This is my low and stiff Corolla for trackdays, autocross, and paved backroads fun. I have put a lot of effort and aftermarket parts into suspension work, and a few bolt-ons for the engine. It is lightweight, responsive, and loves to hassle bigger cars through the twisties! My goal has been to enhance the performance envelope a bit without losing out on driveability or streetability too much. I want light weight and a simple aesthetic with a spectacular overall driving experience and I am pleased with the results so far. Highlights include: -TRD Japan fiberglass hatch and spoiler with lexan window for weight savings -Carbon fiber hood and Japanese bumpers (not pictured) for further weight savings -Lightweight battery for weight savings -Adjustable aluminum suspension arms, heim-jointed one end, hard bushing at the other end for weight savings and handling response without rattling loose any fillings -Homemade short shifter and various body braces -TRD Japan roadrace shocks and springs -Traction brackets to relocate the rear lower control arms and roll center adjusters to relocate the front control arms after lowering -TRD hard bushings wherever there aren’t heim joints -A small dose of negative camber up front and zero toe for great turn-in -Braided brake lines and high performance pads -4-2-1 header, exhaust, Injen intake, and power steering delete to wake the engine up a little bit and further shave the weight -Nardi deep-dish steering wheel for a bit of interior dress-up and a better driving position
The other bit of progress is the acquisition of a pair of used aero mirrors …
Next I got the old sloppy stock mount replaced with a TRD hard rubber mount. …
Here is another view of the final drive after hours with a tiny grinding bit …
Here is my new Toyota OE 4.3 final drive with a my gear deburring going …
I have always wanted to remove it, but figured that the car worked, and the …
Looking inside we can see the new manual steering column which I swapped over, as …
Here’s a peek at the underside, showing the new outer tie rods, adjustable at the …
Here’s the other side of the engine mockup and steering/crossmember install. There are a lot …
Here you can see the engine has been dropped in for mockup and detail work …
I traded in my old crusty and oil-soaked alternator for a Toyota remanufactured unit, which …
The final bit of progress is on the intake side of things. With help from …
I also found a spot to put my new smaller oil temp sensor which will …
A peek at the inside; you can just see the port-match…sort of…:)
I finished the plywood intake spacer/heat insulator. It is fully port-matched on both the manifold …
After some more reading and thinking, I am going to make my own airbox over …
I’ve been working on getting the ITB->intake manifold->spacer->cylinder head doweled to keep everything lined up …
Long time, no update! I have been chipping away at a little work here and …
I’ve made some more progress with another round of detail work on the engine. As …
A lot of the rest of my work lately has been on plumbing. Thankfully, a …
I really like the idea of insulating the intake manifold and ITBs from the heat …
Down to the detail work on engine assembly, AKA the fun stuff! :D The backing …
I got the new camshaft oil seals installed, as well as the back timing belt …
It feels good to see it starting to come together after taking it apart for …
The oil pump is back on, the sump and windage tray are back on, the …
I know have a huge box full of wiring harness, ECU, ignition coils, injector drivers, …
I don’t just want to get the mechanical stuff in order with this new engine; …
Here is a look at the top of the rotating assembly. The high-compression forged pistons …
Here’s the bottom end…I opened it up just out of curiousity. Everything looks great and …
Since the engine was rebuilt only a couple thousand miles ago, there isn’t much that …
I started re-assembly of the engine today…I had it stripped down to a shortblock just …
Well, I no longer have the patience and funds for my rally car project, or …
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