Toyota MR2 '86
Discussion
Sillyhatday said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
This is so true for most cars. I've never got my head round idiots who imagine that despite the finest brains at Toyota or wherever testing a car in a wind tunnel, and working on it's development for years, spending fortunes on it and thousands of engineering hours, they can improve it with a few boxes of plastic crap from Halfords.
This is one of the best cars I've seen on Readers' Cars. I'd f
king love to own this, and I'm 53.
If you ever sell it, message me.
Thanks but I wouldn't go as far as to say it's one of the best. It's no XJ220 This is one of the best cars I've seen on Readers' Cars. I'd f
king love to own this, and I'm 53. If you ever sell it, message me.
AW111 said:
I have a scan of a 1986 Motor mag comparing the 3 4AGE powered Toyotas of the day :
FWD Corolla
RWD Corolla
MR2
I can post it here, or start an MR2 thread in either Jap chat or general gassing.
What do you think? It might be nice to get pics of all the PH AW11s in one place.
I'd prefer it in the Jap section. I don't mind the odd picture of peoples MK1. As you say a place for anyone with interest in the MK1 to put information. I'd probably put some brochure photos in there. Plus I've just grabbed something MK1 related from eBay...FWD Corolla
RWD Corolla
MR2
I can post it here, or start an MR2 thread in either Jap chat or general gassing.
What do you think? It might be nice to get pics of all the PH AW11s in one place.
Sillyhatday said:
I'd prefer it in the Jap section. I don't mind the odd picture of peoples MK1. As you say a place for anyone with interest in the MK1 to put information. I'd probably put some brochure photos in there. Plus I've just grabbed something MK1 related from eBay...
here it is - needs pics!RIght, this needs bringing back.
To update you all out there who's interested. The car has been great. That said, it hasn't been all too far from the garage as of late. Though this isn't a bad thing, as it has perpetually been on and off axle stands for much needed attention.
I've kept this vaguely updated on a dedicated one make forum and figured I should copy over the last posted from there to here. Even then this will not be completely up to date, as I've yet to write the latest update. I intend on doing it fairly soon and will probably be as big as this post. On with the show.
COPIED:
A quick update, I've been swearing to update. Finally started on the nutty and bolty bits properly. It's my first time working on a car just to improve things, not solely to repair broken things.
Band practice is over, I'm deaf and I've had a few beers. What time would be better?
This was actually last week but who knows why I've been so lazy. It all started with the prospect of a quick job, but how could thou have been so naive. I intended to just clear out the A pillar bases of the forestation spewed about in there, though one thing leads to another. I scooped out a good four inches of wildlife, while wincing at the idea of uncovering some tin worm.
Solid, who would have thought? So did both sides and sprayed inside with some Hammerite stone chip protection.
Wow these pictures are bad.
All the crud in the hoover. Nice and blurry.
So at this point I wanted to carry on and it is basically off the road now for winter. I figured being on the rust hunt that I was I should get the side skirts off.
Once again both sides are solid, if a little dirty. They cleaned up really nicely with a clay bar and some polish.
Not all was so rust free though, I found that the bottom of the radiator is actually quite badly rusted. Nothing a smothering of paint couldn't save by doing it now. I'm yet to get round it it
The skirts were full of more forest life as well.
I blasted them out on the garden with the hose and some decent cleaner. At this point I left it and had some beer.
NEW POST:
Well, I guess I should carry on from where I left.
Been wrestling with Photobucket to get my pictures uploaded. It's sorted now.
Start small. Few weeks ago I refused to pay the crazy asking price for a new coolant cap, so I found one from a MK2 MR2 for £8 along with some hoses.
This also leads into the next next bit. You can see how messy the cam covers are in this photo.
The brakes were also looking old and crusty. They came out and replaced all around, except rear discs. All replaced with EBC parts.
Everything was very tidy behind the wheels. The caliper sliders took a bit of freeing up. Some hand work with squishy in and out action, no problem.
I had a new gear gaiter laying around waiting to be installed. The centre console got removed to get at it, which revealed much human slime. Gross.
I did clean it up and put back together.
Back to them cam covers. I got them took off ready for a re paint. THe cams are in superb condition. Mirror finish
Just before clear coat. Not a perfect original colour match but good enough for me.
After clear coat painting the lettering. Strangely I enjoyed doing this! I ordered the wrong colour blue to finish the lettering, so I had to wait before putting things back together.
It's back together now but I am yet to take any photos. I've just got the centre plate between the covers repainted in fancy crinkle paint. It's sat drying in the kitchen. So it's not actually back together as such. I got new gaskets from eBay, I wondered about the quality but figured it's worth trying.
I also got this installed
More to come.
NEW POST:
It's been quiet around here as of late. I figured I should update this, whatever this is and try breath some life into the build thread section.
