SE Dau One Off Sports Coupe

[seautomotive]

Hi guys, so I've posted, in the "Introduce yourself" forum, my intentions to build a fibreglass sports coupe on an MR2 Mk 3 Chassis. We got the car in to Nigeria from England, about 3 weeks ago. See images below:






A coupe version of this, with some other mods to the styling, is what we're aiming for:



Obviously, the wisest place to start is from the powertrain, to make sure that we have a running chassis to build all that fanciness on. So, I took a trip to our local car parts market to look for some power. The 2GRs are available, easily. Please forgive the bad quality images. I only had my blackberry that day.





Now, if you've read my introduction you'll find that I wanted to use an autobox. Market forces - low supply - means the prices are stratospheric, and my research tells me that the turbo gearbox from the MK2 (E153) is the same one on the 1MZ Camry. So I asked for the 1MZ box, and got shown this (again, sorry for the dodgy photo quality):





Other items, like ecu, the 1MZ gearbox driveshafts, hub, accelerator pedal, engine mounts are available too. But I will have to import the wiring looms, because the cowboys in the market generally think its easier to sever with a knife than to pull out a plug. As such, a complete wiring loom would probably have to be stolen from an unsuspecting Camry owner! :icon_smile: Also, we need to source those engine headers. Gouky says his dont work in the MK2 Chassis, so any advice would be appreciated.

I need to make sure the ECU I buy comes without immobiliser function, because I need to be able to play freely with security systems. We want to install one of these: http://www.advancedkeys.com/Prod_AK104B.html. We could always get a bypass kit, but we really should keep it simple.

I've been reading up Paul Woods' post about a MK3.6 2GR that he did for ayresyboy, and towards the end, I noted a discussion about tyres. We shouldn't have a problem using spacers and wider wheels at the back, because we'll just mould the body of the Dau to fit it.

Regarding chassis modifications for the engine, I'd like to have more words with Paul about a kit. I don't think there's any point giving ourselves a headache fabricating stuff thats already been done, if we can pay for it.

Obviously, I've got to go do some research on performance braking kits, and coilover suspensions, to see what we're going to opt for. A friend of mine that I've been talking to recommends traction control, which he says shouldn't be a problem implementing since the MK3 has ABS.

So, Final question... Has anyone successfully forced air into the 2gr, either by super- or turbocharging? This would make for an interesting rocket.

So, this will form the basis of the thread for my build, and I'll post as much as I can as we go along.

[snowtigger]

Monkey wrench racing for supercharged mk3.

[seautomotive]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the long silence... The project is moving on. We started sculpting the interior on our MR2 chassis, but I decided to go out and buy a 2GR engine after I received a donation to the project last week. I couldn't believe my luck! It came with a complete, undamaged wiring loom!!! I will go out and take some photos of everything later today to show, so I can be advised right.

I'd just like to find out a few things, now that I've ventured into powertrain work:

1. What modifications need to be done to the MK2 Turbo uprights
2. Do I get a set of fronts to modify too, just to make it 5 studs all round?
3. What headers to use, as Gouky says his don't fit... Or can the chassis be modified to take them?

The next items I'm gonna get are those to complete the powertrain, so all advice will be useful. Thanks!

[Paul Woods]

Just noticed your previous post, Nigeria, one of the poorest countries on Earth, and they have 2grs piled up like sweets and a Camry manual V6 gearbox to boot!

You don't need to use Mk2 turbo hubs or stub axles, you can just use St185 outer CV joints on turbo shafts.

Goukys headers fit if you notch out the front crossmember and rear subframe.

[seautomotive]

Hi Paul!

Just the man I wanted to talk to!

Nigeria is a book of many tales. Abject poverty on one end of the scale, and lavish riches on the other, and everything in between. From an Automotive perspective, this means Datsun 120Ys and VW Santanas still in full time service on one end and Rolls Royce Phantoms and Ghosts on the other, and yes, Camrys, Highlanders Sienna's, Avalons and Rav 4s in between. Plenty of them. And those old 1MZ Camrys... Oh, they're two a penny.

Great to hear about these ST185s... I'll look them up! They fit right in my hubs? This makes my life significantly easier! And I can now get those headers too with my next cash inflow! Now, does the E153 bolt straight onto the box? I'm going to be ordering a Fidanza flywheel and a sports clutch from MWR, so I'd like to know if I need any adaptors.

Thanks! Will be posting pictures soon!

[Tommytank]

Watch your toes.

[seautomotive]

Watch your toes.

Hahaha! I was just about to say I wouldn't be so dumb as to go there in slippers, but... At the bottom of the picture, those are my toes!

[Paul Woods]

The St185 CV joints will fit your shafts and also fit your hubs without adaptors, but you will need to transfer your ABS rings over.

That trans will work perfectly, it will bolt to the engine although you will need to make small adjustments to the block here and there, and of course make a custom shifter linkage, but hey are on the correct side to use in a Mk3.

[seautomotive]

Thanks Paul... Valuable information!

[seautomotive]

Hi everyone, I'd just like to get some advice, re: ECU options. I'd like to go standalone, for the various opportunities this presents, but it's looking a bit complicated. It's particularly desirable, because of what we're building. We have custom gauges, custom sensors... Everything. So I'd like to find out if anyone has enough knowledge to advise us how to go standalone, and what plug/play options exist. Thanks in advance! :-)