Page One of Seven
3/22/07: i added some information about the qwestar qccd790 headunit in the sr5 now on page 3, since there really isn't any info on it anywhere online. i neglected to mention in my prior update that my car was hit by a deer in the passenger side door. there's a large dent (with a crease right under the window that probably won't easily be fixed without body filler) but the window still (kinda) works and so does the lock mechanism.
2/11/07: long overdue update! my alternator started to die late last year, and completely gave up the ghost this year. just replaced it this past weekend, and i'm glad i did; wiring in the old alt was frayed and was a large fire hazard. club4ag's forums have been dead since christmas time and i don't expect them to ever be the same. there is now a 4ac specific forum at club4ac.com, which has quite a bit of good info.
next up: refreshing my suspension for the autox season coming up soon. after this year, i doubt i'll autocross; it's not nearly as time or cost effective as a track day.
5/4/06: the celica has been hauled away:-( learned a lot from it, but now it's on to search for the next daily driver, so i can concentrate on the corolla.
2/13/06: got new tires all around; futura lte 2000s, which are made by cooper. they grip well in the snow and ice for $35/piece tires, and the car tracks straight with all four of them being the same. i installed a new windshield washer fluid pump, which really helps on those long trips that take me through snow, like my recent trip to pa. next up are my bushings; i've had them for nearly a year and they still aren't installed! that and i need an alignment before i start wearing these new tires in an odd way. i'm adding a new page with reasoning behind my decisions to not do certain things to my corolla.
1/7/06: so my transmission is leaking; i have a new seal and filter, so i'm going to drain and refill the trans sometime soon. i have new gear oil for the rear end, too, which probably wasn't changed since the car was new... no point leaving 18 year old fluid in there. all i'm doing is waiting for a sale from harbor freight so i can buy myself some torque wrenches and start taking stuff apart to put it back together the right way.
12/11/05: rear seats are back in, so the car is 95% visually stock, minus the center console surround and radio surround trim pieces. still planning on flushing the coolant, trans fluid, rear end fluid, and switching to 5w30 engine oil. i will not be dynoing the car this winter. plans are afoot for fuel injection while retaining stock egr and other important drive systems; stay tuned;-)
11/28/05: car has fewer interior panels than before; total weight dropped is 41 lbs. heat is somewhat fixed, but i need to flush my coolant and heater core so it works well. uploaded my dyno sheet, which you can check out on page 2. the celica will be hauled off soon enough, and i'll probably be getting a set of kumhos for the pizza cutters. my 13s, even with mismatched tires, should be better in the snow.
9/9/05: long time, no updates! the corolla doesn't have its rear seat or seatbelts anymore; lost 30lbs., gained height in the rear, and it handles better in the twisties. prothane bushings arrived a long time ago but i have yet to install them. i have replaced my two new front tires and had my front calipers rebuilt after they got stuck randomly while driving and caught fire. the corolla was dyno'd last november and put down a best of 50rwhp and 66lbs/ft of torque!
my camera is busted, hence no pics until i find a new one. no real progress has been made on the celica, and i am pondering selling it. i'm going to the 3rd u.s. drift event on the east coast tomorrow and i intend to root for a couple of my friends who are competing. i'm hoping to see new techniques and insane action tomorrow!
10/18/04: got the celica's trunk open! had some useful stuff within it, but nothing really useful... like keys. see pics and the update on page six.
9/13/04: got semi-ripped off on the corolla's used front tires. they have good tread but are pretty dry-rotted. also got ripped for mounting and balancing; no way i'm paying more than $20 for that again. total cost, for mounting & balancing the two tires i bought for the front and bf goodrich radial for the rear came to $90.
well, this is the sr5. didn't get it very cheaply due to what i call "tofu inflation"; it's basically the popularization of the ae86 through initial d and the expansion of the drift scene and takumi wanna-bes.
you can see the rust in the rear from under the left tail lamp. i've got all the stuff necessary to fix it; all i need is some time.
