adroitcaptor

Cool read bro! Silly to throw something out because someone tells you it does not meet some arcane expectation THEY have. - Does the car do what you want? Do you enjoy driving it? Is working on it worth the result to you? - 'Totaled' is someone else's word for [lack of] value; not yours. Fix it, love it, enjoy it, and spend that same time with friends growing and experiencing life. That is the freedom and love a car gives back to us... JMHO tho

My bias opinion, you need R32 GTR wheels... Just sayin

D I R T Y I 3 0

Chapter 2: Two, for the two

So reader, me and you have been through a lot together from these previous pages. From being naive and aspiring, to depressed and defeated...who knew a twenty year old automobile could haul a twenty year old through so many hairpins and emotions.

Reader, we may or may not feel the same about our cars and that's fine. To some, it can be something "fun" that carries no sentimental value. It can just be something "cool" that they wanted. However, for people like me a car can be an appendage of your personality, your image, your soul.

It is a window to your personality. The make, model, modifications, condition. Everything. A track prepped miata can give off the vibe that the owner is a simple, focused individual seduced by the romance of driving fast around circuits. A slammed BMW can say that the owner is a person of character and unique taste.

But why do we spend so much time working on our 3000lb+ noble steeds? Why do we spend so much money on this? My perspective...that feeling of achievement that we always strive for in life we are also looking for in our cars. Whether it's trying to polish your public experience by polishing your stanced machine, or kindling a feeling of legitimacy by posting up legitimate Auto-X times, our cars serve as a medium to reaching an internal zen.

I was joyous when my car was on the road in ideal condition, and heartbroken when I was rear ended two weeks ago. But as you know by now, this mid-engined life never surrenders without an uphill fight.

__________________________________________________ ________________

Part I. Stretching the options

So after staring at the damaged bits of the MR2 from the window of my lab, I decided enough was enough. I was tired of waiting for my dad to get in contact with his "friend" from the body shop. Secretly, I had a hunch that he was not fond of the idea of me leaving the car at the shop in Rockville instead of in Frederick. Alright life, want to play with me? Well I can play back, beezatch.

Seth had been texting me for the last few weeks to save the considerable amount of money, that insurance compensated me with, and repair it myself. Repair it myse - Seth, what are you talking about? Have you seen the trunk? That looks impossible to fix, it's like saying you are going to beat me in a race - not going to happen . Even though Seth was confident that it would do the trick, I was ambivalent about the idea...

Then I had a foke it moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAlzPgXb6rE

If I damaged the rear bumper even further...WHO CARES! Insurance has my back, screw it let's do this. I gritted my teeth and rolled down to Home Depot on the Golden Mile in search of some 2x4 wood, as Seth recommended. Looking , looking, look - thereeee we go. Two boards, and a wood saw? The cash register said "Cha ching, Salman, I got your money." I said "foke you" to the register and walked out of there looking like a boss



Arrived home, and my Father Kazmi instincts immediately went off. "I know he's going to be all ancy about me always working on the car. 'Salman, why do you waste so much time on your car. Seriously go...' Yada yada yada Dad please go to a university and do your lecturing there." Not surprisingly, he did come out and do as I predicted but I zoned out from that.

Cut wood here. Doesn't Fit? Cut again. It fits, perfect. Alright now let's whip out the jack and place it against those pieces of wood...start pressing it out. Begin.



And what do you know, Seth was right.

Before, reason why taillights were sticking out. The actual frame was pushed in:




After, pushed back in:




Before:




After:




Before, worst:




After, almost unnoticable. Will fix futher:




Before, both tilted down:




After, Straight:




Before:




After, rubbed scuff marks off with my fingers then cleaned with microfiber cloth. My fingers...:'( waahhh they hurt:







You want something done? Do it yourself, learn something new in the process. Sometimes it's worth it not to pay for a service just to learn a thing or two. Maybe I'll straighten out the bumper now, and clean up that circular scratch on the front bumper. Feeling manly about doing this...doing something on your own, very Macguyverish...dad came back from his walk speechless, impressed, and actually smiled. That smile made me smile, in your face pops.

