Mild 86 MX72 Cressida Build

[MR2_FTW]

Completed 3rd member!


Also a box of goodies was waiting for me on my front stoop when I got home


I also picked up some AE86 rear brake backing plates on Monday (thanks, Clayton!) and am still in talks with a guy about getting some AE86 calipers. I don't think they will fit with my Supra rotors, so I may end up having to sell those (can't return them since I painted the hats) or having someone lathe them down to the proper diameter, or just buying AE86 rotors like a sane person.

[MR2_FTW]

Got the steering wheel installed the other day. It is actually straight, the wheels are turned in the pic. And yes, I know the horn button is stupid, but it's the only one that will work with the wiring the way it is right now. I'll have to figure out a grounding solution to run the Grip Royal button.




I also primed and painted the axle. Hopefully the this will slow the rust a bit.





And here it is with the AE86 backing plates, axles, and 3rd member installed, as well as new brake hard and soft lines.



Now I'm just waiting (very impatiently) for a guy on facebook to respond back about shipping some AE86 calipers. I'd much rather get his than spend 3 times the cash for new ones.

[Ether]

Sweet wagon nice to see someone keeping this vehicle alive. Reminds me of my 87 maxima wagon it was sweet, very advance for a 87 wagon.

[MR2_FTW]

Calipers came in. First thing I checked was the bleeder valves. I soaked them in PB and hit them with some propane heat before I even attempted to remove them, and they still snapped like twigs.



I barely even put any force on it. So there goes $75. RockAuto doesn't carry both, and even if they did I'm not totally confident they'd be the right part. NAPA can't get them, and Advance remans are $130 each + core. I can get brand new ones for (if I remember right) $120 each. I'm beyond pissed right now.

[MR2_FTW]

I went at the calipers SUPER carefully and drilled out the bleeders and chased the threads with a tap. One looks fine, but the other looks like I may have nicked the bottom seat where the valve seals a little bit. I'm gonna grab some new valves and see if they will work. Fingers crossed.

[MR2_FTW]

Alright, big update, but no pictures at the moment - I was too busy to take any. The Supra axle is in. It bolted up (more or less) just fine. A few notes:
1. The top arm mounting points on the Supra axle are about 2.5 inches farther apart than on the stock MX72 axle. This puts the arms at a bit of a weird spread angle. Not a huge deal, but worth noting. They still bolt in ok.
2. Running AE86 brakes with Celica-Supra e-brake cables looks like it might be possible, but I don't have the proper brackets right now. I'm sure I could figure something out eventually, but right now I have no handbrake.
3. The god-awful clunking has been reduced by around 75%. The old diff had a crap ton of play, this one doesn't. However, there is still some clunking. This is probably due to the bolt sleeves in my urethane bushings starting to wallow out in the fore-aft direction, possibly allowing a little play. This is "easily" fixed with some adjustable heim arms from TechnoToyTuning, but those are quite expensive and will have to wait.
4. The gearing, while a little shorter, isn't smack-you-in-the-face noticeable, at least not in the 20 min I drove around near my house.
5. I did some figure 8's to help the diff break in, and this thing locks REALLY nicely. I can spin both wheels now (though the 5M still doesn't have enough power to really get it to slide much)! I can't wait to drive it in the rain. BWAHAHA
6. The brakes probably need to be bled again. The pedal feels super spongy.
7. Even for how stiff it is, the front still has enough roll to drag the mud flaps around turns. A front sway bar is needed.

All in all I'm pretty happy with it so far. It's been an exceedingly expensive project but I think it will make the car that much more awesome. Anyway, just because I can, here's the updated build sheet for the car

Engine
5M-GE 2.8L straight 6
Rabid Chimp ceramic-coated mandrel-bent intake
K&N cone filter
ARP head studs
All new gaskets/seals
EGR & AC delete
Volvo electric fan conversion
AE86 oil cooler w/Mocal t-stat sandwich plate

Drivetrain
W58 5-speed transmission from MA70 Supra w/new seals
AE86 clutch pedal
MA60 master cylinder
MA70 slave cylinder
Custom 1-piece driveshaft
Stainless clutch line
MA40 Celica-Supra rear axle w/new seals and bearings
Rebuilt MA60 Celica-Supra P-type LSD w/Weir Performance MaxGrip and solid pinion spacer kits
AE86 rear brakes

