Hiro Protagonist

you still get people wondering where the middle seatbelt is, even when you explain it to them....

Just thought that I'd add that there are more pictures HERE, although the focus is on my 102 rather than the g/f's 55

Much prefer the JDM look to big thin spoky wheels (like ROH Adrenalins) or chromies....

After many months of hesitation, lazyness, prodding from the g/f, and other factors, I have finally gotten around to buying a set of wheels for Charlene (Full Metal Jacket/Simpsons reference), my 102. Outside The Caves, parked next to Billie the 55 Took her down to the foreshore again with Billie for another photoshoot Reprezentin' in da hood Large amout of space in the front wheel-wells indicated un-lowered car.......suspension is next on the list Much lower at the rear due to boot being packed full with 4 stockies + tyres G/F is bored and wants to go home.....

C52 also came out behind the 7AFE in the AE102 and AE112

So are those headlights the aforementioned Hilux lamps or specifically for ke30/55s? interested in a pair in the long run, the 55's lights aren't the best in the world at the moment

People look at the KE55 all the time, mainly because it's so god-damn loud (but not fast). Still, the looks appear to be positive The 102 is getting more looks now, mainly because of the shiny new wheels and the aftermarket projector/halo headlights (which I always keep on, even during the day)

The 55 already had inertia-reel belts installed in the back when I bought it (2 only, so it's technically a four-seater), and replaced both front seatbelts with ones from a wrecker without worrying about engineering or anything like that, and she passed rego with no questions asked.

Best thing to do when trying to take the oil filter out is to get in with a filter removal tool and crack the seal whilst the engine is COLD. Oil changes are best done on a warm engine, so do this first before you crack the sump bolt and drain the oil. In addition, working from under the car is much easier, especially if you have small hands. You'll most likely need to take the slashguards off, and any oil still trapped in the filter is likely to spill as soon as you take it off, but it should be much easier than trying to squeeze your hand down past the manifold from above. Finally, if all hope seems lost and you can't for the life of you unscrew the filter, jam a flat-bladed screwdriver through it and use that to crack the seal. A few more tips for installing, too; Always make sure the sealing washer came off with the old filter, otherwise you'll have a major oil leak. Smear fresh oil onto the sealing washer of the new filter, and maybe even pour a tiny bit of oil into the filter first (some people don't recommend this, as it means the first bit of oil through the engine won't have been filtered). Never do up the filter all the way, as it makes it a bugger to get off next time. Toyota recommends doing it up until you can feel the sealing washer starting to squash, then another half-turn or so. DON'T screw that thing in until it stops.

I can't remember the exact details, but I'm sure I remember seeing stuff about a 500 (another name for the Bambino) drag car with a 350 Chev V8 in it years and years ago. Now THAT thing would have gone like the clappers

Billie (our 55) has effectively got a straight through exhaust, just a huge-ass cannon on the back that I think does SFA to lowering the sound. Gave me quite a shock when I stuck my head under there and just saw a long unbroken pipe running straight from the exhaust manifold to the back of the car. The guy I bought it off said he did it as practice for a project he was working on, and everything has held up fine (plus it passed rego, although I doubt the EPA would like it). As for performance gain, wouldn't have a clue as I haven't driven the car with a stock exhaust, but considering the minimal amount of power in a K series anyway, and the big restriction of the 8V non-crossflow head, I seriously doubt there is a lot of power locked away in the exhaust

goodo, the ones I've got on the MA61 wheels are 195/65/14, so they are only a tiny bit bigger

I think those are Soarer wheels actually, 15" and a bit flatter than MA61 wheels, but do you know what size tyres are on them Xany? I'm thinking the OD will cause more dramas than width/offset

How would they go for fitting? Just getting an idea before I try and do it later this week IRT all: MA61 wheels are worth about $300 for the set, people are selling them by the bucketload on Toymods

How about 14x7 195/65 MA61 Supra rims? +8 offset as opposed to the +20 standard for the KE55

There's nothing wrong with AKAI as a brand, had an AKAI VCR for years and it has never skipped a beat (apart from the couple of times that it has ripped the tape out, but that was because of problems with the tapes not the VCR). However, the head deck does seem to be a rather old one, and not a very good one at that. No clock, rheostat for radio tuning, doesn't remember settings, only turns on when car is in ON not ACC (pretty sure this is a wiring thing though)...

Entirely possible, it's an AKAI with an extremely dodgy install (came with the car). Got a Kenwood MP3 head unit, 4" and 6x9"s waiting to go in as we speak

Agreed on the alternator issue, the headlights, stereo and interior lights in our 55 flare whenever the car is idling, and (possibly completely unrelated) the CD player will skip whenever the left indicator is used.

It may be a piece of history, but they seem to be coming up with "new" versions of it all the time. The throat slitting motion is one of these, and has dubious background and reason for being included. I personally think the Haka was ruined when they stopped doing the jump at the end, as well as when Tane Randall would go out the front of the whole team and lead by example. And the push isn't for the Haka itself to be removed, but some of the violent images within it to be toned down or removed (it IS a war dance afterall).

I've seen an indicated 200 in the AE102, completely stock. Now, you'd expect a fair bit of error at this speed, but I was almost smack on redline and doing the calcs from 5th gear, final drive and tyre size it would have been only 5km/h out or so

Strengthen the rods and the crank will be the next thing to go. With a little bit of work, and keeping within sane rev limits, you should easily be able to keep up with bigport twinkies and SXs, but smallports will still pull away. However, come hill-time and you should have an advantage from the torque

Don't count on it, European fuels are better than Australian ones (check out Euro diesels, for example), and I'd doubt that the poorer countries would have Ultimate or the like readily available or controlled, so there can be marked differences between fuels in different countries.

4AGE, either smallport, bigport or either of the 20V (silvertop, blacktop) heads are what you want, but be warned that you'll need new timing belts (Porsche 944 ones fit for the smallport head, I believe, no idea for the 20Vs), as well as relocating things that hang off the head. It's been done a fair bit before though, so you're not exactly breaking new ground, apart from the fact that you're keeping it in a 112 (usually gets done in AE86s or 92/101/111 Levins)

As it's a AE112, it'll have the 7AFE engine (unless it's the limited edition Sportivo Turbo, in which it's still a 7AFE but with a turbo added). Not much exists for 7AFE engine internals, so most gains are going to be made in exhaust and intake, albeit minor. If you want serious power out of them you'll have to go the GE head route, which involves either a smallport or 20V head, plus or minus a turbocharger. None of the cams that you can get for 4AGE engines will fit the 7AFE head, and stronger rods are extremely expensive and hard to find

Sure, it's still a boat anchor, but one with 3 times the power of the 4K boat-anchor