snotyellowke55

Getting along slowly man. I declared war on poo brown - this weekend has / is seeing the interior go from its 80's drab to black carpet, black dash (from silver), black door trims, and tan seats. Also adding 2x amps and 2x 10" subs. Hopefully any rust left in the boot will now flake off lol. Still tinkering with the idea of fender flares... Blew a front tyre last weekend due to guard scrapage so its time I did something with it. Or I could always go down the camber route... But I'm aready suffering premature tyre wear. I didn't see you either amongst the 22,000 people :P Was a mad weekend

A little tinkering here and there - moved head unit down to the centre console above shifter (hated the bling factor of the alpine deck in my face), VHT dyed door trims satin black, vht dying (in progress) rear and drivers seat tan, sourced a good passenger seat to be dyed tan, new black carpet (war declared on poo brown basically), and spraying silver trims on dash black / fibreglassing in the bloody big hole which used to be there for the head unit. Wired in a 4x200rms amp for the speakers, and 2x10" subs. Also adding some billet window winders and some pure white LEDs in the cluster to rid the dull green, and carpeting the rear parcel shelf. Amazing what a few hundred bucks can result in - a completely retrimmed interior (albeit with original vinyl, but looks good as new and smells fresh), a killer system, and less of the 80's factor. Love the 80's body styling, but the interior colour schemes - not so much... Also considering the possibility of bolt-on flares before the car sees a full respray (in the original 'buff' yellow, but I'm thinking matte finish...) Progress pics to come.

Hells yeah, looking good mate

2pak? man it looks great, is that how it sat straight off the gun?

I've got a spare set of KE55 LCAs, happy to offload them for a decent price

Mate that thing is balls tough. I had originally sought out to include more Japanese parts, such as some bullet fender mirrors just like the TE replica above, and a JDM grille, but unfortunately my plans changed - I have focussed more on the Soarer, considering it is actually an import and parts are more plentiful (and more affordable) than rolla parts. Instead of splurging out on the said mirrors, it was more preferable to spend $30 on some Thai replicas and spend the savings on some genuine origin +20mm front guards, front bar and some tein coilovers, all of which are en route :happy: I should really rename the thread "my snotbox I have experimented/played around with" but true to my original inspiration I sprayed my AE82 seca rear wing and test fitted it as a splitter - looks sweet. The front has already been dropped 3" and any more would lead to guard scrapage, so more rubber might be on the cards. The rear still needs to be slammed so hopefully it'll have a more aggressive stance with the addition of those 2 mods. Do I spot Watanabes or are they Rotas?

Thought I saw on facie you had won an award, well deserved man. Can't wait to see it on the road next

Thanks man, will push on with the mods once I get this carby sorted. Choke and throttle cable issues, so I'll pull the thing out and start from scratch - looks like the previous owner had messed around with it a fair bit without knowing what he was doing. The cutoff wiring to the carby decided to tear itself out of the clip also - dodgy old classic wiring. Will replace with a male and female clip and some sleeving and see how it goes. Hopefully tomorrow after a coolant flush, thermostat change and new exhaust gasket it'll be good to go, and on with the mods :)

Following your thread intensely Spencer, my first car was an Aus-delivered AW11, I miss that car more than any other. It was Overrated, white, lowered 2" on Momo Ferraris, Momo twirler, pedals, and gearknob, and mechanically stock. My biggest regret was never seeing any track work - but at 17 that was all done of a weekend over Mt Wellington and Grasstree Hill (Targa Tasmania stage) :happy: Can't wait to see how this project finishes up, just don't let it finish upside down in a ditch, as my AW11 did at the hands of its new owner, 2 weeks after sale.

Just a quick update. Whilst I'm not losing faith or interest in this project, I will consider wrapping it up soon as I start legal practice in two week. For now, an unforeseen hold-up. Last week driving home I ended up stranded, though luckily one street down from my house. Initially I thought the worst - head gasket - as a mountain of steam poured out the back of my car and the temperature gauge rose. Being the preventative, pedantic driver I am, having had bad past experiences with my Soarer and Bluebird, the latter car rendered ruined due to overheating, and a warped head + block, I switched the car off immediately, and babied it home with a mate and a tow rope. The initial diagnosis proved wrong - the head is still perfectly sealed, and I was dumbfounded as to why there was in fact steam coming out of the engine bay rather than being combusted, not to mention the car was not holding water whatsoever, even whilst switched off. I then discovered water leaking onto the starter motor, and dripping down directly onto the exhaust. Using a mirror, I found the cause of my problems - a leaky and badly corroded welsh plug. Not content with the prospect of paying a silly amount of labor to have a $3 part replaced, I went and bought 3x35mm plugs, and 3x45mm plugs, and some loctite sealant, and removed the carburettor, and manifolds (all on the passenger side). Most of the time when a welsh plug goes, it is an engine-out job, but the beaty of the '55 is the 4K is so damn small, ample room is left for bashing out the old plugs, and replacing them. A few hours, and a lot of swearing and cursing saw the carb and manifolds off, plugs replaced, and car up and running once more. Next stop, VHT dye the interior matte black, a custom LED + stickerbombed dash facia (tastefully I assure you, and on a spare facia so it can be replaced with a stockie), LED cluster conversion, and maybe then I'll consider prepping my beast for sale. I have another project in mind in the very near future - the words Lexus, GS300, and VIP are relevant here :cool:

Bro you would have had a good run today yeah? Weather is insane (for Hobart). Looking great. I've only just finished replacing the welsh plugs in my damn '55. As you would have learnt, whilst the engine is out, replace everything in sight.

