Ben's second-car thread - MR2s and Westfields inside...

[Ben]

It appears that quite a few people know I've bought this car, so this thread will come as no surprise!

So here's my new purchase. For those unfamiliar, it's a Mk1 Supercharger Super Edition, basically a JDM-spec SC with a few extra goodies thrown in as a run-out special edition. This is the car that Lauren and Mark owned for many years before spending a couple of years in NI in the hands of a Mk1 club member, before being returned to the UK by the chap who, after enjoying it for a year or so, sold it to me yesterday

It is a fantastically original car, very sound and remarkably rust-free. Some previous tin-rot under the rear-quarters looks to have been dealt with properly, and otherwise all of the paint is original as far as I can tell. In fact the only rust I can find on the car is a fairly nasty-looking scab above the windscreen, which will need attention at some point

As ever with new purchases there's a few bits that will need doing, but certainly nothing serious:

Thermostat needs replacing - temp gauge never goes above 1/3

Obligatory slight t-bar leak (will start with some rubber conditioner and see where we go - Pingi is already on order though!)

The front tyres are due replacing, will probably do all four

I originally thought that some of the engine-bay rubber pipes were a bit knackered, but on closer inspection it just looks like they all have a layer of some sort of engine-bay dressing which is drying and flaking off.

Alignment will need sorting, so will take it down to Zeca (chap who built Pete's SC many years ago) to make sure everything's pointed in the right direction.

There's a bit of belt squeal from the 'charger at high revs


So nothing too serious really - all of this is pretty easy to address. Otherwise I'll just be making sure everything is ready and in order for its trip to Le Mans in June

Anyway, I know you like pics so I've taken plenty for you! I've tried to include detailed photos of all the Super Edition 'extras', as I know there has been a bit of interest around this as well...

















Nasty-looking rust bit






Mirror-polished teardrops (surpisingly hard to photograph!)




Recaro interior


Slightly faded on the driver's seat




Momo wheel


Old-school tunes!


Momo gear-knob (does say Momo on the top, but it's pretty much worn away)








SE door-cards




Mirror t-bar

[ashley]

Like it

[craig]

Very Very nice Mr Ben!

Any plans?

[Lauren]

Looking good!

When Mark got it, the engine bay had been sprayed with a dressing:



How it looked in 2002!

You can't really see that well, but the Recaro labels on the seats were more visible back then:

[Magic Beans]

What a beauty. It's been very well kept

[Ben]

When Mark got it, the engine bay had been sprayed with a dressing

Ah, that explains it!

Any plans?

Other than the list of things that need sorting, no. It's too rare and original a car to start chopping it about - anyway, I did plenty of that with my previous Mk1

What a beauty. It's been very well kept

Cheers! A credit to its previous owners

[pistol pete]

Awesome
Looking forward to its first trip down

Ahhh the dressing spray that explains the gunk and residue on the pipes

[Peter Gidden]

Ahhh the dressing spray that explains the gunk and residue on the pipes

What was it? Salad dressing?

[craig]

Ahhh the dressing spray that explains the gunk and residue on the pipes

What was it? Salad dressing?

I did wonder that, but never posted..

[pistol pete]

Oh I can see the way lemansis going already

[Ben]

Finally got the chance to take it for a decent run today - it feels like every time I've wanted to drive it recently, it rains!

So when the sun came out and the roads dried, I decided to make the most of it. I started off in Wallingford, headed over the hills via Henley, Marlow, Pinkney's Green and then down into Maidenhead. Then I turned up the A404, down through Henley and back home via the twiddly roads in Ewelme. About 50 miles, I reckon - not bad for a completely aimless drive!]

So, the car... All I can say is, what fun! It's been three years since I really drove a Mk1 in anger, but it all came flooding back. Well, almost - the first time I pressed on a bit I noticed some fairly alarming handling traits - a quick diversion to a petrol station confirmed that the tyre pressures were all way out. The Garage who fitted the new Yoko C-drives to the front had inflated them to 35psi (!) and the rears were 32 and 26 respectively. No wonder it felt like an understeery mess!

