Day 11
As collection of the scrap body shell is a little delayed, and due to space contraints, the body shell is still sitting on the subframes. To make best use of the time until scrap collection, I decided to start to remove parts from the underside of the Mazda.
Parts removed were the exhaust from the cat rearwards, the rear brake calipers and discs, driveshafts and propshaft. The n/s driveshaft was well and truly stuck in the hub bearing and despite using the hub nut to protect the shaft I still managed to damage the thread. Ho hum…. Remember to keep the propshaft / diff input flange nuts and bolts as these are specilised OEM items and pricey (relative to normal bolts) to replace.
Rear hubs and wheels are still on, to keep the whole thing mobile.
Day 12 – Seriously off piste!
I have ventured well off of the ‘standard’ dismantling plan and removed the diff today, whilst the body shell is still resting on the subframes. Just to ensure that this all ended well for me, I started by putting the nuts back onto the body shell bolts that still protrude a little way through rear subframe on both sides.
After watching numerous YouTube videos about MX-5 NB diff removal, I removed the rear under subframe bracing, having firstly put the rear of the car on axle stands. Since I’d already removed the propshaft, the next thing to do was remove the two long bolts which pass through the PPF and diff ‘nose’. These are quite easy to undo and in time honoured fashion bashing them with a hammer once partially undone, to remove the PPF upper threaded bushes, worked well too (note ‘club’ hammer was required!).
All going well thus far however the single lower PPF bush was not going to come out of the PPF, despite many different mechanical ‘approaches’. I noticed that the bush was actually free from the diff itself so in the end I loosened the diff mountings and with a little wiggle and prising the top of the PPF off of the diff, the PPF then dropped away from the diff. After that just a case of lowering the diff down on the supporting trolley jack and I was ‘home on the pig’s back’! FYI, the diff was the standard ‘open’ variety.
Just remained then to make sure the rear of the PPF was supported as the whole engine and gearbox was now only hanging on the engine mounts.
I have to say that if it wasn’t for keeping the hubs on the subframe to be able to wheel the MX-5 in and out the garage, I’d not bother with unbolting the rear subframe from the body shell, and just remove everything from underneath. The subframe can then lift off with the body shell. Just an idea….!
Day 13 – Ready for the scrap collection
Not too much to add today other than getting the car ready for the scrap metal collector to come and lift the body shell off of the subframes and take it away with some other scrap items from the strip down.
