The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

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Magic Beans
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Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2011 1:01 pm

Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Big day yesterday: Mule VII is no more :-|

Pete had already put in a huge amount of work, getting the engine out and everything reassembled so the car could be moved out of the way. We started the day like this.

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..and ended the day like this.

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As bad as I feel about having to break a car, the further we got into it the more obvious it was that it was the inevitable outcome. We found loads of other rotten areas. If it wasn't done now it would have been some big bills later, or it would have been broken further down the line. It had simply gone too long without being protected properly and chemistry had done its thing :(

The positive to be taken out of it all is that the best of Mule VII gets to live on in other cars. Including this little lot that's destined for Mule VIII! After a bit of a spit polish to get everything restored.

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Pete made me drink again, so I made him drink. Now we all know that drink is always the source of all good ideas, including Stancing an MR2... So this happened.. :lol:

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Time to go and strip, clean, prep, paint some parts :cheers:
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Oh, we also found this in the back.

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It's a Sard Analyse ECU. Can't find an awful lot about it online. I assume it's similar to the Mines, Blitz etc derivatives out there? Anyone know anything about them?
Madabout
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Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:08 pm

Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Madabout »

Well done on the stripping back. A sad thing to do but it helps move forwards your latest project and always a PITA job to do so good you got it out of the way.

Look forward to seeing the developments on the latest car.
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Agreed.

It went today, dragged on to the back of a truck and hauled away.
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Spent the last 24 hours prepping things before they go onto Mule VIII. Things have been sat in Mule VII for quite some time, so have got a bit grotty and in need of TLC.

I did the work in a really fragmented manner, basically going from parts to part as/when I got bored of that particular job. Which happened a lot, as 4 hours polishing an exhaust gets tedious! I'll group everything together to make it a little less chaotic to read 8-[

First up was the HKS SMIC. The pipes were scratched to hell, the core was grotty and quite heavily oil soaked, the shroud and fan were looking pretty tired.

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Broken down into its core elements.

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The fixings were all soaked in penetrating oil over. The shroud was sanded back and prepped for painting.

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As were the pipes.

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Into the "paint booth".

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Shroud freshly painted.

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Painting finished.

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Core now cleaned up and fully flushed, the shroud/fan assembled.

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Hopefully fitting it all tomorrow, depending on the weather... :pray:

Right, exhaust time. In my excitement to crack on with this I forgot to get a proper pre shot #-o Instead here's a side by side of one cleaned muffler and one as it was. A LOT of Autosol was used over the last day or so!

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The mid pipe was fully treated with Kurust. It wasn't really rusty as such, more prevention rather than cure.

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Cut to a few hours later, a lot of calories burnt and enough polishing to drive any man insane, we have progress!

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The tips were polished, along with the mufflers. The other pipes were treated with Kurust, as were the hangers. The rubbers were treated at the same time.

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Pretty pleased with how it turned out, considering the state it was in. It's not perfect but it really shouldn't be, it's an exhaust.

I've been reading up on the Sard ECU. Seems it is pretty much the same thing as the other ones out there (Blitz, Mines etc). So it's a stock Rev 3 ECU fitted with Techtom daughterboards, to allow the factory code to be modded. Techtom are a Japanese company who manufacture the boards. Sard buy them, fit them to an ECU, tune them and then stick a Sard sticker on. It does the following:

Removes 180 KPH speed limit
Removes factory fuel cut
Removes factory boost level
Increases rev limit to 8000 RPM minimum
Revised fuel & ignition timing maps so
More friendly with aftermarket parts, such as different turbos etc.

I decided to fit it..

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Took it out for a drive... Very little difference really, as you'd expect. The key thing is the car felt happy, drove perfectly, if not a bit sharper on the throttle :)

Last job for the day was preparing the underbody brace for installation. Turns out I was wrong about the make, it's not an Ultra Racing piece it's a Tanabe.

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The paint was flaking off in chunks, so I assumed a blast with the pressure washer would see it ready to go. I was wrong #-o I've had at it with the paint stripper, a few counts actually. It's coming off slowly, but I've left it overnight. Hopefully it will be more compliant in the morning..

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All in all a satisfying day's work. Same again tomorrow! :D
craig
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by craig »

Good stuff mate, all coming along nicely! I really need to get off my ar$e and sort some stuff on mine. :mrgreen:
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Today was one of those days where you spend an awful lot of time but ultimately achieve very little #-o My plan was the strip out the IC and then fit the HKS, leaving me time to paint and fit the Tanabe brace. The reality, however, was less spectacular...

