Building a car for me, rev4 chassis, rev5 turbo engine

[deanb85]

Hello and welcome to my build thread.

The goal;
Hardtop chassis,
Rev3+ turbo engine
LSD box

Nothing to unusual there then.

Ideal optional fittings;
Coilovers
No ABS
Weld-in cage w/ headroom for 5’11” & helmet
Sub 105db exhaust

Not essential but added bonus’;
Air con
300+ bhp





The car;

So I picked up a rev4 auto G-ltd (sonic shadow) for a relatively cheap £350.
It had some issues which were disclosed at point of sale including a snapped key in the ignition, a flat tyre, dent in the roof, a flat battery and an overheating issue.
I gave a deposit and returned after the snow had cleared to collect the car, bringing with me coolant, oil, jump leads and a pump.

After filling up the coolant which was almost empty, I tended to the other issues, and fired the car up. It idled very low, and until selecting drive sounded like it was going to stall. With a little rev the rear brakes unlocked and it was ready to drive home avoiding the plod on the backroads on a 35mile trip 😄

Arriving back at the unit with the car and my bestie in tow, I was more than happy to switch the auto piece of shit off and get out to asses the pile of problems I’d just bought 👌





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[byrney1984]

Good luck with the build pal. Going down the 4 pot route I’d stick to the rev 3 tubby. Although if your going stand alone then a 4 or 5 will produce the same power minus the egr etc.

[deanb85]

Aug 11, 2018 18:10:03 GMT byrney1984 said:

Good luck with the build pal. Going down the 4 pot route I’d stick to the rev 3 tubby. Although if your going stand alone then a 4 or 5 will produce the same power minus the egr etc.

Thanks Byrney1984, I’m a little further along than the 1st post now. I bought the car back in Decembrrrr. Here’s how she sat





And after a little clean up in the yard, some more pics;




So obviously there was some rot in the right hand sill. Im in my twelfth year of owning MR2’s now, so I’m really not surprised by finding it on any shell. I used to pay to have them repaired when I started out. I couldn’t weld, I couldn’t paint, and generally didn’t have all the tools to do the job to a high enough standard that it would last more than 5mins... so local shops took care of it for me. Until I got screwed over on a beautiful rev3 NA in white (the fourth Mk2 I owned).
It went in for basic sill repair, and came back with ruined paintwork, where the guy hadn’t covered the body, cut something on or near the car, and showered it with grinding/cutting debris. Three weeks after I collected the car, it rained. And the body surface started to rust in thousands of places. To55er. He denied all knowledge.

So a couple of years later I decided to ask a mate to show me the ropes. I now confidently cut out, form, weld and seal/paint my own sills arches (and chassis sections on my other cars);









Not perfect, but plenty good enough for me and Mr MOT inspector;





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[deanb85]

Whilst I had been on the lookout for a cheap turbo and this sonic shadow car came up, at the price I couldn’t refuse - I knew the auto box was not for me.
I love my track time. And when I was younger was known to the local authorities for driving not quite ‘in accordance’ with the law.
So the auto box was destined for the bin.

Having owned a couple of turbo’s prior to this (both rev2) I knew the NA option and NA manual box, were not going to give me the smiles I used to achieve in previous cars;


So I was on the lookout for rev3+ engine and box.

A few weeks passed and I spotted an ad for an sw20 sill repair panel. I msgd just to enquire if it was still available and it was. It turned out the rev2 NA import that it was intended for was beyond repair having (as well as two rotten sills) a large crack / tear running across the rear cabin lower box section (the area the cancer bars bolt onto). It was also fitted with a Rev5 turbo engine & box.


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[byrney1984]

Thats some good fabrication. Did you roll the sill yourself or buy a panel? I’m the same as you. I couldn’t really weld very well when I first started but now I’m pretty good with the old TIG. I’m sure I remember your 2 being advertised on gumtree. I’m always trolling the ads for cars. Usually I’m looking for genuine rare items. 300 bhp should be easily achievable. My build goal is 320 bhp before I open the NOS bottle and crank the boost up lol

[deanb85]

Result, so I struck a deal with the owner to buy the rev2 NA shell, engine & gearbox package, and a couple of little extras; a hks exhaust, and some hsd coilovers.

I went along to inspect the potential purchase, and was met by a young female who had serious attachment to the car. It had been lovingly enjoyed at track days and as a daily driver. Having no MOT, or sills (already removed for repair) and no front position lamps/indicators, I thought a test drive was out of the question, but I was wrong. The owner took me up the road, onto a fenland b-road and proceeded to show me how the boost controlled turbo went. And it went well. Obviously confident in her abilities, and I a bad passenger with those I don’t know, I was happy with a short run 😄 so I gave a deposit there and then:

After paying the remaining balance a while later, and arranging a transport from its location to mine, the (now affectionately named) Doner-car arrived.


That same day the motor was ready to drop, and the following morning I couldn’t wait to pull it:


Then a few jobs came up, that I couldn’t put off, so it kind of stalled here for a little while. As most of you will agree, work and family commitments take priority over car projects.

Skip forward 8 weeks and I was ready to drop the NA engine/box. A select choice of meats, beer, red bull and cigarettes accompanied a bbq and lots of swearing that weekend. But engine come out, and engine went in.




