great work and great updates. carry on :)

Thanks Luke

I so badly wanna get out and do something to mine!! All I've done recently is order some tyres for the front and painted some blue bits black. Yours is looking great mate. How does it sound with the new exhaust?

I know what you mean Nostromo - it is difficult to find time. They say projects like this are never finished but I've also deliberately not set myself a completion date/timeframe and just trying to fit jobs in when I get a spare couple of hours.

Exhaust sounds great - wouldn't say it's mega loud but it's definitely louder in a good way than the stock exhaust. With the induction kit it seems to rev easier but that might be more mind over matter on my part!

QUOTE=SwiftyDS;86859]I know what you mean Nostromo - it is difficult to find time. They say projects like this are never finished but I've also deliberately not set myself a completion date/timeframe and just trying to fit jobs in when I get a spare couple of hours.

How true that is haha
I started this one 7 years ago
haha
[IMG]http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...9/IMAG0185.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...9/IMAG0193.jpg[/IMG]

It will be finished one day

That looks great - proper old skool!

Like the rear arches. Would look good on my build in a extreme race version. Seen some with rear boot spoiler and front splitter.

Can't believe it's approaching 3 months since my last update - apologies for the gap but work has been progressing, just lots of finishing off needed to certain areas that I wanted to sort before posting.

First off I cut the MR2 doors down - wow, I was told this was one of the hardest parts of the build but still hadn't managed my own expectations of how long this would take. I haven't posted any pictures of the doors themselves but if anyone wants to see where the cuts are just let me know and I'll add some pics. Trickiest part was in the B pillar area where I ended up cutting more metal than I expected and spent a lot of time digging out the resin/GRP in the pocket on the trailing edge of the MRS200 door skin itself. Retro200 told me this was an area that would need working on as Tribute hand mould this when the panels are laid. Some adjustment of the metalwork left around the old lock/handle area and the drivers door is pretty much spot on. I've fitted the Sierra door handle and linked this up to the MR2 door handle mechanism.

https://image.ibb.co/jcYCBV/A011-F58...76402-F941.jpg

You will see from the picture that the bottom edge of the door has quite a gap so I have some UPVC cladding that I've cut a strip off that will be glassed to the bottom edge of the door and filled. I still need to build in some additional support in the door itself at the lower edge before bonding given the lower edge of the MR2 door has been cut away.

Repeat of the above on the passenger side as well which is back and fitted.

I then focused on the front bumper/bonnet. The bumper support bar was lowered c. 25mm as it sits to high as it comes with the kit. I still think it's sitting too high so plan to lower it another 10mm. Bumper has been fitted with support brackets in the wheel arch area as well, and appetures cut out, indicators and Hella 1000 lights fitted. Passenger side light is sitting a bit too high in the pictures here.

https://image.ibb.co/dxCQyA/2518-CAF...F64-E74-FE.jpg

I decided to try and go for a more authentic look with the headlights and bought a pair of headlamp panels from the Evo RS200 kit. The light appetures in the bonnet panel were extended out to fit these and next job is to glass in threaded bars under the bonnet to mount the Golf MK2 light units (thanks Retro200 for this) and then bond in the headlamp panels. Once I've done this and lowered the bumper support bar I'll attach the bonnet hinges and locking bonnet pins.


I had a couple of weeks where there wasn't much chance to spend more than 30 - 40 mins on the car at a time so spent a bit of time dressing up the engine bay (Ford stickers and a Ford RS200 plate that nicely covers the Toyota emblem on the engine cover) and making an RS200 panel to cover the Midship Runabout panel in the frunk.

https://image.ibb.co/nizAWV/FBA49-FB...2-D6224083.jpg
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https://image.ibb.co/cAgUQq/D35132-F...7-A8-A41-B.jpg

Final area I'm still working on is the rear clam. All appetures have been cut out and I decided to leave some fibreglass around the edge which will be painted black (just mocked up in the picture below to get the gaps right). I've made a set of grills that will be fitted flush and are edged in thin rubber trim - you can see one trial fitted in the picture here. I also managed to source a decent set of original RS Cosworth 3 door rear lights with bulb holders and gaskets for £50 so bit the bullet and have fitted these rather than the smoked Sierra Saphire units. I still need to fill in the area around the number plate panel which has a gap now I'm using the original units and the main area of filling needed which is in the wing areas each side.

https://image.ibb.co/hdfCdA/359-AFBD...359-FC1-BF.jpg

mrs 200
 

nice to see your making progress dave, its looking good, keep up the good work, reminds me of my build each step gives you a bit more enthusiasm to get to the next bit ,keep chipping away at it that will look good when its finished , i did the same with the spare wheel cover and rocker cover those red "rs200" decals dont arf come in handy.

