Kiwi-Corolla Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 (edited) Hey guys, This is my 1993 Toyota Corolla SE Limited. It's a Japanese import and has all of the features you would expect out of Japan, except it's now a little different from a bog standard grocery getter :) It was completely standard when I bought it, but I've done a number of mods to it over the last 5-years of ownership so far, including a 4A-GE 20v Blacktop swap at the end of 2012. I've almost reached my goal of finding every single optional extra that was available from new, including some of the rarest items, such as the AirFantasy fragrance control system. This first post will remain updated with all of the current modifications and photos. To view updates in chronological order please scroll through the various posts below this one. The mods so far are: Engine: * 4A-GE 20v Blacktop engine conversion. * C160 6-speed ECU (8,500rpm redline). * 110mm trumpets (ram tubes/velocity stacks). * Custom made 3" intake bellmouth. * Fujitsubo (FGK) 4-2-1 stainless steel extractors. * 5-speed C56 gearbox. * TRD quick shifter. * Full 2.25" exhaust with Dynomax muffler. * 2-core aluminium radiator. * Carbon fibre cam & spark plug covers. * TRD spark plug leads. * Catalytic converter removed. * Oil catch can. * Genuine Tomei Type S fuel pressure regulator + gauge & adapter. * TRD 1.3-bar radiator cap. * TRD aluminium oil cap. * TRD fuel cap. Exterior: * OEM AE101 Toyota Corolla FX-GT front bumper. * OEM ST215 Toyota Caldina custom fitted optional front lip. * OEM ST195 Toyota Caldina custom fitted optional rear lip. * OEM AE111 Toyota Carib BZ Touring sideskirts. * Genuine OEM AE101 Koito Toyota Corolla BZ Touring headlights. * Facelift AE101 red/clear tail lights and garnish. * Ducktail trunk spoiler. * Ducktail roof spoiler. * 35% "Night Rider" window tint. * Front door locks eliminated. * Volk CE28N rep 16x8 +15 alloy wheels with 195/45/16 tyres. * Front and rear guards rolled. * 'SE Limited' badge removed. Interior: * Toyota Corolla GT seats + folding rear seat conversion. * Reupholstered door cards with OEM Corolla GT fabric. * Sound deadened front doors. * AE101 Corolla FX-GT SuperStrut Momo leather steering wheel. * 240kph speedometer & 9,000rpm Corolla GT tachometer. * OEM Lexus IS200/Altezza RS200 aluminium foot pedals. * OEM floor mats. * TRD leather shift knob. * OEM BZ Touring 6-speed leather gear shift boot. * Rare OEM factory option Graphics Equalizer. * Rare OEM factory option 'Air Fantasy' fragrance control system. * Rare OEM factory roof-mounted option Air Purifier unit. * Rare OEM factory rear-mounted option Air Purifier unit. * Rare OEM factory option motorized driver's seat rail. * Rare OEM factory option key light. * Rare OEM factory option floor lights. * Rare OEM factory option velour extended armrest. * Rare OEM factory option Burger Tray. * Rare OEM factory option stock Box. * Rare OEM factory option felt-lined ashtray coin holder/storage compartment. * Rare OEM factory option under-seat storage tray. * Rare OEM factory option tweeter pods and tweeters. * Rare OEM factory option 'Conlight' automatic headlights. * Rare OEM factory option A-pillar map light. * Rare OEM rubber molded trunk organizer. Brakes/Suspension: * Lowered on BC Gold BR coilovers. * Whiteline rear camber bolts. * OEM 24mm front swaybar conversion. * Whiteline 18mm solid rear swaybar. * Polyurethane rear swaybar bushes. * TRD 3-point strut brace. * Ultra Racing 2-point rear strut brace. * Carbing front lower tie bar. * 275mm SuperStrut front disc conversion. * AE101 SuperStrut twinpot front calipers. * Safebrake braided brake lines. Audio: * JVC Bluetooth USB head-unit. * Pioneer 6.5" component front speakers (60w RMS each). * Lanzar 6.5" 3-way rear speakers (95w RMS each). * Sony Xplod 4-channel 444w amp. Comments very welcome!! Edited July 16, 2014 by Kiwi-Corolla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeetsy1 Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 somebody loves their HDR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiro Protagonist Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Very nice, shame about the 5A though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi-Corolla Posted March 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 (edited) somebody loves their HDR! Haha, very much so. One of my addictions :wub:. Edited March 17, 2010 by Kiwi-Corolla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi-Corolla Posted March 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Very nice, shame about the 5A though... Thanks. I was going to put a 4A-GE 20v in but needed the car around Christmas time to go and see family etc so opted to just chuck a low km 5A-FE in place of the original 5A-FE that had done 228,000km. There was nothing really wrong with the old engine, apart from the occasional