Firstly a recap - I dabbled with the Custard Tart in my previous thread- Bargain Bucket MR2 (https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=63117.0) , but with the bucket gone and its new owner taking over that thread to continue the journey (it's having a far more interesting life up north), it's time for the Tart to have it's own limelight!
So this car was previously owned by my dad who, having been impressed by the buckety goodness of my first mk3, decided to go on the hunt for one himself, albeit with a far bigger budget. He found the brightest, most lairy example he could find in Wales, a relatively short hop from where he lives. Bodily, the car was in good condition thanks in part to having had a paint job at some point and also due to the lowish mileage of just over 50k.
Having bought it back with him, he set about sorting out the rather budget maintenance the car had been subjected to over the years. All fluids were drained and refilled with Toyota-spec oils and coolant, the Landsail tyres were swapped for Yoko AD's, the standard manifold removed and a stainless one put in complete with three Denso lambdas. It was polished to within an inch of its life and then because the car, resplendent in Solar Yellow with not-so-contrasting black and yellow leather interior, wasn't yellow enough, the calipers were painted in matching yellow. He topped it off by buying brand new headlights as the expensive cherry on top!
The result, other than the inside being akin to sitting in a bumblebee, is actually rather striking.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VCpPgngV85x8kBMa8wbRl0oBpryQ3HKuOYpEkamEmlN-NW6sLTnsDVlNRZKPhRtgqq7DEAA0BToRcsu63jVnqhMxmCx6-iWR30I-eW7XLKaeFavkaAyL9gq7OyAxs_zuztf2V7_By2w=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xKgjyXVe4CQudrK7BY6jfxkEVUwJeH7wvDgFPHgInYGqAD883OATftl978kOlhXIk58sPuTWAXGdzoD3W_hvNnvNIntz4UgxZpOijl1ximr7g8nBbHUuXJrgXIwx008BD79V4lXr8x8=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1xHF4YSW28JUa3xeveS_YN3c6gSrphTFlECtO8-TEgBMc-ZILhqgao5CGvxYZhe-2hn3Xjm6jCzZY_grQp0BCAytdjoMipeObN-oJIg6FvrKw0X6nykzfQtHJq1D8LnaDRZ2vQNzTL0=w800)
After a year tooling around in it, he decided he needed some garage space back and told me to come over and collect it. Never looking a gift horse in the teeth, my eldest and I grabbed a lift from my father in law and trekked up to Wiltshire. After a natter, a bite to eat and watching the F1 qualifying, we set off back down to Sussex.
Other than the strident exhaust note provided by the stainless manifold and the TTE backbox, it was an uneventful trip back. After a quick stop at the excellent Fleet services (it's like a cross between a Centre Parks and a service cafe somehow), we made it back in short order.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gfvvQtERs7rZd02-WEaUrtiepT3L-3d__7Zo86mYntf01NJkdzI8-XYXsfoOOKQh3p9fHofGu3OWHi1Myruu-0-tTLm3KFt-04Y1HczdSBTTQ7_hOg3XV8spBbRKpdKx-YGXESpskS8=w800)
It was clear that it was quite a different car to my crumbly pre-facelift bucket. It was a lot more stable and chuckable around the bends due to the TTE lowered springs and the sticky tyres, but felt quite flat engine wise. The brakes were on another level though and my goodness it was tidy! The 6th gear was a grateful addition on the motorway too!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8WEZUPaSv9UYFixK9d-elWueuncunKejMO5jke77cTn8tFFZBdKOnUWrEgBL2omQucrllzp4YO4Hffz52Zg0h4oLay-McCWD1KqdzLyvY-B2ViJOkxvtzTmD4WDnTQUYzl0Zf1WcZ5I=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uDQief2ji6NiRw7yXUQKxZSXRP2KySFYubw3nWPOoOOwPFZssJjOtW6KoUJx1pqREHjVTDoILfL28dAY-4_nGb2KpbqtJjOFDJVR1weUlBlxqLosiGrmI_GAI4O0AAaDnoNKhTmErwg=w800)
So what is it? It's an early facelift in what I'm told is a pretty rare colour for that year. It also has some factory/dealer TTE bits as mentioned above along with the unusual black and yellow seats and door cards. I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure if this was a dealer-special interior or something from the factory - any info helpfully received!
The spec is relatively unique, but was explained somewhat when I went looking for other facelift yellow MR2s on Google images. There weren't many other than a couple of scans from EVO magazine....hang on! That's my reg plate!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FmsmMr9UyYhUSELBLwtC2y_Q9edQp2N24Ibnpg0C1kF7cUi9wNBP1YJtccp_3CRtXlDQRLehs00utlqCV-zShK4HNyb9fTqYfE395xcQTl60o5PWNgFKQwDesBD72XhlSmOVI3HF0D8=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/51GBeiosIN2EWskxsV1L3z0EBwTppQnqu3DpiwxXPUn9xameYVgdgszR5muSZq4-5qONTgQdJdJTolRUOJBpYjgOMO9himod6niMQp8w--AcNxWkvc4GhiCxNp3EEGUhPnMVceL4KkE=w800)
It seems that the Tart was a press car given to EVO to run as part of their fast fleet. I seem to remember they had a bit of a thing for yellow cars in that mag (I presume because the colour photographs well), so perhaps the spec makes sense in that context?
So what's been done so far? Well very little mileage so far, but it has required a bit of tinkering here and there.
The classic chronic handbrake was once again present despite the rear calipers being in good nick, so I had a fun day wrestling the fuel tank out and threading it through the nest of AC pipes to get to the handbrake cables. Two Euro Car Part specials to replace them and a bit of confusion to get them set correctly (thank you Carolyn) and we had a really decent handbrake - it can be done!!
The standard facelift stereo, in contrast to the fab Sony unit that came in the pre-facelift cars, was utter cack, so just before the first lockdown, I bought a second hand Kenwood DAB double din to replace it with. I like these Kenwood units and this one was chosen because it has adjustable lighting that I could use to match the rest of the dash. With the surround from the Bucket it fitted with the dash really well and works brilliantly.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_mThS1aP4snMRIKSEjpH0sXIGg2lGliEiCwKtcc-4V4-jWqAfqwT-Ys4GhSMEheFfYo74G_uSNNKTq__sXx7tnsSJu2YAbGNye6X_PGVVamzfayDxOjin0BFKemrtoYNW0NuDbzBtrc=w450)
I bought a replacement DAB aerial for the windscreen and after fighting with the soft-top catches and trim, managed a neat install. All works a treat!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/P08ml-ejrFYe2LMhF3pxFQ8tBTtbC4NdIpPJtJMitaGiCOPUNH9GSRiL1J_YXEFtpJNHS19fXRqBbVVJfZ5MZh49jkQRIPG9B0INHbjuz1BdlRP34GEU7kPv4PfBiITHpaXvnmNuKow=w450)
With lockdown in full effect and with nowhere to go, the Tart sat down the drive with the Bucket going nowhere. Once lockdown eased, it was decided that four cars on the drive barely moving was insane, so the Bucket was sold to Adam for an agreeable fee so it could go from a life staring at the garage door to a life ragging around race circuits.
That just left the Tart, which, if I'm honest wasn't my favourite of the two. It felt a bit too nice to use as I did with the ropey old one, I preferred the styling of the early cars and the engine felt about 20BHP in deficit. The bucket may not have stopped or steered all that well, but it went really well in a straight line!
First world problems eh?
When Adam came down to pick up the Bucket, he dropped off some mountain bike bearings for me to use as a gear linkage upgrade. The standard bushes we're a bit on the floppy side and I quite like a mechanical feel for the gear change. These dropped in well and the change is a lot more precise. Little satisfying things!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/z_jM9V68ek6jq_sS5AcTCZ-0AKlbohbXQqI-ovgWf6yuPwGC7vNmjTDRwuRufPFYm2ZIR26Qftqr1KR8ZVZratxlt2CjCY_DSaxXIyT5Tm-m1u1H2CtuB8UOlv0CfS4ROM7zDVkcn2M=w800)
Anyway, with winter approaching, I set to the Tart with a plethora of cleaning products and got it back up to standard. Then I painted out my rank old garage and stuffed it in there out of the way.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SeWjst9ZL6182Ts-JEiFdBOwHjdjZpCr8KQ7-cY48qfs80u-06Uai7Wu-Otl0n-sFd5gP44Gy24rG3CPsmvSyWYf9r7Opg0zgaJn-KN-cXOpFY9nOlbdJipp432Di_T-HC72ZoKIqD0=w800)
Earlier this Spring, I dragged it out to make room in the garage, but didn't do anything with it. The MOT expired and with the prospect of some better weather and with a daily Hyundai that seems to be constantly broken, I thought I'd get it sorted. Out with the battery charger, it fired up rather reluctantly and sat there on a lumpy 800rpm cold idle. Conversely the idle increased as the car warmed up, peaking at 1600rpm. Well, that's not right!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hw-yKQMSn2WO7_Uj8rd4lvjZvslVuFbODGVFXKzeNLTNBKxRTarnK1594F7keHTlJX1FF16p8mA7quNkSjhcrWUvfDvCKj1C86FeZR9RK8o53TbBy24jRFuvwVMAI3Xz1FJzAKXrL6A=w800)
While it was warm, I did an oil and filter change (proper Toyota filter - pointless but fancy).
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QrMX8p2p5OkXSOzWiA6_az4NdclJMb2uOaoT9uwQoMsnNnxlolg8q75ex9i26B9ATED3h23Tk4ryfgzbAekEGBzskYmtbNjjp9_8_vHNcctvaF2s6ssfub6IelfySmryeVoaS7Qj_Z4=w800)
I'll be honest that I just took a stab rather than trying to work it out. The only things that seem to go wrong with these in terms of engine management are the Lambdas (less than 100 miles on those) and the MAF. So I bought a new Denso unit from eBay and slapped that on.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9XfFJwACQ5tYSnRYPg78NZtBfDgZUp0nJLhrhhWuH1TMvcMPNJEKmhT-umaPbCYQ7Plaog0L0BPyOdpU2ehwzVS2Safr5QqhcEZpI5i6OAPAJKrTKWRVj4UTIhUZyXGVZxlsHXtO9W4=w800)
Initially the warm up still misbehaved in the same way until we hit the proper running temperature at which point the revs dropped down to 850rpm. I left it and came back the following day to test the cold start and it fired up smoothly and sat at 1400rpm - nice.
