AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 10

2/4/10
Took off cam covers and stripped the paint off. tomorrow I'll spray some brake cleaner down into the threaded places to clean them. then its a wipedown with some alcohol for one last cleaning, then ill start spraying. spray outside, then bring it inside to dry where its nice and warm overnight then coat the next night, etc till finished then ill reinstall them and run the car for a while. Also I need to order some washers and I would like to get a brushed stainless plug valley cover.

2/4/10
yea i got my paint and it says "apply all coats within 1 hour, allowing 10 minutes between each coat. For additional coats after 1 hour, wait 7 days for paint to cure. Dries to the touch in 1 hour. Can be handled in 3 hours."

so im guessing that means after im done with one color I have to wait 7 days to do the next color???


Also: this is why I'm poor
Also got the paint stripped off my cam covers. gonna get some alcohol to do one last clean before paint goes on.

2/6/10
behold!
2/7/10
installed today. just waiting for the washer gasket things to come in. (these things: http://www.twosrus.com/catalog/product_ ... ucts_id=89)

2/12/10
Still waiting for those gaskets to come in, but I ghetto rigged a temporary solution: washers with hi temp RTV on both sides.

Put mah new front end links on. so much beefyer than stock AND a spherical metal bearing instead of a rubber-booted ball joint.

transmission oil might have to wait cuz I dont feel like dealing with an almost rounded fill plug. Also its way too cold to do my thermostat right now. I'll do that later as well.

2/17/10
holy balls my gaskets are now in VA according to USPS tracking....only took them 1.5 weeks to get from PA to Sandston

Also returned my rear camber plates (cant use em cuz i dont have coilovers) and got some moneys which is good. will probably pay for Circuitschool in March. Might also get a stainless clutch hose while im at it.......we'll see. being online late at night makes me want to spend money really bad. its weird.

OH also got a sick nasty new oil cap that i haven't gotten pics of yet. really looks awesome. Black adonised aluminum with the AW11 Eagle (aka screaming chicken) etched into it.

2/17/10
FINALLY got my valvecover sealing washers in today

2/19/10
got pics of my bay with the new oil filler cap

ALSO i found a place that is a US dealer for the Quaife quick steering rack (so i dont have to pay $400 + shipping from the UK). Apparently forum people have gotten them for less than $300 shipped so this has now re-entered my scopes

2/25/10
Ordered a braided steel clutch line and a hydraulic engine lid prop kit a few days ago. should be here tomorrow

2/25/10
got the clutch line and the gas prop today. in the process of installing the prop i had to move my boost gauge line (copper tubing) which kinked and broke it. so now my boost gauge isnt connected to anything >.<

2/26/10
fixed it today. my problem was how i routed the line the first time. this time i routed it in such a way that its not obstructing anything or routed through stuff. and yea I'm sticking with copper.

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 9

10/19/09
YAY NEW WHEELS!!!!!!!!





11/11/09
car wont start. volts read fine but the starter just gives a click and does nothing. tried jumping, didnt work. push started it in the rain

sounds like it was running off the alternator on the way home....a high pitched "whirr"ing sound coming from the engine bay that increased with rpm. got home, turned it off, next to no voltage. *sigh*

im gonna test the battery tomorrow at work. if the battery is fine, ill take a closer look at the positive cable and starter. that positive cable has been in the back of my mind for a while

12/15/09
got the last piece of the TwosRUs short shift setup today. I had already installed the RSe drop plate and a 93+ SW20 shifter, but now i got the JonO tab (raises where the shift cable mounts to the shift lever = more leverage = shorter throw). took me 5 min to install. W00t.

12/22/09

i might have an opportunity to buy TRD springs. How does 162 lb/in front and 280 lb/in rear sound for daily driving?

12/22/09
TRD springs are ordered! i got one of FIVE sets left in the country (that he just got from Japan after kicking and screaming at TRD to get them over here)

12/26/09
List of stuff (mostly normal maintenance) to get done before/during spring autocross season in no particular order:

1. install TRD springs
2. replace thermostat (its on its way out now....car takes a long time to warm, then goes back down when driven until like 20 min of driving)
3. replace front and rear brake pads with Porterfield R4S HP's (Rears are here, just need fronts)
4. maybe braided stainless brake lines
5. change transmission oil

then sometime this summer/when i have money get Tokico Illumina's or (if i have alot of money) koni yellows

1/4/10
TRD springs are here! so cool to have parts as rare as this
Also it came with this. Anyone read Japanese?

