Eternal Bodywork (#10 Josh's 1989 MR2 (AW11) Workout Project)

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In this series, I'm doing a part tutorial, part vlog, part timelapse of my 1989 Toyota mk1 MR2 AW11 restoration.
Contact: [e-mail]
Please let this be over with soon.
Work in this video:
Sanding
Bondo
Spraying Primer

[@RetraCast]

Sorry its been forever since my last video. That's just the nature of bodywork and painting. As of right now, the clear coat is 2/3 on the car (I ran out and had to buy more). I am on my way to Darrington today to finish the clear coat. Then I have to wait a few days to sand and buff it smooth. So next episode will be spraying paint, buffing, and making vinyl decals. So hopefully that can all be done in the next week (or two). As soon as this is all done, I am going to take a break from the car to catch up on other videos.

[@HomeGrown9999]

You give me hope for my aw11.

[@mattyred3973]

I’ve been waiting so long for this

[@stephenbello1081]

28:00 The style lines and grooves will consume a lot of time. A quick way out is to make small sanding blocks from the undamaged side of the car that are fibreglass copies of what you are rebuilding. I used fibreglass repair bog or hard modelling clay. Put a layer of masking tape as a release. Mark some reference lines, work your way up from 120 grit. Sounds like extra work but its a faster way out.

[@RetraCast]

That’s actually really smart. But I already did it by hand using my finger to shape it slowly. It did indeed take a long time but I got it pretty good in the end. The only real issue was the end part where it meets the wheel arch, I could replicate the hard round end so it’s more smoothed out than it should be. You’ll see it in the next video

[@stephenbello1081]

8:25 Its a plastic rivet. Same as what is used to hold the boot carpet or radiator trim in place. Unscrew or pop the center screw which is keeping the legs splayed. The rivet body will then release with a pry tool.

[@emanuelsousa1591]

Been wanting to get an MR2 for so long but where I am from they cost upwards of 10k... Its much cheaper just to get one imported which I will probably be doing in the near future. Thanks for the motivation!! :)

[@RetraCast]

Yeah I feel it, that’s why I ended up with such a beater one. But hoping it’ll someday get to be like an actually nice one

[@CuleradiPL]

This channel is perfect. You've got a new subscriber. :)

[@itsdakun]

heck yeah dude!! looks great so far. you’re killing it! keep pushing through, it’ll be so worth it at the end. i wish i had the $$$ to get my own MR2! dream car.

[@harizotoh7]

For me, if I were to restore an old car, I would would upgrade a few systems with modern parts. Use LED lights, modern antennae, modern radio system. Maybe boost the HP a bit.

[@RetraCast]

I am actually looking into doing custom LED strips in the taillights to get a more futuristic look. Depending how complex it is it would be really cool to animate the turn signals too.

[@infinitemoto]

yeeeerp

[@FifiFifi-il1qu]

Hey what did you do with all the extra parts you got for the mr2? Are you going to sell it off? Would you sell me something, if you still have it?

[@taengooo5038]

This is what we’ve been waiting for!!

[@JustMatthew_48]

Good job mate :) You worked really hard. Maybe it will not be a perfect paint job, but car will have soul and you get tons of experience. P.S. perfect video edit as always.

[@RetraCast]

Thanks man. Yeah, in the end I just hope it’s smooth and shiny. It’ll probably have some waviness and scratches from buffing. But as long as it’s not super orange peely or matte, I’ll be happy.

[@JustMatthew_48]

@@RetraCast I think primer is most important for shiny paint cuz every time I didn´t sand primer perfectly i had matt paint, since I sanding primer more patiently, I have shiny paint every time and I painting only with spray so it´s more difficult get nice paint ( I making only local paint repairs on my car so I rather buy some tools or save money than buy relatively expensive compressor )

[@mrfurzzy8867]

FYI on the doors: the entire door harness can just be unplugged from the inside of the cabin and comes off with the door. Much easier than unplugging every clip on the inside of the door panel. There are also a good number of connectors in the engine bay that unclip in the same manner as the power locks. Something to keep in mind for in the future

[@RetraCast]

Yeah I started looking for the other side of the wires but I’d have to remove the whole thing to transfer to the new door anyways. But noted for the clips

[@2ndgameX]

Glad to see you got in contact with Woodsport. They do wonders for the AW11 community. I wish you luck in your continued traverse through sandpaper purgatory.

[@RetraCast]

I hate sand paper. I will forever have trauma when I see it now.

