Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
November 21, 2012
November 21, 2012
I picked up a 90ish Honda Accord front lip at the junkyard a few weeks ago. Finally mounted it up. I had to trim about 8 inches out from the center of it as it was too wide. I also had to fight with it a little because it isn't the same shape as the Corolla, but all said and done, it doesn't look too bad.
Also went out for a drive on No. Ogden Divide to take some pics.
I picked up a 90ish Honda Accord front lip at the junkyard a few weeks ago. Finally mounted it up. I had to trim about 8 inches out from the center of it as it was too wide. I also had to fight with it a little because it isn't the same shape as the Corolla, but all said and done, it doesn't look too bad.
Also went out for a drive on No. Ogden Divide to take some pics.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
December 23, 2012
December 23, 2012
Got some fog lights from a friend for a steal and installed them this weekend. I rather have square or rectangle lights, but these were too good of a deal to pass up. I might switch the bulbs to some yellows instead of whites though.
Got some fog lights from a friend for a steal and installed them this weekend. I rather have square or rectangle lights, but these were too good of a deal to pass up. I might switch the bulbs to some yellows instead of whites though.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
December 29, 2012
December 29, 2012
Went for a drive today. I don't think my Corolla really should have been able to get a few of the places it did.
Out by Farmington Bay, west of Legacy in Clearfield. Yes, I drove through that (on the left side of the picture are my tracks.)
Up along the firebreak road in Clearfield.
The road up to the spot above.
Looking over the valley from the Bountiful Lion's Club shooting range.
Getting stuck in the snow at the range.
Getting pulled out by some very friendly people.
How dirty she ended up before a carwash.
Went for a drive today. I don't think my Corolla really should have been able to get a few of the places it did.
Out by Farmington Bay, west of Legacy in Clearfield. Yes, I drove through that (on the left side of the picture are my tracks.)
Up along the firebreak road in Clearfield.
The road up to the spot above.
Looking over the valley from the Bountiful Lion's Club shooting range.
Getting stuck in the snow at the range.
Getting pulled out by some very friendly people.
How dirty she ended up before a carwash.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
January 12, 2013
January 12, 2013
Well, this was from Saturday, but it was a lot of fun.
Playing around in the snow with my brother riding along.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qcTelDF3Yto?rel=0
Letting my brother try out my car.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/7czj9THYDLk?rel=0
Well, this was from Saturday, but it was a lot of fun.
Playing around in the snow with my brother riding along.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qcTelDF3Yto?rel=0
Letting my brother try out my car.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/7czj9THYDLk?rel=0
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
-
- Club4AG Enthusiast
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 10:55 am
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Nice build!
2 things:
1) How did you fix the fender? I've seen a few AE86's like that and thought about pulling the door off then pulling on the fender
2) Those 280z wheels look great; really liked the silver / gray ones in the front
Good luck with your project!
2 things:
1) How did you fix the fender? I've seen a few AE86's like that and thought about pulling the door off then pulling on the fender
2) Those 280z wheels look great; really liked the silver / gray ones in the front
Good luck with your project!
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Thanks!
I've never "properly" fixed the fender. I just took it off and tried to bend it back into shape. Every now and again, I have to pull/pry on it to keep it from catching on the door. Ideally, I'll replace it in the future, but it's just not a priority right now.
My autocross setup was the 280Z wheels up front and some 15x7" +40 chrome 5-spokes in the back. I ended up selling the chrome wheels to a buddy a while ago. Then I painted the 280Z wheels green for winter use.
I've never "properly" fixed the fender. I just took it off and tried to bend it back into shape. Every now and again, I have to pull/pry on it to keep it from catching on the door. Ideally, I'll replace it in the future, but it's just not a priority right now.
My autocross setup was the 280Z wheels up front and some 15x7" +40 chrome 5-spokes in the back. I ended up selling the chrome wheels to a buddy a while ago. Then I painted the 280Z wheels green for winter use.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Um, yeah. Screw going anywhere today.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Nothing to update about my car but I do have an update to my life.
I finally have a job! I'm working at a local O'Reilly Auto Parts store. It's only part time right now, but it's better then sitting around doing nothing. Once I get more settled into this job, I might look for another part time job before going back to school.
Also, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Corolla and the direction I'd like to take it. I hope to one day make it a pure track car, maybe door-to-door NASA racing or time attack, but the current drivetrain won't really take much more abuse then the daily driving and spirited driving I've been subjecting it too. I'm starting to think about moving from a 4AG power plant to the Honda S2000 swap. I'm also considering a custom built Chevy 10-bolt like a friend has, but both the rear & the S2000 swap are a long ways off. I definitely need more seat time & coilovers on the car. A fresh set of wheels & tires would be nice too.
