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James18

James' '86 Build

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The auto has a torque converter, it doesn't have a clutch so there is nothing to replace. I'm sorry though I have no expertise on what you can do to upgrade the auto box. You may want to look at Special K's thread as he spent 10K on upgrading his autobox all to no no avail. 

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3 hours ago, Lauren said:

The auto has a torque converter, it doesn't have a clutch so there is nothing to replace. I'm sorry though I have no expertise on what you can do to upgrade the auto box. You may want to look at Special K's thread as he spent 10K on upgrading his autobox all to no no avail. 

Of course 😅 back to basics. 

I'll have a look at his thread, thanks. 

On a side note for anyone that may also be interested, there's a good thread here that links to multiple builds pushing the boundaries of the autobox. But ultimately it seems the best solution is to swap in a manual transmission - or a BMW box but then it gets rather expensive. 

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18868&highlight=automatic+transmission

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Post #5: First Impressions & Recall Upgrade Potential?
Wow! Now that I've come back to this it has made me realise just how long it's taken me to actually get stuff done . Tied up with work, the start of the motorcycle racing season, a new GSD puppy and the sunshine coming out has meant the bike has been a bit more of a priority. Had an epic track day recently with my first time on the Silverstone International circuit. Also got to ride the three-wheeled Niken, which in itself is a extraordinary piece of engineering. Though my ego is still in the gravel somewhere exiting Club... 
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However; I now finally have the coilovers and wheels installed, and what a difference. Some slight adjustment is going to be needed over time, but I'm impressed with the ability out the box. For a car that I already considered to have impeccable handling - the amount of feel through the steering wheel has significantly improved. The steering feels more precise (though this may be placebo) and every change in road condition feels amplified. The ride is definitely on the verge of being too harsh, however there is plenty of adjustment left and will take time to find the sweet spot. Speed bumps are no worse than stock, but I'm finding I have to try extra hard to avoid potholes. The front also needs lowering a tad more to align with the rear. 
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The original 255/35 tyres I wanted were on backorder and I was set on trying the PS4s for myself, so ended up going with 245/35. The tyres themselves are immense, with near unlimited grip. Night and day difference from the Primacies. Though not all the rear wheel fun is lost, as I gladly found out in a downpour the other day. Luckily, I had no clearance issues either. Though the front wheels stick out the arches a tad too much and the car has now been likened to a drift car multiple times. I love the look of the wheels themselves - though every time I look at them I notice the void behind. 
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My car is also due the valve spring recall, which in itself is no issue. In fact it's almost a blessing in disguise as the car is nearly due it's spark plug service so that will be done at the same time provided I can find a helpful dealership. However I do have a question regarding the clutch for anybody that may know. I have done my fair share of research but ended up confusing myself more than when I started;
Obviously some people are replacing the clutch at the same time (the majority going for OEM) and some with the Exedy kits. Now here's where I'm confused and probably making myself look a fool - as for all the research I can only really find details on manual clutches. Does the auto still utilise the same parts? I.e clutch, friction material and the plate themselves. Or is this false and therefore the 'stage' upgrades are irrelevant in my case? I completely understand there's no need for an uprated clutch with minimal engine mods but for arguments sake - what upgrades are worthwhile for the sake of future proofing the car? I think I would like to keep to the organic clutch style for the drivability. Appreciate any input! 
Autobox cooler. Thats what I've got when opting for TD turbo kit. I have only 0.3 bars boost and know that autobox will be my main limiting factor if I decide to go higher.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

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Post #6: Grimmspeed Parts

Bought myself some Grimmspeed parts off @Adrian@TORQEN - excellent service, thank you! - and the quality is fantastic. The bonnet dampers work perfectly. The strut brace seems to help tighten everything up on the front end now that the coilovers are dialed in.

The intake is not particularly loud and can barely be heard over the exhaust note when driving, but it does sound great compared to stock. I chose this one due to not needing to take off the front bumper for install.

IMG_20190605_185650.jpg.4082932c3b3f899c3e5dc29de9a256e9.jpg Tidies up the engine bay nicely! I've got my car booked in for it's recall next month at Platinum Toyota, as well as a 60K service. Steve, Rich and Darrell were all brilliant in helping me out. 

Recently, I've had a slight notch at the front of the car that can be felt through the pedals and heard at low speeds. Almost feels as if a brake is binding however the car has been checked out by a local independent and we can't find any issue. I'm hoping this will be the ARB bushes which will be changed as part of the recall. If anyone has any input or ideas it would be much appreciated. 

Interior refresh coming soon! 

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Post #7: Interior & Car Care

Special thanks to @Deacon for all his help recently. It was great to meet some new faces at Japfest Donington. 

