Mickeyduck's machines

[EssDub]

Ohhh dearrrr, LOL.

[Benckj]

Into the SW's now??

Tell us more!

[MarkT]

Nice You alluded to that when I saw you at the 4's & Rotaries. Congrats!

[ClanFever]

Good choice! More power then you'd of seen in all your aw's put together!

[mickeyduck]

Good choice! More power then you'd of seen in all your aw's put together!

Indeed... Rather much more...

Drove it to work today via the motorway. Then found myself going up and down to the basement car park to show the lads at work. It's a bit of an eye catcher that thing and when you start lifting the lids it only gets better.

Drove home via the back roads - an hour of clutch practice, hill-starts and all. I think I'm getting the hang of it too. This twin plate stuff is actually rather clever.

Not that I've tried a fast launch as yet. Heck all you need do is crawl off the line then add throttle after you get rolling, you soon enough fly past whatever else is around...

She makes a heap of noise - the twin plate clutch rattles like hell sitting at the lights, anyone would think the car's about to fall apart. Perfectly normal of course for a car with a twin-plate clutch, have a listen when they're idling on the starting grid at your next race. Not so normal around town though. The two-way diff has its say when cruising cos it can't make its mind up whether you're gonna go or gonna slow... And more bespoke beastiness lurks behind your back making music as you drive, for example there's a tin can kinda clattering if cruising at 3,500 rpm so I'm thinking maybe it's some kinda pressure regulating bizzo? Scott will know, I'll be asking him a heap of questions when I see him next.

Of course the real racket gets going once you put the pedal down, unleash the angry beast. Welcome to a whole other dimension. Then you shift gear and the blow-off valve can either sound like a giant whip cracking or like a shotgun going off right behind your head, depending where you shifted... It don't sound like some limp WRX's whoo-pissh that's for sure.

At the end of the day who cares about the strange noises as long as they are all normal and nothing's getting hurt. I mean, it's not like this is a "normal" car now, is it?

Still, if you cruise at 3,000 rpm she's very sedate and very quiet. 3,000 rpm is great cos it ends up being 60, 80 or 100 kmh which all work out nicely. I need to check with Scott but I'd expect 3,000 rpm is enough to burn reasonably clean and not foul everything up.

I really only want to change one thing about the car at this point: it's too bouncy on bumpy roads for my driving style. Bear in mind this is a matter of personal preference and you do get accustomed to driving a certain suspension set-up... But when you go over bumps and the car bounces it can also make your foot kinda bounce up and down on the throttle and in this thing that's a very bad idea. Hey nothing a bit of adjustment to those coil-overs won't fix methinks. I'll try relaxing the springs a bit first and if that doesn't do what I want I'll simply put them back low then firm up the shocks till they're rock solid. At which point I reckon maybe it won't bounce, it'll skim like my white T-top AW. Which is actually quite a different thing...

I can't help but think I might just have scored the best MR2 in the country. Not the most original mint of course, but as far as non-standard cars go certainly one of the best, right up there with BBY4RE I'd imagine - another one of those wicked MR2's where their potential is truly explored. Hats off to Mr Finn for his fine work. If you combine the engineering, the looks and the performance, she's a hard one to beat that's for sure. One very sexy beast.

I'm so stoked. SWeet! My number one mission now is to look after it. Mind you, it will be driven.

Not that I'll be parting with my AWesome wee go-karts though... They are just too much fun in a whole 'nuther way.

But this latest MR2 is certainly an adventure. And a keeper - I want to maintain and enjoy this beast the rest of my life if I can help it.

As I said to Scott it may no longer have the plates but it'll always be B00STN. Hell, some things just can't be helped! Mu ha ha...!

[Benckj]

Congradulations on your new play toy. Looks like the forced induction bug has bitten you hard. It is certainly a nice package but you will need to tune it for your intended use. Coilovers will rattle your fillings loose and between the clutch, exhaust nd BOV your hearing will be gone as well. Might all be good for performance but not made for town driving.

