Update time.
Been slack as on the updates. Saved some coin to fix a few gremlins.
What’s happened since April 2012.
 
- AMR custom coilovers arrived.
- Pillar resto - 2Layer black paint.
- Tail lamp fix and recolour
- Gearbox gremlins
- New addition!  1987 Super Red AW11 wreck
- Finally bought a car cover
  Pics to prove it:
 
AMR custom coilovers arrived. July 2012
Not my pic but rather the pics of the talented guy who makes them in the states. Andy had a bit going on and hence there was a large delay but alas. It’s the big stuff that’s important. Glad everything is okay and going from strength to strength Andy’s side. Wicked as craftsmanship and quality.
Thoroughly impressed with these  - looking forward to driving with these installed.



 
Pillar resto - 2Layer black paint. April 2012
Just the standard wear and tear on a 20+ year painted exterior part. Resprayed in 2 layer black paint for extra durability 



 
Also a belated photo of coin holder delete. Two blanking inserts. The coin holder takes a small load so the snap clip on the back of the plate and coin holder are slightly different even though they both share the same footprint. The second blanking insert has the tiniest amount of black cotton tape wrapped around the snap clip barbs to hold it firmly and rattle free.

 
Tail lamp fix and recolour. April 2012
Interestingly the LHS rear lamp had developed a crack in the housing immediately in front of the reverse glove (which shines towards the cars centreline and not rearwards) so whenever the lights were on a small illuminated red line was visible.
 
Dissembled the lamp to reveal it hadn’t just cracked but rather perished! In a circle perhaps from the heat of the reverse globe?!



The plastic was very brittle. Just touching the effected zone caused it to break apart.


Removed all brittle plastic as far as I could tell. I gently ran a scraper along the edge of the circle until no more brittle plastic broke off.

 
Fix. High temperature bearing U/V stabilised electrical tape.


Removed tail lamp gasket seal, and replaced with new seal compound.


 
Recoloured the black surround whilst it was apart

 
Gearbox gremlins. April 2012
The random funny sounds, and in more recent days the heavy vibration under load was cause for concern. This was why I didn’t make this year Haunted Hills event and why this AW11 has been sleeping until this month. 
Turns out the driveshaft inputs have been worn since I purchased  the car and instead of being circles have been wearing away the diff creating an elliptical shape so the shafts move up and down as well as in and out.... the vibrations also caused a motor mount to develop a series of cracks. On the dyno to scout for other issues the rear end of the car was shaking pretty severe. Could not handle a hill climb. I’ve driven uber cautious say 5 times but decided to take it off the road until I could save a bit of $$$ and pick up a second hand better condition drivetrain.
 
Enter ...
New addition!  1987 Super Red AW11 wreck. May 2012
As found on AE86 Driving Club / http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/  by fellow AW11’ers Geoff and Michael – we initially decided to make an offer, go three way and ideally part out the wreck. But seeing I needed most of the bits I hired a truck and trailer and drove up to Kyneton with some kind super pro assistance and brought it back!





Have begun parting it out, interior trims are in awesome condition bar the floor console.


Carpets are really good. Don’t recall seeing cigarette burns

But were caked in mud.
A good scrub and rinse and they're pretty good again!


Headliner




 
Thoroughly like the AW11 with no rear glass, open motoring! Jealous of all you Targa Top kids!

 
Engine bay before

Engine bay after Tvis, header, exhaust, ancillaries and driveshafts removed (Which has been a great learning experience).



** Will be selling anything of interest, most parts available. If your interested in something see:  
http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?high=&m=82572&mpage=1#82572
 
Sleeping. October 2012


 
Next weekend engine and gearbox out.
During that week gearbox serviced.
Then during the week after, gearbox and coilover install.
Then... ITG breathing and skat hose cooling aids.
 
Drive.
 

YAHOO!!!
 
DID IT. Finally.
 
Removed this poor AW11's 4AGE and gearbox vertically! NO need to lift the car! No need to cut through battery tray. Interestingly it lifted it up and out with little difficulty.





Clearing the oil filter was the biggest hassle along with the engine lid latch - with two people helping it was easier. If i were to do it again id remove the oil filter.

 
Small mishap.

Got it.