To get the Corolla off of DD-duties and back to being the often neglected project that it normally is, I've been looking around for a suitable DD. I'm torn between something FWD & fuel efficient but fun (Civic, Integra, Sentra, G20), or RWD, sorta fuel efficient & fun (S13, mkIII Supra, Z31, FB or FC RX7), or getting a 2WD 70's-95 Toyota xtra cab pickup and making it into something of a shakotan DD and eventually doing a 1UZ and airbag setup on it.
Whatever I end up going with, I hope to get it for $3K or less by June. The sooner, the better, but that kinda depends on me getting my finances back in order and whether or not I can find a second job soon.
I finally have a job! I'm working at a local O'Reilly Auto Parts store. It's only part time right now, but it's better then sitting around doing nothing. Once I get more settled into this job, I might look for another part time job before going back to school.
Also, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Corolla and the direction I'd like to take it. I hope to one day make it a pure track car, maybe door-to-door NASA racing or time attack, but the current drivetrain won't really take much more abuse then the daily driving and spirited driving I've been subjecting it too. I'm starting to think about moving from a 4AG power plant to the Honda S2000 swap. I'm also considering a custom built Chevy 10-bolt like a friend has, but both the rear & the S2000 swap are a long ways off. I definitely need more seat time & coilovers on the car. A fresh set of wheels & tires would be nice too.
To get the Corolla off of DD-duties and back to being the often neglected project that it normally is, I've been looking around for a suitable DD. I'm torn between something FWD & fuel efficient but fun (Civic, Integra, Sentra, G20), or RWD, sorta fuel efficient & fun (S13, mkIII Supra, Z31, FB or FC RX7), or getting a 2WD 70's-95 Toyota xtra cab pickup and making it into something of a shakotan DD and eventually doing a 1UZ and airbag setup on it.
Whatever I end up going with, I hope to get it for $3K or less by June. The sooner, the better, but that kinda depends on me getting my finances back in order and whether or not I can find a second job soon.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
poorutron wrote:inspiring story of a "little engine that could" but hum I'd said civic since they're dime a dozen in most places so maintenance aint too bad
I've thought about a Civic too, but I'm a little particular about what kind of Civic I'd want. Right now it looks like I'll be getting a cheap Hyundai Excel that needs some work from a friend, so I'll do that so I can take it easy on the Corolla.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
March 20, 2013 – Employed & IDrift
March 20, 2013 – Employed & IDrift
So at the end of February I finally got a job at an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store in Syracuse. It’s nice to be working again and I’m really enjoying it! Now I can afford gas to drive and hang out with friends!
First I fixed my fog light mounting. One of the lights wasn’t mounted very securely, so I re-drilled the hole in my bumper support and used longer bolts. Now the lights stay in place.
March 16 was going to be the first drift event of the season put on by Innovative Garage and D-Spare Drift Team at Miller Motorsports Park. I volunteered to help run the event because I didn’t have the money to drift, but Jason of Innovative said he’d let me take a few runs in my car if I wanted to. I couldn’t say no.
First, I prepped my car the best I know how.
more colors.
more stickers.
I worked the course during the morning, fixing cones and barriers, etc. Also, a Mustang there broke the U-joints on his drive shaft while drifting.
The afternoon was my turn to drive. I didn’t do very well, but considering I haven’t really drifted in about 1.5-2 years, I don’t feel too bad about it. Here I am in the staging line with Derrick Lopez riding shotgun as an instructor. He drifts a 2004 STi that he’s converted to RWD himself. He’s a fantastic fabricator and driver.
I had a great time drifting and hanging out with friends. It was so fun to get back behind the wheel and kill some tires without worrying about cops or wrecking. I really need some coilovers though, the body roll is terrible. I do have some video footage that I will try to edit and post later today.
Also, during my free time, I’ve been helping a buddy tear into a 98 GTI and try to get that running. The original motor in the car disintegrated a rod, so we’re hoping a simple engine swap will get the car running again. As I dismantled the old engine, I took rod & piston no.3 as a trophy since I lost my rubber ducky sometime last week.
GTI piston
So at the end of February I finally got a job at an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store in Syracuse. It’s nice to be working again and I’m really enjoying it! Now I can afford gas to drive and hang out with friends!
First I fixed my fog light mounting. One of the lights wasn’t mounted very securely, so I re-drilled the hole in my bumper support and used longer bolts. Now the lights stay in place.
March 16 was going to be the first drift event of the season put on by Innovative Garage and D-Spare Drift Team at Miller Motorsports Park. I volunteered to help run the event because I didn’t have the money to drift, but Jason of Innovative said he’d let me take a few runs in my car if I wanted to. I couldn’t say no.
First, I prepped my car the best I know how.
more colors.
more stickers.
