Project Underdog First Drive - Turbo 4AFE Toyota MR2 mk1 AW11 spools up for the first time!

A big thank you to:
www.aemelectronics.com/
www.weldspeed.com.au/
midshipgarage.com/
www.maxpeedingrods.com/
www.mrpltd.co.nz/
A special thank you to my patrons:
Daniel
Pepe
Brian Alvarez
Peter Della Flora
Dave Westwood
Joe C
Zwoa Meda Beda
Toma Marini
Cole Philips
Project underdog is alive! From a bunch of parts scattered around the garage to a living breathing boosting street machine. Building this car is and driving it for the first time is an experience I will never forget. Not that it's anywhere near finished...nor will it ever be :) It's a project car. But a giant milestone has been reached. A completely weird combo of a previously NA Toyota MR2 mk1 aw11 combined with a boosted 2nd gen 4AFE egine and an E51 transmission from a supercharged 4agze mr2 mk1. Half of this car is custom, the other half are parts from a Renault Clio, Alfa Romeos, Audi 100 diesel :) But the combo seems to work really well so far. What a joy. Thank you everyone. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Also, this video has English subtitles you can use because the audio is poor at some spots.
More details about the build: • NA to Turbo - The Ulti...
ECU wiring: • Beginner guide to ECU ...
00:00 Build overview
15:45 Drive
#d4a #projectunderdog

[@d4a]

Big day! The audio is poor in some places but the vid has English subs. Check out the businesses that helped make this build and its content possible: www.aemelectronics.com/ www.weldspeed.com.au/ midshipgarage.com/ www.maxpeedingrods.com/ www.mrpltd.co.nz/ Once more, feel free to ask any questions you might have, or alternatively if you want I can try doing a Q&A video. There will be more content in the future of course, especially regarding the software side of things, since I mostly covered the hardware so far. I also hope to do a proper POV no talking drive soon.

[@fastinradfordable]

Welcome to the boost life Boost school instructor

[@1vend7]

I have a question for someone who wants to turbocharge an engine that doesn't have much aftermarket support like forged pistons, connecting rods etc, is it possible to use parts made for other engines that have the same piston dimensions?

[@teamphashash]

​@@1vend7I have friends who use opel superboss pistons on bmw e30 2.9 conversions so I believe the simple answer is yes.Obviously a lot more research is required on your part.Believe it or not,the old internet forums are very helpful.Most combinations have been discussed for many cars.

[@1vend7]

@@teamphashash hey thank you so much I'll try to research a little more

[@d4a]

As long as parts fit properly with the proper clearance why not, people often use parts from multiple different platforms on a single build

[@StanleyKubick1]

shoutout to maxpeedingrods for making affordable performance parts. your face when you hit boost makes it worth the money

[@claudedottin1312]

A lot of they parts are the same as other parts other companies make

[@TBPony]

​@@claudedottin1312a lot of those MSR turbos are made like that because they are literally made in the same Chinese factory as legitimate brands, just a few things are cheaped out on

[@claudedottin1312]

@@TBPony yes

[@cpawp]

This project cannot be bought - it can only be created, built. Congrratulations!

[@iroekyjHD]

BUILT needs to be a saying equal to BASED

[@Chrisdownsyt]

I mean I got 20k that says your wrong lmao but the satisfaction is unmatched

[@herressen1271]

so happy to see you finally being able to enjoy the mr2. its so nice to see the hard work paying off

[@kundeleczek1]

Dude you are truly car enthusiasts. I can tell by how you talking about it. It is pleasure to watch you. Regards.

[@hisnameisrentoo]

Apart from your engineering abilities, I think that black cat on the engine made a difference. They're great mechanics. I always have mine around when I'm working on my bike, and nothing has gone wrong yet.

[@VaskoG384]

18:05 That was so genuine haha. Amazing build.

