My '93 Corolla From New Zealand

EDIT: To save everyone from having to go through every page, I decided to compile a list of all the current mods and photos. Unfortunately there's not enough space to include the original photos that were posted when I first created this thread, however to view updates in chronological order please scroll through the various posts below this one.

Hey guys,

This is my 1993 Toyota Corolla SE Limited. It's a Japanese import and has all of the features you would expect out of Japan, except it's now a little different from a bog standard grocery getter

It was completely standard when I bought it, but I've done a number of mods to it over the last 5-years of ownership so far, including a 4A-GE 20v Blacktop swap at the end of 2012. I've almost reached my goal of finding every single optional extra that was available from new, including some of the rarest items, such as the AirFantasy fragrance control system.


The mods so far are:

Engine:
* 4A-GE 20v Blacktop engine conversion.
* C160 6-speed ECU (8,500rpm redline).
* 110mm trumpets (ram tubes/velocity stacks).
* Custom made 3" intake bellmouth.
* Fujitsubo (FGK) 4-2-1 stainless steel extractors.
* 5-speed C56 gearbox.
* TRD quick shifter.
* Full 2.25" exhaust with Dynomax muffler.
* 2-core aluminium radiator.
* Carbon fibre cam & spark plug covers.
* TRD spark plug leads.
* Catalytic converter removed.
* Oil catch can.
* Genuine Tomei Type S fuel pressure regulator + gauge & adapter.
* TRD 1.3-bar radiator cap.
* TRD aluminium oil cap.
* TRD fuel cap.


Exterior:
* OEM AE101 Toyota Corolla FX-GT front bumper.
* OEM ST215 Toyota Caldina custom fitted optional front lip.
* OEM ST195 Toyota Caldina custom fitted optional rear lip.
* OEM AE111 Toyota Carib BZ Touring sideskirts.
* Genuine OEM AE101 Koito Toyota Corolla BZ Touring headlights.
* Facelift AE101 red/clear tail lights and garnish.
* Ducktail trunk spoiler.
* Ducktail roof spoiler.
* 35% "Night Rider" window tint.
* Front door locks eliminated.
* Volk CE28N rep 16x8 +15 alloy wheels with 195/45/16 tyres.
* Front and rear guards rolled.
* 'SE Limited' badge removed.


Interior:
* Toyota Corolla GT seats + folding rear seat conversion.
* Reupholstered door cards with OEM Corolla GT fabric.
* Sound deadened front doors.
* AE101 Corolla FX-GT SuperStrut Momo leather steering wheel.
* 240kph speedometer & 9,000rpm Corolla GT tachometer.
* OEM Lexus IS200/Altezza RS200 aluminium foot pedals.
* OEM floor mats.
* TRD leather shift knob.
* OEM BZ Touring 6-speed leather gear shift boot.
* Rare OEM factory option Graphics Equalizer.
* Rare OEM factory option 'Air Fantasy' fragrance control system.
* Rare OEM factory roof-mounted option Air Purifier unit.
* Rare OEM factory rear-mounted option Air Purifier unit.
* Rare OEM factory option motorized driver's seat rail.
* Rare OEM factory option key light.
* Rare OEM factory option floor lights.
* Rare OEM factory option velour extended armrest.
* Rare OEM factory option Burger Tray.
* Rare OEM factory option stock Box.
* Rare OEM factory option felt-lined ashtray coin holder/storage compartment.
* Rare OEM factory option under-seat storage tray.
* Rare OEM factory option tweeter pods and tweeters.
* Rare OEM factory option 'Conlight' automatic headlights.
* Rare OEM factory option A-pillar map light.
* Rare OEM rubber molded trunk organizer.



Brakes/Suspension:
* Lowered on BC Gold BR coilovers.
* Whiteline rear camber bolts.
* OEM 24mm front swaybar conversion.
* Whiteline 18mm solid rear swaybar.
* Polyurethane rear swaybar bushes.
* TRD 3-point strut brace.
* Ultra Racing 2-point rear strut brace.
* Carbing front lower tie bar.
* 275mm SuperStrut front disc conversion.
* AE101 SuperStrut twinpot front calipers.
* Safebrake braided brake lines.


Audio:
* JVC Bluetooth USB head-unit.
* Pioneer 6.5" component front speakers (60w RMS each).
* Lanzar 6.5" 3-way rear speakers (95w RMS each).
* Sony Xplod 4-channel 444w amp.
































































Comments very welcome!!

Damn. Nice.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/tokeitup/IMG_9856-resized1.jpg <-- loved this one

Thanks for the comments so far guys :beerchug:.

