1994 MR2 GT turbo T-bar

[craig]

Great looking bay there Craig!

Cheers Andy!

[Dale_V]

Im sure I can see tears on the floor from that chargecooler... I can hear it begging for a proper turbo to blow through it

[androo007]

100000000000%.

[craig]

Im sure I can see tears on the floor from that chargecooler... I can hear it begging for a proper turbo to blow through it

100000000000%.

Yeah, the chargecooler is somewhat over-engineered for the old CT20b turbo hiding beneath it!!

But, it did come off a 550bhp drag car!

It would be nice to get a 2.2 5S block in there with a GTX3076, but for a weekend toy/road car, the current power of 310bhp @ 1.2 bar is enough for me. I also do like the quick spool up of the CT20b.

I'm not ruling out a big power 5S by any means, but not in any rush to do anything at the moment. I've got bigger priorities than throwing more money at the car.

[craig]

Right then, update!

The car is now back from YVS.

The following work is now done:

1. Subframe dropped. Driveshaft support bracket bolt (which had snapped off in the block) drilled out and a new bolt fitted.

2. Offending subframe bolt packed out with 3 washers removed. Chassis captive nut has had a tap run though it and is now perfect. Subframe bolt now bolts up tight. No washers required! All four subframe bolts copper slipped and tightened back up.

3. Rear arm bracket with the 2mm slot through it has been welded up and undersealed.

Very happy with the work done. The car is now rust free and solid, has 12 months MOT and no issues.

In addition to the above, I've been messing again.

My battery has been missing the factory holding brace for as long as I can remember. I got hold of a replacement secondhand one:



It was looking a bit tired. I prepped the brace and primed, painted and lacquered it Toyota 202 black.

I used 800 grit wet and dry on the vertical support bar, then used metal polish to give it a shine. Nice and smooth!

Next I ordered some stainless M6 flange nuts and 20mm hex bolts.

As the battery isn't the right size, I used a block of wood and painted it black as a spacer for the brace to clamp against. All done and laid out:



And fitted:



The flange on the nut I ordered wasn't quite wide enough, so I reused the factory nut. Battery is now held in place securely.

And that's where we're at.

[craig]

So I recently had the car's ass in the air with the wheels off, swapping the side side vents out for stock ones and noticed a small puddle under the gearbox

This is what was causing the puddle:



Driveshaft oil seal had given up the ghost. Had a new one ordered in from Toyota and fitted. Old one looked rather withered when it came out!

Garage floor is now nice and dry

Pics of the stock side vents, having got rid of the Sard intake scoops. Much prefer the side profile, it's a lot cleaner with the border skirts:



I've ordered a full set of black self tapper screws for the skirts so they all match, as they are currently not black and don't match.

Also sent my gearknob off to Rhon on here and had it retrimmed in black leather with red stitching. Took the car out this morning and it feels great to drive with. You'll be hard pushed to beat the factory gearknob!

Obligatory pics!

before:



After:

[Madabout]

Nice work. I need to get a proper sized battery for mine as the battery clamp won't fit right now. Without the SARD scoops does look cleaner. I saw you put them up for sale and no doubt will sell quickly though as a nice looking part.

[craig]

Nice work. I need to get a proper sized battery for mine as the battery clamp won't fit right now. Without the SARD scoops does look cleaner. I saw you put them up for sale and no doubt will sell quickly though as a nice looking part.

Cheers mate

When I bought my battery the car never had a clamp, and the battery was recommended, so I bought it. On refurbing and fitting the factory clamp, rather than buy the right height battery (mine is now pretty new), I improvised and made the clamp fit the wrong height battery with a trusty spacer

[Magic Beans]

The story of what so nearly was. Well, will be in the future though, eh

[craig]

The story of what so nearly was. Well, will be in the future though, eh

Maybe mate. But more likely not. Much happier with how it looks now I've replaced the side vents with stock, the side profile is a lot cleaner!

[Dale_V]

Craig, you change your mind more often than a cow sh1ts

[craig]

Craig, you change your mind more often than a cow sh1ts

Method in madness dude

[Dale_V]

XX

[Dale_V]

Sorry... My mind went blank, I thought that was the latest craze the cool kids did..

Anyway... What's new in the black mr2 Craig? We need to meet up for a blast

[craig]

What's new in the black mr2 Craig? We need to meet up for a blast

Not much at the minute mate.

I've Just bought a pop rivet gun and some rivets for the side skirts, as the self tapper screw heads slightly catch the door. Pop rivets will touched in black, and be nice and flush, and most importantly, clear the doors.

I'm also getting my stock import rear bumper painted, as I don't like the spats and diffuser. (Misaligned, and self tappers & bond on show )

Then, a set of new rear tyres. That's about it.

[craig]

Reet, I've been working on the car again. I decided to get off my ass and fit the Blueflame exhaust that's been in my loft for months on end

First, I knew the mid pipe exhaust bracket was missing. The Japspeed, being a cheap and cheerful exhaust doesn't line up with the bracket, and fouls it if left in place.

I fired up ebay and bought a used mid pipe bracket from a '92 turbo:



looking rather worn, but then it is 25 years old!!

I broke out the wire brush and give it a good going over. Once done, I coated it in Hammerite rust treating gloss black:



As can be seen in the above pic, I ordered some replacement bolts for the bracket, as I had none. These are M8 x 1.25 - 25mm long.

Other side of bracket:



Looking much better!

Next, out to the car. Jacked up, and on axle stands, I got to work and removed the Japspeed exhaust:



To be fair to it, it still looks clean after 2 years of being on the car. No rust, just general dirt and grime. Should come up well with a polish.

Next, I cleaned up the top of the sub-frame, copper slipped the new bolts and mounted the newly acquired bracket:



I then turned my attention to the front exhaust hangers. These were looking a bit worse for wear:



I decided to attack these in situ, as I didn't want to risk snapping any bolts. After the same treatment as the mid-pipe bracket, they both now look like this:



Much better!

Right, onto fitting the Blue flame. After much swearing, GT85 lubricating spray and fairly liquid, with no result trying to get the support bar into the rubber bush, I decided to remove the mid-pipe bracket and attach it to the mid-pipe first, then attach it back on the car. Much easier!

Next was an utter git. Trying to hang a twin exit exhaust on your own

I balanced the back of the exhaust on the subframe, while balancing the front on my leg, to free an arm up to slot the exhaust hanger bolt through the bracket. Eventually, success!!

With the exhaust fully fitted, and all bolts checked for tightness, this is the result:



I think it looks great. It'll look loads better when I get my stock import bumper fitted. This is still at the paint shop. I told him no rush, as I'm not in any hurry for it.

And that's it...........for now

[androo007]

Much more subtle mate. What do you think of the sound?

I think it's a winner

[craig]

Much more subtle mate. What do you think of the sound?

I think it's a winner

Cheers buddy, much happier with the subtle looks. The fitment of this exhaust is perfect.

Started the car up after fitting and it sounds very nice.

Not taken it out yet. I'll see if I get chance to get it out for a run later.

[Ryan S]

I do like the look of that. I found fitting the exhaust much easier by slipping the mounts on while it was off the car (i was fitting brand new mounts anyway) and then fitting the mounts while the exhaust was attached. Literally a 5 minute job this way

[craig]

I do like the look of that. I found fitting the exhaust much easier by slipping the mounts on while it was off the car (i was fitting brand new mounts anyway) and then fitting the mounts while the exhaust was attached. Literally a 5 minute job this way

Either way, changing an MR2 exhaust while lying on my back on a foam mat isn't something I wanna do again anytime soon

I must admit though, I do enjoy some garage tinkering