Sol’s AE86 Build… Introduction
Some of you can’t seem to get enough of Sol’s many projects, and today I have another build from within his rather spacious stable. We’ll be taking a look at one of his first major builds, or what he would refer to as one of the more treasured cars he owns.
The AE86 rightfully speaking is a legend in every true car enthusiast’s mind, including Sol’s. That was exactly why he chose this platform to make his first step into the performance world. To fully understand why this particular AE86 is held so high on his list of prized cars within his garage, you must first understand the story behind it.
Sol purchased this car at the age of 17, the car still had the original 2T engine, and the first mods that were made, were to cut the springs and lower it on some 14″ wheels after welding the diff. Basically falling in the foot steps of the typical ricer. After having some fun with his recently acquired toy, he realized it lacked power and made it the sole thing to be dealt with on the to do list. Soon after a supercharged 4A-GZE motor with T50 gearbox would find its way into AE86 body. As the fun increased, Sol would once again have a thirst for more power than the supercharged motor was able to deliver. Based on natural progression, he would enter the turbocharged world and never look back. The motor was torn apart and rebuilt to handle the boost pressure generated from the GT28 turbo. However, after heading down this road, the car would never last long enough for Sol to truly enjoy it as he did while it was supercharged. Fed up and not motivated to continue down this path, the car would return home and be placed in storage awaiting some form of inspiration to finish the project.
Even though it has been off the road for quite some time, throughout all the other projects that came and went, Sol has always had a plan in mind for the AE86. This was the car that really got him started in the performance world, and gave him some insight on modifying in order to reach a desired end goal.
This is probably the only clean photo that still exist of the car in its prime, fitted with an original Origin body kit and a set of Work Equip 03 wheels…
Let’s get onto the photos so you guys can see exactly how it currently sits…
The car as it sat, untouched for quite some time while Sol was busy dealing with his other projects…
Most of the original interior plastics still remain, its only a matter of fitting them back together…
After the Cusco roll cage was bolted in place, no further progress was made with the interior…
A glance inside where you can see the partially disassembled interior…with bits of the factory panels scattered around….
A better look at the Cusco bolt in cage which still remains in bubble wrap for what seems like eons now…
Taking a look towards the front of the AE86 Chassis, you set your eyes on something that doesn’t quite belong…
You aren’t mistaken, the chassis was on its way to having a Sr20 DET conversion straight from a S15 Silvia…
Sol felt inspired and made an attempt to stuff a SR20DET motor in the bay. However, during that process he lost interest and the car would sit for a few years…
Oddly enough the motor looks right at home fitted in the AE86 engine bay…
A full view from above so you guys can get a better look at the bay…
Close up of the JSP Fabrications manifold…
With the motor in place there is still plenty room left to easily run the cooling system…
The car sat on Techno Toy Tuning coilovers…
An odd old school Japanese wheel at the front with a sizable step lip…
Close up of the Work Equip 03 wheel…
Full front view; Origin front bumper neatly rested up against the front end with the headlights and grille removed…
That was a first look at Sol’s AE86 Build, be sure to keep your open for more to come on this build in the upcoming weeks.
CT9A Drag Build… Part 2
Over the years the level of car building has improved not only in terms of performance but also when it comes to the little stuff. The attention to detail throughout this particular build has proven so far to be exceptional. Today we’re back with another update on the Jostech/RB Performance CT9A build. We’ll be taking a closer look at some of the parts that arrived along with some of the progress made with the build.
For those of you who have missed the previous post, I have provided the link below:-
Before moving forward, the guys mocked up the manifold and turbo to make sure everything lined up the way it should with the new front…
The final piece to be fitted was the bumper; with everything fitting the way it should, the next step will be to tear it apart and have the necessary pieces painted…
An indication of how serious the guys were taking this build was this Kirkey full race aluminum drag seat…
When it was time to choose a wheel the guys went with a set of WKS Eng. wheels in a 15×8 spec…
Which were a great fit for the 26″ Hoosier slicks…
The exterior of the car was in good condition and the guys didnt see it necessary to have it resprayed at the time…
On the interior the roll cage made a bold statement painted in the signature purple that is seen throughout the build…
In being a purpose built drag car the interior will remain gutted with just the single Kirkey seat…
The factory fuel tank has been removed and will be replaced with a fuel cell, to be mounted on what was previously the passenger side of the car…
The Evo VII dash was another interior piece that will not be reused…
Close up of the freshly painted steering column…
Typically on a Evo, the weight of a rotor isn’t a big deal but when it comes to drag racing every lb counts. The OEM Evo VII rotors weighed in at 21.6 lbs each compared to the STM scalloped rotors which are a mere 6.55 lbs…
Close up of the light weight drag spec front STM brake kit…
And the rear STM brake kit where you get a glimpse of the STM spec D2 Racing drag coilovers also installed…
The front end was removed to give ease of access when working…
Jimmy and Robert busy doing some test fitting…
The intercooler mounted in place to determine exactly where the necessary modifications needed to be…
Various pieces of 3″ pipe that will make up the intercooler piping kit…
V-band clamps that will be used…
Robert at work on the intercooler piping…
Making some necessary adjustments…
After a route for the intercooler piping was determined, the mock up head was removed…
View of the mock up block mated to the freshly painted gearbox…
Robert working on pulling out the block…
With the mock up motor and gearbox removed you guys may notice that the subframe has seen better days…
Jimmy made sure that was quickly addressed with a fresh coat of paint…
The guys opted to eliminate the hydraulic power steering and went with a compact electric power steering setup…
Here is that attention to detail that I mentioned earlier; the cam gears were specially painted to further extend the colour scheme…
The use of a hydraulic handbrake was necessary and even that was chosen based off the colour scheme throughout the build…
The long block assembled and on the stand…
Motor and gearbox finally made it into the bay along with the help of a Torque Solutions mount kit which was custom coated…
Forward facing manifold with the Precision 6466 turbo mounted in place…
Closer look at the turbo setup and the 3″ downpipe…
Full front view of the forward facing turbo setup with the wastegate hood dump…
That brings us to the end of another post, thanks for taking a look and stay tuned for more to come on this build.