I would use rubber line but there is a 2-nut system (one for the connection, one for loosening the line), plus I wouldnt trust it if the stockie was steel - instant fire. I might head down to a local hose manufacturer and see what they can do, prefer stock item. I put a WTB up anyway

Hey all, Desperately chasing a fuel line for my KE55/4K-C (the metal line which runs from the pump to the carby) - mine was kinked and split from a half turn of a socket when removing my carby today. Desperately in need of this part - prefer new so part numbers would be great. Cheers

Still? I know he crashed near the outlet but I'd have thought he would have fixed it by now :hmm: Tidy hachis there too. What's with Malaysia and KExx parts? Half my car is Malaysian now. Liking the plans, function over form (unlike my '55 so far, haha). Good thing is nobody will be the wiser about the 3tc - aside the stickers it looks pretty stockish. Keeping my eye on this man, no doubt I'll see it around

Mate that wouldn't be Howlett's AE86 I spot there would it? Looking good man, good to see some local KSevs being built tastefully instead of becoming bogan missiles.

Mate that wouldn't be Howlett's AE86 I spot there would it? Looking good man, good to see some local KSevs being built tastefully instead of becoming bogan missiles.

Time to revive this thread! Now I have finished my final exams and I've finally graduated, I have had the opportunity to get some serious work done. The '55 now sits 3" lower in the front thanks to some recompressed Pedders sports rider springs. The front guards and beaver panel have also been resprayed in the original Toyota 'AZ / buff'. I also had the chance to install some fender mirrors while the guards were off. It is really beginning to look the part (finally) with the new stance, and now that the car is actually the one colour. The next mod is truly a love or hate thing. I picked up a KE30 rear bar for $5, though I probably paid $4.95 too much for it. Described to me first as "surface rust" before pickup, when it came to purchasing the bar, it featured rust holes the size of a 50c piece, hardly any decent chrome to speak of, deep scratches, random paint, and general neglect. So where's the attraction? - It was straight (at least structurally). It was beyond repair, and could never be brought back to its former glory, but I thought I could do something with it. With some rust-kill, spot welding and filler, primer, a red basecoat, 20 sheets of "JDM EBay special" stickers/decals, and about 3 layers of clearcoat, I had a go at "stickerbombing" - a major love/hate trend, I'll admit, but I am of the opinion it can be done tastefully. Here's the result: It is a love/hate thing indeed. It might look out of place now, but it will suit the overall look of the car eventually... Still beats the stock bar with ruined end caps, or a KE30 bar full of rust. I've given up on finding overrated KE30 bars - it simply will not happen :cool: Next up: Lower the rear with the 3" blocks so it doesnt look like a flatbed. Rear guards still need a lot of work, but that'll happen in good time.

Thanks dude, Tore my front end apart today for painting so looks like I'll get the chance to compare the stockies with the KE20 ones tomorrow night. If that fails, I'll be keen for the sigmas. I'll let you know ASAP. Cheers! :wink:

Mine does it too, seems characteristic of 4Ks. I thought tappets but obviously I'm mistaken? Maybe it was a factory option :dance:

Thanks fellas. Will try my luck with the KE20 ones when I get a moment to tear my front end apart for comparisons sake, as theyre sitting on the garage floor anyway, otherwise its Sigmas

Hey all, I am after a little negative camber for the front of my '55. I am aware Sigma LCAs do the trick, but I havent been able to source any thus far. I picked up some KE20 LCAs for free and I am told they "should" give around 2 degrees? Can anybody confirm this? I really should just pull mine out and compare but I thought I would run it past you experienced people first off :happy: Cheers!

Any progress on the kit front mate? Still got my JZZ30, might keep it for another 6 months. Got my hands on some origin +25 fenders too so progress will be made :wink:

It has been months since I updated, but rest assured I havent lost faith in the project. Exams are in 2 weeks from now, then graduation, so 3 months off then until I start legal prac and have to start behaving like an adult (a little bit :dance:) Not a great deal has been done regarding mods. Got some pimpin' racks from the tipshop (thule ones too!) - $5 :lolcry: Scored a tranny cooler from an old falcon to use as a front mounted oil cooler And picked up some cheapie airhorns from e-gay and mounted them to strap, just for a bit of fun (and pedestrian scareage!) Finally sorted out some components to lower the car properly - the u-bolts which came with the kit (ke55 specific) were about 10mm too wide either side! Is there a major difference between the borgie and jap diffs? Anyway this is sorted, along with a set of kings. Some short stroke shocks will be on the cards soon so I don't end up rupturing my kidneys everytime I encounter a minor bump

True that. Being a '95 hers would be one of the few which actually have front 'fogs' per se, pre-facelift, as mine is a '91 and they act merely as 'turning lights' (useless aside from blinding pedestrians). Sad truth is that I havent seen many pre-facelift front bars which look the goods. The grilles can be had from luxurymods.com for a fair price considering the US dollar. Fogs are bloody murder wherever you turn though.

I'd be going for the veilside option personally. Not a fan of the front bar too, but if you've got a little time to wait, Soarer Central are having a custom front bar made, based on an Auto Couture kit (US only), but modified more tastefully. A combination of the two would simply be insane. Love that rear wing too