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Squalled

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Everything posted by Squalled

  1. Another quick update. So I've been going through my old posts and re-uploading my photos again for all to see because photobucket sucks. Have quite a few still to do but I think I'm almost half way through. So about a fortnight a go, I finally gave the car a nice afternoon wash but waited till the early evening to take some shots. It's been a while since I got some evening shots. So, last week I decided to do something I really didn't think I was going to do for a long time. Yeap, I put the the standard intake back in. I pulled it out during the hottest time of the day on one the hottest days during January so it was a little bit of a struggle. The car seemed to feel a lot less willing to rev through with ease in the top end so it's safe to say an intake can produce great gains for the 2ZZ. Now for reference, the Injen 2 piece intake is made for the USDM models but fits the Sportivo also (JUST). So, a fellow Sportivo guru in Melbourne thought he could further improve the design of the Injen. This is the original fitment, well close to it obviously the second pipe would fit a lot more snug. The main problem I had was that I had to use a small filter for the system to fit properly since there are some differences between USDM and AUDM 2ZZ Corolla's. So, how do you improve the Injen design? I know it may not look that great but it works extremely well. The main modifications that were done were the breather delete, mount delete, flaring at the end of the piping removed and a shorter secondary pipe replacing the old. As you can see from previous photos in my thread, it sits completely different from a normal Injen. I managed to fit the intake on without removing the bumper but my arms sure did pay the price with some cuts and bruises. The fitment is on the tighter side so there is some refinement to do but, it works fantastically. There is a nice sure in power and torque from 3000 rpm on-wards and is the torque gain is especially noticeable form 4500 rpm on-wards. There is now no where as noticeable dip in power before lift engagement and the sound sounds a lot deeper compared to the original design. It flows extremely well it runs great, feels a lot better for daily duties getting off the line easier with a lot less lag and bogging. Yesterday I had a quick opportunity while Sydney's weather was great to wash the car before a drive today. Luckily enough the weather managed to hold off over night too with only some small parts of residue in the morning. Was up nice and early for a drive with some mates through the Royal National Park and down the Sea Cliff Bridge to some beaches before heading back home mid morning. Other than that, I'll be keeping the updates coming. There will be another update coming in the next week or so for this month so stay tuned.
  2. Alright first update for 2018. Not too much has happened for the year so far. Planning on washing the car shortly since I've been pretty busy the last few weekends and not driving it to work as much. Definitely needs a bit of love. This year I'm focusing mainly on getting all of the little things right before I go more bananas on things I don't want. Things like the surface rust in the engine bay, incorrect battery size and the recently discovered slow coolant leak from the overflow bottle. I've got a few things planned for this year but it's not as much of a priority at the moment. So, a big milestone to start off the year. Achievement unlocked, 200 000 kilometers reached. Managed to put 55 000 kilometers on it in just over 2 years. Later the same day I hit 200 000, my mate came down after work and helped me finally install something. My whiteline torsion bar is now installed, only after 2 years of it sitting in the packaging. He also brought over a new battery to which he showed me I didn't have a battery tray so my old battery remains for now. Stock 18 mm (or is it 17mm?) vs the 22 mm Whiteline Installed, was definitely a tough task for my mate to fit since it was a bit tight. Big shout out to my mate Alec for the quick install. Made it look easy considering I was way to nervous to do it myself. Just some cute shots together. Other than that, will keep this updated and hopefully update my old broken photos, thanks photo bucket
  3. Generally the only way to make serious power on the 2ZZ is to go forced induction. The internals are pretty strong but you'll more than likely only be able to run minimal boost, 6-8 psi at the most before the motor goes (could be years 2-3 at the most from what I've seen online). Staying N/A however, you'll need to consider opening up the engine, replacing cams, valves, retainers so pretty much replacing all the parts in the head. By that time, you will have spent well over $3k minimum at least to get most of it done unless you can do it yourself. The best possible options which shouldn't break the bank for better response are porting your throttle body and ECU with tune (stand alone or piggy back). Porting your stock headers will also liven up the engine a bit allowing it rev out quicker and remove some of the low and mid range lag. Engine was made to rev over 8000 rpm with ease, sadly the gearboxes can't take the usual slamming that say a Honda gearbox may take better. Simply slip the clutch a bit between 1st and 2nd to keep the car in Lift and you'll be fine. In the long run, it's much cheaper to replace a clutch than a gearbox.
