Nice Rack

I finished prepping and painting my tip-shop roof racks. Notably the paint cost more than the entire setup. I went with metallic gunmetal for the inner bracket, to match my grille and side vents, and chrome plate paint for the outer brackets, to match my gutters. Unfortunately at stock ride height, the rolla looks grandpa-spec, but at least the cops might leave me alone for a bit.

I also snagged a set of air-horns from EBay for abut $35 delivered, so I'll be ready to scare some innocent bystanders! I sourced another front guard which actually fits properly, so once it, and my AE82 wing, is painted, it will look the part. I have been putting off lowering the car for way too long now, so hopefully I can work something out this weekend.

This is how Grandpa rolls. Hopefully when it is finally slammed it will fit together.

Fun times ahead as the local annoyance :)

An inspiration... from a HONDA!

So browsing the net today I stumbled across this little gem (at least in the eyes of the Jap rat-rod scene) - a Civic sedan from the UK which has taken styling cues from bosozoku culture, rat, and Euro, and it works very well.

I'm not a fan of the rust, but I suppose it compliments the style. Whilst the KE55 will stay true (mostly) to the bosozoku style (save for a ridiculous, massive kit), I think that by applying some styling cues from this ride to the '55 will look sweet. With the images of the said civic fresh on my mind, I headed to my local tipshop to grab a set of old school roof racks, with complimentary surface rust, for the measly sum of $5. Whilst there, I found a set of mint white venetians from somebody's house! Not being able to justify $200+ for a set of custom venetians for the '55, I grabbed these for a pittance - $5 also. I will work some magic with my trusty angle grinder and see how it goes - It sounds ridiculous and tightarse, but essentially if it doesn't work, what have I got to lose?

I also disovered that the much sought after GE Sigma lower control arms serve to give a KE55 2.5 degrees of negative camber (by comparison to the 5 degrees gained if the same LCAs are adapted to a KE70). With this in mind, I am seeking some Sigma LCAs, as 2.5 degrees will provide good stance without being too over the top. At $62 per corner, premature tyre wear isn't a big concern!
I have just started to clean up the racks with some rust converter, and they'll be seeing a nice coat of metallic gunmetal to match my restored front grille and side vents. To detract from the pensioner perception will be an AE82 seca rear wing, reverse mounted to act as a front lip, a common trend in Japan with the rolla boys, and the 3" blocks and springs will be going in. Once the venetians are in, the rolla will be a blend of bosozoku, Cali and classic JDM styling - I have slightly departed from what I had originally planned, but this isn't inconsistent with many projects. Rest assured this project will actually be finished, and essentially it's all for fun at the end of the day.

Watch this space for mad stance yo!

Long time no see

It has been a month since my last mod. let alone post, but rest assured, I am not losing interest in the project. The rolla has seen a little bodywork as of late, and I cut out the typical KE30-55 guard rust, welding in sheet metal, and sanding/smoothing to resemble an actual car, as opposed to a hunk of rusty crap that it once was. I'll be rolling the guards properly this weekend too - finally! Alongside this, I have spent most of my time on my Soarer, retrimming some of the interior, changing all the old bulbs to LEDs (albeit tastefully - no rice!), and fitting another pair of guards as the old ones were a bit shabby. Hopefully I'll have the Soarer on the market at the end of the week, and I can finish off the '55, to make way for another project in the not so distant future (still a Toyota of course). I am still addicted to midship memories of past, so another SW20 GT is on the cards, at least to replace the JZZ30!