1990 SW20 MR2 GT Restoration Project

[ToyMonsta]

Where to begin.... A little background story on MY MR II.

Last year I bought my first MR2 (my first Turbo vehicle) all the way down in Invercargill. I paid $3K for it and it had only done 175,400 KM's then drove it all the way back to CHCH, instantly I was addicted!

Here are a few pics of it before I started working on it. It had side skirts, bullet hole stickers, chrome door trim bumper strips and stick on orange reflectors on the doors!... YUCK! Paint was in need of work!

So I began to detail her after work on the Monday night....

NOTE: It also came with the original wheels and had previously had a frontal impact and had been repaired and re-sprayed to the back of the doors (was not a good job)

After a thorough Steam Clean

Paint is almost white in some places

[ToyMonsta]

After 3 hours of buffing the body and all the bullet stickers and chrome strips removed I am happy with the result... for now.

[Benckj]

Good job, your detailing came up very nice indeed. The wheels are a bit out there but I actually like them. What is the interior like?

[ToyMonsta]

The interior is very tidy, carpet came up like new after a good shampoo, I'll post some pics when I get home from work.

(I have the original wheels sitting in the garage) but I'll get to that part later.

[Mr Shiny]

Nice work! What did you polish it with?

[ToyMonsta]

I used a mixture of Ferecla G3, Plum Crazy and Auto Glym Polish.

For the second stage I used a Rupes DA Buffer and their cutting compound.
Rupes is one of the best in the Detailing Business.

For the third and final stage I used a second coat of Auto Glym Polish (it's the only polish that works with the red paint on an MR2 without tarnishing the paint again)

[GDII]

Lovely job. It looks far better now. Sounds like we have another pro detailer in the club.

It's nice to see a bone stock GEN2 engine bay. Looks really clean with most of the factory parts still there and no odd coloured aftermarket parts.

What are you doing with the rear wing to keep it red? I found with mine it wouldn't stay red long so I had to repaint it. And the rubber hoses in the engine bay, what product did you use to make them shiny like that?

[JasonFriday13]

Wow, it's not very often you see a completely stock engine bay. Most of the turbo ones have either had a pod filter or blowoff valve installed, maybe even both.

Nice work on polishing it up, looks great.

[Mr Shiny]

I used a mixture of Ferecla G3, Plum Crazy and Auto Glym Polish.

For the second stage I used a Rupes DA Buffer and their cutting compound.
Rupes is one of the best in the Detailing Business.

For the third and final stage I used a second coat of Auto Glym Polish (it's the only polish that works with the red paint on an MR2 without tarnishing the paint again)

Cheers! Yeah I have a hard time removing the oxidation, it just drinks up any compound I put on it. Any suggestions? (Just a hobbyist )
Love Rupes too, got a Nano yet?

[ToyMonsta]

Nope no nano yet.

If anyone here wants to know what products to use and how to do things regarding Proffessional detailing im more than happy to point you all in the right direction, please PM me.

I would like to keep on topic here

[ToyMonsta]

So a couple of weeks after detailing the drivers side skirt fell off when I opened the door! So in the bin they went..... after I put my boot to them a few times

I then proceeded to take all the adhesive gunk off and re buffed the entire car again.

[ToyMonsta]

The same day I decided to start on the interior and put the original wheels on.

[GDII]

That looks so much nicer with the 14" wheels and no body kit.

[ToyMonsta]

Totally agree

I have heaps more to come.... about 1 years worth lol
and then I'll explain what I have going on right now with it.

About to put her into storage

[ToyMonsta]

Now for a service!

Had my first service done at Toyota, they changed the oil and filter as well as the gearbox fluid and the air filter.

I had also asked them to be thorough and to let me know if there was anything else. All they said was the Turbo oil feed return line was leaking a little.
I wasn't convinced, as this is a twenty five year old car!

So a few weeks later it started to loose power and the gearbox first and second gear started to graunch and the gear stick became looser
not only that.... I was loosing boost pressure as well.

Also noticed it was leaking pretty badly from the cam cover, so I proceeded to go about the cam cover myself as I did the one on my supra and that was easy enough....

Here is what I found!