The MR2 Build
03-19-2014, 10:42 PM
#1
The MR2 Build
So I typed up a build thread of my MR2 on a non-car related forum, and thought car people might appreciate this as well. Unlike my other thread on here, this is a whole story of my experience before ownership, during ownership, and reflections from ownership.
And I can do this because I have over 1000 posts = authority son! ^___^
Ever since I was a wee little boy playing Gran Turismo 1 I have always dreamed of buying a car on my own and eventually getting into racing. It's something I desired to do with a burning passion. The moment I got my license I thought my dreams would come true in an instant, I thought "Oh my dad can buy a Civic Si for me, or maybe an S2000, an M3, or maybe even gasp AN EVO!!!" When time came to ask him about what car I would drive, he said "tough love son, I am not buying you a car. You will get the car I worked for and bought new - 1996 Infiniti I30"
I was bummed -___-, wth I get this garbage autotragic car. It's so lame! 15 inch rims, not even good looking. All my other friends are getting sports cars- Mazdaspeed6, GTI, Scion TC. UGHHH LAME!!! However while driving the car overtime and going through car forums on the internet I realized the car had potential and a reputation for an awesome engine. So with that I got a job at Kumon while in high school and paid for mods and repairs on my own. I would get into trouble with my parents with this car but I developed an appreciation for what my father gave me and made the most of it. After loads of backroad runs in the country even my friends gave me respect on how ridiculously fast I drove this car on straights and corners.
The I30 has a lot of sentimental value because it's been with us off the parking lot in 96' to still soldiering on through the snow in 2014 = 18 years. This car means a lot to me because I babied it, worked on it, and went racing for the first time ever in it and was able to get awesome results
*Pics of the I30*
And I can do this because I have over 1000 posts = authority son! ^___^
Ever since I was a wee little boy playing Gran Turismo 1 I have always dreamed of buying a car on my own and eventually getting into racing. It's something I desired to do with a burning passion. The moment I got my license I thought my dreams would come true in an instant, I thought "Oh my dad can buy a Civic Si for me, or maybe an S2000, an M3, or maybe even gasp AN EVO!!!" When time came to ask him about what car I would drive, he said "tough love son, I am not buying you a car. You will get the car I worked for and bought new - 1996 Infiniti I30"
I was bummed -___-, wth I get this garbage autotragic car. It's so lame! 15 inch rims, not even good looking. All my other friends are getting sports cars- Mazdaspeed6, GTI, Scion TC. UGHHH LAME!!! However while driving the car overtime and going through car forums on the internet I realized the car had potential and a reputation for an awesome engine. So with that I got a job at Kumon while in high school and paid for mods and repairs on my own. I would get into trouble with my parents with this car but I developed an appreciation for what my father gave me and made the most of it. After loads of backroad runs in the country even my friends gave me respect on how ridiculously fast I drove this car on straights and corners.
The I30 has a lot of sentimental value because it's been with us off the parking lot in 96' to still soldiering on through the snow in 2014 = 18 years. This car means a lot to me because I babied it, worked on it, and went racing for the first time ever in it and was able to get awesome results
*Pics of the I30*
Last edited by D I R T Y I 3 0; 03-19-2014 at 10:54 PM.
03-19-2014, 10:42 PM
#2
Eventually after two years in college, joining the car club and seeing what cars other people had, I became very bored of the I30. It was a funny, ridiculously loud car but there was not much I could do with a boat. It was either stay complacent with the car and live with it until I get a job way later in my life or be proactive and go against all the odds - buy a car to build for racing/DD with scrap money.
After two years of college, I became a very motivational person because several times I came from an "F" in classes to pulling off "B" grades at the end of the terms. Defeat is only a state of mind, so I thought "Well hell, I have nothing to lose! I'm going to find me a job and buy a car on my own even if it's a pile of $#@!"
I started to look for on campus jobs to get the money I would use to buy a car in the summer. I got turned down from many, and the last one that would accept me was one at an on-campus diner. I thought "Hell no! I am better than a busboy and deserve a better job!" However, overtime I would continuously be denied other position then it occurred to me that this was the only one present. To make the situation more meaningful, I reminded myself how people go in and out of that diner to make a living in life and that if I wanted to get what I wanted I would have to sacrifice what I am for what I can achieve.
So, I picked up the job and what do you know the job turned out to be pretty easy for 15 hours a week and cash flowed in until the end of the semester where I had about $1000 saved! Not bad for a college student IMO. That however was not enough, and my situation was looking bleak until at the last minute I asked my previous summer's lab mentor if I could work under him with pay. And fortunately he replied yes! I was SOOOOO Stoked because I knew that my patience paid off and that this dream was actually going to happen.
That was a hellish summer. I was 60 miles away from home that whole summer, and worked 40+ hours every week. Some days I would go in at 6AM and travel back 20 miles to arrive home at 10PM. I really came to appreciate my parents' hard work to put food on the table for us.
On those rare occasions that I would come home on the weekend for work, I would passionately discuss with my parents the idea of me buying a car for myself. However, being the buzzkills they sometimes are, they wanted none of it and never believed I could do such a thing since I had been relying on them my whole life. My father flipped when I asked him for a loan when I didn't have the money. From that point on he just believed that I was using his money to buy a car, and that my history of breaking all of our cars was enough reason for me not to have another one. He thought with my budget I would get a "junkyard car" and that he would not allow such junk to be displayed in our driveway. That really drove me even harder to buy this car, because I wanted to prove to him that I am capable of doing this.
And so my hard work paid off when I would check the bank account and see the numbers I needed to buy a car. A poopy car, but a car nonetheless! So after talking to lots of gearheads about my interest in Auto-X and track days I narrowed down my selection to strictly Mazda Miatas and 1986-1991 BMW 3 Series (E30).
First Gen Miata:
BMW E30:
Both cars had large aftermarket inventory and supportive communities. So I drove both cars...I LOVE the first generation miata! It is an absolute blast to drive, so light, quick, and agile. But my friend had one and they were already played out. Keeping the miata as #2 on the list, I would then look for an E30 BMW as my #1 choice. However, after looking at 6 or 7 of these cars I realized that it's just a sedan that can handle well. Plus all the ones in my budget were complete POOP. It was starting to look bleak, and my morale was slowly diminishing...
Then the MR2 came into the picture.
After two years of college, I became a very motivational person because several times I came from an "F" in classes to pulling off "B" grades at the end of the terms. Defeat is only a state of mind, so I thought "Well hell, I have nothing to lose! I'm going to find me a job and buy a car on my own even if it's a pile of $#@!"
I started to look for on campus jobs to get the money I would use to buy a car in the summer. I got turned down from many, and the last one that would accept me was one at an on-campus diner. I thought "Hell no! I am better than a busboy and deserve a better job!" However, overtime I would continuously be denied other position then it occurred to me that this was the only one present. To make the situation more meaningful, I reminded myself how people go in and out of that diner to make a living in life and that if I wanted to get what I wanted I would have to sacrifice what I am for what I can achieve.
So, I picked up the job and what do you know the job turned out to be pretty easy for 15 hours a week and cash flowed in until the end of the semester where I had about $1000 saved! Not bad for a college student IMO. That however was not enough, and my situation was looking bleak until at the last minute I asked my previous summer's lab mentor if I could work under him with pay. And fortunately he replied yes! I was SOOOOO Stoked because I knew that my patience paid off and that this dream was actually going to happen.
That was a hellish summer. I was 60 miles away from home that whole summer, and worked 40+ hours every week. Some days I would go in at 6AM and travel back 20 miles to arrive home at 10PM. I really came to appreciate my parents' hard work to put food on the table for us.
On those rare occasions that I would come home on the weekend for work, I would passionately discuss with my parents the idea of me buying a car for myself. However, being the buzzkills they sometimes are, they wanted none of it and never believed I could do such a thing since I had been relying on them my whole life. My father flipped when I asked him for a loan when I didn't have the money. From that point on he just believed that I was using his money to buy a car, and that my history of breaking all of our cars was enough reason for me not to have another one. He thought with my budget I would get a "junkyard car" and that he would not allow such junk to be displayed in our driveway. That really drove me even harder to buy this car, because I wanted to prove to him that I am capable of doing this.
And so my hard work paid off when I would check the bank account and see the numbers I needed to buy a car. A poopy car, but a car nonetheless! So after talking to lots of gearheads about my interest in Auto-X and track days I narrowed down my selection to strictly Mazda Miatas and 1986-1991 BMW 3 Series (E30).
First Gen Miata:
BMW E30:
Both cars had large aftermarket inventory and supportive communities. So I drove both cars...I LOVE the first generation miata! It is an absolute blast to drive, so light, quick, and agile. But my friend had one and they were already played out. Keeping the miata as #2 on the list, I would then look for an E30 BMW as my #1 choice. However, after looking at 6 or 7 of these cars I realized that it's just a sedan that can handle well. Plus all the ones in my budget were complete POOP. It was starting to look bleak, and my morale was slowly diminishing...
Then the MR2 came into the picture.
03-19-2014, 10:42 PM
#3
I was bored one day on craigslist and thought "Oh, the MR2 is a cool car. I would never want to work on a mid-engined car, but hell I wouldn't mind driving one just for giggles." So I searched on CL and a clean, red MR2 came up as the first result. Non-Turbo, but man it looked good! The car was two hours away from me in PA, but nothing good was going for me so I jumped into the Infiniti and rolled up there on a Friday.
When I saw the car for the first time it was the first time I had ever seen an MR2 in person...and my god it looked SOOO good. I was giddy just looking at the thing. The car was sitting on TEIN coilovers so it was low, sleek looking as hell. And it had been freshly cleaned as well. I happily trotted over to the house and was greeted by a nerdy, timid high schooler whom I discovered would be leaving for his first year of college to NYC that Sunday. I should have noticed the red flags he told me about how he owned it for 6 months and how the car cut off on him last week but I was just too aroused by this car LOL! The one thing that was still a turn off was how the engine was in the middle, however one pop of the hood and I saw that there was a lot of room to work on the 2.2L. Satisfied, I said "Quit your yappin, let's go for a ride!"
