86 Toyota MR2 RallyX Project, 89 Celica All Trac, and assorted Japanese cars.

Alright so I figure this thread will probably be split between my 3 cars (mainly focused on the MR2 though) and my friends' that I work on sometimes with them. I originally had a thread on the MR2 forums but there wasn't much activity over there so I stopped updating it but there's more activity over here and I've been lurking for a while.

And for the car backgrounds..

89 Celica Alltrac:

I picked this up about a month ago after my buddy's family owned it for about 8 years. I always told myself I'd jump on any opportunity to get one and told him repeatedly I'd buy it if he ever sold it. After telling him that for about two years he finally agreed to sell it to me and I bought it about a month later after I got the cash. I've been working on cleaning it up since it has a few problems. Current plans are to rebuild the turbo (got a bit of shaft play), fix all of the assorted leaks, and maybe rebuild the transmission sometime in the future (3rd gear synchro is on the way out). This car will be my Daily Driver this winter when its ready for it.

86 MR2:

Current Chassis:

Old Chassis:

This is the project car/money pit. I bought it around September of last year as a project car. After getting it running around January I had a long list of setbacks and picked up a second car for $200 that I was just going to use for its head but ended up liking the Body a bit more (still on the fence about this and the stock wiring from the 86 wouldn't fit right in the Black car which was an 87) so I took the head from it, the bottom end from the black car, and transmission from the black car and made one pretty decent car. I've been practicing driving this one on a gravel back road out here and hopefully, when I'm ready, will find a good RallyX circuit to enter it in. The long-term goal is stage rally but that could be a different chassis in the future when I have enough money to spend on something like that.

And finally, My DD 81 Turbo RX7:

This was pretty much my entrance to the car world. I bought it after jumping between a Supra that was for sale and this one. It was/is my first car and currently serves to drive me across the pass on a 280 mile round trip twice a week for work. Outside of being loud and having non-functioning windows it's not too bad. It's my fastest car right now too with ~250whp.

I like where this thread is going...

I hope others do too lol. Threads aren't very fun when there's not much response. Talking to yourself about your cars is something you don't need the internet to do.

someone talking about a 4AGE head......

Dang. Is that your head?

Mine was originally built with 304* cams with 10.1mm lift, shim under buckets, and Valve springs that put my Redline around 8800rpm. But when swapping out cams to something a little more sane I broke 4 cam bearing cap bolts in a row somehow (2 were brand new grade 10.9's) which ended in me drilling and tapping the head to fit new bolts. Apparently I missed a piece of aluminum or two which bound up my cam follower and scrapped the head.

But a recent development in me getting a brake hone managed to fix that problem so the head may go back in someday if I get a Megasquirt to take care of fueling for my ITB's that are still bolted to it.

Ghooble wrote: I hope others do too lol. Threads aren't very fun when there's not much response. Talking to yourself about your cars is something you don't need the internet to do.

Tell that to the guy who has two build threads of over 1000 posts for his rallycross build, lol. I'd say 700 of those are me talking to myself

That said, on the other forum I have my build on you can see the "thread views" and with 1500 posts, it has 100,000 views. So I know people are watching/following it (could just be the same 10 people looking at it every time I post, I suppose, haha...). But unless someone has something to say, sometimes they just lurk. I read a lot of build threads but don't post all that much other than to say "nice job" every once in a while. Unless I have something to actually add to it, then I'll post.

Anyhow, don't get down if nobody posts in your thread often. Doesn't mean that nobody's watching it.

This morning I've been hunting down a slight rattle we've been hearing on the right side of the Celica towards the front.

I removed this clamp that wasn't bolted on the heat-shield.

Also took out the old coolant overflow bracket since the P.O. changed to a different reservoir.

Found this little bracket that wasn't bolted to the block but I couldn't quite tell what it was supposed to hold on. Will have to get under the car to take a better look later.

Deeper...

And lastly I put another bolt in the strut brace to the firewall and bolted up whatever vacuum-based sensor this is.

Couple of to-do list things:

• I'm going to have to pick up more bolts while I'm at the scrapyard next time.

• My buddy who owned the car prior to me said that his dad found the stock wheels/tires for the car so I'll be grabbing those later.

• Going to call Autozone or look in my manual to see if I should use an oil pan gasket or just use RTV/FIPG for it because I think that's where the last oil leak is coming from.

irish44j wrote:

Ghooble wrote: I hope others do too lol. Threads aren't very fun when there's not much response. Talking to yourself about your cars is something you don't need the internet to do.

Tell that to the guy who has two build threads of over 1000 posts for his rallycross build, lol. I'd say 700 of those are me talking to myself That said, on the other forum I have my build on you can see the "thread views" and with 1500 posts, it has 100,000 views. So I know people are watching/following it (could just be the same 10 people looking at it every time I post, I suppose, haha...). But unless someone has something to say, sometimes they just lurk. I read a lot of build threads but don't post all that much other than to say "nice job" every once in a while. Unless I have something to actually add to it, then I'll post. Anyhow, don't get down if nobody posts in your thread often. Doesn't mean that nobody's watching it.

Heh thanks. We'll see how the reception of this goes. So far it's not too bad it seems.

I appreciate the kindness and I'll probably be posting in your thread from time to time as well. I lurked in it before making this account.

AW11 owner/fanboi here. Subscribed.

