As some of you may remember, I posted about a race Altezza being built.
I just thought I'd share with you all what sparked the project, current plans and also how damned close I am to finishing it.

About a year ago, this arrived in my drive way on the back of a truck.

For those wondering, it's an AE92 Corolla with a 3S-GE in it, with forged cams, awaiting a turbo... Yes, it is FWD. The idea was to create a race Corolla with an engine designed to be as far away from this car as possible, yet within the limits of reality (so no TT 1UZ, I'm not quite that crazy).
Being lazy, we decided it would be more practical (and easier) to shove in a 3S-GTE from an ST215 Caldina, as it is fully assembled and has a stronger block (or so I was told). After placing the engine in the mounts, and having to have a mount re-drilled, we noticed the CV joints would have to be at about 40 degrees to fit properly. So we gave up on the Corolla.

With the idea of a track car still looming, Dad's mate presented this:

A fully functioning 1998 Grey Altezza. Rego on hold, WOF expired.
So we hacked out anything which would add weight, bought 2x 6 Point Sabelt Harnesses (of course in red!), 2x OMP RS.PT - safety first.


Before the cage could go in, all the under-seal/sound insulation had to go. It's a simple yet tedious process.

Basically, I grabbed a chisel and mallet, chipped the under-seal off. That which would not come off, I used a heat gun and then the chisel. (Left is pre-mess making, Right has been attacked by my chisel)

Then the cage came in. Some phenomenal welds by Slater Fabrications Ltd. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a cage.


After this, I decided to tidy up the mess I made. This involved a wire brush drill attachment and a 3M Abrasive Disk (not sure of exact name, but it looks like this:)

Made a HUGE difference. In hind sight, I should have used the disk and wire brush BEFORE the cage went in.

I sprayed the interior with some CRC Zinc-IT to provided some rust prevention while I dawdle and take my time to finish everything else. Iron Oxide red. Yum... Still patching some bits up. Major blemishes seem only to be visible after I have put my tools away...


Purchased this Momo steering wheel, although it doesn't look quite as pristine as this...


Then, I assembled the seat mount brackets and tested fitment, sliding capabilities, etc. I should have done this before the cage came in as well, and especially before any paint was applied, as it is almost impossible to place the seat and bracket in the car without scratching the paint.

Latest addition is this:

Supra front and rear brakes, with slotted front disks. Rears are standard Supra ventilated.
I've ordered the FIGS adapters (found here http://www.figsprops.com/brake.htm), however, they are only for the front... I would like to use the Supra rear callipers and rear disks as well, as they have ventilated rear disks and the pads seem to be around 1/3 larger than standard Altezza brake pads. However, no one seems to make adapters for them, and I cannot find any Altezzas having used them.

Adapters are still in the post. Took the stock wheels and brakes off to test fitment of Supra brakes and callipers.
So here's what I need help with:
15mm spacers or new wheels?
Enquire about getting adapters machined for rear Supra rear brakes onto Altezza or stick with stock rear brakes? Would anyone else be interested? Possibility of Group buy if do-able

TEIN Super Street damper kit and Ultra Racing front strut bar went on at some point along the way. The engine bay is a wee bit dusty, so avoid looking at the next photo if you must :P


Not going to bother de-looming the car yet. The excess weight is negligible for the time being, and will only prove beneficial when I can actually drive the car to its limits. So I'm going to try get the LVV cert and appropriate MSNZ licences and certifications.

Your questions and advice are welcomed.

Regards,
Blake

And the story behind those brakes, for those who want to know:

Dad's mate, the same one, bought a Supra which had been in a wee bit of a collision...
This Supra had a 2JZ with a massive 1980s Porsche made turbo, kicking in at around 6000rpm. Redline was 6800rpm.
Later on I noticed it had an automatic transmission... I'm assuming it was the standard Supra 4 speed Auto.

The brakes look like new, apart from the slight rusting on the brake disks, but that's to be expected.

Nice. What classes are you expecting to race in?
Interesting you went for heat gun to remove the sound deadening, have heard dry ice makes it a heap load easier (leave on top for a few minutes then smash it off)

SS2000 and maybe Targa if it suits my schedule.

I've heard that about dry ice as well, but the heat gun was in my shed so a wee bit easier to access, haha

What sort of engine mods are you looking at. Being that SS2000 is a very competitive class I hope they are substantial :D

Oh boy, don't get me started. Hahaha

TRD cams (due to working with VVT), ECU tune, could possibly rip the forged pistons out of the 3S-GE corolla, some sort of headers/extractors, a >3 inch exhaust, the list goes on :woot: but unfortunately i don't have the funds needed to do everything.

We've also discussed a supercharger, although that would be at least 2 years away. I'm also curious about Derek Cecil , as he had a supercharged 3SGE and then swapped to a Turbo 3SGE (I believe, correct me if i'm wrong). I'm curious as to his reasoning. I basic super vs turbo characteristics, but am interested as to specifics with his set up, if it was an advantage to use turbos in his events, etc

Not quite at the stage for engine mods at the moment, I'm fine to sit at the back of the pack until I can drive this car well and have learned the tracks, but I appreciate the concern :D

Thanks

New wheels imo. Seeing as this is looking like a pretty long term project, do it once do it right. New wheels dont need to cost the earth. Expensive tyres are what you should be concerned with :lol:

However if its just a short term thing to clear the brakes then spacers could be a goer, just the hassle that comes with them re: cert/tech inspection.

Hope to see riveted flares with 17x9/10 :D

I've got to get certs done anyway, so that's no problem.
You do raise a good point, though. It would be a wise option to get some new wheels, but I can only imagine myself scraping them along a curb.

I'll have a think about it over night. May just grab some spacers and get the brakes fitted, then grab some new wheels later on.

Wow, ss2000 looks like an awesome class. Nearly every spec is 'free' - meaning you can do nearly anything you want. You could be up against 500hp sequential shifted track cars with crazy suspension and massive aero that still meet minimum weight.

This is gunna be an epic build!

Derek bought that car wth the s/c on, then had it modified to work correctly. A company in Tauranga did that work. It was a wonderful car to drive! The s/c only came on within certain parameters so you could drive it NA all the time if you liked. It still had the CD player and comforts inside, but you could hear the s/c come on from the car in front!

He sold it to someone around Paeroa way, and they sold the s/c setup and turbo'd it, then I lost track of it.

Just get it on the track and find some Clubmans handicap racing. That was the greatest fun I ever had, no matter how fast you were they would handicap you further back so in theory everyone finished at the same time! Everything was used, from a guy in a 1950s Riley to Jags & Falcon GT Shakers... The last couple of corners were chaos!