@nickwheeler spent the whole day here.
Simply put….. A Hero in my book.
We worked from 10.30 to 5.30 with a 45 minute lunch break.
It was 5’C out on the driveway and under the carport.
Dry and no wind meant it was not a bad day.
After a coffee and a chat……
The shopping list bonnet was removed off the MX5, and the chassis and body both pushed up the drive and out the way.
Then we got going.
Nick tore into the front end, engine compartment with a gusto, removing plastics, filters, ducts etc.
I started at the rear, marking and removing all electrical cables, the loom, all in one piece, both of us figuring it out as we went along.
An hour or two later it started to look a bit messy.
The cold was not helping with the hard, brittle plastics.
On and on and on we went.
Nick systematically removing parts, creating piles in order of importance and function.
At some point the cooling system was drained.
Then raised up to be able to crawl around underneath and remove more parts.
There………
Some people have asked why I am chopping up a lovely looking car like this.
Or why not restore the car.
A few pics may give an idea.
Eventually we got to a point where the engine hoist could be brought out and wheeled under the car, attached to the engine and the engine mounts unbolted.
The combination of stretch on the lifting strap, and the fact that the hoists hydraulic ram was not fully extending, having been in the shed for 5 years, and possibly needing a bit of attention, meant that we could not lift the engine and gearbox out of the engine bay.
So I pulled out the grinder and made some space
I also strapped my one strip light to the boom in order for us to see clearly what we were doing.
RESULT….!!!
Knackered, Happy, the pair of us had won round one.
Which left us with a large hole, and as Nick said, thankfully we do not have to refit it all.
And big holes if you look, throughout.
At this point we decided to close the shop as it was dark, cold and 5.30pm which meant hick had to get to Rochester Cathedral.
So a final pic from day one…….
Heart ripped out
