Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

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androo007
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by androo007 »

woohoo!

Really glad to see it back on the road and being used.

Well done for sticking with it, looks great. 8) 8) 8) :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:
mrhappy62
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by mrhappy62 »

Good to see you and yours on Saturday Bud :clap:
I think you owe some time to your Dads car now and maybe a bit on your sideskirts ! And then enjoy your new found love for another year :D
See you at Beaulieu Bud :D
craig
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by craig »

Well done mate, nice to finally get some enjoyment out of it :thumleft:
pnelson
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Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:07 am

Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by pnelson »

Read through your thread today, quite the rollercoaster!

Glad you've kept the car and you're happy with it.
markstevieandmads
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Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:18 pm
Location: Swindon, Wilts

Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

SMALL UPDATE:

I have been using the car in the lovely weather and all is well with the engine so far.

While watching the footy, i looked out the window and decided i didnt like the odd ford frozen orange i previously painted the engine lid under tray.

So in the break i stripped it off went over it with a wire brush. I then primered it with some red primer i had spare and then gave it a good coat of rover nightfire red i had left in the garage. The can had been sat there for over 7 yrs (lol!) so the paint was a bit crappy but ideal to do the job.
Left the tray out in the sun and within 15 mins it was ready to put back on the car.

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Looks a lot better now and actually matches the calipers pretty well.

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rossonza
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by rossonza »

it nice to be able to do the nice smaller things now mate? looking good :thumleft:
markstevieandmads
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

Yeah it is.
PLAN A
Now plans is to remount the stereo properly with the proper brackets i got and get rid of the homemade ones i made lol.
While the centre dash is off i may strip the clocks and rest of the dash out (will leave the main dash in) and replace the alarm for the toad ai606 ive had sat in a box for years.
All easy stuff i can do myself.

PLAN B
Ideally want to get the alloys redone (may wait till i replace the front tyres for this) and get the kit resprayed professionally and give the car a proper polish all over.

Once the carbotechs are needing to be replaced (which will takes ages as i dont use it much at all) i will be going something like porterfields as they squeak a fair bit when warm.

And then finally will be to redo the complete suspension and polybush and get a 4 wheel alignment on it all. The car should then be "finished"!

However this will take a while as i have my wedding next may so all monies will be going to that now. So "Plan A" can be done whenever i choose as have all the parts i need for that but "Plan B" will need to wait till after the wedding and then probably after i move as we plan to move to Cornwall end of next year.

Just going to enjoy it for now and get it to the few events going on this year.
markstevieandmads
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

LITTLE UPDATE:

So ,just been using the car with no problems (touch wood). Havent really got anything done as such apart from a few niggly things:

My dads na had a blowing exhaust so after i looked underneath i noticed his rear inner wheel arch on near side has gone completely and his sills look shot. Scary how this has got so much worse over the last year which made me think i better check all the usual areas on my turbo.

Sills, outer and inner are pristine. Plan is to wire brush the inner wheel arches down and underseal them but i think this will be a winter job along with refurbing the alloys.

I knew of a little rust in the boot area corners so thought id pull it all out and have a proper check.

On first inspection ,both sides looked a bit rusty (worse pictured)
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Bit scary so got the wire brush on it as best i could and lucky it didnt seem as bad

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So once i wiped it down ,i got the rust convertor on both sides

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And then once dry gave it a good coat of black hammerite to give it better protection from the inside.
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Ok it doesnt look the prettiest but it does the job. I suspect the rear bumper thingy majiggys are leaking a bit so this will help until i get the bumper off which will be done in the winter. I will reseal them with sealant when i get a chance. Im not in any rush at the mo as the car doesnt go out in the wet anyway.

I also disconnect the battery when the car isnt in use as it can be sat for a few weeks before i get a chance to use it. Its a minor inconvenience when you got keep undoing the bolt to remove the neg terminal so i invested all of £6 in a richbrook discarnect.
5 mins install time later and its all connected and works great. Just unscrew the black cap to disconnect and screw in to connect.

