Tommy's AW11 1.5 Swap!

[Tommytank]

Still thrashing my wee 4AG, so decided against putting this in a specific forum as i dont know what lump i will go for when the time comes yet. Anyway, have neglected a write up so far on this forum, so will cut and paste my write up into here from my blog to get the progress up to date. Here it is from the start:

Heres my wee MR2 when I picked it up last year:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/133.jpg
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/134.jpg

So whats been happening since I bought it?

...Well at that moment its the MR2 that was in the lockup. As per the plan I have pulled the Camaro to the 'rents for storage so I can get this wee puppy back to rude health. Initial fears were that the non antifreeze'd engine had ripped a headgasket or something during the winter freeze. Turns out the worst I had to deal with was replacing some weakened coolant pipework and hoses. New rubber lines installed and its holding unpressurized water in the back. Tried to start it but the battery is fairly flat. Tomorrow should see it running and hopefully the coolant holding!

Next up I had to address the exterior. First was getting the old 3 spokes off and something a bit more appeasing to the eyes:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/135.jpg

Same size as before but a bit more universal than the dated 3 spokes. So thats the wheels sorted, next I had to deal with the dented bonnet which had came from a ton of compacted snow landing on it when I had parked it up and was working abroad: £20 from eBay:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/136.jpg
off

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/137.jpg
on!

Sorted! Next I had to instal another little purchase I made, but cost a bit more than 20 quid. Scoop ahoy!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/138.jpg

As you can see theres a charger on there too, battery seems to be failing to hold a charge... another expense on the list!

Moving on from mods, the window wipers were also a reasonably easy fix. The balljoints connecting the arms to the rods had failed so a second hand set were sourced and retrofitted. Wipers are fixed!

Engine coolant leaks were an easy fix too, transpired they were fractured metal pipes and perished rubber hoses. A wee bit of jiggery pokery had that sealed, and the collant topped up with antifreeze (fool me once...)

As we were half way through feb I saw no point in taxing the 2 and gifting governmental cnuts with free tax. The MR had gained a couple of weeks grace in the garage so I decided to niggle hunt and futureproof the perishable items to prevent further breakdowns. I also decided to chop the springs to improve the rideheight a bit... First the front:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/139.jpg
Strut removed!
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/140.jpg
Strut split
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/141.jpg
Front end split. Everything seems ok on the suspension front on this side, only areas needing addressed are the ratty flexis, a flexi retaining clip which disintegrated on removal and some better discs. Once reassembled with one coil removed teh difference was substantial:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/142.jpg
Not ridiculously low but a definite improvement on stance. Certainly low enough for me to have issues getting the jack out!! Now the rear: Much like the front in every sense as the suspension is independant in the back too. In fact, its pretty much a FWD clip flung in the rear of a car and the tie rods clamped! Biggest issue back here was the droplinks which had siezed threads. Simple solution:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/143.jpg
Chop clean through the bolt with a thin angle discs and give it a chap. Bye bye nut!! Sadly the links themselves are dead, so 2 rear links are added to the shopping list! Another coil out the rear and that was the drivers side of the car appraised and dropped!
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/144.jpg
So half way there! Got new discs and front pads on the way, and rear droplinks are ordered. Still need to source braided brake lines and some new retaining clips for them, and that should do it for the MR2! Oh, and drop the passenger side!

[Tommytank]

Put some finishing touches on the mk1 last night, culminating in a test run of the engine. Will cover that later on, but lets look at whats been done in that time!


For a start, I was not halfway there as claimed on my last post. The problem with overhauling a car is that its easy to get carried away. One such incident was this:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/145.jpg

Found some heavily soaked carpet in the passenger footwell. Now, knowing that the car had previously burst hoses due to the lack of antifreeze, my assumption was that a tired heater matrix had burst causing leakage into the footwell. It wasnt till I was halfway through ripping out the dash that I thought to question this, and instead fire a heater in there to see if the problem continued.

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/146.jpg

2 Days of sauna-like conditions proved me wrong. I had gathered a full inch of water in the footwell from damp and condensation! Carpets removed, dried and the interior refitted, and now no more water. Back to the repairs!

When working on any old J-tin, always plan 1 day ahead so you can DRENCH any component to be removed with WD40. It saves a lot of wasted time in the long run:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/147.jpg

This allows the removal of scrap metal with ease (although the coil was mostly due to an angle grinder)

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/148.jpg

Now on with the new parts!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/149.jpg

New flexi pipes from HEL installed

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/150.jpg

New front discs and ferodo fast road pads

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/150.jpg

New rear droplinks (to replace the chopped old ones)

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/151.jpg

A closer look at the rear discs. In a word - pumped. Time to replace those too!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/152.jpg

Replaced! Fired some Mintex pads on the back while I was at it, they were on special offer anyway (eBay)

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/153.jpg

New battery fitted, as the old one had decided not to hold a charge

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/154.jpg

Rear flexis fitted, and system bled. Bricks for brakes now!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/155.jpg

Now for some basic servicing. After the antifreeze disaster I was taking nothing the previous owner told me to be true. Off comes the timing belt for a swap over.

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/156.jpg

While I was at it I fired in some new plugs, cap and rotor arm in a bid to eliminate the mild "miss" I was experiencing at higher RPM. As it turns out, I was quite right to do so:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/157.jpg

Slightly worn! Whilst waiting for parts to arrive I became a bit bored. Cue a new steering wheel, Titanium gearknob and snap-off wheel boss:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/158.jpg

and the cam covers being whipped off for a paint:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/159.jpg

The results of this will be shown shortly! As of writing this I am still awaiting front droplinks arriving. They were the only component I didnt deem neccesary to replace during my refurb. Turns out I was wrong as I jacked the car up to do the TB and heard an almighty twang from the front.

More worrying was the first start I mentioned earlier. Had her running for a warm up last night... lots of white oil-smoke! I'm hoping thats due to being sat up for weeks on end, will try it again today and see if there are any improvements. The other worry was the total lack of oil pressure on the gauge, but I had a full fresh sump of oil, no rattles or noises to suggest lack of pressure (I think these have hydraulic valvetrains too, so if there was no pressure there would be a fairly loud ticking on idle) and no loss of oil. As I think about it I did have a large rubber mallet on about the crank pulley to do the timing belt, and the oil pressure sender is right around the corner from there. Will have a check today.......

[Tommytank]

The last update ended on a bit of a cliffhanger I believe... Was the car losing oil pressure? Was it burning oil?

The answer was.... no. The sender for the oil pressure had been disconnected. On AW11s its a very primitive clip that attaches to a small post. Easy knocked off. Once attached it was clear the car was bang on for oil pressure readings.

The burning of oil continued though, but this did seem to be diminishing as the car was warmed/used. The jury is still out but i'm hoping its mostly due to lack of use!

So I had a wee morning in the garage with little to do! Droplinks still had not arrived for the front, so I had to find some jobs to occupy my time. The handbrake was resembling a gearstick since I changed the brakes so I gave the adjuster some attention. Not easy to access (couldnt even get a pic of it) but a hassle free job. Below is the brake off:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/160.jpg
...and after the adjustment, here it is fully locked (one ratchet click!)
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/161.jpg
I did promise a snap of the engine all assembled and dressed up. Here we go:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/162.jpg
...and while we are at it, heres the car out in the light, all assembled:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/163.jpg
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/164.jpg
Lovely! So as of last night, heres how it was left:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/165.jpg
Front struts disassembled to remove the droplinks. I wasnt going to bother removing them with anything other than an angle grinder.

[Tommytank]

Got the '2 taxed and on the road again. First drives helped identify a few problem areas...These were as follows:

1. Handbrake weak. In all likelyness brakes need bedded in. To be re-appraised.
2. Minor oil drips. Could be from undertorqued oil filter.
3. Head unit still pumped. Sound only comes on after a bump in the road. I forgot about this one!
4. Dash light on fuel gauge side flickering
5. Metallic skimming noise coming from O/S whilst moving. Suspected dustguard bent out of shape.
6. Car was a joke for handling. Darting all over the road and heavy to steer. Front ARB to be refitted ASAP and tracking to be reset.

So how did it fare once I pulled it back in? Well the first hitch was simple. Took the rear wheels off and clocked the witness marks on the rear discs were negligble. A week later and the rear pads have bedded in better. Got the car holding on Montrose street in the city centre, and on one click too!!

Oil drips. My first concern was I had maybe clattered the oil filter when wrestling with the timing belt change. Not even that! I had forgot to torque down the cam covers after repainting! Easy to find that fault too, just looked for the highest traces of oil...

Dash light has been a one off fault. No more flickering so if its not coming back i'm going to resist ripping the dash binnacle out!

Metallic skimming noise was indeed a dust gaurd. The O/S/F brake dust gaurd has deteriorated and split, with the bottom half contacting the disk. Again, simple fix... bent the cover back.

Handling. Now without the front ARB droplinks I was unabe to do much. Well, theu finally arrived yesterday so I popped them back on along with another cheeky mod I acquired while waiting for it to arrive: A rear SW20 (mk2 mr2) ARB. Much stiffer, at 1.5mm thicker. Definite improvement in handling too, with the car having that pinpoint go-kart like precision!

Head Unit. Not quite an easy fix. Electrical stuff is never my strong suit, so Having sound cutting out could be anything. In the end a dodgy rear speaker turned out to be the culprit. Headunit was replaced with a modern iPod compatible unit, and some Kicker components installed up front. Rears remain disconnected for now, but I may install replacements in a different location....

Outside of the snagging list I had a few modifications. First: JDM lights:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/166.jpg

You may notice a lack of spoiler. No, not for a despoilered rear...There have been a few changes made to it.
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/167.jpg
First, shifted the spoiler back a mounting hole...
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/168.jpg
Cut off the excess parts that don't blend in, and fill the open gaps with expandy foam!
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/169.jpg
...and fill in the gaps then smooth! Here it is in place where it will now sit:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/170.jpg
Much more purposeful angle!
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/171.jpg

So that now needs repainting, along with a couple of holes welded up in the bootlid. For now though, its back in rude health!!!

[Tommytank]

So my weekend backroad toy/girlfriends car is now complete.. A few niggles needed rectifying which I outlined in the last few posts. As expected, I battered through them fairly easily, with a clutch slave cylinder replacement thrown in for good measure! So after a few backroad shakedowns it seems to be in rude health! The rear wing is finished and has been given a crude blowover to blend it in. I will paint it properly when I get a suitable quiet time, as the rear bumper needs sorting too. Not urgent so not getting done for the moment:

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/172.jpg

Still looks ok all the same. I gave her a clean today to take a bit of pride in it, not to mention stand back and admire my handiwork....

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/173.jpg
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/174.jpg

[Tommytank]

Its been a bit radio silence from me for the past month or so. Been stuck in Mozambique earning the pennies for the Camaro (next project), but I found some last minute pics I threw on flickr before I left, so will pop them up and update!

