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I won't get into why I've always wanted a 85-87 Corolla, but I bet you can figure it out. Luckily I could never afford one when this burning desire originally struck, since I would surely have destroyed it (and myself). Now that I'm a grown-rear end man, one would think that such childish ambitions would mature into something reasonable. Maybe a car that's fun yet still semi-practical and not abhorrent to the opposite sex? Nope. Enter stage left a 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-s hatchback, in "panda" black/white. 20v "blacktop" motor, rebuilt transmission, coilovers, rollcage/seats/harnesses. (previous owner's pictures)     After a string of somewhat successful project cars (read: pretty much failed from lack of knowledge/money s13 240sx, e30 325is, etc) and a couple of fixer-upper motorcycles, I finally found myself in a position to acquire and maybe even complete a car I'd always wanted. The biggest issue with AE86 Corollas is finding one. Adding to the misery is finding a car that isn't rusted out, beat to poo poo, drifted to hell, and tarted all the way up...on the east coast. After paying the Initial-D/drift tax in full, it was mine. Loud, slow, stinky, and broken but all mine. Straight pipe exhaust, broken e-brake (parked on a hill the FIRST stop for lunch), broken speedo, broken tach, the list is endless. Home sweet home.  Like all fun 80's cars, this one had seen some poo poo. In no time it had assumed the position.  That was December 2012. Much more to come... TheLarson fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 19:37 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 02:52 |
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| # ? May 19, 2013 02:37 |
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What a score, enjoy that! This will be a good thread. Any plans for racing or AutoX?
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 03:11 |
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Believe it or not, I didn't buy this car with the intention to drift. My goal is a fun, light, reliable, RWD car that I can improve my "skills" with. That said, I'm sure there will be all sorts of foolishness afoot in short order. Once this thing was back in the garage and up on jack stands, the discovery process began. Like all used cars, this corolla had some secrets... The good: -20v "blacktop" motor in great running condition, revs off the end of the factory tachometer (9000rpm red line). -"Rebuilt" transmission, no paper work but it shifts great. -BC Racing coilovers, not the greatest but supposedly a good baseline. -Roll cage (rear section) with proper welds, boxing, gusseting, and rear suspension re-enforcement. -"Bride" seats which I'm 90% sure are replicas paired with actual 4-point harnesses. -Nardi wheel, detachable steering hub, working horn. -Stainless lines, velocity stacks, koyo radiator, misc suspension and re-enforcement bars. -Working power windows, sunroof, mirrors, and steering. -JDM zenki front bumper w/ Trueno badge (+15 horsepower) -20v 4age service manual and correct Haynes manual -Recent oil cooler, rad hoses, new starter, The Bad: -Frankenstein exhaust, complete with butchered Chinese headers. -Dead tach, dead speedo, lovely alarm system, and stereo job that would make a third grader proud. -Welded diff, original rubber bushings as far as the eye could see. -Removed rear wiper, coolant overflow, windshield washer reservoir, and AC. -Over spray, a little rust, and seized/sheered bolts everywhere. The Progress: I didn't waste any time getting this car's issues sorted out. I've found that I can't enjoy a car until I trust it. Unfortunately, this means tearing into every part of this car until I'm sure it's not going to kill me out of sheer neglect on the previous owner(s) part. Speedometer? Fixed. (seized/ground speedo gear, flushed trans with Mobil while I was down there)  Exhaust? Fixed w/ HKS Hi-Power and another lovely header (non-lovely headers are difficult to find and the fart cannon is required!)   Rear end nonsense? Fixed. I don't have a picture of the Kaaz 2-way SuperQ LSD that went in, but the entire rear axle was stripped and painted w/ new seals, bearings, and brakes. A Whiteline sway bar topped it off since the factory one was physically worn where the roasted rubber bushings had dug into the metal.  Not pictured is new oil, filter (bosch take my money), rear wiper assembly, Techno Toy Tuning short shifter w/ knob, fuel door latch and spring, hatch struts, hatch bar (it was cheap...), e-brake cables, and enough new nuts/bolts/brackets to kill a man. There's still a lot of work to do! TheLarson fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 19:38 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 03:28 |
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Hey, let me know if you need any parts you can't find.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 03:41 |
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ultimateforce posted:Hey, let me know if you need any parts you can't find. Luckily a lot of OEM Toyota parts places still carry the common stuff. RockAuto is there for reman and 3rd party crap. Otherwise I troll club4ag like a full time job. I'll shout if I get hung up on something. Thanks!
