Photos Of My 93' Corolla

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Yup! For me, this is the perfect set of wheels for your ride!

Cool!

Thanks!! I really like them, so I'm glad you do too!


I went for a bit of a photoshoot a few hours ago. Been really enjoying these wheels since I got them a couple of days ago so thought I'd take some decent photos:

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

My latest addition are these sweet looking velocity stack stickers I got sent over from Australia. I find they give the car a little bit more character and are a subtle way of indicating what's under the hood:

 

[SuzanneOwens]

That car is indeed in a pretty pristine condition. Love it. Very nice location you chose to have those pictures clicked. keep posting stff like that.

 

[TitanRev]

Nice ride ....very impressive..

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Thank you both!!

A few small updates from the past few days:

* I had the timing belt, water pump + rear hose, VVT pulley, tensioner, idler pulley and both drive belts replaced on Friday. The timing belt had been done in the past but when I got the engine there was nothing more than a faint outline of where the sticker used to be on the cam cover, so rather than lose sleep at night I decided to get it replaced and did the VVT pulley at the same time (no more rattly diesel noise at idle!). It was a pretty pricey exercise but for the peace of mind alone it was definitely worth it.

* On Friday I fitted some 'TWINCAM 20' stickers that arrived from Australia. After putting them on I immediately regretted not putting them up a little bit higher, so being as fussy as I am, I ordered some more and will have another crack at it once they arrive. All in all I definitely like the look though.

* Last but not least, today I installed a Pivot Speed Meter. This little device gets hooked up to the ECU's speed signal to remove the factory speed limiter and digitally displays your current speed, with the ability to measure the G-force under acceleration/deceleration and your 1/4 mile time.

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I took advantage of the public holiday here and the overcast weather and went out to take some more photos:

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

After not being happy with my initial 'TWIN CAM 20' sticker placement a few weeks ago I decided to give it another crack when some more arrived from overseas. It took me a week to decide on the most appropriate placement, and in the end I came to the conclusion that they'd look good on the sideskirts. It's a little bit out of the ordinary, but I like it much better than when they were on the rear doors.

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

My latest addition is this rather rare USDM carpeted trunk lid liner. This was only available for the American market, so being the huge fan of factory options/accessories that I am I just had to have it, even if it wasn't an original JDM item. A good friend in the US kindly sent it over to me and I installed it a few minutes ago.

The bare skin of the trunk lid is no longer visible, creating a more elegant and luxurious look, usually reserved for higher spec'ed cars such as the Lexus range. One unexpected bonus is that the trunk now closes easily on it's own when you drop it from the top due to the extra weight of the carpet, whereas previously it would require a helping hand to latch in properly.

It's certainly not the most exciting optional extra in my collection, but it's simple and effective, just how I like it :)

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I got these "Slammed Corolla" stickers in the mail from Iceland today, so I was quick to slap them on:

I also snapped this photo yesterday:

 

[karem]

my jaws just dropped! I would say give all the love to it!

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Thanks!!

I recently bought a Dual Action polisher and decided to test it out yesterday by giving the Corolla a good polish. I used Meguiar's Ultimate Polish, followed by Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax. Took a couple of hours from start to finish but I was very happy with the result :)

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I'm very proud to announce that my Corolla is featured in the 'Daily Driven' section of this month's NZ Performance Car magazine . It's available in stores nationwide here in New Zealand and read by hundreds of thousands of people, so when I saw that it had come out a day early yesterday I immediately bought two copies. I've scanned the page and uploaded it below. The quality isn't 100% due to the scanner but still easily readable. To view it, simply click on the image below and press the zoom button (magnifying glass symbol) in the bottom right hand corner and then once more when the image pops up:

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I got my car certified last week and it's now 100% legal :D. You only have to get a cert done if you install coilovers or do an engine swap etc, so when I had mine done I got the engine, coilovers, brakes and a couple of other things put on the cert plate to avoid any trouble with the cops in the future.

I also scored a genuine TRD fuel cap yesterday. I've always wanted one but had other things to spend money on for the car instead, so when I managed to get my hands on this one for free I was pretty happy:

 

[ShamBlur]

Verrrrrrry nicely done..

 

[VTEC LoVeR]

Speechless....

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Cheers guys!

A few small updates from me:

I installed these aftermarket Denso Japanese "J Horn Power'd" horns. Here's a video/sound clip comparing them to my original OEM dual horns:
http://vid32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/tokeitup/tokeitup180/MyMovie.mp4

These Rays wheel nuts turned up yesterday from Japan:

Annnnd I bought a leaf blower to dry the cars after washing. Turns a half hour job into a 5-minute job and gets into all of the cracks and crevices, leaving the car bone dry. Wish I had started doing it years ago!

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I took the sedan for a bit of a drive today, before stopping off for a few obligatory photos on the way home:

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I didn't have a whole lot to on Sunday so when I realized that it had been 3-years since I had taken some actual interior photos I decided to whip out my camera and post a much needed update. It was quite tricky getting even lighting inside the cabin, without the use of any studio lighting etc, but these photos didn't come out too bad :)

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I just finished installing these pillow ball spherical bearings into the stock shifter cables and after a road test, the difference is very noticeable. Previously the gears used to slop into place due to the factory rubber bushings, but now the gears have a much tighter feeling, clicking into place during each shift. The benefit of using spherical bearings over solid brass bushings or skateboard bearings is that the natural twist of the cable as it's going through the range of motion isn't lost, so you get the same effect as the solid bushings except without any of the additional effort required to change gears.

Earlier today I also removed the original rubber shifter base bushings from inside the car, along with the metal sleeves, and bolted the shifter housing directly to the floor. This also gave the gears more of a "snik-snik" feeling, with no more mushiness at the end of each shift or when hitting the shift gate to go into 1st or 2nd.

As a result of both modifications there is no longer a squishy, sloppy, floaty feeling when changing gears, but instead something that really makes you feel more connected to the car and improves the overall driving experience :)

 

[Kiwi-Corolla]

After running 110mm velocity stacks (trumpets) for almost 2-years I decided it was time to try a set of 100mm stacks instead, in an effort to gain more clearance between the clutch master cylinder and gain slightly more top-end power. So after a short wait these shiny new billet velocity stacks arrived from Australia, made by SQ Engineering. Let me start by saying that the build quality of these are AMAZING. They're machined from a single piece of aluminum alloy and this set is designed especially for the 20v Blacktop. For anyone who'd like to watch a set getting made (50mm shown in the video) check out this YouTube video: Machining of Billet Velocity Stacks - YouTube

I now have more clearance between the #1 stack and the clutch master cylinder, the sound they emit doesn't sound so raspy like my old ones due to the much thicker alloy construction (spun vs billet) and the pull from 6,000rpm-8,500rpm is noticeable stronger than my previous 110's. You sacrifice a little bit of earlier/low-end power due to being 10mm shorter in length, but it more than makes up for it in the top-end. As an added bonus, these new stacks are incredibly shiny and resist scratches and fingerprints really well. If anybody wants a set, contact SQ Engineering on Facebook or through the website as they do a number of different sizes for both the Silvertop & Blacktop engines, and also offer an equally impressive spun/rolled type for slightly less $$$.