I worked the course during the morning, fixing cones and barriers, etc. Also, a Mustang there broke the U-joints on his drive shaft while drifting.
The afternoon was my turn to drive. I didn’t do very well, but considering I haven’t really drifted in about 1.5-2 years, I don’t feel too bad about it. Here I am in the staging line with Derrick Lopez riding shotgun as an instructor. He drifts a 2004 STi that he’s converted to RWD himself. He’s a fantastic fabricator and driver.
I had a great time drifting and hanging out with friends. It was so fun to get back behind the wheel and kill some tires without worrying about cops or wrecking. I really need some coilovers though, the body roll is terrible. I do have some video footage that I will try to edit and post later today.
Also, during my free time, I’ve been helping a buddy tear into a 98 GTI and try to get that running. The original motor in the car disintegrated a rod, so we’re hoping a simple engine swap will get the car running again. As I dismantled the old engine, I took rod & piston no.3 as a trophy since I lost my rubber ducky sometime last week.
GTI piston
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Hi trent I'll see you at the next event... you better be killing it
April 13, 2013 – Freshening Up
April 13, 2013 – Freshening Up
Today I did some maintenance on Ariel. Changed the engine oil, transmission oil, and differential oil. I also cleaned the air filter and replaced the fuel filter. I seem to be leaking a bit from the input shaft of the transmission, so I added some Lucas Stop Leak to try and help that. I also threw a can of Sea Foam into the car to see if that helps.
Today I did some maintenance on Ariel. Changed the engine oil, transmission oil, and differential oil. I also cleaned the air filter and replaced the fuel filter. I seem to be leaking a bit from the input shaft of the transmission, so I added some Lucas Stop Leak to try and help that. I also threw a can of Sea Foam into the car to see if that helps.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
April 14, 2013 – UMCA Dyno Day!
April 14, 2013 – UMCA Dyno Day!
The Utah Muscle Car Association and Premier Performance hosted a Dyno Day today. I decided to throw the Corolla on the rollers to see how she'd do. She put down 105.5 whp and 93.8 ft-lbs of torque! That's a bit better then I expected! She started to overheat on her second run, so they pulled her off before she puked her guts. Turns out I forgot to turn on the electric fans before they pulled her in. Oops.
Car Specs:
1985 Corolla GTS
4AGE 1.6L smallport/hi-comp from FWD GTS (90-91)
bigport intake cam (240* duration, 7.56mm lift)
smallport exhaust cam (232* duration, 7.1mm lift)
TRD .8mm head gasket
HKS valve springs
HKS adjustable cam gears
HKS timing belt
T3 underdrive water pump pulley
TRD racing header
2.25” mk III Supra Turbo catalytic converter
2.25” over differential exhaust with MagnaFlow muffler
Spectre 3” cone filter
XTD Stage 1 pressure plate & 6-puck clutch
TRD short throw shifter
Welded differential
Tokico Blues shocks/struts
Tanabe GF210 lowering springs
The Utah Muscle Car Association and Premier Performance hosted a Dyno Day today. I decided to throw the Corolla on the rollers to see how she'd do. She put down 105.5 whp and 93.8 ft-lbs of torque! That's a bit better then I expected! She started to overheat on her second run, so they pulled her off before she puked her guts. Turns out I forgot to turn on the electric fans before they pulled her in. Oops.
Car Specs:
1985 Corolla GTS
4AGE 1.6L smallport/hi-comp from FWD GTS (90-91)
bigport intake cam (240* duration, 7.56mm lift)
smallport exhaust cam (232* duration, 7.1mm lift)
TRD .8mm head gasket
HKS valve springs
HKS adjustable cam gears
HKS timing belt
T3 underdrive water pump pulley
TRD racing header
2.25” mk III Supra Turbo catalytic converter
2.25” over differential exhaust with MagnaFlow muffler
Spectre 3” cone filter
XTD Stage 1 pressure plate & 6-puck clutch
TRD short throw shifter
Welded differential
Tokico Blues shocks/struts
Tanabe GF210 lowering springs
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
-
- Club4AG Regular
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:09 pm
- Location: Minnesota
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Hey, I'm unable to send pms right now. The head lights I have are pending sale but are you still interested in the grille and tail lights? Email me.
samuel.j.diaz@gmail.com
samuel.j.diaz@gmail.com
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Updates please!
There shouldn't be a day that goes by where you don't learn something new.
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
I'm working on a proper update right now. Lots of things have happened since the last update.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Man, it has been a long, long time since I updated this.
The last update was back in April of 2013. I dyno’d the car and put down a (respectable for a mostly stock Corolla) 105.5 rwhp & 93.8 ft-lbs of torque. After that, I continued to daily drive Ariel with very little fuss (lolz, yeah right!).
