Frustration

While I said I enjoyed breaking the donor, I may have oversold that a bit.

Pulling the engine out was deeply satisfying. Fighting with every. single. part of the donor since is somewhat less so. The car is from just before the turn of the century, so there is the best part of 22 years grime, corrosion, and just general gunk gumming everything up.

The gearbox looks in great shape. It really just needs a good brush, a clean with some brake cleaner and then paint. Check.

The engine looks OK. The previous owner assures me it runs fine and there is no reason not to believe him to be honest. Problem is he had already taken it apart a certain amount. That makes it a bit difficult to put back together but lets assume I can manage that with some guidance.

The diff is fine. It's gone off for strengthening, but its in reasonable nick and its an LSD which is nice.

The driveshafts, most of the ancilliaries and anything from the interior are fine.

The uprights and hubs look like they are closer to 122 years old. I would happily buy new ones if you could get them, but it doesn't seem like thats possible. It seems a bit weird that I can easily get new driveshafts for a sierra that they stopped building in the 80s, but for an MX5 that they built into the mid noughties, it's not an option.

I might have an option for someone to do all the reconditioning for me. Its seeming awfully appealing at the moment. I just really want to start building the new stuff!

I have managed to do a couple of bits on the new chassis so I feel like I am making some progress.

Locked off the bias bar (important for IVA pass)

Installed the handbrake handle and the fuel filter bracket. The Fuel filter itself from the donor had a big score in it so I have replaced it with a new one. The handbrake needs a new grip. I'll save that for near the end but I think I'll go satin stainless.

As more parts start to arrive, the list of things I can start thankfully starts to get longer.

Next off the mark will be modifying and installing the fuel pump and lines at the rear of the car, and then fitting the tank. While thats going on, I want to get the uprights shot blasted and painted, then as soon as the diff carrier comes back, I'm straight into getting the rear suspension in and done. Will be nice to start making some real progress.....