Half Finished
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| posted on 29/5/26 at 03:12 PM |
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Next up was fibreglass, I covered everything in dust sheets and the dust still got everywhere.
 
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And this is the ultimate tool for cutting fibreglass, with a ceramic cutting blade.
It leaves a nice straight edge.
 
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I've trimmed all of the panels now and they are ready to bond on.
I had one issue with the side panels, they seemed to be too short and I had to cut away most of the bottom edge.
For the interior panels, I tidied up the cable conduits and clips in the transmission tunnel.
This should all be IVA compliant now.
The routing is a bit odd because there is no room above the gearbox around the gear shifter
 
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Interior panels are stainless steel.
Marking out and partial brushing
 
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After brushing and bending.
 
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And trial fit, I really like this finish. I'm going to bond it in to avoid rivets.
 
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And I finally added the headlight brackets.
 
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And that is now up to date. I will be at the national kit car show in Malvern show tomorrow, unfortunately without the car.
I am lookout for a few parts. I still need an aero screen and one or two other parts like trims.
And I will wait and see which test date I get for the IVA
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Slimy38
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| posted on 29/5/26 at 03:51 PM |
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Great stuff, that's a huge amount of progress! Your exhaust is almost identical to mine, even down to the location of the Cat. It works well
there, although I put a heat shield between the cat and the bodywork. The passenger footwell still gets a bit warm even with the heatshield, but then
mine is enclosed in bodywork as well which retains the heat. You should be ok with an exposed cat.
Where are you located, what will be your local IVA station?
Do you know if you're going for an age related plate? If so I'd recommend contacting Mazda for a 'proof of engine age' letter. It
makes things really easy but because they come from Japan it can take a while before the letter gets back to you. Better to request it early so
you're not waiting for bits of paper at the very last step.
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scudderfish
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| posted on 29/5/26 at 05:57 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Half Finished
First start was quite loud without the exhaust. And a few neighbours noticed.
 
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If they complain, tell them 'it could be worse' and share this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcPS9KKJ5Vg
https://vetuner.co.uk
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Half Finished
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| posted on 29/5/26 at 06:09 PM |
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I requested at Yeading, my local centre at Southampton had a note about not supporting vehicles with limited slip differentials.
I took an MK Indy to Yeading long ago as well.
I will go for an engine related plate. I'm actually using a mk2 mx5 donor for engine, gearbox, steering column and axles, which is an S reg.
The mk1 that I did strip down was just too high mileage and worn out.
Good hint with the proof of engine age letter with Mazda, do the DVLA need it?
[Edited on 29/5/26 by Half Finished]
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Slimy38
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| posted on 29/5/26 at 06:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Half Finished
I requested at Yeading, my local centre at Southampton had a note about not supporting vehicles with limited slip differentials.
I took an MK Indy to Yeading long ago as well.
I will go for an engine related plate. I'm actually using a mk2 mx5 donor for engine, gearbox, steering column and axles, which is an S reg.
The mk1 that I did strip down was just too high mileage and worn out.
Good hint with the proof of engine age letter with Mazda, do the DVLA need it?
[Edited on 29/5/26 by Half Finished]
I took my letter to IVA in order for the correct emissions to be done, but that was because mine was an import so I wanted to be sure. Ultimately it
is the DVLA that want to see it though, it's an easy way of proving age.
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Half Finished
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| posted on 2/6/26 at 05:46 AM |
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IVA test date booked for July 31st!
I also picked up the last few trims and pieces I needed from the Malvern show. Now, I've got a list of jobs to check off, including mounting all
of the panels I've already trimmed down.
I even picked up a trailer recently from the Isle of Wight!
[Edited on 2/6/26 by Half Finished]
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Half Finished
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| posted on 12/6/26 at 08:03 AM |
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Now just 7 weeks until the IVA. For this weekend I'm hoping to get the rest of the bodywork on.
I already bonded the sides on and also some of the interior panels. I really like the stainless steel finish.
I had an issue with the Equinox panels not being tall enough to clear the floor panels and rivets,
so I've had to trim away most of the bottom edge.
It also just fits onto the trailer with not much room to spare. And I think I'll have to back the car on to get the hitch weight correct.
I'll also have to replace the copper fuel lines with cunifer as I noticed the fuel in the tank has turned green. Those parts are on order and on
the to do list.
The aspect ratio is skewed here, right click and show image in new tab should fix it, unless anyone knows a fix for portrait images?
 
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Slimy38
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| posted on 12/6/26 at 12:32 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Half Finished
Now just 7 weeks until the IVA. For this weekend I'm hoping to get the rest of the bodywork on.
I already bonded the sides on and also some of the interior panels. I really like the stainless steel finish.
I had an issue with the Equinox panels not being tall enough to clear the floor panels and rivets,
so I've had to trim away most of the bottom edge.
It also just fits onto the trailer with not much room to spare. And I think I'll have to back the car on to get the hitch weight correct.
I'll also have to replace the copper fuel lines with cunifer as I noticed the fuel in the tank has turned green. Those parts are on order and on
the to do list.
Hmm, my fuel was also green and I used Kunifer from day one... Are you sure it's from the copper?
Just for entertainment, I asked copilot about green petrol;
How to prevent green petrol
Here are the most effective fixes:
Use E0 petrol (ethanol‑free) if available
Add a fuel stabiliser (e.g., Briggs & Stratton, Sta‑Bil)
Avoid long storage in vented tanks
Use steel for long runs and Kunifer only for flexible sections
Add a non‑return valve to reduce backflow exposure
Apparently Kunifer is only for flexible sections... 
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