[@danielwitham1791]

Some Aussies call flutter a dose or dosing. I Think that's the word you might have been trying to think of. Congratulations on a truly beautiful and epic build 💪👍

[@wobblysauce]

Yep, there is good doss and bad dossing, on lift off = good, with throttle = bad

[@micahreid5553]

In the US its usually called blowoff I think

[@thewagondrifter]

I think its called tsutsutsutsuuuu.

[@DM-wp9vq]

The Squirrel noises

[@PapotsGarage]

Can’t imagine how happy I’am to see you enjoying so much effort finally paying off. Seriously this kind of very uncommon project is what I like the most. All the glitches you didn’t experienced is because of your hard work and experience, please enjoy now ! Congratulations !

[@nerminribic7698]

hahahha the smile says everything. love the new sound! So happy for you to finally have the opportunity to enjoy the car. we should make a new video now 🤔

[@hypocycloidiaspora]

Congratulations for getting Project Underdog on the road, it's great to see that you are clearly having fun and enjoying your MR2. Thanks for taking us along on the ride!

[@madcat4563]

Super exciting, but also happy to see the MR2 again.

[@madcat4563]

I think the Australians call that turbo flutter dose. Mr2 is definitely a project car through and through. I can't wait to see a video about it in the future. Maybe driving in the mountains after you get used to its behaviour.

[@cullum73]

Seeing your face of terror on that first full throttle pull was gold. You're completely right though, those moments after you've put so much work into your car and it's come together and it's everything you've expected and more, those are the reasons we do what we do. Much love man, you worked your ass off for this.

[@alphamegaman8847]

Great Job!👍 Careful with that Right Foot!😁 Nothing like the Sense of Accomplishment you get by doing it yourself, to make all the hard work worth it!🎉 Mike in San Diego.🌞🎸🚀🖖

[@borismatesin]

Clearly a labor of love and a lot of attention to detail, the look on your face when the boost kicked in is PERFECT. Looking forward to more videos about this machine!

[@ahobimo732]

This is genuinely heartwarming. I can only imagine how satisfying it must be to experience the thrill of a high performance vehicle, all the while knowing that you personally built it yourself.

[@magicmaizie2015]

I ran 285hp on a maxpeedingrods gt2871 @12psi on my mk6 fiesta st150, it's still going strong 2 years later

[@noahmckinney2455]

I have a turbo 3sfe and it’s great to see another underdog build.❤️

[@FazedInferno]

I didn't think anyone was turbo'ing 3sfe's! I have a 3sge mr2 it basically everyone says there's no point in doing anything with the na motors

[@amcezm0n3y47]

Ive owned 7 AW11 MR2 cars. One of which I did a 20v 4age silver top swap with the 6speed manual and LSD that came in it from the trueno levin the engine came from. Took a bit of minor fabrication to make the shift linkage work as well as some colling piping custom work here and there. Other than that it was pretty much direct swap. I did have the ecu and had a wiring harness made by phoenix tuning made to help facilitate the ease of the swap. Still to this day one of my favorite cars I have ever driven. These little cars are so underrated.

[@UnfairFrame653]

18:05 A man that enjoys his life 100%

[@nightmarejr]

That first impression from boost fully kicking in is relatable. I can see you containing your excitement

[@Sgemblunx]

My dude living his dream with spaceship made by toyota from the 90s.. What a beautiful dream👌

[@fredericrike5974]

For what it's worth, D4A, this ole motor head is glad you got to here! Many more successes!

[@OPFOR109]

That first drive when everything is working and making power is so good. We feel your joy my man. Well done.

[@gerrievanstaden3416]

I love how it takes seconds after a scared swearing session to saying it is road friendly. This is the best project on KZbin that I have seen.

[@danilaodatunagem7193]

1:33 let's appreciate how fine the engine looks inside the bay. The coil on plug gives such a good look.

[@xXRougeNinjaXx]

Finally it’s almost done! Years in the making!

