SundanceUK

I source my rattle cans from my local bodyshop guy. He is currently respraying my TF, cant wait to get it back, its looking sooo good - anyway, he gets the paint mixed for me and supplied in spray cans for about 12 quid a can. As long as you know the colour code and sometimes the varient - some codes can have several different versions or tones, especially metallics. For example x-power grey, or LEF has four varients, my old TF had the variety with a yellow additive to the colour. Your Solar red may be a bit more simple to match though. Find you local bodyshop and see if he can get the stuff made up. I currently have a couple more tins of Firefrost red on order and a can of lacquer, just for doing some touch up work under the bonnet. Already done the ABS tray, now got to do the battery shelf. May have to do my mirrors too, if the painter did not bother doing them!

Sundance

ABS TRay



Here is the paint he mixed for me for my old LEF grey TF.....NOTE THE YELLOWER ADDITIVE ON THE LABEL!

I have just replaced the rear calipers on my new TF. I was going to strip and clean them up like I have done in the past with my other TF's, however I found a set on ebay new for under 90 quid for both sides....not worth the time and effort to refurb the old calipers as both old calipers were well rusted, albeit working fine. I just stripped, derusted and painted the carriers and handbrake cable brackets and fitted new slider pins. I also painted the new calipers with VHT paint.
While they were off, treated the car to some red braided brake hoses too. Recent MOT after fitting the brakes, gave the handbrake a 2% error in balance between both sides!

Sundance

Some of the long time guys in here may have noticed I have been off the grid for a bit...well, the bad news is my beloved TF 160 is no more, the much loved Shadow bit the dust in February, thanks to some nasty sheet ice on untreated roads not far from where I live....I was gutted to say the least.. but the good news is I have a new TF which for the last couple of months I have been working on. Still a bit of a way to go and its in the bodyshop next month to get the exterior tip top. Here is some of the stuff I have been up to.

First a lament for Shadow....



My New TF is a Firefrost Spark with reasonable low mileage, needs a bit doing to it, but being a sound car underneath is what sold it to me....It came with a red soft top, too much red for me, so replaced it with the black soft top from Shadow.



I also did not like this wood finish to the steering wheel, console and doors, original Sparks had silver, so I painted them X-Power grey, which I thought may look similar but different...but it was a bit too dark, so I changed the colour to Firefrost red, and its so much better.



Next was the nasty smell of fuel in the cabin...the fuel pump is always suspect in these instances, and so it was to be, the plug and socket connector on top of the pump had burnt up, allowing the pin on the electrical connector to melt away inside its sealed plastic housing, allowing the vapour fumes to seep out and into the car, scary really to think a loose electrical connector is glowing warm over petrol fumes! A new pump and seal duly fitted and problem solved...those pumps can be a bit tricky to seat down...my tip if changing one is to get a mate to help push down while you screw the lock ring up!



Next up, I new the car still had the original steel underfloor pipes on the coolant system...They have to be sorted, but when I saw the bodged repair on them, plastic metal on one and bitumen tape on the other, then the job became a priority...so new stainless pipes fitted along with a new expansion tank, since the old one had a faulty sensor in the tank (Magnet missing from float) and of course new coolant.



Now for the brakes...I like nice calipers, so I fitted a spare set of refurbished front 4 pots and some brand new rears, with new Pagid coated discs, pads and a full coolant change..Oh and new stainless steel braided hoses...





While the brake fluid was out of the system, I decided to refurb the brake servo, so it was cleaned up, de-rusted and repainted. I also fitted a heavy duty brace to the bracket courtesy of MGFnTFbitz.



Again while the brake fluid is out, it gave me chance to remove the ABS modulator and repaint the tray it sits on, also I fitted a new powder coated bracket. More work under the bonnet to come later in the year!



With a bit more hard work hopefully the new TF will soon be up to the standard of my previous one....still a bit of a way to go yet though...

Sundance

The ignition switch contacts can be problematic when they decide to act up. I had a 135 which I bought new in 2004 and had to have the ignition switch replaced - hence a new lockset all round by a local MG dealer about 24 months after I bought the car, sadly no warranty claim due to the demise of MG-Rover. The symptoms were exactly as you describe. Fortunately there is a good source of second hand lock kits about if yours does decide to pack in!

Sundance

The gauges have to be prized open. Also its a good idea to check the polarity of the connections to the led's as you have to solder them on the correct way round. If I remember correctly, they will be standard 3 volt LED's not 12 volt as you would put in your dashboard instruments and switches.
Suggest you buy a couple of second hand ones to butcher, then you can always revert back to normal if you want to sell the car on as original.

Sundance

Dont forget only the drivers side window runs through the BCU, the passenger side is only controlled by the switch on the console.

Sundance

An impact driver does help considerably, if the middle of the bolt rounds off, you can sometimes get them to shift using a hammer and sharp chisel to tap the bolt head undone, or I have used a large pair of nail pliers (end pincers) which had good sharp jaws to clamp onto the bolt and turn it.

Sundance

An impact driver does help considerably, if the middle of the bolt rounds off, you can sometimes get them to shift using a hammer and sharp chisel to tap the bolt head undone, or I have used a large pair of nail pliers (end pincers) which had good sharp jaws to clamp onto the bolt and turn it.

Sundance