[born disturbed]

Heh the only NA car ole Charlie owns is his Holden HR Wagon with a rather grumpy XU1 spec Bathurst engine Even his crappy diesel RVR is turbo'd


Great score on the sweet SW dude, will be at your place in 15mins ( sorry I was running late )

[Joel]

One of the few SWs that would turn even the staunchest AW fan over to the darkside.

Can't wait for a ride in this Charlie!

[Sinturion]

So, when are we pulling the engine out and sticking it in the AW?

[mickeyduck]

Alex, you'll get me killed mate.

Joel, I'll buy some real grippy rear tyres first and get some practice controlling this beast - don't want to kill you eh, your graphic design skills are far too valuable. Thereafter, you're welcome.

Jared you're right I'm not into chug-a-lugs, never have been.

Taking it slow at the mo though cos I don't want to crash the thing - gotta get to know it eh.
Rest assured I will explore its limits as time progresses. Goes without saying, some things just can't be helped...

Jim you need to buy an AW if you haven't yet. Nimble as, I reckon only a Lotus or a Fraser can beat them on a twisty road if set up right. Throw a 300hp engine in the back you'd have a heap of fun I reckon. (come on Alex, I gotta see this Aurion powered AW eh). As for this SW, yep she sure weren't built as a plodder for the city but it's surprisingly manageable if you're careful. Though I did add about a millimeter too much throttle leaving home this morning and left a nice set of elevenses outside my place... Oops.

My thoughts on B00STN - simple really:

It's a work of art. And unlike BBY4RE, not black art, but an angry red.

As such I'm determined to preserve, as best I can, Scott's exceptional handiwork.

Though there are a few wee things I do intend to alter. And I don't imagine he'd have a problem with any of them. In fact I hope to ensure he doesn't ever have a problem with stuff I do to this car, as a mark of respect. Cos it's a unique beast this creation of his and I admire his handiwork and am privileged to be entrusted with it. Besides, I'm sure to need his assistance and advice from time to time...

Amongst the things I might alter, raise the ride height maybe a centimeter and hopefully soften it a little to soak up the nasty bumps you can encounter on the open road (just ask anyone who came on the Rocket Run - we found a doozie). Or alternately, firm up the shocks so she simply skips like my T-top AW which has even harder suspension. Though that gets kinda hard on the welds...

Might try some of that fluffy (fi-glass?) sound deadening / heat baffling stuff (like on an AW firewall on the engine side) under the turbo heat-shield to stop its resonant tin can clatter at 3,500 rpm when under b.a. load (ie following nanna mobiles in suburbia, not what the car was built for really, but there it is...) Given enough time the vibration is likely to destroy the shield so it needs doing. Scott would be the first to admit that when you build a one-off beast like this, things evolve.

And having caught up with him again tonight and listened to his advice I might just need to add some of that sound-deadening stuff (like is stuck to the inside of an AW's cabin) inside the front guards cos if stones flick up they will whack the paint as there's no inner plastic liners there cos it's riding rather low. As a show and strip car it didn't need protection but on a run it will encounter flicky stones, so I'll take Scott's advice and sort that out.

Bah, I can't remember what the stuff was called...

This last weekend was way full on and hats off in a huge way to Jared (born disturbed) who finished ripping the AW wreck apart. We now have a shell with virtually nothing left on it and a heap more parts in the pile. This is a seriously neglected and rotten chassis. When I pulled the rear engine mount off a half bucket of water came out of the bolt holes. The guy I bought it off is real lucky he spun and hit a curb instead of sliding head-first into something cos the whole front of that thing would have just disappeared what with the bumper iron being naffed, the chassis rails likewise, the floor pan having a hooerie great gap in it thanks to the cancer... She would have crumpled like a piece of tin foil.

But the engine will be useful, neglected though it is. A high compression over-boosted supercharged engine is in the tubes... With a zero-delay off the mark auto trans attached. Mu ha ha...

Hey, more fun times in the making...

And another huge "thanks" to Rocketman Davo for his assistance in the security department. Here's to many years of enjoying the sheer brilliance of these MR2's...

[Benckj]

Tried sitting in an AW once and my kness were wrapped around sterring wheel. Not quite enough romm for my 6 ' 5" frame.