Jesus Christo, this car was...FREAKING AWESOME!!! It was rated at 130HP & 145TQ but only weighed 2600lbs so it was surprisingly quick! The Cold Air Intake roared to life right behind my ears, we were zooming by everyone 1 inch off the ground, the handling was so sharp and nimble, and we were getting stares. Stares from people driving by us, stares by little kids with their jaws dropped, stares by attractive people. Stares everywhere. But what made me connect with this car was the unadulterated, raw driving experience. No Anti-Lock brake System, No Traction Control, No Power Steering - Just like how I played in Gran Turismo 1 as a small child. There were no interruptions driving this car, it was a zen experience. This car...just brought out the young boy that I once was. It felt and looked like a real sports car. I just felt so happy in this car.
The two-hour drive back home I was (shamefully) texting my friends about how UBERTASTIC driving the MR2 was. There was a problem though, it was listed at $4000. And my budget was 3000 because I would want to spend the remaining 1000-1100 I had on maintenance. But this dubious kid stupidly admitted that he bought the car for 3000 and was selling it at a higher price to compensate for the $400 ignition job he recently had - the car cut out on him one day and this problem would also haunt me later in ownership but we'll talk about that later. So I said "Yo kid, you suck at negotiating because you never admit what you bought it for and you will never get back what you paid for in maintenance." Okay I didn't say it in that jerkish tone, but I nonetheless negotiated his scheming face to a price of $2700. Boom, let's do this!
I called up my friend to roll with me there so he could drive my I30 back while I drive the MR2. Then it hit me that my parents had no clue that this deal was going down. I suddenly got scared because I know my dad would go ape-$#%! if he found out but I said "Screw it! This is my life, and I don't want to look back in life and regret not making a decision I had a passion to make." So I jacked the plates off of our SUV and texted my mom "Hey, I took the plates off our SUV in case I buy a car today"...no response from them. But I didn't care, I'm buying a car BOO YAHHHHHHH
We meet up at the notary at which we would have the paper work done, and I see the car parked at the venue. My god, I had such a huge smile I couldn't believe this was happening!!! We sign the papers, I handed him the 2700 cash, and then he gives me the keys...
That moment...right there...was one of the most emotional moments of my life. I proved to the little Salman that existed years ago that with hard work, patience, and faith dreams can come true. Impossible is nothing. And this was no "junkyard car" as my dad would belittle me with...this was the toyota MR2. A purebred sports car, and one that looked hella good. Those 2 hours back with the windows down, air going through my hair, cruising in fifth, I thought about life. I thought about how a positive attitude will get you what you want even if it takes years to do so. The possibilities of what I could do with this car and what I could become in life came into vision...
The MR2 was not just a car, it was a trophy that I had been working towards for 21 years. And it was a baller trophy.
When I saw the car for the first time it was the first time I had ever seen an MR2 in person...and my god it looked SOOO good. I was giddy just looking at the thing. The car was sitting on TEIN coilovers so it was low, sleek looking as hell. And it had been freshly cleaned as well. I happily trotted over to the house and was greeted by a nerdy, timid high schooler whom I discovered would be leaving for his first year of college to NYC that Sunday. I should have noticed the red flags he told me about how he owned it for 6 months and how the car cut off on him last week but I was just too aroused by this car LOL! The one thing that was still a turn off was how the engine was in the middle, however one pop of the hood and I saw that there was a lot of room to work on the 2.2L. Satisfied, I said "Quit your yappin, let's go for a ride!"
Jesus Christo, this car was...FREAKING AWESOME!!! It was rated at 130HP & 145TQ but only weighed 2600lbs so it was surprisingly quick! The Cold Air Intake roared to life right behind my ears, we were zooming by everyone 1 inch off the ground, the handling was so sharp and nimble, and we were getting stares. Stares from people driving by us, stares by little kids with their jaws dropped, stares by attractive people. Stares everywhere. But what made me connect with this car was the unadulterated, raw driving experience. No Anti-Lock brake System, No Traction Control, No Power Steering - Just like how I played in Gran Turismo 1 as a small child. There were no interruptions driving this car, it was a zen experience. This car...just brought out the young boy that I once was. It felt and looked like a real sports car. I just felt so happy in this car.
The two-hour drive back home I was (shamefully) texting my friends about how UBERTASTIC driving the MR2 was. There was a problem though, it was listed at $4000. And my budget was 3000 because I would want to spend the remaining 1000-1100 I had on maintenance. But this dubious kid stupidly admitted that he bought the car for 3000 and was selling it at a higher price to compensate for the $400 ignition job he recently had - the car cut out on him one day and this problem would also haunt me later in ownership but we'll talk about that later. So I said "Yo kid, you suck at negotiating because you never admit what you bought it for and you will never get back what you paid for in maintenance." Okay I didn't say it in that jerkish tone, but I nonetheless negotiated his scheming face to a price of $2700. Boom, let's do this!
I called up my friend to roll with me there so he could drive my I30 back while I drive the MR2. Then it hit me that my parents had no clue that this deal was going down. I suddenly got scared because I know my dad would go ape-$#%! if he found out but I said "Screw it! This is my life, and I don't want to look back in life and regret not making a decision I had a passion to make." So I jacked the plates off of our SUV and texted my mom "Hey, I took the plates off our SUV in case I buy a car today"...no response from them. But I didn't care, I'm buying a car BOO YAHHHHHHH
We meet up at the notary at which we would have the paper work done, and I see the car parked at the venue. My god, I had such a huge smile I couldn't believe this was happening!!! We sign the papers, I handed him the 2700 cash, and then he gives me the keys...
That moment...right there...was one of the most emotional moments of my life. I proved to the little Salman that existed years ago that with hard work, patience, and faith dreams can come true. Impossible is nothing. And this was no "junkyard car" as my dad would belittle me with...this was the toyota MR2. A purebred sports car, and one that looked hella good. Those 2 hours back with the windows down, air going through my hair, cruising in fifth, I thought about life. I thought about how a positive attitude will get you what you want even if it takes years to do so. The possibilities of what I could do with this car and what I could become in life came into vision...
The MR2 was not just a car, it was a trophy that I had been working towards for 21 years. And it was a baller trophy.
03-19-2014, 10:42 PM
#4
Lol oh man...I remember rolling up to the house in this car. I was trembling of fear and excitement. I did not know what to anticipate from my parents.
I walked into the house and saw my mom. I asked her if she wanted to see the car and she coldly said "No" and walked upstairs. Still pushing my luck, I decided to approach my sister and say "Yo, you want to see my car?" She says "Are you joking? You bought a car?" She thought I was totally lying, but then she walked outside...not exaggerating, her eyes widened a lot and she started laughing out of awe hahah! However, she then quickly commented on how she was scared for me as even she didn't know what to expect of my our father's response. Then shortly after, the big man comes out...
He looks at the car briefly, and then gives me the biggest WTH face I have ever seen. He completely flips ish saying "WTH you never told me you were buying a car! How can you lie about this and do this behind our backs?! Who is going to pay for the insurance?!" To which I replied saying "I texted you guys!" ROFLLL. I was laughing the whole time because I know he was just too shocked, he never believed I would actually buy a car. He also never believed I would find one in decent condition with my budget. That evening, my whole family refused to talk to me because of this unannounced purchase but I didn't care. I just got an MR2 mwahaha. My parents had to go to some dinner party later that evening, and I would be chilling at home. As they were walking to their car, I discretly peeked out the blinds and saw their eyes glued to the car, even as they left the driveway! I just felt so satisfied and proving them wrong because the car was so rare and good looking I knew they didn't expect it at all.
That following morning I was still received with cold shoulders, however gather breakfast time my mom gives me a long deep stare then says "...okay, take me for a drive..." CHECK FREAKING MATE!!! I was running to the car to get that baby fired up and take her for a spin, and boy I knew she liked it. It made me feel good when I turned to look at her as I was roaring down the road, and she was sitting all scrunched up as if she met a boy that she liked for the first time - it impressed her that much. When we returned, she explained to everyone how I legitimately bought the car 100% on my own without any of their money - they had respect for me and the car because every kid we knew had a car bought for them, which is perfectly understandable because as young adults we still dont make a living, but the fact that I was able to do it is a feat in itself.
My takeaway is not that I'm prideful or proud that "Oh yeah I worked for my car 100% and you didn't," but that I had a drive to fulfill a childhood dream. It doesn't matter if it's $2700 or $27,000 when you work for it completely on your own, then you get true satisfaction of getting what you wanted. And that attitude is what I carry over in everything in my life.
Pics of the day that I bought it:
I walked into the house and saw my mom. I asked her if she wanted to see the car and she coldly said "No" and walked upstairs. Still pushing my luck, I decided to approach my sister and say "Yo, you want to see my car?" She says "Are you joking? You bought a car?" She thought I was totally lying, but then she walked outside...not exaggerating, her eyes widened a lot and she started laughing out of awe hahah! However, she then quickly commented on how she was scared for me as even she didn't know what to expect of my our father's response. Then shortly after, the big man comes out...
He looks at the car briefly, and then gives me the biggest WTH face I have ever seen. He completely flips ish saying "WTH you never told me you were buying a car! How can you lie about this and do this behind our backs?! Who is going to pay for the insurance?!" To which I replied saying "I texted you guys!" ROFLLL. I was laughing the whole time because I know he was just too shocked, he never believed I would actually buy a car. He also never believed I would find one in decent condition with my budget. That evening, my whole family refused to talk to me because of this unannounced purchase but I didn't care. I just got an MR2 mwahaha. My parents had to go to some dinner party later that evening, and I would be chilling at home. As they were walking to their car, I discretly peeked out the blinds and saw their eyes glued to the car, even as they left the driveway! I just felt so satisfied and proving them wrong because the car was so rare and good looking I knew they didn't expect it at all.
