FuzzyDunlops Toyota MR2 MK1.5 build thread.

[FuzzyDunlop]

The SW20 heat shield has a bunch of folds already in it that make it hard to bend the way I want it to. I'd prefer to start with a clean slate - and Im ok with a little extra work if it gets it done properly.

 

[JCH13]

The SW20 heat shield has a bunch of folds already in it that make it hard to bend the way I want it to. I'd prefer to start with a clean slate - and Im ok with a little extra work if it gets it done properly.

Sounds good. I'd look for a sheet of 1100 aluminum, it's basically pure aluminum so it will be very corrosion resistant and formable. After bending/working it a few times you'll want to heat it up with a torch to anneal it if you want to work it further. It would also be a bad idea to anneal it before you start bending it. I've annealed aluminum sheets with a propane torch, it doesn't take much.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Went and bothered a sheet metal shop and picked up a small piece of Aluminium "scrap" (no aluminium is scrap because it can be recycled - but you know what I mean).
Cost: $5

I bent and folded it only where necessary which was really, only two slight bends to make it fit. Drilled a couple holes into the cabin to allow it to bolt up to the wall. Sometime when I need to do some welding I will weld the nuts to the wall so that I dont have to remove the carpet to get to them.

Heres is the result. I like the shine. Ill remove it sometime and really make it mirror shiny. Right now its there for function.

 

[JCH13]

Food for thought: instead of polishing, engine turning! I.e. Bugatti:

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

So uh... big night.


Started the car.
Please excuse the pilsbury doughboy laugh at the end. some of you may have an idea of how giddy I am right now.


It started pretty hard, which is understandable - I mean its been sitting for 8+ months. But I was also being an idiot and not hooking up the intake plumbing properly (I had seen a video of a guy start his car without the piping between the turbo and throttlebody - but the difference is my car has an AFM so that wont work for my engine. I just farmer rigged some piping) I bet if I had done it properly in the first place it would have started near instantly.

 

[manimal]

Thats so awesome man!

I was #4 watcher of your video and number 18 of your cat pet tricks video.


Why didnt you tell us you were a wizard and can talk to animals ?

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

i know! I am absolutley freaking out with excitement now.

And about the cat... check out post #77 lol.

 

[manimal]

i know! I am absolutley freaking out with excitement now.

And about the cat... check out post #77 lol.

any little problems pop up like boost leaks?

 

[jlee]

Wow, congratulations!!

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

I dont have the proper piping fitted to check for issues with boost yet. Turbo sounds awesome though - such a cool sound- Ive never had a car with one before.

I may have a small coolant leak near the thermostat housing - cant confirm though because I did spill a little while filling.

Just need to clean up a few minor things. I went back out this evening and cleaned up a little then welded together my front Torque Mount. These are vertical welds I did in a V shaped movemnent. Ignore the very bottom - those are just tack welds.

Heres the mount after a quick slap of paint.

Also need to do some fixing of my battery bracket because I bought a new battery and it happens to be about an inch taller than the one I built the bracket for - really shouldnt be a problem.

 

[Howard]

Aluminum vs Steel vs SS is a no-brainer, aluminum wins by a factor of 4-6 over steel, and by a factor of 10+ over SS in terms of thermal conductivity. It has excellent corrosion resistance, low emissivity, low cost, and low density. Also, it can be engine-turned, brushed, anodized, or polished for appearance.

My suggestion is based on real performance, cost, and aesthetic advantages.

Edit: that heat shielding looks quite complicated, are you going to be able to form aluminum into a shape that will fit well? Or are you going to go flat and space it off the firewall more? Will the stock shield not work as-is? (I'm all for better materials, but not for making extra work!)

Yeah but why would you want conductivity for an insulator?

 

[JCH13]

Yeah but why would you want conductivity for an insulator?

Well, a heat shield isn't really an insulator in the strictest sense. It's there to block convective transfer, which any solid piece of material can do. It's also there to block radiation heat transfer.

All else being equal, heat transfer through radiation is proportional to area*absolute_temperature^4. Aluminum is very conductive and so it doesn't develop localized 'hot spots' like steel steel does near the turbo (which is the closest exhaust component) there will be a temperature rise, but it will be more diffuse and at a lower temperature. Heat transfer through the heat shield will ultimately be lower with aluminum because of the lower surface temperatures and heavy dependence on temperature to drive heat transfer in radiation.

Aluminum also has a much lower emissivity than steel, so it will absorb less heat in the first place.

