After some more time cleaning I have a car that I don't think will make me ill/filthy to drive.
First this happened:
Then after lots of cleaning with some pretty harsh chemicals, the pressure washer, and lots of elbow grease this happened:
The drivers seat need some stitching on the driver's door bolster and maybe some extra foam, but it is at least not smelly/scuzzy anymore. My daughter thought there was a hole in the drivers floor where the carpet and pad has been worn thru. Time for a junkyard trip this weekend to see if there are any decent donors.
Next step is probably to try and drop it from the stock 5.5 inches of clearance. I may be doing some custom spring perches and sleeves to get it low enough and stiff enough for my preferences. Tires will have to be part of that process too, since there are three brands on the car (at least the two fronts are the same brand) and I recognized all three brands, but not for performance use. I am toying with the idea of a -1" wheel to try and get some acceleration performance from the mighty 4 cylinder.
In reply to stafford1500 :
Nice job on the cleaning
i hear Jeep wheels are the ticket for “short, wide, and 5x114”... dunno about centerbore w.r.t. Toyota?
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
I have a set of wheels I bought at Pomona for $40, at least 15 years ago hanging out with JG's late father-in-law. They are 16in and plenty wide for what I need. If I need to do custom counterbore work, I just have to move stuff out from in front of the lathe... or use the big lathe at work.
pimpm3
UltraDork
7/18/19 8:55 p.m.
I have a set of enkies with 225/45r15 Hoosiers I will see cheap. You would need new rubber for Gastropod which is fine since the Hoosiers are old.
pimpm3
UltraDork
7/18/19 8:59 p.m.
What tires are you thinking for the 16's. I went with the Firestones for my Gastropod entry.
stafford1500 said:
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
I have a set of wheels I bought at Pomona for $40, at least 15 years ago hanging out with JG's late father-in-law. They are 16in and plenty wide for what I need. If I need to do custom counterbore work, I just have to move stuff out from in front of the lathe... or use the big lathe at work.
I use a router with a carbide bit and have different size guide bearings for boring aluminum wheel centers.
So, coming out tomorrow? Trucks already loaded. May even go up to zmax tonight and try drag racing. Untouchable is coming ad well tomorrow.
In reply to pimpm3 :
I have found that Pirelli P Zero Nero GT's are 280 treadwear and I can get a little smaller diameter for gearing, if I stick with the 17 inch wheels on the car (easy button). If I decide to go with a smaller wheel (16 inch is probably the smallest that will fit over the brakes) then I will have to do some more searching. I do have some 15 inch barrels that would need custom centers (10" wide), but those are for another project at this point and I am sure they wont fit over the stock brakes.
Before tires, I have to give the car an abuse test to see what might fail.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Unfortunately, not going to make it out tomorrow. A friend from way back reached out and is going to be in town this weekend, so we are getting together tomorrow.
Not a whole lot of updating. There was some vacation and other stuff that limited time for big modifications.
The new dampers are fitted. The new tire are mounted. The car is cleaned and racking up miles before the drive down to Gainesville. It may or may not have some simple/subtle aero improvements. My daughter had a cool idea for a theme, but that is getting put aside for now. I will get her to help make that theme happen next year, maybe.
I considered cutting the springs for more lower, but decided not to. Instead I have an idea to replace the springs with something more tunable in the future.
Just in case anyone decides they need this car I will have the title with me in Florida...
In reply to stafford1500 :
Fair enough, glad to hear it's ready enough to get to the challenge... I'll keep an eye out for it on the livestream. 
Manual 4cyl Solara. So the slightly crappier version of my already crappy Accord. Intriguing.......
Alright, with the Challenge quickly approaching, I thought I would post up some final prep pictures.
Lets start with this:
Observant viewers will spot some very non-standard aero bits: Splitter (small but funtional), and a spoiler inspired by ProStock cars. Build pics below.
All that is left is to drive down, apply some stickers, and drive the crap out of it.
Looking forward to the weekend!!!
Stampie
UltimaDork
10/21/19 7:09 p.m.
Look forward to seeing you again. Have I told you about the nightmares I have of losing to a Gastropod?
Stampie said:
Look forward to seeing you again. Have I told you about the nightmares I have of losing to a Gastropod?
A Gastropod Jaaaaag haunts your nights