Good news is that this leaves me with a lot of money to do things. Things like...engine swap...

Let's see what happens this month, eh?

niceguy

Fun project! After getting home from work yesterday a neighbor called me over to show me one of his project cars. He has an '87? Corolla GTS coupe and after doing little odds and ends maintenance and header install (this guy is mid 40ish with 2 teen sons), he pops the hood and has installed a SC MR2 engine. And there is room to spare lol.

Still rocking the OEM 195mm 14" wheels and catback though he installed an aftermarket Thrush muffler and Mishimoto radiator.

Promises to be a fun little car though his oldest son is disappointed. It was to be his high school ride until the SC engine went in. Now he's getting the '85 Tercel lol. At least they're all manual trannies.

D I R T Y I 3 0

Selling car

Here is link to ad:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...621585003.html

Here is link to my build thread (same thing):

http://www.mr2oc.com/showthread.php?...62#post5818562

Negotiable

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

getting another max now???

schmellyfart

iTrader: (46)

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

I didn't see this coming. is right.
Sell it to Schmelly.
He will trade Maxima labor for it.

D I R T Y I 3 0

Nope. Reliable DD until I finish school, then sell and buy MR2 Turbo

I'm pretty sad as well, but it has to go. Need something reliable to get me through school for these next years

Come pick it up, I'll sell it to you for less than 2000

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

Well this sucks

D I R T Y I 3 0

Indeed.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Don't sweat it. Greener pastures are ahead. When you experience the rush of turbo boost, you'll get this stupid little grin from ear to ear and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

D I R T Y I 3 0

yeah it was fun while it lasted, but I was getting tired of the motor anyway. Just have to finish up and get a job so I can have all the car fun I want.

schmellyfart

iTrader: (46)

Understandable.

Wish you were closer

D I R T Y I 3 0

Move to MD, and you wont have to wish anymore

schmellyfart

iTrader: (46)

West coast is best coast

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Too bad I can't fit. Prime subject for a.... VQ SWAP??!!!

Cars become A LOT smaller for me/impossible to track with a helmet on

Forever in the Maxima game for me.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

right, big op need big cars. that's why i've had maxy for over 9 years cause i fit into her. tried fitting into other cars, then i thought about all the work i put into her and said *** it

D I R T Y I 3 0

That's it! Car has been sold today. Joe or Apokryphos from the MR2OC forum drove 3 hours from Richmond, VA to check it out and dish me $1000. I am actually very happy that I sold it to him. We are about the same age, and he's a guy with a great personality. Has experience inspecting cars and racing them, so I know it was going into good hands. Im fact, he actually has a V6 Widebody MR2 up for sale.

We chatted up a lot about Frederick, racing MR2s, and other miscellaneous things for an hour or so. Maybe it's just me, but it's nice talking to someone from the same car community. Felt good spending my last few moments with the car; in the presence of someone who gave vibes of treating the car to its max potential.

Anyways here are the pictures and a video of the car being towed away:

My brother also wanted to help us load it. Always enjoyed the attention of riding in it.




Joe tying down the straps




Video of car being towed away. Maybe forever...



My last remarks about the community, specific people, and the car:

The MR2 Community:
I have to say this is one of the best car communities I have ever come across. Everyone is very humble, friendly, and altruistic. We all watch out for each other, and understand that we share something special. No egos float around us, just a warm camaraderie. So I want to call out Seth Barone, Willie Williamson, Bernard, Peter Milla, Tyler Cockburn, Edwin Wachira, Rudy, Manvir Singh, Daniel Levi, and Tim Walker for being very welcoming friends. I'm not leaving the community, but you guys bring the DMV MR2 group a good name and reputation.


Kudos to these guys:
There are two people that deserve special recognition, and they are Tony Villela (mr2nice) and my friend Dan Gugger (bordin34).