[@Kapil-Patel]

This has been an amazing journey, thank you for everything you've shared along the way 🙏🏽 hoping to see more boosted driving soon.

[@d4a]

Hey man!!! Long time no see! Thank you!

[@JamesBalazs]

"too good, I'm afraid of how well this is working" I just got my car tuned on a standalone ECU and its the first time it has driven like a nice, proper car for the year I've owned it. I had the exact same thought! Too good to be true, surely it will explode!

[@christokt6038]

@18:06 - That look on your face says it all! Congrats on your build!

[@bakamojojojo]

Congratulations! First drives don't go much better than that.

[@DragonGunzs]

now this is poggers

[@Arrlidge]

Speaking silly for the best reason, actual excitement, pleasure and satisfaction. Great work! Thank you for sharing

[@BeemerBox]

I first thought I missed so many videos. Overview all the way.

[@cornishcat11]

That smile says it all. great build.

[@darrenstone1320]

A magnificent peek into your persona. Humbling to be able to be witness to your first drive. Those final words, just perfect! Thank you. To me this is your best video.

[@d4a]

Thank you so much for the kind words

[@TrueBlueEG8]

love to see a fellow petrolhead smiling with satisfaction😊 fair play man, I hope she gives you years more fun.

[@shawnmungur4875]

As a fellow MR2 owner AND having my GPZ completed, I'm super excited to see that your AW11 running! May it bring you many miles of joy.

[@aaronhall7740]

Epic!! Good to see it going!

[@murrieteacher]

that sounds very nice. And yes, I too love boost.

[@noisemodule]

the joy on your face when it makes boost...💗

[@teamphashash]

Didnt know I was subscribed but it was a pleasant surprise. Thoroughly enjoyed this. I'm in South Africa and had a AE111 corolla with the same engine and man it was fun.Sold it at over 400000km on the clock.Had the lòngest gears ever😂 120km/h on 2nd gear.Welldone on your build.Absolutely love it.

[@lauraiss1027]

I'm a bike guy, still can't remove that grin off my face each time when boost kicks in. Thank you!

[@3dw3dw]

The joy on your face is contagious. Very happy to see you enjoying your project.

[@not12listen]

Those of us that have done swaps, and finally get to enjoy them, know the joy you are experiencing. :) Due to life, I had to sell my project AW11 that I did finish. I'm friends with the current owner, and I'll see if he can make a video of driving it. You'll get to hear a Gen1 3SGE in an AW11.

[@rakashi.workshop]

The joy that brings project cars is on a different level. You can buy your dream car, but it's never going to bring such feelings when you build one. Also, to clean up the engine bay you can get quite cheap silicone end caps from China, but for the first drive, you always have to have one bolt in some vacuum line. 😅

[@mzappas]

Congratulations man! Please post more about the process. We would like to see all about it!

[@becausetrains]

My first car had a 4A-FE (Geo Prizm, rebadged Toyota) but that’s about the only thing it shared with your little monster. Awesome build 😊

[@andylaurel]

Driving4answers about to find out the limit of a 4afe crankshaft. Godspeed sir.

[@dadoVRC]

I know the feeling of hitting the road with a DIY build, even if I had only a Fiat Punto TD at the time. In december 2005 I cracked the head, and in early 2006 I did a huge work on it. New head, some porting, steel head gasket, modified injection pump, bigger turbo (I picked up a perfect IHI VL11 from. Lancia K 2.4 from the scrapyard), new gearbox, wheel hub and axles to accomodate the gearbox of the powerful model of the TD with the internals of the 1.9 from a Dedra, DIY exhaust and so on. It's something shitty compared to an MR2 turbo, but it was satisfactory and with 2.1bar boost even the good old IDI 1.7 engine had something to say.

[@d4a]

Doesn't sound shitty compared to anything if you ask me

[@dadoVRC]

@@d4a Man, we are speaking of two different worlds, the MR2 is another thing compared to a small Diesel citycar like the Punto . However I was proud of it (and it leaves behind some more powerful cars), it was my "on the road experiment" for eleven years, bought it in 2001 when I was 20 and demolished in 2012 with more than 285,000km. I like your work, cheers from Italy!

