Koji Project 1: Death to Smurfy

[koji]

Hi! I'm Koji. I'm new here. First off, allow me to introduce myself.

While I'm new to MR2's and just recently joined your ranks here at MR2.com I'm certainly not new to cars. I've done everything from engine replacements to wiring to changing axles and diffs to fiberglass and body work. I've been wrenching basically since the day I turned 16 (I'm 33 now). Even though I work a white collar job my wife likes to say I've got grease under my toe-nails.

I'm actually reasonably well known in the Subaru community and currently own a 2002 WRX in addition to the 1991 MR-2 I just picked up as a fun/project car. People know me in the world of Subaru's for a couple of reasons:

1) I'm crazy

2) I do massive DIY projects and keep track of them in threads on the forums, and;

3) I roll my own whenever possible instead of buying parts. Over on Nasioc they call me the "Zen Master of DIY".

I’ll be honest, not everything I try turns out. At least half of what I try to make ends up looking like complete ass after my first go. I almost never leave well enough alone and my results are always better the second time around.

I'll say this in advance: not all of you are going to "get" me or what I do. Some of you will outright hate me and what I make. I stopped giving a rip what other people think a long time ago. Really, don’t bother hating on me – and I mean this – I don’t care. What's the point then if I’m not doing this to stroke my e-schlong? Well, I do what I do and then write about it for a couple of reasons:

1) It’s fun.

2) I think that the world would be better off if more people knew how to actually make things instead of just breaking out the credit card but not everyone knows how to get started. I take a metric assload of pictures as I go so my threads are sort of informal "how-to" guides. It’s fun to see other people try out something that they otherwise wouldn’t have without seeing me do it first.

3) To get other ideas from the people on the forums. I can’t tell you how many experimental modifications I’ve commented on at Nasioc (that’s the biggest Subaru forum by far) but it’s a lot.

My threads follow a basic pattern:

1) a reasonably well written introduction of the project and what I want to accomplish;

2) An update every day or two

3) a photo shoot at the end, and;

4) a post mortem/Mastercard "Priceless" analysis of the cost.

With the personal introduction out of the way, let’s get to the project introduction.

[koji]

Invariably at some point in your life you’ll go through an identity crisis. I don’t care if it’s a run of the mill mid-life crisis, ethical crisis, or whatever. It happens to everyone. It’s just a part of the modern human condition. I say modern because I somehow doubt that the Geico Cavemen, back when they were clubbing their food and cooking it on open fires, ever sat back and thought – I wonder if this living room set accurately defines me as a person?

I had an identity crisis fairly recently. There’s really only one thing I’m passionate about outside of my family and making things: cars. I’m a car geek. I go through car magazines and parts like tissue paper. Some guys go to sleep thinking about women in compromising positions – I think about taking corners at extra-legal speeds.

I’ve owned the same car since a year after I graduated from undergrad. When the Subaru WRX hit the US, I was one of the first people queued up with my checkbook out. At the point when the crisis occurred the WRX was on coilovers, had a methanol injection system, wide ass 18” wheels, etc. etc. etc.

It was a fantastic handling street car that also performed quite well on-track. There were a couple of problems though: 1) It wasn’t exactly family friendly and I have a three year old and another on the way. My wife didn’t quite refuse to ride in it, but she certainly didn’t like to either. 2) I couldn’t take it out into the conditions it was intended for. If you own a WRX you should be able to traverse gravel and snow and just about anything else you wouldn’t need a lifted Rover to get through. When it snowed in the Seattle area last year I had to call a friend of mine (who also owns a WRX) to give me a lift to the grocery store. That’s uber levels of ghey.

I wanted family friendly and I also wanted fun. I was also convinced that I couldn’t get everything I needed out of a single car. I therefore briefly contemplated selling the WRX and buying a used S2000 and a Legacy GT. Then the wife came up with a great suggestion: “Why don’t you just put the WRX back to a less extreme setup and get a cheap rear wheel drive project car? You could build up the project car however you wanted and it’d be a hell of a lot less expensive.”

I love you honey.

I started surfing craigslist regularly looking for a new toy. The list of potential projects was pretty long because I had only two requirements 1)rear wheel drive 2)reasonable after market support. I could get an RX-7 and throw in an LS1. An old skool Supra and turn up the boost. A 1st gen Miata and a turbo kit. A Porsche 914 and a WRX engine.

I had totally forgotten about the car I would eventually buy till an ad jumped out at me:

-91 Toyota MR2, $2900, Issaquah

Oh.

Oh hell yeah.

In 2004 Sport Compact Car Magazine (may it rest in peace) published an article called "25 ways to live like a car guy". If you're a car geek you've probably seen it in one form or another. After I finished the article I immediately began checking off what I'd already completed. I was surprised by how many I could legitimately say I had already finished. There were a few items in the original article that I never see myself doing (Spending an entire Nascar race on the infield? Are you serious!?) so shortly thereafter I made my own version of the list and added things like rebuilding an engine, welding your own exhaust, etc.

