status

[BigMike]

I'll see about doing it at our shop then


Have we figured out how to explain why/how we bought TWO cars now? What is our budget at now?

[Sirdeuce]

Are you sure? It could be a lot of fun here. If you want, we could do the big bits at the shop, and finish it here. Just hang the engine in the bay on the righ and left hangers, bolt the rest up here. Since I was planning on doing a complete rewire we could leave the wiring in a box. I'll install it here.

[Sirdeuce]

Weighed the light assemblys being removed from the poupe'. Just @12pounds. Not much, but it is a start.

[BigMike]

NICE

[Sirdeuce]

More weight removed!  Interior rugs and padding, 28lbs! Wiring, thus far 18-20lbs. The main harness is still connected. With the headlight assemblies at 12lbs we have a total of @60lbs removed. I can't wait to see what the dash assembly  and door trimmings have to offer!

[BigMike]

Went up to Bills and did some work stripping down the old LeMons car.

Here is where Kevin and I delivered the old LeMons car two nights ago. Also I am in the process of changing my headlights





Here is what the car looked like when I got there:



Here is what it looked like after Bill and I had some FUN with it:










So what's going on you ask? We are just about ready to extract the 4A-GE from the old car. Bill has a GREAT idea on how to do this at his place: Just cut out the back trunk and pull the engine out in normal fashion with a cherry-picker from the top.

Also, for the new red LeMons car, we will remove the firewall between the engine compartment and the back trunk and install the 4A-GE right in place from the top. Also, with that firewall gone, it will be MUCH easier to service the car during a race, so it's a win-win.

I plan on heading back up to Bill's place next Tuesday at 4:00p. If anyone is interested in joining me, I've got an open seat and the roads are a LOT of fun!! :D :D :D :D

BigMike

[Sirdeuce]

Supplies for the MR2. If anybody could, we need a few things to put this thing together. Fiberglass cloth, mat and resin. I have some, but not sure if it is enough. Kitty hair and glass bubble filler, a quart should be sufficient on the kitty hair. the glass bubbles are not necessary, but help with keeping weight down. Gauges, oil pressure, oil temp and water temp. The stock gauges would work, but are really vague, the oil temp is nearly a necessity when running hard for a long period. I know funds are a bit tight for the most of us(all of us?), but some things have to be done to keep a car reliable and together for the long haul.
Thanks all

[BigMike]

Where would I get the cloth/mat/resin? Is this for heat shielding or sound insulating?

What is kitty hair? What is glass bubble filler?

I can come up with some used Kragens type cheap-o gauges in working condition I'm sure

[BigMike]

Bill, here are some example pics of the rear firewall removed

That REALLY opens it up -- a lot of room for servicing the engine

[BigMike]

...and here is an example of the hood + trunk lid which I think is pure bitchen

[Sirdeuce]

The fiberglass is for making panels. Gauge panel, panel to redirect airflow under the radiator like we discussed. Blah blah. Kitty hair is a chopped fiberglass/resin mix filler, like bondo, only better. It's stronger, and can be use to reinforce joints. Like the joint in the front spoiler under the radiator. glass bubbles are otherwise known as microbubbles, used to reduce the resin use in fillets and fills. The bubbles also add structure and lighten the filler. Gauges can have their accuracy tested using hot water and thermometer, so cheap Kragen gauges are fine. Might look into some prices and availabilty of dry ice, for removing the tar matting.

[BryanH]

Wouldn't removing the rear firewall have a noticeable impact on chassis rigidity given the suspension mounting location?

[Sirdeuce]

Strut bars and roll cage should more than recover any losses in chassis rigidity from the removal of such structure. Planning on a full cage, should be able to cut a LOT of metal from the frame.

[BigMike]

Ok, I am leaving for Bills house shortly.

I wanted to let everyone know that I am planning on going up to Bill's house a lot to work on the car. I plan to only stay there for about an hour each visit so that I can get home at a decent time and not get burned out from it all.

Ideally, I would like to leave when I get off work at 4pm, but if you get off at 5pm and want to run up the hill together or even carpool then I'll hang back until you get off work. Just let me know ahead of time.

Here is my plan for this week:

Tuesday (today): I am waiting for my friend Kyle who might be interested in helping us out. He has an Evo 9 (I believe) and gets off work at 5pm. I am waiting for his phone call right now.

Wednesday: I have a business meeting from 4p until about 5:30 or so, then I will head up to Bills.

Thursday: I have nothing going on, so this is the best time for me to tow the Red car up to Bill's house. I will get off work at 4pm and will take our 1-TON pickup to Kevins and will load up the Red MR2 by myself and will take it to Bills.

Friday & Weekends: I plan to leave every Friday after work for San Jose to visit my wife. I will return late every Sunday night, so basically Friday - Sunday I cannot work on the project.


So let me know if you want a free ride or want to go on a drive to Bills together.

Thanks
BigMike

[BigMike]

Tuesday Aug 17 Report

I left work a bit late, around 5:30, but still got a lot done with the white car. We are now ready to start cutting the car, get the engine out of there, and bring up the red car.

Here are some updated pics. It was fun hanging out with Bill. I'll be back up there tomorrow. I'm gonna move Bill's other MR2 to make room for the red MR2 which I will bring up Thursday.

Could someone check if the VIN number can identify if the car was originally Supercharged? Thanks

Here are Bill's MR2: Silver one is his son's, white one is the same one pictured in the forum banner above. This is where we will build the Race Car, so tomorrow night we need to move some cars around :D