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[deanb85]

And a rev 5 spoiler in the right colour happened to pop up for sale
So I bought this too.


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[deanb85]

Aug 11, 2018 19:14:26 GMT byrney1984 said:

Thats some good fabrication. Did you roll the sill yourself or buy a panel? I’m the same as you. I couldn’t really weld very well when I first started but now I’m pretty good with the old TIG. I’m sure I remember your 2 being advertised on gumtree. I’m always trolling the ads for cars. Usually I’m looking for genuine rare items. 300 bhp should be easily achievable. My build goal is 320 bhp before I open the NOS bottle and crank the boost up lol

Ha ha yeah it was on gumtree for a few weeks before I got it apparently.
Yes I rolled some sheet steel then corrected the angle using a piece of pipe in a vice, to achieve the tighter radius. It’s not 100% right but isn’t noticeable when standing close to the car. Further away it looks slightly too low at the rear, but will help with drainage that way hopefully. Thanks - I’m no pro, but competent-ish


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[deanb85]

I’ve now stripped the black rev2 shell for parts, to help offset the cost of buying the car complete. I didn’t do too badly from it to be fair. I advertised the car for breaking on a few mr2 FB pages, and got requests for parts from all around the globe.
I pulled the passenger side body-loom, everything engine related (ecu, igniter and resistors, map sensor etc) and of course the brake pedal, clutch assembly, clocks & shifter mech.
I had a fair understanding of what was needed to make the manual swap possible and also the NA to turbo conversion, having confidently done the same conversions in other platforms.
Engine transplants have become a bit of habit of mine since I discovered what boost was aged 19.

The real money-pit




So I now have a rev5 turbo engine, gearbox and shafts installed into the rev4 import shell.

Oddly, the rev2 shell had non-abs hubs. I recognise that the doner-car did not have an abs system, not uncommon in a rev2 import, but probably unusual to not have abs on a rev5 turbo body loom. The rev4 g-ltd definitely has abs, I removed the sensors complete in hubs with the engine and auto-slut-box assembly.

Being as the doner-car was running when it arrived, and clearly had no abs sensors installed, I assume the ecu does not need to see abs sensors. One thing off the list of undesirable aspects. So the abs system can go ASAP. Weight loss kaching








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[byrney1984]

I wouldn’t think the ecu would need to see a signal from the abs system as the speed is picked up from the gearbox so many pulses per mile. This signal is the fed to the speedo binnacle and the ecu. The old Rev 1 cable drive sent the signal(pulses) from the speedo to the ecu. Changing the mechanical movement of the cable into an electronic signal. Or somewhere along those lines.

[deanb85]

Aug 11, 2018 20:58:49 GMT byrney1984 said:

I wouldn’t think the ecu would need to see a signal from the abs system as the speed is picked up from the gearbox so many pulses per mile. This signal is the fed to the speedo binnacle and the ecu. The old Rev 1 cable drive sent the signal(pulses) from the speedo to the ecu. Changing the mechanical movement of the cable into an electronic signal. Or somewhere along those lines.

I think you are right there byrney1985, The previous owner has just momentarily confirmed that the left loom is 100% from the original rev5 turbo car. So this helps me to confirm a couple things.
No the ABS sensors aren’t needed. And everything should power up going from the rev2 doner-car, into the rev4 body, providing the auto factors aren’t gonna cause problems.




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[deanb85]

My next task then, is to remove the dash, remove the dash / frunk loom, and completely eradicate the auto components, the abs parts and any other associated modules.

I have tried to fire the car recently, it’s starter relay clicks on and off, as I turn the key so. But I’m not getting power to the starter.
I have a spare unused female plug on the dash loom, in the passenger footwell. I’m now fairly confident that this would be related to the auto start-safety functions.
I have left the shifter mech from the auto setup currently plugged in, in the hope that it would fire if I left these in place, but thinking about it, I’m now using the manual turbo ECU. Even if the signals were getting to the back, the ecu wouldn’t know what to do with them 😆
DONUT!



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[byrney1984]

I have swapped a rev 3 auto into a manual before and the body loom. The harness from the fusebox in the engine bay to passenger kick panel. This should have the exact same plugs. No matter what revision or engine. If I remember right the only difference from na to turbo is the boost gauge wire. Where is the shifter position box plugged in to? Because you should have fitted the body loom as well as the engine loom.

[deanb85]

I’ve installed the left side loom, inc fuse box and taillights, and the engine loom.
I’m left with one plug not used coming from the dash loom;

The rev5 left bodyside loom doesn’t have an opposite plug for this one... I assumed these were the auto signals from brake/shifter, and return signal for the auto selection on the clocks
The shifter selection box is also still plugged in. I’ll surely be able to lose all of this by installing the manual dash loom though right?

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[byrney1984]

When I swapped out the auto the wiring for the dash tun down the centre tunnel and plugged in next to the fuel pump plug and the speedo plug. So I really cant help with that plug by looking at it. But if the starter relay is clicking on the key that means the exciter side if the circuit is working just not the cranking side. So i’d check the battery live to the starter and also the 12v thick white wire to the relay for 12v. Then beep test the black white exciter wire from the relay to the spade connector on the starter motor. But please don’t take the colors as gospel becuae they are oftrn different.