You've really done an awesome job there Swifty! Looks great regardless of work that still needs doing. Can I request some additional photos of the doors please? Am so close to finishing off the house now, I can hear the MRS200 calling to me to get on with it! On the rear of the roof intake, I see you've left a section of the fiberglass, I assume for a bit of extra rigidity or just for the look?

mrs 200 roof rear vent
 

i left a section in the roof vent as well about 3 inches wide ,it helps tie that area to the top of the rear window surround it will become very weak without it i painted it white but everytime i look at it i think it needs to be black to match the mesh in the grills also it wont be as noticable

Yep I left this section for rigidity. The edges need tidying up all round particularly in that vent area but I'd planned to have it painted black to try to blend it in.

I've also contemplated making a dummy intercooler to go in the roof area behind it but I think that is getting a bit silly!

Thanks for the kind words and feedback from you both - will post more door pics tomorrow.

mrs 200 dummy intercooler
 

ha ha :icon_biggrin:seems two great minds think alike thats exactly what ive done made a dummy intercooler out of ally sheet and some ally channel section front and back to resrmble the core looks good thru the black mesh

Swifty, can I ask how much the headlight surrounds from the Evo kit set you back? They look like a good option for getting the hole the right shape.

Headlamp surrounds were £50 plus VAT plus postage for the pair and you need to cut out the hole for headlamp itself in the back of the surround.

Sorry I've not posted the door pics yet ~ will get round to it asap.

Reto200 you've got me thinking again now about the dummy intercooler!

Wow, that's a really good price! I was expecting a couple of hundred given the price of the rest of the kit. Direct from evo200.com?

Yes I just emailed Bill at salesdesk@ev200.com to get a price with VAT and postage.

Sorry that should have been @evo200.com

mrs 200 headlight surrounds
 

the headlight surrounds look good dave , how well do they fit to the bonnet curves on the outside ? bearing in mind the bonnet is from tribute and the surrounds are for a evo 200, will they need any alterations to get them to sit right on the bonnet ??

mrs 200 headlight surrounds
 

the headlight surrounds look good dave , how well do they fit to the bonnet curves on the outside ? bearing in mind the bonnet is from tribute and the surrounds are for a evo 200, will they need any alterations to get them to sit right on the bonnet ?? ps i also fitted a ally sheet under my "dummy intercooler to block off the area between the "ears" and front / rear roof vents to direct the air flow straight through the top roof section

my hazy memory is that the headlight bowls were smoothed in to the bonnet for the MRS kit (but it was 5 years ago and i havent got a car to check!).

you should therefore need to widen the hole and you are effectively replacing material.

the cheaper alternative is to go with the original solution: cut down a couple of 99p waste paper bins from asda and glass them in!

Retro200 - I had to widen the bonnet headlamp holes but once done the fit with the wing and bonnet top areas is pretty good. I think this is as Andy has said the original ones were smoothed in.

Swifty - good to see the updates - I've been really slow on my one for ages - the roll cage is taking for ever. The bonus is that you're shooting ahead and finding all the solutions for the problems that I'll be approaching soon... so thanks!

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the feedback Badrep. I have to give a big thanks to Retro200 who has helped greatly with measurements and useful hints and tips from his earlier MRS200 build.

That coming along very well, keep up the good work and keep up with the pics.
I have decided that i am going to finish the rs2000 first, which should be done this year.
Once completed i will jump straight onto the rs200 build, i have most of the parts so it should be a pretty quick build.

Wow can’t believe it’s nearly 8 months since I’ve posted an update. A garden project then decorating around the house took over for much of July - October then I managed to get a few jobs done on the car before starting again proper mid January.

Progress since last time has been to bolt the rear clam in with brackets that bolt to the support frame and bonded to the clam - also supporting in the roof area. I decided to go this route first then will come back and hinge the clam once I’ve got it roadworthy again. The rear screen has been fitted with dzus fasteners for easy removal and I’m just finishing off the petrol cap - hole cut out and insert fitted from MR2 but have been struggling to work out how to extend the filler tube. Retro200 suggested I just reposition the existing pipe by swivelling it on the flexi pipe and then bracketing it. Any other suggestions?

https://image.ibb.co/iuJJkq/D5-D0-A8...D5-DA2-DC1.jpg

I also made up the grilles for the rear of the clam which you can seem some of in the picture above. These are attached right now using small black cable ties through holes drilled but may use black plastic fasteners to make them a bit more secure.