  4. Final update for 2017. So last week I finally got a chance to give the beast a clean. The weather didn't really hold off but I was still able to keep it clean for most of the week. Nothing has really changed since the last update and the exterior should hopefully see some changes happening next year. The remaining to do list now: - Install black housing headlights - Install & Tune the Greddy V-Manage - Install Whiteline Torsion Bar - New Battery of correct size - Clean engine bay and sort out some minor surface rust near the battery area. Other than that, there may be a few other bits and pieces to come in 2018. Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year. Looking forward to see what updates you will all bring in 2018!
  5. Hahaha I don't have the items you are requesting for free delivery.
  6. Alrighty, update time. So, as of recently been pretty busy with work traveling to and from work which has now been made much easier after a relocation and with the unpredictable Sydney weather it's safe to say the Sportivo has sadly been neglected for the last month or so since I had to catch a train every day. Safe to say I've been filling up petrol every 2-3 weeks now since I haven't being driving it as much which isn't so bad with the high prices at the moment. So here are the new goodies. A few weeks ago, a mate of mine sold me this: It's not getting wired in and tuned until next year so looking forward to some new gains and will get as many photos and provide as much feedback about it as possible. I also got a new handbrake cover and shift boot with red stitching and have not been able to install the shift boot yet as I'll need the surround for the boot. Having second thoughts about the handbrake cover but it's staying in for now. On a last little note, it was time to add a little joke that some owners are well aware of (please excuse my dirty engine bay). Other than that, I hope to give the car a nice clean all round before the end of the year and hopefully give another update. Hope everyone has a safe Christmas! Will keep this updated.
  7. Update time. Have being really busy with my new job recently which I'm absolutely loving, despite the fact I'm catching the train to and from work for the last 2 weeks meaning I haven't been driving as much lately. I'll be moving to a new site meaning I can drive as it'll be a lot closer to home. At last, the mystery oil leak is now fixed. As stated before, my guess was correct as it was the timing case which was causing the problem the whole time. I got the car back last Wednesday after it was taken in on Friday the week before and disassembled to check the seals. The mechanic said it was safe to say the seals were gone. They were the originals and lasted almost 200000 kilometres so I think that's pretty good considering the engine doesn't always have an easy time. I've been keeping an eye on any leaks over the last week and there are no more! All the seals that are for the timing case. Tensioner o-ring also replaced Timing case removed Inside the timing case In the last week or so, I've began to spoil myself due to the time of year (I'm sure we all do), and have a new addition to be revealed and some new goodies on the way. Will keep the updates coming before the New Year!
  8. It's a free fix really, just have to be careful on how much you adjust because if it is over adjusted, it can be just as bad as under adjusted really so it makes the clutch ride out a lot more. If it's the standard clutch, my one had a tendency to slip a little on hills especially when I found out it was quite worn down too. Most just get the OEM flywheel machined, including myself which will work perfect anyway. Feel free to PM if you need some ideas for exhausts, I got that all covered!
  9. Awesome article man! I'm definitely considering this the next time I need to replace my gearbox oil. Haven't had issues with Penrite so far but. The heavy duty clutch kit retails around $350-$400 range depending where you source it from. Flywheel wise, you may spend about the same amount as the clutch kit, maybe even more depending what brand you go for. What's happening now with the clutch that is causing some issues? First recommendation, is perform the master cylinder clutch adjustment. There's a thread on here about how to do it. More than 90% of Sportivos have the master cylinder adjustment off causing gear crunching into 2nd gear. People commonly think replacing the clutch fixes the issue in which it does but, going for the adjustment can save a lot of cash initially and may fix the problem. If you replace the clutch without doing the adjustment as well, there's still a high possibility that you will have the same issue engaging gears. Another tip, best to always rev match when downshifting as the biggest downfall of our cars are definitely the synchros. If you need more info, feel free to PM me man.
  10. They're not too bad, most of the time because the fabric is pulled a certain way so it looks worn from the way I've sat in it. Re-upholstering is 100% possible, it's matter of finding a local shop that does and also there's plenty of re-trim kits available from Japan, from what I've seen on Yahoo auctions. I may consider it in the future if the seats become a lot more worn.
