Soldato
Hey everyone,
First of all, my apologies for not posting on OcUK for such a long time; I have been busy with my Biology undergraduate degree and life in general! Fortunately the end is nigh with my third & final year of university starting this week. Also, this is a long post!!
Anyway, moving on to what this thread is about, I recently acquired an MR2 MK2 GT-T Bar from a family friend who needed it gone, so I happily cleared my garage for it. I am still waiting for the V5 to arrive and my SORN (which I sent at the same time) to also be confirmed. I intend to keep it as standard as possible, well at least initially
Here are some not so good photos:
I don't know a great deal about this car but I believe the snorkel scoops and rear spoiler are not standard. It is naturally aspirated with 15" alloys and leather seat trim and has done 163,000 miles on the original 3S-GE Yamaha modified engine. It has been off the road for at least three years so it will need to be fully recommissioned. But the engine does run without misfiring or knocking, which is a great start
Here is a list of what needs doing to the car before I can recommission it and put it in for an MOT:
So far, I have cleared off all the algae/moss on the body work and got both windscreen wipers working. I can't do a lot more to the vehicle until I get the charging circuit sorted but it is cheaper to get the alternator rebuilt than to buy a new one, plus the rebuild will carry some sort of guarantee. I still haven't managed to get the alternator out but I am getting there!
After that, I will look at the electrical system and any other important things for the MOT as that will give me a true picture of what the car needs to be roadworthy once again . I haven't booked the MOT yet, but MOT preparation always takes longer and costs more than expected ha ha. I will try to get it MOT ready by November or December. Hopefully I can enjoy it by February, in time for my birthday haha
Here goes something...
First of all, my apologies for not posting on OcUK for such a long time; I have been busy with my Biology undergraduate degree and life in general! Fortunately the end is nigh with my third & final year of university starting this week. Also, this is a long post!!
Anyway, moving on to what this thread is about, I recently acquired an MR2 MK2 GT-T Bar from a family friend who needed it gone, so I happily cleared my garage for it. I am still waiting for the V5 to arrive and my SORN (which I sent at the same time) to also be confirmed. I intend to keep it as standard as possible, well at least initially
Here are some not so good photos:
I don't know a great deal about this car but I believe the snorkel scoops and rear spoiler are not standard. It is naturally aspirated with 15" alloys and leather seat trim and has done 163,000 miles on the original 3S-GE Yamaha modified engine. It has been off the road for at least three years so it will need to be fully recommissioned. But the engine does run without misfiring or knocking, which is a great start
Here is a list of what needs doing to the car before I can recommission it and put it in for an MOT:
- N/S outer sill - the O/S outer sill might also be bad, but I haven't been able to stick my finger through it!
- Pop up headlights - I suspect the motors are seized, or the fuses or relays are bad so I need to check the fuses and relays, check the circuit and then take the motors apart and replace if necessary.
- Incomplete indicator/sidelight units on the front - I will probably replace the pair so they match with a clear crystal pair.
- Alternator and drive belt - a common problem on the MK2s, the alternator is seized and the car arrived with no drive belt on it, it probably snapped previously, so I will look at rebuilding the alternator and getting a new drive belt.
- Dashboard back lights are not all working, if it's anything like the other cars I have owned, a tap or new can-bus type bulbs usually gets the lights working.
- New brake fluid, pads and discs. The calipers will likely need freeing up/rebuilding to solve potential binding issues, there were previous advisories on the brake discs being worn and calipers binding, so I'll check these over before I replace the discs and rebuild the calipers.
- Full Service, including gearbox and engine oil, coolant, filters, iridium spark plugs and wiper blades, I can't tell how old the oil is, but apparently 10w40 to 10w60 fully synthetic is the recommended weight.
- New brake hoses, as I don't know how well the original ones might hold out.
- New tyres all round - there was an advisory a few years back about at least one of the tyres being worn close to the legal limit, but I can look over them to see how bad they are and check their date stamps.
- Battery - the original battery has not been fully charged for at least three years, so there is probably internal plate damage. I did a full slow charge and capacity check and the lights did stay on for a few hours, but it's probably not a good idea to put an old / worn battery on a newly rebuilt alternator. I will do a full slow charge again to see how it holds once the alternator is rebuilt and drive belt is replaced.
- Horn - this wasn't working when I tested it, so it could be the fuse or the steering wheel switch.
- Upper/Lower Torsion bar - there was an advisory on one of the upper torsion bars, some years back, so I will probably replace the whole lot if the corrosion can't be cleared off with a wire brush and some elbow grease.
- Rear bonnet and front trunk - these aren't closing properly so I will need to find the correct clips/parts to get these closing properly.
- Coil Spring replacement - there was an advisory recently about one coil spring being corroded, so I will look at all of them and replace them. Not looking to lower the vehicle yet, just want it roadworthy so I can enjoy it
So far, I have cleared off all the algae/moss on the body work and got both windscreen wipers working. I can't do a lot more to the vehicle until I get the charging circuit sorted but it is cheaper to get the alternator rebuilt than to buy a new one, plus the rebuild will carry some sort of guarantee. I still haven't managed to get the alternator out but I am getting there!
After that, I will look at the electrical system and any other important things for the MOT as that will give me a true picture of what the car needs to be roadworthy once again . I haven't booked the MOT yet, but MOT preparation always takes longer and costs more than expected ha ha. I will try to get it MOT ready by November or December. Hopefully I can enjoy it by February, in time for my birthday haha
Here goes something...