That following morning I was still received with cold shoulders, however gather breakfast time my mom gives me a long deep stare then says "...okay, take me for a drive..." CHECK FREAKING MATE!!! I was running to the car to get that baby fired up and take her for a spin, and boy I knew she liked it. It made me feel good when I turned to look at her as I was roaring down the road, and she was sitting all scrunched up as if she met a boy that she liked for the first time - it impressed her that much. When we returned, she explained to everyone how I legitimately bought the car 100% on my own without any of their money - they had respect for me and the car because every kid we knew had a car bought for them, which is perfectly understandable because as young adults we still dont make a living, but the fact that I was able to do it is a feat in itself.
My takeaway is not that I'm prideful or proud that "Oh yeah I worked for my car 100% and you didn't," but that I had a drive to fulfill a childhood dream. It doesn't matter if it's $2700 or $27,000 when you work for it completely on your own, then you get true satisfaction of getting what you wanted. And that attitude is what I carry over in everything in my life.
Pics of the day that I bought it:
03-19-2014, 10:43 PM
#5
So the following day I registered the car with the DMV, and bought on campus parking for the whole year. At last, mission acccomplished!
Or was it...
The third day I had the car I was driving back home from college. (It was the week before classes started). As I was waiting at a stop light to get on the highway on ramp, the car suddenly cut out - dead. "Hmm?? What the-" I cranked it up and mercifully it came back to life. "Hmm, this was strange but I won't make anything of it." But this hiccup foreshadowed what would plague the car that night and for the 2 months to come...later that evening I decided to go for a joyride with my brother. As we were coming to a stop sign, the car cut out. "What the hell?? Please come back to life." The more I cranked the car, the more the battery started to drain til it came to a point that the car had no power.
I sat in silence...defeated.
Luckily the car was only a quarter mile from my house, so my brother and I towed it back home with our SUV. SIGH, alright Salman this happens in life. Time to suck it up and get this baby back on the road in time for college! The diagnosis began, and after doing some reading I narrowed it down to the ignition system of the car. Spark plugs? Ok. Ignition Coil? Resistance checks out and it's new, looks okay. Coil packs - what the fudge? One of them is completely FUBAR'D!
3rd one from the left was completely screwed up internally
No problem! Let's get a new one! Went that day and got a new set of coils. "Allrighttt this should start up fine now
" Cranks car, won't start. -________- SHUCKS. Whatever it's fine, let's give it a shot. Did some more reading and found out it could also be either the distributor or Ignition Control Module. Hmm distributor looks fine, ICM looks corroded - that's the problem! Yessss I am a boss, let's go to Autozone to get it - what the heck 300 DOLLARS?!
MOTHE...it's okay bro. You're running out of money, but this will fix the car. Got it and installed it. "Okay, it will start this time" Cranks car...
...Won't start.
I stood back from the car...and then realized that kid screwed me over. He knew there were problems with it after sending it to the shop, no wonder he was in a rush to sell it after 6 months. I was an idiot, and my parents rightfully agreed. They still respected me for everything leading up to this, but now they had to deal with a broken car in the garage. But no, this was my car and thus my responsibility. Since school was starting that week I would not have time to work on it. So I sent it off to our mechanic that day and felt my heart fall down to my gut as the tow truck driver whisked my MR2 out of sight...
Or was it...
The third day I had the car I was driving back home from college. (It was the week before classes started). As I was waiting at a stop light to get on the highway on ramp, the car suddenly cut out - dead. "Hmm?? What the-" I cranked it up and mercifully it came back to life. "Hmm, this was strange but I won't make anything of it." But this hiccup foreshadowed what would plague the car that night and for the 2 months to come...later that evening I decided to go for a joyride with my brother. As we were coming to a stop sign, the car cut out. "What the hell?? Please come back to life." The more I cranked the car, the more the battery started to drain til it came to a point that the car had no power.
I sat in silence...defeated.
Luckily the car was only a quarter mile from my house, so my brother and I towed it back home with our SUV. SIGH, alright Salman this happens in life. Time to suck it up and get this baby back on the road in time for college! The diagnosis began, and after doing some reading I narrowed it down to the ignition system of the car. Spark plugs? Ok. Ignition Coil? Resistance checks out and it's new, looks okay. Coil packs - what the fudge? One of them is completely FUBAR'D!
3rd one from the left was completely screwed up internally
No problem! Let's get a new one! Went that day and got a new set of coils. "Allrighttt this should start up fine now
" Cranks car, won't start. -________- SHUCKS. Whatever it's fine, let's give it a shot. Did some more reading and found out it could also be either the distributor or Ignition Control Module. Hmm distributor looks fine, ICM looks corroded - that's the problem! Yessss I am a boss, let's go to Autozone to get it - what the heck 300 DOLLARS?! MOTHE...it's okay bro. You're running out of money, but this will fix the car. Got it and installed it. "Okay, it will start this time" Cranks car...
...Won't start.
I stood back from the car...and then realized that kid screwed me over. He knew there were problems with it after sending it to the shop, no wonder he was in a rush to sell it after 6 months. I was an idiot, and my parents rightfully agreed. They still respected me for everything leading up to this, but now they had to deal with a broken car in the garage. But no, this was my car and thus my responsibility. Since school was starting that week I would not have time to work on it. So I sent it off to our mechanic that day and felt my heart fall down to my gut as the tow truck driver whisked my MR2 out of sight...
03-19-2014, 10:43 PM
#6
- 1 week later -
My phone rings, it's from my mechanic. "Hey Salman, your car has some major wiring issues. I will do my best but whomever touched your car really sucked working on it" O___O GOSH DARN IT. I just knew something was going to be bad. Whatever, he's doing it I'm not. Do your thing!
- Another week later -
Phone rings. "Hey Salman! I got your car fixed, you can come pick it up today." HOOOO FREAKING RAA!!! I decided to skip Biochemistry class to go pick up my car because 1) Biochemistry sucks and 2) It's my car! I got a ride by a good friend of mine, and went with two other of my good buds. That whole ride there I was just so happy. Happy, happy, happy, yes, yes yes. It's alive! I got there and it was running like a champ. "Salman, yeah your wiring is dumb and I had to spend so much time doing..." Yeah bla bla bla, just give me the recei - 500 DOLLARS?! Are you kidding me?! But whatevz you fixed my car. And did your job, here's your cash and boom let's bounce. My friend Jamal (the one whose pictures of the MR2 meet I posted on here) jumped in with me and I tore out of the shop like a bat out of hell. I was chirping second and powerslided through an intersection at one point. Awwww yeahhh everything is going so well, nothing can go wro-
Car cuts out on freeway
I tried to start it again. Nothing. Man at that moment, it was as if someone dropped a 1000lbs of weights on my shoulders. I felt the pain of a whole year's worth of progress burn before my eyes and hands. I felt a pang of shame as Jamal and I had to push my car to the shoulder. And I felt...defeat, utter defeat when I sat shotgun in the tow truck as we putted down 495 towards College Park. Upon our arrival we carefully lowered the MR2 to its temporary grave in lot 3. I was sad to say the least. I invested so much physical and mental effort into making my dream come true, and here it lied in a vegetitative state before my eyes. Was this the final destination? Was this an ephemeral experience? It was all there, but then again it wasn't. Still, I mustered up enough energy to bump up my work hours to 20 hours a week (which was a bad idea) to get more funds for the car. And thinking about it again...hmm I didn't try the distributor did I! Alrighty let's look for one...300 dollars?! Okay screw that I actually like having money in my bank account. OOOOHHHH, a distributor and and ignition coil for $20 from an MR2.com forum member? I paypal'd that ish and from FL it came to my doorstep. Hell yeah I got my parts let's go swap this part out. I skipped class once again to go fix the car, new one was in and old one was out - thanks to my friends Dan & Tyler for the help as well.
Parts from Org member. Distributor is on left:
But the car refused to start.
And it was at that point I was so frustrated, I actually...I actually gave up on the car. Screw you MR2, you made me work so much for you. I skipped classes for you, I physically and mentally burned myself out for you, and now my semester hasn't gone as well as it should be. This is how you treat me?? You weren't worth it.
All of September & October passed with the car untouched. But it wasn't until the last week in October I decided to look at the car out of the blue. When I tried turning on any of the electrical components I realized the battery was dead - then it hit me that just as the car died, my efforts to resolve problems in life died as well. I was renewed with a vigorous energy to redeem myself and get this noble steed back to life. MR2, I WON'T GIVE UP ON YOUUUU!
Using the pieces of my brain that I salvaged from the failed distributor replacement I tactfully placed a thread on the Mid-Atlantic section of MR2OC.com (MR2 Owners Club). And it was there that Tony - mr2nice - descended from the car heavens and reached out to me offering his expertise with the SW20 (MR2 Chassis Code). Tony is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life, he is selfless, altruistic, and a person that really deserves respect due to the amount he works. If I had T-Mobile, Tony would be one of my "Favorite 5," he is the man! I met him for the first time at 7PM after he had finished work and drove 40 minutes from his house to help me. I was greeted by his white MR2 from the car heavens. That car is sick, a gen3 motor with forged internals.
Sorry I had a poopy Palm Trio at the time, quality absolutely blows with a rating of -1/10
"Yeah Salman it's hard to do work on the car here. Send it to my shop in VA and I'll give it a look." By all means bro, take my car! Heck throw two turbochargers on it too! So I had the car towed to his shop on a Sunday morning. I told Tony that the car was at the shop, and Tony said he would work on it first thing on Monday morning.
Little did I know that Monday Morning would be my road back to redemption...
My phone rings, it's from my mechanic. "Hey Salman, your car has some major wiring issues. I will do my best but whomever touched your car really sucked working on it" O___O GOSH DARN IT. I just knew something was going to be bad. Whatever, he's doing it I'm not. Do your thing!
