GDII's SW20 MR2

  • Thread starter GDII
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When I bought the car it didn't have the engine lid stay, probably because it had come out of the engine lid. It did still have the clip in to hold it on but it was sort of useless. I eventually got a stay and installed it but after a while I managed to break the clip which really annoyed me!! I used to have the gas strut on it but when I installed the TRD brace the studs it mounts to are too short being a pre 94 car so I took that off. It wasn't an issue until I broke the clip and I was back at square one with no practical way to hold the engine lid up without having to carry the stay in the boot and semi install it each time.

So today I installed a brand new clip even though I have had it for a few months... :rolleyes:

It wasn't a simple as you'd think. The NA engine lid has 2 skins that you cannot seperate so getting out the old clip is almost impossible without ruining it. So that is what I did but not a problem as it was already broken. I think the turbo lid would allow you to take off the rain guard and unclip it from behind.

New part and part number for reference.


Old broken clip


I placed 4 layers of tape over the surrounding panel just incase I slipped with the drill bit. I also used a centre punch to allow the drill to have a chance of staying centred while I drilled. Luckily the drill stayed where I wanted and no damage to the paint.




Drilling out the old clip




Old vs new


Removing protective tape


I don't know exactly why there is damage to the paint around the clip. It could have been awhile ago when I tried to remove it with pliers from behind.


Pushing new one into place




Stay is back in place. :D
 
That seems to be a common MR2 issue.. My '85 I had to carry around in my trunk and on the '86 the clip on the end of the prop is broken. Haven't been able to find a name or part number so haven't been able to buy a new one.. Annoying.

The one SW20 that comes into work has the hood prop held up with wire. :lol:
 
This is probably a sign that my family suspect I've lost it and gone insane. When they all buy you cleaning products for christmas. I really appreciate it but I still believe they think I've gone crazy.





AMMO Brute Wheel Soap
AMMO Plum Wheel Cleaner
AMMO Mud Tire Gel
AMMO stickers

ArmourAll Glass Cleaner
ArmourAll Multi-Purpose Cleaner
ArmourAll Wheel Protectant
ArmourAll Protectant
ArmourAll Wash and Wax

Repco Eclipse Protectant

Turtle Wax Tire Shine

2x Sponges,1 with micro fibre and one plain

The AMMO products are obviously for my new wheels and tires which is nice.




I have been buying a few other products to help clean up the MR2 properly.

CarPro clay bars
Very very good price at $30 for the 3 pack.




CarPro Fixer. This works very well like other paint correction products but again is a bit cheaper in price.


Meguiars Carnauba Wax for the parts of the car I can't use my CarPro Hydro2 Lite on such as door jambs and other parts. The Hydro can be used as a spray wax if desired but I want to keep it for main parts of the body.


CarPro line up


 
Korza
@GDII Can you wash my car next time I'm up?
Click to expand...
It'll cost you a boat ride and maybe a ride in the Maxima. I can give it a spray with the hose... :crazy:
You'll have to invite @SVX over to help out too. He's got tools for getting out the nasties in the door jambs and around lights.

The only reason my car looks like it does it years of slowly cleaning up parts of the car then keeping them clean. Took me a whole month to do paint correction over the whole car last time I did it. It has soft paint so can be done by hand but still takes a ton of effort.
 
So after having the 36T30/22V calipers for over a year I have finally collected all the components I need to install them.

This is how I got them from this post back in April 2015....
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/gdiis-sw20-mr2.209447/page-10#post-10591036


It would be safe to say these were spray painted while still on the car. Not good enough for me so out came the paint stripper and a wire brush.


No more red paint or dirt.


I little bit of rust starting to show up.

Next was to completely rebuild and refurbish them back to looking good again.

New seal kits here.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/gdiis-sw20-mr2.209447/page-10#post-10624299

Now to coat the calipers in paint. Not sure how well this will last as it's extremely hard paint and any minor knocks chip it. It was cheap so might not have been the best way to go.


Before and after


Finished. Painted the handbrake cable bracket black


3-4 coats brushed on. Calipers and brackets got fully coated.


Except for the pad clip and shim surfaces.




New pad clips for the front as the calipers didn't come with any.