I'd left the brace covered in paint remover overnight. I was hoping I'd waltz out to garage this morning and find the brace sat there, surrounded by the remainder of the paint. In reality I went out and found it sat there, paint all in place and barely softened :| :| So the first job was to bring it back out, apply another coat and to leave it for a few hours. Given the rest of the jobs took so long I never got the strip it, so that's a job for another day. Really need to find a local media blaster!

Now to the IC removal. This is one of those dog egg jobs that I really hate, a lot! Given that I'd done so much prep on the HKS there was no way I wasn't going to fit it. Even if it would give very little benefit with me current set-up.

Off we go..

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Out. So much easier than removing the stock IC! The pipes were completely clean and dry, which was a relief to see. Given the state of things on the other car...

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For the next few hours I struggled to wrestle the HKS into place, followed by the shroud and fan. I moved it, moved it some more, moved it again, but couldn't get it to sit where I felt it needed to be. I persisted, said a few bad words and then decided to make the call... Stick the other one back in and if the time comes where I need more power, I'd fit a BMIC or CC anyway. The HKS will go up for sale, I'm out =;

Seeing as the other one was already out I guess I might as well give it an overall..

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All the bits that want painting form an orderly queue.

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Paint booth time again.

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Done

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Cut to more hours later, more swearing, dropping bits repeatedly, wrestling with bolts, washers and an assortment of fixings, it's back together!

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So for the 10 hours of work done, the net result is a few painted pipes, a selection of new fixings/clamps and hoses. Oh, the stock recirculating valve is back in though! :cheers: Although I don't have the pipe I need to recirc it #-o

Not my best day. Let's hope the exhaust is a bit more compliant 8-[
Ben
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Ben »

Well it wouldn't be a mule... :lol:

I don't know if it helps, but my brother recently stripped all of the paint off a mountain bike frame. I think he had best results using paint remover and a razor-blade to lift/scrape the paint off. And gloves, obviously :eye:
2001 BMW M5 (Bahnstormer) | 2004 RX8 231 (the Racecat) | 2001 Volvo V70 (Swedish eBay barge)

Previous:
1989 MR2 Mk1b T-bar | 1988 MR2 SC Super Edition
androo007
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by androo007 »

you need a good degreaser, wire brush and more autosol on that engine bay!

Throttle body, inlet manifold etc - easy to clean and makes a hude difference!
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Ben wrote:Well it wouldn't be a mule... :lol:

I don't know if it helps, but my brother recently stripped all of the paint off a mountain bike frame. I think he had best results using paint remover and a razor-blade to lift/scrape the paint off. And gloves, obviously :eye:


I think it's the curse of Mule VII. Every single thing we did with that car was a fight. Poor Pete faught the brakes etc for hours! :neutral:

That's the approach I've taken. Switched up to some different paint remover, I'll apply that tonight..

androo007 wrote:you need a good degreaser, wire brush and more autosol on that engine bay!

Throttle body, inlet manifold etc - easy to clean and makes a hude difference!


I'll make my way through it all bit by bit. I'll do the cam cover, mani etc in one go. Although I might buy spares of each, prep them and then just swap them across.

Need to swap out all the hoses and pipes too, not a fan of the blue.
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

Back at work today so didn't have much tinkering time tonight :( However, what I did want to do is some prep, ahead of the exhaust swap this weekend (hopefully).

The original exhaust hangers were pretty grim, which is why I prepped the ones on the Rogue exhaust. In fact the right side one was so bad it came apart while I was fighting one of the bolts. This left me with what we see below.

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This remaining bolt basically just spins around, which was pretty annoying. Thankfully lifting the boot carpet revealed where the welded nuts live! :D

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With the help of my lovely assistant we got the thing out!

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While I was in there I checked the areas above the arches, where death rot likes to accumulate. It was good to find them nicely packed out with grease and zero signs of rot. A bit of prior preparation there :thumleft:

I then took a wire brush to the underside, where the hanger sat. Cleaned it all off and then had at it with the Kurust.

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The bolts on the other side were all prepped with penetrating oil and then loosened off. All came out without issue, so I nipped them back up ready for the weekend. The exhaust bolts were all sprayed too, so hopefully it shouldn't be too big of a fight this weekend :pray:

Meanwhile, in brace paint removal world.. No real change :neutral: New death gel applied, a fresh tub, so we'll see how that turns out..

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stuMR2lee
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by stuMR2lee »

Good work so far :). You probably noticed my unorthodox solution to the shifting rear Whiteline ARB issue!
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

I hadn't until you said that. Looked at the photos and spotted what you mean, then found your MR2OC about it all.

