My Silver Project 86

[JamesP1991 222]

Hi everyone,

 

So I thought I would start a new build thread considering I have done a fair bit to my car now. 

 

Trouble is I have kind of done this backwards, in that I bolted on all my bits before I joined the forum! 

 

So what I thought would be good, is day by day just to release a new post on the next modification I have done to my car until I am up to date. 

 

A few snippets about the car itself. 

Toyota GT86 non aero. 

Silver 

Got the SatNav and Parking sensor options (both free through dealer mistake, funny story!). 

Mileage sits at 14,800 (picked her up with roughly 10,500 on the clock). 

Manual. 

 

So let the posts begin! 

[JamesP1991 222]

So I had the car for the first 6 months and left it pretty stock. I wanted to get a feel for it's character first and learn how to exploit it's fun side. 

 

I loved the way it looked and thought aesthetically, it only needed slight modifications to look the part. So the majority of work I wanted to do was under the bonnet. Now I did my research on many forums including the FT86 club guys and got to work.

 

My budget is rather tight each month for aftermarket parts, so wanted to do it in my own time and at my own pace. 

 

First up was the induction system. Now after seeing how well drop in filters performed within the stock airbox, compared to traditional full intake systems I thought I would save a lot of money and go with a drop in filter and also change the intake pipework. 

 

I went for a Blitz LM Panel filter and Polished Aluminium Blitz Intake pipework which connected to the stock airbox. I hated how many resonator boxes the intake system had and I went about deleting them. 

 

Parts pre fitting: 

 

 

When all attached: 

 

 

I promptly also deleted the resonator box that attached to the airbox at the front after taking the photo. 

 

I loved how the engine bay looked afterwards, and I chose the polished route over Samco hoses purely because I thought it looked better. 

 

I kept the noise generator attached, purely because I didn't want to rip all that pipework out. 

 

Now I know that I will only feel the performance difference after a proper remap (which I am getting before the Summer) however I have got a big increase in intake noise and the throttle response is definitely crisper, so all round a very happy chap!

 

Next up I will post about my exhaust setup

[Kodename47 446]

James, put the big resonator back in. It's there for a reason, it helps with torque at certain revs.

[JamesP1991 222]

James, put the big resonator back in. It's there for a reason, it helps with torque at certain revs.

 

Cheers for the heads up KnightRyder, I thought it was a Helmholtz resonator that was there to just stop certain frequencies of sound??

 

The TRD Griffon car was running the setup I chose with the stock airbox (see below) 

 

 

I thought given those guys are not running the resonator box attached to the airbox in a car of that magnitude then it can't be that beneficial in terms of performance.. however I could be wrong! 

[Guest]

You could indeed be wrong James?? No one will know except for you.. if you feel a big drop in torque somewhere, put it back on and see if your torque comes back..

Be carefulk of copying Race Cars though.. they dont always have the best mods for your daily driver

[JamesP1991 222]

You could indeed be wrong James?? No one will know except for you.. if you feel a big drop in torque somewhere, put it back on and see if your torque comes back..

Be carefulk of copying Race Cars though.. they dont always have the best mods for your daily driver

To be honest, the car is a weekend toy at the moment so I haven't had the seat time recently to offer a conclusive opinion. With the UEL Borla header and a decat front pipe fitted now I feel more in the mid range torque wise anyway at this point.

Will test it perhaps this weekend and see if there is any difference in higher gear, lower Rev pulls

Torque is obviously sparse with this engine so I'd hate to be throwing away any I did have originally haha!

[Kodename47 446]

Cosworth engineers told me that it's there for low down torque, I have tried it on and off and you do notice the difference in daily driving and I put mine back on. Obviously a track car won't need it as it's only at WOT and that's why the Griffon had it deleted.

[JamesP1991 222]

Cosworth engineers told me that it's there for low down torque, I have tried it on and off and you do notice the difference in daily driving and I put mine back on. Obviously a track car won't need it as it's only at WOT and that's why the Griffon had it deleted.

Thank you for the insight Knightryder, will unseal the hole and put the resonator box back on at the weekend then just a shame really as it does clog the engine bay up some what!

