More Toyota MR2 Project

Michael, again.  Today I removed the automatic brake pedal (wide) and replaced it with the brake pedal from the donor car (narrower).  This took hours under the dash with the driver's seat, and many plastic pieces removed to gain access.

After that, I installed the donor clutch pedal bracket using two of the three new holes I drilled in the firewall.  It fit great!  Then I installed the clutch pedal with its spring and starter safety switch.

Three Pedals!  It's Looking Like a Proper Car Now

(but that third one doesn't do anything just yet)

While I'm waiting for the new clutch master cylinder to arrive and fill the third hole, I'll start disassembling around this gruesome thing, but leaving the car drivable.

Much thanks to Harbor Freight and their coupons; I bought my first set of metric open end wrenches that proved quite useful.

Toyota MR2 Project

Michael here, making a guest post.  The 1988 MR2, originally my mother's, has 68k miles on it and looks like new inside and out, and runs well after about a year of minor fixes.  My project is to make it a proper MR2; you see, it has an automatic transmission (naughty) and rather generic wheels (meh).  Luckily, I found a 1985 donor car on Craigslist and the owner helped me get all the necessary bits to make the swap.

The 1988 MR2 Now

The Donor Car (130k miles)

[You can see why it's being parted out]

All the Bits at Home on the Back Porch

(clockwise from 6 o'clock: Clutch, Shifter and cables, 5-speed transmission,

clutch pedal assembly, brake pedal, flywheel, axles)

I started work this weekend installing wheels and beginning necessary modifications in preparation for the major transmission swap to be done by the mechanic on the corner.

Here's the 1988 with the Proper MR2 Wheels Installed

Near the center you can see the new holes I made in the firewall

to install the clutch master cylinder

People have done this before and the web has been a great resource for details on the parts needed and the process steps.

The next steps will be changing out the brake pedal and installing the clutch pedal and master cylinder.