Back from the dead

As of today, I am back to modding, and consequently, back to blogging. The past 3 months were spent making sure I didnt have to spend a sixth year at Uni, and now that results are out and graduation pending, much more time can be spent on my '55 and getting back on track. The air horns were a success too, and I have scared the life out of many a pedestrian. Oil cooler has been mounted too; now I just need to fabricate some proper brackets for my relocated plates.

Rest assured, the time absent from modding the car, I did spend sourcing parts, including some KE20 LCAs (for a little negative front camber), some fresh front indicators, a rusted old KE30 rear bar (for $5 mind), an unmodified cluster surround with original stereo (so I can relocate my Alpine CDA near the shifter), a rear wing from an AE82 seca I will modify and add as a front lip, and various other bits and pieces.

I spent this morning trying to rebirth the original KE30 rear bar with countless amounts of Autosol, cutting compound, and 1200 grit, to no avail. Seems as though the rust is beyond repair. The rusted look can work on various rides, but is not to my taste considering my front bumper is mint, except for the side rubbers. With this in mind, I am experimenting with the idea of stickerbombing + clearcoating the rear bar, and retaining the number plate lights and bolts in treated chrome just to see how it looks. Honestly it is a fad which I love/hate, depending on the overall look of the car and the theme, but I think it could work with the rest of the plans for the car. Stay tuned for more regular updates, and finally, some progress!

A recent snap. Next step is to replace the side rubbers, Autosol the chrome bumper, and add my AE82 seca wing as a lip :)

Horny

I got around to mounting the air horns today before Uni, but I have yet to wire up a relay.

In fabricating a bracket, I drew some inspiration from the 6666 S13. I love this car. It seems to have mild cues of Bosozoku styling without being too over the top, such as the illuminated dice, and the musical air horns clearly visible through the front bar opening.

Not to completely rip Miura-san's idea off (okay well kind of), I fabricated a makeshift bracket out of strap, and mounted the horns downwards so as to protect them from water. I am still in two minds as to whether I utilise my stock horn button, or run a separate switch. If I'm going to get defected, at the end of the day, it will be for something a lot more serious than the horns, so I don't care too much for running another switch :)

Before I finish installing the horns, the bracket will be painted black for stealth and longevity, and the compressor and hoses will be mounted parallel.

Already I have decided the roof racks don't really suit the overall look I originally intended to go for, so they'll only be used of a weekend when Im cruising around from hill to hill with the Huffy Slider. Then again, the car is 3 different shades of yellow, 2 different primer colours, and has bogged rear guards, so i looks like crap right now anyway.

I also headed to my local wreckers and picked up a transmission cooler from an old Falcon. In true Bosozoku style, this will be mounted on the front bumper :)

Finally, I decided my blog needed some brightening up, as the old theme was looking dated. With the onset of a heap of assignments, work will probably halt again. Hopefully the project will be 99% done before the end of semester :)



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!

...living in the 70's

Today I got around to fitting the rev.1 KE30 grille and twin headlights. Whilst straightforward, the conversion required cutting off the old brackets which supported the old square-headlight buckets with an angle grinder. Various guides on forums noted they can be bashed back / bent, but cutting them gave nice. ample clearance for the new buckets (note: no turning back now!).

Despite the need for the front badge (about to be chromed), the KE is starting to look the part.

I had a love/hate relationship with the square lights and 80's-to-the-max honeycomb grille, but the rev.1 KE30 front end suits the rest of the body shape down to a tee. Cosmetically, this is all I have planned for the car, save for some fender mirrors which still need to be installed, and the front quarter panel which still sits in primer from the previous owner!

Exams are done now, so modifying will be paramount whenver I get the time / parts. Some lowered front springs are on the way, as is a 32/26 Weber carby.

I have however picked up another toy - a Huffy Slider! A lucky find, considering these things have been discontinued and haven't been stocked in KMart since 2010. I also secured 5 sets of Green Machine wheels from the same supplier, but I am only keeping 2 sets for myself, and thus, I will be passing 3 sets on. They are currently listed on EBay and Gumtree. For the latter, check the links in my sidebar :)

Stay tuned!

Old School

As of today I am 2/3 of the way through exams, so I figured a bit of DIY was in order. I decided to fix up the Rev 1. KE30 grille from under the house, and treated it to copious amounts of fibreglass, silicone, and sanding, then after a decent amount of wax and grease remover, it was coated liberally with 3 coats of Gunmetal Metallic Flake enamel. To finish off, I sprayed on a few coats of high gloss clearcoat. The results speak for themselves - it looks pretty pimp.

To finish off I also gave the original headlight buckets some TLC by sanding them out, getting rid of the surface rust, and giving them a few coats of the same paint. All that will be visible from the exterior is a tiny bit of metal behind the chrome trims, but I figured I had to kill the rust anyway, and they came up very nicely.

I have located some original chrome headlight rings which are in dire need of a good polish, and the original "C" badge is begging to be rechromed. After this, it is a bolt-in affair for the conversion. To top it off, brand new sealed beams will be used.

Now to tackle the other 95% of the body which is begging for some TLC!

Also I bought some lowered Pedders springs from a RollaClub member - decided to lower it once and lower it properly. If they don't give me enough drop, they will be recompressed (or maybe if I get desperate I'll just cut off one little coil!)

Until then, keep it drifty!

I am a shit planker...