- Another week later -
Phone rings. "Hey Salman! I got your car fixed, you can come pick it up today." HOOOO FREAKING RAA!!! I decided to skip Biochemistry class to go pick up my car because 1) Biochemistry sucks and 2) It's my car! I got a ride by a good friend of mine, and went with two other of my good buds. That whole ride there I was just so happy. Happy, happy, happy, yes, yes yes. It's alive! I got there and it was running like a champ. "Salman, yeah your wiring is dumb and I had to spend so much time doing..." Yeah bla bla bla, just give me the recei - 500 DOLLARS?! Are you kidding me?! But whatevz you fixed my car. And did your job, here's your cash and boom let's bounce. My friend Jamal (the one whose pictures of the MR2 meet I posted on here) jumped in with me and I tore out of the shop like a bat out of hell. I was chirping second and powerslided through an intersection at one point. Awwww yeahhh everything is going so well, nothing can go wro-
Car cuts out on freeway
I tried to start it again. Nothing. Man at that moment, it was as if someone dropped a 1000lbs of weights on my shoulders. I felt the pain of a whole year's worth of progress burn before my eyes and hands. I felt a pang of shame as Jamal and I had to push my car to the shoulder. And I felt...defeat, utter defeat when I sat shotgun in the tow truck as we putted down 495 towards College Park. Upon our arrival we carefully lowered the MR2 to its temporary grave in lot 3. I was sad to say the least. I invested so much physical and mental effort into making my dream come true, and here it lied in a vegetitative state before my eyes. Was this the final destination? Was this an ephemeral experience? It was all there, but then again it wasn't. Still, I mustered up enough energy to bump up my work hours to 20 hours a week (which was a bad idea) to get more funds for the car. And thinking about it again...hmm I didn't try the distributor did I! Alrighty let's look for one...300 dollars?! Okay screw that I actually like having money in my bank account. OOOOHHHH, a distributor and and ignition coil for $20 from an MR2.com forum member? I paypal'd that ish and from FL it came to my doorstep. Hell yeah I got my parts let's go swap this part out. I skipped class once again to go fix the car, new one was in and old one was out - thanks to my friends Dan & Tyler for the help as well.
Parts from Org member. Distributor is on left:
But the car refused to start.
And it was at that point I was so frustrated, I actually...I actually gave up on the car. Screw you MR2, you made me work so much for you. I skipped classes for you, I physically and mentally burned myself out for you, and now my semester hasn't gone as well as it should be. This is how you treat me?? You weren't worth it.
All of September & October passed with the car untouched. But it wasn't until the last week in October I decided to look at the car out of the blue. When I tried turning on any of the electrical components I realized the battery was dead - then it hit me that just as the car died, my efforts to resolve problems in life died as well. I was renewed with a vigorous energy to redeem myself and get this noble steed back to life. MR2, I WON'T GIVE UP ON YOUUUU!
Using the pieces of my brain that I salvaged from the failed distributor replacement I tactfully placed a thread on the Mid-Atlantic section of MR2OC.com (MR2 Owners Club). And it was there that Tony - mr2nice - descended from the car heavens and reached out to me offering his expertise with the SW20 (MR2 Chassis Code). Tony is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life, he is selfless, altruistic, and a person that really deserves respect due to the amount he works. If I had T-Mobile, Tony would be one of my "Favorite 5," he is the man! I met him for the first time at 7PM after he had finished work and drove 40 minutes from his house to help me. I was greeted by his white MR2 from the car heavens. That car is sick, a gen3 motor with forged internals.
Sorry I had a poopy Palm Trio at the time, quality absolutely blows with a rating of -1/10
"Yeah Salman it's hard to do work on the car here. Send it to my shop in VA and I'll give it a look." By all means bro, take my car! Heck throw two turbochargers on it too! So I had the car towed to his shop on a Sunday morning. I told Tony that the car was at the shop, and Tony said he would work on it first thing on Monday morning.
Little did I know that Monday Morning would be my road back to redemption...
03-19-2014, 10:43 PM
#7
- Alarm rings. Shower turns on. Put on my clothes. Out the door to class -
Monday morning, I remember it as clear as Brita filtered water. That day I had class at 10AM. In the middle of class, I get a vibration in the leg. Oh it's my cell phone, I got a text.
"Hey man working on the car, there is no power in your ignition system it's weird but I'm working on it." Thanks Tony, nothing new but whatever I know it's broken. Back to boredom.
- 12PM -
I stroll back to my apartment, and crash onto my couch. Hmm I wonder how Tony is doing...Checks phone, 1 new text message. Oh.
"Got your car running, it was the main body harness. I also took off your shady aftermarket cruise control, removed a random ground wire, lowered your idle, and made sure your springs sat flush with the tophats. Call me when you are free."
Wait, wait...whattt he finished this car...in one day? Is this actually happening?? Is this the MR2 of lot 3?? Is this my car??? I was shocked, but still doubtful so I steadily punched in 10 digits for a phone call.
"Hey Salman, so yeah it's running pretty good. Other than those few things that I had to fix on your car, it is in pretty good condition and seems that it will run for a long time. I can drop it off at your place today, you'll just need to give me a ride back haha. $230 okay with you? Cool I'll see you tonight then!"
At last...satisfaction. Happiness. Joy. Warmth. It was like hearing a good friend was back in town, and even though you still had beef with him it just didn't matter anymore. It was coming home, it was coming home...later that evening Tony arrived onto campus and shot me a text saying he was outside. At that moment it was as if someone stabbed me in the heart with a syringe full of adrenaline because I was flying out of the apartment. COME ONNN ELEVATOR, WORK WITH MEEEEEE!!! As I exited the apartment building I frantically looked left and right with Tony nowhere in sight. I ran around the corner, and there it was.
It was one of those cliche' moments where time stopped when two entities made a connection. My MR2 was snarling at the corner of the street, idling, waiting for its rightful owner to tame the wild beast that lurked beneath that red silk dress and those voluptuous curves. I walked towards my car smiling in awe and anxiousness. The nearer I came to it the more choked I became since it had been two months that I last heard the grouchy 2.2L. At last, the man of the hour exited the MR2 and received his well deserved payment. Uh oh, I still have to drive Tony home! Let's get you back to Virginia bro
My friend Tyler took a pic of me leaving campus to drop off Tony:
I jumped into the pilot's seat, embraced by lumbar supports. My hands rested on that slick black leather steering wheel, ready. "Now Salman, I should tell you to take it eas-"
BRAHMMMMMM -hits rev limiter- BAHM BAHM BAHM -Shifts to second, chirp, speeds on- I'M SORRY BRO I COULDN'T HEAR YOU AT 6 FREAKING THOUSAND RPM!!!
We laughed the whole way back talking about how badly the previous owners treated this car, and about his MR2s as well. But more importantly, I found myself able to bond with Tony through the MR2. We had the same passion for the Toyota, but the car lead me to find out about how he used to be in the video game industry, where he went to school, our backgrounds, and the common feeling of working out problems in life whether car related or not. When we reached his house, we exchanged a firm handshake - one that would seal my trust with him - and shared candid words to see each other again in the future!
That long drive back to school I had the BIGGEST DERPY FACE EVER from familiarizing myself again to the storming roar of the intake through 2nd gear
But more importantly I came to a greater realization that this car unites people. It created friendships, as I had just met an honest, classy person. I was able to connect with him on hobbies and views of life. It was a connection that branded a sense of warmth into my body, and the car speeding down the freeway - well that just made me feel so much happier.
Closes and locks door. I take two steps in front of the car and do a 180 degree turn to take one last glance before I escape into the night. One deep inhale incites a genuine smile on my face, and a trembling exhale excludes the excitement that is still pent up in my body.
"Lol, you car...you know you are a piece of work. We've got work to do, but I've already put you through your paces tonight. I will see you this weekend, rest well."
Salman exits frame of view, camera pans away from the car, screen fades into darkness...
Monday morning, I remember it as clear as Brita filtered water. That day I had class at 10AM. In the middle of class, I get a vibration in the leg. Oh it's my cell phone, I got a text.
"Hey man working on the car, there is no power in your ignition system it's weird but I'm working on it." Thanks Tony, nothing new but whatever I know it's broken. Back to boredom.
- 12PM -
I stroll back to my apartment, and crash onto my couch. Hmm I wonder how Tony is doing...Checks phone, 1 new text message. Oh.
"Got your car running, it was the main body harness. I also took off your shady aftermarket cruise control, removed a random ground wire, lowered your idle, and made sure your springs sat flush with the tophats. Call me when you are free."
Wait, wait...whattt he finished this car...in one day? Is this actually happening?? Is this the MR2 of lot 3?? Is this my car??? I was shocked, but still doubtful so I steadily punched in 10 digits for a phone call.
"Hey Salman, so yeah it's running pretty good. Other than those few things that I had to fix on your car, it is in pretty good condition and seems that it will run for a long time. I can drop it off at your place today, you'll just need to give me a ride back haha. $230 okay with you? Cool I'll see you tonight then!"
At last...satisfaction. Happiness. Joy. Warmth. It was like hearing a good friend was back in town, and even though you still had beef with him it just didn't matter anymore. It was coming home, it was coming home...later that evening Tony arrived onto campus and shot me a text saying he was outside. At that moment it was as if someone stabbed me in the heart with a syringe full of adrenaline because I was flying out of the apartment. COME ONNN ELEVATOR, WORK WITH MEEEEEE!!! As I exited the apartment building I frantically looked left and right with Tony nowhere in sight. I ran around the corner, and there it was.
