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What Would You Treat Your Corolla To


PaulinhoT
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So say you had £3k in your hand.. what would you treat your Corolla to ?

:)

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Simple.

A new door and a proper respray. Engine etc can be left until the next time Paul wants to dish out £3000....

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Have to be poly bushes(if I could find some) all round. Front mount intercooler and if funds would allow coilies.

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  • 4 weeks later...

You know I posted this nearly a month ago and so far.. nothing...

I contacted a few garages about having an MR2 turbo engine conversion done.. if I can find a complete car with good engine etc.. and NOBODY would touch it for £3k...

I then emailed a few well know shops about bigger or better brakes to fit within the standard 16" MiM alloys, and I haven't even had a reply.

I also took my car to see two local people about spraying the plastic up.. and for the millionth time I was told by 1 that they didn't want to do it and by the other that they can't do it until early next year.. Yet they were all moaning about having NO work.

I emailed a well know suspenions company about buying an adjustable suspenion kit, and again nothing ?

I also emailed another company about a body kit, and asked if they would do a deal if I was to buy a complete kit, consisting of front bumper, two front wings, two rear wings.. and again 100% nothing ?

So either my mail server is playing up.. or I might as well just walk away.. seriously fed up with it all now. No wonder the country is going to the dogs.. Most of the car tunning companys say the car is too old and not worth spending the money on and most of the car mod parts companys say they have nothing listed for this car..

So excuse me whilst I go and bang my head against the wall lol

:-D

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I feel your pain.

This is what I have come up against nearly every step of the way, and got ever increasingly wound up because of it.

Came close to throwing in the towel, wanted to forget it completely and turn to Gardening, Cycling or even Hill Walking as a hobby/interest.

But.

That's the thing you see. Because parts are hard to source for these, nobody bothers, and as such they get left alone and are a rare sight, unloved and unrecognised.

Let the world and his dog fly around in modded Civics etc, and I'll batter B-roads and surprise many in my below-radar 'Grandad-mobile'. A few bikers over the Dales last week can verify that, along with a GT4, Elise and some others on track too of late.....

Stick at it, other people manage to either source parts or have them bespoke-made. I got my adjustable kit from Koni direct via a third party as they weren't listed. My exhaust, bespoke custom made just for me. Both at comparable prices.

There is a certain Silver SR on here with some very choice parts ;-) All done by speaking to the right people who give a fig and are happy to work with an enthusiastic owner of something a little left-of-centre.

The best cars (imo) are those that don't shout and don't conform with the market/the crowd/the general concensus.

It's not old, it's not cr4p, it's not 'not worth spending money on'. It IS yours, different, underated and so very worth it.

I have spoken to & visited many, many bodyshops over nearly 2 years now, and only recently have I found somewhere that I am considering. A chap who can work with metal, rather than just swap panels. A chap who was happy to show me around his paintshop and some of the cars in progress. A chap who has unleaded through his veins just as I do, and who owns classic VW's as his own hobby and love.

My exhaust was a very similar tale. Was a near on 100 mile round trip, a days work after waiting nearly 3 months for a workshop slot and was all so very worth it. All after EVERY local 'specialist' scratched their heads and sucked their teeth at me.

The Country is going to the dogs, with most places just going through the motions of retail/customer service, but the gems are there, fighting to make a living. Often small, one or two man operations in the back of beyond, been there for ever and will be there for as long as they can cover the bills, tinkering with 'old' metal, wheeling out quality work the way it used to be done. The kettle is always on and they will happily drop the spanner to wander over to your car for a chat and to see what you take pride in.

I read Retro Cars magazine every month, and some of the work done on the featured cars in that is brilliant. Very rarely is it done by your average 'shop or are the parts sourced from the usual internet/magazine advertised outlet. Fred in his shed, a mate of a mate, and a fellow enthusiast on a friendly forum all provide inspiration, support and even parts for another mans pride and joy.

Let the silly boys with Daddys money line the pockets of the 'known' retailers, and let them jolly around in whatever the flavour of the month is.

Fly the flag for being induvidual and original. Support the little man and set your own course.

I know I've prattled on (again....I am good at that) but stop banging your head against that wall (you'll only have to paint it again) and use it to your advantage.

£3000 is a LOT of coin. So much can be done with it, and you will sort the jobs you want doing. It just might need a bit of thinking outside the box.

