Hi folks!
New guy here, late to the party as usual...
I've just inherited my late uncle's AE82 Chevy Nova, 4AC, 3-speed auto, 4-door FWD, 70-hp slowmobile, and am looking into putting in some functional improvements. I've already searched the Corolla section to get a rough idea of who knows what, and so I feel there's some things I can contribute, as well as some things I can gain.
About a decade ago, I was the proud owner of a 1987 Corolla FF 4-door (AE82). Here's what I had in her:
- ADDCO F/R sway bars
- KYB GR-2 struts all around
- JC Whitney heavy-duty coil springs, one coil removed
- 14x5.5 wheels from an '88 AW11 MR2
- 195/55-ZR14 Dunlop SP8000 tires
- Cheapo JC Whitney rubber lip spoiler (I was the butt end of endless squeegee jokes, but it actually looked cool)
- JC Whitney ABS "side spats", looked half-decent
- K&N air filter
- Corolla LE Limited center tail-light garnish (rare, slick, tres cool)
- single gas strut to hold up the trunk lid
- Magnecor wires
- Strut tower brace
- Wet-sanded and polished the whole car
- Superwhite headlight bulbs (rice rice baby)
- Clear front turn signals adapted from an AE92 sedan ('91-92) with amber bulbs
- JC Whitney slimline mini driving lights with Ion Crystal H3 bulbs
- Sony ES sound system upgrade
- Slotted stock front rotors with TRD carbon-metallic pads
- Functional FUBA antenna (full rice mode)
The car weighed 2250 lbs according to the registration, had no power amenities, only A/C and a 3-speed auto. And my favorite pastime was beating up on my friend and his AW11 on a super-tight mountain road above Honolulu. His MR2 had TRD race suspension (which probably hurt him somewhat on the bumpy sections), wider rims and tires, and a 40-horsepower advantage with a few bolt-ons. The only time he could pull away from me was on the few straights, but if I was in front of him, I'd lose him in 5 minutes in the twisties, although neither of us was brave enough to slide the cars.
So here I've come full-circle, and even though my main ride is a Cressida, I'm looking to (slowly) re-create the experience with this Nova.
I have a few questions:
1) Has anyone found lowering springs for this car, and if not, will the AE92 sedans' springs work? If they're a similar diameter, they should be compatible with my spring perches, right?
2) What else besides engine, tranny, ECU, harness, and entire fuel system will I need to do a 4AG-E swap? Are there any minor ancillary bits I'll need as well? I read here that an AE92 GTS or Prizm GSi is a good donor candidate. Since the rear of an AW11 is built off the front of a Corolla FF platform, is the -GZE option also workable?
3) And am I smoking some really good weed to be even thinking about a 3S-GTE swap?
I'm all ears!
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