Slowly getting re-assembled and made to look like a proper car again. Dropping off front guards, bonnet and bumper in the morning.



Had a semi productive weekend away, picked up my factory injection manifold to see what would be useable for the eight throttle setup. The answer is not a lot. I did some arm twisting and the construction of the manifold from scratch has been delegated to one Mr Sheepers who had one too many beers and decided it wouldn't be that hard.
No water runs through the injected manifold, the rear ports on the head are just covered over. Has the front ports connected to the thermostat housing so that may be re-used. Just need to do some measuring so we know what height there is to work with for bonnet clearance. Will run a plenum over the top (with small bellmouths in it) that rises towards the rear with a pipe coming off each side and a cold air box with pod filter between each strut tower and the firewall. These are going to be fed by subtle vents in the back corner of the bonnet. Haven't decided if a single plenum would be better or if I should keep each side separate, also looking at a fuel pump that doesn't require a return in order to keep the fuel rail tidier.
On my way home I stuck my nose under the bonnet of a 1GZ V12 powered RA23 that is under construction, happened to spot the brakes are the same as mine. Some dealing has been done, I acquired some RA23 struts and my caliper brackets will be getting made up to suit. Slowly ticking things off on a rather long list.

Callum

 

this thing is just cool! cant wait to see it fully finished

 

Looking a little tidier today when I dropped the front panels off.




Currently sorting out battery options for mounting in the sides of the tray as that is the area we will tackle next.

Callum

 

Looking good man my first car was a 81 corolla coupe. So Corollas always have a lil piece of my heart. Love the idea of the electric rear window.

Not sure if Odyssey Batteries are on your side of the pond but they are very slim and can be tucked in anywhere.

 

Yeah we get Odyssey batteries but they aren't cheap at all, got a few options I'm investigating but I have only about 4 1/2 inches to fit them in.

Callum

 

So I spent some more money -


Callum

 

thats pure sex!

 

thats not a corolla hood !!
but i can see what your going to do with it

.

 

Yeah its from an Australian Ford Falcon BA V8, I already have a fibreglass copy of the bonnet hump molded into my hood but want to go all steel as we will be doing a flip forward bonnet. It blends in really well on the Corolla bonnet.


Callum

 

Gonna look cool!

I didn't know they still made a version of the Falcon, I came real close to buying a 64 when I was 18. Kicking myself now!

 

Yeah Australia has a reasonable local auto industry with the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, some bits (such as the V8 engines) are imported from America. The late model Pontiac GTO's are actually a rebadged Holden Monaro with a different front.



Callum

 

Cool to know!

Keep up the good work on your ride!

 

What do you think it would cost to ship something this way? Just wondering

 

Depends what it is, I know the www.minitruckin.co.nz and www.downundertruckin.com guys have shipped a few bits to the States for people. I'm not much help as I live miles from anywhere decent so freight costs go up. What were you looking for?

Callum

 

im looking for a 84-88 crew cab hilux..it doesnt even need to be running, i just want the front cab..i want it for a project...

hehe, looking good!

 

Took the wife shopping in Tauranga yesterday (about 180 miles from home), well thats what I told her. Really I just wanted to go to Burger Fuel and drop my front hubs off in Whakatane (120 miles from home) so my brake caliper brackets can be made.
Also ordered my batteries today, got two of the 1220HD so we can start making the battery trays for in the sides of the tray. Didn't want to put the battery in the engine bay as seriously starting to run out of room.
http://www.batterydirect.co.nz/vertex_drycell_battery.htm

Callum

 

So no pics, but new batteries have arrived. Small but heavy, should do the job at 400CCA each. Had a planning session with the panelbeater on what we are doing in the tray, batteries will be stacked one on top of the other in the side of the tray on front passengers side with a custom battery tray and clamps. Each battery will have its own plug-in connection point and I will be running an isolator so the starting battery (which will also be hooked into the alarm and central locking) won't get flattened by leaving on the lights or the stereo. May have a separate battery backup system for alarm etc to be safe.
Also making new side panels so will have 4 separate locked compartments, one for battery tray, one for jack and tools (drivers rear) and two unused at this stage. Fuel filler will be right in the back drivers corner of the tray so it doesnt interfere with the jack compartment, they will also be fitting the core trak tie down points I purchased previously. Then the fun job of building the bed extender and making that work just to keep them occupied for a while.

Callum

 

My brakes are now a little bigger than stock KE70 ones.

 

Alot better. Man this thing is cool looking i remember my cousins corolla back in the days riding in it to school and back. Keep it up man.

 

Mounts look pretty strong, very happy with them and they fill the 17's well. I still need to run a spacer, only need a few mm for the rim to clear but will run 15mm bolt ons to give me clearance for the coilover sleeves.
So my full setup is late KE70 steering arms and lower control arms, RA23 Celica struts, MS65 Crown 5 stud hubs, LS400/Celsior 315 x 28mm discs and alloy 4 pot calipers, a little machining of the hubs, custom caliper brackets and 17x8 41P Blitz 03 wheels with 205/40 tyres. Now I just need to get the strut tubes shortened and coilovers fitted.

Callum