[@Roarman57]

I’m so happy for you 🎉 the excitement on your face is awesome!

[@Derpynewb]

23:20 The momment it finally clicked what joyous monster youve created. Felt good but dangerous i assume. Cant wait to see it tuned correctly.

[@Miles64k]

Build Chapter is coming to a close, and Driving chapter has just started!! This is one scary MR2 and I Absolutely Love it!!

[@thepaperboy9009]

"....the suspension ... hasn't been aligned... and I removed some things... so...I'm not sure about anything...." 🤣 keep at bro! Congrats. Happy for your milestone.

[@craiglamb9029]

Man it's been a long time coming. The boost noises it makes sound amazing. Your excitement is contagious, I'm excited for you! Good stuff.

[@JVonk]

I love the smile on your face when feeling the boost for the first time! Anyway, I learn a lot from your channel, always waiting for the next video.

[@nftminter7922]

That first boost smile is the best!🎉

[@mrd.808]

Awesome, you shared your trial and error(s) and solution(s). 🤙🏽

[@JustinPivinski-cm2rh]

Congratulations, I'm happy for you. I know its a great feeling to go out on the first drive.

[@wobblysauce]

Memories are made like this… fun times ahead

[@ksgcSadic]

I so understand your feelings, I went from na 7m supra to 1jz and first turbo sounds and bov sounds were so addincting. After 3 years I still go on/off gas just bov and spoolup sounds

[@Saabspeedmaniac2k6]

You had what my wife calls a "car smile". I get those when I get my car back on the road. Run it hard, repair, repeat lol. Also I used to be a n/a guy, but once I got a turbo I couldn't go back haha.

[@mod.ts76]

Big day indeed! Long time coming!!!

[@dariusjarmantavicius4968]

Congratulations. Glad to see you enjoying your project 😊

[@Spoonifyable]

Congratulations on making it to this point! You have the turbo grin now, you couldn't stop smiling during the first drive and that's great to see.

[@Sezon-xn9lp]

I was laughing with you like I was sitting in the passenger seat. Knowing exactly the feeling you experienced🙂. I am myself working on a similar underdog project with an old Volvo s60 from year 2002. The engine (5 cylinder) is only the 2.0l low pressure turbo (7-8 psi at the moment). Getting it ready for tuning....not as nearly as complicated as your build but still enjoying every minute of it. I did already: NGK iridium spark plugs, Hella coil packs, Dual mass flywheel, clutch plate, pressure plate, slave cylinder, camshaft seals, exhaust CVVT hub cleaning(freeing up as it was stuck/not working properly) Retiming engine, Cold air intake in progress, exhaust also in progress at the time of writing, MAC 3 port electronic boost controller, new compressor bypass valve with upgraded membrane and spring, ALL vacuum hoses (and those little inline one way valves) replaced, both belt tensioners, new auxiliary belt, (I have the cam belt and water pump ready to be done very soon), ceramic brake pads and brake caliper rebuild kit, front and rear shock absorbers, front anti roll bar+ drop links, front lower wish bones, boost pipes/hoses done to hold boost properly😏 I recently dropped the oil sump-cleaned it and replaced all oil seals, Complete new positive crankcase ventilation system installed. I watched I think almost every of your videos.... love listening the way you explain things... learnt a lot from you. Thank you for running this awesome channel. I would love to have your opinion on what can I do to the Volvo if you have the time for a quick advice. Good luck finishing the MR2....

[@danman2001]

Bro, nothing beats that first feeling of that first drive!

[@toothy]

about to start my own gen1 MR2 project. thank you for inspiration & information

[@tea.earlgrey-hot]

Best channel ever! I had an ‘87 and I regret selling that car every time I drive

[@specforged5651]

The hand animation with this guy is second to none! He cracks me up! Has some great videos too!

