wannabe Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 So I decided to bite the bullet and crank a build thread on here after not much convincing, and also the fact that I don't have a thread anywhere else so lets have some laughs with this So lets start from the beginning. Loved MR2s in my teens, and the Phoenix Power MR2s were my idols back in the day. Then one day when I grew up and could actually afford them (as in maintain and not just the purchase price) I bit the bullet and began the love affair. Got a green gen 1 NA. Put some 15 RP01s on it. Went for a sweet drive. Otaki forks ftw \ Then got some coilovers, and wound it all the way down for max lows. Got a sweet Cusco rice cage for some sweet rice factor. Then installed for the sweet street cred I didnt get. Then got bored, got some Panasport G7s and took off the bootlid. Then the neighbours mates drove into my door and didn't leave a note or anything. Dbags. Drove to a school. Mates came round, had some lols at making a "wangan" plate. Then Then I bought a project that needed a lot of work. And bought some more wheels off Coldspark. Rays Sebring. Proceed to tidy up wiring hack job. And sort out the engine bay. Then got it running reliably. Slammed it. Insert 15x10s on it. Then got bored and got more wheels. Sold the green car not that long after. Still miss it, but then bought a much more exciting project. Brief intro post done. Will update with details of the current project later. The older red turbo is now a donor for the Gen 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicT Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I highly approve of all of this. While my chaser has been dead from waterlog, i have been driving my old mans MR2 Turbo. Soooo sweet. I have got it to powerslide easily through intersections to a point, anymore then 10 degrees and its lilfe/death lock to lock switching action. They are fast cars tho, handle great (although getting used to off throttle loss of traction is very new to me) and leave most things behind in factory form. I may have to buy one..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hop Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 cool sw20s man. I have one myself with a 3vzfe I fitted recently. Hey one thing that caught my eye was that cage. Is that a bolt in item? Havent seen a bolt in one before 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truenotch Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Those bolt in show cages are terrible and dangerous - you may as well pull it out because a hardtop MR2 is pretty solid anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 Haha the bolt in cage was a total crock. I bought it just to hoard along with a stash of hard to find MR2 parts. It was put on for a week then I removed it cos there was no point. I just was living out my teenage dream of being able to afford/find all of this shit, so I had to buy it lol. The tip to driving these cars is never take your foot off the gas just full POWAAA/weight shift to the rear for moar grip. Also, very curious about the 3VZ. Sounds epic. I shall update more later once I've had some food cos brothers be hungry/1.5hour trip home in the gales 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 So continuing the thread. Drove up to New Plymouth to buy the new car. Cue KFC stop. Cos brothers be hungry etc. Then I got the car. Ridiculously low ks. Bit neglected and needed some TLC which I was more than prepared to give it. Gen 2, with gen 3 tails. Steel wheel CT26, 3 inch full exhaust and dp, and came with a bucketload of awesome spare parts too. As you can see, it was looking a bit sad but nothing a bit of TLC couldnt fix. Add lots of polishing and an Autopista wing. Also added a dished steering wheel (for rice and also cos my knees kept hitting the wheel) and a Blox gearknob cos I love heavy knobs. Then I refurbed the Sebrings. From this To this with some good ol elbow grease Chuck on car. Then I home painted the wing (which came out a$$ so I will try again this time) and added some Volk CV Pros. Got some Impul R5s and refurbed them myself. And then got bored and had left over paint so I decided to give my car some eyeshadow just so I could look fabulous while driving at night. Right about then I had gotten bored of the stock CT26 and had managed to find a CT20B to go in its place. Cue the nightmare of working in an MR2 engine bay. Pics shall come later. But basically, I had the car running for 23,5kms after the turbo conversion was complete before it decided to pull an MR2 and set fire to the loom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 Will make another update tonight to bring things up to speed. And hopefully I did things correctly, should be able to start it today. Also on a side note, since my cert plate is old/pre the camber and wheel width rules etc, can I run big wheels and flares or will I need to recert? I have an idea in my head for the future/once I get this car running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 So um, I dont know how to build thread as I am doing this backwards/left my SD card at work like a fool. Before I cooked the car's wiring, I managed to put the Impuls together and have a test fit of them. Token fitment picture sans tires. Back when the car was driveable and clean! Much dustier now. The next incarnation of the car once I get some tires on these badboys And one last overexposed by accident shot for that instagram-esque sheen. Herp derp However, despite the initial elation of having the wheels back together again, the car gods/Toyota's shitty original wiring had other plans and disaster struck! After completing my CT20 conversion (which will be detailed in the next