Toddski

Hi All, The Rolla did its first hillclimb yesterday (complete with Rolla Club stickers - thanks Trendact - and GT6.COM stickers - thanks Nick) - it passed scrutineering luckily and behaved itself for the whole meet. Not bad for a stock car with only new shocks and springs and cheap Yokie road rubber. Times weren't great (I've got a lot to learn about driving fast, especially in a FWD), but I had fun. The first meet I raced at I got a best time of 55.41 in a tarmac spec 12A RX7 - this was my second ever meet and I got a best time of 58.39. Think a decent Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar is on the cards. No dramas at the meet, only on the way there - the slide control for the heater (cold -> hot) broke. Popped the bonnet when I got to the track to check for leaks and there was coolant all over the place - thought my race was over before I started. Checked it all out and it looks like the expansion tank just overflowed. Car was running a little warmer, maybe a mm or two past the centre, but not enough to worry about. Could be the electric fans aren't coming on... Lots of great cars there, lot of very friendly people - a number of people came over to chat about the Corolla (pointed them all at Rolla Club). Only other Corolla there was a 20V powered AE86 Sprinter being run by a bloke from Wollongong - ended up chatting to him for quite a while. Very nice sounding car - quad induction noise, nice! I think a lot of people couldn't believe it didn't have a turbo or supercharger (he beat all the cars in the next capacity class in his type). Anyway, got a few things to sort on the Rolla. Still have to replace passenger CV shaft (will need to take it somewhere as the hub nut defeated me), probably need new gearbox output shaft seals, distributor seals, check the fans/cooling/heater, get the brake booster fixed and see if I can sort out a better drivers seat. Not a surprising list for a car with 350K kms on it. But I will race it again, I had heaps of fun and I just know I can go quicker... Once I sort my lines out... Next race is Sept 24th - hope to see some of you there. Cheers, Todd

I'll try to make it to the next meeting and grab some stickers - mine didn't arrive unfortunately. Won't have time to grab any before Sunday... Cheers, Todd

Man, that is a real low act... This is a real worry - that's a lot of Rollas that have been stolen recently. Will keep an eye out. Think it is time to start a political party that has one policy - forcible castration with rusty tin can lid for car thieves. Hope you get it back in one piece. Cheers, Todd

Hi Ashley, Welcome! Sounds like a very interesting KE70. Look forward to seeing it. I'm a member of the SDMA, raced once (in a mates RX7) and have entered my AE82 Twin Cam in this Sunday's event - hopefully it will pass scrutineering (and then survive the meet). They're a pretty friendly club. If anyone is going to be there on Sunday, come say hello - I'll have the white Twinky (now sitting a little lower) with hopefully RollaClub stickers on it (they're in the post I believe). Cheers, Todd

Hi All, Replaced the rear shocks/springs in my AE82 Twinky last weekend, this weekend I'm going to tackle the fronts. Any hints or tips? I think I need to disconnect the brake lines to swap in the new struts - anything I'll need (besides an assistant to help me bleed the brakes after)? I think I remember reading somewhere I'll need a new compression washer? What brake fluid should I use? Cheers, Todd

Hi All, In the process of putting new KYB Excel-G shocks and Lovells Sport Lows (a 25-40mm drop) springs in to my AE82 Twinky. Bought new Monroe Strut Mate kits for each corner to put new bump stops in. My question is, with the Lovells dropping the car down, do I need to cut the bump stops down? If so, how much by, and what will happen if I don't? Cheers, Todd

Thanks for the replies guys! Trev - very nice seat, shame you don't know what model. Any part numbers on it that I could try Googling on? Jarrad - retrimming the existing seat is an option, but I mainly need to sort the seat back - there is too much play in it and it has a couple of degrees of movement. Might just need to partly disassemble and look at the mechanisms. Will have to try the local wreckers, but not sure how much success I'll have in Canberra. Just have to keep an eye on the forum for seats/runners for sale. Just as a thought - has anybody swapped the seats/rails from side to side - ie: put the passengers seat/rail on the drivers side? Passenger seat is fine and the only passengers are the kids in the back - if the wife is coming too we take the Outback. Cheers, Todd

Hi All, Thanks for your responses and tips, much appreciated. Bought a better oil filter remover off Ebay - hope I'm not breaking any rules linking to it and NFI, etc. - Oil Filter Remover. It seems to fit nicely going past the starter and behind the extractors. Haven't actually removed the filter yet but a trial fit showed that it could get to the filter, gripped the filter nicely and had enough rotation to crack the seal. Will give it a try in the next few months - think the next challenge will be not getting oil everywhere - and removing the seal if it sticks to the engine... Cheers, Todd

Hi Tibor, Thanks for the quick response. The Twin Cam AE82 has the 4AGE. Tried the persistence method - but came close to dropping a match in the engine bay and quickly running away. Cheers, Todd

And does anyone know of a remote oil filter kit so I can put the oil filter somewhere I can change the bl**dy thing easily?

