Markstevieandmads Budget Turbo project : PART ONE

[JAAASH]

Busy busy. You best get cracking. Looking forward to seeing the new look when it's complete. I'll keep an eye out for you on track!

I quite like the colour you've gone for with those wheels too. Given me an idea for the impreza wheel refurb

[markstevieandmads]

LITTLE UPDATE:

As the weather was nice again I thought id give the car a quick wash and fit one of the newly painted alloys. Please note: Up close these alloys are very corroded and they was just quickly rubbed down and sprayed with a bit of laquer just to see what they would look like so they look a lot worse in person!





I also had a go at fitting the rear spats I bought off someone on here.
I had to remove the original "splitter" first and every bolt snapped and the ones that didnt snap needed a grinder on them. Just love these old cars.

Anyway, eventually got them fitted. The guy I bought them from had them fitted on his fine but they just dont seem to line up exactly how i want them. I will give them another go another day but for now these will have to do.



There is a very slight 1mm gap in the middle that i just couldnt get to close up properly.





Cant really see from this pic the rear angle.

[thomp1983]

Are they pu or fibreglass? If there pu gently heat them whilst fitting them

[markstevieandmads]

Are they pu or fibreglass? If there pu gently heat them whilst fitting them

Fibre glass. Its not too bad a fit but would like them better.

[markstevieandmads]

WEEKEND UPDATE:

I kept looking at the wheels and I just couldnt get used to the colour and the more i thought about it, the more I wanted them gloss black so I rubbed them back down and went for a nice gloss black. Again, not the greatest job and one wheel in particular has a very weird crazing effect but they will do for the track.





As i was high on paint fumes already, I decided to prep, paint and clear coat the MRD Style side skirts I have had sat in the garage for about a year. I bought them off a member on here and was told they was a good fit and they fit not bad at all.



I painted these in a dusty garage, with rattle cans from halfords so wasnt expecting the best results but i am pleasantly surprised how they have come out.



As i needed to remove the interior trim where the seat belt goes I decided to remove the sponges in the sills and check on the condition of them inside. I did the drivers side first and I was pleased to find just a tiny spot of rust this side.



I left the sponges out and fitted the skirt. Heres a pic of the drivers side with the old wheels (im still waiting on some nice wheel nuts I ordered).





I decided to leave the mesh off the air vents. I need to get some back to black on the vent holes but think it looks meaner now.
There is also a small area where the laminate came off and my filling skills are not great so there is a bit showing by the vent. However I have ordered a little "surprise" to cover this area up and hopefully stick to the "theme" of the car.

I then set about doing the passenger side.
Unfortuantely the sponges were a lot harder to remove and here is why:



I got the camera down the hole and caught these pics:







These are obviously going to need treatment in the future. Not sure how at the mo so left the sponges out and left the interior trim loose for easy access later on. I may just tip a load of rust treatment in there.
There is no rust showing yet on the outside.
So with my heart ,head and enthusiasm a little low once i found the above i carried on with the passenger side skirt and this is how it has come out like:



Again, I need to back to black the vent hole but I am pleased it has come out this well. I have spent approx £80-£100 on all the paint (including the orange paint for the wheels) which is a lot cheaper than a paint shop and body shop to fit and is keeping within my "budget" project.

I also made a purchase on ebay. Hopefully this will finish off the look im after....



I think the current bumper doesnt look mean enough now



Unfortuantely this bumper needs a bit more work than the skirts and spats so I dont think I will have it painted and fitted before Japfest. I may even send this off to be painted as its a bit bigger than the other kit I have sprayed and I dont think rattle cans will do it justice. It also needs more work than I originally thought. I may even end up selling this and buy an aerowave splitter instead if I can get one for the right price.

So, still the mechanical list to sort including brakes now I have everything bought and delivered and I have my wheels to fit once the new nuts have arrived which should be any day now.
I may even need spacers as the standard wheels seem a bit small now and the new alloys are only 16" and i am sure not as wide.

[thomp1983]

Bit late really but there's a decent paint and bodyshop suppliers over at cheney manor called autopaint, there considerably cheaper than halfords for rattle cans and they have a far better spray pattern in the nozzle.

[markstevieandmads]

Bit late really but there's a decent paint and bodyshop suppliers over at cheney manor called autopaint, there considerably cheaper than halfords for rattle cans and they have a far better spray pattern in the nozzle.

Thanks. If I get the bumper prepped I might give them a go.

