1MZ-FE Build - Project Insomnia (AKA Pat Never Sleeps)

[Grenade]

How did I miss this thread? You guys can find these cars like they grow on trees! The 1MZ sounds different to me somehow. I like them...

[cdwood2010]

Pat is quite pleased with it. Nerys (pats better half) is a demon behind the wheel. She was hooning about in the cammy and was quite upset when we killed it. She doesn't mind so much now, she's got a super red 1mz to terrorise the neighbourhood with.

I haven't driven the car yet, but pat describes is as having the same feel as a standard car (weight and handling) but much more power than the 3VZ.

:)

[wood_patrick]

Well, this car has been a hoot over the last year and I think its fair to say impressed a few people at Japfest '14. Overall it was great to drive and was very, very lively.

At the start of the week, after doing some jobs in the engine bay, I decided to pull the cam covers to clean and paint them, but didn't realise how badly gunked up the heads were as they had never had reason to come off before especially after driving round in the donor car for about 6 months without any issues. I decided to try clean them as best I could, but inevitably didnt get it all and in heindsight realise I did the worst thing by disturbing it... I re-assembled and went for a spin, and a couple of miles down the road the red oil light started to flicker indicating that the oil pressure was falling below threshold, so pulled straight over, and got recovered back to the house. Feeling grateful that I had missed a potential disaster, my initial thought was strip the alu & steel sumps and clean the oil pickup and refill, but after a cup of coffee and a chat with Nerys father it was decided it needed a full rebuild to clean it properly. In reality after disturbing it, and considering how bad it was, the chances were it would just clog up again and next time I might not be so lucky.

So, yesterday wheeled it into the garage, and out with the 1MZ, not before whispering "rest my child, you will live again" to mark my respects. Lol.

As it so happens I had just finished building up a 3VZ-fe that has been skimmed, ported and polished, along with some other tweaks, and was intended for a Mk1... So, as this is the only MR2 in a roadworthy condition and that it was now in need of an engine until I get time to do a full rebuild on the 1MZ it was decided it is going in this one instead.

So, managed to get some time Monday and Tuesday to pull the 1MZ and start prepping up ready to fit the 3VZ, few quick pics below.

All being well this should be running by Thursday, and driving by the weekend. Just finished stripping the engine bay, so it can have a good clean and a paint while the engine bay is empty too. Based on the extra effort and work that has gone into this engine, I'm hoping to see it perform as well or better than the 1MZ but won't know until I drive it. More soon!

[snowtigger]

Put the 1mz in the red mk1 you know it makes sense.

[wood_patrick]

I would love to, but its gonna take me a while to clean and rebuild the 1mz so will likely be rolled under the bench till I get time. Just want the mk1 running, hopefully, by Japfest.... Fingers crossed. :-)

[snowtigger]

Fingers crossed for you as well I hope the haslbeck is back together for then as well busy removing 25 year old suspension and brakes and updating/uprating it all, yay back to being a greased hands losing the skin of said hands mechanic at night and weekends.

[wood_patrick]

Lol. And yep me too, or I'll be in a 4x4 for Japfest as Nerys will no doubt commandeer the mk2 v6 as there's three of us going up. Sooooo, at the moment if I want to go in something meaty I've gotta build it. Lol.

[wood_patrick]

Well did some more today, mostly in the engine bay. Stripped most stuff out, cleaned up and removed all the oil, grease and grime with some thinners and a pile of rags and then keyed up the surface, masked up, primed in grey and then finished in satin black. Flash (Camera flash, not the character) made it look shiny but it is matt and looks better in the flesh so to speak. The heatshields were cleaned up, primed with VHT grey and finished with alu silver.

Also started doing some more little jobs splitting the gearbox ready, bit more wiring of the loom and some other boring bits. All being well, engine should be hanging in the bay tomorrow, and firing by Friday at the latest.

Few pics to show progress.....

[wood_patrick]

Bit more again today, had some wiring that needed sorting, a couple of dodgy connectors for temp sensors and the O2 sensor plugs needed redoing, flywheel fitted, clutch fitted, mated up and hung in the bay. :)

Also had a pile of manifolds so decided to use the better flowing ones on the front and the back so will have to redo the downpipes and mate up to the back section.

Few quick pics but best one is the one showing it in the engine bay. :)

[wood_patrick]

Finished some more jobs, tidied up the wiring, added some pretty bits and some other stuff to finish the engine bay off nice and now running although not yet back on all four yet.

I'd forgotten that I hadn't made a gasket for the sump before I put oil in, so off with the sump, out with the gasket paper and made a gasket for the sump and oil pickup.

Just need to drop it down on it's wheels, and fab up a new front section for the exhaust and marry it up with the old earbleeder from Japscrap. The plenum is finished in matt red but the flash makes it look gloss, which it aint, and more orange than it actually it. To be fair, it looks a lot better first hand.

Few pics and the first fire up video which is pretty short;

























Click on the pic to load the video;