Thanks for the info, Scott... I'll do a bit of searching and see if there are any MR2's of those model years available... sounds like if you can find the part you've solved a big part of the problem as long as adapting it to work isn't too problematic and a conversion to rack and pinion steering isn't required too (is it?)

As for your "alternative source" do you mean source for the MR2 part or something else entirely that will work?
I'm off to Craigslist to try to find a wrecked MR2... wish me luck!

Thanks for the info... oh and thanks to oldsoul too for the warnings of not doing your homework enough! I'll do a lot more research or talk to people who know before I attempt this!

~Trev