[markstevieandmads]

Got the wheels on today with the new nuts. I think it breaks up the black a bit. I do like the black wheels so will be getting them done properly but will need to wait as bills to pay.

The kit also needs a good polish as it looks matt against the original paintwork. Hopefully get a shine out of it with a bit of elbow grease.

Just the brake kit to fit and a good polish for japfest.

[markstevieandmads]

Bank Holiday Update:

I decided not to go for the border front end and bought a bomex lip instead.
Its gel coat is black already and is a great match for the bodywork so decided to leave as it is. My thinking is its only gonna get hit and cracked anyway!

So removed the old rev 2 splitter. This came off quite easy as most of the bolts just snapped anyway. Then the heavens opened!

So at the mo im stuck with no splitter. Ive drilled the holes in the new one and bought some new bolts and washers to fit. Ive had a quick look and it looks like the holes are going to line up so just need to wait till the weather to get better.

The other problem i can see having is my jack only just went under with the "damaged" rev 2 splitter so im not entirely sure how to get the jack out again once ive fitted the new splitter. It has skirts on it now as well so its gonna take some thinking to get this back on the ground lol

[markstevieandmads]

Bank Holiday Monday Update:

Got cracking on the car this afternoon. Managed to get the bomex lip fitted with new bolts and also secured the inner wheel arch covers as noticed they were slightly damaged and flapping around a bit.



I was a bit worried about the lip hitting the floor but noticed it had a lot more clearance when it was parked the other way. I also used some wood and a slab when lowering it just to make sure.







I then attempted the brakes.....and my bank holiday went down hill from here......

I started at the front passenger side. Wheel off and a good squirt of wd40 and the caliper was off easy enough. Replaced pads (original toyota) with my new carbotech pads. Greased up and tried the bleed nipple for bleeding later and all good.
Drivers side, wheel off and a good dose of wd again. Tried the bleed nipple and its solid. The 8mm spanner started slipping on it and rounding it off. I maybe able to get a 7mm spanner on there but i didnt want to mess with it today so just changed the pad for carbotech and greased up.

Now the rears. So started on passenger side and the caliper came off easy enough and the new predator pads installed and greased up. Then i realised i needed a tool to wind the piston back so popped to halfords to find they didnt have any. Luckily my cousin only lives round the corner and he had a full draper kit so borrowed that.
However i could not budge the piston either way. It would move very slightly but it didnt wind in or out.



Feeling slightly miffed I tried all i could and must have got it wound in a bit as i managed to get it back over the pads and installed. Again, the bleed nipple was solid and started to round so left it.
Did the driver rear and all was ok with piston and that was all installed within 5 mins.
I stuck the wheels back on and re-read the post about auto adjusting the handbrake (a few pumps of the peddal then hold pedal down and click the handbrake a few times).
All pumped up ok and took it for a test drive. Within 5 mins it was biting hard. I can only assume it will get even better once I get the braided hoses on and new brake fluid.
I looked through my box of spares and found a spare rear passenger caliper that winds in and out fine.

So I have left it as that for now. I will phone my local specialist to see how much he will charge to replace the caliper, change all the hoses to braided (got matt lewis hoses for that already) and change the brake fluid completely. Im sure the nipples will be fine once they have had a bit of heat on them. If not then I do have some spare from my spare calipers. Hopefully get this sorted by Japfest but im sure it will be ok if i cant.

This is how the car is now (a lot different to how it was this time last year)

Then:



Now :

[markstevieandmads]

The car is now in with a local specialist.
I decided that I wanted the braking sorted with my new braided hoses and brake fluid refreshed before japfest. The report so far is the front sliders were solid and the rear passenger caliper is knackered so new caliper going on tommorow.
Also getting the alternator belt sorted as squealing a little and possibly replacing the gearbox oil though apparently it looks OK and has enough in the box.

He has noticed a fair bit of oil leaks so will be looking into getting that rectified at some point too. It doesn't seem to lose much oil and rarely needs topping up so not sure what's going on there.
Hopefully will be back tommorow as it needs a good clean before japfest lol!

[DAN_REV1_TURBO]

Looks really good mate, wheels and skirts have smartened it up no end. Loving the stealth look!

[markstevieandmads]

SMALL UPDATE

Car is now back from Jon at Castle Eaton Vehicle Services (see my trader feedback).
Car has had a check over and a few things sorted now.

Front caliper sliders were sticking so these have been released,greased up and they now work great with my carbotech front pads.
Rear passenger caliper has been replaced for new as stuck solid.Jon even painted it red for me to match the others! My black diamond predator rear pads was reinstalled along with the supplied Matt Lewis Racing braided hoses. The fluid has been replaced and bled with dot 5.1. The handbrake has also been adjusted.

