Hiro Protagonist

It's not the cam kicking in, it's the TVIS opening

Yes the bonnet hitting the wiper arms is common, it's a manufacturing defect. It can be fixed by either spacing up the bonnet on washers (but then you don't get a clean shut-line), or you can fix it by fitting early Camry wiper arms (SV11, the original liftback Camry). And 86/88kw (not 80 :P) AE82s are reasonably common, they're getting harder to find in decent condition though.

One of my favourite episodes I must say...

Ahh the old "divide by zero" logical fallacy.....for those who aren't aware, the problem is in the stage where you divide by (a-b), which seems fine until you remember that a=b and therefore you are dividing by zero, which destroys the internet, makes baby Jesus cry, and tears the universe a new a-hole.

The 3SGE BEAMS doesn't have "multicam" profiles, it has a single cam profile like pretty much any other car, just with variable valve timing. It's not a VTEC or VVTLi engine where you have a seperate cam profile with extra lift and duration for when up high in the power band, and since the variable valve timing is infinite you won't get that sudden aggressive step change like you do with a VTEC or a 2ZZGE. And remember that whilst the 2JZGE may have ~15-20kw more than the 3S, it is also a rather large 3.0L straight six, thus putting more weight over the front end and quite likely requiring mods to the firewall and tunnel to get it to fit. You can't just look at numbers on a piece of paper or dyno sheet and make decisions based entirely of that. And as an aside, even though you're in a different country with different laws, most of us don't approve of street drag racing - it is dangerous, stupid, and in most places illegal. Take it to the drag strip if you want to face off against your mates.

That's not an Atlantic - for a start the engine is completely wrong, Atlantics were EFI and 16v. As irokin said, it appears to be a Formula Toyota

On several cars that I've had (generally A-series powered) the big fat earth from the battery runs to the gearbox (being FWD cars) which is effectively the same as going to the block. A much smaller earth runs to the chassis to make sure it isn't floating though...

Wow, really is a slow road trip. 11 months on and you still haven't left yet :P

I'm guessing this is just the usual Chinese whispers that happens whenever the RTA makes an announcement in regards to modified cars. There was an announcement a few months ago regarding the overhaul of the engineering scheme, but nowhere did it say that engine conversions would be illegal purple monkey dishwasher.

So you'd recognise where my name comes from then...

I don't get paid 3 weeks in a row all the time.... Stupid monthly pay...

And just swapping in another 4A instead of fixing the current one will most likely be even cheaper again...

The engines in the MA61/MA70 Supras (5MGE 2.8L, 7MGE 3.0L) are way better than the L-series, both were DOHC and crossflow (the L-series was neither), and the 7MGE was 24-valve as well. If you wanted to replicate the design and figures of an L28 in a Toyota engine you'd have to drop down to the 5M-E (which we unfortunately got in the Australian MA61 instead of the 5MGE, but at least it was still crossflow), at which point you might as well not bother.

Not as up to speed on the RWD t/b compared to the FWD ones, but it does appear that the coolant lines aren't hooked up to the throttle body, which could be the cause of all your drama

4ACs are a dime a dozen especially in FWD layout (every AE8x Corolla except for the SE and Twincam was sold with one, and they sold by the thousands), can't really imagine them being "hard to find". And if they are, then it'll only be harder trying to find a 4AGE or GZE...

1UZs are plenty affordable, the later ones came with VVTi and are awesomely good for their size.

Does it always idle that high or only when cold? If it is only when cold, then believe it or not it is actually normal (or close to normal). 4AGEs tend to idle at about ~2000rpm when cold, as the engine and coolant warm up the heat melts a wax pellet in the throttle body and closes off the idle bypass valve which is on the underside of the throttle body (and has two coolant lines running to it). If that valve is faulty, missing or not connected properly, you will have high idle issues all the time. Also, if the idle intermittently jumps between 1-2000rpm, then you most likely have an air bubble in the cooling system, which tends to collect in the idle valve and cause the valve to not accurately follow the temperature of the coolant, causing it to open and close randomly.

Dang, non-verticalised oil filler neck is a blemish on an otherwise awesome engine...got to love RWD-converted GenI 3SGEs...

Technicall the glass is the lens (and thus convex) :P The concave bit is the reflector

Had another check and you can just see through AE102 in the work carpark, must be a year or so old because its still got the original plates on it..

Street View of my parent's place used to show both the AE102 and the KE55, they've updated the shots recently so now all you see is a Camry and MR2 (which isn't theirs)

96kw is what is claimed for the JDM-spec AE86 bigports on Japanese fuel and power ratings, Australian-delivered FWD ones were 86kw (bluetop 3-rib, Series 1 and 2) or 88kw (red/blacktop 7-rib, Series 3), although a lot of places don't recognise a Series 3 (it was visually very similar to the Series 2, and very short-lived as a runout model as Japan had switched to the 7-rib bigport AE92). Oh, and Phil's website is a little out-dated....note that it hasn't been updated in over 11 years, a lot of information has been discovered in that time :P

AE82s don't have 96kw standard :P It's either 86 or 88....

WGMG - well, seems like the inevitable has happened and the top radiator tank on the Snoarer has finally split.....been weeping for a while now but haven't gotten around to getting it fixed properly (got a bunch of stuff to get done before rego and it was on the list), only to have Cara ring me on her way to work this morning to tell me about the cloud of steam coming from under the bonnet.... Damage to the hip-pocket for a new top tank doesn't seem too bad (~$250) but we'll be without the car for a day or so, thinking an alloy one will be on the cards for Christmas :D

Buy two cars - one of each style, and drive them on alternate days...:P