With that little peccadillo out of the way, I went for the MOT which it went through with insolent ease.
So I better start bonding with it a bit! It was my turn to get stabbed by the NHS last week and the nearest place I could get was about 40 mins away cross-country, so what better car than an MR2? I had forgotten how much fun they are to be honest and I had a brilliant little blast in it. I also found out that the MAF was the reason for my lack of grunt - it felt a lot zingier and instant. It must have been slowly failing for a long time.
So that's the Tart up to date with it's own thread! Hopefully more to come!
Great looking car. Love the colour.
Nice read.
Did you keep the old maf?
Not sure what you are going to write about now that you have fixed it all!
Quote from: Topdownman on May 23, 2021, 17:31Not sure what you are going to write about now that you have fixed it all!
No, I'm not sure either, but please do keep writing, I love your style.
Great to read your write ups Lee, I've missed them. ;D
What a great write up
What a great looking 2!
Love the car and love the interior
Quote from: Ardent on May 23, 2021, 17:00Nice read.
Did you keep the old maf?
I did yes. I've had experience of broken MAFs on the Bucket. They can cause all sorts of wind and weird issues but a reverse cold start is a new one on me
Quote from: Topdownman on May 23, 2021, 17:31Not sure what you are going to write about now that you have fixed it all!
There's a fair bit of tinkering to do still. It's a very clean car, but people have still tried to 'improve' it over the years and it has some very minor issues to sort.
Quick list
- Speaker setup is woeful. It has some sort of crossover kit on it that was well regarded back when it was new, but it sounds pap. I'll start with an active sub and go from there. I'm not after a bass bin of a car but it needs something to drown out the bass-heavy exhaust! I have sound dadening but no idea where to apply it as of yet.
- Wheels are flaking due to a previous budget refurb.
- Seats are un-torn but the yellow is pretty worn.
- Cam chain O ring needs replacing, but paying £5 for a set of five of which I only need one seems a bit silly.
- Rust proof the potential rusty bits. I have some Bilthamber stuff for this but the whole car is rust free.
- Clean up the suspension parts which are surface rusty.
Other than those minor things, it's all good!
Quote from: Carolyn on May 23, 2021, 17:52Quote from: Topdownman on May 23, 2021, 17:31Not sure what you are going to write about now that you have fixed it all!
No, I'm not sure either, but please do keep writing, I love your style.
Thank you for the handbrake advice and for all the other nuggets of wisdom you've posted around the forum for when I've needed them!
Quote from: Chilli Girl on May 23, 2021, 18:05Great to read your write ups Lee, I've missed them. ;D
Aww shucks! I've missed being on here, but I haven't really had anything to post for ages!
Quote from: s12vea on May 23, 2021, 18:43What a great write up
What a great looking 2!
Love the car and love the interior
The interior I'm still getting to grips with, but I'm warming to the 'LOOK AT ME' colour as time goes on. It got me a free parking ticket the other day and it's the only car I've ever owned that people have shouted 'I love your car mate!!' across the supermarket car park!
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on May 23, 2021, 20:59it's the only car I've ever owned that people have shouted 'I love your car mate!!' across the supermarket car park!
Priceless
PM your address to me and an O ring will be wending its way.
Great looking car.
The interior as far as I am aware is a dealer option I have one in my loft in much worse condition.
Quote from: Carolyn on May 24, 2021, 08:43PM your address to me and an O ring will be wending its way.
Amazing - thanks Carolyn - PM sent!
Quote from: 1979scotte on May 24, 2021, 10:03Great looking car.
The interior as far as I am aware is a dealer option I have one in my loft in much worse condition.
It certainly hasn't worn the mileage well. Other than a slight rip, the factory leather in the Bucket was in much better condition at 125k miles!
Makes sense that it was a dealer jobby though. The matching door cars are a nice touch.
:) this car has lived in Cardiff at some point has i have 2 pictures of it.
1st was parked out the New Theatre on double yellow lines with disabled badge.
2nd pic was outside Halfords under there cover on Newport road.
i did wait for ages to hopefully see the owners and ask about the seats but gave up after some hrs wait.
i have spotted it in the Roath and Penylan areas of Cardiff as well and the date of pictures was 17 Oct 2014.
it looked good and clean each time i spotted it.
Quote from: 1979scotte on May 24, 2021, 10:03Great looking car.
The interior as far as I am aware is a dealer option I have one in my loft in much worse condition.
the interior was on on in the optional accessories broacher with most colours to match the car i believe
Quote from: puma2 on May 26, 2021, 08:19:) this car has lived in Cardiff at some point has i have 2 pictures of it.
1st was parked out the New Theatre on double yellow lines with disabled badge.
2nd pic was outside Halfords under there cover on Newport road.
i did wait for ages to hopefully see the owners and ask about the seats but gave up after some hrs wait.
i have spotted it in the Roath and Penylan areas of Cardiff as well and the date of pictures was 17 Oct 2014.
it looked good and clean each time i spotted it.
That's about where my dad bought it from. I did get a message from someone who said it was in their family for a time and had some history on it, but I hadn't checked the forum for a few months and I never heard back when I did reply.
Would you consider PM'ing me the images you took at the time or posting them on here? Seems this car has gotten around a fair bit!
Spot the stupid error; :-[
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MEog6h3esi-moNZpBcquQ-3CbY4YUrpWOWcWF1RPc_HHWpLLXw8CqhRC_H8Cf3yh21nea3V9pTEeQ6cu35VISynuYhcXX5xxnLuEIDJQ-ZBErpXR0wOW3ORKRalnTzxPP4EB70mtWaU=w800)
Little tip - the car recognition system on Tanya Batteries' site is incorrect...
Now I have to send it back somehow. That'll teach me for being lazy and not checking the dimensions!
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on May 26, 2021, 14:28Spot the stupid error; :-[
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MEog6h3esi-moNZpBcquQ-3CbY4YUrpWOWcWF1RPc_HHWpLLXw8CqhRC_H8Cf3yh21nea3V9pTEeQ6cu35VISynuYhcXX5xxnLuEIDJQ-ZBErpXR0wOW3ORKRalnTzxPP4EB70mtWaU=w800)
Little tip - the car recognition system on Tanya Batteries' site is incorrect...
Now I have to send it back somehow. That'll teach me for being lazy and not checking the dimensions!
You need a Yuasa 5053 - thats what I've got on mine.
PS I too love your writing style - its fantastic. Keep it up.
PPS - Dibs on the car! haha
Quote from: tricky1138 on May 26, 2021, 14:39You need a Yuasa 5053 - thats what I've got on mine.
PS I too love your writing style - its fantastic. Keep it up.
PPS - Dibs on the car! haha
Well I know that
now! :-D
Thanks for the compliment and for reading of course!
PPS - I think I have a few dibs on it now!
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on May 26, 2021, 15:53Quote from: tricky1138 on May 26, 2021, 14:39You need a Yuasa 5053 - thats what I've got on mine.
PS I too love your writing style - its fantastic. Keep it up.
PPS - Dibs on the car! haha
Well I know that now! :-D
Thanks for the compliment and for reading of course!
PPS - I think I have a few dibs on it now!
Custard Crew members get frist refusal on on yellow cars sold on the ROC irrespective of DIBS.
it's in the rules.
@puma2 @StuC
Can we also get it added to the forum rules that the custard crew get first dibs on all hardtops that are not astronomically priced? Hmm...
Anyway,
@puma2 has sent me the images of the the car tarting it right up in Cardiff back in 2014 - he's right, it's looking well looked after in these as well.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/E4xYDg8Vqj0AAwFpAunaMZvYoAfXBQ0PbSkLFALvGKL9iJ3RiSvqp0Gh4iHEs9A8gfuQ8fszr8ffmvjGK0Q4TJSVNrDtWnq1s2LvsaEGHKhSeShF-0jSuew-2R9HEBKBrwp8StxNdUM=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yDMufSlZ1Ppea-Ur2sunipm8N-lJGtwc80S5nkKPF173s4GdvJHcq6Hd-F3P1QaEF-yGcFF3W0zabzYZIm236HKz471ntzj4VsC_Je4fQClDkveDbNobmEd4qHNwk_YUrsvhx_wqSOc=w800)
*Little known fact - double yellow lines denote a parking bay for cars of a flaxen hue.
We can tell from this that the (presumably Raymond) replacement roof was done after these pictures were taken.
I love these little titbits of information! Intrigued to see if I can find out any more old history. The car itself didn't really come with anything at all.
Quote from: 1979scotte on May 26, 2021, 16:22Quote from: The Arch Bishop on May 26, 2021, 15:53Quote from: tricky1138 on May 26, 2021, 14:39You need a Yuasa 5053 - thats what I've got on mine.
PS I too love your writing style - its fantastic. Keep it up.
PPS - Dibs on the car! haha
Well I know that now! :-D
Thanks for the compliment and for reading of course!
PPS - I think I have a few dibs on it now!
Custard Crew members get frist refusal on on yellow cars sold on the ROC irrespective of DIBS.
it's in the rules.
@puma2
@StuC
Urban Custard Collective FTW! 😂😂
Great to see another one on the site. Welcome to the inner sanctum. 👍😂
Cracking looking car you have there.
Btw did someone say yellow hard top? 😎😎
E0E7B091-20F9-4102-A0EB-0A9247BDF9F2.jpeg
Love that you have some pics from its previous life, really cool to see
Great pics of her the yellow really pops.
I cant help thinking that you need the rest of the bodykit, poor form for a press car!
I seem to remember that some online guides mix up the mk2 and mk3 batteries? If its their error then the company should surely arrange the return if you have bought it in good faith?
Already having Gods own choice of colour; Sable. It's hard to look elsewhere, but with this thread and the recent posts of
@puma2, the custards are looking very good.
Quote from: Topdownman on May 27, 2021, 15:25I cant help thinking that you need the rest of the bodykit, poor form for a press car!
I seem to remember that some online guides mix up the mk2 and mk3 batteries? If its their error then the company should surely arrange the return if you have bought it in good faith?
I have to say that I'm not a massive fan of the bodykits although I would quite like a duck-tail spoiler for no other reason than it finishes off the back end quite well.
Yes, that seems to have been the case with this guide too! I contacted them and they were fine with a return (they do ask you to double check the dimensions before ordering, so I'm also very much at fault). It went back yesterday so when I'm back from holiday, I'll get the proper 053 version ordered.
