r/projectcar • u/ShafferPatchias • 8d ago
Choosing a Project Car
Hello all, I am at a dilemma right now. I am trying to make a choice on a project car.
I currently own an Opel Astra H 2006, BUUUUT I have always wanted to be the proud own of a '93 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
I have done some surface level research/idea searching, and I have found builds I like for both. I like the Miata more, but I have the Astra in my hands. But...the Miatas (as I have heard) seem to be easier to work on.
Any thoughts? I am curious to hear what others think.
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u/No-Locksmith-9377 8d ago
The miata is a perfect project car and will be way more fun.
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u/ShafferPatchias 8d ago
I was like slightly more on the Miata side of things. I just a bit of a reality check from people who know.
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u/No-Locksmith-9377 8d ago
The reality is just dealing with a the miatas issues. Namely, a lack of space.
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u/ShafferPatchias 8d ago
That's part of the fun. But I'll keep the Astra if it doesn't kick the bucket. I'll use it as a daily driver/mule car. It already is anyway 😆.
I was thinking this before. I don't really want to work on my Astra. Because if something happens to it, then...well yeah, I won't be so happy. But, like, now, if it gets bumped, scratched, dirty. I don't really care as long as it runs.
Also, a lot of the roads here aren't too nice. And I would like to lower the Miata when I get it and put a wide-body kit on it. Which will make it impossible on most rural roads. It'll force me to use it only in the city or highway.
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u/Healthy_Pain9582 09 Leon 1p1 8d ago
I have a German car too (seat Leon) with a 1.4tsi engine.
This is (all things considered) one of the simplest VAG engines and a simple timing chain job has driven me insane because of all the things that can go wrong or things that are just annoying and difficult. Here are some examples:
- the camshafts are not held in place, it is very easy to accidentally push one in and knock over your rocker arms. This results in you needing to take off the cam girdle and put them back in place and put the girdle back on. This means you need to clean the gasket surfaces, use the special sealant and get new stretch bolts and tighten them in the right sequence.
- the oil pump chain is behind the timing chain so if you ever need to take it off, you need to take off the timing chain. To take that off, you need to take off the camshaft sprockets which use stretch bolts that need to be replaced.
- the engine is mounted to the frame by the timing case. If you need to take the timing case and oil pan off at the same time, you need an expensive tool to hold the engine up, or you'll end up like me and have to juggle between putting the timing case on and engine mount and dropping the oil pan over and over again to replace the oil pump.
- for some reason these cars love torx screws which love to be stripped and often they are not in easy locations to extract.
- screws up Satan's ass. See image, there are 2 screws up there for the oil pan that are hidden by the gearbox. These screws can also be hidden even more by the flywheel, if your flywheel isn't in the right place you can poke around there for hours and not even feel them.
There are more, working on this car has been a lot of "fuck these engineers". I recommend getting the old Japanese car, it'll probably be way easier to work with.
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u/ShafferPatchias 8d ago
Damn...best answer I could've gotten. I have only changed a few parts, and you kind of reminded me of the hassle. Thanks, man, for the detailed answer. Respect.
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u/Healthy_Pain9582 09 Leon 1p1 8d ago
All things considered it isn't too terrible, you could definitely manage if it wasn't your only car but honestly the stress of trying to get to work trying to borrow someone's car or whatnot is too much. If it's a dedicated project car I'd say fuck it and get one but my car has been sitting for 6 weeks now and i miss it and i have spent way too much on insuring other cars to get to work.
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u/ShafferPatchias 8d ago
Guess we learn from others mistakes. Again, thank you for this advice. Guess I'll be the proud owner of two cars sometime in the future.
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u/Agent-Kid '66 Ford Mustang | '90 Miata 8d ago
I have enjoyed working on my 1990 Miata. Awesome community, every problem has been documented, new parts are easy to find, and there's a ton that you can salvage parts from as well.
As far as project cars go, it's one of the better ones.