**UPDATED** 1991 Rev 1 (Beastly V6 1MZ-FE VVTI) **UPDATED**

[KarlBristol]

Well I've just got back from holiday, (literally an hour ago, lol) hence the lack of updates this week

Anyway I've come home to a few parcels (only about half the amount that I'm waiting for ... Watch this space )

The first of which is more copper grease



Which will allow me to test fit these new hubcentric spacers for the rear wheels. I'm hoping that they aren't too wide for the wheel arches at 20mm





I'm hoping they will fit as this would give the perfect stance...

I then moved to unpack my largest box...
Any guesses as to what this could be, lol



Well out first came some new indicator bulbs (one set in orange and one set sprayed silver)

Then came these



And finally



That's right, you guessed it ...







These units look even nicer up close in person than they do in photos. Much thanks Wolfie308, they are lush and will give the car that oem+ look

All parts are going to be fitted tomorrow hopefully
So there will be more updates then
I can't wait to fit these lights

[matt-mr2]

The lights look great
I mite have to get a set for my rev3

[jack-p]

looks good mate, they should give your car a real nice stance
have you checked that the centre bores match up? you need the hub to match the the one side of the spacer, and the other side of the spacer to match the wheel, otherwise you'll need some spigot rings.

[KarlBristol]

looks good mate, they should give your car a real nice stance
have you checked that the centre bores match up? you need the hub to match the the one side of the spacer, and the other side of the spacer to match the wheel, otherwise you'll need some spigot rings.

These were designed for the exact centre bore size of the MR2 MK2 so it will be like fitting the wheels to stock hubs. Everything will go together and come apart nicely in future

Heres to hoping that theres no rubbing ... I guess I will find out tomorrow

[KarlBristol]

Well today has been mainly consumed by clearing and packing the garage for the impending house move. However it would be rude not to do some work on the car, hence it's only a short update

So I started by fitting the hubcentric spacers

So here it is all fitted and copper lubed up



Quick trial fit of the wheel before I dropped it off the jack



Did someone say these were perfect
I can't really push the rear wheels out any more before they are outside of the arches, lol.



I then did the other side



I then fitted some amber indicator bulbs on the rear lights



And the rear lights then got fitted







For what is only 10 minutes work today the car has come on brilliantly. I'm very pleased with how it's progressed. The stance is pretty much perfect now. I may stick my 6mm spacers on the front wheels if I get a chance this week, just to push the fronts out a bit further as well. If I fit the fronts as well there will still be a 28mm difference from the fronts to rears. As opposed to the 40mm staggered stance that it currently has

Took the car out for a quick drive and there's no rubbing at all on the rear wheels.
The lights look brilliant - thanks again to Wolfie308. I will try and get some better photos of them when Jack and I next do a photoshoot lol.

Thats it for today

[Peter Gidden]

Looking very nice Karl!

[KarlBristol]

Looking very nice Karl!

Thanks Peter, it's getting there bit by bit
I've still got some goodies waiting to be delivered this week

[jack-p]

Looks really good bud, I cant wait to see it in the metal
I still think you should have gone for the slight tint wolfie offers but they do still look really good

[KarlBristol]

Looks really good bud, I cant wait to see it in the metal
I still think you should have gone for the slight tint wolfie offers but they do still look really good

We will have to organise another car day
I thought of slight tints on the lights but wanted a cleaner, updated look. Plus I didn't want any issues with insurance if someone went into the back of me one day

[Chloke83]

Looking good, like the look of those lights!

[Magic Beans]

The spacers have done the trick perfectly

[craig]

Coming along nicely! liking the lights

[KarlBristol]

Thank you all for the kind comments. They are appreciated, and it keeps me enthused about the project

Having spoken to Peter recently the new engine is going to be diagnosed and fault read later this week with the correct reader before being stripped down etc...

The car is going to Peters at the end of the month for works to being, and it will probably start with the polybushing, etc...

In the meantime parts are stockpiling for little mini side projects before the car is delivered


So I have bought a nice low mileage rev5 gearbox



This is going to be properly stripped down, overhauled, flushed through, blasted etc.. So it's like new

The Avensis 5th gear modification will be completed on it, which Peter has already ordered the parts for

There's also a small goody going into the refurbed gearbox (needless to say the old gearbox is never going near my car again, lol)



For those of you who don't know this is the Quaife Helical 1ZZ LSD (Limited Slip Diff) as after numerous talks it was decided that this is probably the most sensible mod to add to the car with that amount of power... This is the same diff as is used in the new Lotus Elise, Exige, 2-eleven, and a very few UK MR2 MK3s

I'm hoping that it will make a good difference to the car
The 1ZZ is extremely strong and durable and since it is gear operated, it has no plates or clutches that can wear out and need costly replacement. It's one of the most durable LSDs you can get and has brilliant reviews!!

The final small part for the shopping list this week was a new light-weight aluminium radiator;











I figured that with a brand new engine block in the car the last thing I want to be doing is dragging coolant through a rusty clapped out 22 year old rad

I think that's pretty much it for proper purchases this week...
Peter is going to start putting parts together very soon

[KarlBristol]

One small cosmetic purchase this week ago (well a while ago but it got deliver today )

You might remember that I made my own custom centre caps for my wheels before, and ordered some generic slimline centre caps for the front wheel. There is less clearance on the front wheels than the rears for centre caps.