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 03:45 |
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More progress (February -> March). The front end of the car is currently undergoing surgery. I've found one thing after another that needs attention. The objective is getting the rest of the polyurethane bushings installed while wire-wheeling and spraying suspension bits. If the front sway bar is as ruined as the rear was, it might also go. I understand the demographic that this car appeals to is usually young and broke which is fine. We all have to start somewhere and I know I hosed up more than one car when I was in the same boat...but god drat there are some hack jobs on this car. Fender bars. These have been on the car for a while (they're a little rusty), but why bother if you aren't going to finish?  I've also been fighting with stuck and sheered bolts all over the car. The rear end went smoothly but the front is a nightmare. Years of road crap have rendered most of the radiator/headlight/bumper bolts into broken stumps. I just finished drilling out the last one (don't get me started about ez-out kits, they're all crap) and I'll be spraying the rad support and shock towers tomorrow. My deck is a spray painted wasteland of miscellaneous brackets. One of the PO's had a fascination with metallic purple, so any part that comes off easy got hit with that paint. The popup headlights were in dire need of some love. Fresh sand and paint w/ new hardware and Raybrig H4 housings (as much as I love sealed beam). We'll see how the "JDM arctic-white 70000000k HIDz" bulbs turn out. Not actually HIDs since the housings are reflector based and I try not to be a jerk.  I'm trying really hard to get this thing up to speed before the weather gets nice. TheLarson fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 19:38 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 03:54 |
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That's a beautiful ae86. I have a friend with a GTS and they are still a blast to drive even for being so old and they can be still quite quick around a Autox course or a smaller road course. You are definitely on the road to have a great handling 86. I think I saw this car for sale on the Ziliva forums awhile back.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 03:59 |
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As a Miata owner, there is only one thing I can say: That guy is not even a local..
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 04:46 |
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As a guy who has owned a couple s13's and has always loved the 86's I'm living vicariously through you. I love seeing a properly done project car.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 09:01 |
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As someone who had cut one to pieces, made a jig for the front suspension, and was beginning to install into a Mazda 323, I will also follow this thread. drat kids and needing running cars. One had to go 
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 13:36 |
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Pretty impressive seeing it come together like that. Amazing how detailed you're getting :-)
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 17:37 |
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Sockington posted:As someone who had cut one to pieces, made a jig for the front suspension, and was beginning to install into a Mazda 323, I will also follow this thread.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 19:41 |
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The weather was nice enough today that I could work with the garage door open. You can see how generally nasty the radiator support had become. This is after I finished drilling out all the ruined bolts. One of the welded captive nuts that held a hood bumper broke clean off...  Some prep/masking and we're off.  As much as I'd love to pull out the motor and do a proper job, this is good enough for now. I wire brushed and spot sprayed a couple of other holes in the radiator and bumper supports as well. Fortunately, the PO found a set of JDM brackets to properly mount the bumper. I replaced all of the bumper hardware, since it's amazing how a few bucks in new bolts can liven the place up. It should look much better when all the wayward wires are buttoned up. No zip ties! Already a big improvement. Mounted the new overflow bottle.  I'm just waiting on a few more odds and ends before I can reassemble the front end. New hood bumpers, hood stand mount, misc clips, and fender supports.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 19:56 |
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So how much power is a motor like that supposed to be making with those upgrades?
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 20:15 |
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Das Volk posted:So how much power is a motor like that supposed to be making with those upgrades? A optioned ae86 (power windows/mirrors/steering/sunroof) originally weighed in at just under 2400lbs. I imagine sans AC and rear interior with a half cage added, it's still somewhere in that area. I haven't logged an awful lot of miles yet, but it's no slouch. TheLarson fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 20:26 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 20:22 |
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I always wanted to see what a properly done one of these would look like, seeing hacks getting peeled off is close enough. I've resigned myself to basically never seeing a stock one. Surprisingly your front end is pretty intact and straight. Weird. Any plans on a security system? I would imagine these things are basically thiefbait city. Are those angles correct for the harness bar? They look a little bit sketchy to me, but maybe it's the angle of the shot. I wouldn't want you to get your spine crushed. 
Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 20:32 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 20:29 |
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Those harnesses are a death trap. Put in a proper 5/6/7 point or go back to OEM 3 point belts. Also what is the angle between the holes in the back of the seat and the bar that the harnesses anchor to? If it's more than ~20* they are a death trap even if they happen to restrain you (they won't). Since the seats don't have the holes for a sub belt you're best off going back to the OEM 3 points. e: I also don't see any references to any kind of certification on the manufacturer's website. Another ding against them. FatCow fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 22:05 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 22:03 |
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It looks like the angle between the shoulder strap holes and the bar is ~45°. According to Schroth, this is acceptable if the seats are designed for it. It's a safe bet that the ones in my car are not. I might look into replacing these seats with reputable ones. The current ones do have a split base cushion that looks like it was designed for an anti-sub strap, but the bucket has no hole for proper pass through to the floor. The belts themselves don't appear to be total garbage, but I don't have much to base this on. They do have an SFI certification and manufacturer date (Feb 2011). Some more digging revealed that SFI produces safety guidelines but doesn't specifically approve products. It's up the manufacturer to certify their own belts and claim SFI compliance on good faith. I may replace these for no other reason than how unarguably purple they are.  Seat Safety Switch posted:Any plans on a security system? I would imagine these things are basically thiefbait city. It's got an ancient alarm system in there now but it's defunct (no remotes, looks like the ignition no longer relies on it). I've considered replacing it but haven't investigated the options (Lowjack, another alarm, fuel cutoff switch, etc.) It currently lives in a single garage with another car blocking it in. TheLarson fucked around with this message at Mar 10, 2013 around 22:47 |
| # ? Mar 10, 2013 22:43 |
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Anti-sub straps are not optional to make those harnesses safe. Get a 3 point stock style belt if you're not willing to get the strap, any SFI rated harness is at least a 5pt so someone just didn't install it. That harness mounting is not safe, you'd have some serious spinal compression, then slide out the bottom of that harness. When the 'hellaflush' crowd mentions BCs are good, they're total and utter poo poo. Get some Ground Control sleeves with Eibach springs, and run Koni or Bilstein damnpers.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 23:11 |
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Yet another awesome and unique thread in AI. These cars were never on my radar until a few years ago so while I don't hae the rabid fanboy love of them I do appreciate them. Looks pretty great so far man, looking forward to updates.
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| # ? Mar 10, 2013 23:59 |
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DJ Commie posted:When the 'hellaflush' crowd mentions BCs are good, they're total and utter poo poo. Get some Ground Control sleeves with Eibach springs, and run Koni or Bilstein damnpers.
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| # ? Mar 11, 2013 02:04 |
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From one east coast AE86 owner to another one: good luck. At least your example is a clean start and is a factory GT-S. They are fun when they aren't in need of fixing.
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| # ? Mar 11, 2013 02:16 |
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Next time you're out taking pictures can you get a closeup of the ITB's? Are those difficult to manage/tune?
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| # ? Mar 11, 2013 05:33 |
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I've long ago resigned myself to the fact that I'll only be able to own one of these when I'm able to stump up about twice what it's worth. And it'll see have been beaten to hell by a succession of increasingly less careful owners.
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| # ? Mar 11, 2013 14:41 |
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More cleaned up bits. Radiator top brackets, horn/bracket, some relay bracket, and brand new door hinge bolts. Rustoleum black seems to be the order of the day...  The fender bars are assuredly Chinese in origin, but they cleaned up and seem solid enough. The holes (half of them) were drilled into the front inner fender already so I'll remount these. The rest of my progress was halted by a total lack of M8 bolts/nuts in my box. InitialDave posted:I've long ago resigned myself to the fact that I'll only be able to own one of these when I'm able to stump up about twice what it's worth. And it'll see have been beaten to hell by a succession of increasingly less careful owners. Seat Safety Switch posted:It might be a good idea to talk to jamal to see what he can do for you in this respect. He's gotten me some great prices on stuff before.
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| # ? Mar 12, 2013 00:53 |
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There are a lot of people wanting nothing more than a lowered car, so they shouldn't be too hard to sell, partially financing better stuff.
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| # ? Mar 12, 2013 01:08 |
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I'll always remember driving a Sprinter modified for Group A racing - loving thing was a maniac of a car. If you can get it to 160 ATWhp, it'll be a hell of a thing. Even what you have, it's just such a honey of a car to throw into corners.
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| # ? Mar 12, 2013 09:05 |
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That car is a really nice find, stupid hacks that you're currently undoing notwithstanding. My first car was a 1988 EE80 Corolla with a carbed 12v 1.3L that had 75hp on a good day, so I've pretty much always wanted an AE86 (preferable a coupé). Clean examples are obviously complete impossible to find, so far I've been living out my AE86 (with Watanabe RS wheels!) fantasies by driving the Futo GT in GTA IV  I can't wait to see what you can do with this car once it's fully un-hacked and sorted.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2013 12:16 |
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What's the difference between SR-5 and GT-S corollas? Out of curiosity i was looking on the LA Craigslist and it seems a lot of people are posting ads for AE86s when they're SR5s. I thought only the GT-S was an AE86??