Whilst booking the service and recall I ordered the interior trim pieces in black - which were surprisingly cheap considering - as my trim was scratched and dated. Also replaced the gear knob and gaitor whilst we were at it with a Raceseng Apex R courtesy of @Adrian@TORQEN

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I've spent much more time and effort on the car cleaning recently. Currently using Autoglym's Ultra Deep Shine (with Autogylm shampoo and polar blast snow foam). With Meguairs products on the glass and headlights. 

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Rocket Bunny V2 Diffuser should arrive soon, just need to decide on front bumper / skirts to match for stock body. Any ideas everyone?

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Just collected the car from Excel Bodyworks in Radstock. Rocket Bunny V2 Diffuser fitted along with GReddy Gracer front lip also from Torqen and TRD side skirts from Fensport. 

Front lip and skirts have been painted with gloss black on the lower lips and in body colour on the upper parts. Works nicely imo -

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4 minutes ago, James18 said:

Just collected the car from Excel Bodyworks in Radstock. Rocket Bunny V2 Diffuser fitted along with GReddy Gracer front lip also from Torqen and TRD side skirts from Fensport. 

Front lip and skirts have been painted with gloss black on the lower lips and in body colour on the upper parts. Works nicely imo -

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Looks fantastic James

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30 minutes ago, spikyone said:

Looks great, I really like the CSL bootlid. Hard to tell from the photos - is it carbon or body colour?

Thank you! It's carbon! Same as the bonnet. I am debating getting them body coloured, maybe if the clear coat fades at some point in the future...

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Collected a set of front and rear brembos off the Impreza's on Sunday - which I'm sure a few of you will recognise. Fitted yesterday;
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Also grabbed the carbon boot for good measure


Can I ask how much the calipers were and what Impreza model they were off? Seems a cheaper upgrade and very street worthy. Loving the progress btw!!!

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2 hours ago, Notaricer said:

 


Can I ask how much the calipers were and what Impreza model they were off? Seems a cheaper upgrade and very street worthy. Loving the progress btw!!!

 

The ones I have are from a newer model 12-14; I was lucky and paid ~£1000 for them when you take into consideration the value of the boot I bought too. These were second hand though. I spent a good while researching brakes.

I think you'd now struggle to find this type STI Brembo upgrade for decent money now as the calipers are getting rarer - and once you factor in the cost of getting front and rear and the refurb. Though there are deals to be had if you search eBay hard enough. It's also worth taking into account the brake bias. 

There's a huge amount of info available on the upgrade on this forum and the American forum.

A great source of information on brake upgrades can be found here - provided by @will300

Before the opportunity arose to purchase the brakes I got, I was planning on purchasing the Reyland kit. Which in my opinion is the best value brake upgrade. Rears aren't really worth it unless you particularly want it for looks - or if you want to balance brake bias.

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15 minutes ago, Notaricer said:

Does brake bias matter that much, surely if you’ve got a larger surface area in the front than the rear that’s perfectly fine? Thanks for the sources/links. Very helpful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On the second page of the link I attached there's a graph provided by @Deacon which shows you the percentages of brake bias effect from different, common brake upgrade options. I'll attach it below.

As you can see, just the front STI swap is the worst.

Whether it matters that much is personal opinion - I don't think until you get close to the top level of competing it's worth worrying about. Track days are just for fun after all - though you will always get track day heros.

There's some great cars & drivers still running stock calipers around the world. 

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I never got round to finishing my posts for this build and the car kind of fell behind some other projects. But as I’m now considering selling up for an upgrade there’s a final update on this post from me - potentially a big part out coming soon!

Since the last post, after a trip to Autosport before Covid shut everything down, I ordered a Corbeau RRB seat with custom TRD coloured stitching which I am still to this day extremely pleased with. Daily comfort has not been sacrificed and the seat holds me in place just how I wanted. It also looks great. Schroth Rally 3 ASM harnesses in all black to go with if I ever got round to doing a track day (will be gutted if the car goes without ever seeing a track!)

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MOT time came around so I needed a fog light for the Rocket Bunny diffuser, I went with the FIA style light from Tegiwa and wired that in neatly, looks OK and cost next to nothing

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I also decided it was time for a colour change of my Rays, and went with the white. I was initially planning on going with the red spoke stickers like the Rays article on Speedhunters as that’s what convinced me to buy the wheels in the first place. But I loved the white with contrasting purple brake callipers so left it in the end. 
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Finally, my HKS coilovers decided to piss the oil out of them after the car came out of hibernation post lockdown. Just what I wanted. So I went with a set of the tried and tested Tein Flex A’s from Partbox. 

I’ve loved every minute of owning this car, and will be sad to see it go when it eventually does, but I can’t help but feel I’m at the end of the road for mods without sinking even deeper and starting an engine build, and I’d rather put the money towards a new car. Thanks to all for your help on my 86 journey, it’s been an absolute pleasure

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