  11. Thanks a lot mate! I'm hoping the same but the source area has been found which is a nice start. I've recently just put in the seats that are in it :P
  12. It's that time once again for another update. So, not long after my last update I was lucky enough to be successful in getting a new job so I've been fairly busy recently. Just before I got my new job, I had ordered some new tyres as the fronts were pretty worn down. I never really rotated them so the fronts were on the wear indicators and the rears were fine. I went for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4's after reading countless reviews and having first hand experience driving my mates 300KW Skyline with the same tyres. I can definitely say, money well spent and would highly recommend them to anyone. I have also changed the profile and have moved to 205/50 over 205/45 which has now made my speedometer accurate again, instead of been about 5km/h to fast. So first impressions were that compared to my old RE002's, the road noise was significantly reduced which makes highway driving a lot more pleasant now. The car doesn't seem to wheel spin or lose grip no where near as easily as the RE002's, even when they were at near full tread. The same weekend I had the tyres fitted, I decided to go for a nice little national park run with my partner to give the tyres a real test. The new found grip was amazing and to be the honest the only limiting factor was myself not wanting to push harder. That same day on the way home on the motor way, my driver side guard liner decided that it wanted out. I've since pulled it out as it was damaged beyond repair and not worth keeping so I'm on the hunt for another one now. I paid Toyota a little visit and caught up with an awesome forum member too. Earlier this week as I had some time, I was able to get the car in for a service before I start my new job. The oil leak was still continuing so that was looked into. I had my new T2 DBA rotors and QFM HPX pads installed, new spark plugs, fresh oil, oil filter, new drive belt, tensioner inspected and its o-ring replaced (the seal was 'squared off'), MAF sensor cleaned and the chain inspected. Still as always happy with my local mechanics! Old spark plugs, have never replaced them until now. MAF before MAF after New discs front and rear. The car is now in perfect running order and has never felt smoother and safer to drive. Sadly, the oil leak returned after about 2 days so the car will be returning to the mechanics again on Friday to further check the source. It has been sourced around the timing case area which I know is common for 2ZZ's to leak so at least their job is a little easier now. Here's how the Sportivo currently sits after a wash earlier this week. Will keep the updates coming! Have a few little things coming later this year or earlier next year so stay tuned. I'll also be updating the photos not showing from photobucket to keep the thread updated :)
  13. Update time! It's been really busy for me in the last month or so, and one of the busiest weeks was the week for Toyotafest. I was in a big rush to get a lot work done and finished on the car in preparation. A week before the event, my window visors were stolen over night and they managed to break one and leave a piece (karma!). Luckily enough I ordered new ones which arrived quickly. The day before Toyotafest, I attempted to swap over the black housing lights for a polish and in preparation for the car wash that night. Sadly, I wasn't able to remove the lights. The main harness plug is quite literally stuck and will not budge. My mate and I tried screw drivers, grips, pliers, parts cleaner, you name it and they just would not budge. I think the only way I will be able to fit them is the cut the plug connected, and reconnect a new plug. I was left with the car looking like this for some time. In the afternoon, after taking Wixy's advise I had purchased Meguiars Ultimate Protect and applied it to all window trims, roof trims, and other plastics excluding the front bar. It came out great and is still looking after almost a month. That night I went to the car wash to give it a nice solid clean both inside and out. The tri-colour foam I specifically wanted to make the car really pop wasn't working. It really wasn't my day trying to get the car ready. Other than that, the car came out nice and clean. I was up nice and early the following morning so I could meet up with a group of friends I've met before at other meets. We then cruised up the motorway where we saw a few of the other attendee's. It was nice cruise up and no one got lost on the way which was nice bonus. I met up with my mate in his 04 Sportivo and met his friends driving a nice ZRE182 and also a supercharged Toyota Echo which was one of the most unique cars of the event. Upon arriving and parking on the 2nd floor of Castle Hill Toyota, I found out I managed to get a stomach bug which in turn ruined the day for me really. I managed to get some photos of the cars around the parking area and a few of the group I cruised up with. Other than having the stomach bug, it was great day and seeing so many different Toyota's. I ended up having to get one of my parents to drive my car home as I had no energy from not eating all day. Since Toyotafest, not too many new things have happened but I have much planned for the end of this year and early next year so I'll keep this updated.
  14. Thanks Blacksheep, got to bring around again soon! That's the look I was going for and it turned out exactly how I wanted. I just used a heat gun we've had laying around for years to get them apart. Isn't too hard with gun, just need to make sure all the screws are out beforehand and make sure you don't hold it around the same spot for a long time. Only needs to be enough to melt the glue really.
  15. Thanks a lot Marcus, really appreciate it. It's taken a while to get it where I want it. In regards to camera, as much as I hate to say 99% of the photos are just taken on either my old Samsung Galaxy S5 or my newer Galaxy S7.
  16. Alrighty, with Toyotafest fast approaching and heaps of things I wanted to do before hand, it's been a few weekends and week nights getting everything ready before hand. Some of the things should have been done a long time ago but with other more important things happening in life, I've had to put them on hold. I finally had the chance to do the headlight inserts on another set of lights I purchased. I originally purchased a set from members on the forum but they were in pretty bad condition. It only took about 10-20 minutes to pull apart the lights and get the insert out. I prepped them with wax and grease remover and used a plastic primer and filler before applying the paint. After 3 coats of black I decided it was more than enough and put them back together along with using automotive Sikaflex to seal them as best as possible. They're currently not on the car as I'm making sure that the sealant has filled any and all of the gaps. I'll be putting them in this weekend and my good mate will give them a wet sand and buff as the lens isn't in the best condition at the moment. As of last night, I've finally put the passenger side seat in completing the interior. Safe to say I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. Other than that, it's going to be another busy week for me with prepping the car. Will keep the thread updated!