puff of smoke on start up from worn valve stem seals, but it needed the cambelt changed so was easier to just start 'fresh' with the 60k motor. That way I didn't have to worry about the cambelt snapping or the engine crapping out while I was in the middle of nowhere, lol. I hope to put a 4A-GE in one day though, but the 5A-FE is treating me well so far :wub:. I put the old engine through a bit of torture before pulling it out, here's a video: Here's a shot of the dash, forgot to upload it earlier: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiP Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Wow looks great man. So has the pic been altered or is the paint really like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke11restorer Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Looks very neat!! What model Sprinter did those seats come out of? I might get myself a pair for the 86! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi-Corolla Posted March 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Wow looks great man. So has the pic been altered or is the paint really like that? Thanks mate. Most of the pics are HDRs, so they're sort of altered but not really (if that makes sense). It's how it looks in real life, but the paint appears slightly grey in the photos. HDR allows me to take photos of my white paint in the bright sunlight without getting serious overexposure :D. Looks very neat!! What model Sprinter did those seats come out of? I might get myself a pair for the 86! Thanks man :wub:. The seats were out of a 1993 Sprinter GT. Some Levins also have them too :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi-Corolla Posted September 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Hi all, it's been a while since I was last here and a few things have changed with my Corolla since my last visit. The latest additions are: * 2" exhaust with Dynomax muffler. * Aftermarket fibreglass sideskirts. * Sprinter GT folding rear seat conversion. * Front and rear bumper lips painted. * BMW M3 trunk lip spoiler. * Rare OEM AE101 FX-GT leather Momo steering wheel. * OEM Lexus IS200 aluminium foot pedals. Here's some shots: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben-89 Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 This Corolla is quite refereshing to look at, a subtle car which stands out Good work :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke70dave Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 that is a very nice corolla mate. i like those HDR picks, I'm going to have to buy a camera that can do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi-Corolla Posted September 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 This Corolla is quite refereshing to look at, a subtle car which stands out Good work :D Thanks a lot. My aim was to make it stand out without drawing too much attention to itself, and to separate it from the thousands of other Corollas on the roads. Glad you like it ;) that is a very nice corolla mate. i like those HDR picks, I'm going to have to buy a camera that can do that. Cheers mate. The camera I use is a Canon EOS 450D. Here's a couple more that I took the other day: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke70dave Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 yeah those pics are sweet as. ive spent the last 30mins reading about HDR, its pretty neat, but also a pretty simple idea. all in the post processing it seems. assuming your camera can take the 3 or 5 different images. that how you do yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi-Corolla Posted September 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 yeah those pics are sweet as. ive spent the last 30mins reading about HDR, its pretty neat, but also a pretty simple idea. all in the post processing it seems. assuming your camera can take the 3 or 5 different images. that how you do yours? I used to do mine that way, but now I just create them from a single image. Multiple images (exposures) come in handy when you're shooting a dark scene, but for daytime shots it's just as effective to use one single RAW file (plus it saves your shutter life too). As long as you shoot in RAW format (as opposed to JPEG) then you can create an HDR with a program such as PhotoMatix Pro of Photoshop. It's important to keep your ISO as low as possible too, as this will stop any graininess in the photo after the HDR process. I shoot at ISO 100 for all of my HDRs. If you have any questions just let me know, I'd be more than happy to help :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36panvan Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Nice ride mate, as said its great to see something a little different out there :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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