[aux]

i picked up a set of hx rims from a local salvage yard. they are the eom wheels from the honda civic hx, the enkei A-1 m's .. 14 x 5.5, 4 x 100. the only problem is that they only clear the calipers by 1/16" ... and thats not good. so, i found a set of spacers, which are 1/4". i have always liked the hx rims, they are light, and they look good as well as being rigid. they are a good low budget solution to having something better than steelies while u save up for better wheels. a decent set can be had for about 100 +. i paid 100 for mine, but one wheel has some curb rash, but i am planning on polishing that out. 4 x 100 honda wheels fit fine on yotas. its the opposite that doesnt. the hub spacing. im sure you experienced readers are familiar.

i found my 88 corolla gt-s back in november 07 on a craigslist posting, immediately researched what it was, and was quite shocked to find out it was the younger, front wheel drive little brother to the RWD corollas. it had some front end damage and the previous owner didnt have the time to deal with it, and the need for a parts ae92 either sr-5 or gt-s could not be met by any of the local yards. a LH collusion with a gaurdrail resulted in a dented in LH fender, headlight asembly, hood, and worse, a bent in radiator support casing, and a bent in inner fenderwell. as i was towing it home, one of the dryrotted tires skipped my eye during preroll inspection, because the belt came off and was flapping around..this resulted in knocking off my RRH mudflap, and leaving a bunch of nasty gunk on the quater panel.

So, i got lucky and found an sr5 @ the scrapyard right down the road, where i snagged up the hood, fender, headlight assembly, tailights, and the LH and RH marker light assemblies( thank god they are the same for both cars) so for the past few weeks its been undergoing its restoration process. my goal is to return it to stock, but of course go ahead and add i/e/h and ignition coil/wires/plugs, and do the afm mod to fool the ecu. im assuming itll be a year before i can start the next phase of more important things, like new bushings, shocks, coilovers and camber adjustment. and for the engine, thats what i need some help with. i am thinkning that a 4agze with the smaller supercharger pully, a thinner headgasket, and cams from the 16v bigport... dunno yet. i do believe my bigport has good n/a potential, but im not sure what would be more costly...getting a smallport block for the 10.3:1, slapping on my bigport head(milled), thinner gasket, and of course i/h/e. i dont like turbo b/c of its spikeyness and all the extra plumbing. but i do want to be faster both on the highway, and up in the mountain roads, then say a wrx or talon tsi. that should be possible because of the wieght difference. but the main reason is to find just the right amount of power. i live in mountainous hilly area, and i need uphill power, but manageable in the sharp turns, not lag and spikes from turbo.

I would definately be interested in any formulas for an n/a 16v bigport build, and for the s/c build. i have found a few myself so far, but prices vary from here to there. so anyway, here are some pix of the progress:

here are more shots of the damage, you can see how its off...

heres a pic of the goods, a LH fender, hood, headlight assembly, marker lights, front grille, and hx rims:

here's some pix @ the shop, we bent back the support casings for the radiator and fenders ...

we got everything str8, now its just a matter of fixing the metal on the casing for the headlight assembly and reattaching the body peices...

heres some shots of the HX rims:

im thinking it may need longer studs.. dunno yet. will know when i mount the spacers.

i'll update as i go, she should be on the road soon =]

 

[yotaprism]

looks good. good rim choice

 

[REN69]

Nice, keep us posted and update with pics; looks like a pretty decent ride.

I like the look of the wheels, I just don't like that they're 14s. They don't look so bad on the car but I find that 15s and 16s look better on the GTS.

 

[aux]

thnx... if you look on the inside of the rim, the enkei logo and model # are stamped in. but i dont think enkei ever marketed them outside of its deal with honda.

 

[aux]

Nice, keep us posted and update with pics; looks like a pretty decent ride.

I like the look of the wheels, I just don't like that they're 14s. They don't look so bad on the car but I find that 15s and 16s look better on the GTS.

yeah 14" x 5.5 is kinda lame but considering its the same size of the stock wheel, and the fact that i havent done any engine mods, its prolly one of the best choices i could make ATM for a $100 wheel/tire solution...i was actually trying to hunt down 4 new 14" black steelies with 185/65's or 195/60's, a common combo from a commonly wrecked new 2000 somthing civic. i used to own a cx hatch, so through researching that car is how i found out about the hx rims, or the "secret enkeis" ...

i would prefer a size no bigger than 16" for wheels, but i am planning on going with 15" TE37's, bronze, either volk if i can find a used set for a decent price, or those ones on ebay that are copies, and they can be had for around 300-ish.

btw these are the wheels i want...

