Swapped 93 MR2 Turbo - 255 WHP **56K**

[blue-sun]

Hey all,

Just wanna share the story/pics of my other car, a 1993 MR2.

Bought the car back in April '04, a 135 HP NA. A few weeks later I got smoked on the highway by a lady in a Hynday Sonata V6. It was embarssing, so I started planning a motor swap, saving $, etc.

http://blue-sun.net/Details/MR2Detail/MR2Detail-Images/16.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Details/MR2Detail/MR2Detail-Images/11.jpg

Since I had planned on swapping the motor, and the car came with KYB AGX inserts, I didn't plan any power mods (except for a lightly used TRD Drop in filter for $20 that I found) I did a few exterior mods, being tint and painting the orange part of my rear turnsignals red:

http://blue-sun.net/Details/AllRedTails/AllRedTails-Thumbnails/0.jpg

35% up front, 20% rear 3. On my old spare stockers painted red w/R compounds - for auto-x.
http://blue-sun.net/Details/BlackAndRed/BlackAndRed-Images/0.jpg

Aside from those 2 mods, I just saved $ and picked up all the parts needed for my OEM Turbo swap, including the gauge cluster, foglights, and misc interior pieces (center CD console, rear carpet) and the big part of the swap, a JDM Gen 3 CT20B OEM turbo. It was found only on the MR2 after it was no longer imported to the US. It is ball bearing, with a ceramic wheel. It pulls to redline every gear and is at full boost at 3200 RPM.

Then in Jan 05 I drove the car to Soderton, PA to a small MR2 specialty shop for the swap. All they do is import and install JDM clips in MR2's. My clip did not arrive until mid/Late Feb and in March 05, I flew out to PA to pick the car up. My clip came with a powdercoated vavle cover, blitz intake, and a 2.5 exhaust (though a stock DP) with a giant 5 inch single exit muffler.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/PostSwap/PostSwap-Images/17.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/PostSwap/PostSwap-Images/22.jpg

Next came time to install the OEM Turbo foglights, with yellow Lamin-x film. Funny story on the Lamin-X, their website didn't offer up the film for our foglights, so I contacted the site owner and worked out a deal to get 20 people to buy the film and I sent him my brand new foglights to make the templates out of.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/YellowFogs/YellowFogs-Images/0.jpg

Next, the car went in to the body shop to get all the black trim on the car painted to match, like the OEM 94-95 turbo's, cleans the car up greatly!

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/AllRed/AllRed-Images/5.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/AllRed/AllRed-Images/17.jpg

Next came some bling parts, misc chrome or polished piping, red IC vacume hoses, etc.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/NewBling/NewBling-Images/0.jpg

followed by the TOYOTA on the valve cover being sanded off to leave a polished silver logo, along with some more chrome.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/11May05/11May05-Images/1.jpg

Next was a big power mod, the ARC Intercooler, a MBC and some T-clamps for most of the hose's. I could now turn up the boost on the car to 17-19 PSI.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/IC/IC-Images/0.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/IC/IC-Images/1.jpg

My next mod was to address the stiff suspension. I swapped out the AGX/Stock spring set up for a Tockico Illumina with H & R Spring set-up, lowering the car nicely.

http://blue-sun.net/MR2/NewLegs/NewLegs-Images/1.jpg

In Aug 05, a friend of mine with a 93 Turbo MR2 was selling his car and he took off all the mods that he had done to the car, which was basically only apperance mods, JDM clear corners, OEM 95 Taillights, and aftermarket wheels. I was able to buy them all from him as a package deal for a great price.

17" 5-Zigen FN01R-C wheels, in Hyper Slver.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/NewShoes/NewShoes-Images/1.jpg

Next was a used 3" DP and a used dual muffler dual tip exhaust, that I had my eye on for some time.

Pics with the '95 taillights, wheels, exhaust and the clear corners.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/JGTCA29Oct/JGTCA29Oct-Images/1.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/JGTCA29Oct/JGTCA29Oct-Images/34.jpg

That was pretty much it for 2005. Busy summer for the car. She ran a best of 13.10 in the 1/4, running 21 PSI on Race Gas, untuned.

In 2006, not a whole lot more happened to the car.

She got an all red vacume hose kit.

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/BerkVacume/BerkVacume-Images/3.jpg

A Stock 04 WRX 42mm Omori Boost Gauge and column mount:

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/Omori/Omori-Images/3.jpg

HID headlights and foglights (though the headlights are in the MP3 for the time being)

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/H3HID/H3HID-Images/2.jpg

Last weekend she got some more JDM parts, solid side marker eliminator and "speed flaps" which was an OEM fix to "floaty" feeling front end at high speed in those countries where they continued to sell the MR2.

http://blue-sun.net/MR2/JDMhawtness/JDMhawtness-Images/9.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/MR2/JDMhawtness/JDMhawtness-Images/11.jpg

And she got a SAFC I installed and was tuned at 17 PSI at 255 WHP. Sure, I could sqweeze out about 20 more WHP with a FPR, 19 PSI, a new fuel rail and a retune (and I just might do that next year) but she's plenty fast for me. I didn't have a change to run her in the 1/4 after being retuned this summer.