First up, I doubled the cars horsepower. An often overlooked modification, just be careful to purchase the green one as the red one just makes your car impossible to park:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/175.jpg

On to more pressing matters, I found that I was getting a constant puddle in the footwell. It caused some alarm to be honest as I had suspicions it was due to a leaking heater matrix and really didnt fancy hauling the dash out to fix it. An afternoon cleaning her after vax'ing out the puddle and I found the puddle grown again! We have a leak! Carpet back and it was sourced to above the throttle pedal. Baws. Needless to say its probably a very inacesable bit of rust, so the solution for now is ductape over the vents below the window wipers. Crude but effective!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/01/176.jpg

[Tommytank]

No big changes for this in a while. Had a pulley shear in half, but a wee glue session seems to be holding up. Heres some pics from the shake-down drive I took to test it on:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/298998_10150341173942252_711882251_8548322_1003313 970_n.jpg
The Dukes Pass

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/309650_2472906945347_1332614546_2826043_953117776_ n.jpg
First pit stop, at a quaint garage for juice

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/311872_10150341176497252_711882251_8548326_8960466 24_n.jpg
And by juice, I meant Irn Bru, not overpriced petrol!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/302337_2472911505461_1332614546_2826048_252879161_ n.jpg
Second pit stop, Duck Bay

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/315583_2472912385483_1332614546_2826050_2022311774 _n.jpg
On the banks of Loch Lomond

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/308520_2472931585963_1332614546_2826061_1105956500 _n.jpg
Last stop, Helensburgh for a chippie

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294744_10150341180992252_711882251_8548364_1863893 047_n.jpg

Good route, took the Drymen road, then wound a left for Balloch, and cut through to Duck Bay. From there we jumped up the Helensburgh Military road, and down into Helensburgh for food. Last leg was the Clyde coast to Glasgow. Good times!

[Tommytank]

So i'm offshore at the moment, and as those who know me will confirm, that means money gets spent on cars. First case in point is the wee AW11. Been a while since I last spend anything on her... the last modification was really the exhaust, and since then its been basic maintenance. New rear bearing, handbrake cables and other niggles have been addressed. Since then though, there has been a car re-shuffle. The daily plugger Merc 180 has gone, the cursed "modern reliable" BMW has been traded in and a nice sensible Fiat 500 acquired for the other half. As a result the dinky 2 seater I bought for her can now come back into my hands....

Again, those who know me will know what that means. If I am the sole driver of a car, I can put up with much more than most in the interests of having a well modified car. See previous threads on the twin-plate clutch equipped Supra for example. Naturally, the wee MR2 can now become the car it always should have been, modified to the standard I always wanted. Of course, the Camaro is still taking up the garage time, and frankly, most of the garage funds. However, most of the work outstanding on the camaro is fairly labour intensive rather than cost wise, so I can afford to venture my wallet onto other pastures. Right, enough background excuses and explaining. Heres what i've bought:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/383335_10150409784807252_711882251_8871530_1615458 255_n.jpg

...a set of Image split rims. 6 spoke, 16 inch (IMO perfect rolling rad for the aw11). They are coming with rubber, but jury will be out as to whether it will work on my current ride height. Oh, and most crucial point, those above rims are for the front, measuring 16x8. The rears look a little like this:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/381558_10150409784687252_711882251_8871529_8059004 80_n.jpg

16x9. Nice and staggered, giving the wee MR2 the stance and poise its been lacking on the concentric 15s its on at the moment.

Another point worth noting is the offset of these.


Zero.

[Tommytank]

Its all a bit Carlos Fandango at the moment though...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/396496_10150455470487252_711882251_9020910_1737265 094_n.jpg

Fronts look ok fron this angle, but there is a good inch and a half of outwards poke here, and the rubber catches the arches with the slightest of steering turn. I might get away with changing to stretched rubber here... I hope. The other option is going to be coilovers to set the rideheight bang on. See here:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/398940_10150455472657252_711882251_9020919_2216606 83_n.jpg

Not legal. Oh, and thats the good end. Heres the back:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/395281_10150455471227252_711882251_9020913_6032380 61_n.jpg

Will need some wide arches here, as thats 2 inches of outward poke:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/401028_10150455473627252_711882251_9020925_8344186 42_n.jpg

I have some rivet on goodness up my sleeve for this solution, but it will need to wait. The rear tie bars are absolutely destroyed at the moment, giving me the fear over every bump in the road. Need the inner bushes AND the outer balljoints changed. Currently concocting something better than the 200+ quid toyota only option, and it will look better too. Other advances in this are:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/398567_10150462557147252_711882251_9059435_1743370 16_n.jpg

...clear side repeaters, and...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/408479_10150462558707252_711882251_9059440_1954155 867_n.jpg

...clear front repeaters, and...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/390342_10150479878137252_711882251_9146045_6752088 0_n.jpg

...a bloody good scrub. That white stripe has been painted proper since the pic, I just primered it to keep the winter rust out.

Still to come, more suspension upgrades!

[OlberJ]

240Z arches! It's a must.

[Paul Woods]

I agree with Olie, needs arches! I love the Plumley spoiler mod, looks great.

[Tommytank]

Thanks for the comments folks. I have a set of arches in the pipeline so stay tuned. As for stoppers, I forgot to say I fitted st205 fronts and braided lines last year, and changed to grooved and dimpled discs and ferodo pads. Rears need addressing though, particularly as a seized handbrake caused some smoke on the way home earlier!

Also, window wiper linkages are still haunting me, so priority is a custom set of rods. Got the components bought for what *should* be a solution. More updates on that as they develop...

[Tommytank]

Yea, so i had to bodge it today so i can use the wipers until the new parts arrive for my homebrew solution. I'll let the pics do the talking:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/405204_10150501998817252_711882251_9229119_4348596 47_n.jpg

The rod keeps popping off the balljoint where it connects to the motor linkage. Have tried some various modified clips but they ultimately pop off. Todays ultra-bodge: a cable tie noosed around the base of the ball, and through it another cable tie looped around the rod. Essentially "handcuffing" the parts together. No idea how long it will last, but with nothing to lose its a worthy bodge!

[cdwood2010]

Excellent bodge sir!

Zip strips are a really handy thing to keep in the glove box.

Saved my life a few times.

C.

[vish]

Hey man,

Looks like a really nice mk1. Soon as I saw that pic at the Dukes Pass, i knew where you were! absolutely love those roads...we must have been up there about 10 or so times last summer...more in the wee gay fwd hatchbacks but nevertheless...

Can't wait for the better weather should defo go for some drives up there....we've usually got a convoy of about 4 cars.

who's mk2 is that in the pictures btw?

[Diesel Meister]

Nice work Mr T! Loving the image wheels. Get some arches and a V6 and you'll be away.

[Jiff Lemon]

my tip for your loose wiper - Place a piece of carrier bag over the ball, then refit the linkage - Helps take up the slack!

[Tommytank]

Vish, its a mates from Glasgow. N/A stock.

Dieselmeister... its coming, but i'm putting all my "fast money" into my Camaro at the moment. AW11 is a handling car for now.

Jiff, i came up with a more permanent solution, check the wiper rod thread in the AW11 forum!

[Tommytank]

Another month offshore, another rape on my wallet. eBay will be the death of me, I swear. This time its been a fruitful scavenge for the AW11. We have collected together the following:

* Proper pair of JDM arch extensions for the wider Image rims
* Full poly bush kit for the suspension. Buying it was clearly the easiest part of this mod, the fitting will be pain to the max. I hope this will clear up the noises if not then.....
* New rear tie bars, with rose jointed ends. Twobrutal Group buy and should hopefully eliminate the spine chiilling clunk from the back. If not its gonna be coilover time.
* Jimi bracket. Cheers Jimi!!
* Leather seats. Black, and probably needing a refurb. Still, should be good.
* Amp wiring kit, to go with...
* 2x 8" subwoofers, that I plan to mount in between the seats, viper style. This will replace the rear cubby thing. MDF construction with...
* Leatherette sheeting, which will cover it to make it look stock.


Just don't tell the missus, I'm meant to be paying for a wedding in 5 months!

[Tommytank]

Had a chance to attack the '2 yesterday. Some progress made:

Measured the gap between the seats.. 8" exactly. It will be a tight squeeze but i should fit it in there nicely. Not sure if i will go for 2 subs yet or just one.

In the meantime i wired up my amp and situated it behind the passenger seat. Just need to connect the sub to it once its in now.

Other achievements were installation of the famous Jimi bracket:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/422919_10150592190662252_711882251_9496145_5688965 51_n.jpg

...and replacement of the old, tired tie bars:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/396294_10150593450697252_711882251_9500559_1002227 891_n.jpg

...with lovely shiny uprated new tie bars:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/430124_10150593450117252_711882251_9500553_1136209 700_n.jpg

[adamh]

nice progress, it will look the biz with the 16's on.

[rexer200]

Make sure you put some grease on those threads on the tie bars as the rust quickly otherwise.

[Tommytank]

Been a bit ill recently. Had a nasty ear infection that has been keeping me out the garage. Today was the first day i could leave the house without the need for copious painkillers. Spent a couple of hours on the MR2 hunting niggles.

First up i re-greased the new rear tiebars and gave them a check over. They seem to be holding up well, and the rosejoints still tight after a hundred miles on Glasgows horrendous roads.

Only other noteworthy thing outside of bolt torquing and fluid checking was starting on the poly-bush installation. Nice simple one... rear ARBs.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/423635_10150622947547252_711882251_9611502_5232130 50_n.jpg

Heavily greased, threads and all. Noticable difference? None.

[snowtigger]

Needs a mk2 rear bar thats when you see a big difference.

[Tommytank]

True. Always wary of stiffening up the rear end of a mid/rear car though. Skittish enough surely?

[snowtigger]

Made my car feel tons better after being bushed more solid feeling, as the standard bar was next too useless it was like piano wire I could strum it.

[Tommytank]

Hmm, might have a wee scour about for one. Rev 1/2 or 3 onwards?

[Tommytank]

So yesterday was a write off. Went to cut off the bolts and change my front track rod ends and found the angle grinder had thrown the death sparks. So in an effort to progress things, i set about cracking all the suspension bolts to ready for the poly bush instal. Couldnt find my wreckers bar for love nor money, and Camaro progress was going even worse, so the towel was thrown.

So today i hit it with full blown enthusiasm. Without going into the Camaro, the first point of contact was chopping the old track rods off. I should point out that i picked up a pair of front track rods as i was planning on making up a set of rear tie bars, but the TB group buy came along so i had them sitting around. Waste not want not! Typically thoughit was eBay strikes again, and once i chopped the old ones off i found that the MK1 rod ends i bought were nothing like the ones i needed. Bumsticks. I managed to catch a thread on the old one but it was barely a couple of turns.. Not drivable. And as usual nowhere in the central belt of Scotland keeps these parts in stock, so the MR wont be moving till tomorrow.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/429996_10150627118977252_711882251_9624886_9852149 85_n.jpg

As i was stranded at the garage all day anyway, i made a crack at installing the poly bushes. Surprisingly the suspension came apart quite easily! Especially these control arm bits:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/424889_10150627117812252_711882251_9624884_3241449 14_n.jpg

...which i reckoned may be my own personal brand of hell. Getting the lower arm bushes out was my own brand of hell though. I *tried* being all smart and engineery about it, doing something like this:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/417271_10150627110257252_711882251_9624858_1160094 28_n.jpg

...and firing 12 tons of force against the bush....

