Barn Find MK1b First Start in 3 years. Help

[LawrenceSelly]

Hi everyone

I've had a stroke of luck and found myself a 88' MR2 T Bar 1.6

It's my first Toyota, and first RWD car, having owned nothing but Fords for the past 7 years, including a new Zetec S TDCi now.

I've attached a few pictures, so you can have a look. But its in a rough state, and I'm hoping to do a nut and bolt rebuild of the entire thing. I will start a project thread once I get it back here.

[ JUST realised I can't pop any pictures in until I've posted a bit more, so i'll add them later. ]

BUT as the title suggests, and as you can see the pictures, its been stood for around 3 years.

And to help to get it home, I need to remove the wheels and get some part worns on there, and try and start it (doesn't need to happen, but it will make life easier)

What will be the procedure for starting up a 4A-GE that's been stood for so long?

So far I've got (in no order)
- pop a bit of diesel in each cylinder
- pop a new battery in
- Hand crank it a few times to get the oil flowing (any way of doing this easily? because I can already see it being a pain)
- Check the spark plugs
- Check for the fuel pump priming
- START.

[kaiowas]

The engines are pretty resilient and 3 years isn't that long, you can check whether it's seized pretty easily by turning it over with the crank pulley bolt (think it's a 19mm from memory - there's plenty of room to get a socket or offset ring spanner on it anyway). Main problem you're likely to have is a dead fuel pump if it's been able dry out and they're not exactly a five minute job to replace (the tank is in the centre of the car and has to come out of the bottom to allow access to the pump in the top of it.)

Personally I'd just turn it over by hand, maybe add some fresh fuel, fit a battery then try to start it.

[LawrenceSelly]

Brilliant, all I needed to know.

I'll report back on Sunday, and hopefully have a running engine.

[PW@Woodsport]

Also don't rule out blocked injectors, the petrol turns to wallpaper paste like gunge and clogs them up, i would recommend removing them and having them cleaned/tested.

In the last 20 years i've revived many a long term stored Mk1 and the pump is usually dead and injectors blocked about 50% of the time.

[LawrenceSelly]

That's a good point, I think I will pop up on Saturday and test the fuel pump and injectors first. See if anything is happening there. If its not I'll just whip the wheels off and make sure the trailer has a winch.

[LawrenceSelly]

Another quick question.

Its got 120,000 miles on the clock.

Its got a set of piper cams (fast road)
and a stage 1 head

I know this was all done before it was stored, but after it was taken off the road. So its done somewhere between 2000 miles since that top end rebuild from looking at the ODO and its last failed MOT (which it did not pass and was used as a track car after)

SO bearing all that in mind.

What would the engine be worth? if it was cleaned up, and checked over?

Without gearbox (as I would like to put a 2ZZ in, and I'm assuming the gearbox is the same?)

Just thinking about selling the engine, to make some cash to start working on building the car back up to standard.

[pistol pete]

Another quick question.

Its got 120,000 miles on the clock.

Its got a set of piper cams (fast road)
and a stage 1 head

I know this was all done before it was stored, but after it was taken off the road. So its done somewhere between 2000 miles since that top end rebuild from looking at the ODO and its last failed MOT (which it did not pass and was used as a track car after)

SO bearing all that in mind.

What would the engine be worth? if it was cleaned up, and checked over?

Without gearbox (as I would like to put a 2ZZ in, and I'm assuming the gearbox is the same?)

Just thinking about selling the engine, to make some cash to start working on building the car back up to standard.

what colour is it?
would love to see some pictures.. great to here you bringing it back to life..

[Ben]

Before you hook it up to a winch, I'd strongly advise against using the front towing eyes. If it's rotten (which is pretty likely without seeing pics!) the chances are you'll just pull the front bumper off

Keep us posted with progress though - looking forward to the pics!

[pistol pete]

Before you hook it up to a winch, I'd strongly advise against using the front towing eyes. If it's rotten (which is pretty likely without seeing pics!) the chances are you'll just pull the front bumper off

Keep us posted with progress though - looking forward to the pics!

indeed use the large towing eye underneath

[LawrenceSelly]

See, This is the kind of information I needed.