I also decided to change the front edge of the roof panel where it meets the windscreen top to give a squarer edge closer to the original RS200. To fill the corners where the hard top panel now shows through I’ve built up with GRP and used a sunstrip applied to a magnetic sheet used to apply removal signs to vans/cars. To complete the effect I’ve used a Sierra MK1 windscreen rubber - see what you think from the pics here but I prefer the look to the original kit where the roof panel flows down to meet the MR2 screen.....

https://image.ibb.co/m1WhBV/A34-DAFC...17524-C925.jpg
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https://image.ibb.co/hKSdkq/FAB83-E9...CDE3-B1702.jpg
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https://image.ibb.co/k9ukWV/524-C368...DD9-D8-AD6.jpg

Final update to report is that both headlamps are now fitted. I played about with using different lamps to the Golf MK2 items as I wanted to mount these behind the cowl (remember I’ve used the cowls from the other RS200 kit available). In the end I’ve bonded a couple of brackets around the edge of the cowl and cut back the Golf plate so these bolt from the inside. The cowls still needed to be bonded to the bonnet but you see the effect here...

https://image.ibb.co/gaNiJA/93378-C5...0-AFC1-E16.jpg

Will try to keep the updates coming more frequently now things are moving forward again.

If you're hinging the clam, it probs best to leave the filler pipe assy as-is.

if you're having a fixed clam, then "simply" follow the filler pipe in about an arm's length and there is a clampy thing - undo it and the neck has enough flexiblity to reach the RS bodywork quite effectively. (almost like it was designed that way!)

undoing the rusty nut n bolt in that confined space at arm's length unsighted isn't easy though... ;) have fun!

oh, and good job on the windscreen - i like it!

Thanks Andy - will give that a go this afternoon.

All seems quite from the new guy who bought the moulds - any news on how he’s getting on?

Really nice progress! I've not updated my one for aaaaggggeesssss!

Love the roof line - do you have any more pics of how you did it during the process? I've been trying to work ways around that roof line - I've got some cunning ideas, but still working on the interior and engine at the moment - I'll get an update on my build up soon!

Thanks Badrep - yes I will get some other pics posted up tomorrow showing where I cut the roof line and the sunstrip.

Awesome - looking forward to it :laugh:

The bigger windscreen looks great. I didn't realise there was that much difference in how it should look to be honest. Interested to see how you've gone about hinging your rear end. Also, how have you managed to keep your car so clean?!

Badrep - here’s a couple of additional pictures showing how I marked out the new roof line and built up the sunstrip. I based the roof line as close as I could to the original RS200 (see fourth picture here) but you are left with a couple of gaps in each corner of the roof panel where it no longer flows down to meet the hard top/MR2 windscreen upper rail. For these I made up a couple of rubber fill pieces that I then used to create GRP pieces out of which I bonded to the inside/trailing edge of the roof panel. I should say I had already cut my roof panel away from the rear clam and my pillars were also separate as I had the kit delivered. That in itself made this a lot easier.

https://image.ibb.co/hDvQWV/5-EDB862...8981875525.jpg
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https://image.ibb.co/e7xYJA/2283-CB1...6-E55-C290.jpg
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https://image.ibb.co/dy3nBV/FF12-D5-...78-B7-D9-C.jpg
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https://image.ibb.co/giYLWV/06911340...6556-F7595.jpg

The sunstrip being magnetic just about holds on to the edge of the screen/hardtop and I had intended to leave it this way so I could remove it later as/when the screen needs replacing. I think I may ended up glueing it down as not convinced it won’t flap at speeds over 70!

Nostromo - thanks for the feedback on the screen. I was pleased with the effect and the windscreen rubber whilst only for show (and glued on!) makes a real difference as well. I’m holding fire from hinging my clam right now but have all the hinges/brackets and support work - would rather get all the other jobs completed and it back on the road first, hence I’m bolting the clam in as a first step but making everything like wiring, fuel flap/release such that it can hinge later. As for keeping it clean ... I’ve yet to do any real sanding/prep work on the panels which may explain, but I must admit the old garage dyson comes out after any drilling/cutting of the panels and I’m fortunate enough to be able to work on the car in the garage most of the time .

It looks so much better!

My kit was delivered too so I'll be going through the same process. I really like how you've done it. The other bit that really bugs me is the bonnet line - that's an area that I'll be working on to fill in. Never done any fibreglassing so I'll be in at the deep end with that one.

Is that a Ferrari I see in the background too? http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...pictureid=1203

Thanks Badrep. Yes I think even Andy, the original owner of the moulds, has commented in the past how he wished the bonnet line was longer and squared off instead of following the MR2 wiper/vent area.

I have been keeping a lookout for a cheap Sierra MK1 lower windscreen vent panel to see if I could marry that with the MR2 panel and extend the bonnet up. Probably put that on the phase 2 list along with hinging the clam!

Yep that is a Ferrari in the background - unfortunately it’s not mine!

Excellent idea - I was thinking about trimming the lip, adhering some sheet material underneath it to extend and maintain the contours, add a bit on top and sand and smooth - but the sierra vent sounds better!

Also, can you still access the windscreen if it gets damaged - for replacement? I've cracked mine!

I’ve done so it’s removable - should work ok looking at pillars and screen too

Phew!