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/426369_10150627112217252_711882251_9624861_1652178 913_n.jpg

...but all i managed to do was force my 3" wrecker bar into a shape resembling an over-ripe banana. Time for the more traditional method:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/422022_10150627121202252_711882251_9624888_5622366 98_n.jpg

FFFIIIIIRRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/425335_10150627123712252_711882251_9624892_2034245 085_n.jpg

BUUUURRRRRNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/432081_10150627115952252_711882251_9624883_3698111 58_n.jpg

Fitted! Well, it was a bit more involved than that. Nonetheless, thats the full front of the MR2 polybushed. Just a proper set of track rod ends to fit and i can see if this makes a difference!!!

[Jiff Lemon]

get plenty of grease on all those threads, then as soon as your mobile again, get yourself down for a proper 4 wheel alignment. As long as everything is lubed up, it should be under £100 and makes a WORLD of difference!

Oh and fire is the ONLY way to do those bushes - buggers burn for ages once you get em going though!

[Tommytank]

Yea, 4 wheel alignment is the next stop. I dont think I have a single bit of suspension complimentary left to change after this!

[Tommytank]

So i finished the polybushing mission! Next stop was Caledonian Wheel Alighnment to get the laser alignment done. Used the TRD settings seeing as the car is a bit lower than stock:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/553615_10150650366442252_711882251_9709710_1901299 824_n.jpg

I also picked up this:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/429416_10150629165762252_711882251_9630270_1563464 811_n.jpg

...from a man in Birmingham. Before anyone mumps about me destroying yet another AW11, this thing is has rotty arches, and i got a bit sick of folk charging 30 quid for stupid bits of trim. £150 for this seemed far more economical. I will be taking a full compliment of every concievable spare from it i think i can need, then if anyone feels like a shell this can be bought for a pittance... Buyer collects!

First thing out was....

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/423934_10150629205752252_711882251_9630620_1445259 400_n.jpg

...that lovely lush black interior. Those who know me know i utterly abhor that blue interior. It seems so dated! Out comes mine....

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/423137_10150631501867252_711882251_9637321_6941184 85_n.jpg

...and in goes...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/419342_10150629241542252_711882251_9630866_1678597 582_n.jpg

...black bits! I also got the finger out and sorted another niggle. My constantly disconnecting throttle cable:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/539481_10150644855597252_711882251_9686398_8375116 15_n.jpg

I also got the rear wheel connundrum fixed with some better fitting arches:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/546653_10150650374192252_711882251_9709737_5665292 23_n.jpg

so now have some loverly Image rims on the back!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/528188_10150650379087252_711882251_9709757_1210329 552_n.jpg

Fronts still to come.... awaiting tyres!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/292508_10150650377012252_711882251_9709752_1667803 903_n.jpg

[cdwood2010]

Awesome!

:)

[boondougal]

looking great!

[Jiff Lemon]

what are the arches from?

[Tommytank]

Fella on retro rides sells them. No idea what they are meant for, they are just sold as universal arches.

[mrT]

Arches are from a ford transit van.. seen them on the vans few years back

[Tommytank]

Seem a bit small for a transit...

Anyway, heres the link:
http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=pfsw&thread=66146&page=1

[Tommytank]

Just a short update today... lunchtime internet usage!

Been a flurry of activity over the past 2 weeks. First off i finished the black interior install:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/557464_10150656213837252_711882251_9728823_2913075 5_n.jpg

...which is looking rather lovely. Since then i abandoned the idea of a centre consoly mounted sub as the leather seats are far too chunky to let me away with it. Instead i threw it behind the passenger seat:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/542719_10150656215157252_711882251_9728826_1804728 503_n.jpg

Again, temporary for the moment. Will get it enclosed and trimmed in some black stuff later. Other improvements include Robbing the rear clipers off the spares MR2, which were practically new, and firing them on the blue one:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/398782_10150659847012252_711882251_9741260_1308800 891_n.jpg

This has stopped the handbrake siezing every time i use it, but i still cant get grip on the OS caliper. Think the recently replaced cable on that side is goosed. Its good enough for now though.

Oh, and i finally got the fronts shod in 195/45/r16 Toyo Proxes! Some arch work will be needed as i have already pulled every bit of liner out to get it to roll, but how sexy does this look???

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/549984_10150659843447252_711882251_9741248_4474532 23_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/522393_10150659825367252_711882251_9741202_2140117 778_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/548651_10150659824192252_711882251_9741199_3035086 85_n.jpg

[adamh]

love those rims what are they?

[Paul Woods]

Looking good Tommy :thumbsup:

[Tommytank]

Adam, they are Image split rims. Fairly old, the only thing I have seen them on is a renner 5 gt turbo. Makes sense as they are staggered and ET - 0.

[snowtigger]

Looks good mate I like the stance, and yes the arch liners can be a pain.

Here's my rear lol.

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/04/29.jpg
And a side shot in the peaks
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/04/30.jpg

Going to either do a plumley spoiler or maybe this.

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/04/31.jpg

[adamh]

http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg


that is some aw porn right there

[Tommytank]

Ahh, see I really don't want to run arches on the front, unlike tiggs. See that's how you got yours covered. Man, it's scrubbing something awful... Need to sort out something this weekend I think..

[snowtigger]

You could always have them rolled a little?

[Tommytank]

You could always have them rolled a little?

Not a fan of rolling. I may invent a solution tomorrow (off work again)

Stay tuned...

[Tommytank]

So the arch solution was not rolling. It was mild hammering. I pulled the lip out a touch and it worked a treat, allowing the fronts to tuck enough to avoid scrubbing. A plastic mallet and gentle persuasion was all it took.

More improvements this month. Took the repeater housings from our spares '2 and rired them on. Much needed fix as the original housings were split clean in half and misting up the lenses something awful...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/537602_10150883274237252_711882251_10261466_369260 655_n.jpg

Much better:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526702_10150883284002252_172902241_n.jpg

Next instalment was the fitting of my luckily-sourced polyurethane torque mounts. Off come the old mounts:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/562204_10150883287862252_339429392_n.jpg

In go the new bushings (no cleaning or painting, its a mans car FFS):

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/217991_10150883289402252_2080982638_n.jpg

And on they both go:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/248182_10150883291717252_711882251_10261500_149343 1508_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/523489_10150883294907252_711882251_10261517_132836 6606_n.jpg

Christ-on-a-stick are they stiff. Fired the car up and immediately killed it again as i thoguht something was trying to escape the engine. It was in fact the engine itself vibrating through the chassis. Since the initial shock im grinning ear to ear. It feels fantastic, the wee 4AG rumbling through the seat. Will need to take the missus out and see her reaction! lol...

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/376845_10150990460727252_1442242461_n.jpg
Baws

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/581279_10150990378252252_358392635_n.jpg
Hairy Baws...

Front wheelbearing collapse. Came out of nowhere!! Lucky I decided after 10 years of barebacking roadside repairs to finally join the AA. Made the remaining 100 mile journey (plus one pitstop to change truck) a lot more bearable. Thats the second time my FRONT NEARSIDE wheel bearing has died on that return trip from Aberdeen to Glasgow. Did it on the merc too...

Used hub already bought to get her running sharpish this weekend.

[adamh]

what a sh1tter.. could you hear it at all?

[Tommytank]

Over an asbo exhaust, poly bushed suspension and solid engine mounts? Yes, I dd actually!!

It still drives, but I had doubts it would do the remaining 100 miles home. Jacked it up before the AA arrived and there was a fair amount of play. The wheel sounded like there was a ratchet on it when spinning too!!

[Tommytank]

20 minutes later.... fixed.

Still got a clunk over bumps but thats clearly a jiggered topmount. And heres a wee vid of the resulting shakedown:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqyl4bidMX0

[Tommytank]

So this wee thing has been "Challenging" lately.

Developed a clunk from the front end. Now, when i had the alignment done last time, they said my N/S drop link was bent. This probably came around when i was fitting the Koni's to it. Naturally, my first instinct was the droplinks must be toast. These are a common point on the mk1 for failure, although i had rectified these a few years ago. £25 later, i had a set.

Not having the space to work on her due to a house move, i knew i better cover all teh bases for when i did squeeze in some garage time, so i picked up some front balljoints too, simply because the last ones i got were ebay cheapo's, and there was a slim chance these may also be dead. Well, mother in law agreed to allow me to use her garage, so the work began:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/404572_10151110201682252_1231215135_n.jpg

Banana drop link as mentioned.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/251742_10151091377337252_1609619578_n.jpg

Balljoints putting up a fight!

Naturally, i did all this to no avail: Still clunking! A bit more digging was needed...

the clunk was coming from the steering, and more pronounced to the left. Infact, at speed there would be a judder on hard cornering to the right but not to the left, suggesting that the weight put on the left during cornering was stressing this failed component...

Tie rod end? i picked a pair up and fittede them. No, still clunking. More in depth analysis suggested the inner tie rod was the culprit, with visible movement during shaking. I took the inner rack gaiter off, butthe inner tie rod was ok.

No, the play was something far more severe......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwG6qL6RjZc&feature=plcp

Look closely and you will see the play is a bush that has failed within the rack itself. Bumbuscuits.

Sourced a replacement used rack in servicable condition. It should be here this week... In the meantime, Sunday tinkertime saw the old one out with relative ease:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426216_10151116396132252_436987548_n.jpg

I can only hope the refitment of the new one is just as easy. More annoying is the fact i have finally sourced the cause of my mystery vanishing DOT4 from the clutch system. Its been leaking on the inside of the master cylinder onto my clutch pedal, then dripping down onto my steering shaft, and vanishing down it and onto the steering rack. I wouldnt be surprised if it has dissolved that bloody plastic bush...

[brawr]

I found the same problem with my steering rack a couple of years ago, took a similar amount of detective work! Managed to find a recon rack and that sorted it, the original was properly shagged.
Coincidentally mine's also got a DOT4 addiction this week, weeping out between the brake MC and the servo (I think, closer look with brighter torch needed). Next job on the list then...
Good luck with this chapter!

[Tommytank]

It is without the slightest shadow of a doubt the humped roads up this neck o the woods that have caused this level of destruction.

[Deadly_Smell]

I remember replacing that nylon bush a number of years ago for the same problem you have found, I think the bush is still available form Toyota
The part number can be seen here: http://opc.mr2oc.com/online_parts_catalog/Handling/steering.GIF I know that this is LH drive rack but the part number is as far as I know the same.
Maybe worth changing on your replacement rack, I don't recall the exact price but wasn't expensive.

[Tommytank]

Its looking like that may be a better option.

[squeezebox]

E114 same as my import supercharger :thumbsup: nice work though, well done on getting those arches to fit....

[Tommytank]

Cheers dude, they are really flimsy. I guess that helped!!

So still no sign of my steering rack, but the new master cylinder arrived today. Various bits of housing grief saw me slink of to the garage for a bit of respite.

Or so i thought.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/561730_10151122154847252_538938348_n.jpg
Old one off, easy enough...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/293813_10151122154187252_2005108439_n.jpg
Visual comparison, seem ok here....

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/17020_10151122155187252_1374493300_n.jpg
Hmm, wait a mo. not sure what this flare fitting is called....

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/576522_10151122156122252_97194445_n.jpg
...but it aint the same as the new one. It tapers inwards rather than outwards.