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More news is that ive noticed the front tyres will need renewing in the very near future. I may use these up at forge day next sat on the track and then invest in some new front tyres before next year. Probably going to stick to toyo t1rs as thats what i got on the back.
The cars not running big power and i havent had any problems with the same rears ive been running for a year. They are also cheap at £140 fitted for the pair.

Ive also bought a ryobi polisher which im going to give a go before forge day at combe. Its got to be better than doing it by hand lol.
markstevieandmads
Posts: 2025
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:18 pm
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

(Is it Autumn yet?) UPDATE:

So on to forge day and i bought some recommended autoglym resin shine polish to try and get the paintwork shiny again. I followed the instructions on the ryobi polisher and it applied the polish well (obviously after a good two bucket wash). However it had no power to buff off the polish and it just left it smeary. RUBBISH!!!
So i resorted to good ole fashioned elbow grease and with just a little effort its brought back the shine. I also tried it on the bodykit that was rattle canned which helped a bit too. I dont think this car has ever had a polish!!! I was so chuffed with the results that i took some pics (the fiesta is my cousins 1l ecoboost pocket rocket):

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So off to forge day we go and it was raining. Giving it some beans coming off a roundabout i realised that the t1rs are not as good as i thought. I dont drive the car usually in the rain so now i realise why people say those toyos are not great! Alloys are coming off in the winter for a refurb (or i may treat myself to some different ones) so i may treat myself to some ad08rs or something along the likes of rainsports.
Anyway, got to castle combe and parked up in our spot only to find my drivers window wouldnt go back up. Luckily one of the club members had a toolkit i used to get it back up. However it didnt feel right...

So, the day went well (i avoided the track due to the wet weather) and drove home only to find that anytime i hit boost, the engine light came on and i hit fuel cut so had to drive home off boost.
As soon as i got home I had a quick look to find the loop of vac hose i used to loop out the canister had a hole. I cut this down and reinstalled and all was good again.
Next day i striped down the drivers door to find 3 of the mountings for the window regulator had snapped off. Apparently its a common problem so ordered another one from ebay and got that fitted. A bit fiddly but now all working again. Also adjusted for a better fit and now doesnt leak like it did a little before.

Today, as the weather was sunny i decided to tighten the alternator belt as been getting a bit of a squeal on cold starts. I know the belt was ok as i replaced it when the engine went back in.
Found the bottom pivot bolt loose to start with which didnt help. Tightened the belt and gave it a cold start and all is well again.
I went to put the alloy back on and snapped my ratchet (served me right for using the incorrect tool!). I then used the correct tool and snapped my locking wheel nut key! Oh well, i can easily get a spare so not too worried.

I had previously ordered some blue vac hose to replace some of the older yellow hose i had in the engine bay so went to replace this to find Rogue had fitted new red vac cable to the majority of the turbo!!! How did i not notice this?!?! Anyway, i replaced the older yellow hose for the blue for now and tightened a few loose boost hoses. Also screwed the manual boost controller in a bit as it was previously running 0.8-0.9bar and with my setup i should be able to run 1 bar comfortably. Also the weather is cooler now so that helps too ;)
I will order up some red vac hose to match the existing and spark leads too.

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I also noticed when getting the battery reconnected that the immobiliser didnt kick in like it usually does so looks like i will be fitting a new alarm/immobiliser sooner rather than later.

On the list to do for the winter months:

Buy and fit new superpro kit to replace all the bushes. Also paint/powdercoat the arms while its all off.

Remove clifford viper alarm setup and fit toad alarm setup.

Refurb or replace alloys

Possibly replace suspension for coilover setup (money depending)

The wedding is ever getting closer and an imminent move will be pending next year so it may get a bit quiet on here but in the meantime I will be gettting the most out of the car.
Thanks for reading...
rossonza
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by rossonza »

mate its looking great! good work on the progress. i know how tight money can be saving for big things in life.

polish worked really well, ive done it by hand too but my god my arms/wrists ached after. definitely earned my steak dinner that night :mrgreen:

had the toyos on my mx5...first drive in the rain i span it on a mini roundabout.

is the ratchet halfords? im pretty sure theyve got lifetime guarantee on them if you do.

nice small jobs left then really... coilovers are crazy expensive arnt they. especially when youve got a wedding to save for lol.

good luck with the wedding anyway! :thumleft:
markstevieandmads
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Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:18 pm
Location: Swindon, Wilts

Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

In the great words of Pete Tong....."AND WE CONTINUE!"