I used some sound deadning called 'Fatmat' which is a knock off of 'Dynomat'. Sticky rubber with a silver metla coating . Can cut and shape to most surfaces. Bought off eBay so would need to check shipping costs.

[mickeyduck]

Thanks Jim. Yeah Dynomat rings a bell, pretty sure that's what Scott fitted inside the doors.

I need to swap out the pads in my blue AW "Stripe" - might do that this weekend, get it over with. Was going to fit braided hoses too but that can wait. It has track pads and race fluid, will do the job for now.

And I might try to fit some baffling behind the turbo heat-shield on the red car...

My neighbour said "It's red, it must be fast". I'll take him for a ride one day once I get the hang of it on full boost. Ha ha.

[born disturbed]

I can get you the spray deadener from work Charlie, works really nice & I have a bunch of guys who swear by it.

I totally forgot it was on low boost when we took the red car out, was a very quick car regardless & will be insane on full boost Now I need to find a decent charger for my AW

[mickeyduck]

Went around to Melvin P's last Wednesday night (BBY4RE) where we put B00STN up on his hoist and raised the ride height. (a BIG "thanks" Melvin!) Clever things them Kei Office coilovers. Interesting too that the shop that set them up must have weighed the car at each wheel cos the spring tensions were set up a bit different each corner. We left that as was but merely altered the ride height. Nice that it could be done that way too.

We put her up 20mm each corner but I have since dropped her by 10mm again on the front, so the overall change is 20mm up at the rear, 10mm up at the nose.

Monday I took the wheels in to Firestone, had the fronts rebalanced and nitrogen filled to 29 psi, the rears were replaced with Potenza S001 and nitrogen filled to 33 psi. I hope those standard SW pressures work ok on the sizes they are. We'll see...

So now I'm expecting it to have WAY more grip on the back end and that oughtta translate to a LOT more go...

As she was rather bouncy on the street and the shocks were as soft as possible I've also firmed up the shocks to see if it makes her harder but less boing boing. We'll see. Need to go for a few test runs before Taupo that's for sure.

I've also removed the after-market front strut brace and just left the standard issue one, so I could add a standard SW wheel (not a space saver!) as a spare tyre in case I get a flat. Mind you if I ever need to drive it on a standard SW tyre I'll be going VERY carefully...!

The carpets have cut-outs where speakers were - covered for the mo with mats, but I just scored some carpets which I'll fit a bit later, if they are as good as I expect. I also scored a fresh set of those crazy "Man in Dandism, new rich and sport" mats too. SWeet. Those things are bonkers! Getting them cleaned up professionally...

And I've removed the rear engine lid's fans and will let the motor breathe naturally through both vents without the rain shield (as BBY4RE does) and that oughtta let me fit a rear strut brace. Got the bar. Just need brackets for it.

Weather looks nice for Friday which is when the NW MWay is usually a lot more free, so might just have to take her to work then for a bit of a test run, before attacking some of those SWeet West Auckland back roads on the weekend.

This car should've come with a sticker: "Warning - this beast eats tyres!"

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Now replaced with -

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We also scored one of these on Sunday - Michelle's new runabout, to replace the crappy old RVR (I hate that bitsashitti). Basically an SW turbo powered Toymota with a tiptronic box like an MRS. 4WD station wagon. Let's call it an MR2+2. Goes ok... It'll be useful on runs dragging around the BBQ and marquees too. Spent a grand on decent tyres for it on Monday. Safety first. Just hope Michelle doesn't get too many tickets cos it seems to want to do a bit more than the limit eh.

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As for engines, how's this for old skool grunt then? Went for a romp on it Saturday to Whangarei and back. What a freakin' hoo-hoot!

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The ticket buying thing was a bit bizzarre though...

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OK back on topic... Toymotas...

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[EssDub]

If you are planning on running those 19s on the track, then you're going to be all over the place. they'll bounce and fidget around regardless of what you do to the suspension settings.

I would HIGHLY suggest you find some 17s and throw some 45 profile semi-slicks on them, or you could well end up picking pieces of that car out of the tyre walls...