You are not alone brother!

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Here here!!

+1

Paul, BC do coilovers for these cars ;)

As for brakes, the diesel or sr models had rear disc breaks.

Levin 2 pot front calipers and corolla E12 262mm discs fit the front and will clear your wheels.

Bodyshops are a pain, youll find a good one after going to visit a few.

Give me a shout on anything you want to do and ill tell you exactly what you need to do ;)

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Thanks again everyone.. I took "Connie" as I call her out for a 50 mile drive late this afternoon, and the smile was put back on my face.

You know I'm starting to think that most main garages just plug in there laptops to your car, draw breath over there teeth and unless it's a direct part swap, well they just don't want to know.

I have stuck with Connie for all this time as the E11 is such a great chassis :)

So....

I won't walk away,

I won't give up..

I will do as posted above,

I will look for the right people to do the job. I understand some of the things I wan't done are fabrication only.. but again thanks for the kick up the **** :D

I'm off work tomorrow and will try and get the ball rolling on some bits.

Epic speech Matthew :D and Steven, I will be in touch :D

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Good man :)

Let me know exactly what you want. Ive put so much effort into researching every detail and ever avenue you can do with these cars ;)

The only thing i lack atm is the money. A resent split up means that im no longer in the position i used to be in :(

Im yet to see another SR like mine, i see a G6R now and again, and have seen johns superbly modified prefacelift SR a fair few times. Give him a shout too as hes been there and done it too ;) (ae111_SR) as both him and his wife are the most friendliest and nicest people to approach. They also have a real indepth knowledge of the corollas too :)

I havent posted these photos up yet but EVERYTIME i see the car and speak to the pair my love returns for the corolla.

Enjoy :) i do every time i see it ;)

BFEF3859-0226-4D75-AEB9-740C3EF74C19-223-00000015B69A6C39.jpg

7F783FF5-888E-4586-B614-448F08AC4C29-223-00000015CB57A16E.jpg

And the engine bay that instantly had me say "WOW" outloud when he first opened it to show me

51120061-2E98-40A7-ADD3-5BC59CEF6FBE-223-00000015E46870E7.jpg

3584A10F-88FB-465A-8015-C6968F303F65-223-00000015FC1E1081.jpg

Every time i see it, i notice a new fitting or fixing that has been expertly placed or looks like it was designed to fit the purpose. Theres too many details to take in at first glance, its only after youve viewed the car a few times you REALLY start to notice the little details and the hours of thought that went to this car.

I hope that gives you some inspiration. As i said, it does for me EVERYTIME i view it ;)

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Here here!!

+1

Paul, BC do coilovers for these cars ;)

As for brakes, the diesel or sr models had rear disc breaks.

Levin 2 pot front calipers and corolla E12 262mm discs fit the front and will clear your wheels.

Bodyshops are a pain, youll find a good one after going to visit a few.

Give me a shout on anything you want to do and ill tell you exactly what you need to do ;)

I think the BCs that I have on mine would be a straight fit.

Levin 2 pots ........reken they would fit 15's??!!

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Here here!!

+1

Paul, BC do coilovers for these cars ;)

As for brakes, the diesel or sr models had rear disc breaks.

Levin 2 pot front calipers and corolla E12 262mm discs fit the front and will clear your wheels.

Bodyshops are a pain, youll find a good one after going to visit a few.

Give me a shout on anything you want to do and ill tell you exactly what you need to do ;)

I think the BCs that I have on mine would be a straight fit.

Levin 2 pots ........reken they would fit 15's??!!

Yup ;) they require a slight modifiation as the levins they come off have superstrut suspension.

Re prefacelift E11s and facelift E11s, the facelift stuff is all bolt on extras. The cars are identical. So if you wanted you can turn a prefacelift car into a facelift car by simply bolting on the wing,bonnet,bumper headlights and grill.

The E11 is exactly the same floor plan as the E10. So anything thing that fits the E10 will fit the E11. Same as the AE101, AE111, AE112. There all indentical underneath ;)

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I think I would get the WRC rear subframe I've been offered.

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The subframe sounds good Anthony, keep me updated on that one.

