Woodsport

With the wheels tucked under the arches (just!) by adding a little camber to the fronts (1 degree) and the tracking/alignment all done we could begin some testing of this little beast. I also lowered it by a further 15mm all round so hopefully this looks better for you now Chris. Nothing too adventurous just yet, some quick squirts up and down the yard to test the basics. I have to say it takes off like a stabbed rat, it's wheel spinning a bit in second gear with the combination of fresh tyres and a loose surface, i expect that to get better. We are very happy with how it drives so far, real

Sounds better in the flesh, i get a lot of distortion and bass coming through on my iphone that isn't there in reality.

Sorry for the lack of updates, it took a very long time to wire this car up due to hacked wiring but it now runs, we are just waiting for the bad weather to lift before doing some test runs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atPDP5aRJZM

Bespoke engine conversions are never a cheap thing to do, after all nothing is a straight fit and has to be fabricated. I'd not like to put prices on the forum, it's not fair on the paid up traders here, so i'm sticking within the rules. Let's just say a conversion like this is very reasonably priced considering the level of workmanship and attention to detail going into it.

The wiring is taking time to do, it's a little different from the Corolla T-sport 2zz wiring we previously did, so i need to take time to do it right... also not easy following on from someone elses wiring, i really could have done with the original engines harness for reference, but i'm getting there. Anth is having a go at the wheels shortly.

Not as long as it took to cut the Buzz sticker out ;)

Ok i think we have finally lost the effing plot......you know how it goes... you make one light hearted comment to the customer that the colour scheme looks a bit Buzz Lightyear and this is what ends up happening.... All of my dignity is stripped bare, i'm a mechanic FFS! Worst part is this was MY idea!!! ;) On a serious note i've been working hard at playing with spaghetti for the last two days... It's proving a challenge to wire up, the harness has needed to be extended to reach the cabin among other very unfun things. Right i'm off to Toysrus for more inspiration.

Yes there's room for a rotrex, and the 3sgte is way too heavy for a Starlet even when fitted correctly, in my opinion of course.

Oh, just ordered some "stickers" too

Yep that'll work

It's very hard to seal things that way, the plastic does not take well to being drilled, last thing I want is leaking power steering fluid and coolant, I will think of something.

Hi Chris, i'm afraid the bottles need to be opaque so that you can see your levels, i can't even paint them black as you would have no idea what the levels were.... leave it with me, i will see if i can come up with something to make them look better. Oil filler cap is on its way.

The BC coilovers and two antiroll bar bushes arrived today, so i fitted the coilovers, cracking quality kit that is.... The engine bay is now 95% finished bar some cleaning and detailing work... Camry header tank, custom coolant housing and induction pipe with Maf... Filter sits low down infront of gearbox... Heatshield made for exhaust manifold and custom servo pipe with check valve... So i think the colour scheme has worked very well, this thing is going to fly too... Just wiring to do next week and we are just about there.

Hi Chris, exhaust is done bar some lambda bosses arriving, i had to make a new windscreen washer bottle, the original one would not fit around the drivers side engine mount, but as with everything it looks pretty factory. The coolant reservoir is also done, that's a Camry V6 one, and everything is just about finished in the bay now except the wiring which i expect to take most of next week. The bushes and suspension have been stopping me fitting the driveshafts so they will all get fitted today if they come.... oh your split rim bolts arrived too. Not long now before she's running. I'll get

It is indeed

This little induction pipe took all day to fabricate into the correct shape and then paint, the results though will mean the finished intake will look like a factory install (if it wasn't purple )

Today the engine bay got painted satin black, this is so Chris can paint the exterior of his car any colour he wants and it will go with the engine bay. Then the engine was refitted with the freshly painted mounts.... you can also see the Camry throttle cable that is the perfect length. Plenty of clearance on the Mk3 Mr2 brake master cylinder, this was fouling the old engine. Fuel pressure regulator installed, i might repaint this purple so it stands out better, it looks a bit lost.... Have to say even though this is our very first Starlet engine conversion i am really enjoying this b

I reckon there's 2-3 weeks left easily, still a lot to do including suspension and polybushing etc

Hi Chris, i'll get the brace done green during final assembly, do you mind if i add a few other green bits like fusebox cover and maybe purple on the induction pipe i have made that sweeps down in front of the gearbox? (yes i did manage to do it! ,total ballache but the customer gets what he wants ) I think it needs a touch more of the green to balance it out. Update... Gearbox now fitted and the engine harness refitted. I made a new copper clutch slave pipe that routes a custom bracket on top of the gearbox and also used the Celica flexi line which is a little longer than the Starlet one.

Just thought i'd add... Every 2gr we have built has made 325bhp with no more than custom headers and on the stock mapping.

I can see you have been putting a lot of thought into this! Ok presuming we can get the 2gr fitted upfront, and the 2gr's Rav4 box was used, you would also need to use EP95 4x4 rear hubs/struts/suspension BUT it would definately need the Rav4 rear diff too, the EP95 one would not be ratio'd correctly to the front diff (i've no data on that but i'd be amazed if they shared the same ratios). If you didn't get the ratios the same then obviously the rear wheels are going to try and turn at a different speed to the fronts, which is a big no no. So yes that would be feasible (although again a mass

Oof! The big dog 2gr... now that's an engine! It near pulls our arms off when we put those into Mr2's, one of those in a Starlet would just be insane! Presuming i could get one to fit (never say never) , by far the biggest concern would be torque steer, i cannot begin to imagine a 2gr hooked up to front wheels only, let's just say that would be a mental ride, but i would worry about it spoiling the driveability knowing first hand what a 2gr is like, 200lbs.ft of torque just above idle and 285lbs.ft by 2500rpm, then all the way to the redline, just crazy! Anyway back to your question.... it i

We are now at the making things pretty stage, Chris has chosen a nice deep purple and Lambo Murcielago Green to contrast that, at first i didn't think this colour scheme was going to work but i think it suits it very well... The green top cover is not the same as in these pics, it is a pearlescent colour so it doesn't react well to camera flash, the actual colour is considerably darker with a gold and bronze pearl running through it.... I added a chrome Toyota badge... Dummy fitted the whole lot onto the engine to see what it's going to look like, throttle body has been done satin

Quick update, NSF wheel to gearbox casing clearance issues all sorted now, all fabrication work has been completed and the engine is now back out for final dressing and installation. The previous garage to work on this car had disabled the dual circuit brakes, by plastic welding over the reservoir output hole and plumbing all of the brakes onto one circuit (the dangers involved in doing this beggar belief!) ,Anyway it was so badly bodged i had to replace all of the brake servo/MC, so i have used a complete Mk3 Mr2 assembly with a modified actuating arm, which will work perfectly. Also modif

Brilliant Keri, i'll shove him your way. Thanks Mr Bear! We do like to take on the more challenging Toyota conversions, the harder the better! V6 Starlet anyone?