I think I'm kind of doing this the wrong way round as the car is pretty much done now.
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I suppose I can use this to update how long the engine lasts
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& how well the car does on the drag strip.
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I Bought this car as a temporary runaround in April 2011 for minimal outlay whilst my 523bhp 4dr R32 GTR was off the road.
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It had a broken stainless manifold and was very slow and very noisy.
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It also had holes in the sills and faded paintwork, but at least it came with a huge folder full of paperwork.
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Also came with a Genuine Autopista spoiler, TSW Evo alloys, turbo timer
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& electronic boost controller.
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First thing was to try and weld the manifold back together.
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This generally worked well for about 1 week at a time.
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As with all my modified cars, I fitted a set of my favourite spark plugs: The inimitable NGK BCR8ES.
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As I have had numerous high performance cars over the years, I have a large number of various goodies lying around, one of which was a Pulsar GTiR IC converted for use with a Rover 220 Turbo Coupe.
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This worked well as a top-mount IC on the MR2, response of the car was brilliant:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0030.jpg)
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Random shot of MR2 on TSW Evos with various black panels at Santa Pod:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/CC2644_zps02ee972a.jpg)
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At this point I decided to fit a stock log manifold and also ruin everything I liked about the car
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(its drivability) by fitting a huge intercooler in the boot with 3 piping.
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The intercooler is from my old 400+bhp S13, originally being a prototype designed for the Norris Designs 600+bhp S13.
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Yup, one off 700bhp-spec intercooler in the boot of a tired MR2 still fitted with a tiny CT26.
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/BMIC-crop_zpsf4de4f86.jpg)
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Profec B Spec2 from my terminally-goosed R32 fitted.
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Boost was increased to 1.4-1.5 bar on the stock turbo, still running the stock ECU, 440cc injectors, restrictive fuel rail
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& fuel pump.
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Base timing was reduced to 8° BTDC to keep knock at bay, but things started running a bit lean at anything past 1.2 bar one day.
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Time for a fuel pump upgrade! I didnt have any uprated pumps lying around, so had to dig deep and bought a 255lph jobbie from eBay.
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The thought of removing a fuel tank in order to swap a fuel pump goes against everything I know.
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Sometimes manufacturers just get things wrong.
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Cue a Fuel Pump Access Panel Modification
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(patent pending):
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/FuelPumpAccessPanel_zps1413024e.jpg)
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Job done, AFR was a solid 11.5:1 at 1.4 bar on the stock ECU, injectors
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& rail.
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At this point, there was nothing more to be done but fit an aftermarket ECU.
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Power FCs are old school
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& over-priced for the 3SGTE, so I went for a 2nd hand Link G3 that had previously been hard-wired in an MR2 turbo.
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0051_zps39fbb4f5.jpg)
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After trying to source a patch cable and getting stupid quotes, I made one myself using a gutted NA ECU for the plugs.
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The G3 is a joy to work with and I soon had the boost increased to 1.5 bar with intake temps at a nice safe level thanks to the BMIC.
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I was getting a bit worried about the ability of the stock fuel rail, so when a set of Delphi 85lb injectors
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& Wolfkatz top feed rail turned up for sale, I couldn't say no.
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Especially for
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£150 all in.
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The seller also had a set of forged Wossner pistons, a modified TVIS plate
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& ported/polished intake runners, so snapped all these up at the same time, just in case.
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In went the injectors, rail and an adjustable Sard FPR from my old S13
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(set at 3 bar base pressure).
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Head bolts tightened an extra quarter of a turn as well.
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0058_zps582693ca.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0059_zps3fe8a8d4.jpg)
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A set of light Enkei RP01s turned up for sale on SXOC, so these were bought immediately.
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They came into the country originally on one of Phil Morrison's cars.
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Extra JDM Tyte points for I methinks.
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/LHS_1024_zps2cd240d7.jpg)
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So, now time to refine the map on the road and see what we can get out of the much-maligned stock CT26.
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This was all going to plan, and the map was pretty much complete when disaster strikes!! On the way back from a small festival in Leeds in Nov 2011, the Hose From Hell decided to let go on the M1.
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It's quite surprising how much fun a tiny hole in a tiny pipe can cause:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0061_zps9ce964ee.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0060_zps963068db.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0062_zps0444cb58.jpg)
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This dude was suitably impressed:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0063_zpsb3d773ef.jpg)
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Saved quite a bit of petrol on the way back to Leicester
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The MR2 was relegated to one of my garages whilst I concentrated on selling my boring Soarer TT
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& modifying my 300zx TT and Pulsar GTiR.
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During this time, I bought various big turbos and put together a kit for a bottom or top-mounted T3 conversion.
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I got as far as trial-fitting my Borg Warner S200 when a complete GReddy T78-33D kit came up for sale.
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Everything was sold quick-time and this was bought instead.
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If you're going to go big, you may as well go BIG.
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I had a TD06-20G on my S13 and loved it, so the T78 was a no-brainer.
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A trip up to my old hometown of Whitby to meet a fellow IMOCer later and I was the proud owner of this genuine GReddy kit:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0118_zpsd150af88.jpg)
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I was a happy chappy.
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Even the rents appreciated the awesomeness of low mileage truck turbos that are slightly too big for a stock 2L:
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T78 install:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0120_zps2d234eee.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0123_zpsd4a64fb7.jpg)
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All the silicon joiners were lying around, hence the red/blue colour-coding
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The car was now ready to start tearing up the drag strip.
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It was under strict instructions to do very well else it would get stripped for parts and crushed.
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Things went slowly, and it ran a mid 13s.
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Quite embarassing, so plenty of mapping on the strip knocked a good second off the time to get it into the mid 12s.
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I was limited to 1.5 bar due to the stock G3 map sensor.
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The Nitto 555R drag radials hooked up well, and I was running 1.8-1.9 60ft times consistently with launch control.
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Video:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/th_TurbonozMR2.jpg)
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It wasn't always easy to get to the strip.
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A blow-out somewhere near the A6 meant we got to chat cars with another recovery dude:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0166_zps67164d3c.jpg)
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Turbo lag was a major issue, the boost controller was maxed out and that would only just allow me to hit 1.5bar at which point the ECU shut down.
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Double wastegate springs were fitted and a 7bar repalcement map sensor was sourced and soldered into the ECU.
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A side-exit
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'exhaust' was fabricated and fitted:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0257_zpsc317d67e.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0256_zps32752526.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0258_zpsb894d8d6.jpg)
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Didn't have time to chop it down before the final meet of the season:
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/MR2%20Turbo/IMAG0259_zps84c98904.jpg)
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Only managed 1 run at 1.4 bar before rain stopped play
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End of season 2012 and out of time!
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Fast forward to present time.
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Finally get chance to get it on the dyno and see what it can do in a nice safe environment.
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At 1.4 bar, it ran 330bhp
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& 270ish lb·ft.
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About right, given the fact that the turbo barely had time to spool before the rev limit.
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After increasing the boost in stages to 2.2 bar, final figures of 487.3bhp
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@ 364.6lb·ft were achieved on Shell Optimax
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/Mapping/DSCF6057_b_zps2482acfe.jpg)
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/Mapping/DSCF6056_b_zpse6a3f794.jpg)
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My MR2
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& a customer's 300zx with 430bhp
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& 440lbft.
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![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/bignoz/Mapping/MR2Z32_zps1c960d45.jpg)
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