Glad you like that one, it was taken from one of my favourite spots not far from where I live. I'd love to take a photo of the car there at Sunrise one day (as it faces east) but they don't open the gates early enough, lol.

i want ur seats!! lol

DAMN that is sickkk!!!!!!!!!! are you gona lower it??

Haha, I got those seats from a junkyard. They were in a 1993 Sprinter GT (almost the same shape as a Corolla except with a factory 4A-GE 20v engine). They cost me $37 NZD ($27 USD) all up. The side bolsters are slightly larger than the factory seats and the cushioning inside feels a lot more comfortable. The colour seems to match the interior better too.

Here's a comparative photo between the new seats and the old seats:

Thanks dude. I already lowered it . It's sitting on 40mm Jamex springs. It's low, but not too low.

Here's a close-up of the front:

Beautiful scenery

Welcome to the forums! Nice ride.

nice corolla, looks perfect in those shots.

A bit too cartoony for me, but I like the scenery

Lovely car

Thanks everyone. Your comments and opinions are much appreciated. I'll be taking more shots when I put the sideskirts on and get the front and rear lip painted white.

I put the sideskirts on yesterday, after getting them back from the painters. Here's some pics I took about an hour ago:

Hey guys. It's been a little while since I updated this thread. My car was unfortunately involved in an accident about a month ago. Some dumbass ran into me from the rear. Fortunately the car was fixed through insurance so it's as good as new.

The accident happened literally 30-seconds after getting my front and rear bumper lips painted...Anyway, the things I've done to it since the accident have been a 2" straight through exhaust and Dynomax muffler and a BMW M3 trunk lip spoiler (plus had the bottom lip of the rear bumper repainted as they replaced it).

Here's a video of what the exhaust sounds like (although I'm still going to be adding a third resonator) -



Here's some photos:

Looks awesome, nice job.

nice... what type of rims are those?

Thanks guys. I'm not sure what the model name of the rims are called as I bought them secondhand quite some time ago, but the brand name is Viper and they're 17". I've only ever seen one other set so far, and they were 16's.

Here's some photos that I took today:


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sorry about the accident, but at least you got the car back. the new front and rear lip looks good although the thickness of the sideskirts seems to overwhelm them.

clean and sexy... nice rolla

BTW-wat camera are u using??

Thanks for your comment. I agree about what you said in regards to the sideskirts. I bought them for a bargain price, but would consider changing to OEM BZ Touring sideskirts in future since they're a lot slimmer. Either that or I'd get a front and rear lip so that everything is the same height. Although with the front and rear bumper lips painted, it does look a lot better than it did with just the sideskirts on so I'm happy with that for the time being

Thanks man. I'm using a Canon EOS 450D (XSi in the US) DSLR. Most of the shots are RAW converted to HDR.

oh okay that explains it.. lol great editing though... wat software u use??

Lol yeah, I try to do the HDR editing as subtly as possible. I mainly only use it so that the white paint doesn't become overexposed and so that everything else (such as the tires etc) don't become underexposed. The program I use is called Photomatix Pro. And then I use PhotoFiltre (free program) to add a touch of contrast and to resize.

The side skirts kinda throw it off because thyre so low and everything else in the front and rear is high. hmmm, oh well i guess if you like it thats all that matters, maybe you can lower it an inch more?

yeah, definitely better to have the sideskirts with the front/rear lips you already have than the sideskirts without the lips...regardless, i like your ride, good stuff!

Just realised that I haven't updated this thread with my latest images:






Folding 60/40 rear seats installed (originally had fixed non-foldable seats) -

SO CLEAN, every picture is spectacular, and i love the sprinter seats

Thanks man, glad you like the photos . The seats are one of the best things I've bought so far. They're a lot more comfortable and supportive than the original seats. The colour goes better with the shade of my interior plastic too.

looks good.

Thanks!

Update: I went to the junkyard today and randomly came across a Levin that had an ultra rare OEM Momo leather steering wheel and boss kit. They were only available as a factory option on the AE101 FX-GTs. The Levin I got it off had only just come into the yard moments before I arrived. It also had a 98,000km (60,000 mile) 4A-GE Silvertop engine which was quite tempting.

The best part is that the boss kit fits straight onto my Corolla and you can choose to have the horn-pad either on or off, depending on the look you want. It only cost me a measly $15 NZD ($10 USD, £6)

Here's some photos, first of all with the horn-pad cover on:













Horn-pad off:







Fitted to car:







It's a definite improvement over the stock SE Limited steering wheel as it's much easier to grip due to it being thicker. Another bonus is that it's the same diameter as the stock wheel, so none of the numbers get obscured on the instrument cluster. The best $15 I've ever spent