May 10, 2013
I was out driving, thinking about scoping out some “free” tires at a local tire shop that puts their old ones in an outside collection area, when I heard a terrifying noise from the rear end.
It was a great big clunk. And not just one clunk. A few weeks earlier the bolts holding the driveshaft to the pinion cam loose and I lost two of the 4 bolts. It made a terrible noise as the driveshaft wobbled around, working the rest of the bolts loose. The noise this evening was different though. It wasn’t the driveshaft. I pulled over and looked at that first. Everything was still snug there.
There wasn’t any fluids leaking and the engine ran the same was ever. I could rev it in gear (clutch in) and not get the noise, but if I drove, it would clunk occasionally. It was worse the faster I went, so it could be the transmission because it didn’t matter what gear I was in. Something had let go in the rear end, but power was still going to both rear wheels. Couldn’t be an axle then, right?
I slowly and carefully drove the 1.5miles back home with my heart sinking every time I heard a “clunk” from the rear end. I get home around 11pm and decide to tear the car apart right there and then to find out what was wrong. I couldn’t sleep because I had no idea what was wrong. I decided to try taking the rear end apart. I’ve done it a few times, so I could handle it in the dark, right?
Ariel on jack-stands on the street in the middle of the night.
Well the axles proved to be too stubborn to pull out at midnight without lots of noise and angry neighbors, so I patched her back together and put her on the ground until I had time to take her apart during the day.
After working that morning (and a lousy night’s sleep), I pulled her into the backyard and proceeded to pull the axles and diff out. It went much easier when I wasn’t worried about the noise. What I found confused and terrified me.
That carnage you’re seeing? It’s one of the shafts that holds one of the spider gears in place. That shaft sheared and would slide out until it hit the ring gear. When that shaft, resting against the ring gear, encountered the pinion, terrible noises were made and the shaft would get knocked back into place.
It turns out that when I had my diff re-welded, my buddy neglected to weld each spider gear to the housing. That allowed one spider gear to shift under load & pressure, which eventually sheared the shaft it rode on. Even with this happening, I wasn’t upset about the job my buddy did when he re-welded the diff. It held up remarkably well for a long time through a lot of abuse. But it still sucked that it happened to fail.
So after cleaning out all the metal shavings, I had another friend weld that shaft to the housing. I figured if it didn’t slide out anymore, it couldn’t cause anymore problems, right?
Remember folks, use plenty of heat on hardened steel. The weld held for about 3 hours of city/suburbia driving.
This time my dad just burned out the shaft to eliminate it completely.
Then I had someone else re-weld where the cracks had formed, weld the gear to the housing, weld inside the hole to gear & housing, and just add a lot more filler just about everywhere else. (Sorry, no pics). So far, everything is holding together, even my partially chewed up pinion.
I hope this is the last time I have to park Ariel like this until I do something about replacing the rear end.
The last update was back in April of 2013. I dyno’d the car and put down a (respectable for a mostly stock Corolla) 105.5 rwhp & 93.8 ft-lbs of torque. After that, I continued to daily drive Ariel with very little fuss (lolz, yeah right!).
May 10, 2013
I was out driving, thinking about scoping out some “free” tires at a local tire shop that puts their old ones in an outside collection area, when I heard a terrifying noise from the rear end.
It was a great big clunk. And not just one clunk. A few weeks earlier the bolts holding the driveshaft to the pinion cam loose and I lost two of the 4 bolts. It made a terrible noise as the driveshaft wobbled around, working the rest of the bolts loose. The noise this evening was different though. It wasn’t the driveshaft. I pulled over and looked at that first. Everything was still snug there.
There wasn’t any fluids leaking and the engine ran the same was ever. I could rev it in gear (clutch in) and not get the noise, but if I drove, it would clunk occasionally. It was worse the faster I went, so it could be the transmission because it didn’t matter what gear I was in. Something had let go in the rear end, but power was still going to both rear wheels. Couldn’t be an axle then, right?
I slowly and carefully drove the 1.5miles back home with my heart sinking every time I heard a “clunk” from the rear end. I get home around 11pm and decide to tear the car apart right there and then to find out what was wrong. I couldn’t sleep because I had no idea what was wrong. I decided to try taking the rear end apart. I’ve done it a few times, so I could handle it in the dark, right?
Ariel on jack-stands on the street in the middle of the night.
Well the axles proved to be too stubborn to pull out at midnight without lots of noise and angry neighbors, so I patched her back together and put her on the ground until I had time to take her apart during the day.
After working that morning (and a lousy night’s sleep), I pulled her into the backyard and proceeded to pull the axles and diff out. It went much easier when I wasn’t worried about the noise. What I found confused and terrified me.