Slide them into place trying no to damage the fragile paint


You can see the new seals in place here. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the install process of the piston seals as it's a bit of a messy job with all the grease that goes into doing it correctly.


Polished stainless steel shims. Should look good.

The rear calipers and brackets use the same clips and shims so I will be reusing them from the 16V calipers. The pads are identical for all 89-99 JDM SW20s.


Final product of the calipers.
 
Next parts to complete the setup are:

Znoelli DDS slotted and dimpled rotors. I have had these on the front for 8 years and 70,000km. These were the smaller 36T25/16V brakes though.
Znoelli SP500 pads front and rear.
HEL Performance braided hoses with transparent red PVC coating over the stainless steel braid. Can you tell I like red?
TRD brake fluid. This is just Motul RBF600 fluid renamed. It's classed as DOT4 but has a dry boiling point of 600F so is far better than a normal DOT4 fluid.
Flare nut wrenches so I reduce the chance of ruining the nuts when I go to remove everything.
Not shown in the photos are the new larger master cylinder and the 94 turbo proportioning valve.

DDS rotors with information stamped into them. Carrying all 4 rotors is very heavy. Calipers are at least 5kg each.
The 89-91 JDM cars NA and Turbo have 258x25mm rotors front and 263x16mm rear. Both are vented. Larger diameter rear rotors.
The 92-99 JDM cars have 275x30mm rotors front and 281x22mm rear. Again both are vented and the rear is a larger diameter.
Another thing to note, the calipers code is 36T25 for the front hence the 25mm wide rotor. The 36 stands for the piston diameter. Rears are 16V hence the 16mm wide rotor. So naturally the 36T30 caliper takes the 30mm rotor and the 22V takes the 22mm rotor.



Rear rotor. Seams odd that these have 10 holes for a 5 stud car but it makes sense when you see the stock wheels have a pin on them. This is to prevent you from fitting the rear 7" wheel to the front instead of the 6".


Nothing special about the fins inside, just straight from inside to out.


Front rotor.




Information stamped onto the rotor. Brand, Model, Part Number, minimum thickness and side to mount it on. A nice touch to a quality rotor.



Znoelli SP500 pads



Again, Brand, Model and Part Number stamped onto them.


Fronts


Rears

The rears have the wear indicator riveted on but the fronts are just slip on as seen in the photo just sitting next to them.


The little knob is to locate into the rear caliper piston to prevent it spinning. As the piston also activates the hand brake using a lever it auto adjusts. When you go to push the piston back in you need to rotate it will the special tool, or some pliers.


As the rear new rotors are larger diameter but the hat has stayed the same size the pad gets moved out making the contact patch move out. This leaves a large area in the middle of the rotor face untouched by the pad. Remember I mentioned the rear pads are the same for 89-99 cars.


TRD brake fluid by Motul. 4 bottles as I am replacing all the fluid in the brake system and the clutch.


New HEL Performance brake hoses plus some wrenches to help with the install. I have also purchased a matching clutch hose to replace that at the same time.




New banjo bolts and copper washers


The majority of the brake parts laid out.


Soooooon. ELMO is waiting patently for his new brakes.
 
So what takes longer to do, putting the new parts on or meticulously arranging them to photograph them? :P That last photo of everything laid out is extremely satisfying.

I think I'll have to join you soon though, my '86 could use some new brakes and there's some braided lines in the back to use. Wouldn't mind some better brakes on that.
 
ilikewaffles11
So what takes longer to do, putting the new parts on or meticulously arranging them to photograph them? :P That last photo of everything laid out is extremely satisfying.

I think I'll have to join you soon though, my '86 could use some new brakes and there's some braided lines in the back to use. Wouldn't mind some better brakes on that.
Click to expand...
Takes about the same amount of time. :lol: Well not really. I can see exactly how I want to arrange parts in my head before I even take them out of their boxes so a very short time.

I like these few photos now.


Suspension


Brakes
 
GDII
Takes about the same amount of time. :lol: Well not really. I can see exactly how I want to arrange parts in my head before I even take them out of their boxes so a very short time.

I like these few photos now.


Suspension


Brakes
Click to expand...

:lol: Fair enough

I have a thing for photos of car components disassembled and laid out. I love seeing engines laid out like that piece by piece. Oddly satisfying.
 