  17. I will definitely. I have a few Sportivo friends coming along so it should be good. I ordered them through a site called RHDJapan. They were the cheapest to order from by a long shot and were awesome to deal with. Highly recommend ordering items through them. The rails are also made to order too and should fit most SR type Recaros and also Brides (If you get the RO type that is). Definitely worth it if you can get a set nice and cheap (Evo 7 and Evo 8 GSR seats go fairly cheap these days).
  18. Update time. So today marks 2 years of ownership of the Sportivo. Safe to say it has been an awesome car since then racking up nearly 50000 kilometers since I purchased it. It's definitely safe to say I drive it a lot other than to and from work. Despite some of the annoying issues I've had like the oil leaks that don't seem to stop and especially having to rebuild the gearbox, I have still enjoyed the car every step of the way. It may not be the fastest car in the world but, it's enough to put a smile on my face hearing the unique note of the 2ZZ, been able to keep up with quicker cars in the twisties and also having complete practicality and amazing fuel economy. I bought the car stock standard from a gentleman in his mid to early 30's who purchased from the first owner, a female based not to far away from my home suburb. Since purchasing, I saw plenty of potential to make it more enjoyable and practical for my needs. I've done all the basics which can be seen in my signature but, since I'll be keeping the beast for sometime I thought I'd go a few steps further with the type of modifications to be done. Here is the latest update. Recently I ordered some new DBA T2 brake discs to go in soon as mine are on the worn side along the QFM HPX brake pads. These will be going in later this year and I'll more than likely paint the brake calipers while doing so. Just need to decide on the colour I'd like really. So, as an early birthday present for myself I wanted to get some Recaro seats as I had purchased Bride RO type rails in late June. I've been interested in changing the seats since I purchased the car 2 years ago but never thought I'd ever get the chance too. I was primarily looking into black SR3 and SR4 Recaros along with Lancer Evolution Recaros for the last 3 months, found some good ones which I was too late to get or found some very worn ones. I finally got my hands on these. Lancer Evolution 8 MR Recaros. They have some usual wear and tear but were the best ones I found after months of searching. They are quite dirty as you can see which is where I returned back to my Honda roots for assistance. After a bit of research I decided to hire a steam cleaner from Bunnings and also perform the "Softly Method" (Basic mixing 6 parts water to 1 part softly, spraying on the seat, massaging in by hand, clean it out with a wet cloth/towel the using a vacuum to get the seats a bit dryer). It definitely worked a treat as it got most of the stains out and cleared out a lot the dirt and as MCM would say, "human slime". This is just after the first seat was completed. I only used warm water with the steam cleaner as I didn't want to risk damaging the seat material. Here's the first seat cleaned with just the steam cleaner. This was the end result on both seats after a steam and softly clean. They're still wet here so I had to let them dry over night. Also note the steam cleaning water after both seats were cleaned and also when the vacuum was used to get some so water out of the seats. Here's the results the next day after they dried out over night. The pictures don't show it all to well but they really did get a good clean with the methods used. Now the most annoying task was to remove the old rails and place the new Bride rails. The old rails had hex bolts which were nearly impossible to remove as my mates and I later found loctite was used to keep them in. After a few hours of working, researching, scratching our heads and using a few choice words we managed to get the old rails off. After we had the chance to mount the drivers seat, I removed the old leather seat, removed the seat belt and attached it to the new rails before moving it into the car. Without the help of my close mates and also my mates partners Dad, this wouldn't have been done as quickly as possible so a massive shout out to them. I definitely owe a few cases for this one that's for sure. Here's the drivers side seat installed. Passenger seat will be in later this week. Currently, I'm the only ZZE12# chassis I know of running Evolution 8 MR Recaro's in the world! The driving feel is amazing. The seats really hold you in and gives the car such a different feel from the leather seats. If you're interested in pushing the Sportivo through it's paces in twisties or on circuits, I highly recommend getting any sort of racing seat. It honestly feels like a different car to be in now. Other than that, just have a few little mods to get done and a bit of maintenance coming up. Also preparing the car for Toyotafest in the coming weeks so I'm fairly excited as it's my first year going and I've got my ticket for my car to be on show. Will keep this updated!