Anyway, tyres adjusted to 30R and 28F, and the difference was night and day. The new C-drives on the front are an excellent match for the existing A539s on the rear, the car feels beautifully balanced and very progressive. It still has a slight tendency to dive the nose in if I lift off mid-corner (more than I'd expect it to, I mean, I know it's bad practice but I want to be sure of the handling characteristics). It's off to Zeca next Saturday for a full geo setup, which I hope will sort this out. The old front tyres were worn a little strangely (one on the outside edge and one on the inside :S ) so I'm guessing the alignment is a bit out...

The brakes are fantastic, no complaints there. Nice and firm, no sticking of callipers and nicely balanced. I may put some uprated pads on before it goes to Le Mans, but I'll see how these ones handle the Coast Run first I think.

The Recaro seats are, er, OK. Very supportive laterally, but to be honest the cloth Mk1a seats I had in my previous car were equally supportive in corners, and more comfortable to boot. Still, I can live with this though. The Momo steering wheel, on the other hand, is brilliant - a perfect size and feels very nice to hold. I always felt the standard Mk1 wheel was waaaay too big.

And I love the engine. The charger (still running standard boost, mind) gives it that extra bit of torque the Mk1 always needed, and yet it's still beautifully smooth and free-revving. Sounds fantastic with the Magnex exhaust as well, especially through a tunnel with the T-bars out

It's also had another wash and wax, as a reward for being so well-behaved today. I had to take everything out of the boot as the carpet and sound-deadening was damp - not sure why yet, I can't find a leak anywhere. It's all spent the afternoon on the Aga and it's gone back into the car dry, so I'll see if it stays that way. I also found this:



...which rather suggests I have a set of adjustable shocks.

[pistol pete]

Very cool buddy
Liking it lots
Can't sit for a play next week

[Wackojacko]

That thing is awesome, the roads you took it on are a great little trip out.

(I'm just outside of Henley)

[Ben]

Cheers WJ

Well, had a very productive weekend. First job was to make sure everything was pointing in the right direction, so I took it down for a visit to Zeca Bridges, the chap who built Pete's mad SC a few years ago. It turned out that, while the rear was fine, the front wheels were a little bit 'googley-eyed,' which explained the slightly odd handing characteristics I'd been experiencing. Zeca spent almost two hours on the car:



...and once done, it was transfomed. Turn-in is sharp, it's beautifully balanced and now incredibly well planted through fast, undulating corners. It was also a good opportunity to poke around at the underside of the car, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised at how solid everything is. This being a Mk1, I keep expecting to find a nasty surprise lurking somewhere, but the underside is completely solid, no weird surface rust or rotten mounts to worry about! Looks like the underseal treatment it had a while ago has stood it in good stead

Second job of the weekend was to tackle the temperature and overfuelling issues. Since I've had it the temp gauge hasn't moved over 1/3rd and it idles at around 1500-2000rpm. A replaced thermostat and coolant cap have done the trick - check out the fuel gauge and idle speed after a 120-mile drive from Kent to Oxfordshire (including around 40 miles of A and B roads):


To put it in context, the same journey on the way down used well over half a tank!

So those are the immediate concerns sorted. Next step is to get it booked in for a cambelt change, plugs, dizzy, poly engine mounts and a Fensport pulley kit. Should have that all done and sorted in time for the Kent Coast run (hopefully!)

[Lauren]

Good work, Ben.

Glad it's running well. In respect of the underseal, it will be due to be re-done I'd say as it must have been 8-9 years ago when Mark had it done.

[Ben]

Something for next winter I think Lauren - it's in fantastic condition underneath at the moment and I've got enough on my plate getting all the servicing in order!

[Magic Beans]

You've definitely got yourself a gem there. Looking forward to seeing it in June.

[Ben]

Thanks mate, very kind

Yep, June's going to be fun!

[Ben]

Raybrigs fitted

Before:



After:





And I only had to curse and swear at one rusty bolt...

Big thanks to Slarty for getting these wrapped and posted so quickly. Really happy with them

[sketchmyster]

nice really like it nice to see a great example