GDII
Takes about the same amount of time. :lol: Well not really. I can see exactly how I want to arrange parts in my head before I even take them out of their boxes so a very short time.

I like these few photos now.


Suspension


Brakes
Click to expand...

How do you keep all your bits so insanely clean?! Or are those just the pre-install photos?
 
Another MR2 owner from the club bought a 1990 G-Limited and the car happened to have a tray in the frunk that fits in the gap above the spare wheel and it has an MR2 badge on it. When it sold the 1990 for the 1996 GT-S they offered the tray to me as it doesn't fit in the newer cars as the front cover is different.

There is no information available on the internet about this tray. It fits in the gap and locks in place, has a very well made MR2 badge and the construction of the try is a of a very high standard it must be a Toyota option. If anyone can find any info on this it would be great. I've spent many hours looking already.

It can be unclipped and flat packed away if needed. It is made from a velour covered vinyl over hardwood construction with a plastic bracket to lock it on place in the main plastic cover. It holds dust and dirt very easily so excuse the mess. They gave it a good clean before they sold it to me but it's picked up more dust again since.


I now store my tool kit in it instead of on the spare wheel leaning against the front fire wall behind the radiator.








You can see the 2 large screws on the left, this holds the plastic bracket underneath it to hold it in place.


The base is just vinyl where as the rest is velour.


Bracket and the nuts that hold it on.


Unclipped and laid out flat.



Unfortunately it's not in the best condition with a few tares in the joins but hey, it's cool to own a piece of 90s MR2 history. That's if it's actually something Toyota made for the car and not a custom item made by someone else. Either way it's still very unique.

EDIT: It is an optional part from Toyota. This one is wider than the later model ones as the plastic surrounding the spare wheel is a different shape. Bottom left but this shows the later model ones.

13108857_1775928969303546_451479711_n.jpg
 
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And while I'm on the topic of the Frunk and storage for tool kits. Here's my factory tool kit 88.888% complete. :rolleyes: :lol:


These are the factory kit parts. As mine is a 1990 the car didn't have the parts noted as *2. All I am missing is the pair of pliers. I have 8 out of 9 pieces, that's why I have 88.888% of the kit.


Tool bag




The jack, jack handle sub assembly, wrench for removing the factory centre caps, and jack handle in combination with the lug nut wrench.


Interchangeable flat head or phillips head screw driver, 8-10mm and 12-14mm spanners.
Thanks to @SVX for the spanners and @ilikewaffles11 for the offer of the screw driver which I forgot I had.


Wheel chock or stopper as per the part description.
 
The weather has been very erratic here over summer so why not take the chance of the good weather to get more photos?
As you go through the set it gets darker and darker.


















Toy car. Sort of. Using the miniature filter on the camera but it's too dark to see the affect working and I'm too close to the car.

















 
I just have to say, I love the posts about oddly specific in depth looks at original tool kits and rare factory options because I'm a sucker for that stuff as well. That frunk tray is too cool, though I've never seen it before. Always appreciate the little details.

I just sent the guy who bought my wheels from Japan a Yahoo Japan auction link for a bunch of JDM MR2 brochures which includes one or two for an SW20, so it's possible that might have some clues on the tray.
 
I just like the OEM stuff from the 90s. Sure a tool kit is just the standard thing but quite often bits are missing from them. I carry extras for my wheels as I have different lug nuts and tools for that.

I'm all about the details as you can probably tell.

It would be cool to see what options there are. I have seen a few brochures with MR2 stuff in it and there are some cool items to be had but the tray isn't in one of them. EDIT: I lie, the tray has popped up multiple times but it never stood out. It's sort of grouped with the boot liner, which I need to get.
 
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Thanks for all the photographic elements with all the new bits n bobs you get and add 👍 Always awesome to see that stuff rather then just hear about it.
 
You've no idea how jelly I am good about your MR2 :drool:

About your AMMO products: I've been really happy with Larry's products. But sadly I find them too pricey for what they offer. The BRUTE will last you a LONG time, as will SKIN if you bought it. However, you will go through PLUM like nothing. Right now I'm still using BRUTE, but as a wheel spray I'm using a cheaper product that comes in 0.5L bottles. Double the amount of product for the same price. Same with spray waxes and all purpose cleaners. AMMO sells these in small amounts, and you will go through them like candy.