UPDATE:

The car has been sat in the garage most of the winter only due tot the fact that i dont really like taking it out in the rain.

In the meantime ive been purchasing bits and pieces when they become available for a good price. My latest acquisition is a fully flocked interior including dash and all the bits and pieces and a leather centre console for a very very nice price.

As i was in the car repairing mood (well not really but I had to fit a new exhaust on to the missus mini) i decided the pull the mr2 out and do a few little bits like check tyre pressures and fluids. Im glad to say water and oil was spot on and the tyres just needed a pump up as its been sat a while unused.

This then progressed into changing the odd blue vac hoses i swapped over to red.

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Now it doesnt look so odd lol

I then decided to try fitting just the centre console and cubby box... which then progressed into removing the stereo....which then progressed into removing the speedo....which then progressed into removing the complete dashboard!!

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Its amazing what you find behind a dashboard!! I always thought the wiring was pretty much ok until i found multiple cable joins with horrible scotchlocks and wires just twisted and taped together.

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Its given me a great opportunity to sort out all the wiring properly which is one of the things i enjoy (being an electronics engineer).
It will also give me a chance to remove the faulty viper alarm system and install the ai606 ive had sat in a bag in the garage for the last 2 yrs lol.
I started on tracing the wiring and seems all pretty easy but my back started playing up so just put the car back away again.
Funny enough, the car still started and ran fine! Lol

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Heres the flocked dash next to the original:
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Nope - the tv isnt going into the car!

So, now ive stripped it all out, i will probably get going on it either tommorow or whenever i have a spare day. Shouldnt be too bad a job. Im also on the look out for some original toyota switches where the fog light goes as my homemade panel looks a bit shabby.
rossonza
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by rossonza »

Looks great. I think I actually prefer the chargecooler over my side mount looks wise.

Going any shows this year?
markstevieandmads
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

MORE UPDATES:

Finally the weather is a bit milder so I thought i might as well crack on with the interior.

The more i looked at swapping out the viper alarm for a toad, the more i didnt look forward to doing it. So i decided to have a look at what was wrong with the viper alarm.
I found some dodgy wiring in the siren so i soldered up the cabling and tested it and now it all works as it should and makes a racket!! The arm/disarm chirps are now quieter too after reading the install manual and finding out how to turn them down.

I then tidied up all the wiring, with proper soldering and heat shrink and then hid the main ecu away.

First up was the flocked dash itself got bolted back in...

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So much easier to just remove the steering wheel!!!

Speedo and surround back in...

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Then all the rest back in...

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and by the time id finished it was dark so took some pics of it all lit up...

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So theres just some trimming up to do round the centre console to make it fit properly ,and give everything a real good clean and car is pretty much back together again.
Hopefully get this done tomorrow and have time to give it a good run.

I keep looking at driftworks at a new set of alloys and some coilovers... need to pay off my catalogue first and then i may just treat myself ;)
markstevieandmads
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Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:18 pm
Location: Swindon, Wilts

Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

LITTLE UPDATE:

Finished off the interior for now with a bit of a clean and made sure the centre console sits properly now. (forgot to hoover lol)

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Think i will get the door cards retrimmed either in black or grey as i think the same red will be too much.
Also theres a hole in the centre console bit where an alarm led was (my original one went in the original place ,to the rhs of the steering wheel). This needs sorting.
A few little marks and wear here and there but im happy with it and happy with the price i got it for.

Also got rid of the standard black centre caps and installed the trd ones ive had sat around which i purchased from someone on fb.

Excuse the state of the alloys. They need refurbing though im holding off as the front tyres need doing and im saving for a nice set of rota grids or similar in bronze.