Gearbox oil was drained and refreshed.

The alternator belt had a slight squeal so asked for this to be replaced if needed. Jon found the tensioner had seized so this has been cleaned up, rectified and adjusted.

He found a few niggly things that will need replacing soon (radiator for one, tyres need balancing etc) but it was good to get a professionals eye over the whole car and i am really pleased with the work.

Just need to sort the tyres (now found ive actually got fulda rears and avon fronts) and a good polish before Japfest.

Im even thinking of booking an extra track session funds permitted!

[gnzyza]

Yours cars coming along well

At one point I had Toyos on the front and budgets on the rear, that was interesting to drive

[markstevieandmads]

Just invested in the budget go pro hero.

Spent about 4 hours on the net and youtube yesterday (including reading the dash cam thread on here) checking out reviews and samples of different dash cams and came to the conclusion that the latest budget go pro was worth going for.
Not so many features as some others but some of the best samples on the net and some of the best reviews. Go Pro is very popular too so thats got to be for a reason lol.

Hopefully catch my track time on there if i can work out how to work it beforehand and can also use it for work as i spend at least 70% of the week driving.

[markstevieandmads]

Little Update:

Well, Japfest went fine and the go pro has caught some good video from my track session and also scaring my mum down the dual carriageway!



The car hasnt been used much and is needing a good polish.

The high pitched "squealing" noise is back again so i can only assume the alternator is probably on its way out. The car has only been used for a few hundred miles since Japfest so i suspect the tensioner has seized again.

Also, it looks like the rear anti-squeal shims was not installed with the new predators so i am getting awful brake squeal from the rear. It looks like copper grease has been used too so i am going to clean them all up and re-install with the correct anti-squeal shims. I will also install some p clips to hold the rear brake hoses in place as this wasnt done either.

Good news is that the gearbox does no longer crunch at high revs. The gearbox oil change did the trick.

Ive also installed an android tablet, 4 channel jackson amp and mr2 sub and sub box. All this has cost me approx £50 so i am chuffed to bits as it sounds great. Unfortuantely ive managed to snap of the re-welded arm on the passenger seat adjuster so the seat is going to have to come out again so I can re-weld this back on. At least i can tidy the wiring properly once its out.

Heres a few pics:





Mutant sub and jackson amp donated by my bro in law and a mr2 sub box bought from an mr2 fb page and member off here.



Tesco Tablet with custom rom (gets rid of all the tesco app crap). The drivers side vent has been removed temporarily so i can turn the tablet on and off until I also an app to control power from the usb power.
I am hoping to fill the hole with a afr gauge when i purchase one.





With this android tablet, i have my engine hooked up to the bluetooth obd1 reader i bought from a group buy on here and can see what its doing with the toyotaobd app from the play store.
Im also running spotify, google maps, glympse, mx player for movies, tunein radio and digitalHUD for more accurate speedo reading. The car is connected to the net by using my HTC one m8 mobile phone as a hotspot. I will be downloading an app that auto boots the tablet on igntion and turns off when ignition is off.

Ive also ordered a cheap chinese volume controller that i will mount someone near the dash so its easier to control the volume as its quite difficult to adjust volume while using certain apps.

Just got to pull my finger out to sort the little niggles out.

Im also going to the RWYB day at santa pod on the 8th august.

[markstevieandmads]

Small Update:

The car hasnt really been used but when it has it has performed perfectly.

Even though it sits in the garage most of the time, i dont have to top up the oil or coolant.

I managed to temp fit the volume control so now adjusting the volume on the tablet is so much easier on the road. I do need a longer lead then i can mount this in the open vent area.
Ive still got to mess with the tablet so it turns on automatically with engine and turns off with engine off.

For some reason my viper alarm played up. I reconnected the battery when using the mr2 and the alarm started going off. No matter what i did it wouldnt stop the siren even though the immobiliser works on and off fine and the doors lock and unlock.
The siren has had a knackered internal battery for a while so tried chopping that out completely but i must have done something as i get no chirps or anything now. After a bit of investigating it seems theres a fault with the main viper ecu sending a signal to the siren when it shouldnt. For now i have just chopped the siren out. I still have the immobiliser working for now and i will eventually reinstall another alarm though this isnt a priority for now.

Ive also been investing in new kit. I managed to purchase an uprated intercooler, decat and I have a rebuilt ct20b in the post too.