1/7/10
compared to the ST's, front is lower, rear is higher, and overall better handling, better steering response, while perhaps a slightly more comfortable ride. Also they actually fit right on the front with the ST's didn't really. they were too short and didnt contact the top when unloaded.

also here are the numbers:
Stock: 91 front, 131-211 progressive rear
ST: 126 lbs/in Front, 90 - 280 progressive rear
TRD: 162 Front, 280 rear

1/8/10
Just ordered a High & Tight brake master cylinder brace. Keeps the firewall from flexing under hard braking. Given that this spring's main focus is braking I figured this would be a good place to start.

next up is stainless lines, front pads, and maybe front slotted rotors

1/16/10

H&T brace still isnt here. they are waiting for more red ones to come in. i dont want gray

also ordered front pads. Porterfield R4S HP "Street & Autocross" pads (same as rear i ordered before), as well as Goodridge stainless brake lines

1/19/10of course right as i spend all my money, something i actually need goes out. front sway bar endlinks are clunking like crazy. new ones are like $100 >.< 1/22/10 Pads n lines

1/25/10
Ive been reading up on how to flush/bleed the cooling system. very annoying with lots of piping in this car (coolant runs from the engine in the back allllllll the way up front to the radiator and back). This has been the thing keeping me from replacing my broken thermostat, but i think im now educated enough to do it.

1/30/10
Silicone intercooler couplings are here. gotta wait till this dang snow goes away before i can put them in.
Also ordered new adjustable front endlinks, a thermostat/gasket, valve cover gaskets, and some Redline MT-90. After I sell my ST springs in the next few days I'm gonna get coolant, paint stripper, hi temp primer, hi temp black paint, hi temp gray/white/silver paint, and hi temp red paint. thats right. i want to finally paint my nasty ass valve covers.

hopefully next weekend I can change the thermostat and burp the cooling system. soon id like to remove my valve covers (something im pretty intimidated about as I've never messed with an engine before) and strip the paint and repaint them.

2/4/10
thermostat, thermostat gasket, all 3 valvecover gaskets, and transmission oil all came in today. end links should be in this week. I'll probably pull my valvecovers tomorrow. still need stripper and paint tho

2/4/10
I'm selling off my ST springs and OEM rear sway bar soon so that will be a little money which is nice

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 8

6/16/09
getting my windshield replaced on thursday morning. found a dude at the starbucks meet that does auto glass. im pretty excited cuz the crack grows an inch every time i wash my car from the cold water

7/1/09
k so today i was trying to replace my front drivers side ball joint and i apparently stripped the threads in teh hubs for the 2 bolts that hold the balljoint on. so now i need to take the hub apart, and teh one on my parts car, then make sure the wheelbearing and stuff on the parts car is good.....ARGH FML

7/15/09
All is well with the world took it to the machine shop and its all fixed

7/23/09
friend of mine cracked my brand new windshield. open the hood too far and the corner hits it and by the time i finished warning him it was already too late
its ok tho cuz hes gonna pay for the re-replacement. and im gonna take a hammer to that corner

8/1/09
installed eccentric t-top guides today. the holes are off-center so it pulls the tops tighter to the gaskets.

9/9/09
ok so I have ordered a new voltage regulator (local dealer wanted $256) for $160 from a guy on the forums

i got 2 new tires because my alignment is SO bad (haven't gotten one since way before I installed my camber plates my front right tire was totally bald. I rotated front --> back and replaced the (now) rear tires with Kumho Ecsta ASX's. I used to have Ecsta AST's on there in 195/50/R15, but the newer better ASX's are 205. This gave me uber fender rub and tore the hell out of my brand new tires, so i took a hammer and beat in the inside fender lip ( i do believe this is called fender rolling???). now so far its not rubbing anymore....and my car looks awesome with the wider rear tires and the fitment looks NASTY

So now I need an alignment, change my oil and filter, and MAYBE two new tires (for the front) to be ready for Bear Mountain on October 10th.

PS. Bear Mountain is the biggest MR2/Celica All-Trac meet on the east coast. This will be my first year attending.
Video from last year:

The 2008 Joe Pearlstein Memorial Bear Mountain Run from Frank Lettieri on Vimeo.


