Hi all,

This might be a candidate for the Coupe projects area in due course but I am hoping to get a bit of forum input in advance.

My Coupe (and forum participation / membership) has been a victim of "life" in recent years and has been sadly neglected since 2020. What started as an initial SORN period because I was doing one trip a week to supermarket and didn't need 3 cars to do that turned into something longer term when I carried on working from home.

Now, however, is the time to return to the fold!

Whilst it isn't exactly a barn find as I have owned the car since 2003, I last started the car in 2021 and at that point to clutch cable had gone. On the plus side it started and seemed to idle at stable revs / pressure, etc. However 6 years since it was last driven is a long time so I'm expecting to need (or want) to change quite a lot of parts. And definitely won't be turning the key until belts have been done and everything has had a very thorough check. This all assumes in passes a basic structural integrity assessment once up on a ramp to check it hasn't rusted away of course.

Up to now I have kept the car relatively standard - aside from common sense swaps such as silicone hoses, HID lights and a stainless steel exhaust. Obviously there aren't too many of us left around now, so what is the general view of modifications versus OEM originality? My sense is probably that it is getting increasingly hard to get like for like replacement parts and therefore a certain level of substitution has to be accepted even if you're trying to keep things strictly "stock"? Things I'm particularly thinking about are:
- From reading posts when E10 first came out the suggestion seems to be the fuel lines should be changed but otherwise it should be OK. Is that still the view a few years down the line?
- Related to this point, I'd long planned to get a flea-map done - is he still around? Doesn't seem to have been on the forum in a while. If he is, is the general view that just getting it mapped to run on Super unleaded makes sense as it takes away the E10 issue, and you should hopefully then get the benefit of the extra octane?
- I seem to remember reading (around the time I SORN'd the car) that the MOT rules were changing and HID's would no longer be allowed - did that actually happen, or is it still a case of knowing what to say to the MOT centre about auto-adjusters, etc?
- the side bolster of the drivers seat has seem better days (obviously). Is there anywhere that repairs these, or are you looking at swapping in from a different car?
- Has any solution to the headlight lenses fogging up under UV rays been found, or is it still the hard work way to get back to clear plastic?
- Over the years I'd tried various brake / pad combos but always struggled with squealing when using anything other than the OEM pairing - is there anything around now that doesn't suffer from this?

And then the one that may be the big one - anything that people who've done a lot of work on the car in one go which they done whilst it was being taken apart? Or equally, anything beyond the basic replacement of worn / aged parts that people would suggest I should have on the list?

I'm hoping to get this back to be a really solid example that I can run happily for years so I'm not looking to cut any corners (quite the opposite). And then there is the not small issue of finding someone passionate about the cars to take it on - I'm hoping FCCS will be able to help but we'll see as it looks like he's had a few health issues.

Thanks in advance for any input - have missed being on here regularly and will hopefully be able to give a bit more time to it going forward!
Simon

HI Srm6,

Mr Flea remains at:

https://www.fcperformance.co.uk/

There will be others on here with far superior knowledge and experience re the way to go with your car. Ultimately its your choice what you do.

For me, given the rarity of the Coupes nowadays, and the amount having gone to the great scrap yard in the sky over many years by extreme modifications to engine/chasis/brakes etc - I felt OEM+ was the way to go. It lets you choose to upgrade wear and tear items and replaceable parts with improved replacements benefiting for 30 years plus of R&D improvements. Plus where there are no current original spares, you need to be open minded.

I was not sure about remaps until I was encouraged to have one-on the basis that you can retain the original chip. One of the best things I decided to do to my Coupe. I wanted increases in power AND torque with the view of making it a more GT focused car so its effortless on longer runs and keeps modern fast cars on their toes. Mr Flea measured it perfectly - a modest sounding 266BHP- has made massive difference in the way the car drives. The car was not slow originally- but the map transformed how it covers distance. And better fuel economy too was a win win in my book.

But different strokes for different folks of course and many have far bigger dreams for their coupe!

Regards