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, really revvy and handles like it should. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NyeNfN761o

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 some fresh pics of it later.

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 build and that engine just looks perfect in the Starlet bay. There's a lot more colour coding to do and things to connect, i've also got an idea for a custom header tank with perspex level window. The customer tends to give me a basic brief on how they want it to look and then i can't help running away with extra ideas!

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. Apart from cleaning the rubber hoses up this is the engine pretty much ready to hang for the final time...

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 massive project) , and presuming we could get the Rav4 rear diff to work in the EP chassis. Hope that helps. EDIT: Rav4 box is same width as the Mr2 E153.

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 is quite a tall engine, and a deep one too (front to back). Width wise it will need the chassis legs moving or rethinking completely to get the extra width, i've seen a 3sgte (same width as 2gr) butchered into a Starlet bay and it fouled the gearbox on full lock, pulleys digging into the chassis and all manner of ill fitting problems.... i'm digressing again.... hmm, short answer is yes it will fit, but when i say yes i mean only with serious modification and strengthening work. That engine will try and rip the front end off, that's no exaggeration. It will not fit height wise, so be prepared to mount some of it ABOVE the bonnet line, so it'd need a Metro 6R4'esque bonnet of sorts, it would also need the brake servo relocating to the passenger side i think... The more i think about it the more problems i can think of, but nothing that couldn't be solved i guess. Ah! just had a brainwave... chop the back end out and hang the bugger in the rear, RWD 2gr-fe Starlet, now that's the answer! That would just be a suicidal car. One word of caution though, to build a 2gr Starlet in front wheel or rear wheel drive will be a very deep pocket excercise, doable yes, but very expensive unless you DIY, hope that helps.

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 black.... Also the gearbox has been cleaned, prepped and painted the same shade as the cars bodywork... this is yet to get its new driveshaft oil seals, the bracketry going onto this will be in a contrasting black i think. Once the engine bay is painted it will get its final refit, should look quite good!

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 modified a Camry 3.0 throttle cable to fit the bulkhead, this will reach the 2zz throttle, it's actually the perfect length. I love dipping into the Toyota parts bin and finding the solution from another model, keeps it all Toyota which is pretty cool. I'll have some pics shortly when we start the cosmetic eye candy bits.

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?