To carry on where I finished a few months ago, I'll try explain the trails and tribulations of installing a mongoose exhaust system. Getting the original system off was tricky. The nuts did not wish to unscrew from the studs in the manifold. Two eventually stopped fighting and the last one wound out with the stud. At this point they were fairly chewed up but figured I would sort it later on.
The stainless system had to go on and off a few times to get a good fit. The first issue is that the silencer fouls slightly on the heat shield, an easy fix with some bending. The main problem is the exhuast hanger does not fit, so I had it cut and a small peace welded in. I think it was 20mm of extra material. I then painted it and it bolted on a treat.
I got a few exhaust parts from a buddy for free. My favourite pricing. you can see above the U bend bracket thing is new and shiny as the old one snapped when unscrewing the nut. I also got a slip joint clamp too, which comes in useful below
I was worried the exhaust tips would look too long, though for anyone wondering I think there a perfect length.
The gnarled up nuts and studs I managed to save. I went hunting for a tap to clear out the threads in the nuts, which I thought would be harder than it should be. If I remember rightly they were M10 nuts and bolts, which the standard thread pitch is 1.75. The ones Toyota used are 1.25. Work has plenty of standard 1.75 taps, a couple of 1.5 and 1 taps. The whole place had one M10x1.25 tap and exactly zero die nuts. This is where a mates thread file saved the day. I would highly recommend a thread file for working on these cars, makes pesky bolts go back in again.
In anycase I think it looks 100x better than the original mild steel example It cured the exhaust leak I had which thankfully wasn't a cracked manifold.
After this I finally got around to a full service. Firstly engine flush goes in and allowed to run for 10 minutes. In the meantime just gathering tools ready to do the job. The oil that came out looked pretty good, like it had been changed recently even though the service history says it was a year ago. New plugs, oil filter, engine oil and air filter. It also got new cam cover gaskets when I repainted them.
The weekend after this I dropped the coolant as well. It got quite and extensive flush with water, even though the coolant didn't come out particularly bad, saying that it was last changed in 2003. For filling back up again it's really simple with Haynes manual and some guides from the internet. Just follow the steps and that's everything sorted. When I came to run it a few days later I opened the air bleeder on top of the thermostat, which released a few small bubbles of air though to the expansion tank. Since then I've had no more air come out
While I was under there with the plastic trays off, this funny bracket got blasted and repainted.
I could do the gearbox oil yet and the fuel filter too. That said with all this attention being spent on the engine, I snuck out while the weather wasn't watching. It's like someone pulled a cork out if its nostril. It never felt sluggish before but with all the above it goes like a scolded rat. A good percentage more low torque and more eager to rev, so much so I had the confidence to go past 5000rpm at last, right to 7500rpm for the first time.
Can't have all the cake though. I've since found that the distributor seal is shot and leaking oil, along with a rumbly alternator. I'll be rebuilding the alternator myself as I've never done it before
Here's a reminder of what were working on with the daily in the background. It has one of those weird filters on the photo, all artsy like. Make up for the blurry stuff above
NEW POST:
I neglected to mention anything about the exhaust. Silly bugger
The main reason for replacing the system, was the fact that I had an exhaust leak and after removing it, it sounded like the silencer had collapsed. You couldn't hear any rattles when it was on the car, but I digress. So the performance gain that I can feel is most likely just the fact that, it has been serviced and there was probably a blockage inside of the silencer. Worth doing and I consider it a worthy upgrade that all owners should do, for improved looks, from not having a rusty box hanging out your car, along with a small performance gain and longevity of the system.
Enough beating about the bush you say. How does it sound? I'll be concise for anyone doing research.
mongoose exhaust from manifold back:
The volume increase from the original system on the inside of the car is marginal. A very slight drone at certain engine speeds is noticeable. For anyone who has had an aftermarket exhaust on any car, you would probably never notice (or care). On the outside at low RPM, it sounds noticeably deeper and louder, nothing crazy though. To quote my dad who isn't a fan of modifying cars, "It sounds like it should have done from new!". At higher RPM, around 4 - 5000 (thats enough revs you yobo, sat in your car not moving) It has a subtle rasp to it, while maintaining a slightly louder OEM sound. On the inside I can't hear the rasp, it just sounds a touch louder. While making the T-VIS valve opening less audible.
Could have been louder for me and I live with a Tegiwa catback on my daily car. Which is known as the quietest option for the FN2 Type R.
To update you all out there who's interested. The car has been great. That said, it hasn't been all too far from the garage as of late. Though this isn't a bad thing, as it has perpetually been on and off axle stands for much needed attention.
I've kept this vaguely updated on a dedicated one make forum and figured I should copy over the last posted from there to here. Even then this will not be completely up to date, as I've yet to write the latest update. I intend on doing it fairly soon and will probably be as big as this post. On with the show.