I am guessing the smaller ones on the intake pipe and also the ones on the intake duct can be removed though?

[JamesP1991 222]

So today I thought I would focus on the second area of the car I really wanted to change which was the exhaust. 

 

At the time, I didn't have the money for a proper catless header, so thought It would be better focusing on the downpipe/front pipe/catback combination first off. 

 

The initial two things I looked for when choosing my catback was value for money and also noise. I felt many of the UK based systems such as Milltek and Supersprint were hugely expensive, especially when comparing them to some of the US based catbacks at the time. I also wanted the system to sound quite aggressive and also possess a fair amount of bass, rather than create that "tin" sound. 

 

After speaking with Chris from Tarmac Sportz, I finally settled on an Invidia N1 exhaust with the blue singed titanium tips, which is over 11 lbs lighter than the stock system, was a reasonable £650 and also sounded the part from many videos I had watched. 

 

It arrived promptly from the postie: 

 

 

I had it fitted at a garage I knew, as at the time I didn't have the bits at home to properly get underneath the car. 

 

After fitting I was thoroughly pleased with the result, and thought the blue tips looked great: 

 

 

 

 

[JamesP1991 222]

After the catback had been installed, I wanted to free up the exhaust flow and start deleting the restrictive cats that were in the stock exhaust setup (primary in the header and also the second cat in the front pipe). 

 

How I went about this was rather different to how I initially planned. My initial thinking was to go and buy a catless Invidia front pipe and then connect it to a Cobra or Berk overpipe. However one evening I went to go and see a friend of mine who is an extremely talented fabricator, and modifies his own S3 (500hp) and Seat Ibiza Cupra (430hp). He said he would love to work on mine and expand his skillset (having never worked on an 86 before). 

 

I agreed and arranged a day for the car to be dropped off. He measured every part of the fitment process to create a totally custom 2.5" straight through front pipe and overpipe combo to connect to my Invidia N1 catback. 

 

After a couple of weeks he contacted me and said it was all ready so I went down to see how it all looked! 

 

Both the components looked incredible, with the overpipe even being wrapped in titanium for heat shielding, and would be connected via a V band to the front pipe. Custom brackets were also used to ensure the fitment was perfect. 

 

Here are a few pictures from the day.... 

 

Up on the lift ready to go:

 

Overpipe taken off: 

 

Start of the catback where the custom front pipe would join:

 

Stock Overpipe and Front Pipe off:

 

New Custom Overpipe (titanium wrap): 

 

New Custom Front Pipe:

 

 

As you can see, the difference is incredible and I was thrilled with how she sounded afterwards. The fitment was great and I haven't had any problems since. You do not realise how restrictive the stock components are until you take them off and compare directly with the new parts just before fitting. 

 

Overall I was a very happy chap  

 

On a side note, did anyone else notice when they fitted their aftermarket overpipes how tight the fitting is over the sub frame where it joins the header? It took us quite a while to find a way it would sit nicely. 

 

 

 

 

[JamesP1991 222]

Been absent for the past few days as apparently there was an important date over the weekend which I had to give my total commitment to?! 

 

After listening to KnightRyder's advice, over the weekend I have put the large resonator back on the airbox to claim back some torque low down that I have been obviously missing! 

 

But any way, back to the car and what direction I took next just before Christmas. Above I mentioned that I thought only a few aesthetic (and mechanical) changes were needed to make the car perfect in my eyes. To be honest I hated the way the stock car sat in terms of stance. The wheels were engulfed in the arches and the whole body sat way too high for my liking. 

 

Now the most logical choice would be to go a for a nice set of coilovers, which I could adjust to get the car to my liking. However at the time, I didn't have the money to throw into a set of top quality coilovers. So I dug a bit deeper and thought that some great quality springs, shocks and an aggressive realignment could get me to where I want to be, at a much cheaper option. 

 

I want to do a couple of trackdays over the next 18 months, and thought whilst I would not have the adjustability, the direction I would take would make the car at least half decent on the track when I did venture out there as well as the road. 