  19. Thanks for that Wixy, will definitely give that a go sometime soon hopefully!
  20. Thanks a lot Wixy! Really appreciate it mate. Yeah, I definitely wanted the face lift version just because of all the little additions over 03/04 (all auto windows, interior trim) and I preferred to more aggressive look as well. Yeah it's definitely something I really need to fix up on it but have never known what to get to fix it. Do you have any suggestions for the trim protectant? I actually like the black mud flaps to be honest. I think it's breaks it up a little although I've had temptations to paint them but I really like them the way they are for now.
  21. NEW POST! Has been a little too long since my last update but I've been really busy recently with life really. So, the parts that were ordered from Japan were a set of Bride RO type rails for both drive and passenger seats. I ordered them through RHDJapan when the AUD to Yen wasn't too bad and ended up getting the best deal compared to Nengun, PerfectRun and a few other sites. Would highly recommend them and happy to answer any questions about ordering through them if anyone is curious. In other news, I've been getting a lot better fuel economy as of recently. Used to run Vortex 98 but for nearly a year now have switched to BP Ultimate 98 which gets better kms for me and runs a bit nicer. I drive it a lot more these days and I haven't seen kms this high for well over 9 months. For about a 2-3 weeks, I also had an air bag light come on. While on a drive with some mates down to Wollongong, we parked and an hour later we returned and when I started my car it randomly came on. Luckily enough it was fixed when the car went in for it's passenger air bag recall. The guys at my local Toyota were very keen to see a Sportivo with one of the older team members falling in love with it! He said "We rarely see cars like this come in to the shop" While it was in, I also got a new key cut and programmed for an amazing deal as I only had one car when I got the car. The older team member told me it would be over $3000 if I was to lose my key!! When my engine mounts were changed, an oil leak was also fixed but sadly a week later oil was continuing to leak. The car went back to my local mechanic where it was discovered to be the valve cover. It has since not left any leaks so fingers crossed it stays like that While in the shop, they were also able to raise the car just enough so it doesn't scrape everywhere I go. Safe to say it's much nicer to drive day to day now. My local mechanics are absolute legends to say the least, even managing to get a photo of the engine while the valve cover was off. Anyone want to play a game of guess the kms? Now for reference, here was the old height which I managed to daily for over a year and a half. I definitely know it probably wasn't legal. Took these when I decided to give it some TLC at the car wash. Safe to say it was cleanest it had been for a long time! Here's how it currently sits at the new height, haven't done the coke can test just yet so I will compare for the next post. Height all round is now much more daily friendly without looking too high. To be honest, I don't really notice a major difference in the way it looks anyway! The most recent work done was last Saturday when I decided to address something hard to see in my shots. The windows and mirrors had water marks all over them when I purchased the car. I thought the car was just dirty at the time but after the first wash I realised it was an issue. I used the Rain-X Xtreme Clean on all windows and mirrors along with Rain-X water repellent once all the marks were removed. I also thought it would be a good time to replace the window visors with some ordered late last year so that was done after all the windows were done. It took me about 6 hours all up and turned out amazing! It feels a lot cleaner and visibility is a lot better now too. A massive shout out to my mate Jacob for letting me borrow his buffer and tape to use for the job. Definitely couldn't do it by hand alone. Here's some before and after pictures, a little hard to get the marks on camera but in person they were very noticeable. Imagine those marks, on every window and mirror! Progress shot: Final results: Other then that, that's how the car sits today. I recently got a knock off TRD duracon gear knob from eBay pretty cheap and it's actually a really nice gear knob. Still in the process of finding seats for the rails and have looked at about 5-6 different sets with none been just right for me yet. Oh well, better waiting for something anyway. Still have a lot to do before I can finally say it's done, then again project cars are never done! Will keep this updated!
  22. This may have some information as the issue seems similar. Apparently it's common on the earlier ZRE models also, possible a connector issue.
  23. Depends what you are after. Are you after a single or double din head unit? A good bang for buck option is getting a used newer model double din OEM Toyota unit which generally has AUX, Bluetooth and sometimes even GPS and USB. I run a Clarion VX404au head unit which I got really cheap at the time about 1.5 years ago. Has all nice options like AUX, USB, Bluetooth, HDMI etc and has the ability to play movies, have GPS and also came with a reverse camera to wire up (never used it as it's quite bulky) At the time I got it for roughly $300 or so but you'll also need the surrounds for the head unit that only cover sides instead of all around the headunit (Heard people call them ears?). You'll also need to make sure you get the wiring adapter harness which isn't too pricey and makes installation a breeze. Best to check on reviews for some headunits and see if it's what you are after.
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