Sloths Ae86 Project Car

[Sloth]

For pics, see my photo blog: Sloth's AE86

And pics of my two girls: AE86 vs KE55

 

The Story so far:

 

My first car was a KE35 rolla (it was actually my step-dads but I basically inherited it). Me and my dad started doing a bit of work on it, but ended up buying a KE55 and working on that instead. (I've told this story many times before, so I'll skip ahead).

 

3 years and a couple of dollars later the KE55 was sprayed blue with white stripes, had new car, a new dash, momo wheel, sparco fixed back seat and had a 7k that had been rebuilt (and improved) with a 5 speed box. It only puts out 56rwkw, but it's a fun car too drive (sometimes too fun). She's started to rust a bit though, past the point where it can really be fixed, and it's probably only a matter of time before Mr Plod takes it off the road.

 

A year and a half ago I moved to Canberra and had to leave the Slothmobile (KE55) back in Melbourne. I get to drive her every time I go back to Melbourne (which is about every 2-3 months) and I'm stuck cruising around Canberra in my gfs 99 Excel (which sadly isn't quite as fun to drive as the KE55). One year ago we got a new housemate (who is also a car "enthusiast"), he owns a S13 with a CA18DET putting out 228rwkw, which makes me miss the Slothmobile even more.

 

To try and get the joy the rolla gave me back into my everyday life I started looking at getting an Evo X. I got quite close to buying an ex-demo model (put down a deposit and everything) but the stars weren't aligned and I got fed up of trying to organise the finance to buy a stupidly expensive brand new sports car.

 

One sunny day out in Canberra we were walking back to our car after going to a fair when I my gf saw an old Toyota for sale on the side of the road. She pointed it out to me, and I shouted out "Hachiroku!!!" and run across to start taking photos of it. We left the car and the further I got from it the more I wanted it. About 3 hours later I had decided I was going to call the owner and take a look at it.

 

3 days later I was driving home in the car, ready to start a new automotive adventure. Reality soon sunk in, as I realised that it was only an 83 model SR5 with 550,000kms on the clock, but it was mine, my very own AE86. My spirits were broken even more as I started to find all those little things that had broken or started playing up after the cars 26 years on the road. The drivers side mirror glass was missing (from a bungled robbery), the fuel gauge didn't work, the trip meter didn't work, the wiper dial isn't attached properly, the wiper blades were worn, the fan belt is very squeaky. All of this still didn't discourage me, and I had dreams of drifting down the mountains in my 86.

 

One of my first mistakes (probably of many to occur with the car) was to buy it without a roadworthy certificate. The body of the car is in quite good condition, and it's only had one previous (female) owner, so I assumed that it wouldn't be too hard to get the roadworthy. A week after buying the car (with only a week left to get it registered), I had got a replacement mirror, pedals and got the preliminary RW done (which it failed). I then booked it in to get the things fixed that it needed for the roadworthy (which was replacing the front wheel bearings, replacing the front brake hoses and fixing some oil leaks on the engine).

 

I took it in to get the repairs made and an hour later the mechanic called me saying "Hi, this is xxxx from xxxx auto, we've taken a closer look at what we need to do to get the car working.... it's going to be f@$king expensive to fix!" he then proceeded to tell me about how bad the oil leaks were. I decided to get everything not related to the engine fixed (as I was planning on replacing the engine anyway).

 

I was a bit disheartened about the problems with the engine, with these stopping the car from being able to be registered, which makes it harder to move the car around and get things done to it (as I can't really do anything myself since I am mechanically retarded and live in an appartment). I chatted to my dad (who now leaves in Queensland) about the car and the problems with the engine and what I should do, we talked about various options for engines (4age, ca18, sr20, 1jz, 2jz) and him trying to live vicariously through me raised my spirits.

 

This brings us to now.. the car still hasn't passed the roadworthy, and I have half a week left to register it (or else.... I'm not really sure, but I think the RTA will charge me a fee). My current plan is to spend the "f@$king expensive" amount to get the car on the road, then begin implementing all the crazy ideas in my head.

 

Plans for the future

 

I got the 86 completely stock, which means it's only running a 4AC and doesn't have the LSD that the GTS has. The list of things I am considering doing... (by the end I think it will be a very expensive toy)

 

• AGEZE
  
• LSD
  
• Paintjob (probably in orange/yellow with black along the base, like all the Initial D themed 86s)
  
• Bodykit (nothing too over the top, thinking of rolling the guards and/or putting on flares)
  
• Rims (probably 16 inch, not gansta style chromies, probably some nice simple black rims)
  
• Tyres (as wide and low profile as I can put on it)
  
• Suspension
  
• Diff
  
• Strut bars
  
• Sound system (currently the radio doesn't work)
  
• Recaro adjustable sports seats
  
• Extractors and exhaust
  

 

For now my plans are just to use it as a daily drive. One day, once it's finished, I might take it out on the track in some amateur events, but I'm building the car for me to have fun, enjoy and love, not necessarily for the racetrack. I want to make sure everything is done right and living in an apartment means I can't really do the work myself (I'm also not very skilled at working on cars, though I want to use this project to gain a little experience).

