Sunday goes BWAP! BWAAP! BWAAAAAHHP!

I've made huge progress this weekend, despite not starting work until the afternoon and wasting some time on fruitless quests for fine-threaded nuts. I did however get a complete set of droplink bolts/nuts from the local Mazda/Fiat dealer FOR FREE! He didn't have an exact match but found me some from workshop spares. That's fine service and makes up for them charging me £150 to adjust the tappets on my X1/9 a decade ago.

Saw a Fiat 500 there for the first time, doesn't look quite so good in the metal unfortunately. Every time a new small car appears I consider buying one (started with Ka, through Citroen C3, C2, Panda, Grande Punto), but so far I remain unseduced. A reasonably specced 500 will set you back almost £11K which looks ridiculous compared to a Panda, and once the novelty has worn off you can bet they'll be knocking them out nearer £8K.

Anyway, I digress. I reassembled the refurbished drop links with Polybushes, they look good enough to eat don't they?


The rear anti-roll bar went on next, then I freed off and adjusted the handbrake so it actually works, then just slapped the de-cat pipe and exhaust on. Once I'd worked out how the exhaust was assembled (the flanges are all at odd angles, it's like a puzzle without the old one for guidance), it was dead easy to put on. I had to manhandle it a bit to even up the fit, looks good though (just a little MGF-ish) and sounds like rumbling raspy thunder. It's a shame the turbulater will rob much of that noise, but it's a fair bargain I suppose.

With the rear finished I've now started on the front. The aircon is coming out too, and to trim weight even further I'm on a diet - I need to lose a couple of stone.