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'80S KID redux: 1986 Toyota AW11 MR2 Super Charger


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While I remember, I would also like to thank Ewan and the lads from Stacked, Anna from Bay Customs Tauranga, North Shore Compliance, Rob's Body Shop, and John (S124AB on the forums) from Auto Kiwi for all their help so far. The AW11 is the first car I've imported "blind"; without being able to rely on my old contacts who have all now retired or left the industry. Special mention goes to John, who in true OSGC spirit has been working tirelessly of his own initiative behind the scenes ever since the car left the wharf to ensure the process has been far less daunting than it could have been. Kudos!

 

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Apologies in advance for the potato-quality photos. Moto Gs aren't renowned for their cameras (but are good enough for quickly documenting stuff)!

 

Tqc27A7.jpg

 

As mentioned, the main point of concern for the inspectors was the join around the left hand tail light where the replacement quarter panel met the rest of the car. Due to the exposure of this section to the elements (and the fact this is a 1980s Toyota) it wasn't all that surprising to see this when the tail light was removed and boot lip seal peeled back:

 

yOrwTrG.jpg

 

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stn8guU.jpg  pWPLb4k.jpg

 

You can see some of the spot welds in the first photo of the series above which need to be signed off by the repair certifier once they've made sure they are as good as factory.

 

Back in Japan some attempt was made to mitigate or at least slow down the spread of rust on the inside of the boot. Appears to be some kind of putty/sealant.

 

btq2gMo.jpg

 

Anyone who's owned an AW11 before will be aware of the dreaded water trap behind the C-pillar vents. My previous AW11 was one of the lucky escapees and remained absolutely pristine in those areas, but the New Kid (on the block) ain't so lucky:

 

0IHnBzQ.jpg

 

Bwaa bwaaaaarp! At least there's no discernible cancer around the bottom of the C-pillars themselves.

 

Finally, the boot cavity rearwards of the wheel arch will also need to be cleaned out and checked to the repair certifier's satisfaction along with the welds in this area.

 

inoWXAq.jpg

 

So far in terms of rust the New Kid surpasses all initial expectations, considering it's had a less pampered life subject to the busy, smoggy streets of Tokyo from day one when it rolled off the production line in 1986, compared to my previous AW that managed to escape Japan for the crystal clear highland climate of inland Otago in the mid '90s (and as a result had minimal rust).

 

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Thanks to fellow forum member NickTheFox I now have the underpinnings of a rear swaybar upgrade for the new AW11.

 

The internet is awash with various conflicting theories about the supposed merits vs. downsides of having a rear swaybar fitted to an AW11 SC, as well as equally conflicting theories about availability over the various model years. Having driven AW11s with and without swaybars the only conclusions I've been able to make are the following:

 

1. AW11 SC, no rear swaybar fitted, but with LSD gearbox - horrific understeer when powered into corners.

2. AW11 SC, rear swaybar fitted, but no LSD gearbox - neutral handling when powered into corners, only tending to oversteer if power continues to be applied.

3. AW11 N/A, no rear swaybar fitted, no LSD gearbox - mild understeer when powered into corners. Bear in mind that SC and N/A spring and damping rates differ quite a bit.

 

Furthermore the N/A swaybars are a smaller diameter than the SC ones (11mm as opposed to 14mm O/D) according to the Toyota parts catalog but again you'll find all sorts of reports and rumours about them.

 

Personally, all I can say is that I found a rear swaybar to make a big difference on the last AW11 I owned compared to all the ones which preceded it, and since the new kid doesn't have one fitted from stock, adding one would definitely improve things in my mind. But have to admit that I can't remember if the swaybar was in fact the stock SC size, or aftermarket.

 

Arrangements were made to pick up the required parts from Steelies at Palmy Swap Meat over the weekend (cheers boe!) and consisted of the following:

 

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The rear hubs will come in handy if I ever need spares.

