AE82 future modification ideas - help :)

[Charliee]

Hey guys,

I am brand bew to these forums, and decided to join when i stumbled upon it while i was searching the net for possible mods for my corolla. B)

I am curently only 15, and i am interested in options for my first car. I am the youngest of a family of three brothers, with my oldest brother owning a TT 300zx and my other one still on his L's.

Anyway, scince the age of 2 the family car has been our 1986 AE82 corolla, which after many years of service, has been replaced with a new family car and is just used for learning to drive in, and the ocassional emergency. It has done almost 250,000 km and is a great car, which has only broken down on us once when there was a leak in the radiator.

I have been deciding on my first car for as long as i can remember and have narrowed it down to about 3 choices. I am interested in a TT 300zx, like my brother, an R32 GTR, or i could upgrade the corolla with new modifications (this would be the most fufilling (sp?) out of them all.)

I am interested in high performance, as u may have gathered with the selection of my cars, but more than that i am attracted to them through the legacy of each of the cars. The GTR being a racing legend, the fairlady platform for its long history of being exceptional cars, and the corolla, if not being as renound (sp?) as these two cars, has history of being a fantastic rally car, and would also be funny as a sleeper.

So, any comments you guys would have on my ideas are more than welcome, and please, if i am dreaming about the resurection of my beloved corolla :( , please tell me.

ps. Oh, and by the time i am able to drive i am expecting to have a budget of around 10 to 13 thousand dollars. After much hard work i know it will be worth it! :D

[eddy_torrezz]

change the motor and put in 2zzge would be a good start.lol

[CHA54]

the 2ZZ conversion into an AE82 is possible with only a small amount of fabrication. It's just the 2ZZ is costly to buy.

If you want proper techincal recommendations and advise, try www.twincam.org or www.toymods.org.au as you will get a lot more "hands on" advise there from people experienced with the older corolla's.

One thing to consider is your budget, you seem to know how much you want to spend, but how much of that 13K do you want to give to a "performance" workshop? For that much $$ you are able to do full suspension, brakes, engine, box, LSD and rolling stock.

To see what others have spent making their corolla's more "performance oriented" read this thread: http://www.twincam.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1318

The AE82 has quite a bit of track racing history, the TRD bible actually lists the buildup of the Group A AE82 corolla's like Neil Bates used to race at Bathurst.

Edited November 9, 2005 by rollamods

[SuperDave]

The 300zx TT is a good car, prolem is mods are costly compared to the GTR and it is heavy. Don't know much about the AE82, but all I can say is a light car is a lot more fun.

Plus the VG30DETT is prob one of the best engines nissan made. Try www.twinturbo.net for info on the 300zx.

[Charliee]

Thanx alot guys.

I was also thinking about a 4agze conversion. Would this be costly because it was used for a RWD car?? Hmmmm, is it expensive to convert a FWD to a RWD?

I see that the 2ZZ-GE engine is the celica engine. I heard it was was expensive and difficult to put this engine into a Corolla like mine.

Rollamods: Well that really depends, i mean how quick would 10 - 13 grand get my corolla. Surely it wouldnt be as fast as a TT300zx or a r32 Geetz... would it?

If i did fix the corolla i would also be doing body work. There are a few dints and rust marks. I would fix the dents and rust, re-spray it either black, white, or gunmetal grey and fit it with some of those old style snow flake rims.

like these >>>> http://tireline.co.kr/images/shop/bbsrs1_1l.jpg

^_^

ps. i hope no body is thinking im some Takuya, initial D kid. :o

Edited November 9, 2005 by Charliee

[CHA54]

how fast it will be will totally depend on what engine you choose.

FWIW, the 4agze was never a proper north-south RWD engine. it was mid-mounted in the original AW11 MR2, and FWD in the AE92 and AE101 GTZ corolla's.

a stock 4agze in an AE82 will run the quarter in 14.5-15 flat. To fit the engine you need to do a little fabrication for the rear engine mount to clear the steering rack when you use the 4agze's E58 gearbox. The 4agze FWD swap I did to an AE92 sedan is detailed here: http://www.rollamods.com/projectGZE.htm

FWIW, that car's going up for sale shortly http://www.twincam.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=15009 (it's ALWAYS cheaper to buy a car with the work already done properly)

a 4age 20V with gearbox will bolt straight into the AE82, but they're only good for 75-90kw ATW and a low 15 quarter mile.

