changing the interior, diffculty level?

albertgunit101 · 09-21-2009, 02:23 PM

im looking to buy a 1991 mr2 but the interior is blue. i was wondering if its diffucult to change the dash and the middle? the inside door cover i think might not be that hard but what i have no idea is the middle and the dash. im looking to chaning them to black ones.

does anyone of you guys have done this already? thank you very much

como · 09-21-2009, 06:33 PM

I've torn apart my mk1 interior, and I will say it wasn't easy. Dashboards are a PITA, but if you're mechanically inclined I wouldn't say its dealbreaker hard.

Sh0ty · 09-21-2009, 10:26 PM

It's not too bad. It's not hard, just time consuming. Just make sure to keep track of all the parts and hardware that comes off so you don't get "bonus parts".

albertgunit101 · 09-21-2009, 10:47 PM

i was checking out the other mr2 forums and one guy said there is only 6 bolts and one i think hiding behind the passenger door or something and take out wahtever is on the way and i have to take out the steering column. but i dont think ill be doing this now since i just got an email from the seller telling me his car is already sold. oh well. thanks guys.

Madlife · 09-30-2009, 03:19 PM

Im doing this myself, and already have MANY parts off while fixing other various things.

Other than the carpet, seats and dash, it should be straight forward.. Start with the shift knob and peel off...

P.S. If you swap out the seat belts, be careful not to pinch the trunk release cable when re-bolting the drivers seat cable.. That took me a while to figure out.

PPiechocki · 10-01-2009, 12:52 AM

i pulled the dash and console of my mk1 apart. it's easy, just don't force anything. and it's about 1-2 hours to tear down and put back together, depending on how much you take off. make sure you keep track of EVERYTHING. i lost the little piece my glove box latches to to keep it closed

mr2v63vz · 10-01-2009, 02:18 AM

ive replaced everything including the carpets except for the dash and likle sh0ty said just take your time keep track of all those stupid plastic clips and dont rush most of it is self explanitory , any questions ask youll recieve plenty of help

Raptor13x · 10-01-2009, 02:51 AM

Most of the interior is fairly easy to take apart, if you're good at finding hidden screws and figuring out which piece has to be removed first to take off the next without breaking it. The whole thing fits together in order- so to remove one piece, you may have to remove 5 others first.

The dashboard is FAR more difficult than anything else in the interior, and it can be a big pain in the ass. It's doable though.

I don't know what Toyota was thinking with that blue interior- it's so godawful hideous. The black interior looks fantastic.

como · 10-01-2009, 04:05 PM

The dash is hard. the things under the dash is harder.

to get the air vent for the front defroster in you need to remove the bar that the steering wheel bolts to (and everything else), or your heating system. I know, because I put both back in before the vent...

Archidamus-R · 10-07-2009, 02:44 PM

Haven't stripped the 2 down yet, but I've done a gen1 DSM. Agreed, it's just time-consuming.

Did they do a maroon interior on the 2s? I wouldn't trade my black interior for one, but I'd love to see it. Just for the kitsch factor.

jimmer411 · 10-09-2009, 10:24 PM

I swapped my 85 from tan to black, was stupidly easy.

halo434321 · 10-26-2009, 09:38 AM

I am in the middle of my teardown and it is not complicated as of yet. I do agree that the dashboard is the biggest PITA. Also, unless you know how to reupolster the carpeting yourself, that could be a pain as well. I have opted to use the OEM carpet molds from both sides as a guide and I have glued the new black carpeting on top of the OEM nasty blue. I did this because the clips for the OEM stamped carpeting will make it easier to reinstall. I have also run into problems behind the dash with aftermarket backwoods wiring from a prior owner. This is a bigger problem than the OEM wiring IMO. Trying to figure out what the hell other people were thinking 10 to 15 years ago can drive you nuts when you are looking at a birds nest of aftermarket wiring. I also believe that my SW21 had been in at least one accicent not reported on the CarFax report. My CarFax was clean, but the front end is new and I have found glass chunks and schards all over the place as I was disassembling the interior. I also have leaks from the T-Tops forward driver and aft passenger positions. So I think this thing was hit on the front driver's side at some point. In my experience, I have been taking this SW21 apart slowly, I carefully pry to see where the plastic will stop moving and look for screws or clips and also move parts away from their intended positions slowly to ensure that if there are wiring harnesses, they get disconnected before I completely remove anything. I agree completely that keeping track of each and every part is important. I have a spare bedroom that has become my interior room. Each part and its associated hardware is placed together in the room sitting in a position that mimics what it looks like in the car. That way, I can put these pieces back together the correct way without leaving any parts behind even after a 12 pack of beer.

09-21-2009, 02:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
albertgunit101 Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2007 Location: springfield illinois Posts: 1,014 Thanks: 89 Thanked 21 Times in 21 Posts iTrader Rating: (14/100% )	changing the interior, diffculty level? im looking to buy a 1991 mr2 but the interior is blue. i was wondering if its diffucult to change the dash and the middle? the inside door cover i think might not be that hard but what i have no idea is the middle and the dash. im looking to chaning them to black ones. does anyone of you guys have done this already? thank you very much

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09-21-2009, 06:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 519 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	I've torn apart my mk1 interior, and I will say it wasn't easy. Dashboards are a PITA, but if you're mechanically inclined I wouldn't say its dealbreaker hard.