[@Onlineghost2ohm]

The MR2 S20 NA was the 1st car I learned how to drive a 5-spd. At the time it was the most fun I had driving ever!!! It handled great & for a 16 year old; was my ticket for “A need for Speed”. Eventually got into motorcycles & eventually “Litre Bikes” & soon Turbocharged my CBR929RR. 4psi at SWB 180whp 90twq. Yeah I miss it dearly….great channel btw.

[@fila1445]

Jeez i was about 7 when Summer Jam by Underdog project come out 😂 When ive build my 205 first song i played was „My Hooptie” by sir mix-a-lot 😊

[@MikeF055]

Great of you to let us follow along with your dreams. Keep it up!

[@Formula1-Dave]

Years! We've been following this project for years 👌😍

[@kaminoshi713]

“I removed somethings, I am not sure about anything” I feel that.

[@rokas8594]

Even though your put your battery positive wire into a plastic tube, you should also add a fuse (like 150A, depends on your electrical system) as close to the battery physically as possible. It costs next to nothing, but if you have an accident and the wire is squished under the car, you might get a fire as well.

[@justharryjohnson7250]

I love this video. The passion and excitement is very nice to feel through the video. Your audio was great, considering you are driving an older car.

[@DaveWilliamsj]

The summary was a perfect encapsulation of why this work is so good. The car is a collection of stories that can't be bought.

[@SomeOne-mx2ro]

Congratulations, you made it

[@felixjones9198]

So happy for you brother!

[@jvogler_art4708]

i really liked the gopro over the shoulder view. when the engine is more broken in i'd love to see a slightly more aggressive cruise from that view if you could.

[@reneneron2971]

So glad to see you have the car running. Congrats!

[@richjone9951]

Some of us who are not lucky enough to be as skilled & talented as you are are living vicariously through you & your great MR2 project!😊

[@joshbrennan8545]

Fantastic to see you enjoying your creation mate. Take care and keep it coming.

[@pascal-tg4qt]

Hey fellow, Yours is the very rare channels, not some but all of whose content i swallow immedieately. Very intelligent, very easy to digest and fun to watch, to me, being a senior engineer and car enthusiast. Congrats, sincerely!

[@apexbender]

I find myself smiling so hard for you! So happy for you!

[@alejandro52612]

Yessssss I’ve been following this build since the cylinder head porting video!!! Love it!!! 😎😎😎👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@dimikraa1135]

thank you for sharing these moments with us! im so happy to see you enjoy your hard work!😊👍

[@KCDrives]

What an excellent turnout! These last few weeks I've been really wanting this video and it has come earlier than expected!

[@snaggletoof1927]

Major congrats on the project!

[@amgguy4319]

Great to see it all come together and how gratified you were. 👏 👏

[@TOTALGRAND]

I remember when you started To build it for boost so happy to see it done 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 congratulations man

[@archerfighter438]

This was so awesome to experience. Thanks for taking your viewers along with you! So much work for SO MUCH reward!!

[@rbulgari]

Congratulations on the project! Happy to see how happy you got!

[@overstack7128]

That boost feels incredible, can't wait to see it on a dyno to see the power curve !

[@danman2001]

This is so sweet to see! I recently did a fun 4age swapped Caterham 7 roadster for a friend running the VW coils and a full wiring harness from scratch and street tuned via Microsquirt ECU. These engines are great!

[@diestar1]

congratulations! long time coming

[@ec3489]

Awh man, so a joy watching this video. I think we all feel the same way when taking your newly finished project for its first drive. Love the fact that you shared your first drive with us. I’ve been waiting for this. Congratulations, car is awesome

[@slightlyinsaneraf]

Congrats bro! Good to see it working and boosting! Glad you happy with it!

[@GeoffSeeley]

I saw the moment when you got addicted to boost. Congratulations!