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| # ? Mar 13, 2013 13:59 |
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VanNuys posted:What's the difference between SR-5 and GT-S corollas? Out of curiosity i was looking on the LA Craigslist and it seems a lot of people are posting ads for AE86s when they're SR5s. I thought only the GT-S was an AE86?? SR-5 had the carbed 8v 4AC with 87hp, GT-S had the EFI 16v 4AGE with 112hp. Japan and Europe got the 130hp 4AGEU and the 124hp 4AGE, respectively. Both are on the same chassis, but technically the SR-5 is an AE85, because of the less powerful engine, no LSD option, rear drum brakes, different suspension etc. If you're looking to do an engine swap and a suspension+brake upgrade, there won't be much difference whether you get an SR-5 or a GT-S. Especially since you probably need to change or at least rebuild the LSD on an AE86 anyway. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at Mar 13, 2013 around 14:39 |
| # ? Mar 13, 2013 14:33 |
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It used to be a big deal to get a GT-S back in the day, but both SR5 and GT-S are going to be beat to poo poo by now so it's a wash.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2013 16:15 |
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KozmoNaut posted:SR-5 had the carbed 8v 4AC with 87hp, GT-S had the EFI 16v 4AGE with 112hp. Japan and Europe got the 130hp 4AGEU and the 124hp 4AGE, respectively. Wasn't the SR5 a live rear axle while the GT-S got IRS as well?
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| # ? Mar 13, 2013 18:25 |
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Negromancer posted:Wasn't the SR5 a live rear axle while the GT-S got IRS as well? Technically, this car has an AE88 vin. I believe all US model GT-S cars had the same, since it's a good way to uncover SR5 -> GT-S conversions. 
TheLarson fucked around with this message at Mar 13, 2013 around 23:58 |
| # ? Mar 13, 2013 23:51 |
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You also need the GT-S bellhousing to mate a your SR-5 transmission to a 4AGE. There's a kit to put a beefier N/A Supra tranny behind a 4A. A local friend has a 1UZ in his AE86. 
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| # ? Mar 14, 2013 01:03 |
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I never got the welded tranny craze. 5-6 years ago I used to be very active with a couple groups here in Vancouver BC and with it being wet or actively raining pretty much every day (our summer was on Thursday this year) you didn't need it at all. Even in the dry you could use weight transfer/clutch kick/ebrake techniques to get the back end out without doing something that makes the car dangerous on wet highway onramps. The one guy I knew back then who had a GT-S was an incredible driver but ended up pushing his entire rear axle 10" to the driver side after it met a curb at 80kph or so in an under-construction parking lot. There was a guy in the city also who had a race prepped GT-S with a fuel cell and everything who actually brought the car over to the nurburgring.
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| # ? Mar 14, 2013 03:34 |
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VelociBacon posted:I never got the welded tranny craze.  Yes, I know it is a joke
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| # ? Mar 14, 2013 04:01 |
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Y'all are getting super buthurt about the belts. Yes, the shoulder straps should probably pass down to the floor, but other than that, a sub-belt is way overkill on the streets, or autocross or whatever.
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| # ? Mar 14, 2013 16:30 |
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Octopus Magic posted:Y'all are getting super buthurt about the belts. Yes, the shoulder straps should probably pass down to the floor, but other than that, a sub-belt is way overkill on the streets, or autocross or whatever. It's more that the angle of the belt to the shoulders is dangerous as it can crush down as the weight of the body moves forward (as I understand it).
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| # ? Mar 14, 2013 21:16 |
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Why back in my day, we only had to have 4 point systems. Yeah I ran 5 points with arm restraints, which I don't see anyone telling him to get.
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| # ? Mar 14, 2013 21:24 |
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| # ? May 19, 2013 02:37 |
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Octopus Magic posted:Y'all are getting super buthurt about the belts. Yes, the shoulder straps should probably pass down to the floor, but other than that, a sub-belt is way overkill on the streets, or autocross or whatever. It's just a bad idea to have harnesses on the street period IMO. I probably wouldn't even use them unless I was wearing a helmet with a HANS either. No longer is the seat belt going to give and let his torso move forward with his head as it contacts the air bag. It's just going to hold his body in place and let his spinal cord snap at his skull as his head whips forward or let him submarine since there are no sub belts  . Likelihood of any of this happening would require a pretty serious crash, sure. Not something I would even want to bother with though on a street car. Larrymer fucked around with this message at Mar 16, 2013 around 22:36 |
| # ? Mar 16, 2013 22:34 |
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