Pics of rear fitment:

9/10/09
got my voltage regulator and short shifter stuff today. installed it all.

the drop plate and 93+ shift lever dont QUIIIITTEEE fit right so i bought a dremel and need to cut out a little bit of the shifter plate in order to be able to get into 1st, 3rd, and 5th. Other than that the shifter is WAY farther down now which is cool

10/6/09
been talking with this guy on the MR2 OC forums. He has a set of wheels that im gonna get from him for $100! theyre 15x6.5, 38 offset. They will probably be my daily wheels and the PCW's will be my autocross wheels since they are wider and have more aggressive offset. I'm pretty excited. He lives in Alexandria so I gotta go up there to get them sometime soon. Probably next weekend, since this weekend is Bear Mountain (HUGE MR2 meet in NJ)
10/13/09
ordered T3 camber plates for the rear. my factory strut top is squeaking really bad and a factory replacement is like $150 WITH the discount on MR2OC. So i figured I'd just go ahead and get pillowball mounts from T3. It's gonna lift up the ride height on the back so I wont have as good fitment. Also the new wheels I'm getting are a higher offset so they will again make the fitment not as good. At least my ride height in the rear will be similar to the front and not so lopsided.

also I just realized i can get 3mm spacers to make the new wheels more flush. jk lol

10/18/09
got the wheels today. I need some lower profile lug nuts for them to go on though...my factory lugs are too freaking huge

EDIT: got some lug nuts from RVAMitchell's dad. Should work. Will have pics up tomorrow if the lugs work.

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 7

4/6/09
HA! There was a guy on eBay (in the UK) selling euro-spec (same as JDM) turn signals. the buy-it-now was like 70 pounds. I got them for lik3 $30 shipped.

also a year ago yesterday i bought my car!

4/8/09
got my new Suspension Techniques 12mm rear sway bar installed along with TwosRUs adjustable end links.

new one vs old one
new urethane bushings vs old rubber bushings
new end links vs old end links
mounted
4/13/09
Euro lights came in today. plugs are the same and the turn signals work, but the running lights dont work...these have 2 bulbs instead of one so I'm gonna have to do some fanegleing to get it to work. but when it does it will be sah-weeet. also this next paycheck I think I'm gonna get a quick release hub for my steering wheel and also some brass shifter cable bushings.

4/15/09
Ordered a Grant quick-release hub for my steering wheel from amazon and Speed Source brass shifter cable bushings from twosrus

4/18/09
ok so today something good and something bad happened.

the good:
my jdm/euro lights are on and work great
the white is my running lights and the orange is my turn signals/flashers. it looks awesome

the bad:
a tiney little crack in my windshield appeared when i used a/c through the defroster to defog the windows a few days ago. when i washed my car it became over 4x bigger. i guess the glass was hot and the water was cold and i could literally watch the crack go up the glass. so now i need a new windshield. not cheap. i taped it in hopes it won't expand more.

4/18/09
shifter cable bushings installed.

4/20/09
Grant removable security hub thing is installed. ill have pics later.

4/30/09
ok so apparently installing stiffer front and rear motor mounts made my side mount fail. So i need a new motor mount (or to fill my current one with urethane)
AND my positive cable on my battery is so corroded teh metal is soft. How does one go about replacing that....i have no idea where the positive cable goes to....

5/2/09
this weekend was pretty productive
we installed bushings on sara's car ALL FKING DAY yesterday because her car was being anything but cooperative.
today i got my now-urethane-filled side motor mount back in. didnt make a difference. i guess its not the motor mount knocking around. also fixed my battery terminal.

5/4/09
TOM's Radiator cap is installed. yea i know shaddap its the only TOM's part you can still get for my car.

5/7/09
I ordered new spark plug wires, something I've needed to do for a while (looks like a rodent thought one of my wires was dinner)
Magnecor KV85 i do believe theyre called. It's whats on there now and theyre pretty nice. not cheap either

5/10/09
I have 2 new tires waiting to go on. will probably happen monday morning

5/14/09
my super awesome jdm tyte Tom's radiator cap installed

new Magnecor KV85 Competition plug wires installed

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 6

3/31/09
Removed spacers from front springs today so my ride height is mostly even now.
Ordered a boost gauge and pod this morning. Will install eventually.

4/2/09
boost gauge came in today. also bought some nylon tubing and copper tubing. all i need now is a T and a tool to flare the ends of the tubing. then installation.

4/3/09
wow just found a GREAT deal on a rear ST sway bar and all hardware. think i might get this. its stiffer than the OEM one. and no yoshi that is not what she said.

EDIT: Ordered.

4/4/09
boost gauge is in. sway bar is on the way.

now on a sadder note i have a few small problems and a medium sized problem
1. my front left turn signal bulb socket is massively corroded and so its not making enough resistance so it thinks the bulb is out even tho its not.
2. my intermediate wipers dont work
3. my steering column squeaks like crazy again.
4. i have a short somewhere that makes all the warning lights pop on, brights come on, and cruise control disengages. its super annoying and gonna be nearly impossible to diagnose. not really looking foreword to messing with this.
FIXED5. my positive battery cable end thing is messed up from previous owner cutting/splicing a new one and its not working too well

4/5/09
it was nice out today so i took pics