My AE86 Corolla Part 5 - Welcome Home!

Shortly after moving in to my new place I was able to get the car moved into its new home!

After the car was brought home there was a bit of down time as my now wife and I where settling in, and getting ready to get hitched in the fall. But I did do some parts collecting and started getting the wiring in place.

During my time not drifting my car, I helped some friends get started at a local track, below is a photo of me drifting Colin Cooks super clean S14 at Raceway Park.

Doing the conversion from the SR5 carb motor the the GT-S fuel injected motor I needed to either find a GT-S tank and lines or get something after market, I found a great deal on this Jazz 12 gallon fuel cell that came with some lines and extra -AN fittings. 

Now we start rolling into fall 2013, I ordered a bunch of stuff for the fuel system, more -an fitting some insulated mounts, and a fuel pump and filter. My friend, Patrick stopped by to help me figure out how to run the system and what parts I would need to put it all together.

 As winter started rolling in I sent my car down to DL Garage to have them make a mount for my fuel cell, my master for my hydro hand brake, and my FMIC.

My AE86 Corolla Part 4 - Spring Time!

Part 4 SPRING TIME!

Picking up from last fall, the master cylinders for the brake and clutch are now back in the car, as well as the speedo cable and all of the brake hard lines, the motor will soon be ready for install!


 I also gathered a bunch of parts for the car including a rad old school BuddyClub exhaust! Some more wheels, extra fenders, and my car is starting to look like a storage shelf!

Throughout the rest of the spring and into summer I was getting ready to get the motor into the car before I move, as it would be easier than me moving all of the pieces separately. First off I started looking into the box of wiring stuff that I had gotten with the car... what a mess!!!

Decided to leave the wiring stuff for after the move, its time to get the motor and trans ready to go into the car! A HUGE thanks to those that stopped by to help me out !

After the motor went in with little to no issues we installed the front body panels to help make it look more like a complete car! For the first time the car is really starting to take shape! I am excited!! I cannot wait to drive it!!!

15 year-old Vinyl

A sign with 15 years of weathering has a place in a vintage shop and possibly a Western shop, but definitely not hanging above an established local business. It was definitely time for a redesign and facelift for this sturdy, wood, 20Ft sign. 

First, I consulted with the store owner, took some measurements/photos, and sketched out a design. After a second consult, we picked out vinyl colors which were close to the original sign, but a bit more bold.

Next, the install. The sign was removed about a week prior and warmed to around 50 degrees in a warehouse space. Even with a bit of warming, the cracked, faded, and brittle vinyl needed to be heated with a heat gun. This task and that of cleaning the adhesive residue with alcohol took the longest.

After cleaning it, I rolled out and cut to size, a continuous layer of red. Spraying with water made it easier to squeegee the air bubbles and helped it lay flat and smooth. 

Letting it sit overnight, I can back the next morning to lay the text and trim the edges.

The sign now looks brand new!

My AE86 Corolla Part 3 - Prep and Paint the Bay

Picking up from part 2, my buddy Colton and I prepped the bay for paint. To clean it up a little bit, we shaved the battery tray and the washer revisor, which gives the car a cleaner look when it's all together. I did not take any photos of drilling the welds and prying them off, but this is what they looked like after a little bondo, some sanding, and a layer of primer!

We took a wire brush to the rack to clean it up and sanded the rest of the bay.

When the bay was ready to paint, I skipped out of work a little early to lay down some primer and paint.

With the car rolled into the driveway, and masked with some newspaper, I started to lay primer.

With the primer down, I added some base coats, using some Montana Gold 'Copper Chrome'. 

Topping it with clear and it is really started to take shape! (Man...maybe I should paint the whole car this color!)

Here is how it looked after it all was dry and back in the garage.

After this, it started getting cold (Winter 2012/2013), so I pushed it aside and did a little here and there, but not much until the following spring!

My AE86 Corolla Part 4 - Spring Time!

My AE86 Corolla Part 2 - Cleaning and Organization

Now that I have the car in the garage, it desperately needed to be cleaned up after sitting in the elements for 4+ years. There were nuts, leaves, pine cones and all kinds of other stuff in the car that need to be cleaned out! We started with some vacuuming and soapy water to clean the car up... nothing is worse than a dirty dust-covered project sitting in the garage!

Inside and outside are clean, so time to start on the bay!

With the fenders and the bumper off it made the bay area super easy to access for cleaning! Bill and I used a shop vac and cleaned all the pine needles and acorns out of there! Everything was starting to take shape!

Next up was to take a look at some janky rear suspension...

As you can see in the second photo, there are lag bolts holding the rear end in the car... Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?

For the time being, I tossed on some normal bolts (ordering proper hardware before the car gets driven). The rear is now somewhat centered, and it looks good enough for the time being!

Let's see how the front looks:

Along with the car, I received some T3 (Techno Toy Tuning) Front Coilovers, with camber plates and RCA's (Roll Centered Adjusters). The car also had some UEO tie rod ends, but they looked like they might need some work, which I'll address later.

Coilovers installed and setup with a great ride height for the car/wheel combo, no need to change anything. Now all I need is some brakes up front!

Stay tuned for...My AE86 Corolla Part 3 - Prep and Paint the Bay!