Project Domes shonky autos - Manta progress!

[dome]

Well, I'd left this thing up on axle stands while i waited for my front pads to arrive. They did so yesterday so last night I went out to fit them.

 

There are two different options of caliper on this, Bosch or Akebono. Duly noting the word BOSCH on mine I ordered up the cheapest ones I could find a suitable set from eBay. 

 

Being paranoid when they arrived the first thing I did was google the part number which confirmed they were indeed correct.

 

I got home, stripped the caliper off, pushed the pistons back (incredibly easily, this working on new cars stuff is great!) and... they didn't fit. Arse. Looks like the wrong pads were in the box

 

 

Ah well, pads can wait. I stuck it back together and prepared it for it's first journey to work today, via the local council offices to get the keys for my new lockup.

 

I decided to try and give it a clean first. It's hard to describe how fucking bogging this thing is, especially on the outside. I've already taken a bin bags worth of crap out of the interior, it'll get done properly, hopefully not by me!

 

 

Crap pictures but the whole body was ground in dirt with loads of tar spots and bird shit. Obviously not washed in a long time

 

 

I decided to go balls deep on the bodywork. Gunk, diluted 3 to 1 in a spray bottle. Mainly because I had some in the garage

 

I attacked the whole car with it this morning and went over it with a mildly abrasive scourer on the bad bits. A worn one from the kitchen does this well and doesn;t leave scratches. Tar spots etc came off no bother. 

 

I then jetwashed it and gave it a wash with regular shampoo. It's made a massive difference. It still needs some more work and a polish/wax before it goes on sale but it's a bit less offensive now.

 

So, to the council office!

 

 

And it drives like... a car. Definitely a car. 

 

Gearbox is quiet and there are no apparent issues that way. It drives fine though and feels very modern. There's a lot of dash between the driver and the windscreen. It's very quiet too. Inoffensive is the word. A car for people who don't have any interest cars. And that's fine.

 

I stopped off at Euro Car Parts and picked up a new set of brake pads which look like the right thing, definitely different to the first set. It's pishy and wet tonight so they can wait.

 

Oh and I found this whilst cleaning it out. From December. Seller wasn't lying....

 

 

I cheekily called the garage to see what had been done. 

 

What could possible cost £950?

 

2 rear calipers

A set of rear pads

A front wheel bearing(the one I spotted when changing the gearbox)

 

And that's it apparently...

 

No wonder they wanted rid when the gearbox shat itself. Although I can't help wonder if the noise wasn't the wheel bearing but the gearbox(which is on that side) starting to go?

[Ian_Fearn]

What could possible cost £950?

 

2 rear calipers

A set of rear pads

A front wheel bearing(the one I spotted when changing the gearbox)

 

And that's it apparently...

 

I can see why non-car people just buy new these days.

 

I helped out a young lady at work recently with her 208. Its like a 2012ish and has cost her an absolute fortune just in basic repairs over the last 6 months that should have been MUCH cheaper.

[CreepingJesus]

I'd check the car with a fine toothed comb from front bumper to rear, on the evidence of that D+G receipt alone. They are without doubt the shadiest garages in the east.

[Split_Pin]

Sounds like its now doing exactly what it should, result.

 

I have D&G Autocare numberplates on my Corsa. They probably cost £100 or something. What a shower eh!

 

Wild flailing stab in the dark £1995?

[Supernaut]

That receipt.

 

[dome]

Wild flailing stab in the dark £1995?

 

 

It's got a few dents but I'll see how it looks when it's cleaned up but aye, that's actually not a bad price for one. "Just had £1k spent on it"...

[Split_Pin]

Aye that receipt will probs add about about whats printed on it to the value come sale time!

[dome]

I'm calling this a result.

 

All but 30 miles of this were completed today.

 

It is definitely an car.

 

I go on holiday on Thursday, when I come back it's booked in for an MOT which will give it 13 months. Then some lucky person will get to own it and I can go back to old stuff...

[Split_Pin]

 

 

I go on holiday on Thursday, when I come back it's booked in for an MOT which will give it 13 months. Then some lucky person will get to own it and I can buy something else ...