Quote from: Ardent on May 27, 2021, 22:30Already having Gods own choice of colour; Sable. It's hard to look elsewhere, but with this thread and the recent posts of @puma2, the custards are looking very good.
I'm a big fan of Sable too(and silver but I'm in rare company there), but the yellow has really grown on me. Also love that it brightens up our close amongst a sea of resale grey/black/white cars!
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on May 28, 2021, 11:23Quote from: Ardent on May 27, 2021, 22:30Already having Gods own choice of colour; Sable. It's hard to look elsewhere, but with this thread and the recent posts of @puma2, the custards are looking very good.
I'm a big fan of Sable too(and silver but I'm in rare company there), but the yellow has really grown on me. Also love that it brightens up our close amongst a sea of resale grey/black/white cars!
Silver is a honestly a good looking colour it's more the amount of them about that's off putting.
:) i have to say after my black 2 (God bless her)
going to yellow was shock 8)
At 1st i thought you can only see a bit of yellow when driveing.
plus to here that would look good if it was in black said someone passing by.
then as time went on and more and more drives out so fell in love with yellow ;D ;D
then the plus side of it being rare plus a fl version i really fell in love.
over the last year of lock down after shin ding day i have spent over £3000 just to renew and cover big bills even if it did not need the work. eg new roof and tyres ect.
now would i swap yellow for any colour no apart from fl green which now is even more rare than the yellow.
a few years ago at ding day we manged to get 4 yellows in row for some pictures so not so rare then. ;D ;D
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rMK_s9gThnaUIYjELLbm8881LVa_xFAaUWEW2vuCBktK_WFCLWx-WdGUznd5lAO-GPsN_PrpvxypWdKazPuFd4BD4mZ_Fq1q5g-ShXX5C-bNFSpXE54FVqiptEOZRWREhtwvkNMTuTE=w800)
That's more like it!
Great service by Tayna batteries to be honest. They accepted the return of the incorrect battery without quibble and processed the refund really quickly. The correct battery was ordered on Saturday evening and it arrived today just before 10am!
Snugged the new one in;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/brYtQMA9qJ8RV0YU0kJX4-CJN2KJ3qKQB5DPwAagKAVf7VZrN_2jUOyAceY-GJhpb5A-HmJEA2dPQpLn2VqS7LiWQCCrvBNdMof-RspGFr5cyi1dCgxrYZqkHy6XKxk08T04awvFYjY=w800)
The Tart is now far less reluctant to burst into life. I think the old battery has been on it's last legs for years now, but it was always had just enough life in it to get by or plan around it potentially being flat (again). Silly really as it's not like the new one was particularly expensive or anything!
I dodged the heat this weekend to change the tensioner O-ring that Carolyn kindly sent me (thanks again!). Not a difficult job but a bit fiddly.
I'm not convinced this is the main source of the oil leak as the cam cover sweats a bit out of the corner (you can see oil above the tensioner in the below photo), but it's good peace-of-mind.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tiaF7HoRxvepeflQi9QuVeQR-4gP267cfR8heXje_ZakuMgn-41pyHaVktDc9ikRuWkfcKZT2Y6SLb_4q2BpI-e64bjW-lhaNSu2oMnq8tE7_qpj3pjqAWPOKGwN7aqaZphwYPMsCwU=w800)
It all came off easily enough using my mini ratchet.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZZB0fDTESgCQRtPhN8RJPYYdsED2CvQyftm2ggZ9bQDmvnmdLPE9GLGj0RGTr3s-6hlwIXQS8Un8jQ25Nqlhh5xkPMPugIZBPnN9VFMzemD5PEMQA5n_DKdwUe-g6uIXmLqAtKQ_TC0=w800)
Popped the new O-ring on, set the tensioner and reinstalled it. Then I faffed around trying to get an extension on the crack pully before I remembered that it's a lot easier with the emissions canister removed.
Then after giving the crank a flick and then not being truly convinced I heard the click of the tensioner doing its stuff, I took it all back off and did it again. Oh the paranoia...
Second time around, I heard the definite click and buttoned it back up.
Started - no explosion of valves and chains - no gushing oil - sorted.
Not the most exciting update! Come back soon to read about how I watch paint dry.
Nothing much to report with regards the Tart. It's spent most of the summer pootling about doing local trips, but with the sale of my daily Hyundai, it's now my only car so I've done the moving in ceremony - USB music stick, ice scraper (it still won't see a winter, but hey), tyre compressor, wet wipes and other assembled junk all moved across as well as a new air-freshener.
I needed a rare trip in to work to collect a new laptop and with the weather being amazing, I was looking forward to driving over in the tart with the roof down. As always it was a great drive even though the roads were clogged and the car is only improving with use.
It was the first time that I noticed that the panel filter I fitted a while back was adding to general cacophony that the yellow goddess makes, with a decent amount of intake noise and some gentle burbling off throttle. Generally speaking, I'm not a massive fan of obnoxiously loud cars (and it is really rather bassy), but with the sun out and the roof down, it made me smile which means I guess I liked it!
To prove it does occasionally get out, here's some snaps of it looking pert at work;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Mk5nVhtBBcY40lmqDd2iJAYKSnkf4o8wfpxHgJtWy63foNEInTLoQVTcvVbQCA1NNA-ep8cVuQBbyrFf6bV70Sua2MJRPZdX8X7DOIccU2UGS6PQgbDDhQj8G0S-Wt1jTjn3VpdtTVo=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qIDxo6sKZRrQpK7LfmvawxLpj5TrKrFUB1M0kSdlsxcWCT-5PQ1Wrzaw5FdC7i-0c5bArIRnc2x4wNMm8inh9bcyVSGw9V5-y2CXOHLGWF2tQMR9Y6W-fyBRT207baktkojgYwcVE6Y=w800)
Mrs. Arch Bishop continues to use it at every opportunity. She took it to Guides (she's a leader for the local group) a few months ago and the general consensus with the younguns was that it was 'very cool.'
I can remember when we picked custard tart up from Cardiff, was a few years ago. Had some paintwork done with us then we sold it on. Found these photos.
Blimey...it's been a long old time since I updated this thread!
I suppose it's because there's not been too much to report on, but I have done some miles in it this year. When last I wrote, I was using the car as my daily after selling my Hyundai. That only lasted about a few before I found a gem of a car and snapped it up. I will admit that the colour played some part in my purchase giving our driveway a bit of a ketchup and mustard theme...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MtNn7RiDlrwO5640OuKpeI-y1vz1xqBfMJEZHQKwUQ6GAVv79kCQW8LdXM8rpC8WbZtIrSNvgclMNO29TaL8Y8e5R6dXc7L7P2TXUQFEbqJvjsYqb17ncJAD1vY3Z742vVWL7EPk6_s=w1000)
After the previous post from matmr2, we did get in touch with each other and he kindly sent me some images of the car after he'd rescued it from being "in a pretty sorry state."
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jOaabwAxz6enHhVBK8Jdk06ZGnE9Mq4XS9f396wW9FiJJiJ2Pefy-sMvi6xb4MDxA80-voAxJXR1T5eycHSlL_zpiogYaesjIdbdMZzkJnuYOHUNbwJOZLiZ5xccH7HUol_uUH31ktQ=w1000)
I think we've got a pretty good idea of this car's history now which is really nice!
So as usual, the Tart was packed away in the garage for the winter until the weather improved and we had a suitable trip planned.
Just before COVID hit, I'd booked tickets to the Classic Car & Restoration Show at the NEC. Now I have form with anything I book tickets for going either bust or being cancelled for bizarre reasons, so I suppose an international pandemic is one to add to the list of no-shows.
However, having forgotten all about it, I received an email with my tickets for the 2022 show in March. Now it's a fair trip to Birmingham from Sussex, but it was decided that it was only fitting to take the Tart.
With the barest minimum packed for a long weekend, we set off for Warwickshire. It was mostly motorway so not ideal MR2 territory...well not our MR2 anyway... The drone from the exhaust was...well a bit exhausting as it settles at a very loud boom between 60-70mph which is less than ideal. Couple that with the horrific wind noise (later found to be the roof sitting proud of the passenger window) and it wasn't the most relaxing journey we've ever had, but I had absolute trust that it would happily get us there without any real bother.
We swung off of the M40 at Banbury so we could take B-roads to my old hometown. These were my stomping grounds back when I was a lad and the B4035 never disappoints! Now the tart was in its comfort zone!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HHCW14lVh3mb-NjAHhE79nIqU3drWaTDvggyagUQSngOEigfKhcvtrrID8srm0ENNsr5nYWCnzSVSUy55WPq-_1pa5QP6xU6GXHx2BthnX61SLEJqXksAmEhhV6SapfuTiSORCLlZR4=w1000)
Great fun!
We arrived at our AirBnB which was 15 mins from the NEC in plenty of time to park the Tart up for a rest and to go grab a very hearty meal indeed!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3eypc_osgbG4vFO-aaMR7Ej7poSNSkOLXcGrcF6StnkB4lpov_OMeFznc-BrF0S9zQosyhE2Vg5LdA8jkik6Zuqysw3_UjS6S8ya8HB4WnxMUk7v1VemFLiwpSlyvkgfgpfR-G3WnJU=w1000)
The next day we were up nice and early to join the throngs at the NEC and to meat up with some friends and old acquaintances. Strangely, when we were walking out of the car park, another yellow mk3 was just entering!
The show itself was pretty good but weirdly quite overwhelming as it was the first mass event we'd been to since lockdown.
A few highlights though!
This was utterly stunning:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R34nANBHYqy8CP44MLKsp7Y1bIgRKKwf4twMH6GymACO3_0eyMep8GWEX1gBI1-L51ORLMLQ0y7AvpbWT5au_3IvNPUy2E9pe5ssaG6hG6B6D1gGe8y_C7nC4WF8761D0lhTolShlO8=w1000)
Hubnut was there with Foxanne:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6NedrCRstStcK76sNHtx4MMLJVYlGjs9SxD6zyMrmV3qClHSqy_cjYgPE9LKEM9DfVBly6Z5IYVpE6qudMDfy4RyHyDA2OkoOh3vjuRLFiLiOPgtz1utHspbcRqZ3IKk1wZi0pRSYpU=w1000)
And also caught up with an old friend James from the Project Puma forum who was rebuilding the mighty Alcon callipers on his beautiful Racing Puma:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kut70sEye1rwAgN8e3umjQAoBc-G0MtC0RI6NAaazNTShsHUiTbZcc_5G_zANt0zDGkOUwkxGBMa_oSeXGkB0RSLX9v7Fc_NuvcmmofOqPLkaJwylEjXjNX2WBgVDskdVTcdmuQkU-U=w1000)
After a very long morning, we decided to give the unearthly prices of NEC food a gigantic swerve and instead departed for Leamington Spa for a bit of shopping and a light lunch. However, getting over the sleeping policeman in the entrance of the multi-story provided us with a teeth clenchingly loud grinding noise. The tart has often done this which has generally made us avoid using her in some instances. I love the lowered look, but not the practicalities!