Needless to say, the new one did not hold fluid. Also, typically, my flaring kit is in Glasgow, and will most probably be missing the dye i will need to reflare teh existing pipe to this style of fitment. I have a feeling i may even need a longer union bolt.

[Tommytank]

Oooh, a steering rack arrived today. This should be a productive week. Does anyone know the spec of union fitting i need to replace on the clutch line to make this new master cylinder fit? IE, what size of union do they take?

[Tommytank]

PROGRESS!

Had a wee sesh on the car last night. Priority was to get it on its wheels again as i have a house move in 10 days and its the biggest big of furniture i own in its current state!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/426192_10151129183612252_1414212161_n.jpg

First up, throw the rack in roughly where it should be...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/576269_10151129185272252_515485425_n.jpg

Then make it a bit more permanent!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384238_10151129187727252_60282415_n.jpg

Thought i was doing well getting it all torqued up and toight. Then i saw the steering wheel when the front wheels were lined up straight ahead. Oh well....

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/404270_10151129193922252_1452885596_n.jpg

That just leaves this tricky dick. Ordered up some long length M10 fittings to see if they solve the non-seating problem. Also in the post is a nice Sealey flare kit and a new bleeding bottle with one way valve.

I love new tools!

[squeezebox]

just be aware if its the cheap 3 piece kit they tend to leave a line around the flared part, almost like a casting mark which tends to cause leaks, you can usually get around this by making the joint ridiculously tight.

[jimi]

Tommy
IIRC
The cylinder in the top pic needs a single flare and the bottom pic a double flare.
Double on the left and single on the right

2335

[Tommytank]

I thought it was a double flare that is on there? Not flared enough maybe?

[jimi]

http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

^^ That's a single flare

single on the right, double on the left
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2335

[Tommytank]

Gotcha. Double flare coming up soon....

[Tommytank]

Cracked it (I think...)

Got back from Bahrain last night, shattered but determined to suss this annoying but long winded problem out. Went to my new man cave and had a faff with some copper line, the new master cyl, and Headcases master flare tool.

After establishing how to double flare, I mocked up a trial with a bit of copper line to make sure it worked. I also have some new unions, (clutch fitting is 12mm by the way, but the I/d is bigger than 3/16 brake line type).

Even with the longer 12mm unions, the brake line was still wiggling inside, unseated. A bit of deduction and I have worked out the issue. Pattern parts! The casting for the master cylinder is too bloody wide. As such, the union threads right up to the hex without meeting the pipe flare.

BODGE TIME!

Out and the angle grinder with a precision blade, and I delicately lopped off around 5mm from the face of the master cyl where the union threads in. Works a treat, even with the old, shorter union that was on the car.

Will need to try and finish tonight (and get pics) as the poor MR2 is still sat in the outlaws garage. Fingers crossed Headcases master flare tool will work on the larger steel clutch line pipe, or the next option is invariably going to be rip the whole line out and replace with copper stuff...

[Tommytank]

Did the master flare tool work?

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189666_10151167452447252_1786070428_n.jpg

Yes. Did the flare hold when tested against fluid?

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/68339_10151167452527252_32463942_n.jpg

Yes. Is my car running again?

No. Needs bled, and with a clutch line running the length of the car, it really is a 2 man job. i am but one man.

Headcase, i owe you one!!

[headcase]

Glad it worked. :-):-)

[Tommytank]

Really need to get me one of those tools. Will get it posted back to you ASAP dude. Can you PM me your address?

[headcase]

Really need to get me one of those tools. Will get it posted back to you ASAP dude. Can you PM me your address?

Ok i pm only post once you know you finished with it

Patrick

[Tommytank]

Shall do dude. I threw a Twobrutal donation in on your behalf for the use of the tool. You know, club spirit and all that!

[Tommytank]

Get in! Tonight i hit the success pig.

Needed a fair bit of bleeding, a jump start, and the steering wheel is cocked at 90 degrees, and sittish due to lack of tracking, and the bite point is 7 microns off the floor due to the arm being well wound in on the adjuster screw....... but it drives!

Next step, get it out the outlaws garage and down to the new hoose. In the mean time i brought the rest of my garage tools down in the Vitara. I tell ya, nothing helps you sleep better at night than knowing your tools are with ya!

[Tommytank]

Further tinkering tonight. Went to the outlaws armed with basic tools. Adjusted the clutch to a more reasonable height, to a good result. Also whipped the wheel off and reattached 90 deg around so it drives "straight" (It only looks like it, more later). After that i fired in all the frunk gubbins and deemed it shakedown time....


Except it wasnt. Needed a jump again, which was a bit concerning as i did give it a run yesterday, but in fairness not very far. Vitara on hand and it was running fairly easily. My concern is its either a goosed battery (has had many full to drained cycles over the past few months sadly) or a goosed alternator, which certainly makes its bearing objections known on first start these days.

Country road blast: Steering feels substantially weighted, and solid. Massive improvement over before, but ermagerd is the tracking out. Got it up to 70 and i thought it was going to pounce into a hedge on its own accord.

Engine was a bit sluggish to begin with, but this might be down to the alternator sapping a lot for charging and it clearing the damp out. Still pulls well!

All in I'm happy. Will try and get it back to my own house tonight if time permits, then give her a wee clean!

[Tommytank]

So the violent judder is still there. The one that caused me to pull it off the road months ago. I cant beat around the bush, and i dont think i can blame it on dodgy tracking. Its there. As pronounced as ever, when turning left above 50mph.

This leads me to a few logical conclusions:

1. All the components I have changed over the past few months (of which there were many faulty ones needing done) were not at fault, meaning it was a partial epic time-waste.

2. Whats left is the tracking potentially having been bad in the first place, which may be a case of re-calibrate and cure. This is unlikely because I suspect....

3. I have somehow, unbeknownst to me, buckled the nuts off one of my front Image split rims. If this has happened, I will not only start mass genocide against anyone who works in Scottish council departments, but will probably be found weeping myself to sleep with a lump hammer. BUT!...

4. It may be I have lost a balance weigh from one of said Image split rims. Oh lordy, how I pray this is the case. Frankly though, I doubt it. It is oh-so violent, waaay beyond the call of a wheel balance issue.


What the ruddy nora is causing this?? Its going in to get tracking and wheel balance done this weekend. Results will determine my presence at this months Retro Edinburgh Midnight run below.... :(

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=eam&action=display&thread=139803

[snowtigger]

You've buckled the inner part of your wheel and made it oval.
A good wheel guy should be able to sort that.

[Tommytank]

I'm thinking that. It drives straight as a dye with no judder when not steering, its just when the slightest bit of turn is put to the right that the bloody judder starts.

[jimi]

Do you not have another set of wheels you could put on as a test ?

[Tommytank]

Not in Aberdeen Jimi. I do in the lockup in Glasgow. Might grab them next time i'm down...

[jimi]

You up in ABZ now ? there used to be a couple of MK1 guys round that area I'll see if I can find any contact details

[Tommytank]

Awesome. My next hurdle in that area is establishing they fit over ST185 calipers. 14s should?

[snowtigger]

If it was me I would swop the wheels left for right and see if it starts on the other side.

Daft idea time are the tread on the tyres the right way round, I've had the tyre company put one on back to front the rotational arrow was going backwards.

[jimi]

If it was me I would swop the wheels left for right and see if it starts on the other side.



Good idea ! or possibly even front to back if they are the same width

[Tommytank]

Staggered rims sadly, no way the rears will fit.

New hubs, so bearings are fine. Same judder before hub was changed.

Will check the tread and swap tires around tomorrow (when it's hopefully dryer)

[Tommytank]

Just in from another sesh on the 2. First thing I tried, running the car on the spare to determine a wheel buckle. This in turn allowed me to find my first fault. My spare. Not only was it flatter than 3 week old irn bru, it is also a 14 inch alloy. The minimum I can run is 15s due to the gt4 brakes. So that's useless!!

While I had the os wheel off, I checked it for balance weights (present), mating face issues (none), and had a look at the toe situation since changing the rack. There is plenty. Really!! I dialled the toe in about 3 entire threads and it was still toe out!! Wheel back on and test drive...

Found it less jumpy, clearly a result of the mega toe out. Still vibrating though, and just as violent. Also, it seems to be doing it in both directions, not just to the right... More tinkering needed.

Jumped back to the house and attempted the ns wheel. Did the same as before, no stand out issues. Dialled the toe to eyeball zero and went for another shakedown.

Better, but still vibrating. This time I noticed a distinct "dead zone" when steering ahead. Also,, when accelerating into a corner, the vibration is noticeably less than if I enter a corner at speed, and stays low. Back to the garage.

I say garage, it's a glorified hut. I'm working outside at 0 degrees. Patience waning I have a look at the steering shaft. I notice the collapse tube is over extended into the uj, leaving it a bit wobbly. One spanner tweak later and the dead zone issue is gone. Small progress I suppose.

Back to the drawing board I guess. I feel a garage appointment and expensive bill may be looming...

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/305911_10151194499617252_1264471891_n.jpg

Bam! New engine lid!

[cdwood2010]

http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

Bam! New engine lid!

Yeah, still keen on a MK2 version of that lid.

:)

[Paul Woods]

LOL i do a Mk2 version of it, i keep telling you!

My Mk2 WS TD lid...

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2012/12/40.jpg

Looking great there Tommy

[Tommytank]

Cheers Paul! Well impressed with the lid. It's even lighter than the stock one!!

[Paul Woods]

Good stuff, the main thing is it keeps the water out and still lets the heat escape :thumbsup:

Did i mention there's a Mk2 version? :)

[snowtigger]

Good stuff, the main thing is it keeps the water out and still lets the heat escape :thumbsup:

Did i mention there's a Mk2 version? :)

Well fuck me a mk2 version that would look grand on a 2gr black mk2, if only such a thing existed.

[gavsdavs]

......if only such a thing existed.
You say this a lot.
What's the origin of it ??

[snowtigger]

You say this a lot.
What's the origin of it ??

It's a long running joke about my mk1 and 2grs v6 engines, every one takes the piss because I post up about how much I like a 2gr mk1(a lot).

[cdwood2010]

He's dreaming.

It will never happen.

:)

[gavsdavs]

I post up about how much I like a 2gr mk1(a lot).
Really ??

I hadn't noticed :)

[Tommytank]

Just some slight tinkering recently. Couldn't work out why the engine lid wouldn't sit right, then discovered the rubber stopper adjusters were missing. Whoops.

Whipped the old ones off the other engine lid, and had a play around. Much more level now:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/12088_10151196050292252_751553982_n.jpg

Had to take a snap of this too. Got the old 15s on to try and eliminate the judder I have. Sad to say, it has done. :( One of my lovely split rims has a fairly inconspicuous but significant dent in it. Only visible when spinning the wheel on a spindle, but I reckon more than enough to give it a judder at speed. Need to get someone to straighten it out (any advice??) because it just looks soooooo wrong on the old wheels...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/222363_10151196050502252_1040846840_n.jpg


To be fair, i think i'm deliberately dragging my heels on repairing this as the only logical move after that is to source a 2GR... :eusa_shifty:

[Tommytank]

Alternator bearing is squealing its nuts off, starter wont disengage on cold starts, piles of reek every time i have to jump start it.....