09-21-2009, 10:26 PM	#3 (permalink)
Sh0ty Cage Fighter Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Novi, MI Posts: 368 Thanks: 14 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	It's not too bad. It's not hard, just time consuming. Just make sure to keep track of all the parts and hardware that comes off so you don't get "bonus parts".

09-21-2009, 10:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
albertgunit101 Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2007 Location: springfield illinois Posts: 1,014 Thanks: 89 Thanked 21 Times in 21 Posts iTrader Rating: (14/100% )	i was checking out the other mr2 forums and one guy said there is only 6 bolts and one i think hiding behind the passenger door or something and take out wahtever is on the way and i have to take out the steering column. but i dont think ill be doing this now since i just got an email from the seller telling me his car is already sold. oh well. thanks guys.

09-30-2009, 03:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
Madlife Cage Fighter Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cental NY Posts: 115 Thanks: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	Im doing this myself, and already have MANY parts off while fixing other various things. Other than the carpet, seats and dash, it should be straight forward.. Start with the shift knob and peel off... P.S. If you swap out the seat belts, be careful not to pinch the trunk release cable when re-bolting the drivers seat cable.. That took me a while to figure out.

10-01-2009, 12:52 AM	#6 (permalink)
PPiechocki No Skills Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Granby, CO Posts: 45 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	i pulled the dash and console of my mk1 apart. it's easy, just don't force anything. and it's about 1-2 hours to tear down and put back together, depending on how much you take off. make sure you keep track of EVERYTHING. i lost the little piece my glove box latches to to keep it closed

10-01-2009, 02:18 AM	#7 (permalink)
mr2v63vz Cage Fighter Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: New windsor,NY Posts: 329 Thanks: 50 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	ive replaced everything including the carpets except for the dash and likle sh0ty said just take your time keep track of all those stupid plastic clips and dont rush most of it is self explanitory , any questions ask youll recieve plenty of help

10-01-2009, 02:51 AM	#8 (permalink)
Raptor13x Legendary Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Farmington Hills, MI Posts: 3,989 Thanks: 7 Thanked 40 Times in 34 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (5/100% )	Most of the interior is fairly easy to take apart, if you're good at finding hidden screws and figuring out which piece has to be removed first to take off the next without breaking it. The whole thing fits together in order- so to remove one piece, you may have to remove 5 others first. The dashboard is FAR more difficult than anything else in the interior, and it can be a big pain in the ass. It's doable though. I don't know what Toyota was thinking with that blue interior- it's so godawful hideous. The black interior looks fantastic.

10-01-2009, 04:05 PM	#9 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 519 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	The dash is hard. the things under the dash is harder. to get the air vent for the front defroster in you need to remove the bar that the steering wheel bolts to (and everything else), or your heating system. I know, because I put both back in before the vent...

10-07-2009, 02:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
Archidamus-R ...Modest Skills Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: MO Posts: 79 Thanks: 8 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Haven't stripped the 2 down yet, but I've done a gen1 DSM. Agreed, it's just time-consuming. Did they do a maroon interior on the 2s? I wouldn't trade my black interior for one, but I'd love to see it. Just for the kitsch factor.

10-09-2009, 10:24 PM	#11 (permalink)
jimmer411 NA > Boost Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Enumclaw, WA Posts: 70 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I swapped my 85 from tan to black, was stupidly easy.

10-26-2009, 09:38 AM	#12 (permalink)
halo434321 Learn Through Experience Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 45 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I am in the middle of my teardown and it is not complicated as of yet. I do agree that the dashboard is the biggest PITA. Also, unless you know how to reupolster the carpeting yourself, that could be a pain as well. I have opted to use the OEM carpet molds from both sides as a guide and I have glued the new black carpeting on top of the OEM nasty blue. I did this because the clips for the OEM stamped carpeting will make it easier to reinstall. I have also run into problems behind the dash with aftermarket backwoods wiring from a prior owner. This is a bigger problem than the OEM wiring IMO. Trying to figure out what the hell other people were thinking 10 to 15 years ago can drive you nuts when you are looking at a birds nest of aftermarket wiring. I also believe that my SW21 had been in at least one accicent not reported on the CarFax report. My CarFax was clean, but the front end is new and I have found glass chunks and schards all over the place as I was disassembling the interior. I also have leaks from the T-Tops forward driver and aft passenger positions. So I think this thing was hit on the front driver's side at some point. In my experience, I have been taking this SW21 apart slowly, I carefully pry to see where the plastic will stop moving and look for screws or clips and also move parts away from their intended positions slowly to ensure that if there are wiring harnesses, they get disconnected before I completely remove anything. I agree completely that keeping track of each and every part is important. I have a spare bedroom that has become my interior room. Each part and its associated hardware is placed together in the room sitting in a position that mimics what it looks like in the car. That way, I can put these pieces back together the correct way without leaving any parts behind even after a 12 pack of beer.