Suspension/Wheels
MA60 Celica-Supra P-Type wheels (14x7)
Front:
Shortened front strut housings
KYB AGX shock inserts (from SW20 MR2 rear)
T3 coilover conversion w/camber plates & RCA’s
Energy Suspension poly control arm bushings
New Moog ball joints
Rear:
Custom 400lb/in springs
KYB AGX shocks (from Camaro)
Axle limit straps
T3 adjustable panhard rod
Homemade polyurethane 4-link bushings

Misc
MA60 Celica-Supra front seats
RA20 Celica “5-Speed” badge
Grip Royal Clay Knight steering wheel w/modified AE86 hub

[MR2_FTW]

I guess the mounting point for the panhard rod is slightly different between the two axles as well, as the axle was pulled way over to the right. I put it up on the lift and adjusted it back center (hooray for T3 adjustability!)



Also it looks like the panhard rod may now be slightly tapping the exhaust on hard bumps. Though it seems like it may be better now that the axle is centered.



In this (terrible) picture you can (kinda) see the weird angle the upper arms are at.



Also along with the clunking from the wearing urethane, the axle has some play in it that you can feel under accel/decel transitions where it wants to push the car one way or the other. Looks like I need to start saving for some T3 adjustable heim joint arms.

[MR2_FTW]

Got the car up on the lift and finally got measurements for the rear arms.



Upper (short) arm length bolt-to-bolt: 9 3/4"
Lower (longer) arm length bolt-to-bolt: 19"
All 4 bolts are the same dimensions
Bolt diameter: 13.9 mm
Bolt sleeve width: 49.6 mm
Bolt sleeve outer diameter: 19.9 mm
Bolt sleeve inner diameter: 14 mm

I'm emailing the specs to Gabe at Techno Toy Tuning as we speak, so we'll see if they have stuff on the shelf that will fit, or if they have to make it custom.

[MR2_FTW]

I've notice while driving around that while going over bumps the shifter will actually bounce up and down through the tunnel. The whole transmission could just bob around.
Here's why. The mount is super old and tearing.



One of my #1 peeves on cars is crappy rubber connectors, like bushings, mounts, things like that. So last week I ordered this baby from Xcessive.



It took a little finagling to get everything to fit right (the thru bolts didn't clear where it sits down in the crossmember by like a hair, so I put a washer in between the upper and lower parts of the mount and it's pretty much perfect now).



I haven't driven it yet, but I'm making a trip tomorrow to gather supplies for a future long-term project. Details to follow depending on the results on my treasure hunt tomorrow.

[MR2_FTW]

Goodies!

[MR2_FTW]

After much swearing, prying, hammering, dropping little spacers and having to look for them, and more swearing, I finally got them in after work today.



After putting the car on the ground and pulling it out of the shop, the difference was immediate. The horrible HORRIBLE clunking that had plagued the car was completely gone. It had actually gotten so bad I dreaded driving the car, and now it's perfect! Also, it was raining, and now that all the power is going straight to the ground, this is an incredible wet-weather drifter. Burnouts for days (rainy days), and long controllable slides. It's seriously fantastic and I couldn't be happier. Worth every freaking penny.

[AGentry]

Wow! You've really turned this thing around! Nice work.

[ChanceTheNapper]

dude... this thing is wicked and i absolutely love everything you've done. mind if i ask where you work? i assume you might be a tech at a dealer from the most recent pictures?

[MR2_FTW]

I'm not a tech, but I do work at a Toyota dealership. They let us use the lifts after hours as long as nobody else is using it.

[MR2_FTW]

Took a little trip out to the mountains this past weekend to pick up some bits for a long, slow engine build for this car





And here's the goods:



That's a nearly-complete 7M-GTE with new pistons, rings, gasket set, etc

The things I'm missing off the top of my head are injectors, turbo, head gasket, head studs, exhaust manifold, ignition, and intercooler.

The plan is to build this very slowly over the next year or two back to mostly stock spec with metal head gasket and ARP studs. Stock turbo, stock electronics (I pulled an engine harness and ECU out of a junkyard car for stupid cheap a month or so back). Supra radiator, 5M oil pump/oil pan, new uprated clutch, custom exhaust (likely based off of a modified aftermarket downpipe, and custom intercooler piping will be needed, but the motor itself will be pretty much stock to be as reliable as possible (yes, 7M's are just as reliable as every other Toyota motor given studs and headgasket).

I got all this stuff for an insane deal and this is by far the easiest swap there is so keep your "Why don't you just swap in a 2J/1J/1UZ" crap to yourself.