For the rest of the weekend, we whizzed around visiting friends and some local attractions and then began our boomy return trip back down through the motorway network. All told, we did a fair bit of mileage - very almost on a single tank of fuel!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YN2Yfmp7waGHRoeTakPfdBjiCGd1ANono5nWxlj_VJhFOCLIfGB25Zgpcf10ek9jq3MzvYr-igK-BKji7Gee05zkyCqV3Vta8gPSbQLnm9ojhcqEVykgHqIMDmgGTzVkFw8PlZzpL9I=w1000)
However, with some major house alterations booked for the following week, we unpacked the car and then hoofed it over to my in-laws for an extended stay on their driveway. There she sat for a couple of months before I fancied borrowing her back for a bit and driving to the Goodwood Festival of speed. A few due-diligence checks and....ah....MOT ran out a month ago... Oh well....I ended up hitching a lift in my neighbours Ford B-Max instead.
Fortunately my father in law offered to put her royal Custard one in for a test. This, as it turned out, was partly because he fancied a razz in it, but also because I couldn't find the time to do it myself. Sadly it was a fail. I'd noticed the distinct build up of brake dust on the nearside rear after the trip away and sure enough, the Tart had a gammy calliper. Rather than faffing around with it, the MOT station was instructed to just fit a new one on there. Job jobbed (fairly reasonably as well) and MOT got!
So fast forward to this Tuesday - yes, the REALLY hot one (or most of the country) and Mrs. Arch Bishop and I were looking for ways to beat the heat. The scaffolding was finally down, so we decided to jump in the car (for some aircon action) and go and pick up the yellow beast. Only a 15 min drive, but still worth it to get away from the heat for a short while. Luckily, the aircon in the MR2 is outrageously fierce, so I enjoyed the journey back with it absolutely blasting into my eyeballs.
The in-laws said they were actually sad to see it go. Father in law, having driven it a bit, fell in love with it and it had become something of a celebrity with the local delivery drivers, many of which asked if it would ever be up for sale.
Anyway, yesterday I assessed just how manky it was after 3 months sitting idle without any love and care. It was pretty grim and the paintwork needs a clay and polish, but I did give it a wash-down.
Here's the brake-dust-caked wheel complete with new calliper (I'm going to have to crack out the yellow paint!!);
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7ZTv7C-2h4WFPM0PEnk3PUzp-4oN3VuKKISbWJLuaCQo98Da7s7A5n4tN5lSJY0w8wvgrEelCn14x2yg0LAma_Gdw0lM3fxE9Ln5VU_hy02lH5L6P5FMoVmSN5q1nFDXJlQpBHzZyPg=w1000)
Half an hour with a bucket and wash mitt, and she was somewhat back to her pomp;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QFYDKwFuVcbqdLEZMMy-l-aZHg0npBPdtOgO2CtgOY2veU7BjKsvYKSaHQ4Imlc6WuvB_ToLuOUrmAWTQz_IZKYH79avw3CrMTeS0AOqzpbsH7y3BieR1ugv7nzXkNerN4H1V2VOTZM=w1000)
So that's it up-to-date!
I'm having a bit of a dichotomy however. During our trip away, the MR2 performed faultlessly, but there's certain things about the car that knacker the practicality, namely the droning exhaust and the lowered springs. In all honesty, it's put me off doing longer trips again.
The old silver bucket, with it's stilt suspension and standard back-box wasn't as visually and aurally exciting, but it really was a do-it-all car and never irritated.
I could throw some standard springs back on and change the back box, but then the car's had them from the very start, so that'd be a shame also!
Decisions....
Brilliant write up.
Ketchup and mustard. Love it.
On the zorst front, the tte is the best sounding in my book. Mine was unbtrusive at cruising speed.
It is not unknown for the packing wadding to disappear over time.
To keep originality, you can have the Box opened up, re packed and closed up again.
Has been done by others on here.
20190523_112022.jpg
That sounds like just the ticket, but I wouldn't know who to go to with something like that. Presumably they'd need to be pretty good with a TIG wielder?
Quote from: Ardent on July 22, 2022, 17:12Brilliant write up.
Ketchup and mustard. Love it.
On the zorst front, the tte is the best sounding in my book. Mine was unbtrusive at cruising speed.
It is not unknown for the packing wadding to disappear over time.
To keep originality, you can have the Box opened up, re packed and closed up again.
Has been done by others on here.
20190523_112022.jpg
Agreed that the TTE is probably the best exhaust for the MR2, with just the right looks and sound. The sound is even better with the packing removed completely. Rogue Motorsport opened up my silencer to sort out loose welds inside the box & the packing had compacted up & become useless. I removed it all & didn't replace it & the silencer was resealed and welded up. The result is an even better sound, but the exhaust still passes emissions and noise for the MOT. I love the TTE ;)
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on September 5, 2021, 15:00Nothing much to report with regards the Tart. It's spent most of the summer pootling about doing local trips, but with the sale of my daily Hyundai, it's now my only car so I've done the moving in ceremony - USB music stick, ice scraper (it still won't see a winter, but hey), tyre compressor, wet wipes and other assembled junk all moved across as well as a new air-freshener.
I needed a rare trip in to work to collect a new laptop and with the weather being amazing, I was looking forward to driving over in the tart with the roof down. As always it was a great drive even though the roads were clogged and the car is only improving with use.
It was the first time that I noticed that the panel filter I fitted a while back was adding to general cacophony that the yellow goddess makes, with a decent amount of intake noise and some gentle burbling off throttle. Generally speaking, I'm not a massive fan of obnoxiously loud cars (and it is really rather bassy), but with the sun out and the roof down, it made me smile which means I guess I liked it!
To prove it does occasionally get out, here's some snaps of it looking pert at work;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Mk5nVhtBBcY40lmqDd2iJAYKSnkf4o8wfpxHgJtWy63foNEInTLoQVTcvVbQCA1NNA-ep8cVuQBbyrFf6bV70Sua2MJRPZdX8X7DOIccU2UGS6PQgbDDhQj8G0S-Wt1jTjn3VpdtTVo=w800)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qIDxo6sKZRrQpK7LfmvawxLpj5TrKrFUB1M0kSdlsxcWCT-5PQ1Wrzaw5FdC7i-0c5bArIRnc2x4wNMm8inh9bcyVSGw9V5-y2CXOHLGWF2tQMR9Y6W-fyBRT207baktkojgYwcVE6Y=w800)
Mrs. Arch Bishop continues to use it at every opportunity. She took it to Guides (she's a leader for the local group) a few months ago and the general consensus with the younguns was that it was 'very cool.'
Lovely looking car. Out of interest, what springs does it sit on? The wheels nicely fill the arches and this shot shows it.
Quote from: McMr2 on July 22, 2022, 22:04Lovely looking car. Out of interest, what springs does it sit on? The wheels nicely fill the arches and this shot shows it.
Yeah it looks great on them (bit a little too low to be entirely practical). I seem to remember them being a sort of greenish colour so I'm guessing they're the Tein springs - I think 29mm drop on the front, 30mm on the rear. As far as I know, the car was spec'd with them from new as the images from back when it was in Evo magazine show it running at the same height.
Quote from: MisterK on July 22, 2022, 21:58Agreed that the TTE is probably the best exhaust for the MR2, with just the right looks and sound. The sound is even better with the packing removed completely. Rogue Motorsport opened up my silencer to sort out loose welds inside the box & the packing had compacted up & become useless. I removed it all & didn't replace it & the silencer was resealed and welded up. The result is an even better sound, but the exhaust still passes emissions and noise for the MOT. I love the TTE ;)
It's a lovely exhaust, but with the stainless manifold it just booms through the cabin and my skull at motorway and NSL which becomes tiring on a longer drive or when you're just not up for it. When you're just burbling around, it's great fun.
I do wonder whether it'd be better with a standard manifold back on it.
There must be some of these floating around.
You could try taking the bins out and fitting some silent coat sound deadener and some foam on the panels underneath? Putting some on the floor under the carpet also reduces cabin noise. This should help quieten things and easy enough to do compared to the exhaust opening!
:) great to see some more pictures and write up :)
let me no when when your painting your callipers and i can bring my over as well they need doing since I put new 1s on :)) :))
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on July 22, 2022, 22:16It's a lovely exhaust, but with the stainless manifold it just booms through the cabin and my skull at motorway and NSL which becomes tiring on a longer drive or when you're just not up for it. When you're just burbling around, it's great fun.
I do wonder whether it'd be better with a standard manifold back on it.
My TTE was fitted when the car was under a year old by my Toyota Dealer...I bought the car new in 2004 & it was completely standard. The manifold is still the original, complete with the pre-cats & it will stay that way :) I completed a 150 mile trip up the M5 last Saturday at the speed limit & I had no problems with booming or excessive noise giving me a headache.
Quote from: Topdownman on July 23, 2022, 07:24You could try taking the bins out and fitting some silent coat sound deadener and some foam on the panels underneath? Putting some on the floor under the carpet also reduces cabin noise. This should help quieten things and easy enough to do compared to the exhaust opening!
Do you know, I actually have some sound deadening in the garage that I bought for some project or another - that's a really good idea! Thanks!
Quote from: puma2 on July 23, 2022, 10:55:) great to see some more pictures and write up :)
let me no when when your painting your callipers and i can bring my over as well they need doing since I put new 1s on :)) :))
It won't be fancy - paint brush job, but you're welcome to join me! ;D
Quote from: MisterK on July 23, 2022, 11:15My TTE was fitted when the car was under a year old by my Toyota Dealer...I bought the car new in 2004 & it was completely standard. The manifold is still the original, complete with the pre-cats & it will stay that way :) I completed a 150 mile trip up the M5 last Saturday at the speed limit & I had no problems with booming or excessive noise giving me a headache.