I probably annoyed tony a lot with my constant questions about swaps lol, but he is a person & technician of exceptional class. Not only is his mr2 nice, but the same can be said about his nature. Always helped me out, replied to my urgent texts, and laughed at my sarcastic jokes (very hard to do). He even fixed my friend's I30 that had been sitting for months from a botched 3.5 swap. Tony knows his ish, so I highly recommend going to him for any vehicle problems you have or if you want to meet a real gentleman. Thanks Tony! ^___^

Dan Gugger, I don't think I will ever come across a person that will constantly go the extra yard for you. Anytime I needed a helping hand, he offered it so willingly and without hesitation. Dan also has an extensive knowledge about cars, bikes, guns you name it. Initially, I was actually intimidated by him since I knew he was CPT president and was very quiet around me when we first met. But overtime I realized...Dan is FREAKING HILARIOUS LOL. I always looked forward to working on the 944 or MR2 - listening to his blunt remarks towards his phone or other things. Or he'd make ridiculous swap suggestions and be completely serious. I definitely value his presence, and him having a 100% "real" atmosphere around him. So Dan, a big thank you! Hope your 944's water pump doesn't break again


My MR2:
What can I say, what can I say...

Would I do it again? Would I deal with those caliper bolts again? Would I deal with those ignition coils? Would I replace the alternator in the parking lot again? Definitely. Absolutely. I am more of a man now than I was before I owned the MR2. Learned much about financial management, working on cars, driving techniques, and the importance of getting something done by yourself. I read this quote the other day and I believe it directly pertains to this:

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default." - J.K. Rowling

But the MR2...it's just in an entirely different class of cars compared to those of today. The sensation of hurling a 2500lb car so quickly, precisely around a mountain or track is one that can't be found in any front-engined car. Riding in this small cockpit, low to the ground, the engine growling behind you... no turbo noise "funneled" into the cockpit can even simulate that feeling of legitimacy. And geez, the looks...$2700 and you get 2700 compliments? I'd say the amazing amount of compliments I received was the best "small thing" about the car. The attention was a drug.

__________________________________________________ ____________

People ask me what car I am getting next? Nothing. Yes, really. I am just going to borrow whatever car is available for me to drive to school. Use the money that I have to pay for school and save up the rest for a car to buy in the future. Will I buy another MR2 one day? Maybe...probably...I want one right now. But it's funny if you think about this whole story...I'm now back to where I was before. Car-less, filled with ambition, and now with greater knowledge. However, a car will now be a long term goal.

Don't worry, I'll get another MR2...

...one day.

"Desires make slaves out of kings and patience makes kings out of slaves."
- Imam Ghazali











/Sal's Build Thread

DrunkieTheBear

iTrader: (17)

wow crazy you sold it! You will find new roads and have fun driving down them.

D I R T Y I 3 0

My friends that also followed the build were also shocked. They were actually very encouraging for me to swap out the engine. But I had my reasons and stuck to them. Still blown away that I only had the car for a year, but it was an eventful ownership.

I've been able to do most of what I wanted on a barebones college student budget, so at least I fulfilled those passions. Just going to tough it out now.

Leaning towards getting a Supercharged MKI MR2 in the future.

Edit: I just noticed, did you sell the pontiac?

DrunkieTheBear

iTrader: (17)

Yeah, I sold the Pontiac back in March. Guy who bought it just blew the motor on it about 2-3 weeks ago. Funds helped me buy a house.

Requin6

iTrader: (36)

Great thread Sal. Sorry to hear that it has come to an end. Good luck on your next endeavor...whenever and whatever that may be.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

nice to see it went to good hands, good luck w the next project

wow! how did u find out? what do u think did it?

DrunkieTheBear

iTrader: (17)

He posts updates on the GPF.

http://www.grandprixforums.net/threa...=1#post1297625

He is dealing with the rust, which I knew was becoming a problem on that car sadly, but it looks like he is willing to put in the time in to reverse it (I had reached my limit with money on that car).

