Dave

Thing is Simon, the Aerodecks are getting pretty rare now, even more so in VTi form so I'd say she is deffo worth saving. Old Tubs has a lot of history with you and Karen, and with Civic5 aswell! Think she's been on most if not all of our Scottish Civic5 meets? I had a good look under DD after the MOT guy said she was clean but there was signs of rust at that front foot well seam. I panicked and got stuck straight in, grinding out the rust before treating it then giving the whole floor a nice fresh coat of underseal. Still want to get back under there to do the rear section of floor and the whip the front wings off to do the inner wings, sill covers also coming off to have a look in there although I suspect she's pretty solid there going by the jacking points (they look perfect) aswell as the rear arches all being free from bubbles so far. It's a labour of love with these old Civic M's now. So glad to see the love being splashed on Tubs, she deserves it! Keep us updated on it mate

From what you've said so far, I'd put the faults down as: Ticking noise - Probably a sticky/dry valve or tappet. Could also be the gasket on the manifold blowing (You mention the manifold has been changed, I take it it's the exhaust mani and not the inlet?) Temp not getting up to operating temp - When you changed to the alloy radiator, did you fully bleed the cooling system? These can be a biatch to bleed thoroughly on the 1.8 B series.Also check the thermostat is working. These are cheap as chips to buy and easy to fit so might be worth while fitting a new one to be sure. Again, coolant system will need bled after changing thermostat. No VTEC - Unless engine is up to temp, you won't get VTEC (see No 2 above). Other causes for this are the VTEC solenoid itself is faulty, or it might just need the wee mesh filter inside it cleaned out. Very easy to do. Manifold stained - Again, this would most likely point to the gasket failing, letting the fumes out which causes staining. This would also give you a slight tick/puff noise. What grade of oil was put in at the oil change as these engines do require the correct grade, especially for the VTEC to engage properly. If the car has been sitting for any length of time, it may be worthwhile removing the main ignition lead so the engine won't start but will turn over. Let it turn over for a good 15 - 20 seconds to get the oil around all parts before it fires up as it will most likely have drained back down into the sump with the car sitting so long, meaning the top end will be dry initially. Let us know how you get on, and hope this helps. Dave

lol they are the 6th gen Civic Gerry

Lookng amzing, nice work making that bracket! Engine bsy looks like a honda brochure shot mate, looking really mint

Yes, 30 sounds about right, think most ive seen them go for is £50 to £60. We paid £50 years ago for ours although they were boxed. You say pair though.....there should be 4?

They are indeed! Just waiting on the cleaner stuff coming, the restore kit has arrived so cant wait to get started!

lol well chuffed with these mate!

So, after much thought we decided we didn't like the tombstone seats we fitted. Only one thing for it then......... Buy these for Mindy! Nice 2 tone black/red leather seats from another MX5. Apart from some very slight wear on the drivers bolster which we're going to have repaired locally, and needing a clean, these seats are pretty mint! Well chuffed with them and even the undersides (unlike the original bases on the tombstones which we had to swap which were rusty as hell) on these look like brand new. Got them for the bargain price of £70. Apart from afore mentioned slight bolster wear which appears to be just the colour that's worn off, there is no damage/tears or rips anywhere on them.The guy even threw in the matching red leather gear gator and handbrake gator. Really chuffed with these. Going to get them properly clean and then conditioned, then get the restorer to repaint the bolster. A very happy chappy! Can't wait for them to be ready to fit! Suppose the good thing is from an originality point of view, they are the same as the original seats we took out, only in leather, so kinda more in keeping with the car.

Deffo gimme a shout before you come up mate, will get time off arranged.

Lol deffo a first mate!! Mind you, you know how mad trying to fix cars can make you, reckon trying to fix that will make you go loco! Think the last time we spoke on the phone you'd only just got a share in the train, so nice one for getting it completely. Good to see the CRV has been avoiding other dopey drivers too, looking good mate. Need to catch up soon. Oh, and need to come down and see this train sometime soon! Mind, if you're up this way in the van feel free to pop in for a coffee bud. Always welcome.

Indeed Gerry........she deffo taught me that life is for living and also that life is a journey best travelled with the roof down!

Hi Ben. For the mileage, she looks in good shape. The D series engines are pretty bullet proof, even neglected ones will soldier on regardless, but if shes been regularly serviced youll be onto a winner. Always thought the D series was the most refined and smooth (although not the most powerful) engine Honda made. Ive had D series, B series and K and although my d series has no vtec, its really smooth and quiet. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this one, as theres lots of options including Turbo if you want power. Plus the civic M's are the most practical civic having the 5 doors. Good all round cars! PS: thats my old 5 door VTi (aka Ruby) in the forum banner/logo......not mine anymore and still miss here but she's still going strong. I've got my Aerodeck to keep me busy though along with my other cars!

It's a beautiful place Simon. Funny, I never rated it before when I went there every year for 5 years when I was an electrical tester, but had only seen the housing end where the high school is! Hadn't actually went right into the town!