I think it's just the manifold/backbox combination - at 70mph at half throttle, it's all encompassing!
An impromptu day off meant I had some time to burn, and what better way to spend it than some Midship meddling?
With Topdownwoman's suggestion of sound deadening, I dug out the stuffy I'd bought for another project years ago and armed with my £8.95 set of rollers and a fuzzy image from the internet as a general guide as to what I was meant to be doing.
Out with the driver's seat to make a bit of room and out with the storage bins to reveal what is essentially a big old speaker for the engine.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bspbg8Bob5jecK8nwb5YrJ-Jx2Bg9snhDCeMWGT2oVvJqAfIxZz7c-M287_l8FkHjM-a6LIqO2kV8MBufmBlUpFpE9-PydEcdd2H65J2USmHQgLE-gI4wbXdUg5eV_Yq_ucmLRRsKcs=w1000)
With a general idea of wanting to get this right (within the boundaries of incompetence), I managed to find some cardboard which was black on one side for making templates, the theory being that I'd cut out the cardboard to shape on the brown side and then flip it to the black side to draw out the template on the reverse of the deadening material.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hAoeNzPa_lcjU4icJsG7xlmXkxEcrn-r0c7EtnD6u79eTXPUjojQQpTrZTTRnz5ASJ01crKebFbFaIfO0bhpodxyMDQ-p3Ii1vdb-YUVXaAQugTzEKBpyx0BAccpyO8gyUWq6lq8INI=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rFjEkNEcQIsLZB_T2GfiXdDJlb8Xj6fU1nk9JAxNC2sGNgQwI-H-w6BRm9taNuDeJJx1ngilPiimTzofR2FVY_HNRbXQtwvP5DcGr8X1oRz72KwQBpw5scsdEpmVyixPsAg9Xrt5IxQ=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BOaJBwMCxGypBQWeScLRyXMkc3SQNW0szfQogT9Qcl3hE9pQPlBdVfjd6VqFZTf0tksQJJUfE6oRjHJgmjoFkVsODRb7mNV6_VKq95-ID0LGaDEysK32QZR7BN4PsyBs0Yfxm5uTJ5s=w1000)
This was, I'm proud to say, a cunning idea. What I'm less proud of was just how many times that I forgot the process and cut out a mirror of the piece I needed...
Anyway, after the first piece was laid (I should have made it out of more separate parts to make it easier to stick down), I started becoming more confident with elaborate shapes to fit the spaces.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cK_RW04yRWAKYc7jF1pABjwNJtwz_yBATbYbdChZ0jPfWSXLRNowfGuOc8ZaFHe4B-FBGzEel-575jHyWETX0ulmNRuNN4OnJti33WYinZG-AS9sQvVytmGI-neTe7yvsIunaP4xt90=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lEk1klFa5JNLcq8w9T_dGeGz3ZsoGq_CaHBUJPiowRnwqxqMEL4cdXBOCrqPbeulKMLCOBNRlF--etHV7_Xj7N5jPe7FaJsA8C3xWvCIc3WE-JusOeU-ZhQ881_Bw_rz_463JypT8JM=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0IRrONl6fNwKcY3WqiX2r2WdTC4dPcr4gE5t0pVLplx5J_QwV-PBQK0eUMcCmLR9z_Hfz-k8WBnNKczdadZ4UFT5fNxJpC1yAJsMWXm94CYjnHCD_PA5GQXFY2PYJ8BXe3gM_F-Xrio=w1000)
And just a few short hours (4 of them actually), I had this;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/q6V52FpnY_R_AMzOryO2iaNWCsptNg6QAvPf6k-FbjC2M0e6Ky0Iw_R21UV_0OmFWc1uuyKN8lLfz5MZW17NCNx-SnAwas_Sn0nxTvA80oISFuduIk9CVvaPpJjpJw4b7ydzUrxeJpc=w2400)
Well, OK, I then spent another 30 mins adding more up the firewall and using up some off-cuts, but you get the idea!
I will say that I actually found the whole process great fun and weirdly meditative. I mean, I've no idea if I've done it right, but it looks pretty good, so I'll go with that. It's easy stuff to work with.
So, did it work?
I've only been for a very short drive up the village and initially I wasn't sure. It seemed a bit less warbly at idle, but taking off up the road, my daughter declared it far better and less 'buzzy' overall. I'll only really know once I get it up to about 60mph, but the initial signs are good. It's still loud, but if it stops it reverberating through my skull then I'll be really chuffed!
Well done, you've done brilliant here. ;D
Having done a little driving around, it's certainly better, but it still builds up a strong resonance at around 2700rpm - enough to rattle the door cars and windows.
I think that the rear storage bins themselves are effectively acting as bass bins and I've a fair amount of deadening left, so I'm going to hoik them out and give them a covering as well.
I think that past that, I'll need to look for new ideas!
I have some carpet tiles on the inside of the bin doors on one of my cars and I think they help.
Starting to sound like it could be a fault in the box though.
Any exhaust builders near you that you could visit to get their opinion?
Do hope it isn't gearbox related but Sapphire was really noisy, turned out a knackered crown wheel! :(
Quote from: Topdownman on August 1, 2022, 16:49I have some carpet tiles on the inside of the bin doors on one of my cars and I think they help.
Starting to sound like it could be a fault in the box though.
Any exhaust builders near you that you could visit to get their opinion?
It doesn't feel/sound like a gearbox issue - just reverb from the exhaust booming through the cabin. It's always sounded rather unusual at tick-over with a slightly off-beat wuffle (which is actually really nice). I think it's just a cheapo manifold and TTE backbox combo.
If it is the gearbox, well so be it - not a mega expensive issue to fix just a pain to do!
Quote from: The Arch Bishop on August 1, 2022, 22:52It's always sounded rather unusual at tick-over with a slightly off-beat wuffle (which is actually really nice).
That is a good description. Off beat wuffle. Like that.
Lovely sound.
The box if original will have remus stamped/pressed on it. And weigh a lot.
It could be an issue in the box. Not unknown. But never had an after market manifold to compare sounds.
Once again, it's been far too long between updates, but then the Tart has been unused for a good few months. With the house undergoing extensions and the various painting and DIY that ensued, there's been no time for joy riding and I seem to find that all my driving involves more than one passenger.
When we left it last, I was trying to make the car more usable for touring by reducing the mind-scrambling exhaust note in the cabin. The first round of sound-deadening certainly reduced the resonances running riot, but there was still a background buzz that would be good to rid the cockpit of. Out came the rear storage lockers again and I went to work applying the sound deadening to those as well. Not thrilling work, but worth it if it helped.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZqY8ei4avCvtGv-2NnkcRSvv6YkQkJMdOV20EEUWSM1E2gKlJvRvkAmPcuYQFfmYjuEfprWvwEyp9BIpAicxyk4yMaw1tcuuxMrxLA8-yCloAuEvfE64ozJhX5Zt2PIThTo0Ywg17JY=w1000)
Embarrassingly, that was on the 4 August and I finally got around to testing it out...a few days ago.
Yes, the Tart hadn't moved from the drive since then. Amazingly, it still started on the key - that replacement battery doing its thing (albeit sluggishly). It got a slow charge over the next day anyway.
Anyway, with the battery brimmed and having replaced only 0.5 of a PSI to one tyre, it was ready to do a swift trip over to work and do you know what? The final bit of sound squashing had worked a treat! Now, while it's still obviously rorty, a 60mph on-throttle doesn't produce the constant BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRAAAAAAAARRRRRAAAAAA anymore. Just a nice constrained bellow. It's far more comfortable and usable. So, result on that!
Having had a pleasant drive, it was also time to install her royal yellowness into her Winter abode. The garage has basically been a dumping ground for the contents of our loft now we no longer have one, but a concerted effort and many trips to the tip cleared the garage for its actual main purpose, to house a car. It's bizarre how many people are genuinely surprised when we say we use the garage to house a vehicle in.
So, garage clear, car goes in. Well yes, but a summer sat out doing nothing on the drive meant that it was basically a home for brake-dust and yellow-loving spiders. It was grim. So a quick wash down with a bucket and a watering can (we've still got a hosepipe ban for the foreseeable) got the worst of the mank off. It was a little difficult to admire when in the back-ground is another yellow Toyota that I'd really not mind a go in;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/S86QAISNPy5eVXgdCpohI5eMqH3HPNjhkE2p4Npl_lBvIwsq9Rw1QbzcVhc_CN13P8edsKUkB_bA3QG2PJg8Ob9d__RtzzSXvqSJryz07R3to5V6cUPqaNdZ_83345ZfV4T4vbhwNdI=w1000)
I know that the purists say that the new Supra is just a BMW in a frock, but I'll happily admit that I really like that frock. It always looks so much better in the flesh than in photos. Basically, fwoooar.
Anyway, a quick dry off and it was into the garage;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jke2P5WvDfYDw2bcGp-e-_wOkm6Id7-HoRRf5o_2EVNKV9XCHqegOeGvUJwYnf2W2aJojF1swIlZexw5LivuWF33-ksjPAzgyCDYrGGmWuIkmaZ6FYYUgYjY7WoJnF_vNN4p9GpJ-Mo=w1000)
I had about 20 mins free to have a tinker and noticed that the high level brake light had gone cloudy and I had stumbled across a almost empty bottle of Meguires Scratch-X, so thought I'd give it a go with a couple of passes;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d_e_JnL_cyFlnwrg1OhRmFzvmSQ_w6TPoM99Djl0TF5tU60yNm2H1PzxSk80SdkR1BWe0yA0O2uurL8Ix9EDESHEdXinWFfO3lUKPvCzwOfyeLDOe3-yMNba07EiQcH9VtZz5tbIqDA=w1000)
Worked a treat! I did the other half and gave it a coat of wax.
Today, I unexpectedly had a short afternoon free, and with it being quite a while since the Tart had enjoyed a proper bit of love and attention, I set to with a clay bar, super resin polish and the Collinite double coat. I managed to get two coats of wax down on the bonnet, front wings, bumper and windscreen surround and also managed to resurrect the faded wing mirrors. It was a thorough job and something I'll be continuing in the next week. Due to the tight confines of the garage, I'll need to do ¾ of the car and then turn it around to do the rest.
