Toyota MR2 mk1
Discussion
After seeing the other lovely MR2 which has been posted, https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... I have been prompted me to post mine.
I have had it a year and lusted after one when I was a teenager. It had to be white, with a T-bar and manual, the same as the pictures on my wall and the plastic model I made which I still have.
The car is a 1988 with 2 previous owners and garaged all of it's life. It's now on 49k miles and replaces a Lotus Elan +2 which was just too heavy on maintenance. The MR2 is cheaper, just as much fun and much more reliable. The only non-original parts are the wheels (AZEVs), lowered springs and stainless Magnex exhaust, but I have the original springs and teardrop alloys, still wearing their original tyres! I have all receipts from new, including the Toyota brochure which is the same one I used to pour over when I was young.
|https://thumbsnap.com/FoEVGiFm[/url][url]
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|https://thumbsnap.com/64IzgaIp[/url
Since getting it I have done a full underbody protection with Dinitrol. This included removing arch liners, skirts and all underbody panels. There were a few areas where the original underseal had just started to break through but it was only minor surface rust and has been fully treated now. It still has all original panels, including all arches, and no rust has been found. I also refresh the rear bumper bar, engine cam covers and have started polishing the body with a dual action polisher, and that's going to keep me busy for a few weeks during lockdown!
I will let the pics say the rest:
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I have had it a year and lusted after one when I was a teenager. It had to be white, with a T-bar and manual, the same as the pictures on my wall and the plastic model I made which I still have.
The car is a 1988 with 2 previous owners and garaged all of it's life. It's now on 49k miles and replaces a Lotus Elan +2 which was just too heavy on maintenance. The MR2 is cheaper, just as much fun and much more reliable. The only non-original parts are the wheels (AZEVs), lowered springs and stainless Magnex exhaust, but I have the original springs and teardrop alloys, still wearing their original tyres! I have all receipts from new, including the Toyota brochure which is the same one I used to pour over when I was young.
|https://thumbsnap.com/FoEVGiFm[/url][url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/64IzgaIp[/urlSince getting it I have done a full underbody protection with Dinitrol. This included removing arch liners, skirts and all underbody panels. There were a few areas where the original underseal had just started to break through but it was only minor surface rust and has been fully treated now. It still has all original panels, including all arches, and no rust has been found. I also refresh the rear bumper bar, engine cam covers and have started polishing the body with a dual action polisher, and that's going to keep me busy for a few weeks during lockdown!
I will let the pics say the rest:
[url]Edited by Rich135 on Tuesday 7th April 13:41
That looks terrific, and all original is a rarity indeed!
A mate and myself both had Mk1s around 20 years ago when we were in our 20s.
Both cars were probably as rusty as each other but his been white and mine been Mica Blue meant mine looked so much better. White is not a forgiving colour when the rust sets in!
I will get another as they are a great undervalued modern classic. Just a T-bar this time
A mate and myself both had Mk1s around 20 years ago when we were in our 20s.
Both cars were probably as rusty as each other but his been white and mine been Mica Blue meant mine looked so much better. White is not a forgiving colour when the rust sets in!
I will get another as they are a great undervalued modern classic. Just a T-bar this time
mikal83 said:
Theres a tasty one for sale right now on carandclassic that I am drooling over and my wallet is vibrating! Theres also a nice redTR7 on there as well.
Both look nice. The MR2 is also white and looks very clean and sorted as does the TR. Would you be tempted OP?
Yes I have seen that white one (with the bronze wheels?) and it looks very nice. Quite a few upgrades but generally sensible ones like Mk3 seats. He has a really good restoration blog as well.Both look nice. The MR2 is also white and looks very clean and sorted as does the TR. Would you be tempted OP?
Triumphs have never really done it for me. I have had an MGB GT and the 1970 Lotus Elan, but just never really had an interest in Triumphs for some reason.
Rich135 said:
mikal83 said:
Theres a tasty one for sale right now on carandclassic that I am drooling over and my wallet is vibrating! Theres also a nice redTR7 on there as well.
Both look nice. The MR2 is also white and looks very clean and sorted as does the TR. Would you be tempted OP?
Yes I have seen that white one (with the bronze wheels?) and it looks very nice. Quite a few upgrades but generally sensible ones like Mk3 seats. He has a really good restoration blog as well.Both look nice. The MR2 is also white and looks very clean and sorted as does the TR. Would you be tempted OP?
Triumphs have never really done it for me. I have had an MGB GT and the 1970 Lotus Elan, but just never really had an interest in Triumphs for some reason.
mikal83 said:
The Cheltenam one for 4500? (Which one had bronze wheels??) I had an MGBGT in late 70's till I drove it into a local Cornish hedge. Hedge 1. MG 0. Then 2 GT6's rattled like a bugger over 75 mph, then an old Herald that I was given as a stopgap...between cars, you understand. And just 5 yrs ago a '77 mgb BUT the top of the windscreen was inline with my eyes...sold it for a Chimeara.. The TR7 is the wooster one.
This is the one I was thinking of, but it's up for a bit more than £4.5k https://mr2inmemory.wordpress.com/Rich135 said:
mikal83 said:
The Cheltenam one for 4500? (Which one had bronze wheels??) I had an MGBGT in late 70's till I drove it into a local Cornish hedge. Hedge 1. MG 0. Then 2 GT6's rattled like a bugger over 75 mph, then an old Herald that I was given as a stopgap...between cars, you understand. And just 5 yrs ago a '77 mgb BUT the top of the windscreen was inline with my eyes...sold it for a Chimeara.. The TR7 is the wooster one.