Just been on our first proper road trip with Mindy. Gayle got me a murder mystery weekend for my birthday at a very nice hotel in Pitlochry, Perthshire. We decided that we'd take Mindy as Gayle knew of some cracking roads in that part of Scotland, so would be a great wee test for the car. Gave Mindy a once over before we set off (oil, coolant, brake/clutch fluids etc) then off we went. Mostly motorways until we got past Perth and on the road to Inverness. Have to say that was the one bit I wasnt looking forward too, going by how Mindy drove home on the motorway the say we bought her, but she totally surprised me. She is happy on the motorway, cruises along at 70mph no probs, with occasional we jaunts upwards of that. No horrible shakes or vibrations now that she has her new suspension, and it was quite a relaxed trip. Once we turned off to head for Pitlochry, Gayle took us on another route that goes up to a place called "Queens View". This is the most beautiful tourist viewpoint, with staggering views of the hills/mountains and across Loch Tummel. Mindy having her first wee rest at Queens View! And the best cappuccino ever when we arrived at the wee cafe there The views from Queens view over Loch Tummel Then we headed back to Pitlochry to explore the town and our accommodation for the weekend, Fishers Hotel. The staff were great, the food awesome and the murder mystery a right laugh! For the trip home, Gayle planned a great route, taking in some beautiful little villages and towns along with some of the best roads we've been on! She knows this area very well so as soon as we hit the route she smiled and said "enjoy!" First place we stopped off at was Kenmore, a stunning little village. Next we headed along some even better roads to Killin, another stunning village. The river was impressive, with its waterfalls and large rocky area. Although loads of rocks you could walk out on, these are pretty much covered over during winter when the water level rises We had a look through a little arts/crafts/thrift shop which used to be a mill. Had some old vinyl LP's for sale too (yes, we had a good rumage and bought one!). We also popped into "Falls of Dochart Inn" where we had the best home made scones ever! They were blooming huge!!!! From there we headed through the hills, east and back towards Perth. Avbsolutely an amazing drive and loved every second of those wee twisty roads! Our first trip done, and Mindy never missed a beat. She drove perfect the whole trip, and was so much fun! Now we've seen what she's like on a trip (we covered 250 miles all in) we want to take off for more weekends away! We did notice a slight noise from the left rear which I think may be the start of a wheel bearing going, so will get that looked at although it wasn't loud or anything. Other than that, flawless. Love this wee car!!! Oh, and so many waves from fellow MX5 drivers, from mk2's to mk3's and even the latest mk4! Also got a wee video of Gayle driving down the narrow twisty road from Queens View which I'll post up once I've finished editing it.

^^^^ what Jake says! Both will fit

That looks stunning! Nice height, clean bodywork.......and those rims!!! Love deep dished wheels, was it difficult to get them on there? I imagine you've had the arches rolled?

Thats an epic build mate! Looks stunning!!

First scooby one ive seen fitted to an mb! Looks spot on. Was it easy to fit?

Bang tidy mate!

She's great in the garage mate! I was starting to loose my rag (which I do very quickly since the heart attack for some reason) with that bottom bolt, but Gayle is just so patient and calm when working on the car it's amazing! She always mentions the "tortoise and the hare" tale.........take your time and you'll get the job done, try and rush it impatiently and you'll get frustrated, loose the head and throw yer teddy out the pram meaning job won't get done! She's right! lol

Out for a wee run in DD yesterday seeing as Dave and Sarah were up here on hols. Went to North Berwick, then to Archerfield on way back up. DD drove perfect as always! We stopped in to a relatively new place just outside North Berwick called "Drift" (don't worry, wasnt a drift track and DD deffo wasnt drifting!) for lunch. Awesome wee place with the most amazing views ever! Really great to see Dave and Sarah again, must get a wee trip down to Manchester arranged soon! Wee pic from the day:

yes mate, think that's what I like about this wee mx5, easy to work on and not a lot of sensors. Only some bolts are a pain to get access to but other than that great wee car.Daves MB3 is looking good mate, although he did have a slight altercation with a very low bollardy type thing while up here (seems his rear brakes always get a problem when they visit Scotland too lol

Ah, think that might be the same tank Dougie found, but they were unwilling to post it to uk for some reason. Wonder why the tank changed on later decks? Seems a bit pointless to change it when the model is due to be replaced.

Bloody hell thats some trip!!! Where did you manage to find a new petrol tank? Know Dougie is looking for one too. Apparently the aerodeck tank is slightly different to the hatch, but i thought they were the same? DD was out for a good run today with me, Gayle, Sarah and Dave. Drove perfect as always!

Amazing service from autolink, parts arrived this morning! All fitted and Mindy running sweet as a nut now, fault cured! Big thanks to Gayle for helping me in the garage today, my hands were too big to get to the bolt on the coil pack that was on the back of the engine and up against the bulkhead. Real swine to get to, but Gayle saved the day! Pic below showing Gayle with the offending bolt (and Mindy's nice new red HT leads!) Also Dave and Sarah were here today (DAVEMB2 and SarahFR) on hols so was great to see them again. Had Dave out for a blast in Mindy, then we all went for a run to North Berwick then Archerfield in DD. Was a great day out. Good to see Daves MB3 still going strong and looking sweet!