After that, I'm going to turn my attention to the interior as the door pockets have both fallen off - the result of what looks like a ham-fisted speaker install back in the mists of time. Where the pockets clip in to the door cards, there's a lot of snapped plastic and glue-gun residue that needs sorting. Usually, I'd look to buy better door cards, but these have the yellow vinyl inserts on them, so finding replacements is basically impossible. So I'll need to look at possibly plastic welding and drilling which is never easy.
Just to add insult to injury, the speakers have started rotting out, so they'll need replacing (they sound truly terrible and buzz at anything approaching audible levels), but I'll head on over to the ICE threads for advice on that!
:) good to here that you are putting the love back in 8) 8)
great pictures and wording.
as for the garage quote What you are useing it for a car 8)
when i was looking for a house before lockdown i was only looking for 1s with garages.
i told every estate agent that the garage is more important than the house they laughed.
until i told them i was serious and if the garage was not easy to get car in i did not want to about the house.
lest just say i did not find a house and how limited you are when looking.
so enjoy your 2 now with its winter bedroom don't forget to wake it and use it mind :)) :))
Hi - any idea how much sound insulation material you used? I'd like to try the same - thanks
Quote from: barchetta_ms on November 7, 2022, 09:38Hi - any idea how much sound insulation material you used? I'd like to try the same - thanks
Not entirely sure. If you search on Amazon for 'Noico 80 mil (2 mm) 18 sqft' that's what I had. It comes in square sheets that are nice and easy to cut with some decent scissors.
I've still got a sheet or two left and I did mess up a few shapes so there was a bit of wastage. Seems to be good stuff but it's gone up in price since I bought it in 2020...like everything I guess.
Excellent - thanks for that
November! The last time I updated this thread was November! Bad Arch Bishop!
To be fair, I've had a number of medical issues that laid me low for most of the Winter, but as Spring rolled around, things started to improve and I've been back on the Tart (so as to speak).
I did eventually finish my garage-bound bodywork detail back in April and rolled her out of the garage about a month ago. As ever, started first time yada yada...
I've done a few trips pootling about but last weekend, decided that it was time to knock all of the pollen and whatnot off with a wash down. But that was just the start. It's been years since the roof has been given some love, and having been given an Autoglym roof restoration pack, I set to it. It was looking decidedly grey and green around the gills;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AJFCJaVNIDxYb1YCpbmxetQ_aXUm5PeuVtPutQ6XUrZRfsYh387xvEwUZAXH918RytWjpsfbtr8dAkpmRRVKIVkubz5UAWS9lvbzWMti7D4N5OCvdCFICoQ3=w1000)
The Autoglym kit did a decent job (although the cleaner smells suspiciously like Astonish carpet shampoo) and half an hour had it looking more presentable;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/h71FiRg_LeB_h_UeP-bkFUtrnMmvQ7hDWP4vWFtkGpMHwgbUQ4PvpOg0hXtBziJdD5SmkAnTN37_z_M2H5bSs11_10qAZ5Uov5-pT--u6mganUY_HUtbmg8FnD-JJWIuOUVpOM-mqNw=w1000)
Next I decided to give the rubber seals a going over with some rubber and vinyl care and then moved to the exhaust trims with autosolve;
Before (not too bad to be fair);
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2M8ewkAXprIAKyJuLtajwVMqdC66W741lq9m4XU9VNpl_KzLs1RtEBIEPVJVrfoMjwBHZ1HvaoNQUZ_YoH2RqQkAPQJAlz2uJamQNDx3KTcg9LuiUKlpqFBJjL8pkepMkIBo_nO9OQ4=w1000)
After (small improvement);
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VuAEth9NGiYelMW2A5O4pKrsM0p3yn0H0fc1sOGfOw375Va_PZZHG8swJOjaOaehzXbyAajnBp_hWAW7jBV0SfLtFnzNoitscwsefDyqjh2FAmvNSn8nDQfbLpZK-ZQ2XsR8JVqOK1I=w1000)
I moved on to the interior which again wasn't too bad to start with, but the floor mats had never been cleaned properly. Armed with some APC, a drill brush and a Vax, I gave them a thorough scrubbing and shampoo. I was actually surprised how much gunk came out of them!
Before;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F5GZ3MFjHiR3LtWLPQmTF80coXBBxOovAlPNYNqTiTfoBjEIwskHEYiUWlvc7SgwXFN8AveqRPYPvs160cXI6r3-HMa4fhrMO0aguU7wk57-NqMNE5dfd2SAIKDKbgpDnODVcy8zr9k=w1000)
After;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/V4qoD1SrH0a3zmOzoqbJnPZPumOPqZhEbPTqT89V6aGNxPMYt7ffUhpf9N9FJR9_PAO46UqxfICGH7q5G2XRwDyAVP-9zhO_AyBYtGzvBTkDhWqpqZ98W-jt9GIgGTeMABRdwVnZVVY=w1000)
Boyd by this, I moved on to something that had been bothering me. It's a small detail but one that stands out quite badly and that's the windscreen scuttle and the wiper arms. With mine, the scuttle was looking faded and the wiper arms looked worse.
Wipers;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5cIuvub-Kq_GUUVUQLfZg8FOtlYiJYojeRfnlzU2fQ__uBnAp7GPXh5qR0CK0_7ZgZAAn24lwz2XVWNIbZsBCEWAYrZxD2cG5pGldDTWdfCABKDZ68tYHKWfvbgib3tevZxmJERuPgg=w1000)
Didn't get a before of the scuttle - soz!
Anyway, I removed the scuttle to find the decades of gunk underneath;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_zwaUHQWBieCYQ4DzoWYv5DO_aDtLXQRA5ToxYBLqmoIsJJUI3zIlXiOiWhriEjWSsRXCUuY0BV1CHJI4chzyIay8lY8ERH1VP5otRRsadF-t2mEMhpIqsPSt_HzY94vZ3bMAozEalQ=w1000)
I cleaned it out a bit - I didn't go full detail, I'm not a mad man...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rfE5_3Dtgxe_1HYrH5Pr7kVCMMWQcAHDX_k9Pnsb3GLkk-mXbiLe7D_Q96STKF5FX-nRpbCHsYbYx0q2IqB_Rkhe2-ZtHIZRIlbFeQSNKTXk1s5CgEBKbmph8mDLx5PqqhZnNvkdYD0=w1000)
Then I set to rubbing down the wipers with some 400 grit. Took about 5 mins and they were ready for painting. Trusty can of Hamerite satin black and hang them from the garage door;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pf3PibkVWeECAX-pMA3Tk73QU6JXVoTEN_pTVn7asqZQHOdoyQWdIgs5zp8xDEe-B4FBxeob-9Jr8f7Zt42kPPMMsGXuYKYcYPFUR95JU3vr3oYvih6CfibFI1wTQrpqG2wIc6K8A0A=w400)
Also did the scuttle screws and the wiper nut for OCD points;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4oUbsDA9gwXVjOxUCmviZNhmwPMc-AR076sxLF8-x-tvs3qApnNJAfFVMAsm_AzPfNJXUUsxkXHdciC8c-8FKU6KDGujDEXV8kmxtre2rnmbR0ulzV_dh3InHbQWx9wN9pMfARrmJrc=w1000)
In between coats, I dug out an impulse purchase from Goodwood Festival of Speed last year, namely the teeny tiny super-expensive bottle of Gtechniq C4 trim restorer. This was the first time I'd used this and I will say that I was actually really impressed. Rather than giving the scuttle a super-shiny and greasy appearance, it brought up the trim in a really natural way;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Aa53EVkezq7hjxrYaLpviYRb1Xrrrgs81WmjmXUApT5HG2PKuJB2MR_JOFUxW67d_OEfiGO4rXJX67p01UFakupfrI8vtrCP-gZhLJe5STdMYUJ_V78qLA4l9rrZeWoQWIlpx3G95C4=w1000)
While the bottle was small, you need so little of it, I can see it lasting for years. We'll see how well the trim holds up!
Scuttle refitted;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vp0XZtQnFHq_UFDyhrTeAi8EGtUyfq91T61rzhe7rTQZg9ORfUpJ23-OtEONF5kt6AdLV67_xr5pPZ44IxNHL7uAPJFFswkR13auXU1yhhTPHUAZPrNTiEpwMctDu9ZJtmDET1j1Eew=w400)
The next morning, the wipers were dry and ready to be refitted. All together it looks much improved;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IJzTWqNdlUP-5mVIjAog-uBNyXnLnBJ_g-bLOdsgB3XYscSuskPE1t_LdJPHJDMUmnhRPoyy4ez3E4eAykpzMUMLG8xvNhc1gemFyc5Ra4-x955Qk-fGbzmckZe0zF-NXJRF3dI6RiI=w850)
So that's where I finished for the weekend, with a ever-smarter tart ready for the Summer;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BPps0SnDbMlSrNjnncRJk-B3yhtk4elNE6nxgvcqorrJfTzujJcvoq1pYS0v67ezN0E2dayFJgzxx1cExo9UPsnaO2Sc3sAKLN2QaDz1uEeporfIoF5aqqIBV7WAtPJhPHKWPHhx_9U=w1000)
Still to do;
- Paint the rear caliper that was replaced last year to match the leery yellow of the others
- Leather all needs treating
- Speaker upgrade!
The last one is on the go at the moment (I've been getting good advice in the ICE sub-forum) after stripping the door down and finding a small number of horrors with the current install. I'll get to that in another post once all the bits have turned up.
Ta-ra all!
This is a fantastic update.
I *really* love the attention to detail.
:) what a way to bring back the love at this rate it could be my twin sister :)) :))
good work and hopefully you are well pleased with the result you time and effort has paid off 8)
more important from that is how mentally improvement you are feeling now after the winter months :) :)
Thank you both! It's been great to have the interest back to get on with this stuff to be honest!
I'm really looking forward to the various bits and bobs arriving this week so I can finally upgrade the broken/badly fitted speakers and fix the various broken door trim pieces (Mr. Sloan to the rescue on those).
Regarding the speakers, I've been quite lucky with having a lot of the expensive stuff already. I was overjoyed to find a set of 6.5" JBLs in the garage and I still have plenty of the sound-deadening left from doing the rear storage bins, so it's not been an expensive exercise so far.
On to the speaker install, or at least the start of it!