My thoughts post removal. 
Was time consuming and I had removed the TVIS, exhaust header, AC all lines and other ancillaries.
If I had to do it vertically Id remove the oil filter aswell or just do it properly and use a hoist. 
So glad I could remove the engine vertically, I didn't fancy lifting the car. If you're removing only and not planning to reassemble the parts you remove anytime soon this worked great. That being said there's no way Id do this if had to put the engine back vertically and reassemble it in place. There wouldn't be enough workspace to access nuts and bots. Having to re install and tighten the bolts to the correct torque in such fine spaces would be near impossible. 

DEFINATELY get one of these and a breaker bar. Mounts were mega hard to undo.

Rated with 300Nm of torque / operating at 90psi - It saved truckloads of time - so so handy.

Dem coilies. Looking forward to the non boat like appearance and corrected / leveled ride height. King springs when they start to sag are no good.



 
Gearbox in passenger side - loaded with driveshafts, collies and other bits and pieces its off to the workshop! I am NOT taking an engine out again like this. Ever.

 

YES!!! 
 
Back!!!
Had no idea how sloppy the gearbox and suspension was until this weekend! Picked up Friday and i kid you not! feels like a different car. Decent photos to come... in the meantime.
check this! Doesn't look like a boat with its leveled out and just on legal ride height!

 
It handles so differently courtesy of the the new coiliver suspension set up that I reckon a new steering wheel is in order. Larger diameter for less input with more precise feel. In the interim im rocking this larger uber cool rolla wheel until I work out what may be best.
Before:

After:

 
On the topic of steering wheels
 
Real bad cycling habit...
weighing stuff for no real reason.


 
and more reason to switch to another wheel...
 
The wicked personal wheel is showing wear and tear way sooner than i would like.
Fading and patina of use are showing. i dont mind it at all to be honest gives it character just that the sticky residue it leaves is slightly annoying...


I did read and hear similar things before buying it so i guess i had it coming. Suede DOES wear quickly if your not wearing gloves on a daily basis. Lesson learnt.
 
Also interestingly as im parting out the wreck and taking photos of the various bits and pieces enquired about I found this with the LHS/passenger side switchpack the earlier adubs used ABS almost exclusively up until the later models getting close to final runs where PP was substituted (switchpack on the end/RHS). 

Note the part number revision! ( down the bottom)
 
cool.
 
 
 
 

Skittles.








adub love .

I am confused as this doesn't make sense:
"Larger diameter for less input with more precise feel."
 
Unless you are talking about less leverage to turn due to the reduced radius?

Pretty much correct...
It feels far more precise. Inputs are more proactive than reactive from the smaller 330mm.  
Just in minor instances, not noticeable all the time. No longer 2+ complete turns to get the wheels where id like rather 1.8 +/- odd really good! 

s2d4
I am confused as this doesn't make sense:
"Larger diameter for less input with more precise feel."
Unless you are talking about less leverage to turn due to the reduced radius?

ahh, I 've just gone the other way and found it the opposite to what you are saying. Basically even more go karting feel with the smaller steering wheel. 
 
The smaller radius meant smaller input for the same steering angle, hence seems more precise to me.

Aiiigggghhhht has been ages. Quite humorous (and cringe worthy) reading what I say is planned Vs what actually happens. 

Alas.
 
Other than the usual pull apart, clean and detail sessions SO many super cool fun drives have happened inspired by the new handling of the wicked suspension. New suspension and new seats make for a completely different car!
 
The Recaro's are far from 100% mint and have a sweet matured authentic Japanese smokers aura about them. I tried cleaning them they were filthy AS beforehand, now not so much. Im kinda cool with it. It all adds to this car and what it evolves into. Its been by far the greatest single most purchase Ive made. Not just for its origami-esque interior and exterior, the sound, the experience of driving it or the imaginary flames I imagine it spitting, its been the best because of all the cool people Ive had the honour of meeting along the way. It was never meant to remain in my possession this long touch wood i never have to sell it. Its so much fun and continues to impress me and draw a huge smile across my face EVERYTIME I drive it. Thank you Toyota.
 
Photos of the updates and other shenanigans.
 
TOM'S gear knob:
Been eyeing off these for ages. They come they go, so snapped this used without packaging as soon as i saw it then... a week later a BNIB one came up... in Sydney.