However, I do have to say I'm absolutely amazed by HYDRATE. If there's one product Larry has been a genius about, it's HYDRATE. I've no idea what it actually is, but it seems to react differently to a spray wax or a quick detailer. The shine of this product is ridiculous.

I'd like to try REFLEX, but the shipping costs are sadly too high for me to justify.

Enjoy your AMMO! :dopey:
 
Bram Turismo
However, I do have to say I'm absolutely amazed by HYDRATE. If there's one product Larry has been a genius about, it's HYDRATE. I've no idea what it actually is, but it seems to react differently to a spray wax or a quick detailer. The shine of this product is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
I think you may have enticed me :dunce:. I've been using a spray wax to aid drying but I'm not over the moon with it (Meguairs quik wax) and was going to try Sonax when it ran out....I might still, with this inbetween :embarrassed:.
 
Mike Rotch
Thanks for all the photographic elements with all the new bits n bobs you get and add 👍 Always awesome to see that stuff rather then just hear about it.
Click to expand...
I'm a visual person so only writing about it wouldn't work for me. Plus I'm not the best writer so like they say, a picture tell a thousand words.

Bram Turismo
You've no idea how jelly I am good about your MR2 :drool:

About your AMMO products: I've been really happy with Larry's products. But sadly I find them too pricey for what they offer. The BRUTE will last you a LONG time, as will SKIN if you bought it. However, you will go through PLUM like nothing. Right now I'm still using BRUTE, but as a wheel spray I'm using a cheaper product that comes in 0.5L bottles. Double the amount of product for the same price. Same with spray waxes and all purpose cleaners. AMMO sells these in small amounts, and you will go through them like candy.

However, I do have to say I'm absolutely amazed by HYDRATE. If there's one product Larry has been a genius about, it's HYDRATE. I've no idea what it actually is, but it seems to react differently to a spray wax or a quick detailer. The shine of this product is ridiculous.

I'd like to try REFLEX, but the shipping costs are sadly too high for me to justify.

Enjoy your AMMO! :dopey:
Click to expand...
That's good to hear about HYDRATE. It's an odd product in how he describes it.
The one thing that did put me off buying his products is the cost and shipping. My brother got me these for Christmas so that was really nice of him. No cost to me.
He does provide great information about detailing and paint correction for free so it seems only nice to buy some of his stuff at least once.
I haven't used PLUM yet but I know anything that you spray on directly from a bottle disappears very quickly. My wheels don't require PLUM yet anyway as they are far too clean and don't need a powerful cleaner yet.

I have found the CarPro products from a local supplier very very good and they are at a very good price over other products you buy in local stores here. So I will be using these more often now. Plus I don't have to leave my house to get them. :D

Mike Rotch
I think you may have enticed me :dunce:. I've been using a spray wax to aid drying but I'm not over the moon with it (Meguairs quik wax) and was going to try Sonax when it ran out....I might still, with this inbetween :embarrassed:.
Click to expand...
Try CarPro Hydro2 Lite like I have. It's great for application and makes any water bead so well. Spray on a wet panel after washing the car and waterblast off. Removes most of the water then just dry the leftover water with a towel or compressed air.
 
GDII
Try CarPro Hydro2 Lite like I have. It's great for application and makes any water bead so well. Spray on a wet panel after washing the car and waterblast off. Removes most of the water then just dry the leftover water with a towel or compressed air.
Click to expand...
Hmm, interesting. Carpro is easier and quicker to get here in Aus - there is a local online distributor, unlike Ammo. Will do some research 👍

My only suggestion to your awesome detailing kit is to replace the ArmourAll shampoo with Meguairs Gold Class. I know money doesn't grow on trees, but it is a great shampoo.

Incidentally (and off topic!) I don't have an electricity outlet for a HP Washer - so no snow gun for me. My backyard solution is to use an insectide dispenser that connects to the hose, filled with shampoo, to give the first rinse. Not quite the same as a snow gun, but remarkably effective anyway :).
 
