1990 Toyota Corolla AE92
The car as it is now
Pics taken after it's restoration
The car is FLAWLESS!
The AE92 and my Accent hanging out.
Waiting for treatment in the accentae86 garage.
Out of all my friends' cars, this is probably my favourite. It is so clean, so mint that I'm sure it looks better than it did when it was first driven off the showroom floor over 15 years ago. A couple years ago, all the rusted metal was cut out and new metal was custom formed by the bodyman. The lines are such a great copy of the stock lines that you could never tell. The paint job is A-1. What a beautiful car.
As for the mechanics... well... that is another reason why I love this car so much. The smallport 4A-GE engine was recently completely rebuilt. It revs and drives sooooo smoothly it just blows me away. It even makes my bigport 4A-GE engines feel like crap. My Accent has never felt half this smooth, even right from the dealer brand new. You have to drive the car to REALLY appreciate it.
The suspension is lightly modified for street tune, since this is, afterall, a daily driver. But the funny thing is, the suspension is so balanced that it handles amazingly well, better than some dedicated track cars I've driven. Drive it hard and rush into corners and it'll respond. Drive it nicely and it will get you around town as comfy as a family sedan. AMAZING.
It is incredible to think of the car's present condition when I remember it's previous state. It was bought off a guy for $1500. All the wheel wells were rusted, the paint was dull and oxidized, there was a LOT of rust under the side skirts and on the rear spoiler mounts. The engine had about 30psi of compression in two cylinders. Now you can understand why it was $1500. If it were mine now, I wouldn't even sell it for $20,000.
The Tune
So maybe you've read my comments above and wonder what long list of parts makes this car such a joy to drive? Well, the list is very short actually. It probably says a lot about how well Toyota makes their cars.
- Highcomp "redtop" 4A-GE engine totally rebuilt to factory specs
- Cosmo Racing intake filter
- Genuine TRD strut tower bar
- 5Zigen Border cat-back exhaust system
- KBD 4-2-1 header
- Buddy Club P1 Racing wheels 15x7
- Falken Azenis (RT-215) Rubber
- TRD Japan lowering springs for Street
- Koni "Yellow" Sport strut inserts
- Goodridge strainless steel brake lines
Closeup of the TRD bar, Cosmo intake, and Koni insert. (You can see the adjustment tab)
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