 
DRIVES:






 
RECARO'S
Not quite a seemless installation I strongly encourage anyone thinking of doing the Recaro X Bride rail collab to check it physically on someone else's adub prior. Minor things annoyed me namely the clashing of the headrest on the visor, the increased degree of difficulty accessing the rail bolts and slightly tight rails fixed by spending some time finding the sweet spot and tightening the bolts. All things NOT evident with the correct Recaro rails as used in the Super Edition where these seats originated (I've compared the pair with our local Super Edition). Regardless they are awesome holding seats, firm and cosy. Great adjustment and the new seating position could benefit from a steering wheel boss extension. Great seats!





 
Clash. Headrest clashes with the sunvisor.

 
Bolt accessibility:

 
Bride rail codes.

 
FYI Bride rails have two logo variants:
Decal 1 of 2: x1 Flag(Japan). The latest most recent decal.

Decal 2 of 2: x2 Flags (France and Japan / "PART SUPPLY FROM FRANCE") A little bit older.

I replaced this rail to have matching rails, decals and manufacturing year stamps. (Will be for sale!)


 
REAR UPDATE:
Removed the original exhaust shroud and replaced it with a modified spare to see through the lower louvres. The original exhaust is long gone now replaced by the Fujitsubo kit which shines quite nicely through the gap. Further emphasising to those without a clue that this is NOT a Nissan Exa or a Ford Capri BUT rather a super cool almost forgotten mid engined Toyota MK1 MR2! Also continued the theme of removing all obsolete items, brackets, nuts and bolts when I find them.



 
The shroud.






 
Some shots of the custom AMR coilovers w/ Hyperco springs:




 
THE WORST JOB EVER:
The RHS drivers side window was "clicking" and "knocking/catching" via a missing gear tooth when it was raised and lowered. The gearbox donor car kindly continued to donate its in better condition parts SO I decided to just hurry up and replace it. Easier said than done. TOOK TWO WEEKS. NEVER AGAIN. although it'd be a hell of a lot quicker next time round. Trouble was aligning it and ensure all gaps where as recommended by the factory guidelines. Anyways. Job done. Its all sweet now. Cleaned the inside of the door skin while I was at it. Needs new door service sheets.

This is how it stayed for two weeks without the glass properly secured:

 
BATTERY REPLACEMENT:
Since day one its been on the "to do" list. After the numerous "spirited" drives with the suspension sorted this battery continued to cook itself, spilling its guts everywhere. It was replaced with a sweet new Optima red top battery. The cranking amps are rated so high its complete overkill in a car that runs no ice whatsoever. Ideally wanted a small odyssey but got lost in all the reviews and feedback vs "fit for purpose" vs street vs daily vs track car arguments. This was the best option when I went to purchase a replacement its a little on the heavy side but its a red top! Cool.
Engine bay is alot cleaner for it. 


Before:


 
NEW HVAC SURROUND:
Replaced the original with a non drilled "for a ridiculous phone accessory holder" surround. Yay no holes and cleaned whatever B surfaces i could get too.
The original drilled surround.


Cleaning.



eeekkk

 
Whilst the HVAC surround and all surrounding panels and trims were out i took the opportunity to seriously, aggressively address the mega annoying rattle, squeaks and creaks using this thin OEM felt tape on all protruding ribs and contact points. Verdict... Job done.


 
Hows the code stamp! AW10! No part development here since the MK1 AW11.




 
Also randomly have been thinking the Adub lacks the front styling cues of the Celica and Supra captured when all three are alongside for the 80's brochure cover shots. Ive always had a minor thing about it... The Supra and Celica are boxy yet sophisticated, the little details like enlarged openings and subtle tweaks add aggression all from factory! The designers brought alot of character into the front of the MK2 Supra so I tried to do the same "less is more" and removed the eyelids to break the front up a bit. I actually dont mind it at all. Its stayed like this since:
Entirely crystal clear front end to modernise it without detracting from the 80's.




 
The calm before the storm... last photo taken at work. (Ford you've been ace.) Comparing the AW11 against a Fiesta and against a Focus its amazing to see how much smaller our Adubs are compared to "small cars".

 
Looking back through this thread and my sporadic updates this cars been amazing. It started life good and had a few severe early hiccups. Its grown with me and continues to. Its just a "product" but its been there with me through so much. Its so much more than just "a car".

Awesome update :)
Been looking to get some of those Recaro LX seats myself. Where did you aquire yours from?
How much for the rail? Drivers side?

Fantastic!