Paul's Rev2 turbo

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Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

I've owned my J reg g-limited N/A for almost 8 years now, and have thoroughly enjoyed driving it. But in recent years, every time MOT time comes around I start to think about getting a tubby. But then it goes though without any major problems and the idea fades.

This year was the same, no real issues with the MOT, but I decided it was time to get serious or it was never going to happen.

After several false starts, and four near misses, 'cause I couldn't make up my mind quickly enough: I've had a trip to Exeter and picked up what looks to be a pretty tidy one. It certainly put a smile on my face on the journey back home to Cardiff.

I've not had a chance to give it a good clean and polish and take some decent photos yet, but judging by the sky outside I'm about to find out whether the t-bars leak :)

But to be going on with, here's a couple of photos taken from the advert...

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and one with a previous owner, Carl, I found on the net

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In fact I think it's been owned by two previous IMOC members, Carl being one of them.

It's actually an L reg, and my original intention was to take the private plate off and go back to the original reg. But it's starting to grow on me now, so I'm not so sure now. At least it's easy to remember.

I'm already starting to accumulate bits to fit and I've only owned it a couple of days. Front and rear strut braces are on the way, and oil pressure and temperature gauges to keep the single boost gauge on the dash company. I'll also probably be investing in an Apexi air filter, as I have one on my N/A and have been really pleased with that. My overall intention though is to keep it standard(ish). Though of course that may change with time.

Any way enough of me rabbiting on. Can't wait for summer.

Paul
Last edited by Pauln on Thu Dec 29, 2016 6:34 pm, edited 18 times in total.
pkmr2
Posts: 365
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:39 am
Location: Kent
Contact:

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by pkmr2 »

Nice looking tubby Paul :thumleft:
MR2 Rich
Posts: 1582
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:18 pm
Location: Harrogate North Yorkshire

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by MR2 Rich »

I remember that plate. Was driving alongside it my tubby up the M1 awhile ago, looked a very nice car.
No 2 :(
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

Thanks guys.

I guess that's why I'm coming around to the idea of hanging on to the plate, folks remember it

Mind you sometimes that may not be such a good idea :D

Paul
craig
Posts: 43936
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 3:44 am

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by craig »

Looks a nice example! 8)
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

Well one month on I'm still pleased with my new tubby, it always puts a smile on my face whenever I get behind the wheel.

I've tried to make the most of the dry days over the past month to make a start on sorting out a few of the niggles that come with any "new" car, and also make a few minor changes to the interior.

I've also found time to get the bucket and polish out. So here she is in her new home with my old N/A in the background.

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Other than a full service, I've initially concentrated on making a few changes to the interior, and sorting out some bodged fog light wiring. So she's gone from this:

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To this:

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Only fairly subtle changes, but the interior is now a bit more to my taste.

I wasn't keen on the "feel" of the original Momo steering wheel, so that's been swapped for a Momo Commando I bought from Vinp182.

I've added an oil pressure and oil temperature gauge to "match the 52mm boost gauge which was originally mounted on the top of the dash. these are now all mounted in one of mr2eddie's T-bar pillar pods. As it's a rev 2 I've had to go with a temperature sensor in the sump plug. The oil pressure gauge sensor is remotely mounted and tee'd off the feed to the sensor for the stock oil pressure warning light. The only thing I found was that the earth path provided by the new braided oil line wasn't good enough to operate the oil warning light, so i had to provide a new earth for this.

I've swapped the thin red edge floor mats the car came with for a pair thick pile Man in Dandism mats from my N/A, and also swapped the red stitched gear and handbrake gaitors for grey stitched items from my N/A.

I've also swapped the TRD ball gear know for a recovered stock knob from my N/A as I find the short shift easier to operate with the slightly larger knob.

The broken passenger sun visor has been replaced with one purchased from local MR2 owner Mullen, and I've spent time working some needed leather conditioner into the seats, which has really helped soften the leather nicely. It had got a bit crispy, presumably from the sun.

Whilst pulling through the new cabling for the extra gauges I thought it would be a good idea to tidy up the fog light panel wiring, which really was none too clever. The rear fog light internal illumination now works, and a new red warning light has been fitted to keep the local MOT guys happy. I've also rewired it so the switch now operates a relay rather than the rear fogs directly. Given the size of cable that had been previously used to carry the full load of the fog lights, I was amazed it hadn't burnt out by now.