 

So to begin with I went for a lovely set of 25mm Luxury Master High Tech TEIN Springs that I purchased from Fensport just before Christmas. This would give me that more aggressive "squat" image I wanted with the car: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JamesP1991 222]

Once the springs were fitted (sorry forgot to take pictures of fitting process) I then thought alongside some Valenti lights (which will come further down the line this year) that to complete the look, only wheels were needed. 

 

At the time I was speaking to Chris from Tarmac Sportz about ordering a Borla UEL header, when I thought I would ask the question in regards to what wheels he had available. He delightfully told me that a new range of Japan Racing Wheels were coming to the website and I had the choice between the multispoke JR11's or Rota Grid esque style JR3's. 

 

Now the inner JDM in me was instantly drawn towards the JR3's and when I enquired about the price I was pleasantly surprised.

 

I didn't want to go too wide, and thought that 17" would give me some retained ride comfort on the road whilst still being more aggressive than the stock wheels. After some playing around with images, I settled on 17 by 8's with a 35 offest, which would still allow me to go larger in regards to tyres (225 section) when I could afford it. I managed to get them for £500 for the set (not including fitting kit or spigot rings)!

 

Having a silver car with the red and black interior combination, I thought the likes of black and gunmetal wheels would suit best. Since the black ones were out of stock at the time, I went with gunmetal, and open ended red nuts which after fitting ended up being a great decision. 

 

After payment was made they swiftly arrived! 

 

 

 

By the time the weekend arrived it was finally time for fitting and here was the finished result: 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time the wheels were fitted, the TEIN springs had finally settled and the car looked far more aggressive than stock at last! The open ended red nuts finished off the look nicely against the backdrop of the gunmetal coloured wheels in my opinion too. 

 

A picture when the car was stock for comparison: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JamesP1991 222]

Been away for a little while as I am currently waiting for the right amount of pennies for an Ecutek remap. Knowing I have my service and tax to pay for in May as well as Japfest to attend, I thought I would take March out to save some money and then book it in for April. At which point I will also probably get a few cosmetic bits. 

 

But one thing I did forget to post about in this build thread which I have put on last ready for a remap is the Borla UEL manifold. Now I know a lot of people were having problems with them when they first come out. The quality was fairly ropey at best. 

 

However Borla redesigned the header and brought a second version out, a much better quality design and still at a respectable price point. Now I always wanted to go UEL as I love a good boxer burble, and with options in the UK limited I turned to Chris at Tarmac Sportz again.

 

The reason was that, if Supersprint or Cosworth thought I was going to pay £1200 or £1500 respectively for just an exhaust manifold alone I was going to walk away instantly.  

 

Chris, after telling the me the redesigned second version Borla unit was a lot better, and was a reasonable £600 I thought I would bite the bullet and go for it whilst I was purchasing my wheels. 

 

Now the Borla header is very popular with members on FT86club and there is ample amounts of video footage to hear how it sounds. So I thought why not and went for it. This would mean my exhaust would be completely catless,  relatively light (Borla header being only 4.5kgs) and produce a fairly god like sound. 

 

It arrived together with my wheels and I was super excited to get it bolted on. 

 

 

 

I promptly contacted my friend Stuart, who not only fabricated my entire custom exhaust, but also had a two post lift that I could borrow to get it fitted! 

 

 

 

I fired her up shortly after fitting and I instantly fell in love! 

 

Whenever I drive her (which is not that often unfortunately) I literally have the biggest smile on my face wherever I go. Not only that though, but some other guys on the road have stopped me at lights or at a petrol station and told me how great she sounds, I even gave one guy a drive round the block because he wanted to hear what she sounded like at full chat. 

 

A deep burble below 3.5k which then changes to a scream all the way up to the redline, I just cannot wait to get the car mapped now in April and unleash all that lovely exhaust flow properly! 

 

 

 

[Lauren 2259]

Nice, looks like you went with running the stock tyres on 8" rims. I do the same with my 8" TE37's. I actually like the little bit of stretch as it keeps the sidewalls stiff which makes the car more responsive. 

[JamesP1991 222]

Nice, looks like you went with running the stock tyres on 8" rims. I do the same with my 8" TE37's. I actually like the little bit of stretch as it keeps the sidewalls stiff which makes the car more responsive. 

