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Im totally new to kit cars and all that and after a bit of digging the MX250C totally takes my fancy! At this point in time I haven't invested anything and am simply debating whether or not its a wise idea, and would rather ask you lot!
So first off what is it even like to build and work with? I'm a race mechanic and I'm no stranger to spannering but bonding and that...that's new to me! So how does the kit go on? Is it a case of a few bolts the glue it on? or is riveting and drilling ect involved?
Also the gap between the kit and the main chassis of the car, I presume using filler, sanding and patience is the answer here?
Also do Tribute ship to Europe? I'm in Luxembourg and not sure how shipping it out would work.
I look forward to hearing your comments and potentially picking up an MX5 and MX250C kit!
Have you thought about buying a car that is already built. There have been two on ebay in the last two weeks going quite cheap. You could simply ad your touches to make it your own.
If you do buy a kit it is a simple case of bolting, bonding and riveting . Then paint prep and paint followed by some suitable wheels and tyres. Tribute will quote you for shipping, that shouldn't be a problem.
You will have to sort out the French registration process, I can't help you with that !
Better to go for a 250swb on a BMW z3, easier build and all bolt on. Much better donor car as well. Old MX5's can be a bit rusty, BMW last much better and have a better engine. Tribute will ship to Luxenberg, best be quick before Brexit!
Note: Unfortunately, there have been technical problems with some photo links on old threads.
Contact Tribute directly to confirm they will ship to Luxembourg.
( The kit is packed on a pallet for delivery. )
This is the two-part bonding paste I used to join fibreglass panels to metal on my (non-Tribute) build.
( Where you add a separate catalyst to activate it. )
This was a rough test piece I made to see how it worked and check the strength of the join.
By chance, I found this piece recently and the join is still rock solid some 3.5 years later.
Better to go for a 250swb on a BMW z3, easier build and all bolt on. Much better donor car as well. Old MX5's can be a bit rusty, BMW last much better and have a better engine.
I looked at the Z3 and the MX5, and ended up going down the MX5 route. The BMWs with the good engine (2.8 is a minimum) are around twice the price of a not-too-rusty MX5 here. I did not enjoy the test drives of the 2.0ltr at all, and the 2.2ltr still felt quite slow, and I put that down to the weight of the Z3. The MX5 comes in at just over 1000kg, but the Z3 is close to 1300kg, so the MX5 felt way more fun to drive IMO. Plus the parts are cheaper
So yes, the Z3 is likely to be easier (cos all the panels just bolt on/off), but it's also likely to be quite a bit more expensive.
I am in the UK. I was looking at cars which are V-reg (1999) or younger though, so you might be right about the older ones. I managed to find a reasonable condition 2004 standard MX5, with hard top and 65k on the clock, for £1500 . No LSD tho It's a little bit rusty, but most of the rust is on the panels which I'll be taking off anyway.
It's a little bit rusty, but most of the rust is on the panels which I'll be taking off anyway.