 

I'm going to try and keep this thread updated as the project progresses and get back into rollaclub (I used to browse the forums every day) and hopefully become a more active member. I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but it's going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait for the finished product.

 

Photoshop of the paintjob.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Sloth

[sammo[RL]]

Welcome, and Good luck!

 

Will be keeping an eye on this one!

[rollaspec]

A Ride thread with a story :)

 

Love it, the photoshop idea looks great, i will also be paying attention to this one :)

[Chobis]

...since I am mechanically retarded and live in an appartment). I chatted to my dad (who now leaves in Queensland) about the car and the problems with the engine and what I should do, we talked about various options for engines (4age, ca18, sr20, 1jz, 2jz) and him trying to live vicariously through me raised my spirits.

 

Classic! This whole story sounds like what I have done myself so many times over the years. I too am "mechanically retarded". I prefer to be driving a cool car rather than working on it. It's just way more fun that way. :)

 

I would also have bought that Hachi if I had seen it for sale. Take your time, spend the money on it that is required to do it properly and then you will love it. Just cos you have an 86 doesn't mean you have to drift it or race it either. Just cruise it and enjoy it.

 

I like the 'what you want it to look like' pic, but hell I like the pics of what it looks like now too. Just clean it up, give the bonnet a lick of black paint for now, get it roadworthy and drive around with a big smile on your head. :)

Edited September 27, 2009 by Chobis

[seabiscuit]

f@$king money lol. Unfortunate that you need to fork out so much on it to get it on the road. Good luck with it, though and hope to see it

along on the Canberra meets :)

[Sloth]

Crazy Electrics:

 

I bought the car on a Wednesday night and driver it home. Everything seemed ok, except for the fact that I thought I would run out of petrol the whole drive home as I found out just as I bought the car that the fuel gauge didn't work. Oh well I thought, it's probably nothing serious.

 

That Friday we went on on a little trip interstate and got dropped back at home by a cab at 11:30 on the next Tuesday night and decided to zip down to maccas and get a late dinner. Since I hadn't taken my girlfriend for a spin yet in the 86 we decided to take that. After waiting a while for it to start I turned on my lights.. or so I thought. As we sat that letting the engine warm up my girlfriend told me to turn on the lights, I replied that I had. We got out of the car and sure enough, the lights weren't working. We then got into an argument as I tried to explain they'd been working a couple of days earlier when I'd driven the car home.

 

Later that week (Thursday) I decided to take a quick look and see if the problem with the headlights was something simple. I checked the fuses, but they seemed ok, then checked the globes, which also looked ok. I decided that I may as well replace the globes, and bought a set brighter whiter globes. I fitted on in the carpark at the shops, but still, no light. So I drove home from the shops and halfway home realised the high beam light was on, and that the lights were working now (I'd bumped the high beams on at some point in the drive).

 

I got home to the appartment, turned off the lights and fitted the second globe. I then turned the lights back on and had two nice new white lights. Happy with myself I turned off the lights again and immediately turned them on again, to my shock the lights had stopped working :) This has been continuing over the past week with the lights working whenever they feel like it.

 

The day after fitting the new lights I took the car into a mechanic to get some things fixed for the roadworthy. As the mechanic was reversing the car out of the workshop another customer pointed out that my reverse lights weren't working. As with the headlights, these had worked a week earlier when I'd bought the car.

 

The next day, while driving back from lunch the fuel gauge was working, only for a little bit though, and then it went back to saying I was empty (every since it's been working on and of).

 

To add another thing to the list, this morning I was sitting at a set of lights waiting to turn when I heard a squeaking noise. At first I thought it was the fan belt (which needs to be replaced) or my foot on one of the pedals. But after hearing the squeak a couple of times I realised it was in time with the indicator.

 

In summary, I've got quite a few electronic things to take a look at:

• Headlights
  
• Fuel gauge
  
• Reverse lights
  
• Indicators
  
• Interior light
  

 

I'm assuming the interior light (which never seems to work on old cars) is just the globe. The squeaky indicators probably mean I need a new flasher. The headlights, fuel gauge and reverse lights are probably being caused by a bad relay or connection.