If you go with a 4agze and convert it to turbo, you have a lot more potential with a low 13 to high 12 possible with moderate boost.

If your car's got rust, I'd personally sell it and get a better car to start with. You never know how bad the rust is until you take it back to bare metal, and being an ae82, the rear guards are probably full of rust under the paint. Probably a fair bit under the front windscreen seal too.

[Charliee]

Hmmmm. Sounds like it could be a troubling process, with rust n everything. damn :(

Im not really interested in buying someone elses modded corolla though, because it wouldnt really be mine, if u know what i mean.

I guess i may just stick with a manual TT300zx, and maybe later on mod the corolla slowly. Does anybody know of any nice 1986 corolla bodykits, that arent too ricey?? ive looked so much.

Maybe i should check out this rust or something? Does anyone know where i should start or have any tips? The car only has very small rust marks.

Thanx again guys.

Edited November 9, 2005 by Charliee

[Mintos]

Hmmm where to start...

Firstly, welcome, good to see you want to get educated early, it will help you be a better driver on the road :)

The 300ZX...just yesterday i had one of these use my street as a drag strip...as amusing as it was, it was slow and from what i have seen of them, they arent exactly reliable or high in longevity.

For a first car mate, what you really want is reliability, something that will take your lack of driving experience and still start up the next day. For your budget you will not get reliable performance unless you are lucky (i personally wouldnt take a gamble with that amount of cash).

An r32/33 GTR - i wouldnt touch one for less than 20k because the likeleyhood is that the car has been thrashed, stupid modifications have been made and it will be waiting to break down on you. Not exactly cheap to repair either, however on the plus side, parts are easy to obtain.

The AE82...personally i wouldnt be trying to ressurect a 250k km car, especially if you are going to be trying to make it faster, more things will just go wrong, faster.

If i were you, i would perhaps opt for maybe an AE102 or so corolla and maybe do a few mods to it and learn some stuff. It wont be expensive but should still be reliable.

Cheers, hope all goes well for you.

[CHA54]

If you build a 400,000km ae82 correctly, it will be extremely reliable.

This includes replacing all the bushes, hoses, lines, bearings, brakes etc in the process. Install an EFI 4a series motor and it will never miss a beat either. For $13K you can rebuild the lot from a bare chassis, as long as you do the labour yourself.

Once you've rebuilt it all, you will also know the car inside and out. It's a good learning experience.

Edited November 9, 2005 by rollamods

[Charliee]

Thanx mentis. I guess you are right. The thing is though i was hoping that maybe the GTR would lower in price by the time i wanted a car, and the ones that were once over 20k and were nice, were now 12k and still nice. lol, i guess im dreaming .

I am not going to get a fast car straight away though. I was scared out of that when my brother let me move his 300 for him.. yikes, i had to take my shoes off :P :o. I am going to drive Mr. corolla for around 6 months before i upgrade. As for the 300zx I was thinking about buying my brothers one as he is looking to buy a R32 GTR, because i know what it is like and the place where he gets it fixed (nissport) are 300zx specialists and they said that it is a healthy zed, oh and its fast, really it is.. :P :D.

My corolla is soo reliable though, nothing has gone wrong with it for the past three or so years, and its only broken down once. Also if i am replacing the engine with a celica turbo or 4agze, i would upgrade suspension, breaks and all that stuff, aswell as hoses and stuff, wouldnt this help pro-long its life.

Also, anyone got any idea where to get a nice AE82 body kit????

Thanx everyone.

Edited November 9, 2005 by Charliee

[GReddy_ES]

i'm driving the AE112 Levin...i must say that its a great car to drive arnd in..and so far..mods haven't been too costly..except for rims..other than that..u could do some diy's to it..to enhance the looks.. :)

just adding my 2cents worth :)