K&N Air Filter Recharge Kit

It has been a while since anything has been posted up on the blog, but that doesn't mean work hasn't been going on.

The first of many items on the to do list was to fully clean out the K and N panel air filter. I bought a K and N recharger kit to do the job properly.

Bonnet up, filter out, first inspections show quite a lot of crap had got itself lodged in the filter. Plenty of bugs for that matter.

In the picture below you can still see some of the crap that was in it, but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it to show the full extent, nevertheless still dirty.

Using a soft bristled brush I gently removed majority of the looser large dirt particles.

Next up was to put liberally spray on the air filter cleaner, and leave to soak for 10 minutes. After that I rinsed it with fresh water and then repeated the process just to make sure.

You are supposed to leave the filter to dry naturally, but these things really hold water. I left it over night and it was still soaking, so I moved it indoors near to the fire and left for another whole day. It was still a tiny bit damp in places, the next day, but it'll do.

Finally you just have to spray on the air filter oil. This is how it looked all cleaned up and re-oiled.

Whilst I was performing this process I replaced the K and N with an old paper filter. The difference is most definitely noticeable upon refitting of the K and N, justifying my recommendation to buy one if you haven't already.

X-Power Caliper Vinyls and Brake Paint Refurb

Due to the impending refurb of my spare set of alloys, I wanted to tidy up the brake/wheel area.

Using some Halfords Brake Cleaner I got most of the crap off the calipers, then took a wire brush to them, and finally sanded the main face. I sanded the main face ready for the white X-Power vinyl decals I acquired to go there.

I got the vinyls from a member of theMGZR.co.uk (Dazzer) who runs his own custom vinyl business, very nice chap. Got them specially made up the right size for the 1.4 calipers.


I repainted the calipers in the same Hammerite smooth red as before.

The calipers needed two coats of paint to get them looking as good as they could be, wanted to give them a good going over so they last a fair while.

Whilst I was there I noticed my new mintex discs had gone rusty in the non contact areas. This was making the wheel area look very untidy. So I painted them with black engine enamel, which not only covers up the rust but should prevent any more rusting.

All in all the wheel/brake area looks a treat now, makes it look very fresh and a bit sportier/newer.

(Note: In the pictures the before shots are of the opposite side to the finished shots as I forgot to take pictures of the process on just one side.)

Before 

Painted

Applying the Vinyl

Finished

Finished - Wheels On

Janspeed Intermediate (Mid) Pipe upgrade

After quite some time of wanting one, I've finally took the plunge and bought a Janspeed Intermediate (Mid) Pipe. For those not in the know, the exhaust system is made of 4 sections in the following order; Manifold, Catalytic Converter (cat), Intermediate Pipe, Backbox.

Got it for £70 posted, was in fair condition, apparently having covered around 8k miles. It's also the stainless steel version so should last quite a while. Bit of a good deal considering they are £130ish new.

Unwrapped it and immediately set about it with the cleaning equipment, got it shining up fairly well, although not as well as I did with my Longlife backbox. You can see in the images below the before (left) and after (right) shots of the clean-up.

After a good scrub it was time to fit the thing. First was the job of getting the car high enough to actually get at the fixings. This took three planks of wood and a helpful gradient. Not even on Rover springs was the car ever this high up. Took the opportunity to have a butchers at the underneath of the car too, doesn't look too bad for a 9 year old.

With a little penetrating oil the bolts came off and with them the existing mid pipe. Took another opportunity, this time to compare old with new. Pretty much identical length and pipe shaping, but a considerably smaller box and a noticeable weight difference (the new Janspeed being lighter).

Next job was to make up some gaskets. Pretty much just traced the outline and cut a 2" hole in the middle.

Offered up the midpipe and tried to fit it, but realised the holes in the flange on the backbox were about 6mm out from the new pipe. So back to the lab to file the holes in a bit so they were slots.

After the slight modification it fitted a treat. Upon first firing up the car it wasn't really that clear that it had made any difference at all really. But after driving it a few times you can hear it bedding in, there are a few more pops and a slightly different exhaust note. Sounds a bit more race like too, which was exactly what I was after.

After it's bedded in for a good while I will take a video for you all to compare. As for performance, the car seems to rev much more freely, and possibly pick up better. This could be a combination of the K and N panel filter, and the Longlife backbox coming into effect.

Engine Detail

The exterior of the car is now looking pretty darn good, the MG ZR body kit, Cupra R splitter, de-tango'd indicators etc. all complimenting each other perfectly.

Wanting to make use of the good weather, I focused on an area of the car that was looking a little lacklustre, the engine bay. Being a bit of a wuss, I chickened out of using a pressure washer to tidy it up as I didn't want to mess up the electrics.

Instead I resorted to some good old fashioned elbow grease and a new product I'd not tried before, Autoglym Engine and Machine Cleaner.

Using some old brushes I found lying around in the man cave, I worked the cleaner fluid into all the surfaces. I didn't go too mad, only addressing the worst of the grime, but it was making quite a difference.

After wiping all the surfaces to remove any excess cleaner fluid, I applied a coating of Meguiars Vinyl and Rubber Protectant to give everything a nice sheen.

Before and After

For a couple of hours work, it was well worth the effort, transforming the engine bay from that of an unloved commuter vehicle to someone's pride and joy.

Rear Drum Brakes Painted

Now the majority of the major modifications are done, for now, I'm moving onto freshening up the motor getting it show standard as it were.

First job, paint the drums.

Used some engine lacquer - matt black, gave more of a satin effect though which is ideal. Looks smart and a nice improvement.


Cleaned up with a wire brush and some halfrauds brake cleaner.






Drums Painted




Comparison

MG ZR Headlights Fitted

I finally got a hold of some MG ZR headlights to replace my broken Rover 25 ones.

I'd been after some for quite a while, the black insert of the MG ZR (and later year 25's) headlights looks much better in my opinion, and more in keeping with the red/black theme I've got going on.

Whilst work was ongoing with fitting the MG ZR front bumper, it was the ideal opportunity to fit the headlights.

Once the front bumper was off it became apparent my old one wasn't just slightly broken, it was smashed to bits, the previous owner must have given it a fair whack. The fixing bolts were actually holding the fixing tabs together, once removed they fell to pieces.

Likewise when the rear bumper was off, I gave the front end chassis a good clean. If you are going to do a job you might as well do it properly.

All clean, it was time to fit the new headlights, once attached to the car I set the beam correctly. Basically all I did was close the garage door, turn the headlights on and level them up.

 

After everything was set up it was time to put the front bumper back on and see how they look.

A big improvement in my opinion, much meaner at the front end now combined with the face off grille. A worth-while upgrade to any 25 with the original chrome headlights.