 

[aux]

::::::: UPDATE :::::::

thanx to the help and expertise of a freind of mine, the corolla is well on its way.

yesterday we had so time to work on the rolla, so i took on wiring the stereo, and removing all the old wiring from where the previous owner ran lines for amps, while james did the body work. he did a good job aliagning the metal and fitting the new peices.

here are some pix of the progress thus far:

a mess of wires, i had a time getting them out, ended up having to pop out the console.

i've noticed on some ae92's, the center grille peice is bowed up, and the reason for this is becasue the of the metal arm that extends from the hood latch assembly; the tab in the center of the grille peice rests on that metal arm. so heres a tip, beat down the nmetal arm with a hammer until its low enough to allow the tab to rest on it without bowing up the center of the grille peice, but dont bend it so much that the hole on the arm doesnt line up with the hole on the tab.

james is a badass...he lined up all the metal quite nicely, but the headlight assembly was a bitch, because all the surfaces for the holes were bent. but he fixed that and it works perfectly, and is alaigned just right.

well, here she is, just awaiting a primer coating on the hood, a touch up on the fender where its been scraped and the original red paint is revealed...
the plan is to have a hood ordered from carparts.com or somewhere of the like, a new gloss black unit. the reaon i want another hood is because i noticed small dents on the surface, and a freind pointed out to me that the hood im using now has been patched, because he pointed out a dent in the metal from the inside, and i would have never seen it on the surface. and, the hood is red, and the inside of course is dirty. so its either soak the shit out of it and hope that it comes clean, and pay a shop to spray it black or grey to match my car, or just order another hood, and have a replacement one just in case. since these cars are getting old, and parts are hard to find, i think ill go with the 2nd choice.

sorry for the crappy shots, all i am working with ATM is my phone.

alos, if anyone has any knowledge on how to remove the factory pinstripes and the glued on side trim without damaging the paint, i would greatly appreciate it. hopefully someone has done both these things successfully and has a simple formula for removing them.

 

[yotaprism]

heAT up the pinstripes with a heat gun and carefully scrape them off with a plastic puddy knife or plastic razorblade. ive used metal ones before but sometimes it will scrape off a lil paint too. but they work alot better

 

[aux]

cool. i'll try with a hairdryer first, unless it's too much work for the hairdryer, then i'll go get a heat gun...

 

[aux]

welp, time for an update... she was just finished up today. as i was test driving it, i noticed a knocking sound coming from the front...it turned out thaat the shock tower bearings for the mcphersons were loose, as the nuts were loose. so we tighteneed them and fixec the problem. i noticed also that there is a lot of oil smoke coming from the front right corner, apparently the dizzy...idk. anyway, she needs brake pads, not much there for braking. and i couldent install the wheel spacers b/c the studs werent long enough afterall. so im going to have to invest in 16 studs, however much that'll cost.

im guesing its not putting out factory power @ all. atm the only test as far as compression that can be run with the tools we have is a compression pressure test. i have read on an AFM mod to fool the ecu, and i was wondering if its even that effective. something has to be wrong, but it does seem to run very smoothly. doesnt even tick @ 210,000 miles. i didnt expect a 12 second car, but i also didnt expect to take 8 seconds just to get to 60 mph either, stock. hmmn... if there is anyone who has been in my EXACT shoes with the symtoms i have described, is that normal? or am i missing somehting...

the first time i saw the 1-6 in there, i thought to myself "jesus what a tiny engine for such a big car" well, it feels that way too without any mods. i mean, 2300 lbs with a 1.6?!?!? come on!!

don't worry folks, im not losing faith. just a little dissapointed...

 

[aux]

welp. update time::

forget what i said about it being slow, lol just act like that never happened..

so today i installed the head unit. i just ran it str8 to the battery, instead of having to figure out where in the hell toyota decided to run its power and mem wires, beause its sure as hell isn't the good old logical red, yellow and black.

mounted the ipod shuffle using velcro, and running a line behind the lower dash panels, behind the center console, and out to the front input on the deck.

i removed the backseats as well, this is very easy but for those of you who are interested and unfamiliar with the process, here's how:

1st, pop the latches under the seats..

2nd, remove the side brackets, and the center bracket.

then remove the seatbelt holsters from the scenter and pull the belts assemblies from thier boxes, and boom!! its done. remeber to keep all your parts in a bag!!

i took the car out for a run down the mountain roads dwon the street from my place...she did quite well, on the uphill and the downhill, and i was impressed with the handling. but i still had to take it easy, because i havent been driving this car long enough to have a subconcious feel for the physics of it, and therefore am not used to it.

here are some shots from earlier:

i am using a battery from my old eg hatch..a lot lighter =]

well thats all for now, L8Rz...