Here's a pic from the summer, after a fresh detail (and my avatar pic)

http://blue-sun.net/Details/MR2/MR2-Images/1.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Details/MR2/MR2-Images/3.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Details/MR2/MR2-Images/4.jpg

Oh, and BTW, this was my 4th MR2, I've had a 89 Supercharged, 91 Turbo and a 91 NA Auto prior to this one:

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/MyMR2s/MyMR2s-Images/0.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/MyMR2s/MyMR2s-Images/4.jpg

http://blue-sun.net/Pics/MyMR2s/MyMR2s-Images/12.jpg

[Killer]

Cool car.

[vcinsanity1523]

uhh depresses me makes me really miss my 93 MR2 Turbo (it was yellow) *sighs* great job on the swap and the car looks extremely clean i did the 95+ tails and the clear front corner lenses myself i still had the stock wheels on mine though. Mine was also T-Tops and not the sport roof either way.. awesome car i love the red as well and in its "finished" state it looks great man!!!!! I would love to own another one one of these days

[Lord_Zath]

very nice, Dave!

[blue-sun]

Thanks guys!

Lots of blood, sweat, tears and mostly money in that car!

[mazpro]

looks great, the car came a long way. I always loved the MR2s

[jster28]

Nice mr2 man. Ever though about swapping in the Toyota Solara/ camry V6 Engine (1mzfe) and putting a turbo on that or a TRD supercharger instead of a mr2 turbo motor. You would be putting over 400hp. I was planning to do that swap with the mr2 shell i had, but ran into money trouble so i had to sell everything. But good job man, very nice.(thumb)

[chaos2015]

i should be driving that car right now

[II-Savy]

Man that is one sweet car. Mid engine powering the rear wheels is the ONLY way to go!

[blue-sun]

Nice mr2 man. Ever though about swapping in the Toyota Solara/ camry V6 Engine (1mzfe) and putting a turbo on that or a TRD supercharger instead of a mr2 turbo motor. You would be putting over 400hp. I was planning to do that swap with the mr2 shell i had, but ran into money trouble so i had to sell everything. But good job man, very nice.(thumb)

The OEM turbo motor swap is cheaper, easier and no fabrication needs to be done to it. Plus the aftermarket support is 10x greater for the 3SGTE motor than the V6 swap.

I do have a local MR2 buddy who's planning a V6 swap. He's building up the motor as we speak and is working hard to save $ to get the final parts he needs in order to start the swap later on this winter.

I'm not a HP junkie. I am nearing the limits on the stock fuel system (~300 WHP) and that's as high as I wanna go. I'm not HUGE into drag race, auto-x or road racing, so for me the goal is/was a reliable increase in performance from the car that's 99.9% driven on the street. As I said, I might be looking to get those last few WHP from the car later on next year, but not anything insane out of the car.

[Alejo_NIN]

looks very clean man
i;ve always loved those mr2's
is amazing how much boost the stock bottom end on that thing holds...

what happend MAZDA WHAT HAPPEND!!!!!!

[Hughes412]

When I had my 91 I was looking into swaping motors. I read this article about a guy that put an 32v North Star V8 motor and transmition in his. All he has to change was a mount and one hood hinge. Then he opened the wheel wells in the rear and put 18x8s on it. He ended up running low 12s

[blue-sun]

When I had my 91 I was looking into swaping motors. I read this article about a guy that put an 32v North Star V8 motor and transmition in his. All he has to change was a mount and one hood hinge. Then he opened the wheel wells in the rear and put 18x8s on it. He ended up running low 12s

http://www.v8mr2.com/

[Hughes412]

That sounds mean, but that wasn't the one I was talking about. He had a last gen MR2.

[blue-sun]

That sounds mean, but that wasn't the one I was talking about. He had a last gen MR2.

oh, a spyder? I can't recall a spyder with a V8, but then again, I don't frequent the spyder parts of our forums much anyways.

[Hughes412]

oh, a spyder? I can't recall a spyder with a V8, but then again, I don't frequent the spyder parts of our forums much anyways.
LOL, oops, no not the spider. It was the REAL last gen, 91-95.
Sorry but I don't count the Spider as a MR2.

[freekwonder]

man kick ass car. I would love to have a 1st or 2nd gen MR2. yours is beautiful.

[1Sleepy93]

Very nice! I really like the 91-95 MR's. They were the best IMO.

[blue-sun]

Thanks guys for the kind words!

[Diehonda]

Makes me miss my old car sooooo much.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/jnoyes/Camry/100_0636.jpg

A local guy is selling his. Damn I love these cars.
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/5616/sig3pt9oe3.jpg



http://www.tunerzine.com/articles.asp?id=193