 

Over the years Toyota manufactured a number of different rear strut carriers for the AW11 - some with rear swaybar link tabs, others without - and according to sites like ToyoDIY the part numbers even differed between SC and N/A, pre-facelift and facelift. These ones are early N/A ones, but since the only important part is the tab, and the shock inserts happen to be removable, I suppose it's irrelevant unless you're a total purist.

 

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You can see how skinny the N/A swaybar is in this next shot of the swaybar link tab. Some places such as TwosRus used to sell aftermarket non-weld link tab collars but I'm not sure if they're still available, plus the thought of the collar sliding down the strut over time doesn't really appeal to me.

 

If I do upgrade to a beefier swaybar and bushes (most likely aftermarket) at least all of the hardware and mounting brackets are reusable.

 

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Interestingly, the strut carriers all have warnings saying not to open or heat the shocks even though all sorts of aftermarket and OE cartridges exist. Will probably need to do a bit more research into this (I've never had to replace shocks on an AW11 before) as I'm still being swayed - no pun intended - into buying Bilstein inserts.

 

Now that this is out of the way hopefully I'll receive an update on repair cert/compliance progress in the coming week.

 

Discuss: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/49412-80s-kid-part-ii-eds-aw11-sc-chit-chat/

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Turns out the suspected rust hole in the C-pillar vent wasn't actually a rust hole, but instead a patch of grime-encrusted flaking clearcoat. Quite relieved actually.

 

n0di0B8.jpg

 

The clearcoat will need to be removed then reapplied in that area, ahead of the final repair cert inspection.

 

My opinion of the car's quality has improved considerably from my initial assessment.

 

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Repair progress update. Certifier has been in and given the welds a clean bill of health, so things have now been rustkilled and prepped for painting. A couple of tiny patches will have to be added here and there, but for the most part the rust appears to be surface only.

 

The replacement rear quarter section comes halfway up the B-pillar and the welds in this section definitely had to be inspected. Before anyone comments on how dodgy this might appear - the factory join on the other side of the car wouldn't look much better if it were all ground back like this!

 

MbTnALR.jpg

 

The only "serious" piece of rust on the car mentioned by the dealer also cleaned up remarkably well. (This is what it looked like originally.)

 

nCyXcXA.jpg

 

This section of chassis usually obscured by the side skirt (another rust-prone area) had no issues. Second shot is of the underside, again, pretty tidy with only minor surface crap to clean up and rustkill. Admittedly I am a bit worried about the quality of the factory decal, those cracks in the clearcoat don't look very good :/

 

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Yucky shit from above the left hand tail light, gone!

 

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Cleaned up section below the tail light. The panel join here was also inspected. A patch will be added where the metal has been eaten away right at the top; again this is due to exposure to the elements and less than satisfactory sealing.

 

Ksr97kY.jpg

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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While the car's in the paint booth I've taken the chance to revisit this old chestnut.

 

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Back in 2011 (when I had the other blue AW11) I'd had good intentions of restoring and fitting this set of Buddyclub P-1s that Markku and Richy found for me, but ended up just buying a set of factory ZZW30 alloys instead.

 

Fast forward four years and I've finally decided to revisit this idea, aided by the fact I'm getting the New Kid painted at the same time, and the tyres on the car failed compliance anyway, so it hopefully won't be too much of a stretch to tack this extra task on the end and just swap the wheels over when it's ready for its new tyres.

 

There has been one small setback though - it turns out the original place I'd taken the P-1s to back in 2011 didn't actually fix them (even though I got charged a nice hefty sum for the privilege), so they are now in the care of Wheel Fix It, who will straighten them up and also machine the beads before handing them back for painting.

 

What colour, you may ask? BMW do a nice Moccabraun bronze metallic, which should provide just the right amount of "pop" in the sun. But I'm still busy looking through swatches for ideas.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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An update from Wheel Fix It: Three of the four Buddyclub P-1s are still bent, and they've quoted a very reasonable price for repairing as well as machining the beads. Have given them the go-ahead to do the work and hopefully the wheels will be ready Monday or Tuesday.