As far as what happened...who knows, that NIC cam is risky for that reason.

I wonder if Sal keeps tabs on his old MR2?

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Whut?! Teh drunken 1 sold the gp?!?!

This makes me wonder what happened with the white nightmare. I wonder if its still alive...

D I R T Y I 3 0

That's pretty awesome, congratulations! I would pick a house over a car as well. The Pontiac was nice because it was 1) so well done and 2) somewhat rare since they're out of production. At least you have a clean Saab

Time to time, I will text the current owner. He's putting in a 3MZ-FE V6 motor this winter. I'm living my dreams through him haha.

Life has been a bit boring since I sold it, although there's less to stress about. The MR2 community is dwindling in this area, but I keep in touch with most of them. We sometimes go out for dinner or they come to events hosted by our university's car club.

We'll see what this summer brings. I have my eyes on an MR2 Spyder since I had a riot test driving one. Although another MKII would be nice, I don't want to be a person who only buys one make & model.

Sorry for the extremely late response. I rarely visit this forum now. However, if someone buys me another A32...

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

They're pretty much free nowadays, pick up a beater and have some more FWD fun!

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

supercharged AWII or bust

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Why not? It keeps things simple, every part you collected gets re-used, you know the size of every bolt off of the top of your head.

Keeping two gens of maximas gets confusing.... like my last fiasco bringing the wrong axle nut to change my axles the other day, brought a 36mm instead of a 32mm, ughhhhhh.

Plus, not every car that's the same.... is the same.... That's like saying, all asians are the same, or all hispanics, etc. etc. Remember that Top Gear episode when they all ended up w/ the same 318 bimmer? (Was it 318? I don't remember) That's the way every 4th gen I've worked on has been. The red car has been my favorite and easiest, the white is a POS that needs to be sent back to hell, and my friends Blue car shouldn't still be alive, but it is... etc. etc...... They're all 4th gens but they're almost totally and completely different cars. Hell, i drove 6 I35s before I chose the dirty... The dirty was the only one to smoke up the tires in 1st gear with TCS off and had all working heated seats, only drawback the dirty did not have a working sub or 6cd changer.

D I R T Y I 3 0

I'd like to, but it's just too old to have as an only car.

Because I may find something better by trying new cars. I could have bought another I30/Maxima when I had the money, but I knew there are better platforms than this four-door family sedan. No offense, the maxima only has its motor going for it. I loved the I30's power, but there are many cars that are far more enjoyable to drive.

An exception is 95maxrider's car. Handling was amazing when I rode with him.

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Contradicting, you are.

This car is either boring or not.

It's your opinion, doesn't matter to me.... Just stay consistent that's all

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

Well, to be fair, my car does have some rather unique suspension parts that most people can't/won't put on their cars, resulting in a vastly different ride. Subframe connectors, fender braces, panhard rod conversion, 5.5* caster, Hoosier A6s, etc. Just slapping on some coilovers will not make a random A32 handle anywhere near as good as my car.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

wait for it....

DATS RIGHT IN YO AZZ B1TCH!123!!

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Doesn't matter.

A boring car is a boring car.

Unless what he's trying to say is...

A car is boring because boring things are done to it.... There we have clarity.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

**** yo clarity ho. Aint nobody tryna hurr all dat readin' n ****.

D I R T Y I 3 0

Not really. I can like certain aspects of a car, but dislike others. Then decide if the pros outweigh the cons. The I30's power and intake noise are the only things I miss about it. Other than that, the handling was still junk with aftermarket suspension and there was an insane amount of body roll. Stock for stock, there are many better & faster platforms. The maxima is not a bad car, but it doesn't suit my tastes for a car that can handle well.

I've read maxrider's build thread from beginning to end and could see that he went great lengths to bring out the potential of his car. When I rode with him at an auto-x event, it was evident that it was meticulously built. Handling was very flat and the turn-in was quick. Those modifications were definitely worth it.