 

I did for the time being Lauren, my long term goals were to save up and buy a nice set of 225 section Conti Sport tyres to bolt on. This would coincide with the Primacy's finally giving up, but the tyre compound is so hard I expect they will last longer than I will on this planet haha! 

 

Saying that though, the car is really progressive on the limit at the moment, even with a bit of stretch on the tyre. Out of tight corners you can shift the weight accordingly with your right foot and decide how much fun you want to have! 

[JamesP1991 222]

Good news! Got off the phone with the guys at Fensport just now and my car is booked in for the 29th April to get a full remap sorted and I will also install some Crawford Power Blocks! 

 

Very excited as that will complete the engine mods I have in mind for the car and then I can focus on the brakes and uprated shocks later on in the year

[Lauren 2259]

To give you an idea I got 14K miles out of the rear Primacys and 25K out of the front and that includes a number of trackdays and sprints. I also admit I like going sideways. 

 

I'd play with it a bit longer before you put the 225s on and find it hardly slides at all anymore unless it's wet. 

[Davey1818 7]

Fantastic work on this mate. I have the N1 and have a Cobra overpipe and cobra decat front pipe to fit once service is done, are you staying at the premier inn for Japfest? I really want to hear what it sounds like with the Borla header 

[JamesP1991 222]

To give you an idea I got 14K miles out of the rear Primacys and 25K out of the front and that includes a number of trackdays and sprints. I also admit I like going sideways. 

 

I'd play with it a bit longer before you put the 225s on and find it hardly slides at all anymore unless it's wet.

Cheers for the advice Lauren! Given I haven't ventured out on to the track yet with her these tyres are going to last a hell of a long time!

In the wet I find the stock primacys can be a bit unpredictable though, how is your experience? In the dry I feel it right through my bum long before the car does anything. But In bad weather once, I was going round a roundabout near my house in 3rd gear at low speed, gently breathed on the throttle and the back end came swing round without warning! Good job I was on my toes!

[JamesP1991 222]

Fantastic work on this mate. I have the N1 and have a Cobra overpipe and cobra decat front pipe to fit once service is done, are you staying at the premier inn for Japfest? I really want to hear what it sounds like with the Borla header 

Cheers buddy! Working my way progress wise with her slowly but surely

How do you find the N1? I personally love it! People moan about the drone but to be honest I must be immune to it as I never feel it's too deafening!

You will love the car with the decat pipe though, really brings the N1 to life, very deep and not tinny in the slightest!

Yes I am driving down on the Friday before Japfest so will be there in the evening mate Car will be mapped and have the power blocks installed by then too!

Will take you out for a spin round the block that night in her if you want? So you can hear how the Borla changes the exhaust tone! It really helps a lot with mid range torque and it makes the car literally scream above 5.5k!

[Mark-in-Stoke 488]

James we have similar set ups and I know that when Adrian has finished with your map, you will love it even more, trust me. 

[JamesP1991 222]

James we have similar set ups and I know that when Adrian has finished with your map, you will love it even more, trust me.

Think I just left a comment on the FB post on the Fensport page regarding your car mate! Wanted to see if you were coming to Japfest as I was intrigued to see if your Tomei UEL sounded any different to the Borla one I have fitted!

Just speaking to the guys today I was getting excited about the prospect of how the car will change

Can imagine the mid range is just so much sweeter now!

[Mark-in-Stoke 488]

You will love it mate, no more dip and loads more pull, when Adrian finished mapping he asked me to look through the window and guess what gear we were in while he accelerated, I got it wrong by two gears!. 

 

 

You have a PM

[Kodename47 446]

What's the plan come MOT time? Not many running without a cat...

[JamesP1991 222]

You will love it mate, no more dip and loads more pull, when Adrian finished mapping he asked me to look through the window and guess what gear we were in while he accelerated, I got it wrong by two gears!. 

 

 

You have a PM

Wow that's incredible! So I'm guessing he was in 4th and you thought it was a second gear pull?? Just watched the video now Mark, first thing I was impressed with was how crisp your setup sounded! No rasp or drone at all! Sounds great! Any reason why you went resonated in particular?