 

In the meantime, more elusive treasures have been obtained from Zebra:

 

'89 spec (final facelift) LED rear spoiler.

 

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'89 spec wing mirrors, with bonus 4A-GE valley cover to replace the one that's missing from my engine (oddly enough).

 

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Anyone who followed my previous AW11 build thread will know these are merely cosmetic upgrades, but I'm quite chuffed as I wasn't expecting to find another updated spoiler and wing mirrors this early on.

 

Now I just have to gamble on the likelihood that repainting these blue won't balloon the total cost above that of my original plan, which was to import the bits out of Japan in the correct colour. On the flip side the rear quarter is getting resprayed anyway as a result of the repair cert signoff, and if I get the LED on the new rear spoiler working before the car goes back to compliance I'll save further coin by not needing an aftermarket high stop light fitted anymore.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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  • 2 weeks later...

So the car's been painted and ready for almost a fortnight now; unfortunately due to the repair certifier not actually visiting and signing off the final repairs until just this past Thursday I may have missed the 28 day vehicle repair window - which means I most likely have to pay a second fee to undergo a second compliance inspection.
 
Can't say I'm very happy with this result, but shit happens.
 
In the meantime, things have happened over the weekend...
 
20988967472_714d138809_c.jpg
 
Car is now back together, yippee.
 
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And sporting its freshly painted new adornments from the previous update, which I fitted down at the panel shop on Saturday evening.
 
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The rear quarter has been resprayed and blended in the best possible manner. Once the car has been through compliance it'll receive a final treatment of the repainted parts, a full cut and polish, and touch ups to a few other non-critical areas.
 
20812030829_3cab67286c_c.jpg

This coming week it'll head back to compliance to have all of its mechanical issues rectified - such as brakes, tyres and steering - and then once everything is sorted I can finally register it. I'm hoping this rare factory option decal doesn't get completely obliterated by the tints coming off (a condition of compliance).
 
20810743520_3375a74c0d_c.jpg
 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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Nearly forgot... I scored an AW/AE/KP long boss kit from Richy at this month's Burgerboes, which now gives me the option of fitting an aftermarket steering wheel to the New Kid. Cheers dude!

 

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And after wanting a Twos R Us engine cover gas prop kit for ages, buying one for the previous car, and being quietly impressed by its simple yet functional design it became a mandatory upgrade for the new AW11. Also in the same shipment: a K&N drop-in filtercharger (on special) and TGP key blank (cheap).

 

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Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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Drove the car for the second time ever since it landed, from the panel shop back to compliance.

 

Already noticed a couple of things that will need fixing interior-wise, but I'll cross that bridge when the time is right. Marvelled at how smooth and rattle-free everything is, having less than 100,000km will do that I suppose.

 

m6TitIO.jpg

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Received word from Rob at the panel shop earlier that the sandblasters completed their work yesterday and the certifier had paid yet another visit to survey the damage.

 

Some choice words were exchanged between Rob and Dale (certifier) about why this wasn't picked up in the initial inspection, apparently there have been a few upheavals and slippage of standards at the compliance centre due to the company changing hands - which is unfortunate as they were a good crowd to deal with initially.

 

Popped down on my break to have a look:

 

 

Eek.

 

Fortunately the rot is only confined to the bottom of the crossmember; elsewhere the steel appears good, and is consistent with the car being exposed to the elements over the years and more than likely striking road debris on more than a few occasions.

 

The least painful recommendation was to cut out the affected piece, make up a new one, and slot it into place followed by a liberal coating of Brunox/underseal, so the signal has been given to git 'er done.

 

Tomorrow morning I will go in and (carefully) deconstruct the front of the car so work can be started.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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This is what happens when you open Pandora's Box.

 

 

CH-WOP-WOPPPPP.

 

The front bumper support, she is toast.