I've also had the mobile aircon man around to try and get it working for summer. The good news was he couldn't find any leaks and was able to fill it with the newer gas. Unfortunately the bad news was the aircon still didn't work. Having checked the valve and the electrical connection to the compressor, he believes the compressor is faulty. A "new" s/h compressor is hopefully going in next week, and then it's a case of try again.

An Apexi air filter is currently on it's way from Nengum. It seems to have now arrived in France, so hopefully should be here some time next week.

I've also got a couple of Cusco braces to fit, purchased from Dexter.

All I need is another spell of dry weather and a bit a free time .........
Last edited by Pauln on Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
aussieGT
Posts: 1249
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:17 am
Location: Staffs/Stoke

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by aussieGT »

Has it had a respray? Every panel looks perfect!
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

No, I'm afraid not. It has the usual blemishes and chip marks etc when you get up close, but scrubs up well, and looks really from a distance :D
Last edited by Pauln on Sat May 10, 2014 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
GeorgeL
Posts: 767
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:17 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by GeorgeL »

Very nice car you have got there buddy. Very clean indeed!

The plate is great aswell.. :D
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

Small update

I bought my tubby knowing that the aircon wasn't working, but as I'm someone who likes their creature comforts, getting this sorted was a priority.

So within days of picking the car up, I booked it in for a re-gas at a local garage offering the service. Unfortunately it turned out they didn't have the correct adapters to fit R12 systems. During a search on ebay to try to find the appropriate adaptors I came across a local mobile aircon specialist Steve Penpraze who claimed to be able to handle old R12 systems.

True to his word he came to the house a few days later, pumped out the last bit of old R12 gas and ran a pressure test. The good news was no leaks. The bad news however was that the aircon still wasn't working. The valve was switching on OK, and power was reaching the compressor, but it wasn't cutting in. So Steve pumped out all the lovely new gas, and I started looking around ebay for a replacement compressor.

What I found alarming was that most s/h compressors advertised on ebay were claimed to be suitable for all Revisions. In fact MR2 Ben was the only person I could find who seemed to understand that rev 1 & 2 compressors aren't interchangeable with rev 3 plus.

I've also used Ben before so it really was a no brainer. He also seems to have one of the fastest delivery services I've come across. Unfortunately the first compressor he sent down had a fault, but fair play, he apologised and sent a replacement foc straight away.

I've always believed the real test of a good trader is how they deal with problems like this. I couldn't fault Ben's approach and will happily use him again.

The car was duly booked in to to have the compressor fitted by a local mechanic, who happily lives and works around the corner from my house, and is also a good friend.

Earlier today I took the car back to Steve for another re-gas, and the aircon is now working. I know a lot of folks just say forget the aircon and take the roof off, but I also find it really helps with condensation and keeps the air inside the car nice and dry in the wet weather. And we have a lot of that In Wales.

If any MR2 owners in South Wales are looking for a good mobile aircon specialist, I can really recommend Steve. He charges £30 for a pressure test with dye, and then £55 to charge the system if the pressure test is OK. His van is also well equipped with a very smart automated bit of kit.

Roll on summer :D
Last edited by Pauln on Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
craig
Posts: 43936
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 3:44 am

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by craig »

Pauln wrote:I know a lot of folks just say forget the aircon and take the roof off, but I also find it really helps with condensation and keeps the air inside the car nice and dry in the wet weather. And we have a lot of that In Wales.

Roll on summer :D


When having my T bar rebuilt, I could have removed the aircon, but I like it. Sure, taking the roof off if fine, but when it's raining and muggy, aircon on :)

I treated my car to a new aircon radiator, as mine fell to bits. Going to have it pressure tested and gassed up. :thumleft:

But yeah, roll on summer! 8)
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

just another small update.

When purchased the stock passive system had been upgraded by a previous owner with a Sony head unit and new door and rear speakers. But to my ears the sound was a bit thin.

My first move was to fit a new Kenwood head unit with a bit more power and a better range of controls. When I started fitting this I found a hidden switch wired to the aerial motor but tucked up under a trim panel.

Unfortunately there was no free space on the fog light panel for another switch, so it was time to reorganize this again and replace the rear fog warning light with a small led fitted to the left of the panel, and use the free space for a new aerial switch.