COPIED:
A quick update, I've been swearing to update. Finally started on the nutty and bolty bits properly. It's my first time working on a car just to improve things, not solely to repair broken things.
Band practice is over, I'm deaf and I've had a few beers. What time would be better?
This was actually last week but who knows why I've been so lazy. It all started with the prospect of a quick job, but how could thou have been so naive. I intended to just clear out the A pillar bases of the forestation spewed about in there, though one thing leads to another. I scooped out a good four inches of wildlife, while wincing at the idea of uncovering some tin worm.
Solid, who would have thought? So did both sides and sprayed inside with some Hammerite stone chip protection.
Wow these pictures are bad.
All the crud in the hoover. Nice and blurry.
So at this point I wanted to carry on and it is basically off the road now for winter. I figured being on the rust hunt that I was I should get the side skirts off.
Once again both sides are solid, if a little dirty. They cleaned up really nicely with a clay bar and some polish.
Not all was so rust free though, I found that the bottom of the radiator is actually quite badly rusted. Nothing a smothering of paint couldn't save by doing it now. I'm yet to get round it it
The skirts were full of more forest life as well.
I blasted them out on the garden with the hose and some decent cleaner. At this point I left it and had some beer.
NEW POST:
Well, I guess I should carry on from where I left.
Been wrestling with Photobucket to get my pictures uploaded. It's sorted now.
Start small. Few weeks ago I refused to pay the crazy asking price for a new coolant cap, so I found one from a MK2 MR2 for £8 along with some hoses.
This also leads into the next next bit. You can see how messy the cam covers are in this photo.
The brakes were also looking old and crusty. They came out and replaced all around, except rear discs. All replaced with EBC parts.
Everything was very tidy behind the wheels. The caliper sliders took a bit of freeing up. Some hand work with squishy in and out action, no problem.
I had a new gear gaiter laying around waiting to be installed. The centre console got removed to get at it, which revealed much human slime. Gross.
I did clean it up and put back together.
Back to them cam covers. I got them took off ready for a re paint. THe cams are in superb condition. Mirror finish
Just before clear coat. Not a perfect original colour match but good enough for me.
After clear coat painting the lettering. Strangely I enjoyed doing this! I ordered the wrong colour blue to finish the lettering, so I had to wait before putting things back together.
It's back together now but I am yet to take any photos. I've just got the centre plate between the covers repainted in fancy crinkle paint. It's sat drying in the kitchen. So it's not actually back together as such. I got new gaskets from eBay, I wondered about the quality but figured it's worth trying.
I also got this installed
More to come.
NEW POST:
It's been quiet around here as of late. I figured I should update this, whatever this is and try breath some life into the build thread section.
To carry on where I finished a few months ago, I'll try explain the trails and tribulations of installing a mongoose exhaust system. Getting the original system off was tricky. The nuts did not wish to unscrew from the studs in the manifold. Two eventually stopped fighting and the last one wound out with the stud. At this point they were fairly chewed up but figured I would sort it later on.
The stainless system had to go on and off a few times to get a good fit. The first issue is that the silencer fouls slightly on the heat shield, an easy fix with some bending. The main problem is the exhuast hanger does not fit, so I had it cut and a small peace welded in. I think it was 20mm of extra material. I then painted it and it bolted on a treat.
I got a few exhaust parts from a buddy for free. My favourite pricing. you can see above the U bend bracket thing is new and shiny as the old one snapped when unscrewing the nut. I also got a slip joint clamp too, which comes in useful below
I was worried the exhaust tips would look too long, though for anyone wondering I think there a perfect length.
The gnarled up nuts and studs I managed to save. I went hunting for a tap to clear out the threads in the nuts, which I thought would be harder than it should be. If I remember rightly they were M10 nuts and bolts, which the standard thread pitch is 1.75. The ones Toyota used are 1.25. Work has plenty of standard 1.75 taps, a couple of 1.5 and 1 taps. The whole place had one M10x1.25 tap and exactly zero die nuts. This is where a mates thread file saved the day. I would highly recommend a thread file for working on these cars, makes pesky bolts go back in again.
In anycase I think it looks 100x better than the original mild steel example
It cured the exhaust leak I had which thankfully wasn't a cracked manifold.After this I finally got around to a full service. Firstly engine flush goes in and allowed to run for 10 minutes. In the meantime just gathering tools ready to do the job. The oil that came out looked pretty good, like it had been changed recently even though the service history says it was a year ago. New plugs, oil filter, engine oil and air filter. It also got new cam cover gaskets when I repainted them.
