Well Craig I have enjoyed every second of your journey with this car! Which may not be a good thing! For clarity I have a rust-free and mint MX5 2.5 and all I have to do is service and drive it. An easy life! However I am really interested in getting a TF as a bit of fun and I don't know if your series has spurred me on or put me off! I really admire your enthusiasm and determination along with a good sense of humour. I'll have another drink and think about it. Cheers for the ride mate.
Hi Craig. Well done and thanks for the entertainment. It’s spooky how similar my story is. I bought a 2003 TF135 with loads of history and 62,000 miles from eBay in 2022. Delivered, it was just over £1,500 but I had to fix the rear brakes and fully recommission it after several years of standing and a little surface rust. That year, we took it to France and nearly made it back when the head gasket went (it had been replaced previously). Last year it was getting increasingly difficult to get into first and reverse then this year the engine management light forced me to replace the lambda sensors, which wrecked the exhaust and whilst I was down there I noticed plenty of oil leaks. I ended up removing the engine and rear subframe (which I painted), replaced the clutch, all gaskets, timing belt, exhaust, etc. A month later, the starter motor died and recently the fuel sender, so it’s becoming well known to the RAC 😊 Excluding the countless hours spent fixing it, in total I’ve spent nearly £3,200 (yes, over £3K - I know, I know) and added 10,000 miles in the time. Obviously, I’d lose my shirt if I sold it, but absolutely love driving Krusty, so hope to keep her on the assumption that nearly everything has now been replaced and nothing else can possibly go wrong…..
@@Exhausted-autosI'm planning to take her to the Alps soon Craig. I must be brave or completely mad! Breakdown cover is essential but don't expect anyone to turn up quickly nowadays.
I bought a 1996 MGF for £500 off Gumtree, needless to say my bills have been much bigger and more numerous than yours, prefer the Mk 1s and this is the second one I have done- did the first during lockdown but sold it on. Keeping this one!
Hi Craig. Really enjoyed the videos on the MGTF. Car looks well sorted for now. Really interested on how you managed to learn how to do all these things. I’ve very recently got myself a TF and I’ll take some inspiration from you and your videos. Well done. Dan.
Cheers Dan, just time with spanners out there working and figuring things out, but I'm also a mechanical engineer so its my kind of thing. I used to always help my dad when I was young, back in the day when swapping out an engine on the roadside outside your house was the norm. I loved those days working with the old man. Also when things get tricky there's also you tube and what other people have done. Just have fun, and these cars are so cheap it doesn't really matter if it goes wrong it can always be fixed. But remember to stay safe, especially if you're underneath. Happy to help if you have any questions.
I enjoyed watching you fix her up. I boughjt an MGF with 37,000 miles for £840. Fortunately I had only to do new hydragas spheres, which I made a video about on my channel. I bought a hood cover from Richbrook which I am very happy with. When the winter comes I am going to buy a full StormGuard cover from the same people. They are fitted exactly to the car. So including the hood cover, mine owes me about £1500. yours is looking very smart indeed. Congratulations, I hope you keep her. I have really enjoyed driving mine on the country roads now the suspension is working good.
Fantastic job !!! Just goes to prove what perseverance and commitment can achieve. The car looks absolutely terrific (particularly in metallic grey), and, in terms of design, looks incredibly modern. Many years of happy motoring ahead !!!
I admire your commitment Craig. The MG prices are going up albeit slowly. Your 160 will be a rare car as I see loads getting broken for there running gear in other cars. If you only paid £700 initially for it, this is why as a good running VVC engine is £350 now. The car looks great. :)
Will done another mgftf up and running have fun. I have enjoyed watching all your videos. Just a thought with the loss of coolant check your coolant pump. I had one leak after the garage replaced the timing belt. All the best
As I've said before " we'll done m8 " really enjoyed it , got to worth good money as all the work you've put in is documented. Take care all best Gra J
Hi Craig well done mate. Worth every penny. You have a car you can enjoy and have the satisfaction of completing the work yourself. I have enjoyed sharing your journey during this project, whilst repairing my own TF.
Hi Craig, had a similar journey with my TF, paid £650 for mine, spent quite a bit on it, was in great condition so it justified the money spent, had mine seven years this year its been a fab car, no body work on mine just upgraded the mechanical weak points, service them and you'll have a reliable fun car. mine is Royal Blue with all the bells and whistles, you just can't get a better value sports car.
Great series, ive enjoyed watching it. I bought a low milage Mgf for around what youve spent, but managed to spend a lot more doing lots of jobs. Although i do the mechanical jobs myself i paid for a partial respray which cost a load. All in all i think youve done a great job and kept the price low👍
Another great video, Craig. The car looks and sounds fantastic. Re the coolant loss, I assume you've been checking your dipstick and oil filler cap for any mayo gunge that might indicate head gasket failure. If nothing there, check your coolant pipes for leaks (mine started leaking recently on my 2004 160 and I am replacing them tomorrow with stainless steel variants). If they're good, you could have some air in the system. Might be worth bleeding using the three bleed points (radiator, heater matrix, engine). If no air and no leak, you could have the dreaded HGF, but I would rule out other possible causes first.
The oil on the dipstick looks 95% ok, a tiny bit of contamination of some sort but that could be from the mayo that was there. ... maybe. Nothing on the cap. I'll check elsewhere for leaks. Thanks.
Nice to see you enjoying your motor car coolent level is important put I seriously doubt you have a coolent leak more likely just venting any last trapped air in the system mine did the same ofter I changed the coolent but has remained constant since if your that worried buy a coolent level alarm just fitted one to mine for pices of mine buzz when you start up to tell you it's working and then nothing until the level drops giving you plenty of notices and of course you should always have some spare coolent on board love the whole process from zero to hero keep on doing what you do so very well😇😇😇
Happy for you, good result 👍 and thanks you gave me lots of knowledge about my 04 TF that I've recently acquired 😎 Its only driven 1411 miles in the last 10 years.. it has 41k on the clock now🙂
Thanks mate. Appreciate that. I may well hear from me again. I’m not so good with the spanner’s but I’m a quick learner so will tackle most things, if I get stuck I’ll certain give you a shout. Also, the speakers you fitted to the car, are they any good? Thinking of swapping mine out for something newer along with a better radio.
Comparing it to the other cars on marketplace. They'll likely need many of the jobs doing that you've already done. So £1800 for a car with recent documented repairs Vs something a little cheaper that probably needs a bunch of work? Still feels like a bargain
@@Exhausted-autos Thanks for the reply. Yeah I have an earth problem I think. Being mechanical bias electrical issues are odd to me and frustrating lol. I turn the key and the red radiator light is the only light to come on and everything else is dead.
I to am a clanky... electrics is like black magic... is start with looking at the fuse boards under the bonnet and in the car. Am i getting power there? Also download a wiring guide to help follow what connects to where.
@@Exhausted-autos Cheers for the advice pal. I did however find I connector that is not connected to anything. In fact was wrapped around a loom. Located near the coolant reservoir. I haven't had a good look yet but it looks like it might be off one of the sensors oil/coolant. You've done a really good job of that car and it sounds amazing. Mines just a 135 that my dad gives me as a "present" that has now turned into a money pit haha