I've been checking off things ever since.

There was one particular item on the list that I kept intact that was important to me. I left it because it really summed up the "car guy" experience for me in relatively simple terms:

#17: Buy the first car you fell in love with.

Now that is interesting. When you're a kid you watch cars go by on the freeway and think "that's cool". Since you're riding in your parents Minivan you're not exactly at a stage in your life where you can procure a vehicle. As you get older and (hopefully) your income goes up, now all of a sudden that cool car that drove by the Chrysler Town and Country of your youth is not only attainable, but is way less expensive.

I was completely oblivious to cars until I turned 15 in 1991. That year a car came out that I absolutely fell for: the Toyota MR2. I can’t believe I had forgotten about the MR2 when looking for a project car. I clicked on the add, called the owner, and a few days later crossed #17 of my personal list.

A little about the car: It’s in great shape except for the drivers side fender which will need to be replaced. It drives great. The engine is strong. It looks to have been driven lightly. It has absolutely no options. Power steering? Uh, no. Power windows? Nope. Power door locks? Nada. Upgraded speaker system? Nein. Stock as a box of rocks. This is all good by me as that crap just adds weight and the car is basically a blank canvas that I can start working on.

What’s my plan for this car? Well, I’ve thought about it a lot. I had considered gutting the interior and making a track only car. The problem is that with two kids, I’m getting too risk averse to do more than one or two track days a year. One or two track days a year makes it hard to justify a track only car so I’m going for streetable with a large side of autocross slut. Everything with cars is a compromise. Go for all out track – get ready for a kidney massage on the street. Go for all out street – get ready for a really frustrating drive on the track. It is what it is. You decide what’s important to you and then go with it. Any way you look at it though, this is going to be fun.

[koji]

Death to Smurfy

I've driven the MR2 around for a couple of weeks now; basically whenever I don’t need to take the kid or the wife with me I’m driving the MR2 just to get used to it. God it's fun. Even with barely 100WHP it’s a riot to drive. It’s a good reminder that you can make a car faster, you can make it safer, you can make it corner harder, but you can’t inherently make it any more fun. I had forgotten how rewarding it is to drive a slow car quickly.

The wheels and tires will be the first thing I change for performance sake. I’ll build out the rest of the suspension, brakes, and engine mods from there. It strikes me that any other approach would risk screwing up or playing with something that didn’t need to be messed with in the first place.

After some seat time the only thing that I really hate about the car is the interior. It's blue. Actually, it's Smurf blue. Maybe this was cool in 1990, but in 2009 it looks like it was decorated by Hanna-Barbara. I could have started on this car with the wheels/tires/suspension, the exterior, or the engine but the interior is what bugs me most and it’ll bug me every time I drive the thing. Other than being the color of white clad miniature people with tails, there are a few other problems with the interior:

1. The speakers in the car are blown, and the stock deck is ready for the garbage bin.

2. I have a great pair of Recaro seats just taking up space in the basement and waiting for a new home.

3. The shift boot in the car is toast and the shifter is pretty well worn out.

4. The car does not have cup holders and I need something to hold my U.S. Spec Big Gulp.

The entire interior must go, and in a hurry. Let’s get started.

[koji]

First off here's the car as it was when I bought it:



Gotta love the early 90's blue interior.



How's this for no weight concessions: no automatic door locks or window motors. Awesome.





About the only thing that's really beat up in the car is the shift boot, but this is an easy thing to fix because I a) have some spare pleather and b) know how to sew. Every car-guy should learn how to sew and own a sewing machine. Once you figure out how useful it is you'll kick yourself for not learning sooner. It requires disabusing yourself of all your preconcieved heterosexual hangups, but that's a growth opportunity.

[koji]

I'm still in the process of finishing my last project on the WRX but I found time in between switching suspensions and making a new rear wing to start on the MR2.

I'm waiting for a metric assload of parts to come in but I've finished one thing so far that was sort of interesting. Something had to be done about the shift boot and the shifter. The shift boot looked like someone burned a few holes in it, and the OEM shifter is shaped like a penis. Both needed to go.

I started by taking apart the OEM shift boot:



I then used that as a guide to trace out and cut a couple of new bits. This leather used to be a super old ass laptop bag I had from my first job. I never used it because it's heavy as hell so the leather is in great shape despite being 10 years old.



Snip-snip-snip.



If you're curious how you sew something like this, you do it inside out and then flip it right side in.



Aaaaand done. We now have a new actual leather shift boot that was basically free. I'm keeping track of costs on the MR2 project because I want to do the entire build for a set budget so the more things I can actually make the better.





Next up was the shifter. I have a couple of shift knobs laying around from the Subaru. Suprisingly the OEM WRX one fit the Toyota shifter, and didn't look too bad. the only problem was that the stiching on it was black, and I want red to be the interior accent color. No problem, I know how to sew and have an exacto knife. First off, I cut out the old stiching:

Hey, that sort of looks like...

Yeah, it does doesn't it.