....it might be time to call Paul and change this thread title.....

[Deadly_Smell]

a repair kit is available for most of the denso starters from: http://www.repairkitsuk.com/1.html

[Tommytank]

They could be handy. Not sure if the solenoid will be the fault or not. Handy to know though!

[Tommytank]

Pulled myself out of the new years funk, and took the rears off, as discussed. Enter the passenger side footwell, and discover a inch and a half of water. Ideal for a car famed for its alka seltzer qualities.... Jump start, dried out with a sponge, and threw on the old rear wheels. Still a bit vibrate-y on driving, so not sure they were the problem. Couldn't really take her a long drive as the rears are beyond illegal on the tread side of things...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/385258_10151234995632252_1138563335_n.jpg

Not to mention it looked like a reject from Strathy Cruise.com, so i wasnt for a long drive!

Next stop, Stonehaven quick fit for a spot of alignment. Left it with them and asked for the stock settings to be dialled in. Picked her up and following another jump start (seriously, battery is less than a year old. Sooo done with jump leads) and test drive home.

Wow, talk about a difference. That car feels... well... spot on. Steers into corners perfectly now, flows along the roads as it should, and the rear now feels more weighted and connected, as it should for an MR car. Very happy.

Once home, i rigged up a home made runout tester (old hub in a vice) and checked the ovality of the big rims.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/312457_10151234995737252_1065862139_n.jpg

They aint the best. No doubt about it, they are buckled. Next step is to find a place that can straighten them out. For now though, its rest up time with its slippers on... and crack on with cheap Vitara repairs...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/227670_10151236152707252_1040680769_n.jpg

[Tommytank]

Summer is supposed to be here, so with the first day of nice weather, i decided to continue the elusive hunt for my steering judder. First of this years attempt: Brakes...


http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/533842_10151410192807252_1182349740_n.jpg


Stripped them down and checked for dirt or issues causing a vibration. Fount the caliper sliders were pretty stiff on the N/S of the front...


http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/165411_10151410193362252_618082823_n.jpg

Greased up and thrown back together, along with the summer wheels. Solved?


No.

[cdwood2010]

Lol. That's why we love our cars right?

Stupid question, but have you tried the fronts on the back etc?

C.

[Tommytank]

I have the original 15s it came with, and have tried those over winter and now the splitties. No change.

I'm at the stage of wild diagnosis now that the obvious stuff is gone. I reckon every wheel i have must be out of balance, causing the same problem every time i change them.

[Paul Woods]

All ball joints, track rod ends etc free from any play? I've also known tracking being out causing this.

[Tommytank]

All ball joints, track rods, droplinks and even the steering rack have been replaced. Alignment done after this, still fighting.

[Tommytank]

Seriously, its nonsense like this that makes me sell cars. Its just lucky its an AW11 or it would've been on eBay by now....

[cdwood2010]

So what does it do exactly?

C.

[Tommytank]

Drives straight fine, but turn left or right above 50mph and a fierce judder is transmitted through the steering wheel. Present during acceleration or braking.

I did find a slight touch of play where the collapsible part of the steering shaft is, just above the UJ. Could this affect things?

[cdwood2010]

Any play anywhere will allow it to move, but judder only really occurs when something is out of balance.

If it isn't noticeable at under 50 mph then it must speed / rotation related.

I'm guessing you've been through all the stuff we could suggest here. Discs, pads, calipers etc.

Is it possible the hub isn't seated in the bearing (these are pressed in too right?) or the carrier itself is bent?

C.

[Tommytank]

Those are potentials. Brakes were checked a the weekend (discs with a DTI, fine, and calipers move freely) so I'm happy ruling those out.

I think i threw a used hub on the N/S not too long ago, but it had no effect on eliminating the judder....

So sick of this issue now. I'd have given it to a specialist if i trusted one enough up here, but i don't think they will have any better luck than I've had, and it will just end up with a sore bill....

[adamh]

shame there isnt any cv joints up the front!, are the rears OK?. how about the front arb mounting points, ive had one go (infamously) without realising, it was o.k until i put my foot down then the welded joint actaully seperated and it transformed the handling, for the record it also set up fine on a 3d laser/ undetected, you could never see it, give a good lever (try and seperate the arb from the floor pan,.. also give it a thump to see if it wants to go the other way.

i would aim to get rid of the play in the steering column.

[Tommytank]

ARB bushes and mounts were changed, and are now poly bushed.

Removing play may be easier said than done. I'm not sure how play is eliminated in that part of the steering shaft, as it seems like impregnated rubber that has worn. Might be a full replacement shaft needed?

[Adam W]

That rubber is just there to, err, eliminate vibrations :laugh2: It was really worn out on my old white Mk1 so I welded the two halves of the shaft together in situ - the spline arrangement ensures that you won't lose steering if the weld fails, and there is (I'm told) another collapsible section in the shaft so you shouldn't end up wearing the steering wheel in an accident. My car felt a LOT more direct afterwards, but I'm not sure if it would help with a problem like yours.

[jimi]

I can't help but think sticking caliper or to be more exact sticking piston on a front caliper.
Every now and then I get what sounds like exactly the same thing, I'm driving along and then the vibration (judder) starts on the steering wheel, so I slow down a bit and it gets slight;t better then worse this continues until I have to stop, the car is virtually undriveable, I traced it down to the passengers side piston sticking and not retracting properly. Worked the piston in and out with some W40 and the vibration totally disappeared, came back about 6 months later, same cure. One day I'll overhaul the caliper properly :icon_redface:

[Tommytank]

Adam, that could be a shout, just as a mod if nothing else. There's definite play there.

Jimi, it's twin pots from a GT4. Had them apart and couldn't see any issues but I might add it to the short list of things to try.

4 weeks until the "skunkworks" is built... Then the overhaul begins.

[Tommytank]

I took the wee one for a blast again last night. Found that the judder goes away above 80, which was probably an act of great stupidity rather than scientific diagnosis. If it is the wheels at fault then it could be that they get beyond the point of imbalance at that speed.

Anyway, I've bought an MX5. Not to worry, its for Mrs Tommytank to use, so once i get it running i may throw the 16s on to see if it gives that the same fierce judder. Nothing like buying an entire car to help with the diagnostics...

[Tommytank]

So these wheels have a rep for being chocolate, but considering those Image rims I bought last year for the MR2 have buckled quicker than a DT junkie in an interview, I cant see a valid reason nt to buy them. The pivot will be the cost of refurbing the Images....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RS-STYLE-ALLOYS-STAGGERED-16-8J-9J-4X100-5X100-not-dare-or-bbs-/261192589145?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Trims _Car_Rims_ET&hash=item3cd04a9f59

Awaiting a quote for repairing the Images.....

[Tommytank]

Decided to put this debate today once and for all. Took the MR2 into work and left it with a local wheel place that lists refurb'ing as their specialty.

That's the tire place just called back. The Image rims are buckled beyond belief. So bad, they have actually warped the almost new Toyo T1R's. The repair cost, due to the splittie nature, is around 200 quid. Each.

UP YOURS ABERDEEN, your utterly horrific roads have now cost me nearly a grand in wheels that are now irreplaceable. Shiteholes.

I really liked those wheels.....

[snowtigger]

that's the pain I feel when looking at new rimage, either they have the ones you like but not in the fitment or shit wheels that fall apart five minutes down the road.

[Tommytank]

I was so lucky grabbing those split rims when i did. They arent made any more, and suit the car to a T. Still, road tax is up again so it will all be ok.

[adamh]

assume your wobble has been pinpointed?

[Tommytank]

I'd say so now! Car will live, sadly the lovely wheels will not. I haven't got the 400 quid i need as a minimum to get it rolling on similar wheels.

Will probably claim the tax off it and take her off the road. There is now an MX5 on the scene, which is MOT'd to November (The mr2 is up next month) so will use that for now. The garage gets built next month too so all my time will go into that. Once done, i will finally have a garage....


....and a MR2 with no MOT but a lot of supporting mods for big power......

.....and space........









(see where I'm going here?)

[racerADS]

Can I be sad and suggest you do a build thread for your garage. I am planning on building one in the next year or so hopefully, my current one is long enough at 27' but at 8' wide is way too small.
Tiggs you should do a build thread on yours as its about the size I am thinking of.

Oh and gutting news about your wheels. The worst possible thing it could have been...

[Tommytank]

One step ahead of you ads, but its on another forum:

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othrmod&action=display&thread=146422

http://www.facebook.com/OverdrivesSkunkworks

[snowtigger]

Ah lovely I just took out 14 1foot thick conifers at the weekend each one over 30feet high then stump ground the roots, its sooo good to have big boys chainsaws and a stump grinder to use none of this old fashioned manual hard work.

And my cousin has a 1 and a1/2 ton excavator or big Bertha a 9ton excavator that I borrow if I can get access for digging out the footings, don't forget the concrete base needs to be at least 4 inch thick and 4 inches wider than the garage.

[Tommytank]

I had none of that fancy nonsense, just a saw, axe, spade and brute strength.

Also, i think i'll be pitching for a foot and a half minimum depth for my concrete foundations.

[Tommytank]

So i'm broke. Knowing fine well that the wheels will be the cause of the horrific judder, i set about finding other potential catalysts to the situation. First up? The sleeve joint in the steering shaft.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379935_10151433077822252_1072777922_n.jpg

This part allows minor judders to be absorbed, basically there is a rubber joint in there. Only now its fairly worn and there is a power of slack in there. My logic is that this slack will cause a mild judder to feel like a massive one due to the looseness.

Cure? Remove shaft:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/32388_10151433077912252_888935306_n.jpg

...and weld:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/923145_10151433078037252_531846859_n.jpg

Result? Steering feels a LOT sharper. There was definitely too much play here. However, its just exacerbated the judder due to the reduction in dampening. Essentially, the rubber wearing has been a result of the judder, not a cause of it.

Back to the piggy bank...

[cdwood2010]

Most things in life are better with a bit of welding.

Most things.

The epic search continues.

:/

[Tommytank]

Chris, the search is sadly concluded. The wheels are wrecked, so bad in fact that the tires are now warped. :(

Think its time to split them 3 piece rims open and see if i can straighten them. Never done it before, but i said that 15 years ago when looking under the bonnet of a mk3 supra with a BHG. Them's the learning ways.

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2013/04/398.jpg

[Tommytank]

So today my hand was forced and i had to take the MR2 into work again (20 mile commute). God damn she's in a bad way.

The welded shaft now snaps my fingers with the vibration, but worse was to come....

I had found the temp level creep up the last time i had her out. It was 2 minutes from the house so i limped her home. Found it was low on water, so topped it up (about a litre). Thought nothing more of it....

Took it into work and about 17 miles in the temp needle is skyrocketing again. Arsecakes.

Its as if its saying "I know theres a turbo coming my way, and by god it better be quick or I'll just continuously shit myself...."

Anyone got a 3S-GTE?

[cdwood2010]

A wise man would cut to the chase and stick a V6 in there.

3S-GTE's either seem to be forever in the garage or folded around a tree.

:)

[Tommytank]

If i wanted reliability i'd have chopped the lot in for ... Supra i guess?

Nah, i wanted to do more power in this from the start. Never had the need to though because the rorty wee 4A just kept on making me smile. Until today, mind.

