New member GT Corolla

[Deano]

Hi all, I've signed up here because I've been given a very tidy 89 FX GT, 271km, been very well looked after, uses no oil and runs like clockwork. But...... I'd like it to go a little faster. Questions:

What are these worth?
Is it worth spending 1 or 2 k on things like nolathane bushes, oil cooler, better intake, upgraded brakes, maybe a different cam profile... ? It's a red top TVIS.

Many thanks, any input appreciated!

[whynot]

Hi and welcome to the club.

It's been pretty quite around here for a while but members still come through and post stuff up so you will definitely get answers to any genuine questions.

A rough guess on the value of your car is probably the 2-3 grand mark. The earlier ae82 models are starting to fetch a bit more these days and I imagine the ae92 will have their day too, but not just yet.

It's pretty easy to get a few reasonable upgrades just by raiding the Toyota parts bin and not spend a fortune.

You can get twin pot brakes from the Ae111 or the celica and they fit fairly easily.

I found the springs to be a little stiffer from the Ae111 but not worth paying much for.

Handling wise Nolathane or similar makes a good improvement to the old bushes and I found koni adjustable shocks matched with the right king springs make for a sweet street friendly combination. Not cheap though as you can get a cheap set of coil overs for about the same cost.

The easiest and cheapest way to gain a good chunk more power provided you don't want to go over about 170hp is to put a 20 valve or supercharged motor swap in it which can get even more power with a turbo setup. That's if you are not against changing the motor otherwise the proven path of rebuilding and throwing performance parts at the factory motor is the only way.

I would say unless you are planning to do motorsport then there is no need for an oil cooler, I don't have one on my motor and it makes a fair bit of heat being turbo. I don't do track days yet so not worried until then.

Pod filter air intakes gain nothing power wise over the stock but you do gain some nice tvis induction sounds. A nice cold air intake can gain power but I would think the factory air box with a good panel filter and a new big piece of ducting out to the front of the car could give the same gains.

As for spending money on cars, unless it's a classic then it's almost never worth it. I decided years ago that the only way to justify it was to call it my hobby. People spend loads of money on various hobbies and mine just happens to be tinkering on cars.


You can find my project ae92 fxgt in the project section but you might get some expensive ideas.

[Deano]

OK, that's a great post - many thanks!

You shouldn't have feared pointing me to your project - which looks pretty darn awesome I must say - I'm really looking at a modest 10 to 30 or so HP increase.

Question: What would you say is "a good panel filter" ? One of these? https://nzairfilter.co.nz/panel-filter/33-2041-1.html

Any yep, I agree, this little lady is going to definitely be a hobby!

[whynot]

Yeah one of those filters would be good. If they spec them for a 3sge than they should be more than capable of feeding a 4age. Just remember to clean and oil it. I check mine every oil change on average, more if it's dirt or roadworks.

You should be able to get the gains you are after with some cams and a free flowing exhaust. I have not had any experience with how well the factory ecu handles bigger cams. I know the car runs but I don't know if the ecu actually puts all that new found lift and duration to good use. Some one else may have answers for that.

[Deano]

Yep it seems like the factory computer will be fine with up to max 260° cam timing, based on what I've read. Which, provided I do the other things, might see me get to 10 to 30 extra ponies.

Anyone have info about re-ground camshafts? I'm not able to fork out for a $950 Kelford or similar, and it seems like I can get a reprofiled set for around $250.

[Deano]

OK, for what it's worth, for anyone who may find this information, I ended up fitting a 266° inlet cam, with 0.5mm extra lift.

This works well and there is really no change in bottom end performance but there is a bit more punch from 4500. Nice change to do if you have the head off or motor out...