The stereo, despite having a fairly decent head unit has always sounded dreadful. Quite possibly the worst sounding I've ever had in a car. It's tinny, rattly and shrill. Mrs. Arch Bishop has been moved to comment on its dreadfulness on a number of occasions, its ability to make even the sweetest music sound like an assault on the old ear drums.
Routing through the garage, I was thrilled to find an old set of JBLs that we'd had from a speaker upgrade we did on a SEAT Altea we had about 12 years ago. When we sold it, I grabbed the JBLs back out and reinstalled the standard ones. These are they;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AJFCJaWbq8kWXB6Ay_sDta2RZdUnleT721bmNLP26Vi9Mh4YVgEbS2i4BILCcE2YXFRJwQpCWNGhSdH7zBb5-RV89ezusOyTLpMpeg_vSbzj5NhG8r9zNXbr=w1000)
I seem to remember that these were great and also have the tweeter built in, so they'd make a fine replacement for the existing squeak cones in the tart.
Now due to the speaker covers/door bins constantly falling off, I could see the set up already in there - a set of old Vibe Slick 5C's with crossover. However, I could also see that the speakers were not in the best of shape. So after removing the door cards, this is what I found;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1u13B-1DQj2fOgLzaL_vqbuN3Y7FIYS6JqzyrCzblyPDne__rwt226rJa6laTj1rh0L7R3tdQyzMDOhHCMvV6bRcql1A-nTari5xZYmv1idpHvjfur0WZ7lCAvsfYDAoB-AbZi5OAv4=w1000)
Note the wire that has been squished between the speaker and the adaptor which has cracked the speaker and the rubber.
Also note the adaptor which, because it was the wrong size, they'd created a little bracket for;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/V0uBAcLyEiGDs3mJfeO8dfcu2cECTNlTcTww1HPYxH1-iuT4-EDvoxaNnjrVLfiujYG9o6cQ_ErlGofv8cy1mcndl2H8GRo4GJ_Mn0S9r0vQYhxWRa5lK-cdrEfnYUzc7CfsMfpSREk=w1000)
And finally, the push-fit tweeters rammed through the door card;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/r9n4X-6udTjB0CXzLKcjRyeRGp8wQ2y2JgSkwWUnshymcd8SECL9IA5O2Rm5WOGWc1M-I6OwVKO5vis2J-lT7t21ya2SuJQrguXwfBRcIXvvsN__uSuMs-7IO4Q7TuffVEDBRftpFug=w1000)
Classy!
After all of these findings, I started creating a shopping list;
- Some adaptors that fit the bolt pattern and will take a 6.5" speaker
- Some speaker wire
- A set of standard tweeter covers (I'm not putting tweeters back in, so I'll need to think of something to fit behind them)
- A door handle surround that wasn't snapped in half and hastily glued back together (not me guv)
As mentioned, I already have the speakers and a load of the sound deadening from doing the rear fire wall and storage bins.
While waiting for the adaptors and the trim bits to arrive, I decided to start putting some work into the door cards.
First job was to reattach the speaker covers. It looks like the previous installer broke these off trying to do the install without removing the door cards, so the plastic welds were long gone.
I decided to do a bit of plastic welding myself using a soldering iron and some cable ties. It wasn't pretty, but it did the job and it means we can put things in the door pockets without them falling out onto the road every time we open the door!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/q-Dx8VLNgAw8jxpicm1jyu5CBL2su5kib77xoIzWP5rsCnYMWYGCN5M1LTArIbht5IHnsEeHTN0KvZjMjUTxRei-6p7bLDMWqjpxg3LzubT16vQF6pqGdNJgps9ggwKwBjQtA4TPxB8=w1000)
Next I tackled the rattling trim clips. I've seen some like to dab some silicone around them, but because I'm lazy, I've used a trick that was oft-used on Ford Pumas - basically put some masking tape over the holes and then ram the clip in over the top - works a treat!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6ZDcmPJCMVSXUuCVaXPuKDDMEhHyDb9ZVy5vsyil2Uh3Ib8VcdiKF8z2s4xKjnT2iwWEKFhsNUyZFaylU_Pp-N7-Slemmgs9u67SWtLd7W0C4IJPBkNboW8xsWqyBu0m9u6KVI6eRz0=w1000)
Then I set to with the sound deadening on the reverse of the cards. I find this really satisfying which is a bit sad, but hey, it is OK?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6MXdXM3TUHmkQ_dBQmkq4ULi1FLrUbBKES7zqGcyrGzrhefqRkZej4ajxGWIREAIfECIYPevgxRkz4mmBb40sBt8vHecW8xgjawDhDRSBKQNHRqf8R8MXZIGg-oL6Pw85Z1zU5usGlY=w1000)
Finally, I gave both of the door cards a good scrub down with APC and then used some leather feed on the yellow inserts. I thought that these were vinyl, but they soaked up the feed so shows what I know!
And done!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wBP7tcpEl9LDRec-r_uWmG4lHGGyCRmo4mb4I0WkXkayzA4MxihCWS4CN3pQGGiZo_auNhAl6UX0AKpRVQRGGFC0bSeY8jaEXI-rLuJu4-NETAObe4zQEgkXpySStfCxmMfxXoLmS5U=w1000)
So I'm hoping for some deliveries tomorrow so I can crack on. I still need to sound-deaden the doors themselves and also repair the wiring, but that's for another day.
Today is the 'another day', but with no parts deliveries, it was a good evening to crack on with the doors themselves.
I haven't gone too mad with deadening here, but have been talking with
@Dev about strategic placements. I hope I've got it somewhat correct!
This is what I've ended up with;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2pnV53ftgZqcOsbcfUGwM5hVAEuPMMhj_mooh2dwixzKAgPgD4ZeJ6EHtJwUnAK8zUdluHwLWD_v4ggP5cS5buBl72rIeZbbD6YsTV0htpgEko6kA_-Sv_DKo7JCWD0M3xMRVvZLSjk=w1000)
Hopefully it'll do the job.
I also went through the door skins looking for rattles and found a couple on the electrical connectors that sit in there. There's three in total and all of them were pretty loose in their clips, so I used some gaffer tape to affix the clips to the inside of the panel and strapped the two in close proximity together. I'm hoping that will get rid of any lingering noises.
Fingers crossed I get some deliveries tomorrow so I can polish off this install.
I did also spend 30 mins giving the seats, steering wheel and anything else leather a clean and feed as it was all looking pretty dry. Much better now!
Well, this is a long-winded speaker install isn't it? Unfortunately, the speaker adaptors (due Thursday/Friday) have still not turned up. I noticed that the courier is Hermes, so the chances of it turning up at all are 50/50...
Regardless, my box of trim had turned up, so I excitedly fitted the OEM tweeter covers to the door card. But there was a problem with that;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KUWjd9gak98R3CYObvh4FlDv8ww_5nwEijh7E9bgMWc-8zmBN3S618_Y6ly53SI_6T5zUwIsDLTGai7sFxHcYyuB3J6WopDwAv2jYhx-YjwCdDMqWD1T67s3xIQrspzQ-nEOXlwR8BU=w1000)
Due to the last tweeters being fitted with what I can only presume was a mallet, it had distorted the plastic around the fitting;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hYEhnh7Sa_q0ivLuAMyCYZyY_kBqVfYjZ8pP5lFjvlQj07mfhe9xE9CoG0w-lJ3lDX9wW7Y5xXgwsmE6XYA8KzP7OBGhWD8iQfcZLJg4fZFGIRtB1hQ76oafXplgVyqqp6kMjZhnJ0M=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m_GF58UI-e21P9s5N7QoAtB9PEMg6yQ-gSqHnCfOgLIa5LyT62WvqMC6IruA1owbkFkblxseriQr_at7qN-pYs8UEw-RUSQIY7KQDVTa3-mh2cam77IhGZd0RPSJ4VhoZ3O9t48b8EY=w1000)
As plastic has a memory of sorts (probably better than mine in my advancing years), I dug out a hot air gun and heated up the opening then, using the end of a mallet (ironic) I pushed it out from the back. It took a couple of goes per-panel, but in the end;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VoGtdkRJ-Rcn-GitGksH8QNiFSWX15dGdd_PrcdmhyAbK3oLOhy4J8vKdnKW6LqyNoW2LvJkdvfZKXxBMgrr5tb2f681ahWHWT6kMe2r19_IRamEx329-zPJIu24PGqLG68G6RlA_-U=w1000)
Success! Not perfect, but much better.
I realised that as it won't have a tweeter sat behind it, the inner panel is going to grin through the little grills, so I'll need to come up with something to cover that.
With that done, I decided I may as well get the wiring tidied up and ready for the new speakers to go in.
I cut off the bullet connectors that the Vibe speakers and crossover had been fitted with and then soldered a length of new speaker wire in. I then used some shrink wraps to insulate and tidy up;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XOmp2CzrFZlk8aMrCSRaxMjNO9cE3l3FVMgTWvsvdHzh83lMPHan4rrqwp7Y-3CXgFhXnEVyD4mE6ozZYc3gdXPRsY4UJ1qmWUDnSeK1ezlMVenuXGplXz0lYUoohF9lp1knup5lNE8=w1000)
So just need the flipping adaptors! >:(
It's been too hot to do much today, but in an effort to keep moving forwards, I dug out the caliper paint that came with the car and sorted out the replacement one that was put on last year. Wheel removed;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6OyCFnzhyp43V0ndj1bQS3XZ97ExiRnqcn5zzFr4BcXppg3KqFAmbyes0XqzPtRQgLOnhGwmvThollJn2NvVhHYuKJsXsfMdPWmzs2HtdNmvQt0hKIs0sxWoLaRTcP2Z64NyOojRfRY=w1000)
Cleaned up the caliper and set to it;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/w07sIKaTy8a57mdtvizLOcIYf0K1onsDjnhf9dwl0dinrxSoRIXsqah4NoMxem5g7tkT3DuVOdcfA6MCU6_WFQChAGgo3aj86T8eUDhxctUjtghwtJ0MSreGAWVekFNUvtVoDgDk-LA=w1000)
Mmmm....yolky....