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Im bored of the all black stealth look and liking the red accents inside so i think these trd centre caps break up the black a bit.

If i do end up keeping these wheels then they may get refubed back to the original gold. They also need a set of front tyres and some spacers as they dont fill the arches that well at the mo.

I took the car for a blitz round Swindon and the car is running great. No loss of oil or water while its been sat so all good there.
At least its useable again!
2barGee
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by 2barGee »

Yeah toyo t1rs are pretty scary in the wet. Decent in the dry i found.

I actually did a lap of the ring in the wet in my old clio cup...scariest thing i've ever done :lol:
markstevieandmads
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Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:18 pm
Location: Swindon, Wilts

Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

SMALL UPDATE:

After looking through hundreds of alloys and all the different offsets etc, i just couldnt find an alloy that in the size and offset and also with the correct tyre size for what i wanted. So i decided to keep the alloys i got.
The only problem was the front tyres were pretty shot and they are 7j all around.
I measured up what size spacers i needed (15mm for rear and 5mm for front) and managed to get a great deal on a pair of rainsport3s for the front.

I also booked in the alloys for a proper refurb while i was on holiday. However the "refurber" let me down last minute by trying to change the dates and also price. So, as i had spent out on spacers and tyres I decided to save a few quid and give them a quick spruce up myself.

Rubbed down

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In primer.

Then a few coats of halfords gloss black...

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They are not great as they need a proper acid dip and powder coating but this can wait till the winter.

I also got the rear 15mm hub centric spacers with correct bore size on though I found the original studs were fouling ever so slightly on the alloys so i trimmed these down by a couple of mill.
Now they are all installed to the correct torques and the rears look so much better.

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And they fit perfectly to the arch now...

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Ive also put the fronts on thought the 5mm spacers havent turned up yet. I am now wondering if i actually need them as i seems to fit well so i may just leave them.

I ordered some diamond cut faux leather to cover both door panel centres to match the centre console and i am so pleased as they match really well.
Ive yet to fit them but will put some pics when its done.

So , im now back to being road legal so will use the car when the weather is nice, like today (roof off time!).

MOT is due in may...however so is my wedding so i will see how money is and maybe get it done beforehand.
I dont believe there is much to cause a problem with the mot.

So the interior is pretty much done, the engine is done, wheels and tyres are now sort of done (for now) so will be on to suspension next (after mot).
Im looking at getting a set of either HSD monopros or something along the same price range such as BRs or something. Im also planning on ordering the amazon usa poly kit as it has good reviews and seems cheap enough.
Once they are all fitted then with get a hunter alignment done as ive never had the car checked since ive had it all these years!
markstevieandmads
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

UPDATE:

So as the weather was ok and the missus was away on her hen do, i decided to have a go at retrimming the door cards.

I bought a can of contact adhesive from screwfix for £3.99 and stripped the passenger side door card off.

(sorry got no pics of the dismantling)

The alcantara style door cards were held on with staples and metal clips so removed these and then proceeded to remove the cloth off it which left just a metal backing.
I then cut the leather to the same size as the original cloth and then sprayed the adhesive on both, trimming and cutting and folding over where needed.

I ended up with this...
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Pretty happy with the results so remounted the full door card back on the door and all the trim.
Looks great apart from i forgot i needed to glue the leather to the actual door card around the door cup rather than just to the metal backing - so there is a bit of a gap here :( Looks ok but will redo this side if I have enough leather or order some more.

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Learning from my mistake I had a go at the drivers side and this side came out a lot better.

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(Excuse the speaker cable - this has now been tucked out the way).

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Now it all matches the centre console.

Now im going to buy all the tickets for this summers shows so I should be all ready. MOT is due end of may but i will be getting it done before my wedding. Hopefully should be ok as havent done much miles since rogue had it mot'd for me last year.
markstevieandmads
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

EASTER BANK HOLIDAY 2019 UPDATE:

Ive had rare bank holiday weekend off and as the missus has been at work ive had a nice long run out in the car. Checked the oil and water after its been sat for about 3 months and all was spot on.

