Author Topic: My MR2 powered 126  (Read 6178 times)

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A_Klaut

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My MR2 powered 126
« on: September 14, 2017, 08:32:31 PM »
So I picked up this LHD example a while ago now and the idea from the start was to put a Toyota 3sge (2.0 N/A) engine over the back wheels as I had a complete donor car, so seeing as it recently went through its first MOT, seems a good time to show off my complete progress to date... I had taken a few ideas from similar projects so I thought it would be good to share my work with others as well. I'd never taken on something of this size before so a lot got learned along the way, mainly on the bodywork side of things but also fabrication. There would be things I would improve on next time, but that's part of the game. As you're about to see, I didn't exactly choose a perfect base....

Here it is when it came in after an initial strip-down and cutting out the engine bay:











The floor pans, kick panel, scuttle, nearside sill, gutter, front arches etc. were all rotten and had to go... time to get cutting and welding. I replaced with complete new panels where possible.











This was the part that took the longest amount of time, at this point I was wondering if it would have been better to spend a little bit more on a more rust-free example. While this was ongoing I stripped the donor MR2 (with some help!) and selling off bits I wasn't going to need.





The front suspension got completely rebuilt.. sandblasted and painted all the arms, stub axles, steering rack etc., new leaf spring, new bushes and shocks all round. Also fitted a disc brake conversion.





Next step was to build the rollcage and start looking at how the things were going to fit together in the back. Making the cage was an absolute barsteward with only using a cheap bender.











Rather than design the suspension from scratch I decided to shorten the MR2 rear subframe which would allow me to keep all the same MR2 rear end. I shortened the subframe by 125mm which is about all I could get away with before the cam cover gets too close to the strut on one side, and the diff getting too close to the subframe on the other side. After much messing around with the laser tracker and the tape measure I got everything tacked in straight and true, and got the engine in. It needs lowering at the back and also arches made.









Things starting to come together now and looking like a car again, made the fuel tank myself with just 1.2mm mild steel - there was no other sensible place for it and also wanted to have as much in the front as possible. The MR2 loom has been stripped down to bare minimum with only the engine management part left. All there is running to the front is just an ignition live, starter signal and main positive wire. With a bit of encouragement she fired up no problem... the electrics on the engine are quite simple.











A few more things done, fitted some kit car gauge for fuel level, tacho and coolant temp. Made a speedo pod for the MR2 speedo, made a switch panel wired it all in and made a start on fabricating the rear arches.







[

Now the fun part... strip the car completely again and start deguttering, sanding, welding, and best of all body fillering.













After a couple of weeks it's ready for etch primer and high build







After loads more flatting back, here is the final coat... decided to go for Daytona yellow:





Now ready for the final assembly and obviously a few finishing bits.. this took around a week solid work to get everything back together and working, including having to order a few bits that got lost, spraying the wheels black etc.











And finally got it MOT'd and on the road! Only 1 advisory for a slightly binding rear caliper, but other than that flew through the test no problems. It drives exactly how I wanted it to... a lot of fun!







It still needs a few things tidying up, for example I want to get chrome bumpers, get the back windows tinted etc. but as I had to move house for a new job I had limited time left in the workshop, the priority was getting the thing on the road.

thepuddlejumper

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2017, 08:54:38 PM »
A lot of complicated work to get that setup in that tiny space, looks great. Must be a beast to handle with all that power in the rear.

Ralph

drcdb15

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2017, 11:55:35 PM »
Certainly a very impressive project, but how did you get an MoT and avoid the need for an IVA ? Surely this car counts as "radically altered" under the government's definitions?

A_Klaut

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2017, 09:58:17 AM »
Thanks... I would love to know how many hours I've spent on this thing, you really don't understand how much work is involved until you've done it.

They do it on a points basis, it just squeezes in because it has the original monocoque, steering and suspension set up on the front. The MOT tester tested it on the emissions as a 2 litre, but other than that he couldn't find any problems at all... the car is safer and stronger than how it came out the factory.

drcdb15

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2017, 09:24:32 PM »
it just squeezes in because it has the original monocoque, steering and suspension set up on the front.

.. the car is safer and stronger than how it came out the factory.

Well I think you were VERY lucky wth that examiner, then, because the government's own web site says "Chassis, monocoque bodyshell (body and chassis as one unit) or frame - original or new and unmodified (direct from manufacturer)" is an essential requirement to avoid being classed as modified, and you said you "cut out the engine bay" and your photos show you did, plus you installed a new firewall behind the front seats. It is precisely because most bike engine 126 conversions cut away parts of the body in order to fit the engine in that they never get to be street legal - because they need an IVA test and that's too expensive and difficult to arrange, with test centres being so few and far between.

As well as having to score over 8 points, the government site says explicitly that 5 of this total must come from the unmodified body.

As for the car being stronger and safer than the original, I have no doubt that's true, seeing your photo record - but when did such practical common sense ever carry any weight when dealing with government procedures and rules ???  :cry:

Well done with the project - now sell it before it needs another MoT test !!