 

[REN69]

What did you think about the 4000rpm mark when TVIS opens the second set of butterflies and the car lets it all out? You probably can't hear it yet, but if you get a cone filter, you'll love that sound. :yikes:

 

[aux]

What did you think about the 4000rpm mark when TVIS opens the second set of butterflies and the car lets it all out? You probably can't hear it yet, but if you get a cone filter, you'll love that sound. :yikes:

..yeah ren, i do...here recently ive been playing with the tvis a lot, it it works quite well. i am quite satisfied with this vehicle. after a day or so of blowing all the shit out of the engine from where it sat, shes running quite well, and much quicker. of course the speed isnt that impressive considering its as old as it is, and prolly isnt up to par. but it does leave you with a nice solid feeling about the engine, considering that it IS this old and is still packin heat.

dont really need a bigger exaust for right now, until i add headers and cam gears and a thinner headgasket, but thats later on...

so im going to tackle the afm mod soon, and any experience with this one would be nice, i have found instructional threads, but i would like to know and hear it from someone who has done it on thier ae92 and it worked, they were able to cause the ecu to squirt more fuel by tricking it. i think there is 2 pots, bt i can remeber which one controls the advance...

earlier today:

:thumbsup:

 

[aux]

update time

finally primered the hood. needs anothercoat. but this one will do for now. the whole car needs a paint job,and a new hood.

also,added a shift knob and boot. pulled the boot from a 2000-ish accord,the knob i got from advance..

oh yeah, i cut the shifter down about 3"..it was a bit much, by about 3/8" ... but i made up for it by inserting a bolt into one of the rubber capps that come with the knob, then inserted it into the knob. that gave me what i lost from cutting it, and it was good to go. it does come loose a bit here and there, those damn tiny screws dont stay tight,im thinking about having to use adhesive.
works just fine as a short shifter for me, gave me exactly the shift i was looking for.

another oh yeah, i removed the pinstripes and corolla badges from the rear.

 

[dub-g-kizzle]

If u want your largeport to get more go juice w/o ecu mods,grab a set of fuel injectors from a 90-91 smallport 4age. The smallports have 220cc injectors and the largeport has 188cc injectors.I like the way they feel on my lp 4age and the intake and exhaust just sounds mad crazy.

 

[aux]

ah sweet u got pix! yeah ill need a set of bigger injectors, been confused on wether i should get some from a civic, or the smallport, etc.. basically, trying to find a set injectors that are both quality and easy to find. if i can order a brand new set of smallport injectors that would be nice. im planning on waiting until get another vehicle or get my truck back on the road, so i can release my rolla of DD usage and make it my project car. illneed the fuel economy in the meantime...

i bet it feels good to have that engine now, and im sure it suprises some folks... you did what i was planning to do for a pizza delivery vehicle build, i wanted to have 2 4age's for interswappable parts, leave the one in the sedan stock aside from an intake head and exaust w/quit muffler, and build the living fuck out of the 4age in my gt-s.

i thought i found a good deal on a 1990 auto sedan, but i went to the yard to find that ae82 but they had crushed it, and then the owners of the car never got back to me, so oh well. i am still looking for a manul one, but all the ones ive been able to find thus far have been auto.

good luck with your car mang

 

[aux]

hey dub g, is that one of those corolla intakes from ebay? i couldent find one for the ae92 so all i saw was the ones for the 93-up, so i was sure i was going to have to custom make mine

 

[89yotarollagts]

i would leave the AFM alone ! Buy a header/dp & a nice cone filter & call it done until you have the money to build the motor to what you want or swap in what you want.. i cant count how much money i wasted on my 4age before i swapped in the ZE... in the long run its worth the wait for more power... a good tune up would be a great idea too !

 

[aux]

i plan on rebuilding it, but i still want an intake system. i dont like the way toyota designed the stock air intake system on that car. no performance mods though until i rebuild the engine with higher compression pistons, etc....theres not much point. the exaust really isnt that restrictive, its just exaust. the headers could use a swap though, but not right now. not until i buy a dd so i can finally work on this thing. just going to do the things that mater right now, ordered a clutch kit and a master cylinder. after that its getting all new ignition/spark components, and an air intake. then after that comes the rebuild, hoping to find a smallport block, with the 10.3:1 compression, and just shave down my bigport head, get a thinner trd or hks headgasket, and it ought to be producing 11:1, which is what im going for. ifd i can get an 11:1 compression, ill be happy and leave it alone for a while.

 

[aux]

oh also anyone know any tricks to making reducer inserts for the ports on the bigport head? im thinking cooler air would fill the bigger chambers and then right at the end be funneled furiously into the combustion chamber. i guess the only difference would be the possibility of a little higher flow and maybe denser cooler air buildup in the larger bigports...

 

[dub-g-kizzle]

I personally feel like the largeport design is clumsy when the tvis opens at 4100rpm...the motor has an extreme lack of power when the butterflies open up and dump an unnecessary ammount of air into the motor. I removed my tvis plate and rigged it to constantly stay shut so it keeps the high airflow velocity at all times. I gotta tell everyone that it made a major improvement in the power of the motor and no more lack of power beyond the 4100rpm range.It throws no engine codes and still passes emissions,no over heating.I dont know why toyota designed such a clumsy engine design, but they obviously knew it was a horrible design because they stopped producing them and started producing the smallport motors.