 

I'm hoping that this is the extent of the electrical problems and that the car isn't haunted (or been struck by lightning, lol).

Edited September 28, 2009 by Sloth

[sammo[RL]]

■Headlights

■Fuel gauge

■Reverse lights

■Indicators

■Interior light

 

Love these old cars!

 

It'll get mate!

[Sloth]

Roadworthy:

 

After laying down some coin today I finally got my roadworthy certificate for the 86, just gotta head down to the RTA tomorrow and get it transferred. While they were doing it I got a new clutch fitted too.

 

Leak:

 

After getting the roadworthy I went to pick my girlfriend up from work. On the drive there I could smell oil, but I paid this no attention as it had just been at the mechanic and obviously thought there was a little oil left on the outside of the engine, or the smell had just sunk into the seat covers. I picked my girlfriend up and as we were walking back to the car she noticed there was a pool of liquid between the back to wheels. As we got closer I could see it dripping down pretty constantly. "Oh great", I thought, "I've done my diff just after getting the roadworthy!". I got down and reached into the puddle but the liquid was clear, I gave it a smell, "dammit! I'm leaking petrol!" I said to my girlfriend.

 

I decided to open the boot and see if I could spot the crack in the petrol tank from there (I wasn't thinking straight as I'm a little sick at the moment). As I reached and lifted the carpet my hand got covered in the liquid that had been dripping on the ground. It was at the point I realised the liquid wasn't oil or petrol, it was coming from a big bottle of FlashLube (valve saver fluid) that I had in the boot which had got a hug crack in it.

 

From this I learnt two things:

• Firstly, secure things properly in your boot! (You'd think I'd have learnt this already, as I had a bottle of oil tip over with a loose lid in my KE55 once.
  
• Secondly, don't trust your nose when you have a cold and can barely breath through it.
  

[Sloth]

Wipers:

 

After the incident with filling my boot with valve saver fluid, I decided to take the car and give it a wash. I washed the car, boot and engine (looks so much cleaner now!). My girlfriend put up the wipers while I was washing it (as she always does, I think it's so I can clean the window better) but when I opened the bonnet it smacked into the wipers. When I got back into the car and tried to turn on the wipers they now no longer work :P The motor is still making the noise, but the wipers don't move.

[Sloth]

Wipers Fixed!

 

I managed to fix the wipers. The arm had disconnected from the motor and it was pretty fiddly to get it back together, then once I did I had to re-set one of the wipers.

 

The moral of the story: Wipers and opening the bonnet don't go well together!

[Sloth]

Torn Jeans:

 

The worst part about having a car that I do work on is the amount of jeans that I go through (ripping the knees by kneeling on concrete or bitumen). On the Corolla I tore two of my favourite pairs of jeans. I've only had the Sprinter for 2 weeks and already I've torn the knee on one of my pairs of jeans.

 

[Sloth]

Service:

 

While in Melbourne recently I took the sprinter into Tayell Automotive (where I've got my 7k done and serviced). I got John to take a look at the sprinter and ended up driving out with new rear suspension and with the brakes fixed. So now it drives a little better and stops!

 

I noticed on the drive down from Canberra to Melbourne that she seemed a little "floaty" at the back, but it didn't seem quite so back on the way back with the new suspension.

 

Rolla meets Sprinter

 

While in Melbourne I got the two beautiful machines together and got a couple of photos. Me and my girlfriend also took the Rolla and Sprinter for a drive together, the verdict being that the worked 7k is a lot quicker than the crappy stock 4AC, but the Sprinter still has spirit and likes the chase.

 

More Pics

 

 

Driveshaft issues:

 

On the way back from Melbourne to Canberra the bracket holding up the driveshaft fell off... at 120km/h... in the middle of nowhere!

 

Luckily I was able to MacGuyver the situation and bolt it back up with the bolts from the seat mounts.

 

I've now replaced the missing bolts on the seats so it's "safe" to drive again.

 

There is some sort of a rattle that's coming from the rear drivers side, it sounds like the exhaust but I don't know if it is (since it's on the passenger side at the back).

 

Edited November 5, 2009 by Sloth

[Sloth]

4AGE 20v Silvertop

 

After discussing which engine to put into the Sprinter with many people and doing a bit of research online I finally settled on the silvertop.

 

Some people suggested putting in a CA18 or SR20, but others said putting a non-Toyota engine into the car would be ruining it. Of course the various 4AG engines were suggested (4AGZE, and the black and silvertops), without having to worry too much about new mounts etc. and the fact that it's something that's been done a million times before. My dad suggested a 1JZ or 2JZ (supra motors) as this would probably give me as much power as I'd ever need (probably more). The idea of a v8 was also brought up, since it's a little unique.