post as my SD card is AWOL atm), my EFI fuse melted and surged all the excess electricity and black magic to cook my engine and fusebox looms. This is what happens when you MR2, those used to be plastic coated wires.... The looms were both toast, and then the hunt began for a Gen 2 engine loom as the current one was way beyond salvation. Unfortunately, MR2s being as rare as they are, what seemed like the most basic of searching proved to be a 3 month long hair pulling exercise of constant forum trawling and TradeMe (NZ's version of eBay) hunting to find a loom. Thankfully 3 months later, I found one that was missing the temp sensor plug and wasn't gold plated in price. Not exactly the easiest of work spaces. Made me miss Hondas so much! Try squeezing your mitts into there to remove plugs....I had to. Such a pain/I should just get a carby.... And a token picture of the "new" turbo setup. Thankfully the car is now running, but unfortunately, the previous owner has destroyed the threads for the front bracket mount to the gbox, and as a result this will need helicoiling, which is the only thing I can spot that would make it fail a wof. So in an attempt to cheer me up after the loom debacle and finally getting the car running, I decided to purchase some more wheels. They currently have a couple of fitment issues but they will be fixed in due time once the Impuls are on and the Panasports are in the process of being refurbed. Can anyone guess the wheels? Sprint Hart CP-G. Sadly the fitment isn't ideal, but nothing a bit of messing around can't fix Should be an interesting look when it is finally on the car. In addition to the wheels, I also purchased some winglets for the mad JDM rice factor. They will serve nothing but a cosmetic purpose to tide me over while I save up for my final body kit setup. A parting shot of the amazing Japlish on this wonderful bit of rice! The stickers have seen better days but I shall leave them as is. This weekend comes the initial try to obtain a wof, and some attention shall be paid to wrecking the other MR2. I have a few more interesting bits left for Mister, so there should be some other stuff to laugh about/point out errors. TY for reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 So yesterday with work being shut, I took the car in for a wof check. Failed on the busted engine mount, too loud, loose swaybar endlinks, one of the tires on backwards (silly tire shop) and number plate light not working. So drove home, fixed the number plate light and endlinks. Now looking to see if someone can help me/teach me how to helicoil the gbox, before I decide to rage quit and pay the workshop to do it cos I would like to learn/lose my helicoil virginity. Also need to find someone who can swap the tires off the Volks onto my Impuls as my mates tire machine has gone walkies So close to running now and the next set of bits! Cant wait to have this legal and get out more! So close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feathersword Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 You could hit up Caleb's mate Dean? He has a tire machine in his lock up.. I"m sure he'd be down there on the weekend some time and probably do it for a few pennies/a lot cheaper than tire shop.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaver Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 helicoils are pretty easy, you just need to get the right size kit (there are some on trademe for ~50 bucks) Ive done a few, doesn't take long at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 helicoils are pretty easy, you just need to get the right size kit (there are some on trademe for ~50 bucks) Ive done a few, doesn't take long at all. Sweet I've googled it so I know what to do, I just don't want to run the risk of ruining it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0R10N Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 So do you have two red SW20 turbos or just one? I pondered buying one to replace my last AW11 as a daily, my old flatmate owned a couple of SW20s and even though his last turbo one had issues it was still quick enough to be fun. But I couldn't find any hardtop manual ones for reasonable coin (and I'm still not entirely sold on the styling) so ended up buying another AW11 instead. You must've struck it lucky finding two turbo hardtops in a row. BTW - hang on to those end cap things, ARC stuff is worth moonbeams for some bizarre reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 So do you have two red SW20 turbos or just one? I pondered buying one to replace my last AW11 as a daily, my old flatmate owned a couple of SW20s and even though his last turbo one had issues it was still quick enough to be fun. But I couldn't find any hardtop manual ones for reasonable coin (and I'm still not entirely sold on the styling) so ended up buying another AW11 instead. You must've struck it lucky finding two turbo hardtops in a row. BTW - hang on to those end cap things, ARC stuff is worth moonbeams for some bizarre reason. This is my 3rd hardtop turbo now, all of them red :S lolol. The second one is being wrecked now as a vehicular cadaver for the GTS. Yeah they go for silly coin cos they are owned by dreamers/noobs who think that Camrys with the motors in the wrong place are worth moonbeams. Tbh, I've never owned an AW11 but I have driven and worked on them. The AW11 is much lighter but for me, the engine bay is harder to work in than an SW, even with the SW's turbo. But the SW is more liveable, and is slightly more practical, cos of the luggage boxes and boot etc. I would keep an eye out on TM, as there were a few that past thru in the last few months for a sweet price. But tbh, I know that you like