1991 MR2 / Gen 4 3sgte swap / 94+ body conversion

So this is still moving along nicely...

Bodywork is a bit repetitive regarding updates so I don't want to overwhelm this with anything too in depth unless anyone would like to see all the little details.  I have a soft date for paint of June 3rd.  The car will be dropped of on the 2nd and sealed. Then base and clear on the 3rd with me bringing it home on the 4th.  Being so close I try to get outside everyday.

I still need to

-Cut out rusted rockers / Weld in new

-Complete filler work on hood and passenger side fender & door

- Get everything into 320/400 grit and Primer

- Block all Primer

So I have a lot to go but it feels like the end is in sight! Here are just some updated shots showcasing progress...

After minor door and fender work was completed it was time to remove the doors.

And where I'm currently at which is correcting these bumpers. They are heavily spider webbed/cracked and if they aren't sanded out it will crack the new paint...

Like stated before I don't want to overdue the body work progress as it really feels repetitive to an extent.

This past week I finally finished my front and rear bumpers as well as both doors. They've all been shot in primer and are ready to block sand!

And I'm now currently final prepping the front fenders for primer before moving onto the Hood / Frunk.

It may not seem like much but being my first time tackling anything like this I'm feeling good! The light at the end of the tunnel feels within reach.

Still loving this thread and still thankful for your help in finding the kouki lights for my car

In reply to hybridmomentspass :

Glad I could help someone avoid the insanity of US prices lol  and thanks! Just got the fenders primed yesterday and hoping to have the hood and windshield frame completed by the end of this week.

Really dreading block sanding but that should be one of the quicker stages of this process given I don't find any crazy High or Lows.

So after speaking with my painter it sounds like we will begin painting everything that comes off of the car beginning next weekend.

Sounds like 2/3 batches of everything removable and then the shell itself will get sprayed. Wont be too many more updates between now and paint as I have a ton of blocking to do. Now onto some photo updates.

The Hood and Fenders are now in primer. As well I removed a ton of rust in the windshield frame from a terrible glass replacement. Afterwards I got that into epoxy and will be priming the windshield frame this weekend.

I may throw up some post-blocking photos but soon it'll be a full car again. I can not wait.

Like promised I have some blocking photos...

The front end is fully ready for paint now and the rear bumper, trunk and spoiler are as well. Block sanding this engine lid has been a nightmare but should finish it up this afternoon.

I'm beyond ready to have my garage back and semi-clean. This layer of dust on EVERYTHING gets quite old lol

Keep updating us!

Loving it, love seeing it come along. 

Little update...

For starters the entire front end as well as rear bumper have been dropped off to begin the painting process. I've also finished blocking the second batch of items to be painted before the chassis itself.

As always who doesn't like some pictures...

Turbo engine lid blocked (This was brutal with all of the fins)

I also re-hung both doors to begin marking my cut line for my rocker replacement. While I was at if I figured I'd grind out all of the spot welds holding them at the pinch welds.

I can't recommend an Air Belt Sander enough. Took a little over an hour to remove all of the pinch weld spot welds.

Hopefully I'll have some more in the coming week regarding finishing the smaller pieces before cutting out and welding in new rockers.

I've put the rocker replacement as this is my first foray into mock-up and welding a body panel. I'll let the photos do the talking but by taking my time I do feel like I'm getting decent results.

First the initial cut out. No going back now.

Then the initial mock up of what felt like one-hundred plus times to get a decent fit.

And now fitment with the door to ensure all the measurements match the oem rocker on the passenger side. I also threw in a self tapper just to hold in place and allow my door to be bolted back on and close.

I need to address the last 1" or so at the rear but have a game plan for that. Overall I'm very happy with how well this is fitting.  The pinch weld section will get raised to its correct location once the top is tacked/stitched as the bend in the replacement is ever so slighty off. This should allow it to tuck up nicely while the top is in place.

Just wanted to throw up some photos showing where this stands as of this weekend...

Both rockers are now welded in with the driver side getting filler work while the passenger side needs the welds ground down first.

and the rear has now been fully blocked and is ready for paint.

Just want to resurrect this thread a bit here...

The passenger side rocker is ready for some minor filler work before Epoxy and High build.

Once those areas are sanded the car should be ready for drop off for paint. From our last discussion it sounds like they will be ready for the chassis in 2 weeks. 

I've also dropped off the doors and finally picked up the painted front end.. Let me know what you all think! I'm certainly obsessed...

Oh man, I can't wait to see the whole thing in white again!

Great work so far

In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) :

Your username wouldn't be in reference to DSMs would it? I had 5 myself

And thank you.  It's certainly been a labor of "love" ha.

Great to see your progress. Way to resurrect/preserve a future classic. 

Love the SW20, thanks for sharing!

Mustard said:

In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) :

Your username wouldn't be in reference to DSMs would it? I had 5 myself

And thank you.  It's certainly been a labor of "love" ha.

Yep my first "build" was a Galant VR4 1439/2000 and was a member of the Talon Digest email group in the late 90s in school. Seems like forever ago!

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

Mustard said:

In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) :

Your username wouldn't be in reference to DSMs would it? I had 5 myself

And thank you.  It's certainly been a labor of "love" ha.

Yep my first "build" was a Galant VR4 1439/2000 and was a member of the Talon Digest email group in the late 90s in school. Seems like forever ago!

I always wanted a Gallant VR4 but by the time I found them cool most were destroyed sadly. my favorite was my 97 Talon TSI AWD or 98 GSX without question. Sad that almost no good examples remain or I'd have another.

^If I had a DSM these days it would be a big thumbnail spoiler 2gb Talon. 

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

^If I had a DSM these days it would be a big thumbnail spoiler 2gb Talon. 

Easily the best variant

So to start off with some exciting news... The car has been painted! So the main large items are completed and I'm just awaiting all of my little trim bits.

Now onto the photos. First the Prep and Initial spray photos..

Now, who can resist assembling everything immediately? Not me...

New T-Top Seals. While expensive as hell they're well worth it

and then everything else I could bolt on.

The front end is only held on hand tight as I will be removing it for the windshield (Booked for next week 10/3) to minimize any damage to the fresh paint.

Once the windshield is installed I will be then beginning final exterior assembly and interior as well. I'm fairly certain I'll stay blue interior as I'm on the hunt for mint carpets. However if I find a deal on a black interior I'll be going that route.  As well I need to start installing all the harnesses removed and engine bay accs. so I can drop this motor in shortly.

I'm beyond excited to finally be at the assembly stage and not the disassembly and sanding stage.

Outstanding!

Over the weekend I decided to get the doors partially reassembled and back onto the car as well.

I did get new door belt molding but looking at my door seals now, I may try to acquire new there as well just to keep with the new where I can.

With glass scheduled for tomorrow and hopefully my remaining items being painted this week I'm hopeful to have the exterior buttoned up.  From there I can tackle the gas tank install and begin prepping for the motor and trans to be dropped in as well. 

I'm over the moon with how this is turning out!

This is an incredible restoration, and it's only been a year!  I know pro shops that take longer than that! :)

Can I ask what process you use for some of your used parts clean up?  Specifically, the heat shielding in the engine bay looks brand new, and the swap calipers cleaned up amazingly well.  I've never been happy with my own attempts, there are always slight swirls left, or the paint prep wasn't 100%, and I end up buying new replacements.