Nah, i think the turbo is far more versatile in terms of toys and tuning. Plus i miss boost. If i need silly V powered giggles, i have a Camaro...

[Tommytank]

So the plot thickens...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/207158_10151440959322252_1788669711_n.jpg

Had to take her a quick blast across town. Made it 200 metres before something exploded in the engine bay, accompanied by a strong burning smell. I'm guessing a seized alternator that has been allowing the belt to drag, causing the water pump not to circulate coolant enough which may have cooked the head, or the pump itself being humped. Either way, its a tow truck home tonight....

[cdwood2010]

Arse. That's not good.

Let us know how you get on.

C.

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/941154_10151441595517252_111261954_n.jpg

If you look closely you can see the trail of coolant down the back of the flatbed, and the blast zone on the rear bumper from where it shat its load. Humped.

Currently knee deep in garage construction, so at least its crippled arse will have a roof over its head soon.

[racerADS]

Sad times :-(

Been reading the garage blog and fb page. Interesting stuff. Have you put footings in yet?

[Tommytank]

They are going in as we speak. Its hooring down with rain today so concrete pour has been postponed until Tuesday.

[Tommytank]

There is a ball that has slowly been cast into motion.....


...and its a turbo.

[Bon-chan]

That is a beautiful car! Shame the technical issues though.
Going to keep an eye on this thread. Hoping for some good news (and boost) in your near future.

[Tommytank]

Well, we have a solution. Sourced a rev 2 package, but to be honest i might face financial ruin if I don't just sit on it for a while and let funds balance out. Not a good way to start a project but I need to be realistic or it will all bite me in the arse.

[cdwood2010]

Yeah, I had to do that with the 2GR build.

I try to kept these projects from dipping into the grocery bill, so a lot of the spend was done over a fair few months.

Nobody hands out prizes for skinting yourself.

C.

[chief44]

Wheey, good choice tommy! Look forward to seeing the build progress. As for cost, it sounds wise to just sit on it for a bit and slowly gather the bits needed. Stripping down and rebuilding the engine could kill a fair bit of time I s'pose. Good luck with it all.

[Tommytank]

Nobody hands out prizes for skinting yourself.

C.

My bank does. Well, I keep getting letters from them saying fine.

[snowtigger]

My bank does. Well, I keep getting letters from them saying fine.

I've had those from some one called bill topay sounds foreign to me?

[Tommytank]

I don't trust it. Seems suspicious.

[cdwood2010]

I don't trust it. Seems suspicious.

If in doubt, burn it with fire.

We've seen too many scifi movies to take any chances.

C.

[Tommytank]

Now having a fire sale of old stuff i don't need in a bit to afford this 3S-GTE swap. For sale thread should appear once approved. Bid generously good Brutalers! Its for a good cause!! :dance:

[Tommytank]

Need to change the thread title. 3 years in and the Big Swap is finally in progress!!

Up she goes!
http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1010825_335098686624200_1265637810_n.jpg

Loom and ancillaries off
http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1044901_335098799957522_212507509_n.jpg

Bit more height and hubs off.
http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/13238_335592716574797_1791659655_n.jpg

[cdwood2010]

Epic. And all it took was a mahoooooosive garage!

If your swap is anything like your garage building, we are in for an exciting ride!

Let me know if you want the thread name changing, you may not be able to do it yourself.

:)




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Tommytank]

Thanks chris, i could do with a thread change! Couldnt find a way to do it.

I suppose this now belongs in the 1.5 swap section! ;)

[cdwood2010]

By the power of Grayskull!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2013/07/307.jpg

[headcase]

Need to change the thread title. 3 years in and the Big Swap is finally in progress!!

Up she goes!
http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

Loom and ancillaries off
http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

Bit more height and hubs off.
http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg
Good on your but you got the floor dirty, :-):-)

[pistol pete]

Enjoy your gonna have fun
;) hopefully just finishing mine now
1.5 are great looking forward to the turbo shove

[Tommytank]

By the power of Grayskull!

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2013/07/307.jpg

Haha, fantastic!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/74910_336031536530915_825778606_n.jpg

Only really squeezing in an hour a night. So last night I:

Removed the exhaust
Removed gear linkages
Removed shitguards
Removed rear torquemount.

[cdwood2010]

Progress is progress.

That's the nice thing about having a garage - you can just wedge an hour in here and there before dinner / bed / work.

Carry on!

:)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/48094_338433269624075_471434368_n.jpg

4 on the floor. Didn't get a lot more done as i had a visitor last night...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/992825_338779356256133_1869644909_n.jpg

Pretty awful rain so spent the afternoon converting this old gal to run an alternator...

[snowtigger]

Is that a Volvo amazon?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[cdwood2010]

Wow! It sure is!

Probably the sexiest thing to come out of Sweden that can be appreciated in public.

:)




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Torero]

Wow! It sure is!

Probably the sexiest thing to come out of Sweden that can be appreciated in public.Apart from the blonde in Abba :eusa_dance:

[Tommytank]

Amazon indeed. Very tidy example too, all original. So far the new owner has installed 3 point safety belts and now an alternator so it will handle short journeys. All reversible ;)

[snowtigger]

Try fitting a cut out switch to a delarge 1928 for an dynamo system using Alfa racer and Aston Martin components so that it meets modern safety cut out switch requirements on a race track.

First time we tried it the electrical system shut down but the engine continued to run lol.

And the amazon volvos idea of a Swedish tank.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/999156_339325282868207_672118476_n.jpg

Token TB engine bay picture!!!

[snowtigger]

Where's the thumbs up button, nice work carry on that man.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Chris69]

Where's the thumbs up button, nice work carry on that man.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

:thumbsup:

There we go :wink:

Great stuff going on in that garage already, keep it up!

[Jiff Lemon]

Ah the great tradition lives on! Next big step is grinding the mounts off! the point of no return!

[Tommytank]

That's tonights fun!

[racerADS]

It is amazing how much you can do in a big garage :-) top draw!

[Tommytank]

I just downloaded the mount templates from the library, but there is no marking on them for the boltholes. Is there an up to date version somewhere i don't know about?

[snowtigger]

I thought you put the jig in place, then put the 1 steel tacked in roughly then mark that up grind of the temp welds and drill both steels using the steel that you marked up using the jig?

As every car is slightly different the jig eliminates this that's why the templates don't have holes for bolting up so you get consistent results of the jig.

[Tommytank]

Ah, good point. Yep, makes sense i guess. Off to the steelworks i go!

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1012428_340204336113635_311374727_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/970287_340204596113609_71011189_n.jpg

No going back now... This is my preferred method of taking mounts off. Slice them into strips to find the spot welds, then chop through the middle of the weld and chap with a screwdriver between mount and chassis. Pop right off!

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/531797_341093032691432_643560706_n.jpg

Bit more mount removal...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534909_341092796024789_334984175_n.jpg

Just got the welds to flatten down. Took that anti-rust goo off too. Then i got trigger happy with the grinder...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/577175_341092326024836_1276715696_n.jpg

Reckon this will be enough clearance for the inlet? I'm planning on leaving it like that and just adding metal and welding up the gap. Should look pretty stock with the original metal mostly still present...

[Phaeton]

http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

Reckon this will be enough clearance for the inlet? I'm planning on leaving it like that and just adding metal and welding up the gap. Should look pretty stock with the original metal mostly still present...

I like this idea, should make the boot look much better, are you going charger cooler route?

Alan...

[Tommytank]

I'm not sure yet. My engine comes with an IC so might just use that for the moment. I'm VERY conscious of getting this thing on the road ASAP. When i turn a small project into a big one I'm famous for losing momentum (see my first 3S conversion!) so for the moment its a basic swap and road test, then further modification.

[Tommytank]

So these arrived!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/535847_346189735515095_472878067_n.jpg

Cheeky homer from a local fab shop, just need to get them welded in and the car will hold a 3S-GTE! While i was at it, i pulled this out last night...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1173609_346189945515074_2146716595_n.jpg

The fuel tank. No the easiest thing in the world to remove. Time for a Walbro.

That also marks the last part that needs to actually come off the car. From this point on, its all crazy new parts going back on...

[cdwood2010]

Yep, that awesome point in a swap where the project turns and you start to rebuild!

Loving your work!

C.

[Jiff Lemon]

That should be enough clearance for the inlet. Nik has a similar bulkhead.

[Phaeton]

RACE!!! I'm at exactly the same point, well my pump is actually fitted with tank ready to go back, but I've not cut my rear bulkhead, but I know you will be on the road before me :D

Alan...

[Tommytank]

Race? You're cheating my mucker, you have the jig! Hahaha....

Where did you source your pump Alan? I'm looking at generic non-Walbro makes on Ebay but i'm unsure if its going to be worth the grief...

[Phaeton]

Luckily when I bought the engine off Patrick (Headcase) he was breaking a full MR2 Turbo, so I got the pump off that at the same time, surprisingly it's actually it physically smaller.

Alan...

[pistol pete]

Tommy i got my pump from Peter Gidden of S-bits
very helpfull guy
07710648257
trader on imoc...

hope that helps.. i remeber being at your poitn.. noe with mine finished.. its awesome...

[Tommytank]

Cheers guys. So i got a new bench...

http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

Well, when i saw new, i dragged it out a bin because some numbnut chucked it for 2 bent legs... A quick conversation with a vice and...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1184844_350524475081621_38798408_n.jpg

As such, i felt the need to make use of it, and get my cleanliness OCD on a bit:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1175092_350898455044223_1664918793_n.jpg

Subframe coming off...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/527058_350898575044211_821131451_n.jpg

Wee Nitromors session and this will be getting a lick of paint. In the meantime, i got the wire brush onto these:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1098469_350858688381533_1505060485_n.jpg

Before and after. 22V rear brake upgrade, and about time too. Quick Hammerite session later:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1003217_350877068379695_1392516231_n.jpg

Lovely. Got time to kill before the engine arrives so i thought it wise to start making things look nice... Engine bay next:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1150234_349324915201577_1316627996_n.jpg

Smooth and ready for welding.

[cdwood2010]

Very nice. That OCD can really pay off sometimes.

:)

[headcase]

Looking good :-):-)

[pistol pete]

Lookin good
I am going to over all all my suspension over winter

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1235551_354103644723704_1279087842_n.jpg

Toys! Had to say i was surprised at the size of the TB jig compared to the previous incarnation... A lot smaller for sure! Fitted fine on this side. Then there came the N/S...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1236960_354103731390362_182415885_n.jpg

Not so clever. Sheared bolt. Not a problem with the jig directly, but its almost a certainty that the bolt mounts for this design will shear when removed. The threads sit in the suspension turret, and even with the best will in the world, plenty of lube and the gentlest attempt to remove the bolt, the little bastard still cracked in half. I will drill it out and just nut/bolt straight through the hole.

Now, i have made this mistake before, so here are my mounts lined up for weld-fit evaluation. (Also, can someone verify that these are in the right places?)

http://sphotos-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559275_354103964723672_1409241203_n.jpg

OSF mount. Bit of tapering on the top angle to bring it in, but this looks pretty close!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/557487_354104148056987_225577482_n.jpg

OSR mount. Slight angle change on the bottom weld face, but this one is almost bang on...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1044467_354104244723644_644779798_n.jpg

NSR mount. Not so clever, a lot of these angles will need a bit of grinding to rectify...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1236552_354104398056962_1058473207_n.jpg

NSF mount. Looks OK in the picture, but i recall this being quite radically out too. I think it may be due to the anti-corrosion on the frame still being present. Wire wheeling needs done!

