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Mike's SW20 MR2 Track Car

[Car Info | Mods: Current & Future | Photos | Project Plans ]

Car Info

BODY/EXTERIOR

1991 Toyota MR2 (MK II), Hardtop, Crimson Red (Color Code 3J6) exterior paint, Black cloth interior, Manual windows, Manual locks, A/C

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION

Normally Aspirated 2.2L 16-valve 4-cylinder (Engine 5S-FE), 5-speed manual transmission (S54)

Other Info

Current Mods

BODY/EXTERIOR

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN

BRAKES/SUSPENSION

INTERIOR/SAFETY

OTHER

Future/Planned Mods

Some things intentionally left "generic" to be secretive. hehe.

BODY/EXTERIOR

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN

BRAKES/SUSPENSION

INTERIOR/SAFETY

OTHER

Photos




look ma, hardtop! :) with my AW11 in the background


who stole my engine?


okay, who stole my carpeting and my seats? hehe. beginning to strip the interior...


that firewall carpet was heavy as hell. yanked that out... :)


it looks a bit strange without the dash, i admit... so many damn wires!


if you removed engine lid, trunk lid/spoiler, and the rear bumper and lights, this is what you get.


damn those ricers. they stole my MR2 rear spoiler and put it on their BMW. grrrr. :)

My JDM 3SGTE Rev2 Engine

MORE PHOTOS (MR2-related)

Project Plans

2003

Ever since I got my AW11 MR2, I've always fancied the idea of having another MR2. And if it were an SW20, I wanted one in that light blue color that looks almost like the color on my AW11-- which means a '93 car. And it had to be turbo, cos well, it has to be faster than my MKI, you know. So about the same time when I was thinking, "Hmm, it'll be nice to have a road track car" a '91 hardtop MKII shell came up for sale, and I just couldn't let the opportunity pass. It was red-colored, which I didn't like, but hey, it's a hardtop which will do great for track duty, and the body was rust-free, unlike my poor MKI...

I didn't have much money at the time I got this car, so I set out to build it up slowly and whenever I had the time and money. I didn't want to rush it, and I wanted to do it just the way I wanted the car to be, from the start; that is, not build it up in stages, but do it all at once, then debut it. Ideally this would be a track-only car, but since I can't afford a truck with a trailer, I would have to drive it to/from the track, so I have to keep it somehow "street legal." at least register/insure it like a street car, though it will almost never be driven on the street.

I'm not much of a "show" kind of person, but since I have a good rust-free body to start with, I figure I'll do everything clean and nice, take my time. Eventually I'll paint it the color I want and everything. Good thing about this car is that there seems to be more support around this generation of MR2s than the first generation. There are a lot more options. But the bad thing is that things aren't as cheap for the MKII as it is for the MKI. But still it's cheaper than running a BMW at the track, which is what I'm trying to avoid. I figure I'd retire my BMW from track duties, and until this one is ready, I'll keep running the AW11 at the track, getting myself used to mid-engine handling on a track. I'll need to autocross this car a few times when it's done to get used to its power/handling/braking and adjust as necessary. I'm not sure if I'll be finished with it by the end of 2003. Maybe shooting for the 2004 season is a more realistic goal...
-mike 1/26/2003
Update 6/3/2003: As I'm wrapping up major parts of my AW11 MR2 project, I have been buying parts for the SW20 project as money becomes available. So far, waiting to go in are: JIC FLT-A2 coilovers, JIC front strut tower brace, Suspension Techniques anti-sway bars, Energy Suspension bushings, 3M Paint, Spec 6-Puck Organic Clutch/Flywheel, Walbro Fuel Pump, Greddy Oil Catch Can, etc... And most importantly, I got my '93 JDM GenII 3SGTE (ceramic CT26 turbo) clip with LSD E153 tranny! It was a bit of a hassle getting it and finally bringing it home to my garage and putting it on my engine stand. I've sent the oil out for analysis and I'm going to just replace replaceable parts on the engine now that it's on my stand (belts, water pump, etc.) Then bolt up the newly acquired Spec clutch/flywheel/pressure plate and finally put it in my car... of course i'd need to paint the inside of the engine bay before I do that, which will cost me a bit of time. I'm guessing the engine will be in by the end of 2003. Then I'll put in a cage, finish painting it and start to race it probably early/mid-2004.

2004

Unfortunately (well, fortunately in the grand scheme of things in my life), I started school this year and so all car-related activities were put on hold. The SW20 still remains covered and untouched...

2005

I'm planning on at least getting started on the this project once again this summer of 2005 as I will at least have weekends to work on the car. I am envisioning this project as happening in two steps. First, I want to make a streetable race car first (something I had drive to/from the race track legally without a trailer), so nothing too extreme. Then as I find more funds, I'll make it an all-out track car, take it off the streets and trailer it. It also makes sense as it will give me time to adjust to the car. No crazy engine mods just yet, although it's very tempting now that it's out of the car, but you know how that goes-- domino effect and soon I'll be out of funds and have a crazy engine. I'll stick with the stock 3SGTE with CT26 turbo for now, Stage 1. Internals and bigger turbo for Stage 2.

I'll be happy if I have a running car by the end of this summer. Cage in, painted, engine installed...
-mike 5/25/2005

Links

MAINTENANCE/MODS/HOW-TO
Mods How-to (Turbomr2.com): Great guide to engine teardown and mod installs Boost Leak/Pressure Tester: DIY Tester using Home Depot parts. :) Another variation here (Bryan "NoShoes" Moore) MULTIMEDIA
SW20 Drifting (Video): DavidV's car (K&N Commercial)

LEGAL
NYS DMV Annual Inspection: List of everything car needs to pass to be legal in NY State.

REFERENCE
Turbo Calculator: Looks at turbo compression maps to determine the right size turbo for any application. Also sells turbos.

My Other Cars

Mike Choi / MR2@325ci.com

since 1/22/2002 (new server)