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

Don't expect a whole lot of content because a shop is doing the work here.

The plan is to rebuild and swap in a 4AGE engine, the disc brakes from the GTS, and the sweet super-rare JDM 2.5 turn PS rack into my SR5 'rolla.

I was going to leave out the GTS front sway bar since I was happy with the handling balance but the mechanic who has a similar AE111 'rolla recommended it and says it shouldn't cause horrible understeer, and it should reduce body roll, which is a kind of suspension movement, which is the arch enemy of macstrut handling (see Go-Kart Theory of Suspension Design: "Any suspension can work, if you don't let it").

Full parts going in: 4AGE engine, rebuilt with all OEM internals except HKS thin metal head gasket, new oil pan, 4-2-1 header, AEM adjustable cam pulleys, starter swapped to intake side, Exedy stage 1 clutch (I'll put in an oil cooler and CAI with K&N washable long filter later)

GTS disc brakes + MC & prop valves, rebuilt, steel braided lines on rear (to get more rear bias on a system that can't be easily modded with a bias controller), metallic pads and DOT5.1 fluid, brake vent inlets to be installed in backing plates (I'll put in the rest of the system and some speed bleeders later)

2.5 turn PS rack (PS cooler system later)

Front sway bar with new hardware, new front arms with sway bar mounting tabs (no shop had the two arms from the same manufacturer, finding two with the mounting tabs at the same height was hard).

I'm putting some of those parts in later because I'm waiting for an opportunity to get some parts in by...more affordable means

So here is the m4d tyt3 donor car, with DOWNFORZ and a RAM AIR HOOD SCOOP*

*Hood scoop does not actually have any openings in it

It's JDM yo! No seriously, none of the 1992 models were sold outside of Japan, even the various labeling stickers on this car are in Japanese. It's also branded Trueno instead of Corolla.

Going to replace this:

With this (once rebuilt):

What do you do when you want a 4AGE 4-2-1 header for FWD layout and all you can buy is a cheapo Chinese 4-1 header which costs all the money to import? Fix up a 20v blacktop header and modify the flange to fit:

This will be cleaned up, painted and wrapped. The downpipe section is already insulated from the factory.

Right now the part I'm having the most trouble finding is the 4AGE AC compressor pulley. If I put it on the current compressor then I don't have to de-gas the system or change AC hard lines.

I'm such a sucker for 80's Toyotas, looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

Will be keeping an eye on this one. I miss my AE92.

Thought I'd update so it doesn't look like nothing's going on

We're pretty much waiting for parts to come in now. The engine's rebuilt and just needs the head gasket to slap the halves together, head bolts, new oil pan which will be modded with a return for the starter relocation, cam pulleys and clutch.

Front brakes are rebuilt, waiting on the kits for the rear.

Still haven't found an AC pulley, around here we call AC the life support system and a closed-cabin car is hardly streetable without it. If you roll down your tinted windows to let the heat out you let the searing sun in. Even race cars here have AC or a cool shirt system or both.

Worst-case we'll have to order an AC clutch kit which is pretty expensive for what it is, and will introduce another big delay, and all the break-in has to be done in time for late February.

I'm not sure where you are located.

I believe I have a an AC compressor from an '88 GT-S Coupe. It might still be on the engine (on stand in my garage). I will not be using it for my FX16 GT-S autocross toy. Let me know what you need and we'll agree on a GRM price. Do you need the belt adjustment bracket/pulley too?

Caribbean. IIRC the bracket/pulley was still on the donor engine, if there's trouble I'll contact you and see what we can work out.

Sounds good! I can ship through work with the lowest Fed Ex rates.

I'm enjoying your build thread!

Thought I'd update, some parts came in just before Christmas but some still haven't even shipped, the parts from the donor are going to be prepped ahead of time and the swap is going to start around mid-January.

So it's looking like an early/mid February finish. First event is an autocross in late February and next year will have the toughest competition ever.

Was at the shop and took some pics today.

Engine was here:

New Centric rear rotors. If the ones on the donor are OK I'll use those and keep these as spares, I just brought some in 'cuz you can't get them here:

Pistons cleaned up pretty good:

Test wrap of header:

Old oil pan below, new one above with oil return mod being tested:

Update: The mechanic had an idea. AE92s do well with more rear brake bias, but due to the complex design where the bias control is split between a mechanism in the MC and a factory fixed proportioning valve, using an adjustable proportioning valve to get more rear bias would involve a ton of work to basically fit a custom brake hydraulic system.

So his idea is to use the drum brake proportioning valve with the disc brake MC. This will give A LOT more rear bias, hopefully not too much. I've seen some reports online of people warping their rear rotors with this setup but he's assured me this won't happen...worst case scenario, we've got spares.

It'll now run braided steel lines all-around.

Also the car will be getting a PS cooler & filter system at the same time now, that should help extend the life of the unobtanium 2.5 turn rack.

Please tell me youre going to harvest the Trueno badges and they will find new homes on your car...

The only Trueno badge is the one on the front edge of the hood, I don't know if it originally had one on the back but the back is shaved now...I think I'm gonna stick with the Corolla badging. I'm gonna get the stock stickers reproduced, the "16 VALVE" one has rotted off the rear glass (I'll replace it with the "16 VALVE EFI" sticker the 4AGE-powered models got) and the ones on the trunk are getting old and cracked.