It was one of those cliche' moments where time stopped when two entities made a connection. My MR2 was snarling at the corner of the street, idling, waiting for its rightful owner to tame the wild beast that lurked beneath that red silk dress and those voluptuous curves. I walked towards my car smiling in awe and anxiousness. The nearer I came to it the more choked I became since it had been two months that I last heard the grouchy 2.2L. At last, the man of the hour exited the MR2 and received his well deserved payment. Uh oh, I still have to drive Tony home! Let's get you back to Virginia bro
My friend Tyler took a pic of me leaving campus to drop off Tony:
I jumped into the pilot's seat, embraced by lumbar supports. My hands rested on that slick black leather steering wheel, ready. "Now Salman, I should tell you to take it eas-"
BRAHMMMMMM -hits rev limiter- BAHM BAHM BAHM -Shifts to second, chirp, speeds on- I'M SORRY BRO I COULDN'T HEAR YOU AT 6 FREAKING THOUSAND RPM!!!
We laughed the whole way back talking about how badly the previous owners treated this car, and about his MR2s as well. But more importantly, I found myself able to bond with Tony through the MR2. We had the same passion for the Toyota, but the car lead me to find out about how he used to be in the video game industry, where he went to school, our backgrounds, and the common feeling of working out problems in life whether car related or not. When we reached his house, we exchanged a firm handshake - one that would seal my trust with him - and shared candid words to see each other again in the future!
That long drive back to school I had the BIGGEST DERPY FACE EVER from familiarizing myself again to the storming roar of the intake through 2nd gear
But more importantly I came to a greater realization that this car unites people. It created friendships, as I had just met an honest, classy person. I was able to connect with him on hobbies and views of life. It was a connection that branded a sense of warmth into my body, and the car speeding down the freeway - well that just made me feel so much happier.
Closes and locks door. I take two steps in front of the car and do a 180 degree turn to take one last glance before I escape into the night. One deep inhale incites a genuine smile on my face, and a trembling exhale excludes the excitement that is still pent up in my body.
"Lol, you car...you know you are a piece of work. We've got work to do, but I've already put you through your paces tonight. I will see you this weekend, rest well."
Salman exits frame of view, camera pans away from the car, screen fades into darkness...
03-19-2014, 10:43 PM
#8
Ah, so yes I got my car back and it was running like a champ. At this point I would like to say that it was all sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns from then on...
But the reality was that I bought a 23 year old car and in that time something had to give way. So for $2700 I got a good sports car but it came with the following problems:
- Warped Rotors
- Exhaust Gasket Leak
- High Idle
- Rust
- Worn Tires
- Worn Belts
- No Power :'( well more of a complaint lol
Whoa whoa Salman, you didn't mention this at the beginning! Well of course I didn't silly, what you thought 2700 buys you a perfect car? Pssshhhh blasphemy. Now the thing is if you are (1) willing to do the work and (2) are capable & equipped to do maintenance and (3) have the time, money, patience, and convenience to pursue a potential project like this then by all means go ahead. I felt that I was in a situation that satisfied all three criteria. If you believe that your life does not fulfill all of the three categories then you should not buy an old sports car like I did because it will prove to be a royal PITA to you and your wallet.
Anyways, so this car had some things to be sorted out. First things first, I decided to tackle rotors because the racing season was coming up and brakes are vital - surprise! My friend Brady hooked me up with a set of four blank rotors + semi-metallic pads from NAPA - cha ching thanks Brady you're the man even though I drive faster than you. Nooblet.
Here mah brakes:
And so with that I decided to tackle this brake job with my friends Dan and Spencer who kindly decided to help me out - in exchange for food because I am such a gentleman. So I have pictures of us swapping everything out:
Old vs. New
So the front rotors were a breeze. The brake pads came out willingly, the calipers moved back into their bores smooth as silk, the birds chirped in the background, it was an ideal trouble-free job. I felt heroic doing this in a parking garage too. It was a grassroots kind of thing where it's ghetto and you look so boss as people drive by gawking at the sight. Chyeah. But, but...then it was time for the rears. Oh god cringe don't remind me. I was undoing the passenger side rear bolt that held the caliper to the bracket but it did not want to come out. "Hmm, strange all the others came out fine. Maybe a little bit more of my 40-pound dumbbell lifting 'ceps and it will pop right out"
"Just a little bit more pressure" (Inside my head - Easy Salman). "Come on you almost got it" (Don't do it, don't do it...!)
-SNAP!-
...said the bolt. Terror washed onto my face as I witnessed what damage I inflicted with my own hands. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:
This bolt held on the caliper --> bracket, which held on to the hub --> part of the car. I snapped one which means I couldn't undo some of the assembly, and that there was a caliper that could fly off of the assembly whilst driving
-____- Then Dan swept in to steal the show with a "Yeahhh, I wouldn't drive it too much if I were you." Gee, THANKS BRO! So suffering yet another humiliating defeat I drove this high maintenance female back to its home in the infamous lot 3. With this major roadblock, upcoming exams, and the amount of time my friends had to help me out it was evident that I would have to abruptly end this physical with the MR2 - just as I was beginning to enjoy it (sarcasm). I grouchily stomped upstairs to my room, and sat on the couch frustrated with myself and the car. Ok Salman cool down bro, you still have an MR2 that will get you the wome... -ahem- lap times that you want. Keep it cool, keep it cool...
...SHUCKS!!!
But the reality was that I bought a 23 year old car and in that time something had to give way. So for $2700 I got a good sports car but it came with the following problems:
- Warped Rotors
- Exhaust Gasket Leak
- High Idle
- Rust
- Worn Tires
- Worn Belts
- No Power :'( well more of a complaint lol
Whoa whoa Salman, you didn't mention this at the beginning! Well of course I didn't silly, what you thought 2700 buys you a perfect car? Pssshhhh blasphemy. Now the thing is if you are (1) willing to do the work and (2) are capable & equipped to do maintenance and (3) have the time, money, patience, and convenience to pursue a potential project like this then by all means go ahead. I felt that I was in a situation that satisfied all three criteria. If you believe that your life does not fulfill all of the three categories then you should not buy an old sports car like I did because it will prove to be a royal PITA to you and your wallet.
Anyways, so this car had some things to be sorted out. First things first, I decided to tackle rotors because the racing season was coming up and brakes are vital - surprise! My friend Brady hooked me up with a set of four blank rotors + semi-metallic pads from NAPA - cha ching thanks Brady you're the man even though I drive faster than you. Nooblet.
Here mah brakes:
And so with that I decided to tackle this brake job with my friends Dan and Spencer who kindly decided to help me out - in exchange for food because I am such a gentleman. So I have pictures of us swapping everything out:
Old vs. New
So the front rotors were a breeze. The brake pads came out willingly, the calipers moved back into their bores smooth as silk, the birds chirped in the background, it was an ideal trouble-free job. I felt heroic doing this in a parking garage too. It was a grassroots kind of thing where it's ghetto and you look so boss as people drive by gawking at the sight. Chyeah. But, but...then it was time for the rears. Oh god cringe don't remind me. I was undoing the passenger side rear bolt that held the caliper to the bracket but it did not want to come out. "Hmm, strange all the others came out fine. Maybe a little bit more of my 40-pound dumbbell lifting 'ceps and it will pop right out"
"Just a little bit more pressure" (Inside my head - Easy Salman). "Come on you almost got it" (Don't do it, don't do it...!)
-SNAP!-
...said the bolt. Terror washed onto my face as I witnessed what damage I inflicted with my own hands. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:
This bolt held on the caliper --> bracket, which held on to the hub --> part of the car. I snapped one which means I couldn't undo some of the assembly, and that there was a caliper that could fly off of the assembly whilst driving
-____- Then Dan swept in to steal the show with a "Yeahhh, I wouldn't drive it too much if I were you." Gee, THANKS BRO! So suffering yet another humiliating defeat I drove this high maintenance female back to its home in the infamous lot 3. With this major roadblock, upcoming exams, and the amount of time my friends had to help me out it was evident that I would have to abruptly end this physical with the MR2 - just as I was beginning to enjoy it (sarcasm). I grouchily stomped upstairs to my room, and sat on the couch frustrated with myself and the car. Ok Salman cool down bro, you still have an MR2 that will get you the wome... -ahem- lap times that you want. Keep it cool, keep it cool...
...SHUCKS!!!
03-19-2014, 10:44 PM
#9
Two weeks went by then I return to the parking lot with an ambivalent mindset as to whether or not this problem would be settled. Hark, here goes nothing. Disassembled that caliper and took it back to my apartment where my dexterity at playing the board game Operation became vital to my success in extracting the fractured caliper bolt imbedded in its respective threaded domain. It was intense, but we made it through and the caliper would make a full recovery Pictures of the surgery:
Aha! Now we are finished, all I need to do is put you back on and bleed the brakes. -Puts everything back on, but last bolt-.
"Alright buddy, back to your hole" -Tries to screw bracket --> Hub bolt- "Hmm, you're not going in" -Screws some more- "What the-" Examines screw:
IT WAS STRIPPED AT THE END
As you can see from the drawing above I was pretty livid. So angry, that in fact I threw my car two spaces over from where it originally was parked. Okay I'm just joking, I only threw it one space over. Regardless, this equated to yet another few days of me waiting for the proper spec bolt to come in.
-Circa five days after the day of the stripped bolt-
-Gets package, opens package- It's the bolt! And it was as if there were halos surrounding the bolt that lifted it to be gently placed into my plush hands. Yes, YES!!! Put that screw in, bled the brakes with Dan, and voila bon appetite job was done! When I went for the first spin after the brake job was complete I was initially very nervous. However, after a few pumps of the pedal and a solid, reassuring response from the brakes my confidence was boosted - unlike my motor.
Working on cars is a hate/love relationship. I've always kept in mind that cars were not designed to be easy to work on, and so whatever whining you are going to do leave it behind because it sure isn't going to motivate you to complete a job when you hit a roadbump halfway through it. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong so man up and plan for it. But when you complete the deed and do it correctly, you get one of the most satisfying feelings in the world because you just fixed a 2000lb+ working mechanical machine by yourself. It's a bonding moment between you and the car because you literally put your blood (from cut hands), sweat (from the tremendous labor), and tears (well I didn't because I'm a man) into this thing for its own betterment. You want to see it do well, and you feel good when it's doing good.
