AE92 Corolla SR5 - GTS goodies swap-in mini-build-thread

Picked up the centering collar today so the alternator can be tried on Monday. Either the engine will start or I'll find out what else is broken.

I can get some rear camber without spacers but not a whole lot, maybe -1deg...max negative will put the tires in contact with the spring seats. I figure 2mm clearance is a safe minimum.

I found the piece of my audio deck faceplate I was looking for, tried to glue it back on and got super glue in my eye. I'll pick some up in a dropper bottle and try with that again tomorrow.

With 2mm clearance in the rear, you will be rubbing the shocks in hard cornering. You will see the black rubber on them after an event. Better to go with 5mm to 6mm. I run about -0.3° camber in the rear for clearance. With this set-up, the car rotates nicely.

I don't think I'll need that much with the size I'm running, the tires are slightly stretched so they can't shift back and forth like squeezed tires. From the info in this thread:

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/tire-clearance/50023/page1/

I don't think 2mm is too unsafe. If I'm wrong I can go back to zero camber but that only gets me about 4mm.

As long as you're aware and check it, you'll be fine. If there is rubbing, it's not an immediate safety concern. You have your plan B already figured out.

New alternator's hooked up, had to find a replacement electrical connector yesterday, maybe the engine will start today.

Edit: I think I should post some modified future plans. Next springs will be 650lb all-around...this keeps the spring rate proportion more rearward-biased than current rather than more forward-biased and reduces the change in spring rate. I'd try to get the new springs and custom drop spindles put on at the same time.

If the brake bias is so messed up with the sr5 proportioning valve that I have to switch to the GTS one, or I can't lock up the rears with the handbrake, I'll put off engine mods and put in an adjustable proportioning valve and hydraulic handbrake instead.

OK engine's running now, I have a video I'll try to upload in the next few days but I really don't have time, gotta get my Samurai ready for a rally this weekend. Got the last few parts that were in customs including the intake. Here's a mockup of the CAI partition:

I'll seal the side facing the radiator against the hood with garage door edging or something like that. Maybe I'll try to close in the rear a little better.

I cut up a plastic Rubbermaid tote and sealed it to the hood using rubber pipe insulation.

Battery is relocated to tire well in hatch.

Where are you going to draw air from?

There's a factory CAI opening between the battery and the air filter I can open up, also there's an opening to the underside of the front bumper just ahead of the battery. There's a big gap to the "port" side of the battery so air can flow around it. The front edge of the partition rests against the back of the battery.

The trouble with sealing the back end of the housing is that there's a ton of lines running around there. I think I can get it mostly sealed off and get a full seal to the hood.

I actually have some of that foam I could use, depends how stiff the partition comes out and how solidly I can mount it.

Track progress:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEAyY-puXZ4

Dammit I really wanted to be the first to start a drone photography business here.

Still electrical fixes going on, new gauges being wired in, dropped off a new coolant temp gauge sender yesterday because the one I got is wrong...but I'm sorry to say that when this shop is done with the car, I'll probably mothball it for a couple of months.

Getting the Samurai ready for the offroad rally season involved dropping a used engine in it and getting brake parts FedEx'd here, and in all it cost about as much as the rest of the work the 'rolla needed combined. And that happened within just a couple weeks of all the unexpected failures on this car leading up to the engine starting.

Most likely the autocross season won't start this year until after the first Global Rallycross event. If it does, my plan is to just get corner balance (with exhaust parts strategically placed inside the car) and alignment done, put it on the credit card, and compete with the open downpipe exhaust.

Doing more electrical fix-ups, interior is pretty much all together now, finishing up the PS system...and I took a short video of the engine running I can put straight online that I'm uploading now.

Edit: Damn, may have to wait until I get home, uploading from the work PC won't go past 0%.

Got it online, vidjer time!

https://youtu.be/GGNN6OqErmY

Aww E36 M3 the PS rack needs a rebuild, at least I was half expecting this...

PS rack coming out...had some delays but like I said, the car would be mothballed anyway so no driveable time was lost.

Gonna do extended lugs, front upper strut brace reinstall, splash guard install and new hub rings on the front before the front wheels go back on. Brake line brackets need adjustment too.

Rack came out yesterday, and the mechanic got it out through one of the tie rod holes, so it is possible without removing the subframe! The shaft looks OK, seems that all the brown stuff is various crud congealed on the outside of the shaft:

Once the shaft is removed and cleaned up I can see if it needs re-chroming or not.

I'd say the prototype of the CAI box is finished:

I'd put a piece of aluminum-bubblewrap sandwich on the underside of the hood above the CAI box to better insulate it from the hood which gets boiling hot in the sun. The side facing the radiator will also get a layer of AL-bubble sandwich. I'd seal it with some rubber sheeting similar to AEM's CAI boxes. Any thoughts before I make the real thing?

Rack's getting rebuilt, everything's getting professionally measured to make sure that there won't be any leaks. I'm reconditioning various odds and ends and gathering parts for the CAI box. Car would definitely be mothballed until the end of April (and May isn't looking too good either)...was thinking about getting the exhaust built, doing a string alignment and entering a drag race on the 19th but the Sammy needed major front axle work.

OK the steering rack's rebuilt, the shaft was OK but the housing needed some machine work, the ID of some of the bores were worn out of spec.

Meanwhile I've been fixing up a few parts, the car now has all the parts it needs to drive away from this shop. I still need to build the CAI partition.

At least things went decently in the last offroad rally, I got 3rd novice overall, 1st novice on route 2 and 3rd overall on route 2.

Track progress: Now being tested. BY THE STIG HIMSELF! (Seriously)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB4aY4Qptoc

Sub'd to follow!

BTW if there's any GTS interior bits you'd need or like that are hard to find there let me know. I'm gutting the whole of my 92. My friend that gave it to me has dibs on some stuff but just send me a shopping list and you can have it if he's not going to take it, just pay shipping. A/C is coming out too if that wasn't sorted to your liking.

AC should be good but I'll keep you in mind if I need any more parts. I already have a full set of interior spares in my parts car

Yesterday I bolted up the front upper strut brace and reinstalled the rain gutter cover and wipers.

The PS rack's being put in, another thing where I fixed up a lot of little parts and didn't take pics. Once the rack's on, it just needs the extended front lugs installed, front brake line brackets adjusted, some adjustments to the rear suspension and then it can go on a break-in drive.

And here is easily the worst news so far: The crown jewel of this build in terms of rarity (edit: and possibly autocross time improvement), the 2.5-turn PS rack, is still leaking and it will at least need a new housing. No idea where I'll get that.

Called the dealership today mostly for E36 M3s and giggles, turns out they can actually sell me a new 2.5 turn rack but it's 2500 motherberkin' dollars and a 3 month wait.

So the remaining ideas are:

1. See if another housing can take this rack's internals. The SR5 rack housing seems to be the same (and we know that everything from the sedan to the GTZ takes the same seal/rebuild kit).
2. Try Japanese junkyards. Expensive and risky (the "new" rack could also be at death's door).
3. Try to find a used GTZ rack locally. Mind you I spent a few years doing this before buying the donor car, without success.

I see new OEM ones online for $250, that works out to about $500-$600 on my end, not a terrible option considering that the rebuild kit is about $140 here and I can be sure to rack up a couple hundred in labor getting another rack fixed up.