 

[JCH13]

Also, WOO! MK1.5 IS ALIVE!:awe:

Best feeling ever when that new engine fires up for the first time.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Ok,

Mark today on the Calendar. Drove for the first time.

1. Bled the Clutch
2. Bled the brakes
3. Attached e-brake assembly
4. Replaced underside protective plastics
5. Put in my Garvin GPS (still waiting on a mechanical speedo) to know how fast Im going.
6. Temporarily hooked up boost gauge to stereo wiring
7. Cut and welded the shift linkage to make shifting easier and made one side adjustable.
8. Installed Blow Off Valve only to find out I dont really need it L
9. Double checked and torque down all bolts to spec
10. Made sure all hoses connected and tight
11. Installed wheels
12. Lowered car
13. Started her up and had my first drive. The first stop was at a gas station to fill up with 91 Octane. Didn’t boost at all, and first impression was, wow, this is peppy, and already way more powerful than the 4AGE. Shifts pretty smooth, but still needs some work. Clutch catches and releases no problems (there was a spring sound when I pushed on it at first, but that has gone away - probably due to sitting for 8+ months). Need a wheel alignment desperately. Also noticed that my water temperature gauge on my dash was not working. But no check engine lights :thumbsup:

Then the real fun began.
After it was good and warm I decided to give her a little gas in first. First time ever experiencing boost :awe: Waaaaaaaa!!! Daaamn, this is what I have been missing?! Just sucked me back in the seat and I was at full rev before I could react. The rear end got a little loose and fishtailed out a little. Scared the crap out of me. But wow, what a difference compared to stock.


After 5 months, finally on the ground again

Have some height issues with the piping and blow off valve. I learned that I don’t need the BOV, which would have saved a lot of hassle had I known this before hand. Derp. Just need to reposition the intercooler and cut off some brackets and it will all work out eventually. I drove around without the engine lid for now.

Right now I am running muffler less.

I wanted to use this huge MKII muffler

But its full of seeds that either a mouse or bird collected.

In order to make the shift cables work I had to shorten the right side and lengthen the left side. I made the left side adjustable with a turn buckle. Works pretty good now.

Just a view of my current ghetto set up.

And how tight things are in the engine bay. I want to move the air filter and AFM so that they are more down in front of the transmission. This would allow more air to be around the intercooler - and would make enough room to put a Spal Fan in as well.

So ya. Now its minor fixing up till I can get it inspected. Need to replace a signal light, get a muffler, and a few other minor details. But its close, so close.


Once its street legal Ill try to rig my camera up for a video.

 

[JCH13]

:thumbsup:

 

[manimal]

Man fuzz you got alot to be proud of for this. Wish I could go for a ride with ya!


Awesome DYI on that shift cable! I remember the first time mine broke

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Man fuzz you got alot to be proud of for this. Wish I could go for a ride with ya!


Awesome DYI on that shift cable! I remember the first time mine broke

Im not going to lie, I am proud.
If you had asked me last december if I thought I could ever pull off a compelte engine swap, I would have laughed in your face. It has been a fun journey though, and still have a long ways to go to be at your and Jlee, JCH13, exdeath or SkyKing level. I feel dumb reading your guys' threads. but I find them incredible inspiring.

Also, Im just so so so happy that ATG fixed the issues of past. I was ready to find a new home (*ahem* "Garage") a while ago. Glad I didnt have to.

 

[jlee]

Awesome job. I think you've passed me by now...if not, really damn close. Can't wait to see the boost run videos :awe:

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Do you guys think i could just cut open that MKII muffler, clean it out, and then weld it back together without issue?? Or is that a pipe dream

 

[Aikouka]

You're supposed to find the largest muffler possible and use it.

Rice it up! :awe:

 

[exdeath]

It has been a fun journey though, and still have a long ways to go to be at your and Jlee, JCH13, exdeath or SkyKing level. I feel dumb reading your guys' threads. but I find them incredible inspiring.

Uh I've never done anything like what you've done. I've bolted shit on to a stock engine, that's pretty much it. I know my stuff but I've never applied that knowledge to do anything crazy personally.

See, if I see something funny with my exhaust, I just buy a new exhaust piece and bolt it in. You'd go out and buy a mandrel pipe bender, tig welder, 10' of stainless pipe, and god knows what else...

You = "Hmm can't find the right bolt... I know, buy a CNC mill and make the right one!"

