problem its white. Shame as white looks great but white cars always rust more than other colours. Don't know why but its true.
'02 VX220 2.2 n/a Daily driver - Exige Size TD 1.2 - TAT shorty Diffuser - HardTop - Chris Tullet 4-1 Manifold.

'97 mk1 Mazda Eunos Turbo track car with 260bhp/ton - soon more as Chris Wilsons going to build me an engine over the winter :o) .
eddy simpson

WELDING

Post by eddy simpson »

thats a serious amount of welding! its good to see you tackled the job and kept the car on the road, many people would have got shot of it! :wink:
Shmed
Posts: 3568
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by Shmed »

The thought did cross my mind, but I've spent enough fixing everything else, I don't think anything else can go wrong [touch wood]50 times[\touch wood].

Hoping for a year of trouble free motoring [-o<
January 2014
..the only thing I can promise for sure is slow progress.

May 2015
just have this niggling thought that if I rip out the wiring, then the car will never get out of the garage again.

Still in the garage...
PW@Woodsport
Posts: 7642
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 6:40 pm
Location: durham
Contact:

Re: Back on the Road :)

Post by PW@Woodsport »

I wonder given the age of MK2s now that more will be apearing with corrosion, given that that has been the speciality of the MK1 in the past


Ive seen quite a few mk2's like this now,seems old father tinworm is catching up with the mk2.
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