Whilst all the trim was off I also decided to fit a few leds. First up the heater/aircon controls. Just the easy ones, didn't fancy having a go at the row of illuminated switches in the middle. I've gone for wide angle blue on the main switches and white on the slider. Next came the ciggy lighter. A pig of a job that I'm not entirely happy with, followed by the hazard light switch. I also fitted a couple of led panels in the interior light whilst I was at it - what an improvement from the yellow glow I had before.

Funny how you start doing one job, and then find yourself doing others "whilst you're at it".

Any way back to the ice.

I also wanted to boost the bass a bit, but didn't want to go down the route of fitting a big bass bin behind the seats, especially as it's a t-bar and like to keep the roof panels there when I take them off. So I purchased a second hand stock sub box for the passenger side, which I cleaned up and lined inside and out with sound deadening material to try and lower the box resonant frequency a bit. I also managed to purchase a couple of new Vibe Slick 5 woofers and fitted one of these to the sub box.

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With a s/h stock grill in front it all looks pretty tidy.

I then set about fitting a small Kenwood sub amp in the frunk and running all the necessary cables.

I've also now swapped over both high level rear speakers for a pair of Vibe Slick 4s.

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These have made a big difference as well

I'm not going to pretend the bass is now earth shattering, but then I never wanted to join the thump thump brigade, just wanted to acheive a fuller sound.

"whilst I was at it" I've also smartened up the frunk a bit by replacing the split trim panel around the wheel with a very tidy second hand one, and refurbished and fitted a second hand Cusco brace.

So the frunk has gone from this:

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to this:

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Finally I've made a start on the engine bay.

I've replaced the stock air filter setup with an Apexi unit purchase through Nengum. The car was already fitted with an unbranded after-market side mount intercooler, but retained the stock fan. I've now replaced this with a spal fan kit from GTS Chris.

At the moment I've had to unplug the temp sensor to make this run, so I suspect the sensor needs replacing at some point.

Finally I've replaced all the intercooler hoses with SFS ones in Blue, and fitted a Berk pipe cold pipe. The previous aftermarket cold pipe was a bad fit and was actually touching the hot pipe in one place, which can't be a good idea. With the Berk pipe I've actually got a nice gap between the two now, though it doesn't really show that in the photo.

So the engine bay started out like this:

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And now looks like this:

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Still quite a bit to do, including refurbishing and fitting another Cusco brace, fitting a catch can and replacing the remaining red hoses and perhaps a few more.

But I'm generally pleased with the progress so far.
Last edited by Pauln on Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:10 pm, edited 7 times in total.
pistol pete
Posts: 7068
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:47 pm

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by pistol pete »

looking really nice

keep up the good work :thumleft:
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

I'm slowly getting things how I want them. I've fitted a new internally Baffled Saikou Michi Oil Catch next to the charcoal canister.

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I've also replaced a few more of the old hoses with new ones from SFS, including the cheap plastic tube to the boost pressure gauge sender, and whilst I was at it, I've removed the old redundant vacuum hose that ran to the dash and was then blanked off.

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The engine bay is slowly turning blue. Next job is to clean and repaint a s/h Cusco rear brace, and then fit that an the pneumatic engine lid stay taken from my N/A.

I've also replaced the stock leather driver's seat on my turbo with a Sparco Pro 2000 bucket seat that was previously in my NA. For the Moment I've left the stock leather seat on the passenger side.

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I really like the Sparco seat, it's quite roomy compared to some of the other bucket seats around, mates nicely with the MR2 sparco sliding subframe, and it all fits in the MR2 cabin without any issues.

I've also fitted a Schroth 6 point harness, taken from my na. The shoulder straps connect to two suitable eye bolts that pass through the fire wall and are bolted into two Schroth reinforcement plates.

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Unfortunately due to limited space on the engine side of the firewall one is slightly lower than the other, but the angle of the strap as it passes through the seat is well within guidelines for both.

The inner lap strap uses another eye bolt passed through the floor as close to the "tunnel" as practical as the floor is somewhat stronger there. This bolts into another Schroth reinforcement plate underneath the floor. Which I then covered in underseal.

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The outer lap strap uses the stock seat belt fixing point. It's just a case of replacing the stock bolt with a suitable length eye bolt.

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The crotch strap uses another two eye bolts bolted through the floor into a further pair of Schroth reinforcement plates. Unlike so many FIA compliant plates advertised, the Schroth plates are rectangular which I found easier to accommodate, particularly on the engine bay firewall.