That may just be me. But at the end of the day the kid of lot 3 got his car off of the jack stands. That kid walked the straight of Campus Drive nearly every weekend to fix that car. And now it's running.
And most important of all is if my eyes didn't deceive me, that kid beneath the spoiled UMD sweatshirt, dirtied cargo pants, oil tattoed shoes, grease stained faces and hands...
That kid left with a smile. Must have gotten someone's number
Aha! Now we are finished, all I need to do is put you back on and bleed the brakes. -Puts everything back on, but last bolt-.
"Alright buddy, back to your hole" -Tries to screw bracket --> Hub bolt- "Hmm, you're not going in" -Screws some more- "What the-" Examines screw:
IT WAS STRIPPED AT THE END
As you can see from the drawing above I was pretty livid. So angry, that in fact I threw my car two spaces over from where it originally was parked. Okay I'm just joking, I only threw it one space over. Regardless, this equated to yet another few days of me waiting for the proper spec bolt to come in.
-Circa five days after the day of the stripped bolt-
-Gets package, opens package- It's the bolt! And it was as if there were halos surrounding the bolt that lifted it to be gently placed into my plush hands. Yes, YES!!! Put that screw in, bled the brakes with Dan, and voila bon appetite job was done! When I went for the first spin after the brake job was complete I was initially very nervous. However, after a few pumps of the pedal and a solid, reassuring response from the brakes my confidence was boosted - unlike my motor.
Working on cars is a hate/love relationship. I've always kept in mind that cars were not designed to be easy to work on, and so whatever whining you are going to do leave it behind because it sure isn't going to motivate you to complete a job when you hit a roadbump halfway through it. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong so man up and plan for it. But when you complete the deed and do it correctly, you get one of the most satisfying feelings in the world because you just fixed a 2000lb+ working mechanical machine by yourself. It's a bonding moment between you and the car because you literally put your blood (from cut hands), sweat (from the tremendous labor), and tears (well I didn't because I'm a man) into this thing for its own betterment. You want to see it do well, and you feel good when it's doing good.
That may just be me. But at the end of the day the kid of lot 3 got his car off of the jack stands. That kid walked the straight of Campus Drive nearly every weekend to fix that car. And now it's running.
And most important of all is if my eyes didn't deceive me, that kid beneath the spoiled UMD sweatshirt, dirtied cargo pants, oil tattoed shoes, grease stained faces and hands...
That kid left with a smile. Must have gotten someone's number
03-19-2014, 10:44 PM
#10
After that whole ordeal, things actually went pretty well with the car. I ended up buying a new set of four tires mounted on OEM rims, a GoPro Hero3 camera for my racing days, a short shifter, snow drifting, LED lights, a new trunk latch, Sway Bar Polyurethane Bushings, and welded on a new piece of the exhaust. These obviously occurred over a period of time but each added its own value to the car. It became more complete over time, and so did my overall satisfaction with the MR2. Here are some pictures of each item:
Tires:
GoPro Hero3 which is an awesome camera:
Short Shifter Linkage:
Snow Drifting Movie:
Polyurethane Bushings that are too big for my swaybars:
Life was pretty good with the car. It felt good not doubting if the car would start up or not, and even if it would stall in the middle of traffic. The more I drove it, the more happy I felt with my purchase because it reassured me that I didn't buy a POS - well aside from the 5SFE engine haha. Eventually the time came, and I was able to spend my first time behind the wheel at an AutoX Racing event. This actually happened last week!
Tires:
GoPro Hero3 which is an awesome camera:
Short Shifter Linkage:
Snow Drifting Movie:
Polyurethane Bushings that are too big for my swaybars:
Life was pretty good with the car. It felt good not doubting if the car would start up or not, and even if it would stall in the middle of traffic. The more I drove it, the more happy I felt with my purchase because it reassured me that I didn't buy a POS - well aside from the 5SFE engine haha. Eventually the time came, and I was able to spend my first time behind the wheel at an AutoX Racing event. This actually happened last week!
03-19-2014, 10:44 PM
#11
Boy I was excited because it is what I bought the car for. Although the car was sliding all over the place due to the very worn rear tires I had swapped in the night before, this car still had razor sharp handling. A good analogy for this car -specifically the NA model- is that it is a big puppy. It has a lot of bark to it with not much speed to match it up, but it's very charismatic and athletic in darting around corners. The turn-in is so unconventionally fast and spot on that you are just compelled to drive it faster, and faster, and faster...until that back end comes flying out leaving you with two options:
A) Keep it planted or B) Be a girl and lift off the throttle.
If you chose A, then ding ding ding you are correct and have the organs to drive a mid-engined car! Lift-off @ this point = snap oversteer! So when you keep that throttle pegged and your powerslide matures into traction, you really do feel like a hero. Here are pics of the event and a video of 1.5 out of my 4 runs:
Getting ready the night before
My friend Daniel with his MR2 Spyder, and Dan with his STI:
Shortly after I finished all four runs, my alternator decided to permanently call it quits lol. So my car was broken was dead 40 miles from school, GREAT! Luckily, someone up there was impressed with my manly beard and my ability to commandeer this 2600lb, 130HP raging bull and decided to bless me with the opportunity to make it home in one piece. Sooo, at the end of last week I replaced my alternator in the parking lot and drove to my friend Tony's place to have a snapped bolt extracted from my rear crossmember. Met another MR2 forum member and some cool cats, meow.
Working in the parking lot, not the most ideal location:
What space I had to work with. Over, under, over, under...
Alty out
I was FILTHY
MR2 Buddies
His sick MR2
Anddd now we are updated up til today! "Okay Salman so you told us a cool story about how you are so cool and your journey with your cool MR2, is that it?"
Well actually no, I wanted to make two last reflections: What I've learned from the MR2, and what I've learned from this whole experience.
A) Keep it planted or B) Be a girl and lift off the throttle.
If you chose A, then ding ding ding you are correct and have the organs to drive a mid-engined car! Lift-off @ this point = snap oversteer! So when you keep that throttle pegged and your powerslide matures into traction, you really do feel like a hero. Here are pics of the event and a video of 1.5 out of my 4 runs:
Getting ready the night before
My friend Daniel with his MR2 Spyder, and Dan with his STI:
Shortly after I finished all four runs, my alternator decided to permanently call it quits lol. So my car was broken was dead 40 miles from school, GREAT! Luckily, someone up there was impressed with my manly beard and my ability to commandeer this 2600lb, 130HP raging bull and decided to bless me with the opportunity to make it home in one piece. Sooo, at the end of last week I replaced my alternator in the parking lot and drove to my friend Tony's place to have a snapped bolt extracted from my rear crossmember. Met another MR2 forum member and some cool cats, meow.
Working in the parking lot, not the most ideal location:
What space I had to work with. Over, under, over, under...
Alty out
I was FILTHY
MR2 Buddies
His sick MR2
Anddd now we are updated up til today! "Okay Salman so you told us a cool story about how you are so cool and your journey with your cool MR2, is that it?"
Well actually no, I wanted to make two last reflections: What I've learned from the MR2, and what I've learned from this whole experience.
03-19-2014, 10:44 PM
#12
SO...Salman. You and your MR2, what can you tell us?
What I've learned from the MR2:
I have driven a few sports cars and cars in general, but the MR2 is simply like no other car. The mid-engine platform, the unassisted driving experience, the elegant design all sum it up to be a car that has casted itself into the pages of "all-time" motoring history. I'm pretty sure during the development of the MR2 Toyota fed its top engineers the world's best organic food since this car is a homogenized product of function & purity. Every delicate line has a purpose, there is no such thing as "excess" on the body, or even luxury in the interior (at least in my trim lol). And as a person who is all about the driving experience and zero-luxuries, this car just speaks to me.
It says "Hey Salman, drive the hell out of me RIGHT NOW! What the hell is ride quality, I'm on coilovers for a reason son! WHAT DID YOU SAY, DO I SOUND LIKE I HAVE 130HP PUNK?!"
The MR2 is an existing standard as to why sports cars should be driven and not simply garage queens. Yes there is an aesthetic beauty to them that must be appreciated, but beneath every colored body panel there is a soul that reaches out to the driver begging "please, please, let's go fast around this corner"
And my MR2...well, it is that part of my soul.
What I've learned from my "first car experience":
1) Be thankful and content with what you have had, and what you have. I'm grateful for being given the opportunity to pursue this lifelong dream of mine, and to fulfill it. I never complained about "how long will this take" because through my patience I was eventually offered the opportunities to get the funds, and even a car to drive before. And two, I am thankful to my parents for putting up with all the troubles I created for them in my past with & without the car, and with the unannounced purchase of this car.
2) So even though I am thankful for all of the above, this still would not have happened without my efforts. I've realized that there is more than just saying "Dreams can come true." I hate cliche' statements...Dreams come true when you are 100% committed to a cause, make a logistical plan to achieve your goal, stick to that plan, work your butt off, be grateful to everyone/everything that has helped you out, and then help someone else out who is going through the same journey. I've become sharper over the time it took to buy the car and during ownership as I've come to realize how important education is to make a living, how to manage funds, and how to deal with spontaneous obstacles.
The main thing is to believe in your ability to overcome a complication. How? Look at your past successes for confidence, and tell yourself "if I did this before/had this going for me before, then I can do this/it can get better." And I've come to apply this in everything; fitness, school, career
There is no standard book to living life. You can buy a car now or later. You can get a job now or later. You can get fit now or later. I believe in Shaquille O' Neal's quote that "There are seven days in a week, and someday is not one of them." You want it? Get up, get out there, and go for it. Period.
The Toyota MR2.