A_Klaut

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2017, 09:47:04 AM »
So going by that mantra any body shell that's been modified needs an IVA... this would include anything with a roll cage, anything with any body modifications, also anything that's had any cutting or welding of any kind done... seems a bit unrealistic to me. The spirit of that rule I believe is to catch people that do things like complete cut and shut 2 chassis together, cutting roofs off to make a convertible, making a buggy out of a car etc. rather than what I've done which is make extra room for an engine, and not anything really to the exterior shell other than modified the rear arches, and nothing majorly structural.

I trust my tester who wasn't easy on the car obviously because of what it is, he referred to the manual a few times to check that this or that was definitely OK, and there's no way he would have let the car go out unsafe or with a potential failure with his name on the ticket. I got the sense he was half looking for a way to fail it but he couldn't find anything he could fail the car on... I used him because I wanted to know my work is safe. I mean maybe if some overzealous jobsworth IVA tester had a look at it I'm sure they'd tell me different, but as far as I'm concerned as long as it passes an MOT each year and it's declared to insurance etc. as to the modifications I've done (which it is) then I don't see a problem and no-one else I've spoken to about it does either.

drcdb15

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2017, 06:59:58 PM »
Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with anything you say. But rules is rules, and DVLA hasn't exactly won over the custom and rodding scene in recent years with the way it's applied and enforced the type approval regs. You've changed a 650cc car to a 2 litre one - that alone should be reported to DVLA as a change to the V5 details. Furthermore, "You should completed a V627/1 form if you've rebuilt or substantially changed a vehicle. " You'll be hard put to it to convince anyone that what you've done is *not* a radical change. See here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/built-up-vehicle-inspection-report

It doesn't matter what your tester thinks, or how much you trust him, the onus is on you to notify DVLA (and your insurance company too of course, which you say you've done) and if DVLA decide to cancel the registration until you get an IVA then you're stuffed. And whilst your insurance company will be happy  to take your money now, getting it back from them after a prang will a totally different story.

There is one car I know of in Reliant circles that is currently being advertised for scrap precisely because this is what hapened, depsite the car having been taxed and used on the road for some years previously. See here: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C553944

Note the seller's comment: "This after 2yrs of street legal ownership and 2 Mots."

All I'm saying is, you got away with it this time, you may not next time (better hope your MoT tester doesn't move on and get replaced by a jobsworth!!), so sell the car on before you get all your hard work scrapped by the DVLA rulebook.

drcdb15

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2017, 07:03:45 PM »
Or, of course, start saving up for an IVA test in case one does become required.

A_Klaut

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2017, 11:01:48 AM »
As for your example...

An original reliant scimitar



That modified reliant scimitar



All due respect but it's not really a fair analogy... that car is completely unrecognisable compared to the car it's supposed to be and personally would have no complaints to the DVLA about that.

Sorry to sound argumentative, I appreciate your opinion and I'll let you know what the DVLA come back with as still waiting for the v5 to come back. And if it turned out it needs an IVA, I'll get an IVA.

pietschokkenbroek

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2017, 11:02:48 AM »
Love your convertion!! You make it look like an easy job (which I know it isn't)

I don't know anything about DVLA, IVA etc.... (I'm dutch  :shy: :thumbup)

I think I'm not the onlyone who would realy like a video  :yahoo:!!

thepuddlejumper

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2017, 09:08:52 PM »
I think this is an excellent conversion, well thought and executed. Guys lets get real I have seen many 126's and 500's which have had their bodies altered in some form or another to smooth out the bumps or cut back wings to fit wider arch extensions. Now if you take the view that this is part of the monocoque then all of these modified cars would have to go through an IVA test. From my experience it would be very difficult to get an old car such as a 126 or 500 through an IVA test due mainly to safety issues with protrusions. Now take a look at the Cool 500 and the Barcheta kits, in order to build one you can only do it as a re-body. This means the monocoque or chassis is the bit left after you have removed the external body, this is accepted by the DVLA. So the rules are interpreted differently by different people. This has created problems in the custom car world as some modifications are passed by some DVLA offices and not others. So you takes your chances or make enquiries with the custom or hot rod chat rooms to see where may be more sympathetic to your modifications.

Ralph

drcdb15

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2017, 10:22:24 AM »
Just had an email from RetroRides with a link to this thread, which makes interesting reading...

http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/200076/historic-vehicle-mot-consultation-statment?page=1

A_Klaut

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2017, 02:09:23 PM »
Interesting... I didn't read all of it but seems like a lot of grey areas on that retro rides, everyone has conflicting experiences.  Seems like the the same old 8 point rule applies for IVAs, don't really see a change there... once your car gets to 40 years you are forced to declare if it has been substantially changed. The only new thing really is the 15% power to weight increase over standard rule, so once my 126 gets to 40 years old I would have to basically declare that it has been substantially changed, and it would not be MOT exempt, but would still be tax exempt I believe.

thepuddlejumper

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2017, 11:28:13 PM »
That's my interpretation as well.

Ralph

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Re: My MR2 powered 126
« Reply #14 on: September 25, 2017, 12:51:56 PM »
 That thread on RR just confused me more. Why can't DVLA just put things in a simple way.
 What I do understand though no kit car will be MOT exempt even if 40 years old? Bad luck for me.

 BTW I'm loving your conversion. I've seen an MR2 one done before by TAZ racing. That was done on a bis though.
1972 Fiat 500
1980 Fiat 126