Check with me again for crazy project cred when I do my 3S Camry swap or a 5.8 TT build on the Cobra

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Uh I've never done anything like what you've done. I've bolted shit on to a stock engine, that's pretty much it. I know my stuff but I've never applied that knowledge to do anything crazy personally.

See, if I see something funny with my exhaust, I just buy a new exhaust piece and bolt it in. You'd go out and buy a mandrel pipe bender, tig welder, 10' of stainless pipe, and god knows what else...

You = "Hmm can't find the right bolt... I know, buy a CNC mill and make the right one!"

Check with me again for crazy project cred when I do my 3S Camry swap or a 5.8 TT build on the Cobra

I dont know whether to feel complimented or insulted.

I was just sayin' you guys are WAY more knowledgeable, and I feed off of you.

I've always learned from doing. Many people I know are booksmart, but put them on the street and they couldnt figure out north from south. My experience with learning (and jobs) is that 10% is research (or being told what to do), and 90% is experience (making errors and adapting)**. Somebody can always tell me what is right and wrong, but its hard for me to justify what they say without experiencing it myself. I actually think it is a fault in my personality, and wish I didnt have it - then I could learn from OTHER peoples mistakes. but Nope! I gotta do it the hard way.

I blame it on LEGO. It made me believe that anything I thought of could be created - it just takes imagination to look at a clump of pieces and say "thats exactly it!"

** - its the same ratio with my view on life: 10% is what happens to me, 90% is how I react to what is happening to me. I wish I knew who to quote for that.

You're supposed to find the largest muffler possible and use it.

Rice it up! :awe:

ew. no. I would rather have near silence (besides the whine of the turbo - that sound is soooo saweet). I am even considering putting a fake '85 N/A stock" looking muffler on just to be more of a sleeper. Sort of a wolf in sheeps clothing.

Awesome job. I think you've passed me by now...if not, really damn close. Can't wait to see the boost run videos :awe:

I will always be a grasshopper when compared to you, my sensei

 

[JCH13]

[snip]

I blame it on LEGO. It made me believe that anything I thought of could be created - it just takes imagination to look at a clump of pieces and say "thats exactly it!"

[snip]

ew. no. I would rather have near silence (besides the whine of the turbo - that sound is soooo saweet). I am even considering putting a fake '85 N/A stock" looking muffler on just to be more of a sleeper. Sort of a wolf in sheeps clothing.
[snip]

Do you guys think i could just cut open that MKII muffler, clean it out, and then weld it back together without issue?? Or is that a pipe dream

Cars are like Legos that way, you can make anything work that you put your mind to. Next up: AWD 2-engine MR2! :awe:

Get a nice, big-diameter free-flowing exhaust that is as light as you can afford. You just added a bunch of weight to the rear of a car that was already rear-biased, lightening the exhaust is the easiest way to get your weight distribution closer to even because it hangs behind the rear axle.

You're really going to want as much exhaust flow as you can stand, it will improve turbo spool-up and prevent boost from dropping off at higher RPMs. The turbo will take much of the noise out of the exhaust in the first place, so muffling isn't such a big deal as it is in a naturally aspirated or supercharged car.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Cars are like Legos that way, you can make anything work that you put your mind to. Next up: AWD 2-engine MR2! :awe:

Get a nice, big-diameter free-flowing exhaust that is as light as you can afford. You just added a bunch of weight to the rear of a car that was already rear-biased, lightening the exhaust is the easiest way to get your weight distribution closer to even because it hangs behind the rear axle.

You're really going to want as much exhaust flow as you can stand, it will improve turbo spool-up and prevent boost from dropping off at higher RPMs. The turbo will take much of the noise out of the exhaust in the first place, so muffling isn't such a big deal as it is in a naturally aspirated or supercharged car.

Very good point about the weight. I have the day off work so I will go do some shopping around. I am looking for a 3" inlet - 3.5" out possibly. Thats what the MKII muffler is. 3" to 3" would work to. Anything. It doesnt need to be pretty, just present to pass an inspection.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

here it is. I was going to post it last night but the site was down for maintanence.

I used almost all of the MKII piping, just had to cut it a little in the middle to make it work.

Thats about as light and inconspicuous as possible. Heres a video The video is decieving, cuz it makes it sound loud, but in reality its very quiet compared to my silver N/A car. Just a very deep bass tone which I like.

and I chose NOT to use the massive 5" poop spout. Too over the top for my tastes.