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Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:14 am
by Jabeo
Hi all, fairly new to the club. some of you might have seen me making posts regarding my car which i have not yet showed. Thought it would be a nice time to show you guys some pictures and keep you updated with the sort of progress im making on it.

Here she is, an extremely stock JDM 1992 MR2 GT with 95,000 certified kms on the clock. Comes with all the goodies from that trim level, traction control, cruise control (dont think it works), ABS etc
It has had an aftermarket AVS alarm fitted to it complete with immobilizer and Turbo timer. I need to take it somewhere for someone to explain the full workings and capabilities of the alarm as i feel in the dark sometimes etc

For reference i will update the things i have done to the car since i have got it:

Interior:
Sparco shift knob
New OEM shifter boot
New T10 LED dash bulbs
Turbosmart mechanical 30 psi Boost gauge

Exterior:
4 x RY RSII BBS wheels:
17 x 8 35+ offset 235/40R kuhmo ecstas on the front
17 x 9 35+ offset on the rear 255/40R kuhmo ecstas on the rear
Toyota Brake pads on the rear

Mechanical:
Replaced handbrake cables
550cca Battery
Tridon Water Temp sender
K & N Pod filter

Here are some pictures :)

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 7:09 am
by mknz
Take a picture of the drivers side of the engine back towards the boot and of the cruise control stalk. If it's the same as my old car I'll know how it works.

Although it's not really a tragedy if it doesn't work, your car is otherwise looking in pretty good state.

The cruise control will do this thing where it slowly drops 5km below it's target and will then open the throttle which if you're doing ~100kmph is right when boost hits in 5th so it'll accelerate to 5kmph over its target and repeats. This is much more annoying on a hill when this happens much faster, you can alleviate it by adding just a little throttle (pedal) but then what's the point of cruise control?

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 10:19 am
by Benckj
The early model cruise controls are much like the traction control which started as a good idea but lacks modem refinement. These options were more of a USDM feature than JDM as could be used more so on highway drives.

Nice looking car all the same. Glad your sharing pics and asking questions.

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:35 am
by GDII
Looks great. Quite a high spec'd model you have there with low KMs. I wonder if it has any dealer options on it.

The TRC and cruise control is quite a rare thing on the JDM models. I don't even know if the TRC system was available for the USDM models. It's similar to the Supra 2JZ-GTE TRC system.

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:49 pm
by Jabeo
mknz wrote:Take a picture of the drivers side of the engine back towards the boot and of the cruise control stalk. If it's the same as my old car I'll know how it works.
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Dunno if this helps?

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:00 am
by Jabeo
GDII wrote:Looks great. Quite a high spec'd model you have there with low KMs. I wonder if it has any dealer options on it.
Not sure will have to find out :)

Here is an update on everything i have done since i purchased the car.
The car battery was really dodgy and and not holding charge well (was also to small for battery tray) so i got a free 550cca battery from my girl friends dad
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The hand brake cables on both sides were either snapped or seized so i learnt how to replace them. I replaced them with a salvaged pair from a damaged SW20 on trademe for around $100 now the brakes lock up very nicely. Here is what they looked like after i removed them
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The dash cluster bulbs were very dull and dim as they were still stock so i decided to replace them with some T10 leds that initially werent good enough and giving me hot spots
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Upon receiving GDII's awesome recommendation, i bought the same bulbs he had and threw them in with great success!
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Havent done a whole lot else yet, just replaced the batterys in my key remote today, now my immobilizer is working 100% and central locking is great on both doors. Going to service the car this week too. There is general wear and tear on the interior which i will fix eventually such as the shift which i replaced with a nice sparco one.
It also came with cupholders (yay) but i think i will swap the headunit and cupholders around. Let me know what you think :)

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:54 am
by mknz
As for operation: press the side button in to turn it on, get a little above the speed you want to target, flick the stalk down to set a speed. To set the speed higher hold the stalk up and vice versa.

Your throttle cable goes to that black capped box in the corner and then another cable goes from there to your throttle body.