Fully cured then? What would cause lateral movement in the rear ARBs?
stuMR2lee
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by stuMR2lee »

Seemed to be no longer moving after my 'fix'. A few people with the same ARB said they shift from side to side. No idea why they move but stock ones don't. Patrick Chambers came up with another idea to weld washers on to solve the same issue which is an option.
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

I'll keep an eye on it then. I

I'd like to get it up on a ramp soon, to check out the underside and plan some improvements. I have a few things in mind.. O:)
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

I have done a thing! Can you tell I'm pleased about it? :lol: We'll get on to that shortly. Before we do, there's an intake to talk about..

Part of what I did the other day included fitting a stock BPV. My plan was always to run the recirc on the car, as let's just say I'm not fond of BOVs.. I'd been trying to work out the best way to plumb the hose in, given the pipe on the intake is in an odd position :neutral: I did look at using the kit from the Rev 2 and making a kind of hybrid. Problem was that the couplings etc etc are different sizes and I'd have been left with another spare blocked attachment. Instead I've opted to rotate it 90 degrees, but while I was at it I thought I'd pull it all out and tidy it up.

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While it was all pulled I thought I'd check the turbo, see if there's any play in the shift or residue. I'm pleased to say it's absolutely perfect. Almost no movement in the shaft and it's all nice and clean in there. Impressive really and a big relief! :cheers:

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Time to prep the intake bits, before they go into the booth.

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Cut to a few hours later (next day in fact), everything was painted and dry. Just need to polish up the head shield and it can go back in.

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Job done. Another small step closer to a nice clean bay :) Just need to pick up some hose to plumb the BPV in.

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Now, on to the good stuff! Exhaust swap time 8-[ After the prep I'd done over the last few days I was fairly confident it shouldn't be too difficult to remove the Apexi. Thankfully it wasn't! A few struggles but on the whole it came out pretty easily :D

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Cleaned and prepped the other hanger area, along with a few other bits while I was at it.

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Before we go any further I'd like to introduce you to Patrick. Patrick is my loyal assistant when it comes to ground lying, something it (he?) takes very seriously. I have absolutely no idea where it came from, but I can only assume a guy called Patrick is down a Yoga mat somewhere?! Anyway, this is Patrick, you'll no doubt hear about it again :lol:

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Right, back to the exhaust 8-[ This first big lump is off.

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Now to the mid pipe. I have to say, the Berk down pipe is a nicely made bit of kit :thumleft:

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Off! Also pretty simple to remove :D

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After a quick test fit of everything it was time to get the new guy on. Mid pipe first.

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Now to the main event! Doing it using just axel stands and with no assistance meant I had to get creative with solutions for holding it in place while I nipped it up. Enter garden furniture :lol:

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A while later, a selection of bad words (one treacherous nut went AWOL at the worst moment :evil: ) we have this!

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I'm aware the wide angle shot doesn't really do it justice but sufficed to say I'm really pleased with how it looks. Suits the car perfectly IMO and the "Revision 6" badge is perfect. Very much in-line with my whole design philosophy for the whole car. That OEM+ phrase that gets banded around, but that is pretty much my theme.

It sounds awesome, especially when the idle drops. It's definitely not quiet but I personally think it's the best sounding twin I've heard to date, on an MR2 at least. Beyond that though, I finally have the white MR2 Turbo T bar with a twin exhaust that I wanted, way back when I was first looking at MR2s! I know it's silly but I'm immensely satisfied now it's on :D I can't say I'd ever want to do it again but I probably won't ever have to.

I'll grab some better shots soon and maybe a video using a decent mic. Other than that I'm done for the day. Now fire cooked meat and booze time! 8)

Toodle pip.
pistol pete
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by pistol pete »

Good work buddy.. still awaiting to see it in the flesh
ayresyboy
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by ayresyboy »

Just caught up with this thread. Excellent purchase. Seen this car at Patrick's and on some OC runs. It's a cracker. You should buy some replica greddy side skirts from Patrick. They look awesome with the Aeroware front lip.
Magic Beans
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by Magic Beans »

pistol pete wrote:Good work buddy.. still awaiting to see it in the flesh


Must be your turn to come up here this time :-k :mrgreen:

ayresyboy wrote:Just caught up with this thread. Excellent purchase. Seen this car at Patrick's and on some OC runs. It's a cracker. You should buy some replica greddy side skirts from Patrick. They look awesome with the Aeroware front lip.


Thanks, Andy :) Really pleased with it, lovely little car.

You're not the first one to suggest the Gracer skirts. If I were to do anything body styling wise to the car that would be it. Although, I'm still torn on the idea, I really love the look currently. Plenty of other things to get through before that though 8-[
craig
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Re: The journey of one man and his Mule(s)

Post by craig »

Great work Phil! Exhaust fills the back end out nicely. Much prefer a twin exit on an MR2. Car's coming along nicely.

Ah, someone else who's suggest Greddy skirts.....

....you know what to do! :mrgreen:
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