NCP31 by ENGSROAD

2006 Scion xB 5MT Shadow Mica


2023_1219_18004800 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

2023_1219_18004500 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

It's a rusty Michigan car.

I picked this up a couple of months ago as a daily and immediately bought some Bridgestone Blizzak WS90s (not pictured) because in a safety sense, maximizing grip is the #1 priority for winter driving. I haven't done much besides basic maintenance. I replaced the battery, drive belts, spark plugs, air filter, engine & oil filter, and MT oil (MT-90!). I also cleaned the MAF. She's running like a champ!

The car also had a bad exhaust leak. The gaskets were no more and the pipes were rusted out. I decided to replace the entire exhaust system. New OE manifold, Magnaflow OE Spec catalyst, and Walker resonator & muffler. I'm now enjoying the leak free and quiet exhaust.

She doesn't look like much, faded paint, rust patches and so on, but I've been enjoying the driving experience! I used to own a Yaris, and love the 1NZ-FE and C50 combo. It's a fun and reliable powertrain. Stay tuned for more updates!

Cant wait to see this track toaster !!

Lowering:

Finally have some time to update this thread! I've been working on the car, and she's definitely been a Michigan car her whole life. Busted out the MAP gas and sprayed each bolt down with penetrant.

I ordered some BC Coilovers Extreme Low spec with Front: 5kg and Rear: 3kg.

BC_Coils by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I bought new OE Front Lower Control Arms, new OE Front Wheel Bearings, new OE outer tie rods, new backing plates, and new sway bar bushings. I also bought a set of used front knuckles to install the new OE Front Wheel Bearings in, in order to have less down time. Glad I did because the tie rod cotter pin was fused to the castle nut, and I was not able to get it out. Luckily, I was able to spin the inner tie rod out of the outer tie rod and yanked the whole assembly out as one piece. Pretty glad my buddy allowed me to use his shop, if it wasn't for him, I don't think I would've been able to perform all of this in my car port lol.

Rusted_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Rusted_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I also ordered some NCP10 Vitz TRD Torsion Beam Bushings. I wasn't planning on installing them, as I wanted to save them for later, but, the torsion beam bushings were severely cracked.

TRD_Bushings_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Burned and cut the bushing cup out

TRD_Bushings_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

New TRD Bushings pressed in:

TRD_Bushings_3 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

TRD_Bushings_4 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Oh yeah, new brake rotors, calipers, stainless steel lines, and Akebono Ceramic pads. MAPerformance Coilover Covers are pretty neat.

Front_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Front by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

New rear drums, shoes, and hardware. I would like to do the rear wheel bearings and backing plates sometime in the future.

Rear by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

And how she now sits. It's about a 3" drop all around. I want to go lower in the rear.

After_Lowering_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

After_Lowering_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I'll get the next update up soon! Hope you enjoyed.

I got you Goldy! But first.

I've always admired old Japanese cars. Kyushas and Kaido Racers specifically. It's a style that I've always wanted. Hence, the xB was going to be the canvas for all my dreams to come true to the best of my abilities.

Mirror Upgrade...?

I picked up some Mooneyes GT053 Mirrors. I was initially sent two driver side mirrors, but after contacting Mooneyes, they were great to work with and they sent me the correct passenger side mirror.

I spent a good time measuring and making sure the mirrors were positioned on the fenders evenly from side to side, but also to look cool and not stupid by being too far forward or too close to the A-pillar.

Mirror_Cover by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Started with the passenger fender because it's already dinged and rusted up.

Mooneyes_GT053_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

And finished by sunset! Check out the electrical tape on the OE mounting holes lol, I don't recommend, so much wind noise even at city speeds!

Mooneyes_GT053_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Mooneyes_GT053_3 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr



I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to see out of them, but after adjusting them, the field of view is fine for me.

I took the mirror apart and hacked up the mirror base which left a lot of holes from the plastic cavities. I ended up filling it with some fiberglass and bondo.

Mirror_Cover_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Mirror_Cover_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Mirror_Cover_3 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

MIrror_Cover_4 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

And finally installed, but we shall see how it holds up. The best part is no more wind noise!

Mirror_Cover_Final by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Wheels!

I wanted small wheels for this build.

Car Make Corn's CMC-03 in 14x7 +20. They look like steelies, but are actually aluminum and weigh in at 13 lbs. They're not RPF1 light, but way lighter than steelies haha. They're wrapped in 195/60R14 Falken Azenis RT615K+. It's not the fastest tire out there, but it's nostalgic because my first set of sticky tires on my SW21 MR2 were 195/60R14 Azenis. I love the tread pattern!

CMC_Azenis by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I took my car back to my buddies, so we can do a string alignment.

Alignment_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Alignment_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Ending Alignment Spec:

Front:
Zero Total Toe
FL: -2.4* Camber
FR: -2.3* Camber

Rear:
4mm Total Toe In
RL: -1.0* Camber
RR: -1.2* Camber

I was hoping to get -3.0* in the front with the adjustable BC Racing top hats being maxed out. Looks like I will need to use some crash bolts!

CMC_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Trackday by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I'm happy to see how she turned out! Slowly the vision is coming into fruition.

Hope you guys enjoyed the double post update!

Thanks Goldy! It took me like 2 weeks to complete both sides. It was a lot of waiting for things to dry, sanding, adding more material and repeat! I don't want to do this again.

C50 Machine Track Day Debut!

Took the xB for a shakedown at Waterford Hills Raceway early last month.









My goal was a 1:30 lap time and I clocked a 1:26.9. Overall, the car did better than I expected, and it got me home at the end of the day. Tires did great and responded well to my inputs, but maybe getting front camber to -3* will allow me to keep my foot on the accel pedal when entering big sweepers. The only issue I had (besides the massive lack of power compared to everyone else. Oh and the wind. The winds kicked up and I dropped 2 seconds in my lap times. Geez, I wonder why ) was that braking was inconsistent leaving me with no confidence in them... and I figured out why

You can see that the wheels were wearing the brake pads lol. and those brake dust swirls coming out of the wheel openings are so satisfying.



My less than 1 month old Akebono Ceramic Pads went from 10mm to 1mm within 4 sessions. I understand that these aren't track pads, so they weren't meant for this abuse.



My intentions were not to make this a track car...but I ordered some Carbotech XP10 race pads and new rotors for the next track day.