Ok so that first MR2 was a great ride, no fiddling around with deciding what air filter to put on or what exhaust tips looks good, that was straight in, do something stupid, then fix it.
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This post is no different.
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We left with the pile of what I salvaged off the red one.
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In short the engine died from oil starvation.
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I will never know where and frankly I couldn't care less now
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(though I do distinctly remember driving home from work sensing that it had one last drive left.
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Sure enough the next day I began driving it in, oil light didn't turn off and it began to seize above 1500rpm.
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Oil was gold with metal, turbo shaft had as much play as a broomstick in a train tunnel).
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Not one to linger on losses I sold it for
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£60 to a friend I work with and bought a new snap on trolley jack.
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Still think thats a win because I use the jack everyday and it does remind me.
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Anyway, time for a new MR2, and this time we'll definitely go for the REV 3, some of you may recognise it in the guise I purchased it in.
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/BocZp6Y.jpg)
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/h5jYJHk.jpg)
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I won't go into all the details on this, but it was a great looking car.
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.so naturally I crashed it.
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Stormy weather, diesel spill, hydroplaned, lights dazzled me, sneezed, pick one, it happened and the tail was pretty badly smashed in.
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/afmfYxI.jpg)
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I had two options, get a mint rev 3 shell and drop my engine in, or, get a mint rev 3 shell to rip panels off.
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I know full well, and did at the time, that swapping the engine would have been the easiest, I could have done that in a weekend, but where's the challenge in that, I wanted to try bodywork.
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So I got a gorgeous rev 3 n/a delivered up from Southampton and set about taking it apart.
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/4aA1kDL.jpg)
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Now this is the only part of the tale where I will say I wouldn't recommend this, taking apart bodywork to the outer skin is not an easy thing.
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You have to drill through all the layers from the inside because you want the outer skin perfect so you can put fresh spot welds into it.
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This whole process is tiring and logistically exhausting, remember you have a wreck of a car that barely rolls etc, and all your panels and bare shell of your actual car, and all the pieces that make that car stored somewhere.
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Everything comes off.
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And then you have to get it all to the bodyshop
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(and back without a scratch).
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/36kjGgv.jpg)
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Whilst all this was going on I had the great idea to hydro dip my wheels and mirrors in sticker bomb, thought it would look great, and it did.
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.off the car!
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/85mg52v.jpg)
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/4HAn179.jpg)
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These are now sold, the wheels you will have seen at japshows over the years on a matt black 200sx.
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The mirrors went out in to the void on eBay, hope whoever has them is enjoying them or has recoloured them.
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For time scale, this is now 6 months in.
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7 months in and the car is finishing paint.
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/PUnrfg6.jpg)
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/uoUn5re.jpg)
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And then the rebuild!!
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/xwyrDv7.jpg)
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I really wasn't happy with the look of these wheels or mirrors, so I reverted back to the old powered coated wheels from no.1 and stock mirrors.
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You'll also notice I went back to stock on all bodywork except for the carbon bonnet and headlamp covers
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(wing was sold).
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So here's what she looks like now.
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/tN6Omls.jpg)
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Avia speedshop, can't recommend them enough for a proper set up.
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![Image](https://i.imgur.com/Lc5gQpt.jpg)
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Its not done, it really really needs proper wheels
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(It had great wheels
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- I just ruined them).
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I've known this since I did the bodywork, I'm just really struggling to decide on what to get.
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Aside from 245 rear and 205 front ad08r's I'm lost, RPF1's would be nice, Rota Torques maybe.
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I'll leave it with this, after all this work I had never had a proper day of driving the MR2 in anger, but this summer I got married and for our honeymoon we toured down to the south of France and back up again in the MR2.
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She covered 4500km in two weeks, pushed 130kph on French carriageways in 300/400km stretches with no let up, stuck in 35 degree traffic in Antibes and Cannes.
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.
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.not a single thing went wrong, temp gauge didn't budge
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(and it does work).
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A/C has never been regassed since owning it and it was icy cold the whole trip.
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Truly an incredibly versatile car that I won't be getting rid of anytime soon.
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