The weekend after this I dropped the coolant as well. It got quite and extensive flush with water, even though the coolant didn't come out particularly bad, saying that it was last changed in 2003. For filling back up again it's really simple with Haynes manual and some guides from the internet. Just follow the steps and that's everything sorted. When I came to run it a few days later I opened the air bleeder on top of the thermostat, which released a few small bubbles of air though to the expansion tank. Since then I've had no more air come out
While I was under there with the plastic trays off, this funny bracket got blasted and repainted.
I could do the gearbox oil yet and the fuel filter too. That said with all this attention being spent on the engine, I snuck out while the weather wasn't watching. It's like someone pulled a cork out if its nostril. It never felt sluggish before but with all the above it goes like a scolded rat. A good percentage more low torque and more eager to rev, so much so I had the confidence to go past 5000rpm at last, right to 7500rpm for the first time.
Can't have all the cake though. I've since found that the distributor seal is shot and leaking oil, along with a rumbly alternator. I'll be rebuilding the alternator myself as I've never done it before
Here's a reminder of what were working on with the daily in the background. It has one of those weird filters on the photo, all artsy like. Make up for the blurry stuff above
NEW POST:
I neglected to mention anything about the exhaust. Silly bugger
The main reason for replacing the system, was the fact that I had an exhaust leak and after removing it, it sounded like the silencer had collapsed. You couldn't hear any rattles when it was on the car, but I digress. So the performance gain that I can feel is most likely just the fact that, it has been serviced and there was probably a blockage inside of the silencer. Worth doing and I consider it a worthy upgrade that all owners should do, for improved looks, from not having a rusty box hanging out your car, along with a small performance gain and longevity of the system.Enough beating about the bush you say. How does it sound? I'll be concise for anyone doing research.
mongoose exhaust from manifold back:
The volume increase from the original system on the inside of the car is marginal. A very slight drone at certain engine speeds is noticeable. For anyone who has had an aftermarket exhaust on any car, you would probably never notice (or care). On the outside at low RPM, it sounds noticeably deeper and louder, nothing crazy though. To quote my dad who isn't a fan of modifying cars, "It sounds like it should have done from new!". At higher RPM, around 4 - 5000 (thats enough revs you yobo, sat in your car not moving
) It has a subtle rasp to it, while maintaining a slightly louder OEM sound. On the inside I can't hear the rasp, it just sounds a touch louder. While making the T-VIS valve opening less audible.Could have been louder for me and I live with a Tegiwa catback on my daily car. Which is known as the quietest option for the FN2 Type R.
Edited by Sillyhatday on Tuesday 4th July 18:10
Thanks guys, surprising the amount of love the car gets. For what is basically, a cheap car, it gets a bunch of comments and questions.
I've yet to experience trouble with a leaky master cylinder. I'll keep my eye on it though now thanks.
What's the Supercharger version like compared to the standard 4AGE? I've not heard a direct comparison from anyone? Does it affect the car dynamics much? I find it really interesting that Toyota used a supercharger back in the 80's!
I've yet to experience trouble with a leaky master cylinder. I'll keep my eye on it though now thanks.
What's the Supercharger version like compared to the standard 4AGE? I've not heard a direct comparison from anyone? Does it affect the car dynamics much? I find it really interesting that Toyota used a supercharger back in the 80's!
Sillyhatday said:
Thanks guys, surprising the amount of love the car gets. For what is basically, a cheap car, it gets a bunch of comments and questions.
I've yet to experience trouble with a leaky master cylinder. I'll keep my eye on it though now thanks.
What's the Supercharger version like compared to the standard 4AGE? I've not heard a direct comparison from anyone? Does it affect the car dynamics much? I find it really interesting that Toyota used a supercharger back in the 80's!
Here's my piece on the AW11. It was one of the best cars I've ever owned. The engineering behind it is ingenious. If it wasn't for parts i'd have kept it.I've yet to experience trouble with a leaky master cylinder. I'll keep my eye on it though now thanks.
What's the Supercharger version like compared to the standard 4AGE? I've not heard a direct comparison from anyone? Does it affect the car dynamics much? I find it really interesting that Toyota used a supercharger back in the 80's!
The only SC I'd ever seen when I lived in the UK was a JDM 2 tone white and silver with volk te37s I think there called. It was at Keighley imports for a long time.
I have never driven a regular aw 11. The SC was fast and handled brilliantly. There is a motor week comparison on YouTube with the Pontiac Fiero.
Mine was pretty much stock, the previous owner had done some kind off bypass to allow for an upgraded s/C pulley. Eventually there was a metal on metal noise which I think was the SC clutch which was no longer made by Toyota. At the time yahoo auctions japan was the only source to find the part and I was getting frustrated.
I bought it in Virginia and drove it back to Alabama. 45 minutes into the drive the 3 lights of death popped up and it died on the fast lane on the interstate. I managed to coast it to the hard shoulder. To cut a long story short it was the alternator.
