MR-2 [Part 2] – Grinding Through the Grit

With the festive buzz of Christmas and New Year behind us, it was high time to roll up our sleeves and dive back into the trenches with our beloved MR-2. And what’s a better way to kick things off than with a trusty grinder in hand?

We decided to start with the outer sills. Expecting some wear and tear? Sure. But we were absolutely not prepared to find… well, essentially nothing. The sills had vanished, obliterated by rust and time! Delving deeper, the arches told a similarly grim tale. Though slightly better off than the sills, they were far from salvageable.

This was a game-changer. Both the owner and our team knew this project was a heavyweight, but now it teetered on the brink of madness—bordering on completely uneconomical. We paused our work to have what we anticipated would be a heart-wrenching conversation with the car’s owner. Her beloved car was nearly scrap.

The only way to fully explain the situation and what needed to be done was to show her in person. So, in she came, and the reality hit hard. Despite having already spent thousands elsewhere, her car was still a whisker away from being beyond repair. Economically, at least, it definitely was!

After many tears, coffees, and heartfelt chats, she asked the unexpected, “Is it repairable?” Yes, technically anything is fixable, but the extent of work this little car needed was daunting. We laid out the stark reality: the costs would far exceed the car’s value, and repair panels weren’t even available on the market. It seemed ludicrous to proceed.

Yet, after being armed with all the facts and seeing the evidence firsthand, her determination was unshaken. “It’s got to be done,” she declared. We sent her away to mull it over, but her mind was already made up—this car was going to be restored, come what may!

She knew it was crazy. We knew it was crazy. But she wasn’t backing down. She wanted her car back, and that was final.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and we’ll be sharing plenty to show just how much of this car had to be rebuilt from scratch. The task was arduous and meticulous, conducted in the biting cold—Mike can attest to that! But, with determination and skill, solid inner sills and rear arches began to take shape.

After about 5 weeks of non-stop effort (we did warn you—it was bad), the MR-2 finally had structural integrity strong enough to withstand a ramp without the fear of snapping in half—no exaggeration!

Next, we tackled the underseal—a notoriously messy and thankless job. Once stripped, even the floor, which had looked sound, revealed hidden woes including a few rotten patches on the boot floor. The most alarming discovery? The driver’s seat mount was completely corroded. The only things preventing a direct meet-and-greet with the tarmac were some old paint and underseal. Clearly, this should have been addressed during its last service…

But now, with all that behind us, and a bit of a celebration for retiring the welder, it was time to apply seam sealer, primer, and a fresh layer of underseal—this time, not to hide imperfections, but to protect Mike’s beautiful handiwork.

As of today, the MR-2 is queued up for the body shop, and Mike has jetted off to Miami for a well-deserved break (though we’re all green with envy). He’s probably soaking up the sun, not thinking about the engine work awaiting him back here.

Let’s just cross our fingers that it’s not hiding as many gremlins as the shell did!

Speak soon,

Beckie x