What I've learned from the MR2:
I have driven a few sports cars and cars in general, but the MR2 is simply like no other car. The mid-engine platform, the unassisted driving experience, the elegant design all sum it up to be a car that has casted itself into the pages of "all-time" motoring history. I'm pretty sure during the development of the MR2 Toyota fed its top engineers the world's best organic food since this car is a homogenized product of function & purity. Every delicate line has a purpose, there is no such thing as "excess" on the body, or even luxury in the interior (at least in my trim lol). And as a person who is all about the driving experience and zero-luxuries, this car just speaks to me.
It says "Hey Salman, drive the hell out of me RIGHT NOW! What the hell is ride quality, I'm on coilovers for a reason son! WHAT DID YOU SAY, DO I SOUND LIKE I HAVE 130HP PUNK?!"
The MR2 is an existing standard as to why sports cars should be driven and not simply garage queens. Yes there is an aesthetic beauty to them that must be appreciated, but beneath every colored body panel there is a soul that reaches out to the driver begging "please, please, let's go fast around this corner"
And my MR2...well, it is that part of my soul.
What I've learned from my "first car experience":
1) Be thankful and content with what you have had, and what you have. I'm grateful for being given the opportunity to pursue this lifelong dream of mine, and to fulfill it. I never complained about "how long will this take" because through my patience I was eventually offered the opportunities to get the funds, and even a car to drive before. And two, I am thankful to my parents for putting up with all the troubles I created for them in my past with & without the car, and with the unannounced purchase of this car.
2) So even though I am thankful for all of the above, this still would not have happened without my efforts. I've realized that there is more than just saying "Dreams can come true." I hate cliche' statements...Dreams come true when you are 100% committed to a cause, make a logistical plan to achieve your goal, stick to that plan, work your butt off, be grateful to everyone/everything that has helped you out, and then help someone else out who is going through the same journey. I've become sharper over the time it took to buy the car and during ownership as I've come to realize how important education is to make a living, how to manage funds, and how to deal with spontaneous obstacles.
The main thing is to believe in your ability to overcome a complication. How? Look at your past successes for confidence, and tell yourself "if I did this before/had this going for me before, then I can do this/it can get better." And I've come to apply this in everything; fitness, school, career
There is no standard book to living life. You can buy a car now or later. You can get a job now or later. You can get fit now or later. I believe in Shaquille O' Neal's quote that "There are seven days in a week, and someday is not one of them." You want it? Get up, get out there, and go for it. Period.
The Toyota MR2.
03-21-2014, 04:36 PM
#16
03-21-2014, 08:53 PM
#18
.... In my dreams.
I would be putting a motor in this month actually, but someone convinced me to go to a road course instead.
Which seems logical since I miss the crap out of it and just putting a motor in the red car is a drop in the bucket compared to what I'm doing.
But hey, I'm actually modding a car not because something is broken... But... Because race car... It's an odd feeling.
03-25-2014, 07:44 PM
#20
Yeah it is.
.... In my dreams.
I would be putting a motor in this month actually, but someone convinced me to go to a road course instead.
Which seems logical since I miss the crap out of it and just putting a motor in the red car is a drop in the bucket compared to what I'm doing.
But hey, I'm actually modding a car not because something is broken... But... Because race car... It's an odd feeling.
.... In my dreams.
I would be putting a motor in this month actually, but someone convinced me to go to a road course instead.
Which seems logical since I miss the crap out of it and just putting a motor in the red car is a drop in the bucket compared to what I'm doing.
But hey, I'm actually modding a car not because something is broken... But... Because race car... It's an odd feeling.
It'd be cool to have your red max as a track-only car though
Ha nooo. I installed lowering springs on my friend's 2012 GTI, was not fun. Your BMW is much better built than my car but I'll stick to Japanese simplicity haha
03-25-2014, 08:37 PM
#21
03-25-2014, 09:09 PM
#22
Never worked on british cars. What cars specifically, Jaguars?
03-26-2014, 09:40 AM
#23
I see the appeal to that car. Got to play with one yesterday and taking a sharp turn we both went in...I practically drifted it, giving more throttle trying to keep up, and he was smooth and steady while pulling away. I was slightly irked. They're definitely made to handle.
03-26-2014, 07:20 PM
#24
I see the appeal to that car. Got to play with one yesterday and taking a sharp turn we both went in...I practically drifted it, giving more throttle trying to keep up, and he was smooth and steady while pulling away. I was slightly irked. They're definitely made to handle.
Btw, did you ever end up selling the I30?
03-26-2014, 07:25 PM
#25
Land Rovers were half decent until the early mid 80s, after they were garbage. ive worked on a few late 90s early 00s Discovery II, theyre a mess of neverending coolant leaks, oil leaks, blown headgaskets, etc. and again just a mess of headache to work on
03-26-2014, 07:41 PM
#26
Land Rover and Jaguars. Jaguars have stupid odd designs and are a bear to work on, the older XJs have the rear brake pads and rotors right beside the rear diff under the car. alot of random stuff like that
Land Rovers were half decent until the early mid 80s, after they were garbage. ive worked on a few late 90s early 00s Discovery II, theyre a mess of neverending coolant leaks, oil leaks, blown headgaskets, etc. and again just a mess of headache to work on
Land Rovers were half decent until the early mid 80s, after they were garbage. ive worked on a few late 90s early 00s Discovery II, theyre a mess of neverending coolant leaks, oil leaks, blown headgaskets, etc. and again just a mess of headache to work on
Never worked with Jaguars but I can only imagine the old XJ12s are a mess
03-27-2014, 07:36 AM
#27
03-27-2014, 08:28 AM
#28
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 106
Why u no 3rd gen swap yet? JK (I guess I should say 4th gen since that is the latest and greatest that everyone is doing now)
Drove mine for 3 years before pulling the 5sfe and doing the swap. I tried hard to blow that motor up to have an excuse to swap but it refused to die. I've driven it for another 3 1/2 years since the swap and still love every minute of it.
I can definitely relate with you on the alternator change. I had mine go out twice when I was still NA. It was a 1 hr job the 2nd time around. I just did my coolant flush last weekend to get ready for the summer. Holy *****!!! I think it was 11 hours total to flush, refill, and bleed the system. With 4 drain plugs, 2 bleeder lines, and a crazy bleeding process it was quite the undertaking.
I've already made the decision that I will be buried in this car.
Drove mine for 3 years before pulling the 5sfe and doing the swap. I tried hard to blow that motor up to have an excuse to swap but it refused to die. I've driven it for another 3 1/2 years since the swap and still love every minute of it.
I can definitely relate with you on the alternator change. I had mine go out twice when I was still NA. It was a 1 hr job the 2nd time around. I just did my coolant flush last weekend to get ready for the summer. Holy *****!!! I think it was 11 hours total to flush, refill, and bleed the system. With 4 drain plugs, 2 bleeder lines, and a crazy bleeding process it was quite the undertaking.
I've already made the decision that I will be buried in this car.
03-27-2014, 01:22 PM
#29
read all of this and have 2 things to say after doing so,
1) Damn brown parents
2) Working at Kumon sucked the soul out of me for the 4 years of highschool that I worked there.
3) Are you going to be writing a book anytime soon?
1) Damn brown parents
2) Working at Kumon sucked the soul out of me for the 4 years of highschool that I worked there.
3) Are you going to be writing a book anytime soon?
03-27-2014, 05:18 PM
#30
they used to be, something happened to Land Rover in the early 80s. ownership change or something and they went to garbage. since the early 80s no Rovers have been good, Toyota and Nissan took over offroading with Hilux and Patrol
03-27-2014, 06:54 PM
#31
Why u no 3rd gen swap yet? JK (I guess I should say 4th gen since that is the latest and greatest that everyone is doing now)
Drove mine for 3 years before pulling the 5sfe and doing the swap. I tried hard to blow that motor up to have an excuse to swap but it refused to die. I've driven it for another 3 1/2 years since the swap and still love every minute of it.
I can definitely relate with you on the alternator change. I had mine go out twice when I was still NA. It was a 1 hr job the 2nd time around. I just did my coolant flush last weekend to get ready for the summer. Holy *****!!! I think it was 11 hours total to flush, refill, and bleed the system. With 4 drain plugs, 2 bleeder lines, and a crazy bleeding process it was quite the undertaking.
I've already made the decision that I will be buried in this car.
Drove mine for 3 years before pulling the 5sfe and doing the swap. I tried hard to blow that motor up to have an excuse to swap but it refused to die. I've driven it for another 3 1/2 years since the swap and still love every minute of it.
I can definitely relate with you on the alternator change. I had mine go out twice when I was still NA. It was a 1 hr job the 2nd time around. I just did my coolant flush last weekend to get ready for the summer. Holy *****!!! I think it was 11 hours total to flush, refill, and bleed the system. With 4 drain plugs, 2 bleeder lines, and a crazy bleeding process it was quite the undertaking.
I've already made the decision that I will be buried in this car.
I have heard similar about this coolant change. I have signed up for a track day in April and want to change it out but gosh seems like a pain. 11 hours, seriously? Screw that, I'll just do oil & brake fluid to call it a day.
Are you on MR2OC as well?
2) Yeah dude that was a very dry job but hey it earned me the monies. In my opinion it also depends on your manager, mine was a hardcore Japanese lady and she went ham on everyone - kids & employees
3) Lol no, why do you say that.
That's a shame to hear, I'll take your word for it. The terrain system on the new models really is an engineering marvel but must be a labyrinth of electrical components and wiring to have it in running order. The hilux TopGear took to the north pole was pretty sweet
Last edited by D I R T Y I 3 0; 03-27-2014 at 06:56 PM.