It went through 2 alternators (remanufactured) from auto parts stores. The alternator location on the 4agze is between the engine and rear firewall. It was a nightmare to replace. I spent hours lying on top of the engine to reach the bolts holding it on. The 4ag is much easier to access the alternator. In the end I got a new OEM Toyota alternator and never had that problem again.
The SC was well packaged and small, I highly doubt it had any kind of negative effect on the handling.
Not sure if you like Anime but there's a series called Over Rev that features the AW11.
Edited by 5ohmustang on Thursday 8th December 23:44
Sillyhatday said:
Thanks guys, surprising the amount of love the car gets. For what is basically, a cheap car, it gets a bunch of comments and questions.
I've yet to experience trouble with a leaky master cylinder. I'll keep my eye on it though now thanks.
What's the Supercharger version like compared to the standard 4AGE? I've not heard a direct comparison from anyone? Does it affect the car dynamics much? I find it really interesting that Toyota used a supercharger back in the 80's!
I test drove a supercharged version before going the blacktop route.I've yet to experience trouble with a leaky master cylinder. I'll keep my eye on it though now thanks.
What's the Supercharger version like compared to the standard 4AGE? I've not heard a direct comparison from anyone? Does it affect the car dynamics much? I find it really interesting that Toyota used a supercharger back in the 80's!
It had a lot more bottom end / midrange punch than the naturally aspirated version, but didn't have the same rev-happy feel, even though it had more power at all revs.
The car also didn't feel quite as nimble : although the supercharger itself doesn't weigh a lot, the s/c version had a stronger and heavier gearbox and driveshafts - all weight over the rear wheels (20+ kg IIRC).
Ideally I'd have two - a supercharged auto, and my
I've not yet had any major problems finding parts for it. I've spoken to Toyota about various parts and what they still offer. Pretty much all the engine components are still available, or so I was told. Bodywork and interior they don't stock anymore. That said I've seen some people still able to find some exterior panels, like new front wings. I suppose this is different for a Japanese import supercharged car. They are rarer and (i may be wrong) were only ever available in Japan. Supercharger related parts I can see being an issue to find.
Here in the UK we have nearly half a dozen specialist breakers of these cars. I've been able to find anything I need from other cars. I was missing an engine cover prop which was an easy find second hand.
The black supercharged car looks like a nice project. I'd love a ride in one in the future
Here in the UK we have nearly half a dozen specialist breakers of these cars. I've been able to find anything I need from other cars. I was missing an engine cover prop which was an easy find second hand.
The black supercharged car looks like a nice project. I'd love a ride in one in the future
Kateg28 said:
How did you get one? My alternator has died and I just cannot find one anywhere.....
I don't remember for certain, this was around 5 or 6 years ago.I think I got it from Rockauto.com or a Toyota dealer.
I just had a look on rock auto and they do not list OEM Toyota. They do have a reman sensor though.
I would drop an email to Eric at hux racing. Huxracing.com. He was one of the more well known mr2 specialists in the USA, he may know where to order one from.
Kateg28 said:
How did you get one? My alternator has died and I just cannot find one anywhere.....
http://www.mr2mk1toyotaspares.com/product-page/3001f050-2f94-2bb5-52dd-14fc0314d05eI'm not sure if it's a proper Toyota one or a reproduction. I've bought from there a few times now, very trustworthy. Might be worth asking if it's an OEM one.
Think they ship abroad too, for you other folks. Hope that helps Kate
This is from about two weeks ago, copied over again:
I figured I'll churn out some more from my MR2 quest.
I'll start with something that I forgot to show after the job was done. The nicely painted cam covers
Lets not have the tinny in shot.
Phwaarr, check out that depth of field. Thats better! (no more like that, I'm to lazy) I also painted the plug lead holding plate between the covers. I was wondering if to do it at first, as it has a crinkle effect. So I found some VHT wrinkle paint, it's all over ebay, which is designed for this exact purpose. I must say it works great to replicate that factory look.
As previously mentioned I went rust hunting. For some reason I forgot to take a photo of the big rust hole in the crash bar. Never mind. I was going to illustrate the picture below to show the peace that I had welded in, but I'm too lazy for that also.
You can see the bare metal at the top, which would be the bottom, that is where a small L shape was welded in. There was some pin holes of rust too, which were roughly tacked over with weld.
Weld spots and ground back smooth(ish).
The second worst areas (no prizes for guessing) was inside the side light mounting area.
Remarkably no holes. I did poke at it quite hard too. Welding torch must have scared it.
So what to do with all the brown patches.
RUST EATER! Seriously lathered into it. None of it is getting away.
The tin specifically says not to get it on paint you want. Too late for that now! It's Hammerite stuff which worked really well. Get your major rust brushed off so it is solid, then spill this all over. It all goes acid trip purple, your rust goes black and it evaporates leaving a nice solid surface to paint Highly recommended.
