TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

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C35Rob
Posts: 2108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Gateshead

TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by C35Rob »

Hi,

I'm new here so thought I may as well post up a little intro and a few snaps of my car..

I bought my MR2 in December last year as a fresh import after getting disheartened with my MX5 turbo project which I ended up breaking to fund the purchase of the MR2.

Initially I wanted a black one and it had to be a rev3+ coupe, but having searched the auctions myself for a little while nothing really turned up that took my fancy, I definitely didn't want something that had already been owned/driven in the UK so when I saw this car as a fresh import already in the country , with low miles (57000) at DCY europe I went to have a look..

here it is as I first saw it on the website:

auction shot from japan

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few snaps from the dealer

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so although it wasn't the colour I wanted It was worth a look, I traveled down to DCY with my GF for a look at it, it was pretty standard with a few little extras such as the work wheels, KYB gymkhana's, braided hoses, HKS hi power exhaust, ARC induction box, apexi BOV etc however the most important thing is that as with most imports it is structurally MINT, not a spec of rust anywhere and no obvious accident damage.. it's had a respray at some point to a good standard, which isn't really uncommon on a car of this age.

here's a few pics of when i went to view it:

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the initial test drive was good, the engine was strong and the only issues that were noteworthy were a stiff gear change, creaky clutch and it didn't get up to temp on the move - obviously going to be either a missing, stuck or stupid low temp stat.

apart from that, and the tacky interior I was mega happy with the car so left a deposit there and then and returned two weeks later to take it home.

bearing in mind this was a car to replace a project, to be "not messed with" and just to be driven the modifying/improving started pretty much straight away.. in fact I had parts ordered and waiting at home before I had the keys in my hand.

I suspected it was in need of a thorough service, and while DCY did an oil and filter I replaced the rest of the fluids and filters myself.. this is the state of the old ARC filter.. literally fell apart in my hands, lovely!

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which was replaced with a HKS triple layer panel

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and I bought a HKS oil filter at the same time, I usually service my cars every 3 months (both my daily and my "toys") so was worth having "in stock"

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pretty much at the same time I ordered a genuine replacement TRD gear knob to replace the shiny beast that was in the car, and a leather gear gaiter to replace the one that looked like it was fitted in the dark ages

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I also replaced the super shiny MOMO with a beautiful 330mm Nardi deep corn, easily my favorite upgrade I've made to the car, so nice to hold...

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I also fitted a leather handbrake cover which left the interior looking something like this, a HUGE change from when I bought it and such a nicer place to be

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so my first actual job was to try and sort the generally poor gearchange, maybe coming from a MX5, which have a beautiful gearbox, to a remote cable shift has spoilt me?

anyway I bought some shift bearings to replace the bushes, a B&M copy quick shift, a new toyota nylon gear cup, and some decent gear oil and got to work

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the oil that came out looked clean and clear

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which is a good thing, obviously.

after that little lot was fitted the gearchange was transformed, still not a patch on the old MX5 but significantly better, I also fitted a tegiwa 3.75" gearstick extension, simply because I like having the knob closer to the wheel and it gives a much more positive feel when banging up and down the box.

in the quest for more power I bought this


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which lay in my cupboard under the stairs till i gathered the rest of the parts for what I'd class as a "stage 1" package - which were

berk ceramic coated DP
AEM uego wideband
SMIC kit
greddy Multi D/A meter with oil temp & press, water temp and boost pressure sensors

all of the above was fitted over a couple of days at home when I was on leave

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I also changed the thermostat, the old one was split and the valve was rattling abut doing nothing at all.. at the same time I flushed and replaced the coolant with millers alpine antifreeze and deionised water

immediately I wasn't happy with ebay i/c kit, the core is fine but the pipes and joiners are crap, I never even contemplated using the mickey mouse T bolt hose clips, replacing them with real jubilee's instead..

I bought one of GTS-Chris' BERK one piece top pipes which is a much nicer with than the beijing spec one

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and fitted

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the only thing now is that the cheapo silicone reducer for the trottle body is too big, I have a high quality reducer on my kitchen bench waiting to be fitted tomorrow.