Three coats did the job;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/saSQEzc-r6veXBhhLS4AbiBhaRta0opxF74z8cr3o6XsfYefmw7Tb20bFQLOBaYLx5J5DQ9HkTJRmCz3yT2kKmvhkR2p5IGd210uW0zG1VwrEhulX15SbISNKbaUXeQRertU2HKFqzg=w1000)
Wheel back on and looking much better with four matching calipers;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2nKGLKh-p8ae69ss9njbyN_dFRpwpjA9ZjQTsU08vIGRGrkequ_qdS1GMRPdRH5JXAJFaJzH39xVsPj2pgFj1BOyMUh_nKu62MSkwRPIPMk0x_raDD3flt8Cy_75fCkF0yJAeH4hiu8=w1000)
Anyway, too hot to do anything else much, so I'm going to follow the lead of this lass;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/o2_9ESLaeGhwqeWfVIgQj1wwY_RwCPJfNgLD2iItUMpQQIiq_CDalvz5GAIVvIJRW_aZwlxeaLFieBnXb2lKUULy-lcB7CUD8hOBF5oDZozHUrEp8VWVtfIiAou7--__4vSBehf0wCM=w1000)
What a palaver it's been just getting the speaker adaptors! The first pair duly didn't turn up via Hermes. By Tuesday, I was resigned to them having been lost, something that was confirmed by the seller who also had no more stock. To their credit, they refunded within 10 mins, and another order was placed elsewhere. These turned up today via good old Royal Mail. Finally I can finish this!
This evening, it was the satisfying job of installation, testing and putting the door cards back on.
First, I set the orientation of the speakers in the adaptors which only fit in one orientation. The speakers themselves have a directional swivel on the tweeters, so it's important to get them so they can point somewhat up towards your ears. Little bit of test fitting and in they went;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4k9JHYDqUK5D-Mq5KzjE16VYQ5AiAvvpynQLc9osULm8Y4fmfxY2GsJ6A0ZlNzE9vqKLKDv_zCQslKbl8vkbUXADPFAI79dnlo40Hr30iFXMQ1CaW-2ig-uNpc4tmYeveAParyAStAQ=w1000)
Like a glove.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/z_rn2qv1tIwuSAPqMaRZN9zHdbLSPOJSX5I4pZXjt937HgiqM0B8gx8oYhyxUYhyTcstXTaGK8cYpo9CmIQpeB0NyY8-NXtm6RnGu9QSTnM_fIggwTC2iFmiydJGYKBgZbM3Pl4IhfQ=w1000)
The adaptors are both sturdy and a decent design. I liked the cable pass through;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bLB2vMd-7wVp05lAEh_obRPfBA4B-jHU84ThRtmbbtceLGC5zOCGsJ4BBF4k2knl4W0yuaBjhYN5KKPJwZj1EQnwop0YrMLak9L3CqxufcPX9BvBMptogWWbev8xeoQFAMkDepAeeEE=w1000)
Only needed to trim the cables to length - the pass through falls at the top on the driver's door and at the bottom on the passenger door so I was glad to have left a good amount to work with. Crimped the spade connectors and mounted;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/91O1Q35encSjh5o6CJVJ7XnlopTkNgD-RLJau5DuFONp46St_QX9tMYuRhYny6acw0DYL4qZCI4TLxNccYCprFfxJxOWQjp6MdMVmpyFOqU4Z0CsDv6ZFmhOuxvViRxq_k_KGom4pVQ=w1000)
Really pleased with such a clean install! I did stick the new wire to the door sheet just to stop anything flapping around.
Tested to make sure they worked as they should and then remounted the door cards;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Bpd-Ick5mcZaRq2xSO_eraFl8X3dV9UCNcvhCk9gjB7PQFwsz_pi3ADWUkHvhqsFgj4RamASJssOwA6TihPY-H8hpdo9fGeJXLs6ETk2LTPBO_Y8hVGzHmihv5pZ9VeaItCILc9wz80=w1000)
And the verdict? Somewhat unsurprisingly, it's transformed the sound. Don't get me wrong, 2 6.5" speakers are not going to rattle the neighbour's windows, but they give deep bass a really good go and I finally hear why people take time to add sound deadening - everything sounds so clean. You can turn the volume up a decent amount and there's no buzzing, rattling or distortion. Absolutely chuffed and well worth the time taken!
At some point when money is somewhat...ahem...freer, I'll look at investing in a small powered sub for under the seat, but more than happy for now.
So that's the tart pretty much ready for some driving!
On to another non-car related project - the abandoned bike found rusting behind the local Guide hut!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vEcuj8X_rWIf-c8F70xOVnx6lk5WlO5YbSy9TFlMk8OJ418-tJNSdxSwaDY_6Btqgi_wsCUJxcPGRzzq0HmkV3nogzXTR2IScPz5w_BjGdVhGvuExAb3hGEiy3udvk2RABQ_zBXTouk=w1000)
It's been an unusually busy couple of weeks for the Tart!
First off was the yearly half hour of dread that is the MOT. I realised that it was due pretty darn soon and, as I had plans for using the car a fair bit, I panicked and chucked it in for an MOT that very morning and did exactly no preparatory work.
Off we went and parked up outside to wait for my slot. When the tester came out, he started the car, looked over to me and grinned at the snorty MR2 burbled away! A good start!
While I waited, I remembered that GT4Play is just over the road from the test centre - never been there before so strolled over for a look and also to see if they had a cam-cover gasket. They did indeed and had a good chat to the owner. Can't believe that they carry stock for the MR2, they're only 10 mins from my house and I'd never been there!
Anyway, part bought and removed myself to the MOT testing station to wait for the verdict;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc_HrCTpddVv9Nm5iX-kMxaoMG5Ncoi-iDYQQNBmUEdSTMkH4eR4_Zte_KkFJpNFQZjnDBE-4am-ew8hZqpgWfOiQxM4ZkjVR3bMk2joTO69S3L8LAWE=w1000)
Drumity roll.....a nice clean pass! Woot!
Comment was "yeah absolutely nothing wrong with that. Good stuff."
So once again, I've been trundling around in the Tart enjoying the extra 79bhp it has over my daily car. Hasn't skipped a beat etc...
ANyway, fast forward to this past Friday and it was time to head off to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I've not managed to take the MR2 during my custodianship for various reasons (last year was because the MOT had run out...), so I was thrilled to be able to chunter over there this year in the car of yellow.
A soggy but enjoyable day was had, other than being thrown out of the Roger Durbois area by security for having the audacity to eat a sandwich (not bitter at all but they could have let me finish the sandwich at least). Oh and trying to gate-crash the GRRC Pitstop area was a bust as well...
Anyway, a great day looking at various automotive legends such as this;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc9_Vz1ooN2o--JevBjyOGhDWjxRXQQg-dy3lyzkQW5KuZW2cpNU_n5tz6tSBtMIWMlCQsMSvzzDm8qMiJ08nMb-Wk3Qf1BZ4m1EJFSNsLptb1xS7yhr=w1000)
And this;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc9MV9Y4tZbpDT72i8JdrFZcsMYFDF2Eh5r54HCY0ijXIHlfy2lII4ZKES6kO_q1Z-De3PGKEV8KxFHn4JI9QMZ8sl14MrBsag0-IwUXjv-TDZR5JgK4=w1000)
....it was time to head home. Obligatory picture of the Tart in a damp field in Sussex;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc93MgxVKYP9d3QYkQjr6XI2G2Qht82Ngvm41LxrBSNnemZL1NOVNt45A2ujS4e6m23xEe__ShFZZvPemyPZ2Z03vN3iXhfnG1JBb3MnVS0qMoZ9sIJl=w1000)
The Saturday morning was spent hastily cleaning the Goodwood mud from the MR2 flanks in 40mph winds ready for the following day where we were booked on to the MR2 Driver's stand at the National Cat Centre Family Fun day in the Ashdown Forest.
This had a surprisingly good car show attached to it with some pretty exotic metal in attendance and a really good number of MR2s!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-L2yClloyWz3r7cQyMZKSb74nPmr47jlTkxNOLaVgdtJuzw9i90z0-Qiaj6NOD_0NV8Nws31e2NW-3YFU1xqg9c2YmG5fsCVcEkrz95kHrdXYbs6RU=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc9bDhq9VHZe0GNACJitlnlRqjpTGPUqPsSJmYc_WRKlq--lE7T-JthUXUNEWg1Ybhcx2qEwnUYrbVdVx-tRIWwCsduz2DqM3Qro0bks3b4IULPa72MR=w1000)
Some of the other cars on display;
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc_ztG4vCJgt2PM4gXLM2Bi5z9MqhzU3gUGkhFpjyDjT4WcdHFJZmBnrC7WOVfNvopK1NunkofR23AmzCLI5RvrdrFrjpbHnkdbmt8fAu2ZyTuJhS76y=w1000)
Munich Legends is at the top of the drive!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-HgJvmPGqc6cAqvCUsgEs00n53QRGNRPaxV_mtX2uMcktOoNf_mHtLckIUglzgFwiNR8AcEwx4IFjBUqcNrfU5iKhlQgg29sqvy9veDffRrCE9tG6R=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-c6BfGvo4MhNUx4_aI9i_pl1KciTV35ZI_RD5uVuVkg3RrpktWQE9sOeBRg5N3ke2RARUwcnUDx9z4qfJWlo2r04pBLW6-5D0KHo9gSUH92ABquDkH=w1000)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-OPEch_mbRptLqG7dCGgVPmTE9zfLTJ9Vko9fY2ULSvynU5C0rPFvlsjQXvR8q9tqVFHzJCcGdyi2Ay0DdEfarPQFkHCAsu6iMjBHPfzO-4oakWL4T=w1000)
Love this 300zx - my dad had one identical back in 1989 and this was in beautiful condition. Owner was a lovely guy as well and also has a Celica ST160 as his daily chariot (which is identical to my second ever car).
A great time was had - a chance to catch up with Matt and Jo Geering and also meet some other MR2'ers. Hopefully I'll be able to do some more this year!
Glad that got through the MOT with a clean sheet. She's absolutely stunning. I love my Chili Red but yellow on it is just on another level.
Need to get mine in shape for next year's Le Mans and take her on a little Eurotour. The Festival of Speed is tempting as well though...
Lovely E3! Had one years ago.
:) glad to see the yellow is out for some good summer runs out :) :)
well done on the mot 1 less worry now hay 8) 8)
So....uh.....this happened today...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc9ZOwJ7x-LXFgvHCNwdx9wUaiPMmlzyAra5MmKSW-wxR1beuQZXZR5Ggr-At8rcgo9vZ89o7Cg8OWKA8e8TNljR30rGjDW8sgdCslNEdjzpfKckj7f0=w800)
I'll start a Reader's other rides thread.