I think you'll fit in just fine around here. Welcome!

Turbo 12A or 13bt swap? or just a picture under the hood of that rx7 :)

13b with a turbo kit that was made back in the 80s by Corky Bell. The kit's brand is "Cartech".

Sorry if the pictures are a little goofy, I was trying to block the sun to make them a bit more clear. Also ignore the red wire wrapped around the oil fill neck; it was a temporary fix until I bought a new throttle return spring.

The exposed wire went to a switch I had for my alternator. The connector on the end of it broke so I have to get a new one.

why yes, you'll fit in here fine.

DuctTape&Bondo wrote: why yes, you'll fit in here fine.

I think so too

Also I got the stock wheels from the P.O. I'm gonna spray them off with the hose and probably install them tonight to see how I like them.

Ghooble wrote: Dang. Is that your head? Mine was originally built with 304* cams with 10.1mm lift, shim under buckets, and Valve springs that put my Redline around 8800rpm. But when swapping out cams to something a little more sane I broke 4 cam bearing cap bolts in a row somehow (2 were brand new grade 10.9's) which ended in me drilling and tapping the head to fit new bolts. Apparently I missed a piece of aluminum or two which bound up my cam follower and scrapped the head. But a recent development in me getting a brake hone managed to fix that problem so the head may go back in someday if I get a Megasquirt to take care of fueling for my ITB's that are still bolted to it.

That is a clients head.... I port heads for a living. This one is the current one I'm doing

.

an upclose view as the exhaust port is shaped

Oh hot damn! What do you use to port? A die-grinder?

I've always wanted to try lightly porting a head but don't own one and my old dremel is super weak so it definitely couldn't do it.

I got the old tires and put one on to see how I like it.

What do you guys think? 14" of 80s magic or 17" modern rubber (though the back left tire is apparently different than the rest so that will need to be fixed).

Apparently this picture is slightly out of focus..

Personally, I don't like either... The 14's don't really fill the wheel-well enough, while the 17's kinda make it look like a Hot-Wheels car.

I would probably go with a 15", since there is still a reasonable choice of decent performance tires.

Beyond that, I like your choice of vehicles, and will be following this.

I don't really like the 17s either, they're just what came with the car. I'd like a set of 15" rally wheels if I could find some just to be authentic. Maybe a set of WRX wheels might look nice..

Ghooble wrote: Oh hot damn! What do you use to port? A die-grinder? I've always wanted to try lightly porting a head but don't own one and my old dremel is super weak so it definitely couldn't do it.

the motor... sometimes Dremel, some times Black and Decker. I'm currently using the Dremel flex shaft for either motor. For bits I use cutters, stones, and sanding drums

Almost all the heads I do, I do publicly. Here is a google search showing many of them - Google search of OST's port work

"some times Black and Decker."

Black and Decker what? Die grinder? Or Dremel?

I love those AllTracs. I hate their stupid electronics and engine management with a passion. I owned one for 2 days and got rid of it because I took it in a trade and couldn't get it to stop dumping fuel. 100 miles on a whole tank of gas, with a ton of other little issues.

curtjohnson456 wrote: I really like that japans car.I really it performance and services are too too good. i am also a user of japan's car last 10 years.........i upload one of the my favorite car....... New and used fiat Milwaukee

Canoe?

Alright so I took on the apparently monumental task of getting the oil pan off tonight to reseal it.

First I found that my FPR hose was barely hanging on so I fixed that before I dropped under the car.

Now it's time to drain the oil..

Then the exhaust has to come off because the pan wraps around it (can't lower the pan then slide it toward the passenger side)

Then this oil return hose comes off

Turns out the cross member that holds up my Engine/Transaxle/Transfer case via 2 engine mounts only has 2 of the 4 bolts installed...sweet.

Turns out there's a hidden bolt between the exhaust and the block that I had just found which was stopping the down pipe from dropping down. (GF took this picture)

Finally got the pan off. They used both the Felpro cork gasket and blue RTV which didn't seem to do well. Also all of the pan bolts were only finger tight which was probably causing the leak but since I was this far and already had the FIPG I just decided to clean and re-do it myself for the assurance that it wouldn't leak.

Girlfriend cleaning off the pan while I got the bottom of the block.

Pan cleaned off and ready for FIPG

Me installing the pan.

And that's where she sits for the night. Tomorrow I'll put everything back on and probably spray some parts off with the hose because they're disgusting.

Got everything bolted back together including a bracket that looks like it was a turbo support? It was hiding behind the down pipe.

Also cracked the turbo's oil drain tube because the rubber was old and E36 M3ty. Hopefully I'll find a piece of hose I can use to replace it at my Parent's house where I keep the majority of my spare parts.

Ghooble wrote: "some times Black and Decker." Black and Decker what? Die grinder? Or Dremel?

Black and Decker's rotary tool(Dremel) it has nearly twice the torque of the Dremel.

Nice girlfriend.... you might think about keeping her if she is willing to help

oldeskewltoy wrote:

Ghooble wrote: "some times Black and Decker." Black and Decker what? Die grinder? Or Dremel?

Black and Decker's rotary tool(Dremel) it has nearly twice the torque of the Dremel. Nice girlfriend.... you might think about keeping her if she is willing to help

Yeah..she says I have to since she helps out when I ask.

And nice! I will probably pick up a Black and Decker then..moar torque!