Would I do the same thing he did? No, because I believe it's better off to modify a sports car with a better platform (FR, RR, MR). But his car is so well done that I would buy it if he were to sell it. Just a properly built car. It's function with performance-aimed form.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

Body roll is seriously a killer in the A32. Its weak chassis doesnt help but coilovers and uprated bushings really do make a world of a difference. I felt my car was terrible with springs and struts and it had the best combo we had available at the end of the day they are just way too soft. Im still looking into improving the A32 handling wise i want SFC probably gonna have to go custom and a lower tie bar if ground clearance allows on my car. My car is about 2" off the ground. The biggest thing i want to change is that slow steering rack. I was looking into custom boxs Sentra guys have done them or retrofitting a SpecV rack on the car.

At the end of the day other cars are just better. I DD a BMW 5er and stock it is just better, just no contest better, that is with it carrying an extra 1000lbs, that's half a ton of weight.

Yea 95maxrider's car is something else. I would love to meet up with him one day on the Dragon like in the spring before all the bikes get there. I'll need to pick up a second set of wheels and tires but it would be a blast. It would be nice to get a meet going but cheap maxima owners.....everybody will say they are coming then like 2 people show up lol.

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Spoken like a true man who's never put coilovers and chassis reinforcement on an A32. You never did much to your car so why do you expect much out of it?

See, it's funny you say that because I believe the opposite
I've beaten many cars with stock struts, dropzone springs, a y-pipe and an intake. I think you're missing my point so I'll spell it out clearly.

It's not the ride... It's the rider.

This was something taught to me at one of my very first autocrosses....

A Vehicles Performance, as explained to me by many people smarter than me.

Tires = 60%
Driver = 20%
Luck = 10%
Car = 9%
???? = 1%

Basically.... There is no great car, just about finding the car you respond best with, after you find a great set of tires of course.

Because stock for stock, give me my racing tires and I'd murder any stock mr2 (I already have actually )

That being said, I want to enter the world of hot hatches, I feel like moar fwd lulz are to be had there. I really enjoy lightweight fwd chassis', it just feels like I'm playing a video game whenever I get the chance to drive one.

PS. I just re-did the pre-load and dampening on the dirty's coilovers, tail end is on skates now

Organize something b1tch.

If you can gaurantee the east coast heavy hitters will show, I'll be there.

D I R T Y I 3 0

Will the SpecV rack fit into the I30? Never heard of that being done before. By the way, did you ever finish your turbo build? I remember reading about it awhile ago. Seemed promising

Ok...my point is that the I30 was a good first car. But a family sedan chassis does not have the same potential to that of a sports car. If I want to have a car to be competitive in, I'm not going to buy a maxima because it would need too much work. However, if I want a reliable DD to tinker with then the maxima is a good choice.

I'm not calling out everyone on these forums, it happens in the MR2 crowd too. But I'm a person that likes to try different cars and meet people from different communities. Just don't be obnoxious about your own car because it's not the best thing in the world...but there are respectable examples of it.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

The turbo build is still continuing although now it is at its completion. Just a few last safety concerns being taken care of and I am done.

As far as the SpecV rack it is something i will look into in the future. the B15s are essentially small A33B and we know most A33 parts fit with little to no modification onto A32. I have seen B14 guys using SpecV racks and their own interchangeably. It really will just be seeing if the stock steering column is compatible to the the SpecV rack. The racks are actually the same size.

Honestly it looks like all we would have to do is use our stock hardlines off the OEM rack on the SpecV rack and bolt it in and use the maxima tie rods. SpecVs have a much sharper steering rack vs maximas. Its 2.33 turns to lock vs the maxima 2.9, its a quick rack and will definitely sharpen steering response.

Of course nobody has done it yet because nobody really thinks about improving the steering response and the people that do just yell BUY A 99 RACK, and thats the end.