Finally, I've swapped fuel level senders again. Time will tell whether I've at last managed to get one that actually works. When I first got the car, I found the gauge never went down below half way even when the tank was empty, but went right to the top when you filled the tank up. The replacement sender was the other way around. The gauge went all the way down, but never went above half way on a full tank. Third time lucky - I hope.
Last edited by Pauln on Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:10 am, edited 9 times in total.
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

I've had better days. Some kind lady decided to re-arrange the rear of my tubby whilst I was stopped at a set of red traffic lights on the way into Cardiff.

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When asked why she didn't stop the reply was I tried but my brakes didn't work ](*,)

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At the moment I don't know if it's just panel work or whether it's more structural and something important is bent.

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But as I can't open either the boot or the engine lid, it's not looking good. I certainly felt it when she hit.

Either way, I suspect the insurance company will drag their heels, and eventually write it off and offer me a pittance.

It took me ages to find a tubby I liked and could afford, and I've spent a lot of time getting things how I wanted them. With more parts due this week.

Now it looks like I'm going to be well out of pocket and have to start all over again. Feeling really down tonight.

Paul
Last edited by Pauln on Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:32 am, edited 4 times in total.
Nails
Posts: 1398
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:06 am
Location: durham-ish

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Nails »

Bad crack mate. Did you get her insurance details? If so try and contact them direct. Get them to send a engineer out to value it.
If you want to keep the car dont let it go anywhere. Sometimes they get damaged or hard to get back.
I'd contact the third partys insurance. Agree a cash settlement and then use it to get the car repaired if you like the car and are happy with it. Or buy another one and swap the good bits over and break the rest.
Do it right and you shouldn't end up out of pocket. You may even end up a few quid up. Only problem is if you fix it then may put future buyers off if its cat whatever. It will be a write off though theres no doubt in that.
if you need any help insurance wise then pm me as I work in this sector. If I don't know the answer then I'd be able to find out for you from someone else.
JD
Posts: 2888
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:23 pm
Location: The Far East

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by JD »

:shock:

1. Kill her
2. Expose the conspiracy of insurance industry/government having off-book agents deliberately rear-ending older cars
3. A firm hand with the insurance companies
4. Don't let the car out of your sight and have a specialist look it over
5. Accept nothing less than the full cost of a new shell and the work to transfer the stuff over

Some of that is slightly exaggerated but you get the picture.

Very shame. Sorry for you :(
craig
Posts: 43936
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 3:44 am

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by craig »

Aw mate, gutted for you :(

Need to get the boot lid and bumper off and have a look at the structural damage.

I'm guessing the car will be written off and her insurance will just pay you out on the car's market value.

Real shame, it looked a nice clean car. :cry:
Pauln
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 pm
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Pauln »

Thanks guys, it's really sad to see my tubby like this.

Mind you the other driver was shaking like a leaf when she got out of her car. May be she did think I was going to kill her :wink:

The latest is that her insurance company have been in touch and accepted liability. But as expected they just want to write it off, so it's all going to be down to how much they offer.

At least as it's her insurance I don't have to negotiate buying the car back, or cover the access until they reclaim it back from her insurance company, and it won't affect my no claims bonus.

I took her down to the local body shop this morning to get an idea of the likely cost of getting her sorted, he thought I'd be looking at a ball park figure of around £3,000. But obviously can't give a real quote until he manages to get the boot open and the car up on the ramps for a proper look.

I don't think for one moment the insurance company are going to come even close to that. But as I don't have a garage or drive, stripping her for parts isn't really an option. So it's either try and sell her as she is for peanuts, and look around for another tubby, or I get her repaired.

Either way it's around a £3,000 budget needed.

Having slept on it. Providing he is able to return her to her pre crash state and doesn't find any major structural problems, I think I'm going to go with getting her repaired.

It took me a while to find this one and she's been reliable and fun to drive. I've also already invested time and money in sorting out a few niggles and getting things looking the way I want them. So it would seem daft to start all over again, unless I really have to.

So just waiting for the offer now to see how big a shortfall I'm going to be looking at. :(

Paul
Last edited by Pauln on Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mcflurry
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2014 3:00 pm
Location: Coventry

Re: Paul's Rev2 turbo

Post by Mcflurry »

Oh dear, that's annoying! Gorgeous looking car it was too. What wheels are they if you don't mind me asking? Never seen them before but they're rather nice.
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