That carnage you’re seeing? It’s one of the shafts that holds one of the spider gears in place. That shaft sheared and would slide out until it hit the ring gear. When that shaft, resting against the ring gear, encountered the pinion, terrible noises were made and the shaft would get knocked back into place.
It turns out that when I had my diff re-welded, my buddy neglected to weld each spider gear to the housing. That allowed one spider gear to shift under load & pressure, which eventually sheared the shaft it rode on. Even with this happening, I wasn’t upset about the job my buddy did when he re-welded the diff. It held up remarkably well for a long time through a lot of abuse. But it still sucked that it happened to fail.
So after cleaning out all the metal shavings, I had another friend weld that shaft to the housing. I figured if it didn’t slide out anymore, it couldn’t cause anymore problems, right?
Remember folks, use plenty of heat on hardened steel. The weld held for about 3 hours of city/suburbia driving.
This time my dad just burned out the shaft to eliminate it completely.
Then I had someone else re-weld where the cracks had formed, weld the gear to the housing, weld inside the hole to gear & housing, and just add a lot more filler just about everywhere else. (Sorry, no pics). So far, everything is holding together, even my partially chewed up pinion.
I hope this is the last time I have to park Ariel like this until I do something about replacing the rear end.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
June 5, 2013
I had a day off with some nice weather and an itch to drive, so Ariel and I made a trip up to the canyon for some spirited driving. Before I got to the “really fun parts,” I hit a k-rail.
Understeering on dirt sucks.
The damage was mostly cosmetic and I managed to create more carnage trying to use my tow chain to “pull” the bumper bad out. I totally destroyed the passenger front marker/turn signal in the lower bumper.
Ariel now looked even worse with that bent bumper, pushed-in fender cap, and broken marker light. I decided she’d probably look “less” terrible if I pulled most of that off. Oh, and I used some Subaru turn signals to replace my busted one.
ProTip: Check the wiring on your car and the donor car when you pick up “replacement” parts at a junkyard to ensure you have the correct amount of wires necessary to have OEM-like functionality. My Corolla has three wires for the front marker/turn signal indicator. The Subaru lights I picked up at the junkyard only had two wires for either turn signal or marker light. I wired them in as turn signals.
She looks so pitiful all banged up like this. The 13” wheels & tires don’t help much, either.
I had a day off with some nice weather and an itch to drive, so Ariel and I made a trip up to the canyon for some spirited driving. Before I got to the “really fun parts,” I hit a k-rail.
Understeering on dirt sucks.
The damage was mostly cosmetic and I managed to create more carnage trying to use my tow chain to “pull” the bumper bad out. I totally destroyed the passenger front marker/turn signal in the lower bumper.
Ariel now looked even worse with that bent bumper, pushed-in fender cap, and broken marker light. I decided she’d probably look “less” terrible if I pulled most of that off. Oh, and I used some Subaru turn signals to replace my busted one.
ProTip: Check the wiring on your car and the donor car when you pick up “replacement” parts at a junkyard to ensure you have the correct amount of wires necessary to have OEM-like functionality. My Corolla has three wires for the front marker/turn signal indicator. The Subaru lights I picked up at the junkyard only had two wires for either turn signal or marker light. I wired them in as turn signals.
She looks so pitiful all banged up like this. The 13” wheels & tires don’t help much, either.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
July 2013
The tags on the Corolla expired at the end of June, so I had sought out other transportation as devoting time & money to Ariel seemed like a bad idea. I ended up picking up two very different, crappy cars as potential DDs: A 1993 Hyundai Excel, and a 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible.
My crappy collection.
I paid $200 for the Excel and put another $200 into it before I decided I didn’t want to die in a Korean shit-box commuter. I paid $10 for the Chrysler, put $40 into it, and had a reliable, working, boring daily driver that didn’t try to kill me on the freeway like the Hyundai had tried a few times. The Chrysler just required some somewhat religious checking and topping off of the oil that it would either consume or leak (depending on how tight the oil pan plug was). I ended up selling the Hyundai to a junkyard in September and selling the Chrysler in December so I could drive the Corolla again.
I had forgotten how much work the Corolla needed. It needs a lot.
The tags on the Corolla expired at the end of June, so I had sought out other transportation as devoting time & money to Ariel seemed like a bad idea. I ended up picking up two very different, crappy cars as potential DDs: A 1993 Hyundai Excel, and a 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible.
My crappy collection.
I paid $200 for the Excel and put another $200 into it before I decided I didn’t want to die in a Korean shit-box commuter. I paid $10 for the Chrysler, put $40 into it, and had a reliable, working, boring daily driver that didn’t try to kill me on the freeway like the Hyundai had tried a few times. The Chrysler just required some somewhat religious checking and topping off of the oil that it would either consume or leak (depending on how tight the oil pan plug was). I ended up selling the Hyundai to a junkyard in September and selling the Chrysler in December so I could drive the Corolla again.