In other news, there is nothing like a jig to remind you how fatter you have got in 6 years. Had to pull some serious belly gymnastics to squeeze around this one, and its a lit more compact than the previous jig!!

Oh, and my fuel pump arrived. This will go in this weekend, but I'll leave the tank out until my engine bay prep is finalised!

[Phaeton]

Yes I feel your pain Tommy, I also snapped a bolt on the nearside, but to make mine worse, I also snapped a drill in the hole when I was trying to drill out to re-tap.

Alan...

[Tommytank]

Yea, its not ideal. Don't get me wrong, its a massive improvement over the last jig but you never have issues getting the strut tops off (on a fairly decent car).

Looking at the jig, i can actually see a further way of improving the design that would negate the centre spar, making internal bay maneuvres a bit easier...

[Paul Woods]

You have to remember that jig is a direct copy of the original Woodsport jig i use to build customers 1.5s, i never have a problem using it and it is a lot easier to work around than previous incarnations. Also the WS jig places the engine in a different location than previous jigs, i prefer to mount the engine further back leaving more turbo clearance at the front and straighter driveshafts.

All bolts snap on Mk1s, it's not the jigs fault lol.

[pistol pete]

yeah i used the Jig and it was perfect placement..
i did find i had to re-make and shape the mounts to suit though as the templates were out..

[Paul Woods]

The templates are only a rough guide, as long as they hit the jig holes and you then trim them to fit the inner wing they work fine.

[pistol pete]

yep exactly what i done :)

made it so easy when fitting the engine

[Tommytank]

Man, I need to stop letting my natural Scottish waffle out, it often gets misinterpreted for moaning...

[cdwood2010]

It's wrong to stereotype yourself in such a way.

Grab a McEwans and deep fried mars bar sandwich and chill out to some bagpipe music.

:-0

[Tommytank]

You may joke, but i had a deep fried pizza for dinner last night.

Yea, as said it was definitely not a moan about the mounts or the jig, not in the slightest.

[Phaeton]

I understand where Tommy is coming from, it's not aimed at Paul or the jig, but at Toyota & car designers in general, why put poxy little 6mm bolts through into the wheelarch we all know they are going to rust, seize & snap. Just tried to take my front bumper off, like like those 6mm are set into the foam, crazy idea

Alan...

[cdwood2010]

You may joke, but i had a deep fried pizza for dinner last night.

There is nothing about you I don't like.

Party at your gaff next.

:)

[Tommytank]

Think a TB piss up at my garage could be a viable option?

[cdwood2010]

Think a TB piss up at my garage could be a viable option?

Its big enough.....

:-)

[Tommytank]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1239650_355750031225732_700465772_n.jpg

Wee cheeky hour after work. Did a bit of tidying on the first mount, then drilled its pilot hole. Managed to tack it in place before the welder started playing up. Temperamental little fecker, its not giving me the penetration i need (oo-er). I think i'm having earthing issues...

[Tommytank]

Not a bad weekend. Friday night i vanished into the garage and shut the doors. Cue much A-team music, grinding, drilling and tweaking, and the first mount above was tacked in place. After that a beer and bed was on the cards. The next day i had other toys to play with first...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1236518_356054074528661_1765575156_n.jpg

22" brap brap sword!!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1175470_356054431195292_649115524_n.jpg

Test fired on some oversized tree stumps from the ground works. Made light work of those. As winter is coming i thought it prudent to start stocking on dried firewood...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1001747_356054907861911_580307582_n.jpg

Make hay while the sun shines and all that. This wood has been sun dried outside all summer, so i didnt want to leave it out into autumn incase the damp ruins it. I have other wood dry stored to top this pile up...

Anyway, after that chop session, it was time to crawl under the car again...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1185956_356055207861881_1963017873_n.jpg

Not many pictures but here are the results:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1234401_356055891195146_85879353_n.jpg

Off side engine mounts: In. Still need to fill weld a few points on the wheel arch side, but this will demand some tinkering with feeds and power on the welder.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1234878_356056147861787_1604286839_n.jpg

Near side, same story. Nice big slug welds onto the chassis legs, but will need to exercise some care when welding to the whell arch inners, as a few attempts have just resulted in blowing holes....

Should be finished with the TB jig soon. Who's next? ;)

[Phaeton]

Tommy that was so funny & weird, I'm in the doctors waiting room waiting for the wife to come out from the doctors listening to the local radio. Advert comes on with the A-team theme, open your post & you refer to it, spooky.

Alan...

[snowtigger]

That's not a log pile pah I will take some pics of a proper log pile.

[Tommytank]

That's not a log pile pah I will take some pics of a proper log pile.

Thats just the start matey...

[snowtigger]

I'm also a tree surgeon so knock down some big trees every other week we have a garage full of logs I just can't get at because there's too many rings outside, I must start my hydraulic log splitter up.

[cdwood2010]

Ideally you need to leave them outdoors under cover for a year. Hence the term 'seasoned' timber - they get to spend 4 seasons drying out.

If there's any sap in the wood, they won't burn properly and the sap can condense in your chimney and cause a chimney fire (worst case scenario).

Give it a try, stack the timber up and start burning it this time next year.

C.

[Tommytank]

I chopped them in January. They have been cooking in the sun all summer, but if its a full year then they can dry indoors. Where i am they will be rotten by this time next year if i leave them outside!!

[snowtigger]

I stack them and leave them for 2 years at the least and 4 at the most, as some woods dry at different rates to others, cherry is very sappy like conifer, oak on the other hand is very dense and a good burner.
There is a rhyme that tells you what tree is good for what google it.

Any evergreen or green outer skin/bark takes awhile to dry were as brown or silver birch doesn't take that long.

[Tommytank]

Pretty sure these are evergreens... Got a supplier for peat which should get me through this winter..

[cdwood2010]

I'm using shed off cuts this winter!

:)

[Tommytank]

Wee cheeky half hour last night in between DIY. Whipped the old pump out and connected up the new one

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1238943_359693774164691_491688747_n.jpg

I love the compatibility fun and games with aftermarket parts. Joining these should be fine for people. Bare wire, wrap around ring terminal, tape up with electrical tape, job done right? I mean, its only going to sit in a tank full of petrol...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1236212_359693737498028_238455764_n.jpg

*Note, i will be using solder and heat-shrink, fear not*

[cdwood2010]

Nice. What make is that?


C.

[Tommytank]

Tuning developments 255.

Got it soldered up last night...

http://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/533769_360043900796345_1365368800_n.jpg

[Tommytank]

Look what I've got...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1239023_361860857281316_1070120443_n.jpg

and...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1236572_361860950614640_1244269107_n.jpg

As a result... look what i now know i need...

http://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/598545_362127807254621_1053179012_n.jpg

All of which has given me a lot of motivation. So much so the tank is now back in with a proper pump fitted...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/574584_362127697254632_604495974_n.jpg

The ganky heat insulation that resembled a burst fanny has gone...

http://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1231452_362127900587945_683071245_n.jpg

...and a bucket, sponge and suds actually entered the garage!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1234931_362128087254593_226116038_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1278179_362128277254574_1522373572_n.jpg

Up next, degreaser and engine bay paint...

[Tommytank]

Long overdue update. Been focusing on some other projects but now we have some progress on the wee '2.

First up, more goodies!!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1385391_379981718802563_1282022977_n.jpg

Going to go for the chargecooler route. Less cutting and better result on power, so got a topmount setup. Will need to run lines, pump and a front mount radiator, but thats easy in comparison to chopping and compromising with a rear mount intercooler. Also on the new toys list include tubular manifold, and aftermarket downpipe.

More importantly, got these bits:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1395245_379982782135790_1410377540_n.jpg

Gearbox mount (still to source the bolts), and...

http://scontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1390599_379982835469118_171063073_n.jpg

Engine mount. This weeks tasks will now involve some jiggling of engine parts, and ultimately hanging the bugger. The MR2 should be on its wheels by next weekend!

[snowtigger]

Yay can't wait for another old school 1.5 to be blasting away.

[Tommytank]

Big step taken last night. What with me now having all the bits needed to make it a turn key, in car situation, i told myself i was simply stalling by doing things like "keeping warm" and "socialising"

TO THE SKUNKWORKS!!!

Take one 2 tonne crane, and lash it to the back of the car (its a tall engine, and lifting the car over it into position is the simplest way to do this...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1003847_380515745415827_215624847_n.jpg

Once lined up, drop the car down as far as possible, then lash the crane to the engine...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1453325_380515812082487_1291664573_n.jpg

...then haul it into position...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1456141_380516122082456_679861544_n.jpg

and hit the mounts. I like to get the difficult one out the way first, so that was the engine side:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/2555_380516408749094_267336436_n.jpg

Its pretty tight at the bottom of the mount bracket to the cast part of the engine. I might trim a wee bit off once the engine comes back out for painting...

http://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1380547_380516715415730_1614375040_n.jpg

I actually got this mount on and tightened up without the correct bolts (smaller nut and bolts through the captive nuts) so i can carry on until they are sorted.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/553212_380516958749039_1713713867_n.jpg

...and its in! Snug as well.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1000255_380674152066653_1401687655_n.jpg

This part is the most impressive part for clearance...

http://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1382362_380674195399982_1071947871_n.jpg

As if it was made for that hole!! Plus, only one bit that actually fouled:

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1461777_380674642066604_4666500_n.jpg

Small bracket on the rear of the inlet manifold. Fouling on the edge of the gap i cut in the trunk. Easy sorted!

So next up, fabricating torque mounts to keep this thing from twisting out!!

[Paul Woods]

Looking good mate.

[Tommytank]

Not much doing tonight, its colder than a witches tit.

Had a much overdue clean up and bumped the AW back to its corner.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1375143_380888368711898_886968178_n.jpg

[Tommytank]

So i had my neighbour in borrowing space #4 last night, meaning i was a bit at odds. I had planned on pulling the heater motor out the Volvo, so instead i decided to turn to another of my projects. Now, torquemounts.

http://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1395405_384032905064111_1503877636_n.jpg

Original MR2 rear mount back on. Cant believe how rusty this all looks when you use the flash... its not as bad as this in real life... That gave me a chance to mark out the first side of my rear bracket. Didn't do the cutting as things were getting on by that point!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1451499_384032861730782_1089113344_n.jpg

...so that's a task for tomorrow. Next up was the front mount bracket. Almost threw it on before remembering that bloody slave cylinder bracket needs to go on before it! That would have been fun for aligning!

http://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/644519_384032958397439_487257673_n.jpg

So again i was stumped by the lack of angle grinder use... next chop is this wee feller:

http://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1463075_384033061730762_416719751_n.jpg

Now... can i get away with reusing my old AW11 poly mount bushes...