FTFY

[rantingYoof]

No wonder they wanted rid when the gearbox shat itself. Although I can't help wonder if the noise wasn't the wheel bearing but the gearbox(which is on that side) starting to go?

 

I certainly hope not, because that puts the grindy noise coming from the centre-left side of my car in a wholly unwelcome light.

 

Although even me, with my incredibly limited knowledge and impracticalityness, remembers what the V70's busted wheel bearing sounded like and can recognise similarities.

[Dick Longbridge]

What became of your black MR2? I’ve just bought a Corolla T Sport with a 2ZZ lump. I’ve also found a chap who's done the swap three times already (and done a cracking job). He’s after £650 labour, which includes modifying the 2ZZ manifold and building a custom exhaust, which is pretty damn good in my eyes. He doesn’t do work for others normally, just his own cars. I’d need to get the engines pulled from both cars ready for him to do the work over a weekend. I’ve totted up the expenditure and it’s not cheap! Costs including the labour, Corolla donor, exhaust parts, Celica ECU and key (Corolla one won’t work!!) induction parts and bracket and clutch (mine is borked) is around the £1500 mark. And that doesn’t include removing the two engines.

I reckon the only way I’ll ever make it financially viable will be to buy an MR2 cheaply, and with a duff motor.

[dome]

Time for a small update.

 

The MR2 had a blown exhaust which turned out to be one of the flexis on the cat. I ordered up a second hand one and went to fit it last week.

 

Looking a bit better than the old one...

 

 

I'd had the manifold end off before when I gutted the precat so wasn't worried about those bolts. The ones at the other end though duly got heated and plusgassed and came off no bother. I then turned to the ones I'd had off about 2 or 3 months ago and... sheared one. Fuck.

 

Ah well, here we go again. Manifold off and my little blowtorch failed to make any inroads. 

 

 

I dropped it in to the garage when the Auris was getting MOT'd and they got it out no bother.

 

Then, with it all back together and running well, my mate took it to Skye for the weekend where it performed fine. He reported the suspension feeling a bit tired, this is something I'd noticed as well. New springs and shocks may happen, Rockauto is about the cheapest for shocks.

 

Have some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

What became of your black MR2? I’ve just bought a Corolla T Sport with a 2ZZ lump. I’ve also found a chap who's done the swap three times already (and done a cracking job). He’s after £650 labour, which includes modifying the 2ZZ manifold and building a custom exhaust, which is pretty damn good in my eyes. He doesn’t do work for others normally, just his own cars. I’d need to get the engines pulled from both cars ready for him to do the work over a weekend. I’ve totted up the expenditure and it’s not cheap! Costs including the labour, Corolla donor, exhaust parts, Celica ECU and key (Corolla one won’t work!!) induction parts and bracket and clutch (mine is borked) is around the £1500 mark. And that doesn’t include removing the two engines.
I reckon the only way I’ll ever make it financially viable will be to buy an MR2 cheaply, and with a duff motor.

 

 

Just spotted this as I went to update this thread. Our plan is to buy a complete car when the time comes and swap everything. I know the exhaust manifold will need manufactured but I've not looked that far into it yet. I didn't realise we needed a Celica key and ECU, that'll really narrow us down to a Celica as a donor. That price doesn't sound too bad though. If you're pulling both engines can you not fit the 2zz to save some cash, then he just has to plumb it in and wire it up?

 

Due to the track day we were booked on getting snowed off it's still to go on the track.

We'll worry about the engine swap once we've both had some experience on the track and got the handling sorted. 

 

 

The Auris passed it's MOT no bother, I'm just waiting for a sunny day to take some pictures and get it advertised. I've actually been using it for commuting as it's been the first car on the drive. It's thoroughly boring but competent. Makes me appreciate the rest of the fleet when I drive them.

 

Which reminds me, the S4 needs a damn good run...

 

 

[dome]

Just advertised the Auris on Gumtree.

 

 

 

[Tickman]

I found the advert but restrained from sending abusive messages on Gumtree.

