Friday, June 20, 2014

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 23

6/1/13
Since I can't work on the Cressida right now, I decided to try and tackle the coilover install today. Corey and Shan helped and we got the back on, no problem. Ride height is pretty much where I want it, looks good. The front, as I feared sits WAY too high. So I had to tear everything apart again, disassemble the coilovers, and proceed to angle grind the shit out of them to get the welded bits to come off. I'll take everything over to the Ju house tomorrow and Corey has graciously agreed to re-weld everything lower down for me.

Good thing it wasn't a billion goddamn degrees today or spending 8 hours doing this crap would have been miserable. Screw today. Also screw yesterday.

6/2/13
Well, the welder (or possibly the flux core wire) couldn't really get my coilovers welded right, so I'm gonna take it by Sports Car Workshop in the morning and see if they can do it. MX83 Cressida is still on hold until I can locate and order another EGR valve assembly, MX73 Cressida Wagon is supposedly a sure thing now, hopefully I'll be picking that up either late one night this week or next weekend. Then I'll really be under a time crunch to get rid of the MX83 and my MR2 parts car to make room. I'll probably get the parts car ready to go tomorrow, and give Roscoe's company a call to come haul it away.
 
 
 6/3/13
Coilovers are in and ride height is good. The front is a little higher than the TRD springs were, but only like 1/4". The car is just as comfortable as it was before, but the front end seems a bit more responsive. That said, my alignment is terrible right now and I'll be getting that done tomorrow. 

Front:

Rear:


6/4/13
Went to Dyke Tire to get my alignment and Richard lets me know that my front left ball joint has play in it and recommends that I change it and come back tomorrow for the alignment. So I ran over to NAPA across the street and they actually had one in stock! So I went home and installed it. Alignment attempt #2 will happen tomorrow.


6/10/13
Update: alignment was done and the car drives like a freaking monster now. It's much much sharper, and even more go-karty.

Also got rid of my parts car today


7/2/13

New front tires mounted thanks to Jacob. Gotta take off my non-functioning fog lights and get an inspection hopefully tomorrow, since it expired yesterday.
 
8/1/13
So this happened
 
Reposting from facebook for posterity:

"driving down 288. Deluge happens. Slow to 55-60mph. Next to Westchester, on a STRAIGHTAWAY, my car instantly and without warning spins to the left. I countersteer, but MR's have some serious momentum when they let go. I suspect I may have hit some serious standing water (the rain was of Biblical proportions) or possible a piece of truck tire. However, I spin, thankfully clear from most traffic, into the grassy median. Still sideways, I hit and hop over a mound of dirt (the ONLY such mound I could see anywhere on the median, go figure), and end up backwards in the grass. I sat for a minute or two to stop shaking, then I tried to rock back and forth the get out of the mud. I ended up turning myself around over the period of about 10 minutes and then got really actually stuck. At this point I call my dad (who was about 2 min ahead of me when I spun) to turn around and come pull me out (I always carry a tow strap just in case). I then got out and looked around, yelled at the stupid dirt mound, found my front lip fragment, observed that my tires/wheels were intact, and that the body was otherwise straight. As soon as my dad pulls up so does a State Trooper who was very nice and kinda just let us do our thing. Dad pulled me out and I got home without further incident. Scared the mess out of me though."








 Apparent damage:

Sidenote: in the grass on the median, there are unbelievable amounts of bugs. Like my car was COVERED in grasshoppers as I drove off.



8/5/13
Ordered oil change stuff from Brandon
 
8/12/13
So this is pretty much the exact thing I've been looking for in a shift knob. The weight of a metal knob with the feel and non-burning-ness of delrin together in one knob. The only problem is the price. I cannot justify spending $160 on a freaking shift knob.
http://www.twmshiftknobs.com/shiftknobs/hybrid-specter.php
 

 


9/29/13
 
 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


11/5/13
No wonder my top-middle C-pillar trim has been so creaky lately. 5 of the 6 mounting nuts were missing! All better now, but MAN that could have been a stupid pricy loss.
 
11/21/13
Couple small updates
I got a trailer hitch off a junkyard MR2, but it needs to be modified to fit a modern standard drawbar since it used an old school flat style that doesn't exist any more. Project tire trailer will be happening some time before next year's autocross season.
I also got an un-cracked left c-pillar trim from a junkyard car.

TwosRUs is running a presale to see if they can start getting some parts made for t-top cars that you couldn't previously get without buying a whole t-top assembly, including the weather stripping, plastic trim, rubber end caps, and plastic end trim. I'm in for the weather stripping, rubber end caps, and a left-hand trim since mine is cracked. HOORAY FOR AWESOME COMMUNITY SUPPORT!!!!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 








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