Hello there
 
I've picked up a 1990 JDM hardtop in need of a tidy up. I thought I'd track the progress to get a few suggestions along the way. This is my first mr2 so I'm still reading and learning. The car has been neglected in storage for a number of years but hopefully will fix up nicely with some time and money.
 
On the surface it looks like a fairly original car (with super 90's three spoke wheels) but on closer inspection, the dash was red at some stage, it looks like there was a turbo timer fitted, and many of the plastics don't fit quite right. 
 
I don't think I fully appreciated the work required when I first inspected it, but it is a project.... There are quite a few broken and missing pieces, as well as some interesting noises during the drive home . 
 
My plans are:
0 - 3 months - sort out immediate maintenance issues, clutch, brakes, bushes, engine mounts etc
3 - 6 months - tidy up cosmetic issues, touch up and polish, new gear boot, fix tacho and stereo
6 - 12 months - non urgent maintenance, timing belt water pump, replace worn hoses etc
1 year + basic performance improvements, coilovers, strut braces, intake, downpipe, FCD & EBC, maybe an intercooler
super long term - either fully restore and respray or setup as a track car depending on circumstances. 
 
Pics after the first wash are attached. It actually looks pretty good in photo.
 
If anyone has any suggestions for workshops in Sydney please let me know.
I'm also keen on a reasonably priced set of wheels with quality tyres. Either oem 15inch or a staggered set with a simple spoke design (no mesh or chrome). The current tyres are old and I'd prefer not to replace them on the existing wheels.
 
thanks for reading 
 
 
 

Looks like a clean original car. I kinda envious of the project, sounds fun!

Nice to see another hardtop being put to good use.

Car looks good and I am sure it will be an interesting project, so good luck with it.
A lot of expert advice on here about these cars.
 
BTW, be aware that with the OEM 15" wheels, there is now very limited choice of performance tyres available for the rear. (225/50R15)

Thanks guys. I've noticed the inconvenient tyre sizing. Eventually I'd like to get RPF1s or a R32 GTR/GTST set. I'm only after oem's or something similarly cheap with tyres for getting around on whilst sorting out maintenance. My current tyres have heaps of tread but I think they're very old. Can't find a build date.    

So far there hasn't been much progress. Whilst I'm waiting on parts to come in I've done some basic maintenance. Fresh oil and filter, spark plugs, brakes bleed, that's about it. I've pulled the dash cluster to fix the tacho but havent had a chance to test it yet.

I was hoping to do a coolant flush but the car doesnt seem to get up to temperature. The temp gauge moves up to around a qtr, then gradually drops down to cold after 10-15mins of running and stays there.

I thought it might be worth replacing the thermostat prior to coolant flush to see it that's the cause. So that'll be next weekend's task.

I'll support the thermostat idea.

I think its worth flushing the coolant system on the car. The radiator can get blocked, always a good idea to replace the thermostat periodically.
 

So if I'm replacing the thermostat and coolant together, it would make sense to do the termo after flushing right? I.e drain, flush, replace thermo, refill, bleed in that order. That way I won't be flushing old coolant through a new thermostat? I've ordered a thermo and gasket from toyota and will give it a go this weekend.
 
One thing I was able to achieve was tidying up the drivers side door trim. As you can see, the coating had peeled and the surface rust wasn't a good look. I scraped off as much as of the old plastic as possible, wet sanded the metal with rust remover, and hit it with plasti dip. 
 
The results aren't perfect but it looks a lot better than it did previously. When I get a chance I might take the piece off the door and have another go at it, but it'll do for now. 

After many hours in a dimly lit garage, I was able to replace the thermostat and flush the system with Nulon red coolant. Strangely enough, the old thermostat looked nothing like the Toyota OEM I replaced it with, which may have been the problem. The car heats up to around 40% on the temp gauge now and blows warm air, so I think that problem is solved.
 
I also reinstalled the tachometer and was excited to see that the needle was moving. That excitement wore off quickly once I realised it showed the car was idling at 3,000rpm 
I took the needle off whilst replacing the capacitors to protect it from damage and I guess this has caused this issue. I don't know what the car should be idling at but it sounds about right. 
 
I’ll try re-placing the needle at around 900prm whilst the car is running at idle. It’s not the most scientific method but it's all I can think of doing. At least it will be better than no movement at all.
 
I’ve collected a few postal slips so hopefully I have more parts waiting for collection…