I then restiched the thing with red thread. It turned out pretty darn good:





That's it for now, more to come!

[Davis]

1) What's with the essay!

2) Nautical Blue FTW!!

3) Welcome Koji!


If your planning to AutoX her and want her to be competitive, I'd suggest staying in E Stock. My car is currently in SST (a SoCal version of ST), which is basically STU(Dominated by subies, but I bet you already knew that) for 2 doors/seaters, I forget which. I'm getting my butt handed to me by Miatas, then again it might just be me being a slow driver.

[koji]

The essay and the numbering are a trademark. I have a blog too, and I basically use the same content. It just makes life easier.

I've had a couple of dudes on Nasioc say that I have the only threads that the actually read instead of just skimming the pictures.

Thanks for the welcome! I've done E Stock and I'm done with it. I honestly don't care about being competitive anymore - I just care about having fun. Life is too short to get too hung up on who is faster than you. Someone is always faster.

[Hubbard 0]

First post from NASIOC. Everyone, you will like his threads.

[Davis]

I actually enjoyed the read.

Yeah I'm the slowest in my class by like 5 seconds every event, but whatever it's super fun. I want to make mine into a CSP car, but that's money I don't have! haha. Have fun with your 2!

[YELLOW_MR2]

Dang man great work. Welcome!

[mr29180]

Koji Welcome Bro... Cant wait for the next Project on ur car... man its really nice reading all of ur "essay" lol well any who.... good luck with the car.. and are u goin to swap engine?? or just keep it stokie??well let us know..

[Medusa]

Koji, you are officially one of my top three favourite posters. Mostly because:

1)You have the same DIY mentality as me, but more experience/skills/physical workspace potential than I do, presumably. (I'm 18 and living in a one bedroom apartment. )

2)You have great write-ups!

I definitely look forward to seeing more stuff from you.

[Ben]

Nice knob

[mr2magic]

Welcome Koji!

Having read your first posts I have to say - cracking stuff Your posts are easy to read, funny and informative. Something like that requires a lot of time and work and that needs to be honored. I for one am looking forward to reading the upcoming installments but I do have questions:

1) Did you hand sew all of the shift boot or did you have to use a machine?
2) How did you roll over the tops and sew them?
3) In your opinion what equipment is necessary for interior leatherwork?

Thanks once more

[Josh87]

Welcome!

[da_force]

Welcome koji!

I to have enjoyed the read! great stuff you are making!

It truly is something that describes what a human man power can do!

btw. "koji" in my language means "which"

Good luck on your project!

Cheers!

[koji]

Originally Posted by mr2magic

Welcome Koji!

Having read your first posts I have to say - cracking stuff Your posts are easy to read, funny and informative. Something like that requires a lot of time and work and that needs to be honored. I for one am looking forward to reading the upcoming installments but I do have questions:

1) Did you hand sew all of the shift boot or did you have to use a machine?
2) How did you roll over the tops and sew them?
3) In your opinion what equipment is necessary for interior leatherwork?

Thanks once more

Thanks! It's really good to be here. This is going to be a lot of fun. As for your questions:

1) I used a sewing machine. Doing that sort of thing by hand, on real leather, will be an exercise in wanting to bang your head against a wall. The only way I'd do that is with a sewing machine.

2) You can do that part first, or next to last, depending on how you sew it. If you do it first, it's cake. I did it next to last, so what you do is sew most of the way up the side but leave enough room for you to still be able to twist it, turn it right side in, fold over, sew them down, turn back inside out, then finish the seam on the side.

3) It depends what you're doing honestly. If you're just covering things - no special equippment is required except a sewing machine, upholstery thread, and heavy duty needles. I'd also recommend having on hand some good spray glue. If you're recovering seats - that becomes a bit more interesting because you need tools to stretch the leather so that when you do the stitching you actually keep the leather under compression. I don't have any of that stuff.

A side benefit of learning how to sew is being able to make tons of other stuff. My last project (before the final Subaru one) was making a Halloween costume for my three year old. The background on this is that I like Batman, and I love the ninja costume from Batman Begins. So...I made a copy of it...Sized for a three year old. I did mention I'm crazy right? Anyway, the finished product turned out quite well. Here's a few pictures of the Wee Ninja:

[koji]

And the finished product:











I even made a traditional style stand for it:

[mr3]

Great write up. I wish I had the time and want to work as nice as you do. I tend to throw everything in at once and only care about go no show. Deffinatly keep up the good work.

[picasso_alex]

Hi, My name is Alex.

I am basically Koji's "right hand man" so you will probably be seeing or hearing about me in his posts. I am considered by Koji to be a "Spray-can Picasso" because I have painted his/my bumpers, spats, hoodscoops, sideskirts, wheels and lips and they have all turned out looking very good. Painting is something I consider fun and enjoyable and I am sure some things on the new MR2 will need to be painted. If anyone needs anything painted for cheap in the seattle area PM me and we can talk.

But I also like to get my wrench on if you get my drift.

Anywho just wanted to introduce myself

Cheers,
Alex