AW11s, and they do handle amazingly, I'd recommend getting an MRS. Much better handling, and much less rattier haha. Less chance of boost controllers, leaks, cheap corners being taken, and much more reliable than an sw haha. But maybe I'm just bitter? Also, hell yea, that ARC gear is going into the hoard along with the wheels and cage. I love rice! Will be mounting them this weekend probably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 So I gave up on the MR2 and decided to let the workshop sort out the front engine mount for me, so it was dropped of by Whatpower this morning to get them to do it+the exhaust plugs to quieten it down a bit. While all this was going on, I needed a daily. With excellent timing I ended up getting a GS130 Crown that needs some TLC. It also came with roughly 100kg of lowering springs as well for after wof shenanigans. After giggling like idiots driving it home last night, I did a stock take in the garage (as the drivers window had fallen down and wouldn't come back up). At first glance, it needs a massssssive clean up as it has been sitting around for a while, a good service, fluids changed etc and then time for a wof check. After that will come slam and a tidy up. But right now, top priority is getting the drivers side window working and sitting right, and getting the boot release switch to work (unsure if this is wof fail, but it is a bit of a pain). Later can come fixing the stereo, slam, wheels, curtains and misc silly tinkering. Will post up some pics tonight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 So tonight I managed to get some progress done but bailed on training fuuu. Fixed the drivers window which had previously fallen into the door, and the super lazy spec boot release button. Finally seals and goes up and down properly now! Then backed it gingerly into garage, this thing is huge compared to my MR2....lolol who'da thunk? Takes up the whole side!! Fatass spec. Since the car was pretty much squished in, I only vacuumed and wiped down one side of the car, will do the other side tomorrow/later on lol. Need some tape to stick on the side trim back again as its peeling off Vacuum the crud, and wipe down the plastics. Slowly starting to smell liveable again. Will need to degrease and waterblast the hell out of the engine bay! So many leaves/cobwebs/dead spiders etc under here, and of course some sweet oil leaks lol. The sadly non working head unit in the car. Any tips on how to remove the trim so I can check the wiring/rip the HU out etc? I can see there's already been pried marks in there with a screw driver, but I'm not really too keen on destroying it/will be looking to replace this trim. So taking it in for a wof this weekend to see what it fails on, before the overall tidy up continues. Will be looking for some more trim panels to replace the broken ones on the inside, as well as a left rear tail light. Thanks for looking 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hachi-ichi Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Gonna go all OCD spec and take out all the seats for a vacuum? haha most revealing thing I ever did in my car lol. some crazy amounts of everything manages to get under the seats/ under center console and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Yup that is the plan. Kinda more worried about the MR2 atm so focusing on that, so a basic clean will do for now. But sometime soon (probably this weekend), seats will be coming out. Hate to think whats chilling out in there considering the roaches and spiderses I found in engine bay lols. You should check out whats underneath your carpets! I found about 25 bucks worth of coins, broken glass, and a couple of matches under the carpet of my MR2. Also the wheels look poo currently, so will be repainting them for time being while I find some suitable rims for this. I'm not sure if I should respray both the rim and cover in silver, but definitely digging the white + chrome scheme on the car lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Fiddled around a bit more with the Crown tonight. First up, started cleaning the engine bay a little bit, but then rage quit after a while once I had wiped down most of the accessible bits to remove the crud on it. Didn't take a pic cos retard. Found out my cam cover was munted in a couple of places so now on the look out for a spare 1GFE boat anchor rocker cover that doesn't have chunks missing from the alloy haha. Figured out why the previous HU was not working (blown fuse) but I put a DIN one I had lying around anyway as I don't really like doubles as a personal pref. Now also have somewhere to store my chopsticks. The thing looks super Ugg atm as I had to scoot off to training, but will sort that out later. Then I cried at the broken/mangled bits in the interior so I will have to go hunting as leaving the interior like this would make me want to cut myself. Missing. Mangled. Missing again. Wonder if the one who did this knew that things unclip? Lol. God knows how long it will take me to find these pieces, but will persevere. Getting closer to Saturday and not looking forward to wof day lol but fingers crossed. Will be doing a major clean up of the car as well in the weekend, and if the weather is good, tidying up the wheels a bit. Need to get tape to restick on the side rub strip back on too. The wish list also extends to a Crown bonnet emblem as mine has gone walkies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicT Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Crown repair manual, Good luck. The 1gfe in these suck dick to start with. Cool wheels though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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