03-27-2014, 07:31 PM
#32
if you watch the Bolivia special, Jeremy talks about how Land Rover went downhill after the 80s lol
is it really that bad to bleed the coolant on SW20? factoring in the coolant lines running to the engine in the back i would imagine it could be nasty but i didnt think it was full nightmare mode
is it really that bad to bleed the coolant on SW20? factoring in the coolant lines running to the engine in the back i would imagine it could be nasty but i didnt think it was full nightmare mode
03-27-2014, 07:55 PM
#33
if you watch the Bolivia special, Jeremy talks about how Land Rover went downhill after the 80s lol
is it really that bad to bleed the coolant on SW20? factoring in the coolant lines running to the engine in the back i would imagine it could be nasty but i didnt think it was full nightmare mode
is it really that bad to bleed the coolant on SW20? factoring in the coolant lines running to the engine in the back i would imagine it could be nasty but i didnt think it was full nightmare mode
Apparently it is. I haven't done it yet, but a local MR2 forum member has confirmed that it's a thorough job.
03-27-2014, 09:46 PM
#34
1) LOL, indeed man. You love them and you...disagree with them
2) Yeah dude that was a very dry job but hey it earned me the monies. In my opinion it also depends on your manager, mine was a hardcore Japanese lady and she went ham on everyone - kids & employees
3) Lol no, why do you say that.
2) Yeah dude that was a very dry job but hey it earned me the monies. In my opinion it also depends on your manager, mine was a hardcore Japanese lady and she went ham on everyone - kids & employees
3) Lol no, why do you say that.
1) Mine were relatively awesome. I had it wayyyyyyyyyy easier than most other "brown" kids that I know of. Guess my parents being from a big city in India were more say "open minded" with just about everything. Never really said anything about my car addiction either lol.
2) My manager was Japanese as well, but far from hardcore, loved the guy. Offered me a job as a 14 year old when I finished the curriculum there as a student. The only thing was that the monies wasn't that great and the kids who were there didn't actually want to learn. I did mostly jr.Kumon since they were the most eager to actually learn the knowledge I bestowed upon them lol.
3) Have you read this thread lol ? Details/insight on everything lol.
03-27-2014, 10:44 PM
#35
1) Mine were relatively awesome. I had it wayyyyyyyyyy easier than most other "brown" kids that I know of. Guess my parents being from a big city in India were more say "open minded" with just about everything. Never really said anything about my car addiction either lol.
2) My manager was Japanese as well, but far from hardcore, loved the guy. Offered me a job as a 14 year old when I finished the curriculum there as a student. The only thing was that the monies wasn't that great and the kids who were there didn't actually want to learn. I did mostly jr.Kumon since they were the most eager to actually learn the knowledge I bestowed upon them lol.
3) Have you read this thread lol ? Details/insight on everything lol.
2) My manager was Japanese as well, but far from hardcore, loved the guy. Offered me a job as a 14 year old when I finished the curriculum there as a student. The only thing was that the monies wasn't that great and the kids who were there didn't actually want to learn. I did mostly jr.Kumon since they were the most eager to actually learn the knowledge I bestowed upon them lol.
3) Have you read this thread lol ? Details/insight on everything lol.
Salman 1 - Parents Infinity
Man that brings up the old days. I think it's a mostly Japanese franchise, the little kids were always more entertaining than the older ones. Didn't know you were able to actually teach there, I just graded papers and got a free subway sub on Fridays ahaha. Never actually did the program though. Did it help much?
Ha well I enjoyed writing it up, and I hope you found it entertaining. Put a lot of thought and emotion into it. Did not want it to be a conventional build thread where there will be "Well after 3 hours of work, I put on some headers and what do you know, the car is faster! I wanted people to feel the actual stress, burden, and joy that I had with my car so that they may relate those same feelings that they have had with their own cars.
It would be cool to read stories from other people. That's just me though
Last edited by D I R T Y I 3 0; 03-27-2014 at 10:47 PM.
03-28-2014, 07:31 AM
#36
No trailer hitch this time though.
03-28-2014, 06:09 PM
#37
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 106
LOL another MR2 owner?? I would love to do a swap but 1) I'm already leaning towards the V6 - 3VZ-FE 2) Don't have the means right now. How is the transition from 5S -> 3S though? Yeah I could probably do the alternator much faster if I had to do it again.
I have heard similar about this coolant change. I have signed up for a track day in April and want to change it out but gosh seems like a pain. 11 hours, seriously? Screw that, I'll just do oil & brake fluid to call it a day.
Are you on MR2OC as well?
I have heard similar about this coolant change. I have signed up for a track day in April and want to change it out but gosh seems like a pain. 11 hours, seriously? Screw that, I'll just do oil & brake fluid to call it a day.
Are you on MR2OC as well?
Yes I'm on the ghost that was once the OC =/ Board name is RedJaxMR2.
I'll admit I somewhat skimmed the thread. I noticed you were on coilovers. I highly highly recommend RCAs and spaced tie rods from Techno Toy Tuning. It improves bumpsteer like you wouldn't believe. Wilheilm Racing on the OC also makes a ton of good suspension stuff too and he's addressed the rear end more than T3. Either route will make the car feel like you are riding stock over bumps.
I'm pretty sure my coolant flush took longer than usual because I had a "milkshake" in my reservoir that I forgot to clean during the swap. The rest of the system got flushed and I flushed the motor on the stand but the damn reservoir made a real mess of everything. It's really hard to overheat these cars because their cooling system is so massive but I was really pushing it with the A/C kicking in the Florida summers. I could feel the 3s getting real sluggish and I'm sure it was pulling timing to compensate but never saw it in the gauge. I'm doing my A/C this weekend to get ready for another summer. I've had a slow leak that progressively got worse. In the past I could recharge in May and it would make it to September but last year it barely made it through August. Going to change all the O-rings, expansion valve, and drier. I have just enough R-12 and oil to refill without converting. That stuff just blows so much colder.
Doing my swap was probably one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever undertaken. I did it solo in my home garage over two weeks. I've played with everything from hot rods (first car was a '67 Tempest) to Maximas since I was 15 and helped with many swaps but this was my first solo attempt and I absolutely loved every minute of it. I can't wait for the chance to do it again. Except for the wire tuck. That part sucked *****. Nothing like spending hours lengthening hundreds of wires by 2 feet. But hey, at least the routine of soldering, coating with liquid electrical tape, and heat shrinking each joint was very soothing for my OCD.
At first I was pretty intimidated by the wiring aspect of the swap and spent many hours on the OC reading the wiring threads but when it came down to it and I had the engine and body harnesses in front of me,all the wiring diagrams made perfect sense and the car started right up first crank.
04-05-2014, 08:52 PM
#38
Ditto man, the main thing I am worried about the swap is doing it myself. I don't have the time, space, and tools to do it that's why I would hit up Tony for the job. 3SGTE is a great motor and I'll take your word on the night & day difference but I want something different & unique and 3VZ seems like the engine that will do it. But dang man, can't believe you did it entirely by yourself. That's commendable, I would not have the patience or courage to initiate that project myself. I am pretty active on MR2OC, maybe I'll see you on there as well haha. I'll take up on your advice and check out the RCAs
Last edited by D I R T Y I 3 0; 04-06-2014 at 06:32 PM.
04-06-2014, 01:08 PM
#39
Aside from wasting time at the beginning waiting for people, and getting off course a few times, this was probably one of the most epic drives we have ever done as a group and that I have personally done. Literally, 4 hours of backroad driving.
Max will send pictures and David too, and I will upload them. Holy crap we were all exhausted by the end of it. This is who came
1) Salman - MR2
2) Kevin - GTI
3) Dan - STI
4) Max - Codriver
5) David - Codriver
6) David - R1, random guy who tagged along
7) Naam - M3
8 ) Aleem - Turbo Mustang
9) Edwin - CBR1000
10) Josh - R1
11) Zeib - CBR300
It was actually pretty fun driving with the bikes.
Here are some of the pictures, the are more to come. Dan has a GoPro video up on youtube, i will upload mine later today. I was leading the pack. Kudos to Max & david for being our photographers:
The group, minus Naam & Aleem
The Cockpit
Dem Bikes
Geared Up
Rolling out towards Frederick
Biker Boyz
Max will send pictures and David too, and I will upload them. Holy crap we were all exhausted by the end of it. This is who came
1) Salman - MR2
2) Kevin - GTI
3) Dan - STI
4) Max - Codriver
5) David - Codriver
6) David - R1, random guy who tagged along
7) Naam - M3
8 ) Aleem - Turbo Mustang
9) Edwin - CBR1000
10) Josh - R1
11) Zeib - CBR300
It was actually pretty fun driving with the bikes.
Here are some of the pictures, the are more to come. Dan has a GoPro video up on youtube, i will upload mine later today. I was leading the pack. Kudos to Max & david for being our photographers:
The group, minus Naam & Aleem
The Cockpit
Dem Bikes
Geared Up
Rolling out towards Frederick
Biker Boyz
Last edited by D I R T Y I 3 0; 04-06-2014 at 07:58 PM.
04-06-2014, 01:09 PM
#40
Zeib
Josh
The pit stops we took:
Zeib holding up the team again doing his bizz taking a wizz
Stopped temporarily for a breath and pictures. We occasionally took breaks to see if everyone was good for more. Keep in mind this was an 80 mile route of turns, turns, and turns
Crossing a bridge, Kevin's GTI
This was halfway through the route, we took another break.
At the gas station
Naam's M3
Driving hard for a long time requires a lot of concentration and energy. The adrenaline was pumping and as a result you just burn more energy going that fast. We took two food breaks and a couple of water breaks during this whole cruise. One halfway through, and one at the end. We devoured Elevation burger at the end
Josh
The pit stops we took:
Zeib holding up the team again doing his bizz taking a wizz
Stopped temporarily for a breath and pictures. We occasionally took breaks to see if everyone was good for more. Keep in mind this was an 80 mile route of turns, turns, and turns
Crossing a bridge, Kevin's GTI
This was halfway through the route, we took another break.
At the gas station
Naam's M3
Driving hard for a long time requires a lot of concentration and energy. The adrenaline was pumping and as a result you just burn more energy going that fast. We took two food breaks and a couple of water breaks during this whole cruise. One halfway through, and one at the end. We devoured Elevation burger at the end
Last edited by D I R T Y I 3 0; 04-06-2014 at 06:46 PM.