[@ValentineC137]

Awesome to see a new upload right as I finished setting up my car for a few months of storage. You might remember the guy who lost out on buying a rusty MR2, well I got another mid-engined car in the end, an RX-7! Primarily as I found it at almost a steal for it's condition as it's mechanically solid with rebuilt subframes and a less driven engine (81k km vs 178k on car) and somehow effectively rust-less. With a solid bunch of spare parts, primarily focused around the older engine that got pulled, as the previous driving owner had blown it to some capacity. But it's a 1991 blaze red blacktopped convertible Turbo II S5, which if all goes to plan should be registered and drivable by as soon as december, but would probably wait until march to avoid paying taxes on a car sitting in a garage for winter :p As for the condition it's mostly just minor scratches and tiny dents as it was sitting with previous owner in the middle of the garage for 5 years since he wasn't much of a rotor head and was a bit afraid of touching it, which is why I dont have much on how the old engine went and how repairable it might be. But the owner who blew the engine also went a bit too hard one day and went off the road into what we've been told was a cornfield, large paint scuffs along the right side, and some paint got gravel-blasted off near the bottom of the wheelwells. But other than that and minor work like replacing sparkplugs since they sound fouled with the minor delayed-/misfire on a cold start it should be absolutely solid, no signs of any issues have shown themselves and I don't think I've ever felt this motivated about something before, working my ass off at any opportunity I get to do something with it. I just want to thank you as you definetly played a part in the last push to bite down on something! And I wanted to say how I absolutely love these videoes, as they're easily the first thing I click on. I wish the greatest for your MR2 and hope you have a good day, even if you didn't read the story above!

[@RetraCast]

I wish you luck with the rx7! Sounds like a pretty crazy backstory to it hahaha. Hopefully nothing major pops up on you from it. But the swapped engine is promising and cool it’s the turbo too

[@keesjan4255]

Nice video! 👍🏻

[@calebmoss3022]

I’m sure you have figured it out by now, but if you haven’t, the reason your window is only going down part way is probably bc the heat on the motor that bolts to the regulator is missing a few teeth. Had the same issue with mine. You don’t need to take the whole thing out. You can unbolt just the motor and pop the gear off. 2s R Us has a replacement gear that is a bit better than the original for $20.00. There is a you tube video as well that will walk you through it step by step if you search it.

[@maxgarcia7530]

Woooooo baby!! This is what I’ve been waiting for!!!!

[@viseth89]

got an AW11, you are my inspiration, great work!!!

[@henryoppenheimer]

So stoked to see the final product!

[@TheFoxBeach]

Question, any chance you no longer need your manual window assemblies? I’m converting to manual from power windows because I’m tired of blowing gears.

[@RetraCast]

I planned on keeping them if I ever got a chance to convert to manual. But I honestly think I may have damaged one or both while practicing removing them

[@pauldawson9277]

I love watching these. I was thinking about doing a series on my 87 MR2.....

[@pauldawson9277]

@RetraCast hmu on insta and we can MR2 talk. p.dewie.d

[@colinmclellan7154]

Great job, well done! Bodywork can be lonely and frustrating work but you've had the tenacity to keep going and do the job right, so you'll be able to look back at the work you've done with pride. I didn't have the patience to the fix the body work on my AW11 as thoroughly as you have - opted for a quick patch which I'm not happy with, so will need to do it all again soon (properly next time). Well done again. Colin

[@reallygoodcarshow6355]

I can’t wait to see the finished product! I’m glad things are going so well! Another great job man 👍

[@MorikoMWulf]

Been waiting for this update, it's awesome to see things are progressing well, and I'm seriously glad I could help with the side-vent! All that bondo work really paid off too. I'm also surprised that you got sent the Woodsport lip, I think it's the best looking aftermarket option for sure, not too over-the-top but a little more on the sporty/aggressive side. Definitely looking forward to the next video, it really spurs me on to work on my own, especially with all the rust repair I have been doing in the floor pans, and the dread of the rust repair on the windshield frame all in the humid summer heat of Texas. Keep up the awesome work!

[@RetraCast]

Thanks, the side vent was a huge help and it honestly is my favorite part to look at now that it’s all painted. But yeah rust repair is a job I’m glad I have little to deal with (so far. I’m sure more rust will show up). I just now got the woodsport lip fitted and it’s nice but definitely took some work to get straight and even hahaha. No surprise there since my body is definitely not the straightest. I’m about to paint it either tonight or tomorrow