For it to work the clutch pedal switch can't be on all the time I think (check the wiring diagram in the BGB), I think it gets its speed reading from the speedo and of course it needs to be plugged in. Check those first.

As for "refinement" (I hate that word), provided you don't have a turbo this simple system works pretty well. My AW one is proof of that although I never use it because it doesn't really make sense on twisty roads

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:01 am
by MIKEP
For only 95000 clicks that steering wheel is awfully worn. Mines done 2 times that and isn't that worn....

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:41 pm
by Jabeo
MIKEP wrote:For only 95000 clicks that steering wheel is awfully worn. Mines done 2 times that and isn't that worn....
I think a lot of it might be heavy sun damage, as there is a split in the dash on the drivers side behind the speedo cluster which i assume is due to excessive exposure to the sun. I currently keep the car in a shed when not in use to protect it now lol

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:44 pm
by Jabeo
MIKEP wrote:For only 95000 clicks that steering wheel is awfully worn. Mines done 2 times that and isn't that worn....
I think a lot of it might be heavy sun damage, as there is a split in the dash on the drivers side behind the speedo cluster which i assume is due to excessive exposure to the sun. I currently keep the car in a shed when not in use to protect it now lol
mknz wrote: Your throttle cable goes to that black capped box in the corner and then another cable goes from there to your throttle body.

For it to work the clutch pedal switch can't be on all the time I think (check the wiring diagram in the BGB), I think it gets its speed reading from the speedo and of course it needs to be plugged in. Check those first.

As for "refinement" (I hate that word), provided you don't have a turbo this simple system works pretty well. My AW one is proof of that although I never use it because it doesn't really make sense on twisty roads
Okay cool thanks for that, i will take it to a stretch of 100km road and see if it works, then fiddle around with it and let you guys know

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 2:24 am
by Jabeo
Have been looking at refurbishing my wheels as I really like their look, but one is pretty curbed. Have been watching videos on how to clean up and repaint wheels and would like to try it on mine. Found a thread by a guywho has been inactive for a while now with his black SW20 with bronze wheels. Does anyone know what color he used specifically or something really similar? Here is his car
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Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:40 am
by Alsw20
Get them powdercoated. Go see a powdercoater and ask for their advice. You will need someone to take the tyres off though.

Powder coating is cheaper and tougher than painting. I had four wheels sand blasted and powdercoated for about $250 here in Christchurch.

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:58 am
by Jabeo
Alsw20 wrote:Get them powdercoated. Go see a powdercoater and ask for their advice. You will need someone to take the tyres off though.

Powder coating is cheaper and tougher than painting. I had four wheels sand blasted and powdercoated for about $250 here in Christchurch.
Ah very nice i may consider that. Have been looking around for cans of Duplicolor HWP105 Bronze in NZ but they are no where to be found, the finish it has is quite nice. Which was going to be a cheaper alternative for me but i wanted to try it on something else first.

Here is what it looks like when painted on wheels, im not sure how durable it is. Would it be a case of applying a finish on it to make them last?
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Just looking at different options :)

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:20 am
by GDII
Powdercoating is a better option but I'm not sure if this can limit the colours you can get. It's extremely durable and far less likely to chip.

The other option would be to get some paint mixed up to the colour you want. I've done this for various projects. Then apply a decent compatible clear coat over the top for good protection. Then you will want to protect that again with a wheel wax so that brake dust has less of a chance to embed itself into the paint/powdercoat.

Re: Jabeo's 1992 MR2 GT

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:51 am
by Jabeo
GDII wrote:Powdercoating is a better option but I'm not sure if this can limit the colours you can get. It's extremely durable and far less likely to chip.

The other option would be to get some paint mixed up to the colour you want. I've done this for various projects. Then apply a decent compatible clear coat over the top for good protection. Then you will want to protect that again with a wheel wax so that brake dust has less of a chance to embed itself into the paint/powdercoat.
Where would i be able to go to get a colour mixed up? I know some places like supercheap and those sort of places do but would they really be the best option?
Also what do you recommend by ways of a wheel wax? i have seen on your thread that it works wonders when you come to just wash dust off the wheels etc