Also did the rails underneath the front and rear bumpers.
While that was doing its thing I did a few small jobs on the car.
A bit of background. With some of my earlier cars I was crazy into car audio setups. A brand snob :P When I bought my latest car nearly 4 years ago I vowed not to ruin it with insane (but rough) installs. I managed, just about. No subwoofer anyway, which for me is good. I sold my rare stuff off to stop me putting it all back together again. Anyway I kept my Alpine 9887, oldie but goodie. The 113BT I put in came out and the 9887 went in.
Now with some tweaking for half an hour, I got the 30 year old paper speakers singing. Setup the parametric EQ to combat the crap speakers poor frequency reproduction in certain areas, then time alignment to the drivers seat, followed by high pass filter as low as the poor things could manage. Run through some different genres and finished with some attenuation on the drivers speaker. Properly balanced. I promise you I was blown away by how loud and how (I wont say good) listenable the factory speaker setup is.
The bug has bit. I'm stopping at new dash speakers. Which I've bought. Reveal later in the week when they arrive.
9887. Looks dated from when I last used it.
Not quite up to date yet.
I figured I'll churn out some more from my MR2 quest.
I'll start with something that I forgot to show after the job was done. The nicely painted cam covers
Lets not have the tinny in shot.
Phwaarr, check out that depth of field. Thats better! (no more like that, I'm to lazy) I also painted the plug lead holding plate between the covers. I was wondering if to do it at first, as it has a crinkle effect. So I found some VHT wrinkle paint, it's all over ebay, which is designed for this exact purpose. I must say it works great to replicate that factory look.
As previously mentioned I went rust hunting. For some reason I forgot to take a photo of the big rust hole in the crash bar. Never mind. I was going to illustrate the picture below to show the peace that I had welded in, but I'm too lazy for that also.
You can see the bare metal at the top, which would be the bottom, that is where a small L shape was welded in. There was some pin holes of rust too, which were roughly tacked over with weld.
Weld spots and ground back smooth(ish).
The second worst areas (no prizes for guessing) was inside the side light mounting area.
Remarkably no holes. I did poke at it quite hard too. Welding torch must have scared it.
So what to do with all the brown patches.
RUST EATER! Seriously lathered into it. None of it is getting away.
The tin specifically says not to get it on paint you want. Too late for that now! It's Hammerite stuff which worked really well. Get your major rust brushed off so it is solid, then spill this all over. It all goes acid trip purple, your rust goes black and it evaporates leaving a nice solid surface to paint
Highly recommended.Also did the rails underneath the front and rear bumpers.
While that was doing its thing I did a few small jobs on the car.
A bit of background. With some of my earlier cars I was crazy into car audio setups. A brand snob :P When I bought my latest car nearly 4 years ago I vowed not to ruin it with insane (but rough) installs. I managed, just about. No subwoofer anyway, which for me is good. I sold my rare stuff off to stop me putting it all back together again. Anyway I kept my Alpine 9887, oldie but goodie. The 113BT I put in came out and the 9887 went in.
Now with some tweaking for half an hour, I got the 30 year old paper speakers singing. Setup the parametric EQ to combat the crap speakers poor frequency reproduction in certain areas, then time alignment to the drivers seat, followed by high pass filter as low as the poor things could manage. Run through some different genres and finished with some attenuation on the drivers speaker. Properly balanced. I promise you I was blown away by how loud and how (I wont say good) listenable the factory speaker setup is.
The bug has bit. I'm stopping at new dash speakers. Which I've bought. Reveal later in the week when they arrive.
9887. Looks dated from when I last used it.
Not quite up to date yet.
Edited by Sillyhatday on Tuesday 4th July 18:13
Thought I'd bring this back from the dead. Spent quite a lot of the winter hiding from it in the garage. So this is what got done a few months ago.
I continued by sorting out the emerging rust on the headlight units. The motors were in superb condition so they got away without any treatment. First up, shot blasting!
Some black spray. The finish of this Hammerite is excellent right out of the can.
Bits bits everywhere.
Back together mostly. All nuts and bolts put back in with copper grease on. The arms that connect from the motors to the headlamp, I put some fresh bearing grease in the ball ends. Nice smooth up down operation now, not that it was really an issue before.
Not much else to say about that. Lick of paint and putting some bolts back together. Well worth doing even though I'll never see it, but they aren't going to continue rusting for a long time now.
While this was being done, I came across some scotch blocks on the side light connections. I already had a pretty good idea that the car had an aftermarket alarm fitted, at some point. I'm not sure when it was removed.
These had to go, I'm sure down the line it would have caused me trouble. Pictures explain themselves here.
This wire wasn't even in one peace.