This is the one I was thinking of, but it's up for a bit more than £4.5k https://mr2inmemory.wordpress.com/
Rich135 said:
Thanks Heaveho, but yours looks just as good to me, great colour!
Cheers, not perfect, but working my way through jobs gradually. I don't think it's had any welding or replacement panels, and it appears to have been rustproofed with clear wax behind all the interior trims, so it's a good base to start from. Yours looks like a keeper, it would be nigh on impossible finding another at that mileage and condition with so few owners. Mine's only done 59k, but I'm the fifth owner.Rich135 said:
mikal83 said:
The Cheltenam one for 4500? (Which one had bronze wheels??) I had an MGBGT in late 70's till I drove it into a local Cornish hedge. Hedge 1. MG 0. Then 2 GT6's rattled like a bugger over 75 mph, then an old Herald that I was given as a stopgap...between cars, you understand. And just 5 yrs ago a '77 mgb BUT the top of the windscreen was inline with my eyes...sold it for a Chimeara.. The TR7 is the wooster one.
This is the one I was thinking of, but it's up for a bit more than £4.5k https://mr2inmemory.wordpress.com/Have spoken (email) to the guy selling that MR2 and he sounds very nice. He has 2 people showing interest but the cars in storage, he cant get it out and the 1st 2 cant get up to look at it BUT has said I could be 3rd in line if I like. BUT if the 1st 2 dont like it...and I'll bet they are far far more knowledgeable about MR2 than me....whats my incentive! Oh 1st world problems. lol.
mikal83 said:
Rich
Have spoken (email) to the guy selling that MR2 and he sounds very nice. He has 2 people showing interest but the cars in storage, he cant get it out and the 1st 2 cant get up to look at it BUT has said I could be 3rd in line if I like. BUT if the 1st 2 dont like it...and I'll bet they are far far more knowledgeable about MR2 than me....whats my incentive! Oh 1st world problems. lol.
Hey Mikal, oh yes, that age old problem of not being first in line - if they don't buy it then why not?! I know the feeling. If you are first in the line though, then you don't have much wiggle room on price so can't get a bargain... All you can do is try to get there first. Good luck!Have spoken (email) to the guy selling that MR2 and he sounds very nice. He has 2 people showing interest but the cars in storage, he cant get it out and the 1st 2 cant get up to look at it BUT has said I could be 3rd in line if I like. BUT if the 1st 2 dont like it...and I'll bet they are far far more knowledgeable about MR2 than me....whats my incentive! Oh 1st world problems. lol.
Rich135 said:
Hey Mikal, oh yes, that age old problem of not being first in line - if they don't buy it then why not?! I know the feeling. If you are first in the line though, then you don't have much wiggle room on price so can't get a bargain... All you can do is try to get there first. Good luck!
Proper job.So I have been doing a few jobs during lockdown, not all of which I diligently photographed, but I will put up what I have.
I decided to tackle the headlight pods. They are powder coated steel, and while all of the metal is hidden from view, you can be fairly sure there is some surface rust hiding behind the plastic guard. So I removed both sides to take a look.
Overall not too bad at all, just surface rust, so I took them down to a local powder coaters to have them dipped and treated.
Meanwhile I checked the holes on the car for any rust, but found none. You can see some of the over spray from me doing the Dinitrol treatment last year, and I topped it up a little just to make sure everything is good for the next 32 years. The front bumper bar looks fine too.
While waiting for the headlights to come back, my daughter and I couldn't resist a blast with two friends who have Loti, a bit cheeky with me having no headlights at all, but all was fine and it was during the day anyway. While on the run, this happened and my daughter just managed to get a pic before it clicked over to 50001!
I then picked up the refreshed pods which were looking amazing - fantastic work and well worth getting done professionally.
After restoring all other parts (headlight bowls, replacement screws etc) Everything is now back together and working perfectly, and even the body coloured covers line up, as I remembered to use a pen to mark the screws positions before taking them off ;-)
Sorry no pics of the completed car, but you all know what a mk1 MR2 looks like!
I decided to tackle the headlight pods. They are powder coated steel, and while all of the metal is hidden from view, you can be fairly sure there is some surface rust hiding behind the plastic guard. So I removed both sides to take a look.
Overall not too bad at all, just surface rust, so I took them down to a local powder coaters to have them dipped and treated.
Meanwhile I checked the holes on the car for any rust, but found none. You can see some of the over spray from me doing the Dinitrol treatment last year, and I topped it up a little just to make sure everything is good for the next 32 years. The front bumper bar looks fine too.
While waiting for the headlights to come back, my daughter and I couldn't resist a blast with two friends who have Loti, a bit cheeky with me having no headlights at all, but all was fine and it was during the day anyway. While on the run, this happened and my daughter just managed to get a pic before it clicked over to 50001!
I then picked up the refreshed pods which were looking amazing - fantastic work and well worth getting done professionally.
After restoring all other parts (headlight bowls, replacement screws etc) Everything is now back together and working perfectly, and even the body coloured covers line up, as I remembered to use a pen to mark the screws positions before taking them off ;-)
Sorry no pics of the completed car, but you all know what a mk1 MR2 looks like!
Edited by Rich135 on Thursday 30th July 09:21
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