I will use a Y rope technique over the front axle then, pulling on the wishbones or whatever to get it up the ramp.

If all goes well I might be able to drive it on, so we shall see.

And yeah, once I've posted enough comments on here, I'll post some pictures up. I've got them ready.

[LawrenceSelly]

what colour is it?
would love to see some pictures.. great to here you bringing it back to life..

Its the silvery blue colour, but it has had some racing vinyl stripes put on it, and some spraypaint here and there from where it was a autocross car.

BUT my goal would be to spray it Porsche Mexico Blue and run it on a set of Konig Gold WideOpen wheels.

[kaiowas]

See, This is the kind of information I needed.

I will use a Y rope technique over the front axle then, pulling on the wishbones or whatever to get it up the ramp.

If all goes well I might be able to drive it on, so we shall see.

And yeah, once I've posted enough comments on here, I'll post some pictures up. I've got them ready.

Shouldn't be any need to use the suspension. There are proper towing points on the end of the chassis rails which are usually solid, but they're out of sight unless you go looking for them and it's much more common for people to use the much more visible towing eyes on the bumper. Unfortunately the bumper bars are often rotten which can cause the towing eye to break off and pull a chunk of bumper bar through the bumper skin

[Tiamat]

See, This is the kind of information I needed.

I will use a Y rope technique over the front axle then, pulling on the wishbones or whatever to get it up the ramp.

If all goes well I might be able to drive it on, so we shall see.

And yeah, once I've posted enough comments on here, I'll post some pictures up. I've got them ready.

Shouldn't be any need to use the suspension. There are proper towing points on the end of the chassis rails which are usually solid, but they're out of sight unless you go looking for them and it's much more common for people to use the much more visible towing eyes on the bumper. Unfortunatley the bumper bars are often rotten which can cause the towing eye to break off and pull a chunk of bumper bar through the bumper skin

I will second this, mine literally disintegrated when I went to use it.

All you need do is look under the bumper and you will see the solid tow eye. Much easier than looping rope around the car.

[LawrenceSelly]

All taken under consideration, I'll be checking it all over tomorrow, hopefully starting it.

Then it will be picked up on Sunday, in whatever condition its in.

[stragenmitsuko]

Mine was in storage for 16 years , and apart from a seized fuel pump it was ok .
Replaced the pump , and with some gentle tapping on the injectors it fired right up .

Fuel tank was a mess .
I ll post some pictures how i solved it .

Pat

[LawrenceSelly]

Quick update.

Couldn't start it, because under inspection after getting some floodlights set up, it doesn't have an auxiliary belt OR any oil in it. So I wasn't sure if everything would work or not.

Doesn't matter, and i managed to have a full look at the car which made me really happy. All the rust is on easily replaceable panels, virtually no interior rust at all, and only surface spots on the metal frame of the car, probably due to a lack of underseal for 6 years.

SO I whipped the two flat tyres off it, getting some part worns thrown on them tomorrow.

And I need to find two things to make it watertight:
Drivers side T-Bar glass
Front Windscreen and surrounding trim.

they are both smashed as a kid ran up it and stood on the roof, then fell through the T-bar glass XD apparently it was quite the sight.

So I'm hoping to source the T-Bar glass this week so Its pretty much weatherproof to bring home on a trailer. Then organizing said trailer, to bring it home at the weekend.

And I also found those front tow hooks you were all talking about, which will come in handy I'm sure.

Very excited

[LawrenceSelly]

Progress update.

I've had both flat tyres repaired, stuck some part worns on.

Unstuck the brakes, and made it all move for the first time in 3 years.

Then I wheeled it over to the door, ready for Friday when it gets picked up.

Not long now

[Ben]

Excellent!

[LawrenceSelly]

Its HOME!

A few more posts and I can get the pictures all added in.

I've taken the rusty front wings off to find a lovely clean underside, but it is in dire need of some blasting and undercoating.

So for the next month that should be my life,
I'm also going to whip out the engine and get it cleaned up and checked over, before popping it on eBay.