Ok, in true Blue Peter style “here’s
one I made earlier”
After owning my MR2 for a few years and deciding that it was in need of an
overhaul, I completely restored the shell. The problem was not welding, it was
finding the panels for it. Either they were not available or the dealership
wanted me to re-mortgage the house to pay for them. So I decided to do it “on
the cheap” (is there any other way?) As usual the rear arches were completely
gone, I now know that these panels are available through the club but back then
I didn’t, so I had to do something other than fill them with bodyfiller. After a
few weeks of looking at countless arches on other cars that I knew I could get
panels for, I saw an old MK1 Toyota Corolla and the panel didn’t look too
different. In fact the arch lip was exactly the same the only difference being
the overall shape of the arch - it is more oval than the round one on the MR2.
So 2 inches of arch was cut out of the middle of each panel and welded back
together again. With all the rot removed from the old arches they were welded
in, and with a small amount of filler they look as good as new. Cost of these
panels is £12.50 each from any bodyshop/panel supplier. Next came the sills, I
thought these would be available but apparently not. So once again I hunted for
another car that shared the same, or very close, sill shape. After 2 weeks I saw
a MK3 Escort and took some measurements. The sills are exactly the same profile
as MR2 ones but they are about an inch too big, so the top inch was cut off the
full length of each sill and then shortened by about 8 inches. They were welded
in and although they are now covered by bodykit, they are a very good
replacement. These sills are £16 a pair. After a further week of welding the car
was solid again but I was looking for a new front spoiler for it as I thought
the old one was a bit “boring”. By sheer chance I was playing about with an old
front bumper from a Vauxhall Carlton and the profile looked very close. This
made me think about trying to fit it as bodykit suppliers were talking about
hundreds of pounds for an after market spoiler. The profile is exactly the same
but a Carlton is about 8 inches wider than an MR2 so this was chopped out of the
middle. Also the top 4 inches of bumper was removed, as I only needed the lower
section to fit neatly under my MR2 bumper. In fact it’s a flush fit and although
I haven’t blended it into the original (this would only crack anyway) it looks
like its always been on there. Believe it or not the bumper actually wraps
around the wheel arches in exactly the right place. I’m making this sound an
easy job but it took 2 weeks of trial and error
fitting/removing/trimming/adjusting to get it right. The Carlton bumper consists
of an inner and outer section, the inner section is mostly cut away near the
wings to make it a good fit and is secured to the original valence with bolts on
the front and large screws in the side. This gives the outer section something
to be attached too as the clips that held the top of the outer section are
removed when the bumper was first cut. Before fitting I removed two sections of
the valence to accommodate the fog lights so they had a space to recess into. I
wish I’d taken some pictures while the work was being done, as other members now
want the same bumper fitting. With the outer section clipped back in at the
bottom and countersunk and screwed at the top its very much trial and error to
make both sections meet in the middle. These were joined with bridging pieces
and once again screwed together with a small amount of filler to cover any gaps.
The new front end is now 1.5” lower than the original but still clears speed
humps and kerbs - just! and I think it gives the car a facelift, not that MK1’s
need it, I love them standard too. The fog lights are wired up to main beam at
the moment for two reasons, my headlights are crap and I was too lazy at the
time to fit a separate switch. This can be left up to you but I enjoy seeing
where I’m going at night! For further info email me at: paulwoods.v6mr2@ukf.net
Alternator Tip:- Go to any scrapyard, find a Rover 216 fitted with a Honda
engine - or a Honda for that matter - and pay the man £20 for the alternator.
Remove the brush pack from the rear of it and fit the MR2 one (different wiring
block). Remove the front pulley and swap them too. Fit alternator to car. Cheap
replacement.
PAUL WOODS
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2004
Chris Falcke was inspired by Paul Woods' Carlton job. His front end was off
an Opel Senator and the rear bumper is off a Renault 25. Cleans the lines up a
little I thought!? Says Chris.
PLEASE NOTE: CHRIS HAS NOW SOLD HIS MR2. WE HAVE NO FURTHER
INFORMATION OR CONTACT DETAILS.
Paul Woods himself has been far from idle - his MR2 is now powered by a
240bhp 3SGTE, and the body has been treated to further mods as featured in the
February issue of Retro Cars magazine.