GDII
That's good to hear about HYDRATE. It's an odd product in how he describes it.
The one thing that did put me off buying his products is the cost and shipping. My brother got me these for Christmas so that was really nice of him. No cost to me.
He does provide great information about detailing and paint correction for free so it seems only nice to buy some of his stuff at least once.
I haven't used PLUM yet but I know anything that you spray on directly from a bottle disappears very quickly. My wheels don't require PLUM yet anyway as they are far too clean and don't need a powerful cleaner yet.
Click to expand...


Well, the weather on the other side of the pond might be a lot better than here at this time of year :D

It rains very often here, we've had snow, and there's salt on the roads. So my wheels are full of gunk every week.

I've already contacted Larry if he has any plans to expand his products into Europe. But he doesn't really seem to be all that enthusiastic about it. I managed an entire year with 1 Hydrate bottle, and I wash my car every Sunday. I find SKIN to remove quite difficult, but it's very durable. I've had my car for 14 months, and I've put SKIN on it twice. Any dirt on the car is removed so easily that I don't have the impression SKIN has broken down yet.

I'm not sure what to say about FOAM. Again, I managed an entire year with 1 bottle. But I do find myself using more amount of Meguiar's shampoo to get the same amounts of soap beads. Then again, Meguiar's only the second shampoo I've bought as of yet.

It indeed is a shame it's so expensive to send over. But if you ever find yourself with the comfort of being able to ship his products over, I'd say stock up on FOAM and HYDRATE. 👍
 
Mike Rotch
Hmm, interesting. Carpro is easier and quicker to get here in Aus - there is a local online distributor, unlike Ammo. Will do some research 👍

My only suggestion to your awesome detailing kit is to replace the ArmourAll shampoo with Meguairs Gold Class. I know money doesn't grow on trees, but it is a great shampoo.

Incidentally (and off topic!) I don't have an electricity outlet for a HP Washer - so no snow gun for me. My backyard solution is to use an insectide dispenser that connects to the hose, filled with shampoo, to give the first rinse. Not quite the same as a snow gun, but remarkably effective anyway :).
Click to expand...
The ArmourAll Wash and Wax was again a gift and I won't be using it on the MR2. It might see the Demio but I have been using CarPro Reset which is great and cheap. Goes a long way too.

I'd love a snow foam gun but it's a bit over the top for how clean the MR2 stays. Bar that one trip through the gravel.

There are heaps of detailing products out there and I have only used a few so far but I am getting great result from the CarPro stuff. Plus the guys who sell it will offer customer support, they know their products and one is a pro detailer so it's all good from what I see.
 
Bram Turismo
Well, the weather on the other side of the pond might be a lot better than here at this time of year :D

It rains very often here, we've had snow, and there's salt on the roads. So my wheels are full of gunk every week.

I've already contacted Larry if he has any plans to expand his products into Europe. But he doesn't really seem to be all that enthusiastic about it. I managed an entire year with 1 Hydrate bottle, and I wash my car every Sunday. I find SKIN to remove quite difficult, but it's very durable. I've had my car for 14 months, and I've put SKIN on it twice. Any dirt on the car is removed so easily that I don't have the impression SKIN has broken down yet.

I'm not sure what to say about FOAM. Again, I managed an entire year with 1 bottle. But I do find myself using more amount of Meguiar's shampoo to get the same amounts of soap beads. Then again, Meguiar's only the second shampoo I've bought as of yet.

It indeed is a shame it's so expensive to send over. But if you ever find yourself with the comfort of being able to ship his products over, I'd say stock up on FOAM and HYDRATE. 👍
Click to expand...
We are lucky here as snow isn't something you get in most cities and we don't use salt on our roads. If we do get snow it's for one day a year and doesn't really settle. Lately our weather has been very erratic with cold days and rain in the morning, sun in the afternoon then a complete switch the next day. It's good today so that's a start. Where has summer gone in NZ?

It's interesting to hear from someone about the AMMO products. I don't think I'll be buying some any time soon as I have lots of products now to keep me happy for awhile. If I do get the chance then SKIN and HYDRATE might be something I go for.

It must be nice to apply detailing products to a brand new car with good paint. The MR2 was 18 years old when I bought it and not kept in the best condition. It's 26.5 years old now. I am yet to properly detail the Demio, it's just had a deep clean so far but no products applied to keep it nice.
 

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