Well the rears fitted perfectly and as you know they looked lovely
The fronts were too small in diameter and also the fixings were too deep to actually secure in the wheel anyway

So I've bought x2 new Rota centre caps. The logos will come off of these, they will be rubbed back, sprayed black and my lovely custom Toyota logos will be put on them



I'm hoping to do this before the car goes to Peter but with the house move etc.. I have problems finding anything around here. Fingers crossed


Not nearly as exciting as the engine and mechanical stuff that going on with EOR I know! Lol

[Chloke83]

You will have to watch out as i think the daily mail may try a petition to ban your LSD based on the fact it is sheer car PORN!!!

[KarlBristol]

You will have to watch out as i think the daily mail may try a petition to ban your LSD based on the fact it is sheer car PORN!!!

Lol
It's coming along nicely isn't it

Didn't manage to get much done before work today, and it was all centre cap based lol

I first took the rota wheel sticker plates off of the centre caps. They got washed up, keyed up and then degreased



I then started painting everything up and did a test fit of the new Toyota centre cap plates



The finished product



They have a lower profile than my rear centre caps and therefore it gives a better look overall as it makes the rear look even beefier



And the other side




It's only a little update today - I'm more focused on the house move ATM.
Considering what else to do next with the car

[KarlBristol]

Some comprehensive photos hopefully going up tomorrow

Work has started to piece together some of the shelves of parts, lol. Also a few new bits and bobs have been sourced and ordered.

Peter is collecting the car this Saturday and work will truly begin on it then Having spoken to him today he intends to have the gearbox all reconditioned, the avensis 5th gear mod and the LSD fitted by Monday (with lots more photos!!)

I know that in the mean time he has been sorting out some rather expensive Oxygen sensors (and re-tapping their appropriate threads) in the new engine to get it all running perfectly.

Very soon...
Very soon indeed!!!

[KarlBristol]

Oh, I also had a very mini delivery today in the form of rear side rub strip decals for when the conversion is completed.

As the car is going to be fully de-badged in the future (it's already almost there) these will be the nice minimal touch to make it look lovely I think



Its the small details that count sometimes...

[KarlBristol]

Well Peter has been hard at work attacking the gearbox and its associated parts, so that its one less thing to worry about when the car travels up to him shortly

Whilst I usuaully like to blab on a lot I will let the photos talk for themselves! Just bear in mind that before these photos were taken Peter had already removed the selector rod mechanism, and then the end casing so that the 5th gear could be attacked

So...


Here it is with the 5th gear end float being measured up:



The hub assembely being removed:



The 5th gear being removed



Here it all is with the casing removed



A quick comparison between the MR2 Rev5 diff and the 1ZZ LSD



The bearing was removed to retrieve the speedo gear. (There will be no end off fun for Peter with my speedo, especially as it needs to convert to be electric and not cable driven. There is also more work with the diffs in this area aswell as the 1ZZ speedo gear was in Km , and the MR2 one was in miles so these had to be switched over aswell (note the angle of the gears...) The 1ZZ speedo gear is brown and the MR2 one is white.



So here they are with the old and new diffs stripped down to naked form:



And their associated speedo gears:



Note the angle differences in the two threads:



Peter has a great way of mating the crown wheel back up to the LSD
It involves a casserole dish (I guess it's better than Phil who openly states that he washes his bits in the bath )





And here is the crown wheel fitted with the new 1ZZ LSD
Its all getting there and Peter is doing a cracking job



The gearbox casings are off for vapour blasting tomorrow and should be back to us on Friday. All in all a very good start to the project.

I do fear that he is going to have his work cut out for him when the car goes this weekend! lol. There will be a plethora of photos in the near future I'm sure

My first thank you of this major build to Peter; I wouldn't have anyone else work on my car

[KarlBristol]

Well a bit more progress and some more purchases

I've ordered an alcantara gear gaitor and handbrake cover from Rhon which should be with me shortly. This will match the seats and door cards brilliantly, and who knows maybe it will match a custom alcantara dash in the future lol

Peter and I have been discussing some more potential future purchases for the new engine although all will become clear in time...

Once again he has been hard at work on stuff for my car today (primarily lsd related). The gearbox casing isn't quite ready yet but I'm very excited to see it before and after... The flywheel has also been delivered to the machine shop for re-facing and will then go for custom spark eroding

Anyway. Today Peter has done the following which now allows the diff to be fitted to the gearbox:

Sorted out the new parts, ie. the diff bearings, 5th gear and gasket, and oil seal kit



The car is also undergong the 5th gear extension to allow for a bit more grunt at high speeds/motorway driving. Here is the new and old fifth gears:



The 1ZZ diff bearing then got pulled to be replaced with the SW20 one:



The new SW20 diff bearing then got heated up to allow for ease of fitting. Needless to say Peter has his own unique way of doing this (just don't ask what it is that's floating in your cuppa! lol)



And all pretty much done on the diff front with the new bearing being fitted after changing the speedo drive:



Another great day's worth of progress.
And the car goes to Peter's this weekend for more work to be done on the car, (polybushes, track rod ends, tracking, ball joints etc...) before the real engine work begins

I can't wait