Solder and heatshrink
Black tape. Electricians best friend.
Second one
Simpler as it was in one peace. Tape again to cover the damaged insulation.
Some more tape to match it in with the original loom.
Onto new speakers! Total nerd here obsessed with the wiring jobs. Oh well
Old speakers out. In absolute perfect condition. Seemed a shame to replace them, there safe in a draw if ever wanted to be put back in.
A depth comparison of new vs original
While searching online as to what would fit, I could not find any comparison photos. THe biggest problem is that speaker manufacturers do not make it greatly clear what size there dam stuff is! The biggest problem I found that needs to be overcome in these cars is finding a full range speaker that fits comfortably under the speaker grills. I don't want it to look any different in the car. SO what is it I've bought your asking.
I've used Audison equipment in the past, in fact I'm using there signal processor in my other car. The benefit of these is unlike every other coaxial speaker, the tweeter is mounted in the base of the cone. So I took a stab that these would fit.
There expensive for a 4inch speaker but worth there weight in sound quality.
Cut out a sponge ring to seal the gap between the speaker and the dash. It's not pretty but function over form and all that Helps with bass response and reduce vibration against the metalwork it's mounted too.
Once two mounting tabs cut off, they fit perfectly. Using original screws and everything. I adapted the original connectors to work, so it can be returned to standard at anytime.
Fast forward a few weeks:
Things have got serious in MR2 land.
Where the hell is all my suspension gone?
And over here
Alternator where art thou?
Oh you all here
I've really got my work cut out :-?
I love me some engine porn. Pistons Cylinder walls look excellent though hard to see in the pictures.
I'm going for around 50 miles between oil changes i think
SO. The plan is all this back on by the end of next weekend. Quite a job list.
Alternator rebuild
Distributor oil seals
Oil pickup gasket
New fan belt
Handbrake cables
All brackets powdercoated/painted
Replace perished bushes (as it turns out didn't need replacing)
Tidy all nuts and bolts
4 wheel bearings
Engine oil
Gearbox oil
New brake fluid
Timing belt
Timing belt tensioner
Braided brake hoses
Waxoil underside
All in all been a solid 7 hours work today.
(safe to say, all this in one week was optimistic)
Few weeks later:
Updates updates. Been that busy doing stuff, I've not had much time for updatings. Most work being done hasn't been all terribly exciting anyways, lot of wire wheeling, blasting, painting, etc. SO not much to show for the efforts but certainly been fun.
While the car is as it is, it's getting the finishing touches to the major service. I wasn't originally going to bother with a timing belt change as I have evidence of it being done only a few years back.
I decided I'd change it anyway. I know how its been done this way. Well, I got the timing belt cover off and the belt was loose. Well not loose but certainly not tight either.
Oh that's why. The monkey before had neglected to put the tensioner spring on, at all. amongst the splattering of red paint all over for homemade timing marks. Much to my helpers dismay :thumbdown: They had also smashed the crank pulley back on and damaged it in the process. Which made getting it off nigh on impossible. It needs blasting and painting.
On the bright side I got a lot of parts completely refreshed. I'll write up my experience with rebuilding shock absorbers in another post.
Since this, I got a load of bits back from powder coating. Of which I can't find my pictures :/ Nevermind, I've got into doing some home zinc plating Doing hundreds of bolts has become really tedious. I've been getting mixed results if I'm honest.
Sunday I got to the car and mostly got the front end assembled. It's just a dry run, things need to come off again.
Shiney bolts With bonus fresh underseal :+: Borrowed a spray gun for the job, made life sooo easy.
I also decided that I wasn't trusting my life to 30 year old rubber tubes to apply the brakes. So...
That's all for now. Oh, the distributor seal has also been replaced.
I've still yet to write up some of the last jobs before it got put back on the ground.
It's safe to say that it's been performing flawlessly. It's just being driven mostly now. I was hopeing to join the MR2MK1club this next weekend out in wales but I'm busy. The next meeting is next month in the peak district, which I'll be attending. After that it's off to Silverstone classic in June for the full weekend. It will be on the show stand for all too see.
In the mean time I'm looking to fill the time between the dates with driving it and any other meets or shows. This car gets driven, as much as enjoy detailing and a tidy car, it's more fun to get them dirty.
I continued by sorting out the emerging rust on the headlight units. The motors were in superb condition so they got away without any treatment. First up, shot blasting!
Some black spray. The finish of this Hammerite is excellent right out of the can.
Bits bits everywhere.
Back together mostly. All nuts and bolts put back in with copper grease on. The arms that connect from the motors to the headlamp, I put some fresh bearing grease in the ball ends. Nice smooth up down operation now, not that it was really an issue before.
Not much else to say about that. Lick of paint and putting some bolts back together. Well worth doing even though I'll never see it, but they aren't going to continue rusting for a long time now.