I then went for a drive along the A69 and over the hartside pass to take some pictures and to set the boost controller up.. it's now holding 1.2 bar on high and 1 bar on low and feels much more urgent than it did before

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that's about it for now, I'm sure there's plenty I've missed, and lots I haven't taken pictures of (I had planned on not getting involved in a "build thread" for this car.. having spent muchos time before blindly updating threads for other cars)

My plans for the future:

fit the bomex front bumper and PP spats i have in the garage
fit the bomex drift wing when it turns up from carben fibre creations
replace the tyres with 595 rsr's
refurb the wheels
replace the KYB's with some HSD mono's
full set of poly bushes
fit the GRP side mount bucket that's sat in my spare bedroom
powder coat the intercooler pipes, crossover pipe and rocker cover
maybe invest in a power FC

anyway, all comments and feedback are welcome, thanks for looking

Rob
Last edited by C35Rob on Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:44 pm, edited 35 times in total.
slipping clutch
Posts: 1844
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:22 pm

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by slipping clutch »

Enjoyed reading that - like the car and just love that Greddy D.A. gauge
Race Idiot
Posts: 2589
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by Race Idiot »

Yeah that gauge is realy cool, what size is it?

I always wanted to buy a fresh import, but then when I ended up buying a tubby I bought one from someone here instead!

I'd be wary of those hks filters, when I used to run them my oil pressure was always just slightly lower than with a toyota or mahle filter. They are smaller than both toyota and mahle ones in size. Although I only use the mahle ones since every toyota filter i've bought seems to be made in china now.
C35Rob
Posts: 2108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Gateshead

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by C35Rob »

thanks for the positive comments!

The GReddy multi D/A is a 62mm gauge, has a little remote to change the backlight colour, scroll through the parameters, change the warning levels etc

the only sensors I didn't bother with are EGT and fuel pressure, not really required at this power but can be plugged in at a later date.

cheers for the heads up on the filter, the oil pressure is fine at the min but I'll keep an eye on it, this is strictly a dry weather toy (I've done around 600 miles in it in 3 months) so will cover very few miles between changes, I may try a K&N or blitz oil filter next time.
slipping clutch
Posts: 1844
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:22 pm

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by slipping clutch »

The profec is pretty sweet as well - it looks like its wafer thin. are you going to continue tuning over time or are you at a level with it at the moment your happy to stay at ?
david123
Posts: 181
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:01 am
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by david123 »

As above i really enjoyed reading thats.

Your plans loom spot on too.

If you dont mind me asking were are your from?
Race Idiot
Posts: 2589
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by Race Idiot »

Most of the jdm aftermarket filters are the smaller type, they are actualy about the size of the na filter. I think K&N is the right size, but honestly fancy filters are a bit of a waste of money.
C35Rob
Posts: 2108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Gateshead

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by C35Rob »

I'm going to continue tuning over time, but probably finished with engine work now till the brakes and suspension are done, I'm much more bothered about having a solid well developed car that can be used to it's full potential than a big numbers machine that is a pig to drive.

I know the fancy oil filters are 80% "paying for the brand" tbh I'm comfortable with that, I'm sure they will be better than a cheap pattern part so I'm happy to spend the money.

The profec is tiny! Lovely piece of kit, although I do kind of wish I'd bought an avc-r "black" for the extra features (gear specific boost mainly) so I may swap in the future.

And finally - I live in Gateshead, well more accurately the car and my house are in Gateshead but as I'm in the Royal Navy I spend the majority of my time elsewhere.
craig
Posts: 43936
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 3:44 am

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by craig »

Nice car buddy, and a great write up.

Enjoy. :thumleft:
david123
Posts: 181
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:01 am
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by david123 »

Rob85 wrote: And finally - I live in Gateshead,


i passed you last night but i was in the better halfs car.
I'm just down the road in hebburn
C35Rob
Posts: 2108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Gateshead

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by C35Rob »

david123 wrote:
Rob85 wrote: And finally - I live in Gateshead,


i passed you last night but i was in the better halfs car.
I'm just down the road in hebburn


Not guilty mate, last time the car was out of the garage was on Monday, it doesn't come out if it's raining - I've got an avensis for daily duties.