 

To be honest, I was expecting to see something like this, so it wasn't that big a surprise... front bumper supports on AW11s are hideous water traps, no two ways about it, and I would have been an even bigger idiot if I'd pulled the front apart to fix the crossmember but neglected to check behind the bumper. Again, compare with the one from the previous AW11 - which, as mentioned previously, wasn't all that rusty elsewhere.

 

But at least that satisfies my curiosity, and it shouldn't come back to bite me in the arse further down the track. Guess I'll be getting hold of Mark from Toyota on Monday.

 

Elsewise, the rest of the front is now off, so work can start on the crossmember.

 

G45lbTI.jpg

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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New bumper support ordered from Toyota, cheers Mark! I ended up buying two in the end because stocks are running low. Now I can emulate those foamers who throw brand new parts into the attic and forget all about them for 30 years.

 

(Then some other guy comes along, buys it all for cheap in an estate sale and posts about it on Facebook.)

 

xGdBvqr.png?1

 

P/N 52021 in the above image. You can also see the dumb foam insert (i.e. water trap) that's sandwiched between the bumper support and bumper cover.

 

Also dug around in the shed and found all of the spare refurbished retaining rails (P/N 52521, 52522, 52525, 52535, 52536) left over from when I did the rustwork on the last AW11 and sent a heap of things away for blasting and re-coating. Knew those would come in handy one day...

 

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Now that the car is safely home, time to sperg it out like a dweeb.

 

First things first, fit the TRD shift knob that's outlived two previous AW11s and crack open a new Air Spencer Giga.

 

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Ridiculous name aside, this scent is described as "Jasmine Rose refreshing scent system that images a fascinating Japanese men. Parfums Alain Delon samurai type of perfume." Okay then...

 

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<insert tired old joke here about fascinating men in two seater hairdresser cars>

 

Reminds me of cinnamon e-cigarettes, if I'm honest. I'll give it a week then perhaps swap it out for something a little less overpowering (but less manly?)

 

Last week I also pulled apart some Recaros I had sitting around, and out of a total of four with various imperfections assembled a matching pair of good seats with period-correct orange camo centres. Part of me thinks they would look awesome in the AW11, but part of me also thinks they would clash a bit too much with the blue exterior.

 

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It'll be a while before I can justify buying a pair of AW11 Recaro rails though, so for now these can just sit pretty in the spare room.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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Pulled out the factory double-DIN stereo this evening and set it aside for now. It's not the original one, but from a late model Toyota (the markings indicate it was manufactured in or around the year 2000) so it can sit on the shelf until I find a use for it.

 

This is the first AW11 I've owned that has working rear speakers, albeit with busted cones that rattle and make all sorts of hideous noises, which sucks because they look quite nicely constructed and even have the correct factory plug for an AW11. Fortunately I have some replacement OEM ones in my hoard - who knew they would come in handy one day!

 

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The OEM speakers are 10 watts, phwoar! Luckily they're used for rear fill, and not much else.

 

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Also have a passive Pioneer subwoofer that slots in nicely behind the passenger seat - another item that's outlasted a bunch of previous AW11s ;)

 

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Because all of the factory plugs were still uncut behind the centre console it took a total of 5 minutes to plug the new modern headunit into the Pioneer-ISO-Toyota loom, then slightly longer to run the cabling, wire the subwoofer into the rear speaker channels, and find a suitable spot for the Bluetooth microphone. End result:

 

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It means that it'll also take 5 minutes to swap in this original AM/FM receiver and coin tray which I rescued from one of my old AW11s many moons ago, if I ever feel the need to go full retardoriginal.

 

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Also, obligatory:

 

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And before anyone asks - the white thing is a DIY cupholder I fashioned from a block of polystyrene a while back, which slots into a little moulded piece just in front of the shifter, complete with old coffee stains and everything. Richy made a great suggestion that I should get a new one 3D printed.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....1-sc-chit-chat/

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