While this was being done, I came across some scotch blocks on the side light connections. I already had a pretty good idea that the car had an aftermarket alarm fitted, at some point. I'm not sure when it was removed.
These had to go, I'm sure down the line it would have caused me trouble. Pictures explain themselves here.
This wire wasn't even in one peace.
Solder and heatshrink
Black tape. Electricians best friend.
Second one
Simpler as it was in one peace. Tape again to cover the damaged insulation.
Some more tape to match it in with the original loom.
Onto new speakers! Total nerd here obsessed with the wiring jobs. Oh well
Old speakers out. In absolute perfect condition. Seemed a shame to replace them, there safe in a draw if ever wanted to be put back in.
A depth comparison of new vs original
While searching online as to what would fit, I could not find any comparison photos. THe biggest problem is that speaker manufacturers do not make it greatly clear what size there dam stuff is! The biggest problem I found that needs to be overcome in these cars is finding a full range speaker that fits comfortably under the speaker grills. I don't want it to look any different in the car. SO what is it I've bought your asking.
I've used Audison equipment in the past, in fact I'm using there signal processor in my other car. The benefit of these is unlike every other coaxial speaker, the tweeter is mounted in the base of the cone. So I took a stab that these would fit.
There expensive for a 4inch speaker but worth there weight in sound quality.
Cut out a sponge ring to seal the gap between the speaker and the dash. It's not pretty but function over form and all that Helps with bass response and reduce vibration against the metalwork it's mounted too.
Once two mounting tabs cut off, they fit perfectly. Using original screws and everything. I adapted the original connectors to work, so it can be returned to standard at anytime.
Fast forward a few weeks:
Things have got serious in MR2 land.
Where the hell is all my suspension gone?
And over here
Alternator where art thou?
Oh you all here
I've really got my work cut out :-?
I love me some engine porn. Pistons
Cylinder walls look excellent though hard to see in the pictures.I'm going for around 50 miles between oil changes i think
SO. The plan is all this back on by the end of next weekend. Quite a job list.
Alternator rebuild
Distributor oil seals
Oil pickup gasket
New fan belt
Handbrake cables
All brackets powdercoated/painted
Replace perished bushes (as it turns out didn't need replacing)
Tidy all nuts and bolts
4 wheel bearings
Engine oil
Gearbox oil
New brake fluid
Timing belt
Timing belt tensioner
Braided brake hoses
Waxoil underside
All in all been a solid 7 hours work today.
(safe to say, all this in one week was optimistic)
Few weeks later:
Updates updates. Been that busy doing stuff, I've not had much time for updatings. Most work being done hasn't been all terribly exciting anyways, lot of wire wheeling, blasting, painting, etc. SO not much to show for the efforts but certainly been fun.
While the car is as it is, it's getting the finishing touches to the major service. I wasn't originally going to bother with a timing belt change as I have evidence of it being done only a few years back.
I decided I'd change it anyway. I know how its been done this way. Well, I got the timing belt cover off and the belt was loose. Well not loose but certainly not tight either.
Oh that's why. The monkey before had neglected to put the tensioner spring on, at all. amongst the splattering of red paint all over for homemade timing marks. Much to my helpers dismay :thumbdown: They had also smashed the crank pulley back on and damaged it in the process. Which made getting it off nigh on impossible. It needs blasting and painting.
On the bright side I got a lot of parts completely refreshed. I'll write up my experience with rebuilding shock absorbers in another post.
Since this, I got a load of bits back from powder coating. Of which I can't find my pictures :/ Nevermind, I've got into doing some home zinc plating
Doing hundreds of bolts has become really tedious. I've been getting mixed results if I'm honest.Sunday I got to the car and mostly got the front end assembled. It's just a dry run, things need to come off again.
Shiney bolts
With bonus fresh underseal :+: Borrowed a spray gun for the job, made life sooo easy.I also decided that I wasn't trusting my life to 30 year old rubber tubes to apply the brakes. So...
That's all for now. Oh, the distributor seal has also been replaced.
I've still yet to write up some of the last jobs before it got put back on the ground.
It's safe to say that it's been performing flawlessly. It's just being driven mostly now. I was hopeing to join the MR2MK1club this next weekend out in wales but I'm busy. The next meeting is next month in the peak district, which I'll be attending. After that it's off to Silverstone classic in June for the full weekend. It will be on the show stand for all too see.
In the mean time I'm looking to fill the time between the dates with driving it and any other meets or shows. This car gets driven, as much as enjoy detailing and a tidy car, it's more fun to get them dirty.
Edited by Sillyhatday on Sunday 16th April 15:53
Edited by Sillyhatday on Wednesday 12th July 20:26
Edited by Sillyhatday on Wednesday 12th July 20:28
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