I had forgotten how much work the Corolla needed. It needs a lot.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Things went from bad to worse, now didn't they? At least, you updated.
There shouldn't be a day that goes by where you don't learn something new.
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Yeah, she's been in a kind of downhill slump. The last 2.5 months have been full of ups & downs but I need to take a break from obsessing over her.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
Hi Trent. Corolla buddies need to go for a drive soon
December 2013
Taking the money from the sell of Sebring, I intended to get the Corolla back into DD status. First order of business was a tune up and ripping off the useless emissions crap.
Yeah, I needed new plugs.
I also relocated the air filter outside of the engine bay, giving it more fresh, cool air.
I still had the stock fender liners for up front, so I reinstalled them to help prevent sucking up rain.
I found someone selling a complete front bumper set, so I paid for that and waited for it to ship from Reno. How the car sat in the meantime.
Yeah, I needed new plugs.
I also relocated the air filter outside of the engine bay, giving it more fresh, cool air.
I still had the stock fender liners for up front, so I reinstalled them to help prevent sucking up rain.
I found someone selling a complete front bumper set, so I paid for that and waited for it to ship from Reno. How the car sat in the meantime.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
January 2014 - A new year, a new place to live.
I moved from Davis County down to Kearns at the beginning of the year. It was closer to school and I was able to transfer to an O’Reilly down there so everything was close by. Living with a friend that’s into cars and drifting is also a nice perk.
I finally got the bumper set from Reno after some snafu with shipping it via Greyhound. Great price, but kinda lacking on the customer service front. Ariel looked a lot better without a beat up front bumper.
I finally got the bumper set from Reno after some snafu with shipping it via Greyhound. Great price, but kinda lacking on the customer service front. Ariel looked a lot better without a beat up front bumper.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
February 2014
All was not well with Ariel though. While she did run, she was gutless below 4000 rpm (more so than usual), didn’t idle correctly, and killed both the battery and the alternator. I put in a voltmeter to try to get an idea what was going on with the charging system.
I also went ahead and installed my shinny new ebay radiator and electric fans w/shroud.
A little bit of trimming was required to make it fit.
By the end of the month, Ariel just did not want to cooperate. She died on me again while driving and wouldn’t start. Battery checked out, alternator checked out, starter checked out, but I was fed up. I parked her and called my dad for a favor. A little bit of talking and looking, I soon had myself another reliable DD.
1998 Honda Accord LX 2.3L F23A3 SOHC VTEC 5Spd with 259,000+ miles. Paid less than $2000 for her from Ken Garff Orem. She has a few rough spots and ain’t pretty, but she’s a solid car. Most of her miles seem to be commuter miles from Utah County to Salt Lake.
With a little bit of maintenance and some cleaning, she is working flawlessly. With a new car to drive, I put Ariel on the back burner. We needed some time apart.
I also went ahead and installed my shinny new ebay radiator and electric fans w/shroud.
A little bit of trimming was required to make it fit.
By the end of the month, Ariel just did not want to cooperate. She died on me again while driving and wouldn’t start. Battery checked out, alternator checked out, starter checked out, but I was fed up. I parked her and called my dad for a favor. A little bit of talking and looking, I soon had myself another reliable DD.
1998 Honda Accord LX 2.3L F23A3 SOHC VTEC 5Spd with 259,000+ miles. Paid less than $2000 for her from Ken Garff Orem. She has a few rough spots and ain’t pretty, but she’s a solid car. Most of her miles seem to be commuter miles from Utah County to Salt Lake.
With a little bit of maintenance and some cleaning, she is working flawlessly. With a new car to drive, I put Ariel on the back burner. We needed some time apart.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
June 2014 - New injectors and fun with wiring!
Enough time had passed and the weather was much better, so I decided to give Ariel some loving again. I hoped that I’d be able to get her running again, maybe even reliably.
After bouncing some ideas off my roommate and some other friends, I decided to take a look at my injectors. The engine in the car is not the original, but I was using the original ECU. Maybe I’m using the wrong injectors for the engine or ECU? It was worth a shot.
Turns out I did have some high impedance injectors, 250 cc/min, that are correct for the engine. The ECU and harness was wired up to use low impedance, 190 cc/min injectors with a resistor box. I was running the resistor box with the high impedance injectors. This may be part of the problem.
These green 250cc injectors use a different connector than anything else on the engine wiring harness. If I was going to replace the injectors, I’d have to also replace the connectors. After some research, I got lucky at the junkyard and pulled two sets of injectors from a 1985 and 1986 Camry. These beige injectors are low impedance and rated at 185 cc/min, close enough to 190 for my car.
They even fit in the fuel rail!