Hi All, I have an AE82 Twin Cam with aircon - went to do my first oil filter change today. WTF?! Talk about impossible to get to the oil filter! Exhaust blocks it from top, air con compressor blocks from bottom - can sort of get to it going past starter and behind exhaust manifold. Is there a trick or a filter wrench that anyone can recommend? Mine just wasn't going to work. Ended up just doing an oil change... Cheers, Todd

Hi All, Just wondering if anybody has fitted seats from other cars (eg: MR2, WRX) into an AE82 Twin Cam? The driver's seat in my car is pretty much shagged - trim worn through, too much movement in the seat back - high mileage car. So looking for low cost alternatives as the car is a cheapie - so buying new Sparco's doesn't make much sense. Any help/suggestions/photos much appreciated. Oh, and any suggestions on reco'ing the seat rails so they're not so sloppy appreciated as well. Cheers, Todd

Weird thing is I've been told by 2 retailers who supply seats that there is no such thing as an ADR approved seat. There is an ADR for seat rails and for headrests, but no ADRs for anything inbetween.

Hi All, The drivers seat in my AE82 Twin Cam is a little on the floppy side - movement in the seat rails (assuming wear as they are securely bolted down) and some play in the seat back. I doubt whether this would pass scrutineering at the local hill climb (also a little disconcerting on the street), so looking at options. The cheapest option I guess would be to see if I can fix the seat rails and seat back. But the seats are not super supportive. I've had a quick look at aftermarket seats like the Autotechnica Monza and a couple of fixed back seats (would love a Sparco Sprint). I'm led to believe that to fit these and have them street legal I really need to get them engineered (mainly I guess for the rails/adaptors). Has anybody had any experience in getting this done, any recommendations on who to go to and some idea of costs. Any help much appreciated. Cheers, Todd

I was going to ask too Thomo if you're up and running - some stuff needs to be done on my Rolla and I have a definite preference to use a Rolla Club supporter. Plus I wouldn't mind someone giving it the once over and giving me some advice on what needs to be fixed or done to get it ready for entry in a hill climb. Or, at the very least whether Fri arvo's were open house and we bring the beers? 8-) Cheers, Todd

Cheers, thanks for the answer!

Hi All, Just trying to work out what size tyres were on the AE82 Twin Cam bin lid alloys. I currently have 175/65R14 on front and 195/65R14 on back - cheap and nasties so looking to replace. Had a major moment in the wet the other day... And also what is a popular replacement tyre size? I'm sticking to the factory 14" mags - no money for 15"s and the look is growing on me. Oh, and anyone had any experience with Dunlop Le Mans LM600s? Cheers, Todd

Very nice T-18 - just wondering what the new wheels are - brand & size, they look great. Cheers, Todd

That car was doing some great times - and it looks tough - would love a Sprinter but they're out of my price bracket for now...

Remembered I had a photo of the Datto on my site - #99. There's some other photos from that race in there as well. Once you get set up Thomo I might have to come and have a chat - have delusions of setting up my Twin Cam as a budget road/race car so I don't have to keep "borrowing" Steve's RX7. Cheers, Todd

Thanks for the welcome. Pretty likely the same - it was for sale for a while way down south - one of those suburbs that is almost Tharwa (can't remember which one). I saw it on All Classifieds for a while but wasn't in the market for another car. Then when I got the go ahead it had sold - but luckily the sale fell through. Looked at 2 Twin Cams on the weekend I bought mine - the other car I looked at was red and a little more expensive but had a pod filter, cat warmer exhaust tip and evidence of accident repair - none of which interested me. Unfortunately my "bargain" needs some work, but I figured that would be the case and low entry cost and staggered repairs are helping keep money in the mortgage account. But the dream of a "budget" road/race car is slowly becoming a reality. Rolla Boy: Unless that was prior to 2000 (we bought the house way back then) very unlikely - but our house looks like many houses in that suburb. I might post pics of the other cars in another thread - but I'd probably be embarrassed (97 Outback family car, 02 Pug 206CC wifes car, meccano set Triumph Spitfire lurking somewhere - 4 cars for 2 people, we just like subsidising the ACT gov...). Cheers, Todd

Hi Paul, Familiar looking car - I was in the queue behind it at the last SDMA hill climb (green RX7 owned by Steve Crowe). My first race, how fun is it! Shame I didn't get to see it race, but looked great. Cheers, Todd

Hi All, Joined up to the forum today and Rolla Boy suggested I introduce myself here. My name is Todd, been in Canberra a fair bit of my life, work in IT and I'm a hopeless gear head who has a general love of most things automotive - unfortunately for my wallet (and mental health) I'm very partial to Triumph's - check my site at GT6.COM. I recently bought an el cheapo 87 AE82 Twin Cam as a run around and back up kiddie transport system. Always been a fan of the early Corollas (4AGE and light weight) and when talk came up of the need for a cheapish run around I figured I'd score one. It's a high mileage example - 350,000 kms - and is showing its age: * rust above the rear wheel arches; * CV joints are getting noisy (have sourced a replacement passenger side shaft and looking for drivers side to get reco'd); * brake booster is leaking so power assist is not always there (anyone got a spare?); * shocks gone (any suggestions on budget replacements?); * drivers seat rattles about a bit - need to look at the seat rails; * engine is leaking some oil, and occasionally stutters at idle (not consistently mind you) - but goes well; It needs new tyres as it has cheapies (and wider tyres on the rear - 195s) that are a little dodgy in the wet. It is a rough little beast, but I like its boxy 80s charm. My 2 year old son loves it, he always wants to go in the "White Bomb", not the more civilised Outback. I've recently started hill climbing with SDMA so I'd like to eventually set the Rolla up for that, but for now it is just a fun little runaround. If I get the chance, hope to come along to a cruise or a meeting to say g'day. Cheers, Todd