 

I had a really good think about what I wanted to get out of the car and what exactly I was going to do with it. Since I'm extremely lazy, I wouldn't be using the car as a serious track car, I might attend a track day every here or there, but at the end of the day it's a road car. For that reason I don't think I need stupid amounts of power, I want a car that has a respectable amounts power though (which any of the above engines could provide) but a v8, 1JZ or 2JZ would probably be overkill and require too much effort/money/time (as the firewall would need to be modified).

 

I then thought about whether to go with a 4AG (which has been done a million times) or whether I wanted something a little different (the CA or SR, which have still been done, but aren't as common as the 4AG). Since I wanted something for myself (and not just to show off to everyone else) I decided on the the 4AG as I thought this should be easier/cheaper.

 

Finally came the choice between a 20v or supercharged 16v. I'd originally wanted to go the supercharged option, as I've always wanted a supercharger cause everyone else has turbos. But after doing a bit of research and talking to various people I began to to think sourcing and getting parts for the ZE would be a bit more difficult. The ZE and the 20vs also make around the same amount of power (depending on who you talk to). This left the choice between the silver and black, which could've really gone either way, but was made easier by my mechanic being able to source a Silvertop from someone who he'd dealt with in the past for a reasonable price.

 

So I told my mechanic to get the engine....

 

Road Trip

 

Since I am currently living in Canberra and the mechanic who will be doing the work for me (along with the engine) is in Melbourne I had to do a roadtrip to deliver the car. We set out on a Saturday morning in the Sprinter on the almost 1500km round trip. Things went relatively well, with the car travelling from Canberra to Benalla (around 450kms) on about 30 litres. We then took the back way into the Yarra Ranges when the Sprinter started randomly loosing power. Luckily this didn't last too long and we made it to our destination safely. Since we had left relatively early in the day we didn't get too much sun (getting into Melbourne around 3), which was a godsend since the Sprinters airconditioning doesn't work!!

 

Then on Sunday came the trip back... in the Corolla! The rolla had never done a trip longer than about 150kms so it was an interesting experience. Since the 7K in it is quite new and runs nice it wasn't too bad, but the gearbox could've been better at 110km/h and the trip also would've been nicer if there was aircon! The rolla is a much more raw experience than the Sprinter (or any more modern car) and it really feels like part of you instead of just and automobile you are riding in. We stopped at Glenrowan for fuel and I was shocked when I thought I saw something dripping from the engine. When I got back into the car it wouldn't start! We rolled it back and underneath wear the engine had been was a pool of oil. I managed to start the car and put it into a parking spot. After getting some icecream and having a toilet break I checked back on the car which didn't appear to be dripping any oil and started fine. I was pretty sure the oil wasn't mine, so we headed off back to Canberra. We made it up in one piece without any hassles doing the the 430ish kms from Glenrowan to Canberra on about 39 litres (the twin SUs on the 1.8 are a lot less fuel efficient than a stock 4AC). I was then greeted in Canberra by a random crack-head calling me a wanker as she almost stumble in front of me, bottle in hand, as I drove up the main drag (ahh... it's good to be home!).

 

Engine Conversion

 

Now that the mechanic has the Sprinter he's started doing the engine change. After ripping out the 4AC and all the old wiring, he dropped in the Silvertop, only to find out that the distributor doesn't fit! I've now pointed him to some of the information on rollaclub and other places on the net about the different solutions to the problem, and we will decide which approach we want to take.

 

Here's a before and after pic..

 

4AC

 

4AGE20v (not connected)

 

New Paintjob

 

One of the things I'll be doing in the future is respraying the car. At first I wanted to do it very ricey, and was thinking of two tone with orange. Now I'm thinking of keeping it a little less conspicious, probably painting it in a plain glossy black.

 

Here are a couple of random black 86s from the net:

 

I don't know if I'd want something in the colour, but it looks really nice and tidy:

[KENut]

Looks like its coming along nicely Sloth, some good progress.

Black would look good, but you'll forever be cleaning it, and cursing all the swirl marks.

I like a champagne colour, kinda like that bottom picture but with a bit more depth.

[Sloth]

Yeah, originally I was pretty keen on the orange as I wanted something a little ricey that really stood out. But now I'm thinking of going more subtle and just want something that looks respectable.

 

I'm planning on going as black as possible for the interior. I've been looking at the Momo Champion (or Competition, can't remember which) wheel, which is a black leather wheel with brushed black metal in the center. For the seats I've been thinking black leather Recaros (if I can't bring myself to dishing out that much coin). And then putting in new black carpet and getting the door panels and dash done in black.