I remembered to get the connectors, too.
With some “fresh, new” injectors that would require some re-wiring, I decided to get ambitious.
What have I done?!
This will be easy, right?
Trying to lay the wires where they need to go.
Time for tape and loom!
The ultimate wire tuck…
Test fit twice, tape & loom once!
I won’t need these anymore.
Almost done!
At least the wiring looks a little more proper. Also added in some license plates for heat shields around the brake master cylinder and the wiring for my gauges going through the firewall (note the slightly melted loom from the picture above).
She seemed to appreciate the love and care and wouldn’t die out on me like before. The TPS needed adjustment, but she ran as long as I jumpstarted her. The battery still seemed to be draining and the alternator didn’t seem to charge the battery very well. Oh well. She ran and there was a drift event coming up that I was going to drive in.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
July 11 & 12, 2014 - Frustrations at the track.
In the whirlwind to get my car and my roommate’s car ready for the drift event, I hurriedly reassembled the corolla to give Jordan more room to work on his car. I also had to work out the logistics of helping a friend get his car to the event for Friday, July 11, and my car to the event on Saturday, July 12. Friday went smoothly for almost everyone, so late Friday night, I unloaded my friends car and loaded mine onto the trailer.
Saturday morning at the track, my car was running weird. To be honest, it sounded like a Subaru. It lacked any sort of power or throttle response. I had to keep slipping the clutch because it didn’t want to drive in gear with a load on the engine. I could not drift the car like I wanted. I was stumped and getting very frustrated with Ariel again.
With the lunch break approaching, someone else offered to look at it with me/for me. I welcomed a set of fresh eyes and we approached the car. As he listened to it idle, he said it sounded like it was missing in at least one, maybe two cylinders. He told me to pull the wires off, one at a time, and see if we could tell where it was missing.
I pulled number one and the car almost died. That wasn’t the problem.
I pulled number two and the car actually sounded a little better than before.
Then I realized what was wrong; I messed up the firing order. I had the wires for 2 and 4 switched. I can’t be sure when I had switched them, but I know I had took off and put back on the wires half a dozen times at the track that morning. And twice that many times as I worked to clean up the wiring and swap the injectors. I felt like an idiot; just plain stupid and mad at myself. I was grateful for the help but was deeply embarrassed about my mistake and inability to see it.
I went karting with a couple of friends to work off the embarrassment and frustration. I’m kinda surprised I didn’t get black flagged with how often I cut corners, dropped into the dirt, and bumped a few people.
Feeling less emotional and ready to have some fun, I took the Corolla to the donut box to warm her up. There, a new problem arose. As I bounced off the rev limiter and smoked some tires, I noticed the charge light come one and the voltmeter pegged at 18+ volts. If I let the rpms drop back to idle, the light turned off and the voltmeter read 13-14 volts. Odd.
Those tires don’t stand a chance!
I told myself to keep an eye on it and decided to try a run on course to see if it was a weird fluke or not. Sure enough, when the rpms were high (greater than 4000 rpm), the charge light would come on and the voltmeter would read 18+ volts. I exited the course and parked the car. I looked over all the connections for the battery and alternator, but nothing looked out of place. I told a few friends what was happening, but they weren’t sure why it was acting like I was overdriving the alternator. I had stock pulleys on the crank, water pump, and alternator and no one had an underdrive pulley I could use. We were all stumped. Instead of sitting around confused, I decided I would try to enjoy my car out on track, while keeping an eye on things to see if I could determine what was wrong.
Halfway into my third run in the car, second run on the course, the charge light came one an stayed on. The voltmeter was no longer pegged at 18+ volts at high rpms. I cut the run short and coasted into the pits. Jumping out of the car, I looked over the wiring to the alternator again. Nothing looked burned or smelled funny. Nothing looked out of the ordinary at all. I started the car again and the charge light stayed on the voltmeter read 12.5 V and draining. Crap, the voltage regulator must’ve died in the alternator. That’s the end of the day for me.
Hopefully anyone that passed behind me on the trek home appreciated my bouncy Jesus and hula girl on the trunk of the Corolla. They sure made me giggle everytime they danced.
Saturday morning at the track, my car was running weird. To be honest, it sounded like a Subaru. It lacked any sort of power or throttle response. I had to keep slipping the clutch because it didn’t want to drive in gear with a load on the engine. I could not drift the car like I wanted. I was stumped and getting very frustrated with Ariel again.
With the lunch break approaching, someone else offered to look at it with me/for me. I welcomed a set of fresh eyes and we approached the car. As he listened to it idle, he said it sounded like it was missing in at least one, maybe two cylinders. He told me to pull the wires off, one at a time, and see if we could tell where it was missing.
I pulled number one and the car almost died. That wasn’t the problem.
