Over the weekend Ive continued to strip the car for bits to sell and to make it easier for me to work on the car, all of the interior panels other than the dash are now out. Bumper, wings and exhaust are off as well as the spoiler. I paid only £1000 for the car, so with parts sold so far ive got initial outlay down to £650.
Over next couple of weeks ill be stripping it a bit more (not much) i will take the doors off so its easier to work on once in the garage. Ive also won a pair of S14 calipers on ebay for £50 which seems a good price so I will need to now work re-conditioning them.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Brake Options
Although this stage is a long way away from being on the car, I like to plan in advance and have the brakes ready. When the shell and chassis arrive, I want to be ready to get on with it. I dont feel the MR2 brakes currently work amazingly or look good. You'll notice most sports cars have brakes that fill the wheel, often for cosmetic reasons as well as functional.... This includes the back wheels.
So ive reviewed various options, I started before posting this blog so it has taken some time and even now still weighing them up. I dont need a fancy big brake kit costing me £1000 - £1500 (and thats if im lucky).
So the option that seems best is to use a 200SX s14 caliper with a Supra TT (uk spec) 323mm disc at the front. The calipers are fitted via an adapter, which some MR2 forum members make in the UK. And at the rear use the standard caliper with RX8 323mm rear discs. The reason for using RX8 discs at the back is they are thinner then supra's front discs. This is a common mod on MR2's
Each s14 caliper weighs 5kg compared to the standard 5.9Kg so are lighter as well. I am now on the look out for S14 calipers and will then get them shot blasted and powder coated as well as reseal them. Ill then post the process on here with pics so you can see the transformation.
So ive reviewed various options, I started before posting this blog so it has taken some time and even now still weighing them up. I dont need a fancy big brake kit costing me £1000 - £1500 (and thats if im lucky).
So the option that seems best is to use a 200SX s14 caliper with a Supra TT (uk spec) 323mm disc at the front. The calipers are fitted via an adapter, which some MR2 forum members make in the UK. And at the rear use the standard caliper with RX8 323mm rear discs. The reason for using RX8 discs at the back is they are thinner then supra's front discs. This is a common mod on MR2's
Each s14 caliper weighs 5kg compared to the standard 5.9Kg so are lighter as well. I am now on the look out for S14 calipers and will then get them shot blasted and powder coated as well as reseal them. Ill then post the process on here with pics so you can see the transformation.
The stripping begins
Ive started stripping the Mr2. Im stripping for two reasons;
1. to sell bits on. If i sell enough, Ill effectively get the car (so engine gearbox, electrics and some suspension) free. I cant moan at that. I managed to get the car for £1000 because of issues / niggles that didnt bother me, rust on sills etc...
2. I need to make the car smaller to give me more space in the garage to work.
So I'removed the front bumper, front wings and all interior other then the dash and the rear spoiler (for selling purposes). I will continue on over next few weeks. I will get some black electrical tape to cover over the holes left from the Spoiler. Heres some current pics.
1. to sell bits on. If i sell enough, Ill effectively get the car (so engine gearbox, electrics and some suspension) free. I cant moan at that. I managed to get the car for £1000 because of issues / niggles that didnt bother me, rust on sills etc...
2. I need to make the car smaller to give me more space in the garage to work.
So I'removed the front bumper, front wings and all interior other then the dash and the rear spoiler (for selling purposes). I will continue on over next few weeks. I will get some black electrical tape to cover over the holes left from the Spoiler. Heres some current pics.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Donor Car Purchased
So I've picked up a Donor Car. Its a 1992 JDM import with 67k miles on clock. You have to take mileage with a pinch of salt on an import to be honest.
Just before I bought it the owner had the radiator go on him, so had had a compression test done and was showing 13 / 14 bar across all cylinders. He had fixed the issue...So why go for this car if its just had such an issue. Simply put the engine has been compression tested so I know its ok and better then potentially other engines. I will also be changing water pump, cam belt and will now probably do head gasket whilst the engine is out of the car. All quick jobs when you dont have to dig your hands in small gaps!
Other then that it has leather interior and a few minor mods (wheels, exhaust, Field ECU). Its time to get stripping the shell panels off now so I can work on the car easier then get the interior off. I will sell all the bits to get rid of them. Ill then move on to stripping the suspension off and start the prep of the parts. If your after MR2 bits I'm based in Dorset, UK. so feel free to ask about some parts or most will end up on ebay!
Ohh did I mention its a turbo ;-)
Just before I bought it the owner had the radiator go on him, so had had a compression test done and was showing 13 / 14 bar across all cylinders. He had fixed the issue...So why go for this car if its just had such an issue. Simply put the engine has been compression tested so I know its ok and better then potentially other engines. I will also be changing water pump, cam belt and will now probably do head gasket whilst the engine is out of the car. All quick jobs when you dont have to dig your hands in small gaps!
Other then that it has leather interior and a few minor mods (wheels, exhaust, Field ECU). Its time to get stripping the shell panels off now so I can work on the car easier then get the interior off. I will sell all the bits to get rid of them. Ill then move on to stripping the suspension off and start the prep of the parts. If your after MR2 bits I'm based in Dorset, UK. so feel free to ask about some parts or most will end up on ebay!
Ohh did I mention its a turbo ;-)
Thursday, 19 July 2012
....Preparation is the key
Before I could even think about starting on the car I have had to spend the last few months preparing the Garage, which then turned into the Garden as well.
The garage was full of rubbish which needed to be cleared, some bits of equipment would need to be kept. The garden was overgrown from when we bought the house 2 years ago. So I decided to do both at the same time. It took a total of 3 months to complete, but Ive managed to make the garage empty as well as a garden for my Girlfriend and I to enjoy. If the british weather ever decides summer is here, it would be nice to have one BBQ!
I also put down anti-fatigue matting in the garage so in the winter its that bit warmer and also so I dont have to lie on a concrete floor when working as it does help not have ache's and pains.
The garden went from this;
to this;
The Garage with the matting added;
The garage was full of rubbish which needed to be cleared, some bits of equipment would need to be kept. The garden was overgrown from when we bought the house 2 years ago. So I decided to do both at the same time. It took a total of 3 months to complete, but Ive managed to make the garage empty as well as a garden for my Girlfriend and I to enjoy. If the british weather ever decides summer is here, it would be nice to have one BBQ!
I also put down anti-fatigue matting in the garage so in the winter its that bit warmer and also so I dont have to lie on a concrete floor when working as it does help not have ache's and pains.
The garden went from this;
to this;
The Garage with the matting added;
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