Today I had first sniff on a UK mid/late 90's Toyota MR2 N/A. It has one owner from new and very low mielage. The old guy that owns it wants something smaller.. I 1/2 thought of buying it for the engine for my E11, but it's WAY to clean to break.

I may buy it as an investment and sell it on.

What would you all think a 1 owner UK spec MR2 go for, it's either 96 or 99 ? with about 58,000.... The condition is 100% mint :D

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The subframe sounds good Anthony, keep me updated on that one.

Today I had first sniff on a UK mid/late 90's Toyota MR2 N/A. It has one owner from new and very low mielage. The old guy that owns it wants something smaller.. I 1/2 thought of buying it for the engine for my E11, but it's WAY to clean to break.

I may buy it as an investment and sell it on.

What would you all think a 1 owner UK spec MR2 go for, it's either 96 or 99 ? with about 58,000.... The condition is 100% mint :D

Prob £1-1500. High engine cars seem to mot be making any money at all.

The mr2 engine is the worst one you can choose for an engine swop into the corolla anyway ;)

Id buy it if its cheep enough. Enjoy it for a couple of months the sell on :)

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That answers my question, cheers...

Buy it, and run it in the Toyota Sprint Series next year ;-)

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Sounds like an idea lol... I would need to go on a diet though :(

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Sounds like an idea lol... I would need to go on a diet though :(

No you wouldn't, just prepare the car to the regs for whichever class you want to run in, and thats it.

Drivers of all shapes, sizes, ages and sexes in the championship. I'm hardly slim and I have done ok for my experience and what I'm driving.

Faster times than modified Glanza Turbo and Celica GT4 amongst others at the last round. Not bad for an old 109bhp shopping trolley in Street class, driven by an overweight novice.......

Just a thought, but a valid one I reckon.

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In response to suspension i have a D2 setup on mine and its fully adjustable height, damping and camber adjustable, as for brakes i know you can get some 6 pots for about €1200 if you need more info on these ill dig it out my emails, engine wise i wouldnt attempt a 4age from a Mr2 as you only get half of what you need from the car. I will update my build thread soon i have the blacktop ready to go in just the time, the Levin share so much with these cars for all ready upgrades buy a Levin cheap take the engine box ecu loom brakes seats anything you can and fit it over :). But yes anyway D2 suspension is insane! The car does not step out of line!

Luke

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D2... smacks head... I had some fitted to an old M3 of mine I had years ago, well I say mine it was always the banks lol..

:-D

Cheers...

Never thought of the Levin idea :D

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Seriously mate the cars share so much also who can deny the sound if ITBS ! As for the D2's i love them! Exceptional ride quality a little rough even when set to soft :P but good suspension comes at a price of comfort! I keep saying ill update my build thread give me a week or two and ill get on it again :)

Luke

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Seriously mate the cars share so much also who can deny the sound if ITBS ! As for the D2's i love them! Exceptional ride quality a little rough even when set to soft :P but good suspension comes at a price of comfort! I keep saying ill update my build thread give me a week or two and ill get on it again :)

Luke

Thats because a levin is a corolla underneath. Even the dash is transfersble ;)

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Very true ! Infact our corolla were actually proto-typed and were set to use the 4age 20v but they changed to the more eco 4a-fe which means i have to do all there work for them! the ae111 bzr which is the facelift i believe has an identical dash to ours, but the pre facelift has a slightly different dash which is why im keeping mine can't be asked to change interior looms over!

Luke

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Very true ! Infact our corolla were actually proto-typed and were set to use the 4age 20v but they changed to the more eco 4a-fe which means i have to do all there work for them! the ae111 bzr which is the facelift i believe has an identical dash to ours, but the pre facelift has a slightly different dash which is why im keeping mine can't be asked to change interior looms over!

Luke

All levin dashes are different to corollas ;)

The E11 corolla is a E10 corolla with different pannels on it. In fact, the E11 front will bolt onto an E10. The E10 corolla came in 20v form too. So toyota knew the 20v would go in there anyway, as its the same car underneath. i think they didnt bother at the time as they had more performance orinented cars to suit the market at the time anyway.

So everything on a ae101 or ae111 will fit each other. Notice that corollas and levins carry the same chassis code? Thats because there exactly the same underneath :) so a 20v engine conversions just a simple take one out and drop another in job as technically it was made to go in there anyway :D

You can also fit the superstrut suspension too

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