I pulled number two and the car actually sounded a little better than before.
Then I realized what was wrong; I messed up the firing order. I had the wires for 2 and 4 switched. I can’t be sure when I had switched them, but I know I had took off and put back on the wires half a dozen times at the track that morning. And twice that many times as I worked to clean up the wiring and swap the injectors. I felt like an idiot; just plain stupid and mad at myself. I was grateful for the help but was deeply embarrassed about my mistake and inability to see it.
I went karting with a couple of friends to work off the embarrassment and frustration. I’m kinda surprised I didn’t get black flagged with how often I cut corners, dropped into the dirt, and bumped a few people.
Feeling less emotional and ready to have some fun, I took the Corolla to the donut box to warm her up. There, a new problem arose. As I bounced off the rev limiter and smoked some tires, I noticed the charge light come one and the voltmeter pegged at 18+ volts. If I let the rpms drop back to idle, the light turned off and the voltmeter read 13-14 volts. Odd.
Those tires don’t stand a chance!
I told myself to keep an eye on it and decided to try a run on course to see if it was a weird fluke or not. Sure enough, when the rpms were high (greater than 4000 rpm), the charge light would come on and the voltmeter would read 18+ volts. I exited the course and parked the car. I looked over all the connections for the battery and alternator, but nothing looked out of place. I told a few friends what was happening, but they weren’t sure why it was acting like I was overdriving the alternator. I had stock pulleys on the crank, water pump, and alternator and no one had an underdrive pulley I could use. We were all stumped. Instead of sitting around confused, I decided I would try to enjoy my car out on track, while keeping an eye on things to see if I could determine what was wrong.
Halfway into my third run in the car, second run on the course, the charge light came one an stayed on. The voltmeter was no longer pegged at 18+ volts at high rpms. I cut the run short and coasted into the pits. Jumping out of the car, I looked over the wiring to the alternator again. Nothing looked burned or smelled funny. Nothing looked out of the ordinary at all. I started the car again and the charge light stayed on the voltmeter read 12.5 V and draining. Crap, the voltage regulator must’ve died in the alternator. That’s the end of the day for me.
Hopefully anyone that passed behind me on the trek home appreciated my bouncy Jesus and hula girl on the trunk of the Corolla. They sure made me giggle everytime they danced.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
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Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
As a Christian, I love the bouncy Jesus, nice add-on, +1,000,000 hp
Re: Ariel's Story - A tale of a Utah Corolla
I like it too. I think I'll put Jesus and the hula girl in my dd Honda Accord. There just isn't a good place to put them inside the Corolla :/
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
August 2014 – Prepping for Paint
As you can see from the pictures, Ariel was in desperate need of a makeover. Some fresh paint and a little bit of bodywork would change the look and feel of the car. I’m not one to typically get hung up about how a car looks, but I was tired of how crappy Ariel looked and the teasing and joking from everyone about how crappy it looks. My birthday was coming up and so is a local J-tin carshow a friend is hosting, so I put together a plan for a makeover.
First things first, the car had to be prepped. That meant sanding, something that wasn’t done when my dad painted it for me back in 2008. I felt confident that I could handle sanding the car, so I borrowed an orbital sander, bought a bunch of sand paper, and went to town. I did remove a lot of exterior bits first.
First night of sanding using some 100 grit paper.
Getting the OEM “GTS TwinCam 16” stickers off the door was very difficult.
Took off the front bumper and did some more sanding the next night.
Took off the rear bumper and decided to tackle some rust spots in the trunk as well.
I didn’t notice it immediately when I took off the rear bumper, but I did have a hole to deal with behind the rear bumper.
At least it isn’t anyplace important, structurally, and is well hidden behind the bumper. And that is the worst area of rust on the whole car, surprisingly. Not too shabby, imho.
First things first, the car had to be prepped. That meant sanding, something that wasn’t done when my dad painted it for me back in 2008. I felt confident that I could handle sanding the car, so I borrowed an orbital sander, bought a bunch of sand paper, and went to town. I did remove a lot of exterior bits first.
First night of sanding using some 100 grit paper.
Getting the OEM “GTS TwinCam 16” stickers off the door was very difficult.
Took off the front bumper and did some more sanding the next night.
Took off the rear bumper and decided to tackle some rust spots in the trunk as well.
I didn’t notice it immediately when I took off the rear bumper, but I did have a hole to deal with behind the rear bumper.
At least it isn’t anyplace important, structurally, and is well hidden behind the bumper. And that is the worst area of rust on the whole car, surprisingly. Not too shabby, imho.
1985 Toyota Corolla Sport GTS - Ariel - 105.5 whp 93.8 ft-lbs of torque
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow
2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 6MT - mmm, taco!
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 5MT - 2slow