However i am in two minds whether to install these now as I used the car for a 4 hour trip yesterday to santa pod. Plan was to run it on the strip but due to delays and massive queues i never bothered.
However the car ran faultlessly for the 4 hour round trip and for some reason seems extremely quick and running fine even in the heatwave yesterday. The car sits in the garage for 90% of the year but after a quick fluid check it seems to start first time and run so well even after sitting for so long.

Im now wondering if i should mess with what I have as it runs so well?

Heres a few pics from santa pod:













Met up with a couple of the mr2oc lads and had a great day even though they spent most of it cleaning the track after a fluid spill.

As I have family plans for most of the rest of the year, unfortuantely i am not going to have much time to go to any other shows this year.

Plans for now are to treat the small surface rust in the inside sills where the foams were as a precautionary measure and also treat and paint the boot area as there is a bit of surface rust there.

Ive also got to make the decision where i go with the car from here...

It looks how i want it to look (just need a proper wheel refurb and possibly respray the kit properly though i do like the matty racer look lol).

It handles and brakes how i want with the lowered springs on bilsteins and carbotech / b.d predator brakes.

And to be honest it goes like poo off a shovel even with the standard engine tune.

Do i fit the uprated kit ive bought .....or leave as it is....

[markstevieandmads]

NOT REALLY AN UPDATE:

Ive been running the car for the rest of the summer only at the weekends so have only covered a few hundred miles.

Ive now began to make a list of things to do now the weather is turning.

These are to include:

Repair blowing exhaust -

As its the backbox to cat join i may take this opportunity to remove the cat and install the decat i have had sat in the garage. Ive bought a support bracket from Rob on here so just need to buy the proper oem gaskets for this.


Replace stock intercooler with uprated intercooler -

Another bit of kit ive bought this year but it has been sat in the garage. Doesnt look like i need any other bits for this as its all there. Once this is on im hoping to run 1 bar.


Sort out brakes-

Ive still to secure the rear braided hoses and also fit the anti-squeal shims.


Replace radiator-

When the specialist checked my car over we noticed that the bottom of the rad was starting to rust. The car never overheats but id like to get this sorted so i know its done and wont need to worry about it.


Rust proofing-

I want to rust proof the inner sills and also under the boot carpet and in the corners.


Bigger preventative jobs -

Theres a very small leak coming from a seal so this will need looking at.
Cambelt as its unknown when it was last done.

Tidy up interior tablet install.
Straighten steering wheel - Since i fit the momo wheel a few years ago its never been dead straight!


And that should make it pretty sorted! Only small little niggly jobs that would sort an already great car.

Ive also been looking at maybe trading it in for something a bit more track orientated so maybe looking at civic type r or even possibly a cheaper integra type r.

[markstevieandmads]

NEW YEAR BORING UPDATE:

So I'm into my third year owning this mr2. I had a slight moment late last year when i thought an ep3 type r civic would be a good swap - but i soon left that idea behind.

Ive only been using the car occasionally these last few months due to weather and time.

I used it to go to Bristol for my works xmas do. That was an interesting trip as it was absolutely hammering it down so the car didn't feel great on the motorway. I don't usually drive it in the wet but it had been sat for months and was sick of the work car.
It was pretty uneventful apart from when i decided to have a bit of a spirited drive home and through my local town on the way back and just as i pulled into my road the intercooler fan light came on. Not sure why as the temp gauge was as normal.
Anyway, it hasn't done it since so I'm wondering if water got in somewhere.

It seems the water has again got into my drivers side crossover which is mounted inside the door as I've lost this speaker so this needs looking at.

Ive also got the mot due in early march though i tend to get this done a month before to make sure all is ok.
Ive used the car a few times in the dry since and I've checked the brakes are not sticking. Its not losing any fluids and it starts on the button every time even after a couple of months without using it.
I managed to fit the new crush gasket in the exhaust which was dead easy and now it sounds lovely with no blowing.

So the to-do list for this year (2016) is:

MOT
Rust proof where necessary and treat surface rust where necessary.
Sort slow puncture in drivers side front tyre.
Fit new purchased momo / omp wheel.
Fit new alloy radiator (purchased at xmas and paid for as a present by my mum lol)
Fit uprated intercooler in storage.
"Maybe" fit decat in storage.
Turn up boost to 1bar.

Enjoy Japday at combe!
Possibly enjoy Japfest at Silverstone.

[markstevieandmads]

Just remembered even more things i need to do....

Fit Toad Alarm and Immobiliser to replace the busted clifford