The AvaLancer

Just because I wanna see/hear it... sidepipes. 

In reply to golfduke :

Last shot with the Oregon plate and how perfect the stock Toyota tip fits.. 

The hotrodder in me craves noise and some visual impact but for the moment I'm amused by the fact that this contraption is currently quieter around town and getting on the freeway than my sweethearts Prius. Furreelz.

I'm thinking "period" for this little compact.. as a GenX growing up poor, my stepdad and his friends were broke and upgrades to the 10 and 20 year old family sedans were often mismatched custom wheels, cheap raised white letter tires, cheap glass packs and pencil tips, airshocks , natch.

I've looked into headers, cat-back free flowing pipes.. my ears tell me that lots of the Toyota V6s running around sound raspy or drone badly.. might take a bit to pick the right path.

But yeah, some upcycled slightly-rusty-cheap-chrome side pipes with raised white tires? That's a great look for sure!

This was fun.. to maintain electrical integrity AND I'm cheap.. lo- buck halogen conversion. I'm sure someone might have given me $20 apiece for decent Avalon headlight units.. cut off wheel sliced them up, diamond blade for tile opened the back of vintage sealed beam bulbs.. epoxy. So far no issues, $ spent, O. 

The dash and upper cowl are seriously unfinished and unplanned.. I make things up as I go and my learning curve here has been huge. I've muddled through all of the obstacles so far, focused on function rather than finish quality on this project. 

The amount of hard to reach space created when you arbitrarily move the windshield base a foot rearward is overwhelming. Plus I'm trying to play "engineer" without CAD modeling.. repacking wipers, relocated motor for said luxury, defrost and AC ducting provisions. 

I mangled some metal into a frame that holds the Avalon gauge cluster and am tying it visually and functionally into the lower portion of the console stack with the sound system and HVAC contols. With gorilla tape and a fuzzy dashpad cover. Meh.. it works for now. Factory console and glove box remain, the display/ control unit for the security system is in place. Enclosure for the underhood portion of the old cowl was created with an access panel for servicing the repurposed Toyota Echo engine air filter box. It's now the intake/filter for the heat/defrost/AC.

In reply to Oldstinky :

Making it up as you go is part of the fun!

Ngl I've had similar thoughts about my own avalon

In reply to Patrick :

IMHO it's a fabulous car. Boring appearance, not a hotrod, but I've driven resurrected derelicts from the '40's and newer all my life.. compared to the slant six with no OD on 13" wheels with drum brakes? This has been so fun. If I do another one I might look for a slightly larger body. New"dimensions " to consider have certainly become clear! Like where the windshield base will land, whether the donor body will adequately clear all the underhood amenities AS THEY WERE DESIGNED... 

​​​​​This is the current form under hood. After 1200 miles so far, biggest issues are finessing the tire clearance. I've gently rolled the rear lip and now only get small interference on aggressive cornering. Mileage is averaging out to 23mpg overall. Interior refinement will take time, crafting some door panels, a proper headliner. I must be old because there still is no media player and speakers! 

A thought about "finishing" the exterior. Body is probably mint by Midwest standards, but the accumulated dings and scrapes and one heavily damaged door are getting a rather quick coat of black Rust-Oleum. Brushed mostly. It's nice and thick and after a little time for cure I've had good luck previously sanding out the brush marks and polishing to an acceptable level. It's extremely inexpensive. If my interest level doesn't fade, I'll address the minor rust and dents one panel at a time.

Spending a little more up front for the Lancer because it had current registration really paid of at DMV. California can be difficult to deal with if you cross the odd line of 1976-newer vehicles for emissions regulations. 

However, current registration and older than 1976, it was a simple VIN verification and paying fees proscribed for title transfer and taxes for declared purchase price. No light/ brake inspection even. 

First vacation trip in the AvaLancer. Lovely lunch in historic Weaverville on our way to the Humboldt coast for some touring. Love the cruise control, and passing the occasional logging truck is effortless. I'm still amused at how completely boring and predictable the darn thing is.