Before the weather got too hot i decided to have a go at fitting a strut to the engine bay lid as the prop kept coming off.
Taking some advice from the IMOC Facebook page i ordered a pair of struts off ebay and made up some brackets with the measurements given. Took me all of 30 mins to have it all fitted up and it works a treat!

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I then decided to give the car a nice 100 mile round trip to get it ready for the mot ive booked for the 7th of May.
So got the local immigrants to give it a once over (as ive hurt my back)

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The car ran faultlessly.

Ive won a innovate wideband setup and gauge on ebay so hopefully get that in before Japfest. Ive ordered a double 52mm a pillar trim to put my existing boost gauge in with it too.
I will also give the car a good polish before then (back permitting lol). Once the wideband is in, im hoping to turn the boost up to 1 bar.
Ive also got the passenger leather door card to redo and ive got a new go pro mount to fit and a load of blue leds im going to swap out in the heater controller.
Ive booked tickets for Japfest for the club stand and also got unlimited sprint runs which should be fun.
Ive also book tickets for JDMCombe too.
markstevieandmads
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by markstevieandmads »

THE UNFORTUNATE ENDING:

So off to Japfest 2019 we went. Car was running great and i decided to do the unlimited sprint runs.

After 4 runs I was 2nd in the RWD class and 7th overall out of 160 odd cars.
1st in the RWD class was a MX5 turbo and he was also in front of me in the queue. So i was to give it one last go....balls out....taking it serious....this was going to be it.
Current time was 10.96 - the mx5 turbo was 10.92....i would have to go for it and i had decided this one the last run i was going to do for the day. I could be 1st in the RWD class if i did this......

I didnt do it....

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I think the number they gave me said it all...13

Looks like i lost traction at the back and looking at the footage on the go pro ive hit the wall head on at about 70-80mph.

I walked away from the car with a sore shoulder and later that night and next day sore neck and shoulders and Tuesday , confirmed at the hospital (as the missus said the wedding was off if i didnt go to hospital) as a bruised or possible ruptured right bicep.

I was very lucky. Ive got the rest of the week off work (luckily paid) and next week im getting married...yep the wife to be was not happy. My 8yr old daughter had been sick after i reported it to the wife to be -thats how much it affected her. Ive promised no more track days for me. Just not worth it.

I was lucky enough (see how this runs through the post) to have some friends from the FB group MR@ UK South offer to come and collect not only myself and my passenger (bro in law) but also collect the car from Silverstone and we got home with the car pushed back into my garage at about 9.30pm on Sunday.

The car will be staying there until after the wedding and then i will be stripping it for parts. I could reshell it, but ive had 5 years of this car and was contemplating selling it anyway so hopefully get a few quid back for the parts as it has quite a few trick parts on it.
With regards to MR2s, im finished with them. Ive had a few ,but this one was the best - i could not build another one like this for the same money and L921XTC just could not be replaced.
We are moving end of November so dont know if i will have a garage for another project anyway.
If i do then i may go for something classic like a Beetle or mini or something as i enjoy the groups and meets and days out but I just dont need the speed anymore. I proved i can build and own a pretty quick car and wouldnt want anything quicker than that.
Ive had twinges to owning something like a ep3 type r or something cheaper but I have a brand new work car, the missus has a nearly new focus and the MR2 sat in the garage most of the time so I dont need another car.
Time will tell.....

So this is the end of L921XTC.
I may have someone interested in the turbo conversion bits but I need to give them a price for this and then can sell all the other bits. The shell will be scrapped after stripping it down to its bare bones.
All parts will be listed with prices once im back from my wedding.

Thanks for reading through my thread - its been five years of bliss and hell!!

I will eventually put up the runs i done on the sprint test and the crash. The go pro pics up where i went into the wall, however as it was the first impact the camera then gets knocked so it doesnt pick up anything else apart from sound.
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Ryan S
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Re: Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo Project: PART TWO

Post by Ryan S »

Sad to see this bud :(
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