Cool stuff.

Not sure of your budget... Rock Auto sells the GT-S pan with the oil cooler drainback fitting all in place... all clean, and neat with no silicone to clean off for about $60

What are you doing for management... it appears your old 4AF (not E because I spy a carb) is not likely capable of running the 4AGE....

the piston crowns look decent...

How thin are you going on the gasket? What is the deck? It appears that the block has not been cut... so it(deck) likely is .015" (piston edge from block edge - measured over either end of the wrist pin - .015" = .38mm)

Which camshaft are you planning on running?? I'd recommend running the original cams... BUT if she pings... you might look @ a set of bluetop cams... they (bluetop cams) will lower dynamic compression so should lower chance of ping

The new pan is actually one of the ones available on RockAuto, the drainback hole was on the wrong side though, meant for an oil cooler.

It'll be running the stock JDM ECU for now, later an AEM EMS-4 and eventually I might go to an MS3X. I'll use the MS BOB to preserve the stock connector and hook up any non-stock wires to a DB37 or something.

The gasket is the HKS 1.6mm, no plans to deck the block.

Running stock redtop cams, on that topic do you know what the limits of lift/duration are before you turn it into an interference engine? It'll be running on 91 octane E10 or E15.

Why did you opt for the HKS 1.6 gasket? Stock gasket when compressed is 1.2mm... the HKS gasket is lowering your compression......

no worries on any stock cams about interference... all 16V 4AGEs are non-interference

It may be the 0.7mm, the mechanic ordered it and told me it was an HKS metal headgasket that was "a half mil thinner," going from the uncompressed thickness of about 2mm I measured from an OEM one I have, that seemed to match the 1.6.

I was wondering how much lift/duration you can get in an aftermarket cam without turning the 4age into an interference engine.

GameboyRMH wrote: I was wondering how much lift/duration you can get in an aftermarket cam without turning the 4age into an interference engine.

That depends on a lot of things..... has the block ever been cut? has the head ever been cut? has the head ever had a valve job? All of these things can change the relative position of the valve and the piston.

KNOWN.... 240 total duration, (204 @ 1mm) 7.56mm lift cams do not come in contact with low comp pistons - non interference. 236 total duration (198 @ 1mm) 7.1mm lift cams do not come in contact with high comp pistons. Everything else is likely rumor

With that said as long as you service(proper R&I) the timing belt every 60k, and use new parts each time you replace it.. you should be ok with using MOST of the off the shelf 4AG cams out there...

Update: The realities of island living have delayed the swap and it might not be possible to get it done in time for the 1st event. Some parts for my car still haven't arrived, and the real killer, parts for another car the mechanic was working on before mine (and delayed to do work on mine) were delayed for ages pushing back a lot of other projects...including mine.

If there's no time for the swap I'll just get the front sway bar and new front arms installed so I can test the new suspension setup in the first event. Maybe some rear camber bolts as well if I can find them locally.

How difficult is it to source donor cars/parts in the Carribean? Do you do a lot of internet dealings?

I'm still enough of a nerd to dig that your donor car is a Trueno.

Looking forward to further progress on this.

The junkyard selection isn't that good, cars don't get tossed into the junkyard so easily and with cars being imported in very low numbers in the first place, it doesn't take much for parts to become rare. There's a 100% import duty on car parts (or work done on car parts overseas, if you ship one out) and shipping can be hefty on top of that...it's not cheap.

Added a Reader's Rides entry for the donor that I'll update when I get around to...doing whatever I'm going to do with it after the swap.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/8908/

So did the first event with the new front sway bar installed on the weekend. It was last-minute work and I basically didn't have an alignment, I was running probably -3deg camber on the left and -0.5 deg on the right, and so much toe-out that it was tricky to place the car.

But the front sway bar helped a lot. Body roll is cut down by at least 1/3 and the handling balance is basically unchanged, if anything it might even have moved towards more oversteer. The car's a little less forgiving, that's all.

Waiting on official standings but I was following the times and it looks like I came 2nd, I was leading through the first two rounds and then on the 3rd round I found the limits of the new suspension setup and did a slower more sideways run, then the guy who usually gets 1st took the lead. Then it started raining so the times were pretty much set at that point.

A guy with a nearly stock GC WRX showed up and did good for his first autocross. He couldn't run it to the redline either because of a fuel system problem but he was only 3 seconds behind me and well ahead of the other noobs. That said I know all too well how hard it is to make up for a 500-600lb weight disadvantage

I'll upload a video in the next few days.

The lack of understeer is good news because I'm planning to put in some rear camber bolts (before the next event) and at some point, a custom rear strut brace that will improve rear grip.

I'm gonna try to get the swap started this week but I need to get my Samurai out of the shop so I have something to DD.

Update: After the event a slight knocking I was getting before turned into a terrifying clunk, I hadn't driven the car since that day. Just got word that the left side camber plate has a crack in it so I'm going to order some new ones, mechanic suggested getting some from Ground Control - edit: Although I just checked and they don't seem to make any for AE92s, so I'm open to other suggestions.

Also gonna upload a vid this weekend.

Camber plates for an AE92 might just be made of virgin unicorn DNA......

There are a few out there, I'm just about to order the T3 units now. They're also available from Cusco, D2/Ksport (like the ones I just broke), and some very costly camber+caster plates are available from K-MAC in Australia.