I've got your mobile number anyway so I could just send them to that

[omegod]

The Toyota basically mirrors the clutch change I've just done on a fiesta project, fucking unwieldy them bastard gearboxes when you are flying solo. took an age to get the shaft to pop into the clutch  

[Split_Pin]

Be sure to post any half-witted offers/messages on here!

[cort16]

Good Luck!

[The Moog]

I hope you gave 320touring £5 to send messages to everyone in his car buying club tipster line about this fine beastie

[Guest]

I'd check the car with a fine toothed comb from front bumper to rear, on the evidence of that D+G receipt alone. They are without doubt the shadiest garages in the east.

 

Ouch. I've worked there twice, and have known the D&G of D&G for many years. A few good mates still work with them, although last time I was in I saw a sea of strange faces.

[CreepingJesus]

Between them and Ron Sealey, that's a fair bit of the Fife garage trade I wouldn't touch with a bargepole. Can't see their bubble of expansion lasting forever though.

[Guest]

15 branches in 15 years. I worked in the first one, in the first year. Crikey that makes me feel old.

[dome]

Which reminds me, the S4 needs a damn good run...

It did indeed-poor thing hadn't moved in about a month. A run down the M74 and A701 to Ae forest today for some mountain biking was exactly what it needed. I took a detour on the way back and came up one of my favourite roads-the A702 from Drumlanrig Castle up to the M74.

An absolute belter of a road, fast, well surfaced with great visibility and brilliant corners. Needless to say it didn't disappoint, although it was too twisty a road to use full throttle.

[dome]

I had a rare free day off yesterday so headed to the scrappy to improve the Auris. Twenty Scottish pounds got me a decent haul from the scrappy:

 

A full set of genuine Toyota mats

A CD player-the one in the car didn't work and whined constantly-it was like having my ex in the car

A few other bits and pieces to tart it up-aerial, cap for the wiper, bits of broken trim.

 

I spent most of the day washing, polishing and waxing it. It took fucking ages to get all the tar spots off it but in the end I got there.

Are you ready?

 

 

 

 

 

Boom! Happy with that compared to how bad it was when I got it.

 

It's on Gumtree and ebay as a classified ad. I was going to stick it on Autotrader but it's expensive for cars over £1k-£34 to place an ad!

[dome]

I also finally got round to fitting the cruise control stalk to the S4. I fucking hate messing around with airbags, that was the main reason I'd put off doing this. The other reason was that it needs coded with proper VAG software-I've been warned (possibly on here?) about using my hooky copy to code in the cruise control in case it fucks things up.

 

So, shortly after starting I was looking at this.

 

Steering wheel off and then this greets you

 

 

Fitting the stalk wasn't too bad, I managed to fuck something up though as the wheel was catching on the slip ring. It took ages to work out where I'd gone wrong but I got it sorted in the end. .

 

In the process I've managed to put the wheel back on off centre so it'll need to come back off again.

 

I've also managed to buy the wrong colour of lower column cover so will have a go at cutting my old one out(carefully) to fit the stalk and using that instead.

 

Anyway, I now have the correct stalk.

 

 

but until it's programmed in it's just somewhere to hang my takeaway.

[Dave_Q]

I've activated cruise on a Skoda and a B5 A4 with pirate VCDS and a £5 cable, no problems.

 

I guess this thing is a tad more premium but I would risk it personally, obviously I'm not buying you a new ecu or whatever if you try it and it goes wrong though.

[Supernaut]

That gear stick / handbrake arrangement in the Auris looks downright bizarre!

[Split_Pin]

Auris is looking minty

 

What did you use to get the tar spots off? The Duster and also Fatha_Pin's Volvo have an awful lot of these despite both only being about a year old.

[oldcars]

Auris is looking minty

 

What did you use to get the tar spots off? The Duster and also Fatha_Pin's Volvo have an awful lot of these despite both only being about a year old.

Autosmart tardis is the best bet.

[CreepingJesus]

Always used paraffin and my thumbnail myself...!

[dome]

Yeah I used diluted gunk and a non stick scourer. If you're not careful it will scratch the paint. I had nothing to lose on this thing though