Sportivo Mechanics

[snakesau]

Hey Guys,

I am looking at launching my project shortly & are looking for a mechanic / engineer who has had previous experience with modifying Sportivo's

Unfortunately I'm sticking with NA - turbo / SC is out of my league, but I have some plans with CAI, exhaust, gearbox, clutch, flywheel, suspension, brakes & maybe some engine internals (just strengthening things up). Possibly further down the track, I may look at PowerFC, CAMs...

Obviously there is quite a bit of variety in what I am looking at doing - ideally I would like 1 person / shop to carry out the work (if possible). I have some particular brands in mind, (e.g. CES) but are open to listening to those who have 1st hand knowledge with the kinds of mods I am looking at.

Are you able to recommend someone in Sydney - I'm in the North Ryde area, but are willing to travel around.

Post here or feel free to PM me if you have anyone in mind :D

Cheers

Tim

Edited November 9, 2011 by snakesau

[clifton]

For everything except exhaust and maybe internals I'd recommend Top One Auto.

The owner Dedy is really genuine, has alot of experience with modified jap cars and a very good reputation. Very decent rates as well :)

[2204]

+1 for dedy at top one his the man when it comes to modifying my car

Edited November 10, 2011 by 2204

[snakesau]

Thanks guys for your replies :D

[snakesau]

Bump for anyone else with some suggestions

[xoom]

Hey Mate,

U wont want/need an engineer ..... ur purely after a mechanic.

For CAI this can be done on ur own as there are a few write ups on here on how to do it ..... or im sure there are a few members that would be happy to help out with an install for some cash or lunch or whatever .....

For exhaust it all depends on whether u wanna save some cash and get something fabricated locally or if u just want to grab a CES and need someone to fit it .... to date the CES has been the best sounded exhaust i've heard on a sportivo as a lot of the locally fabricated stuff tends to be too load or drone or probably fail the noise test .... but as i said really up to u .... if u r getting it fabricated 2.5" piping and a big decision on the muffler to try and control the noise / note.

When u say gearbox/clutch/flywheel wat specifically do u want to do here ? are u planning to get a Kaaz gear set or drop in an LSD or just get a HD clutch and lightend flywheel ? Same thing for suspension and brakes .... are u simply looking to upgrade the ride handling and stopping or are you looking for dramatic improvements. Simple upgrades are pedders/kings springs and shocks or even simple coils & for brakes u could simply go pads and rotors or go all out on a big brake kit ....

I would also highly recommend a front strut brace as this helps the sportivo dramatically and can be fitted urself ;)

I think the first place u need to start is ur budget & determine the goals u want to achieve ..... money more than anything will dictate specifically how to approach ur mods and what to go for & whether to get specialists or run of the mill mechanics to work on the car & ur goals will also assist in making these decisions.

cheers

Bill

Hey Guys,

I am looking at launching my project shortly & are looking for a mechanic / engineer who has had previous experience with modifying Sportivo's

Unfortunately I'm sticking with NA - turbo / SC is out of my league, but I have some plans with CAI, exhaust, gearbox, clutch, flywheel, suspension, brakes & maybe some engine internals (just strengthening things up). Possibly further down the track, I may look at PowerFC, CAMs...

Obviously there is quite a bit of variety in what I am looking at doing - ideally I would like 1 person / shop to carry out the work (if possible). I have some particular brands in mind, (e.g. CES) but are open to listening to those who have 1st hand knowledge with the kinds of mods I am looking at.

Are you able to recommend someone in Sydney - I'm in the North Ryde area, but are willing to travel around.

Post here or feel free to PM me if you have anyone in mind :D

Cheers

Tim

[snakesau]

Thanks for your input Xoom.

My plan is (loosely) as follows.

Plan1: I would like to replace the clutch (car has 160 000kms on the clock) and I can tell it is starting to slip a bit. I wold also like to replace with a lighter flywheel & then crack open the gearbox & replace the Sportivo 6th gear with the Celica 6th gear (If I remember correctly from reading on here, the Celica 6th gear will result in lower RPM's at the same speed yeah?) Staying N/A means that I won't be developing huge amounts of torque so I don't require anything fully hardcore. Just something solid that will hold up to a few repeated beatings over time. LSD may be something that I could look into, once I take my plan, talk to a mechanic and work out what my budget is going to get me. Also if the engine is going to be taken out, I would like the timing chain checked & replaced if necessary. Where this would fit into the plan(s) I am uncertain as to when this would be best addressed.

Plan2: Full manifold back exhaust + CAI. CES is the plan. I would like to get the most out of the car breathing better, in case I want to do some internal work later down the track, I don't need to spend any more on the exhaust.

Plan3: Suspension. Don't want to lower the car ridiculously - too many speed humps & dodgy driveways in my hood. Further down the track I may put 17" rims onto her, but for now, wheels & tyres are staying stock, simply cos there is nothing wrong with them & I would rather direct money elsewhere initially. So with suspension, probably nothing hardcore - I can't see the need for coilovers, just something that will lower the centre of gravity, but still give a nice ride (note that my wife & I like to go for drives, so she needs to feel comfortable sitting in the car for 2-8 hours at a time.) I would like struts / braces to be part of the package if they are going to help improve the quality of the ride which is clearly what you are suggesting.

Plan4: Breaks (yes, I don't want it to break lol!) Again, since I am not turboing or s/charging the car, it won't be developing huge amounts of speed quickly, so I don't feel that I need to go overboard with the brakes. I am open to suggestions as to what might be approapriate in this area. Again balancing in with the budget.

Budget: Yes I can has I won't be carrying all this work out in 1 go, rather I see it progressing over time (hopefully plan1, then plan2...). I get the feeling that I do need to act sooner rather than later, with the fact that the Sportivo's are well & truly phased out & getting parts for them (whether Toyota or otherwise) will only get more difficult with time. Note that the car is just about to come off lease which is why I couldn't do anything sooner. Essentially I want to try to get a bit more performance out of her, better handling & stopping without losing too much ride comfort, and I need it to last for at least another 5 years. She gets driven quite hard, but the mileage per year will drop when it comes off lease. Ultimately what ever I end up doing, I need it to last with the investment I am going to put into her - I can't afford to buy another vehicle for at least 5 years. So I want to do it right, first time and have it done by someone / some people who know what they are talking about & have experience to match in carrying out the work. Also since there is quite a variety of ideas listed above, having someone familiar with the scope of works listed above would help me in being able to plan it in such a way in that the car is off the road for minimal periods of time & that labour charges are kept to reasonable levels. Obviously you can see that I know that you get what you pay for, but would like to cover as many plans as possible within my budget.

Sorry for the long reply, this is the first time that I have been able to think clearly & actually write out what I would like done & how I feel would be the best way to go about it. I am however, open to suggestions when I am able to speak with someone who has knowledge & experience in carrying out these types of works :D

Cheers

Tim