I plan on taking it out to the American car meet at the metro centre when that starts up again so maybe get chance to see it there?
david123
Posts: 181
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:01 am
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by david123 »

Rob85 wrote:
david123 wrote:
Rob85 wrote: And finally - I live in Gateshead,


i passed you last night but i was in the better halfs car.
I'm just down the road in hebburn


Not guilty mate, last time the car was out of the garage was on Monday, it doesn't come out if it's raining - I've got an avensis for daily duties.

I plan on taking it out to the American car meet at the metro centre when that starts up again so maybe get chance to see it there?


Strange, You have a twin then. Yeah thats worth a shout, Although i've never been to them, When are they?
Race Idiot
Posts: 2589
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by Race Idiot »

That profec does look awesome tho, is it dual solenoid? I'd def be going for that if I didnt already have a blitz id
C35Rob
Posts: 2108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Gateshead

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by C35Rob »

The american car meet is the second wednesday of the month from around april-october, it's not an official event but definitely not somewhere where chavs are welcome so generally gets left alone by the authorities.

The Profec is a single solenoid, both it and the D/A come with a separate control box so the actual user interface is nice and small.. with the boost controller I've mounted the control box and solenoid in the passenger cubby hole like so:

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which keeps things nicely hidden, only a couple of small bore silicone hoses passing through the bulkhead grommet.


a couple more photos here, I don't really like masses of bare ali in engine bays, some is fine but lots looks cheap and tacky.. and I dislike removing parts to re-polish them, to that end i decided to paint the intercooler backing plate and fan shroud with wrinkle black paint

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and mocked up ready to go

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I couldn't find my black insulating tape after splicing the OE fan connector onto the new fan wiring, so had to use blue, this is something I will re-visit in the future, probably with some conduit or spiral wrap.

here's the old cooler out and the new backing plate in, you can see ive painted the exhaust manifold/turbo heat shield with the same paint too

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and the view from the side vent


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while I was doing that work my GF refurbished my Apex'i twin chamber BOV, and did a nice job on it!

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I also covered the centre console and cubby box with leather covers from "topgaiters" the quality is alright, will do for the time being. I plan to have it all re trimmed professionally and the dash trimmed at the same time as I find the dash reflects the sun onto the windscreen quite badly- my avensis is pretty bad for this too, maybe a Toyota trait?


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and I covered a spare gear gaiter trim in some suede fabric too

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I think that's about it now...
slipping clutch
Posts: 1844
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:22 pm

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by slipping clutch »

All good work and good to see your post has generated so much interest.
Even better was "while I was doing that work my GF refurbished my Apex'i twin chamber BOV, and did a nice job on it! "
Now why can't I get a girlfriend like that :mrgreen:
slipping clutch
Posts: 1844
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:22 pm

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by slipping clutch »

Oh and I meant to say 5th photo down " Hammer time" now I know you got the stock intercooler out on your own! :mrgreen:
mattm117
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 11:06 pm

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by mattm117 »

Great post, enjoyed reading that and what a lovely 2!

PS. If your selling the front bumper I'd take it off your hands :-)
mattm117
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 11:06 pm

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by mattm117 »

Great post, enjoyed reading that and what a lovely 2!

PS. If your selling the front bumper I'd take it off your hands :-)
C35Rob
Posts: 2108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Gateshead

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by C35Rob »

Thanks again, I'm flattered by the positive comments!

Bumper won't be for sale I'm afraid, I've learned the hard way to keep all/any old parts in case I change my mind or ever decide to sell the car in the future.

And yeah, I bust the old interwarmer to get it out, which was a shame as I wanted to hang onto it.

Tbh, although the side mount is up to the job at the min I might change to a boot mounted charge cooler in the future, I get as much pleasure from building as I do driving (engineer by trade and general engineering saddo as a hobby too) so I like any excuse to tinker

The mrs is definitely a keeper, a real girly girl but she shows a genuine interest in what I do.
RikH77
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Location: West Yorkshire

Re: TOM'S 96 Rev 3 GTS - BREAK ME UP, BEFORE YOU GO GO

Post by RikH77 »

where you based - some of the locations looked familiar
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