Mazda Mx5 Repair Job

[Tillmann]

I am potentially buying a Mazda Mx5 1991, aside from normal maintenance i have the issue of rust and rot in the marked areas on both sides, I have been considering getting it welded for me but the rust likely travels up into the chassis which would also need to be cut out and welded. I have no experience with welding and am wondering if this is an impossible job to try and learn.
Please let me know your thoughts,

 

[Cobbler]

Hi there Tillman, welcome to the forum, we’ve got an mk1 MX5 as well, my wife thinks it’s hers! Had it for about 18 years. I can’t advise on welding one as I’ve never had to on ours, it only comes out in the summer, but someone will be along in a bit that’s in the know. Don’t learn on the car though, get some scrap & practice practice practice, trying to learn on the car is a recipe for disaster. Been there, done that on a Vauxhall Chevette .

 

[Nick DV]

Hi & welcome Looks like there's a few places that sell the bits you need such as here https://easyparts.online/sill-front...WwZ1lzFUoDfDCRhn865cLR97y1g9i4lhoC9IsQAvD_BwE or you could fabricates your own. As @Cobbler says, get some steel of the same thickness and keep practicing.

 

[Misterg]

View attachment 531983
I am potentially buying a Mazda Mx5 1991, aside from normal maintenance i have the issue of rust and rot in the marked areas on both sides, I have been considering getting it welded for me but the rust likely travels up into the chassis which would also need to be cut out and welded. I have no experience with welding and am wondering if this is an impossible job to try and learn.
Please let me know your thoughts,

RUN AWAY!

Hi and welcome. I have a Mk 2.5 I've been working on for almost the last 12 months. I believe that the construction is very similar.

At the front, is the rust just in the wing, or has the sill perforated?

At the rear, is there any rust on the section of sill inside the seam? Particularly up around the curved box section immediately in front of the back wheel.

If either of the above is the case, or if the jacking points have rusted through (or been plated over), what you can see will probably be the edge of a football sized area of rot. (They rust from the inside out.)

Several panels come together at the ends of the sills, and they will probably all be in need of repair. You need to cut quite a bit away to get any sort of access. Repair sections for the inner parts aren't available, so need to be fabricated (although a few are starting to appear).

Front of sill:

Became this:

The rear sill repair

I have no experience with welding and am wondering if this is an impossible job to try and learn.
Please let me know your thoughts,

I'm no pro, but I think it could be a very steep learning curve!
IMHO, try and find a car in better condition. If it has had welding work done (and they pretty much all will have) try and find one with pictures* to show that it's been done properly, rather than welding some tin over the top and giving it a thick coat of underseal. Be VERY wary of fresh underseal!


*Pictures showing bare metal, not fresh paint that could be covering anything!

 

[Cobbler]

The mk1’s don’t rust as bad as the mk2’s from what I understand, they are older, so more years to corrode though. The Mk2 front chassis legs go, from the inside out being double skinned.

The MX5 Restorer has panels & chassis parts on their website.

 

[jo1010]

Impossible? No
Huge learning curve? Yes
.....depends how you see the car really - if it's cheap enough it could be a place to learn skills on ( but I see a lot of those early cars asking BIG money)....but if you've fallen in love with the car and just want to drive it you might find the repair process frustrating...

 

[atomant48]

As above is there anything particularly drawing you to this individual car ? There are a few places that specialise in these repairs on them so there must be a fair few about that are repaired already.

I have a similar mazda with almost identical construction but it is a very rare model so the choice wasn’t there. If I had a choice I’d defo search one out that was basically sound.

 

[rtcosic]

No3 son runs a business. His main focus is race/track day prep and custom upgrades. He does many MX-5s and usually needs to do extensive rust repairs first.
If it is of interest, I can ask him if he would give you a rough assessment from photographs.
Sit down before opening any response, though. He charges at the top end of the range, reflecting the quality of the work.
No, he isn't Rocketeer, but some of his builds have been in that price range.
He might suggest who to avoid!
He is based in Cambridgeshire.