Well, those who might see this, unless I’m sat digitally talking to myself, after spending hours writing all of this 
First up: Hats off to the IMOC team for keeping the forum going! This whole Mule thread was always intended to be me documenting my journey so I have something to look back on in the future.
That wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts you guys put in 
Right, I have to apologise for dangling a carrot and then vanishing for months.
It wasn’t intended, it’s the product of a load of other distractions and some unforeseen obstacles with the car that have derailed things 
OK, enough preamble! What’s the thing then?!Well, no surprises really, it’s another MR2.
Moreover, another Mk2 Rev 3 Turbo Import. No massive surprise really, given my history and deep engrained love for them as both cars and aesthetic items. Why have you bought yet another?!I sold Mule VIII, the one previously owned by both StuLee and muckyman
(twice), for two reasons. Well, technically one but that highlighted the second. That reason being garage space, or lack of. At the time I only had a single garage, which meant keeping an MR2 in there left little to no room for anything else. Getting the bikes out, accessing storage, using the workshop space, it was all massively compromised by having a car in there. Especially one that I wasn’t using as much as I’d intended. The decision at the time was the right one and I have no regrets. It was a damn handsome car though and the fact it was nearly the car I’d bought as a shell for Mule II made it all the more special. Cut to 2020 and a world that had turned into a massive potato.
We all know last year was a bust so I’ll not dwell on it. However, some good did come out of it; us finally deciding to move house being one of those things. A key benefit that brings, aside from the obvious abundance of living space and the usual frills, is I now have the garage space I’ve been wanting! I’d not actively been looking for another MR2, far from it really.
I did do eBay searches from time to time to see what the market’s like in terms of quality and quantity. I’d also swing by IMOC every now and then, do some remote lurking and see what’s happening with everyone’s projects. On one particular occasion I found myself in the MR2’s For Sale section, purely out of curiosity. I spotted JD’s ad and all the lights came on in my head! A couple of days and several exchanged messages later everything was agreed and the date was set for collection. The only remaining obstacle was convincing Adrienne that sacrificing her Bank Holiday Monday and spending pretty much the whole day in the car, enduring hellish traffic driving TO THE END (SIDE) OF THE COUNTRY, or so it felt , was a good idea. Given I’m here and writing this I think the outcome was obvious and I was again reminded why she’s an absolute gem! 
Yes yes, that’s a lovely backstory, I’m just here for the photos! OK, I have waffled on for long enough.
I’ll continue to waffle (you should all be used to this by now ) but here’s a few photos.Collection
Home
Its former stablemate.
Excuse the state of the garage, it was a work in progress at the time
And I thought Minis were low!
What’s wrong with it?On the whole it’s a great car and with some time and TLC it will become a very sorted example.
However, it’s a 27-year-old car and naturally it has a few areas that could use a refresh. 1.
The clutch was slipping, badly: After some later (yesterday) diags this looks likely to be a stuck slave cylinder. That’s being replaced and the clutch has been replaced, which we’ll get on to shortly.2.
The paintwork and bodywork needs some TLC. It’s a 10-footer. Looks good on the photos but when you get close you see the real picture. There’s also some bubbling on the arches and the OS inner arch is rusted through in the usual place3.
A minor oil leak from the cam coverBeyond that there’s a few small things to tackle like cabin rattles and mystery pipes in the engine bay.
Overall, it’s a solid car and has bags of potential.What have I done so far?In all honesty, not a lot.
Well, not as much as I’d hoped, which was partly due to the stumbled start from the clutch/slave issues. I have put a bung in the Apexi exhaust, because my god I came to hate the drove on 4-hour drive home.
My ears were ringing for a couple of hours after I got back! Yeah, I’m getting old! 
One thing that has been done is the clutch, with the support of Pete
(Pistol). Who’s help is hugely appreciated! Survey the area
Find some grim
Help has arrived!
Magic tricks were performed
Things came off/out
A good portion of a day and a bit of a fight later, the gearbox was out! It wasn’t easy but it also wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
The old clutch.
It wasn’t ruined but it would have needed doing at some point
New clutch installed
There was a casualty… The hardlines for the clutch slave were pretty badly corroded and one of the ends snapped off.
I’ve since managed to source new lines but it was a massive faff! 
Cut to some time later and everything was back together!
And that’s how it’s remained for the last couple of months or so.
While I sourced the replacement hard line, ordered the service items we’d identified and waited for another suitable date for Pete and I to wave tools at the car again. What am I doing to it?As you’d expect, I’m forming a bit of a list
The immediate plan being as follows:• Replace the clutch slave – New part is here and waiting to be fitted• Replace the gearbox axle oil seals – One got damaged during the install. The other is being done as preventative maintenance• Replace the cam cover gaskets – Full set here and waiting to be fitted when we do the clutch slave etc• Identify and resolve the cabin rattle – Suspect it’s the plastic trim on the passenger side. It drove me crazy on the long long drive home, when I could hear it over the drone of the exhaust... • Identify and resolve fuel breather and other random open lines/pipes• Fit a recirculation pipe to the HKS BOV. It has the nozzle and we all know I’m not a vent-to-air kind of guy. And yes, I’m well aware it does almost nothing to mute the noise The entire clutch slave assembly I had to buy just to get the lines!
The new gaskets, clutch slave and seals, ready to be installed in a couple of weeks
Longer term I’ll be doing the following:
• Replace Apexi with a twin, ideally a Berk. Exhausts are hard to find these days though, so I’ll likely buy one new• Replace NS rear inner arch• Bodywork overhaul, some any rust or damage and a have a full respray• Remove, treat, prep and paint various parts over time, as/when they come off the car. I’ve actually made a start on this, which I’ll show on my next updateAlso pondering which of the following I do:
1.
Swap the GT28 out for a stock CT20B – It has the stock ECU so a CT20B would be a better fit for a stock carOr…
2.
Finish JD’s origin plans for the engine - Fit some 800cc injectors, new ECU, dyno mapping session and around 350bhpNeed the car on the road again and to do some good miles before I make that decision.
I’m not chasing big numbers on the car; I like them best at the 300-350bhp mark.Right, that’s all for now.
Well, assuming a) anybody is reading this, and b) you’ve made it this far More soon when things happen.
Before that I'll need to drain the gearbox again, with the current seal leak being about 100ml per day.
).
I knew there was bubbling on a couple of wings, some bits around the T bar and that the driver's side rear arch/trunk area was toast.