[Tommytank]

Had the weekend off so no drastic progress, but i did manage to throw in a bit of fabrication...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1452550_385418531592215_988203600_n.jpg

After tracing out the mount from the template, i chopped the edges and tidied it all up...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579279_385420311592037_739957508_n.jpg

...which looks pretty neat once offered up. Made a cardboard replica of that, and then used it to determine the hole positions. Transferred to the mount and drilled them out. Result...

http://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/994965_386284661505602_568752318_n.jpg

...looks fairly sweet! Next up, i have decided to get a bit creative. I cut out some tabs and tacked them on place with the mount on the car...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1004999_386284848172250_1268486230_n.jpg

...to incorporate the 2 mount points on the edge of the diff casing.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/482454_386285308172204_623689202_n.jpg

I have plans to pull in a third mount hole too, along with some creative webbing to provide strength and support for the other half of the bush end of the mount. Will be quite a complex mount by the time I'm done, especially with the consideration that all these mount points need clear access to run the bolts in! For the moment i need to grab some more materials, not least some more argon/CO2 (left the bottle connected and it must have leaked, the bastid was empty when i went in, hence tack welds only) and more 4mm mild steel to finish the rest of the mount!

[Tommytank]

Time for the other side. Went for some slightly thicker steel this time, as it wont have the side bolts to keep things rigid like the other end. Chopped a beer box template and marked it out:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1425758_388234464643955_1505199863_n.jpg

...then chopped, dressed and buffed for welding. Didn't get any pics of it bolted in place for tack welding, but basically i bolted up all my holes on the gearbox side, threw the long bolt through the damper, lined up this plate and torqued it up. Couple of tack welds and pulled the whole thing off again. Once off the car, nice fat seam welds followed...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/62477_388241194643282_1031453016_n.jpg

http://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1472040_388244527976282_1844389182_n.jpg

Looks beefy enough, but i need to geek out a bit when it comes to fabrication. First up, smooth those edges...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1474579_388248994642502_1530245035_n.jpg

As they will both look nasty, plus the overhangs and weld fill will foul on the box where it mounts. Chopped them then put a fill weld in where i could see a hairline join...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1002619_388258477974887_1466394241_n.jpg

these will need to be ground down again too, but I'll use the flapper wheel for accuracy.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1461659_388263644641037_339516905_n.jpg

Looking decent now. I think there will be more on this in the form of webbing, but I'm still trying to visualise how to do that whilst still having a mount that can be bolted in place!!

Promise to get a picture of it in place tonight...

[Tommytank]

MOAR WELDIIIIING!

As mentioned,i had to grind down the welds on the mounting face to let it fit flush...

http://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1422562_388754264591975_1112046360_n.jpg

Right, last mounting tab... templated out from the finest Stella cardboard and marked up...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1472887_388754534591948_258899365_n.jpg

...and chopped, trimmed, drilled and positioned. Lines up quite well. I always spot weld up these brackets in place, which saves the dangers of warping pulling the hole alignments out...

http://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/580321_388754761258592_1682039685_n.jpg

...which as you can see is a fair few holes...

http://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/523992_388754881258580_679863254_n.jpg

Now, that tab looked a bit flimsy, so again it was time to geek out and throw some webbing on. I love welding... lol

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579189_388755027925232_1506323739_n.jpg

It wasn't until i had welded this spar on that it struck me that this now looked like angle box section... which i could probably have used instead. Doh! Ah well, box section doesn't have big sexy welds in it.

I forgot to take a picture of the re-enforcing spar i put in the centre of of the 2 arms ... it's just about visible in this pic and shows the added strength between the 2 side-of-diff bolt mounts.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1473007_388755407925194_1986731527_n.jpg

One last bolt up to make sure everything still connects... it does!

http://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1452389_388755727925162_1668924219_n.jpg

And with the stock AW11 mount on. This will be my next focus... The stock AW11 mount is far too flimsy to take the torque, but I like the idea of re-enforcing this stock mount so that it will over the idea of just chopping and welding on the SW20 turbo mount.

http://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1450951_388755964591805_1265513359_n.jpg

Front torque mount next, then we can drop it all back out again and clean things up!

[Tommytank]

Torque mount done!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1450172_392711250862943_823664890_n.jpg

Which was last weekends fun and games.

http://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1505192_396255647175170_421992143_n.jpg

Hello 3S! Another couple of hours spent in last night... Got the engine back out to let me complete the engine bay prep..

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1473002_396255973841804_502050957_n.jpg

...leaving me with this familiar sight. Chrimbo hols coming up in a week (good lengthy time off) so i can crack into the mundane painty nonsense!

[Torero]

I spend half the time looking at what you've built Tommy and the other half dribbling over your garage.

[adamh]

good migging man.

[Phaeton]

If you get bored you could always make me some :)

Alan...

[Tommytank]

Making some what?

Not a lot of time spent on the car last night as i had a neighbour over for a quote on changing the TB on his Passat. Luckily its a B5.5 model with the longitude engine and removable front. Lots to remove but the belt itself is a skoosh.

What i did get done was more pizza box action! Templated out the gussets (snigger) for the side mounts:

http://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1477735_396806917120043_1687617197_n.jpg

Will get these welded in, then strengthen up the outer arch skins on both sides. Blew a few too many holes in them during the first round of welding...

[Phaeton]

Torque mounts or even better you send me the ones already made & make yourself some nice new one :D

Alan...

[Tommytank]

Send me your 3S mounts, old AW mounts and I'll post you the welded ones back with the jig. ;)

Your jig put my lump in, so the measurements will be bang on for the torquemounts.

[Tommytank]

More tinkering. Got the 2 strength tabs welded in. Drivers side:

http://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1488176_397457453721656_1337605070_n.jpg

...and passenger side...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1509931_397457497054985_1398521688_n.jpg

Still blowing holes in the wheel arches. The chassis legs have been fine, clearly due to the thicker metal. I might need to look down a stronger solution to this. The other side is the same, holes blown all over the shop.

Watch this space.

[Tommytank]

Oh, not had an update here for a while. I had to shuffle the garage a bit over the Xmas period, so the '2 has a new spot up the back...

http://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1477955_400631253404276_313982342_n.jpg

This is not a relegation, more of a re-alignment of task. As I'm in the deepest throws of fabrication with this one it wont be in or out the garage for a few months. Putting it side-on up the back gives me plenty of room to work around it without it blocking a door.

I didn't do much with the shell over the holidays, but that 3S-GTE was looking in a messy state. Needs some love...

http://www.woodsport.org/forum/images/recovered/2005/04/52.jpg

I don't want to do a full strip down and rebuild, as i am assured this is a good, running lump. As such, the most it will get is a new timing belt, water pump, and a bloody good clean. First things first, i picked the "hot side"...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1504098_403032009830867_1534565926_n.jpg

...and started the strip down. Manifold bolts first, which led me to the first groan...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1520686_403032139830854_2027680030_n.jpg

...can you see it?

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/960114_403032409830827_2048522430_n.jpg

Yup. Sheared manifold stud. Wasn't me by the way, i only just noticed it once the heat-shield was removed. Looks like i will have fun here...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1472968_403032909830777_986589286_n.jpg

Everything removed, and look at the filth! My tin of degreaser is starting to bubble.... Before that i had to check the fitment of the first bit of "tuning" kit...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/554673_403033183164083_1834138457_n.jpg

Glad i did. the studs don't line up with the holes on the flange.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/994430_403033549830713_500715687_n.jpg

Good thing i asked Santa for a Dremel for Xmas. And yes, i will "port-match" to see if it is the studs that are the only things out of alignment. No point in fitting this if it leaves big lips between the head and the flange...

Next up, time to get the engine up and some form of "filth containment device" under it...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1545723_403746346426100_1238178527_n.jpg

Apply degreaser liberally. Await results. During that time i decided to clean up and VHT paint some of those turbo mounts. Oh, and the torque mount!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1538684_403746603092741_1624562302_n.jpg

Let the degreaser work its magic, then i hit the block with some VHT:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1551663_407462322721169_1817677752_n.jpg

Debating whether to do the head or not. I quite like the contrast of ally to black...

[cdwood2010]

Nice update! We like pics!

:)

[Tommytank]

So here's my list of bits still needed. Decided to sit and have a think about everything i still need to finish this build and get the car back on the road. This will likely expand and is probably for my benefit rather than anyone elses!

-Some form of studs and nuts to mount the turbo to that new manifold
-Timing belt kit
-Water pump
-Celica Alternator bracket and bolts.
-Celica alternator belt.
-Starter motor bolts.
-Speedo drive (mechanical)
-EGR blanking plate
-Engine mount / Gearbox mount bolts.
-Torque mount bolts *
-Distrubuter lock nut
-3S Driveshafts plus hex bolts
-CV joints
-Rear brake discs (22V compatible!)
-Fuel filter
-chargecooler hosing
-chargecooler pump
-chargecooler core
-ST185 caliper rebuild kit
-Handbrake cables

(*or basically a big box of engine and gearbox bolts. Got so many missing its mind boggling, and i had to hodge podge the rear torque mount together with chassis bolts from the MK1.....)

I think that might be it for the moment. Things like the belts and filters I'll source new, but if anyone can help with bolts or hopefully) the drive-shafts that would be ace....

[headcase]

i have a set of driveshafts once i finished modify the spare set :)
nuts and bolts can prob help with you as well .

[Tommytank]

What do you mean by "modifying", just out of curiosity?

Yea, if i could get those, plus the 6 cap bolts to locate each side to the gearbox shafts, that would be ace.

PM me with the financials!

[Jiff Lemon]

what about the hose from hell? shouldn't that be on your list?

[Tommytank]

The what now?

[Lee H]

I have the Celica alternator bracket for a rev 1 or 2 head.

Unsure what you mean by egr blanking plate as didn't think even the later 3sgte had egr and that looks like a rev 2 engine to me.

I also have some extended 22v calipers with big disks. 280mm off a Corrado I think.

[Tommytank]

Lee, I'll have that bracket off you. Got the bolts too? PM me a price.

I have the calipers, it's the discs that I still need. ;)

[Jiff Lemon]

Hose from Hell (http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?7397-changing-the-oil-cooler-hose-behind-turbo-%28the-hose-from-hell%29)

[Tommytank]

Ah, the hose wrapped in heat-wrap? I didn't know they were a problem. Certainly hasn't been leaking but I can swap it over to be safe.

Best just get a new one or is there an upgrade? Oh, and the pics on your sticky are dead Jiff!

[Jiff Lemon]

*cough* cue someone to take nicer ones..... :eusa_whistle:

[Tommytank]

....anyone......?

:)

[Tommytank]

Yea, so are these hoses a weak point? I've honestly never seen them give me a problem.

Or is it a precaution?

[Paul Woods]

Tommy it's more a case of if it ever did leak then it's just about the worst job you could ever imagine on an Mr2 to replace it, so a good precaution to replace it while you can.

[cdwood2010]

Pretty sure they mean this one (Woodsport pic).

Basically a bastard water pipe that if it goes, you cant get to without a LOT of stripping. Of the car, not the wife.

c.
2663

[cdwood2010]

Oh and heres a WS thread.....

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?21031-Ants-Mk2-2gr-swap

[Paul Woods]

No that's a different one Chris.

[cdwood2010]

Can we agree on 'its a nice hose' then?

:)

Do you mean the engine one?

c.

[Paul Woods]

Yes it's the engine one near the oil filter.