So the time has come to spend some money. I recently joined the Toyota Owners Club (TOC) and have seen some posts there saying that good low mileage 4A-GZE engines were getting more difficult to obtain. I contacted my insurance broker and asked how much extra I would have to pay for a 4A-GZE conversion outputting 165bhp – they said about £100 a year. So the die was cast and I phoned Kevin at S & M Services in Droitwich (Fensport recommended) and talked to him about the conversion – what else would be needed besides the Levin front cut and the costs. We agreed to talk more after I had ordered the front cut from Fensport.
So I ordered
1. AE101 Toyota Levin front cut with 4A-GZE supercharged 1600cc engine and LSD
gearbox. New cam and alternator belts
2. Fensport oversize hybrid pulley kit comprising oversize pulley, pulley
idler, supercharger belt and NKG Platinum spark plugs (one grade colder)
3. 4A-GZE clutch kit comprising clutch cover, plate and bearing
4. 8mm Magnecor plug lead kit
5. Fensport front mounted intercooler
6. Samco hoses and stainless steel intercooler pipes
7. Koni adjustable front shocks
8. Toyota supercharger oil
I also asked about TRD heavy duty top mounts for the front struts but there were none in stock and have to be ordered from Japan. I asked about Koni rear shocks and a rear disc conversion – Fensport have the shocks but the disc conversion is from a Japanese 20v Levin and they won’t be in for a while. It makes sense to do these two at the same time so I’ll have to wait.
Kevin
was going to supply
1. Front strut brace
2. Uprated fuel pump.
Kevin and I talked about the brakes and his experience was that the standard front discs system should cope with the extra power – he didn’t change his discs when he transplanted the 240bhp 2 litre turbo engine from a Celica GT4 into his AE111. I might be tempted to replace the standard front discs with Black Diamond grooved ones and swap to Kevlar pads. There was no need to change my Ramair induction filter but to accommodate the front mount intercooler I have to lose the air conditioning – it’s just extra weight anyway. The standard exhaust will prove to be a restriction for airflow through the engine but Kevin will marry up the Levin downpipe to the standard pipe work so I can drive it round until I get used to the extra power and torque (thanks for the tip Nad). Then it will be off down to Longlife for a custom fabricated system to allow the engine to breathe properly.
I’ll be looking for a rolling road session when it’s all in place so I get an idea of what the power and torque outputs are.
The
front cut and the box of other parts arrived at Kevin’s so I delivered
the car on 31st May 2003. We talked again about what he would be doing and
if there was anything else I needed. He said that the TRD Quickshift was a
nice piece of kit – so I’ll be looking into getting one of those.
Kevin took us to the station and we went home courtesy of Central trains.
That’s it for now. Kevin has the font cut, the other parts and my Rolla
– I’m waiting for his call to tell me the jobs complete and I can go and
pick it up – but the waiting is very hard and I’m having to drive around in
a diesel Polo hire car ho hum
Watch this space…………………..
What will be changed
The 4A-FE will be replaced with the 4A-GZE with new cam belt.
Replacement Levin clutch
Levin radiator
Levin engine mounts
E58 Levin gearbox with limited slip differential
Levin drive shafts
Levin power steering fluid reservoir
Remove Corolla aircon system replace aircon radiator with front mount
intercooler
Koni adjustable front shocks.
TRD front strut brace
Magnecor 8mm HT leads
NKG Platinum spark plugs
7th June
Phoned Kevin. The front cut is now minus the 4A-GZE. He has replaced the
clutch, fitted the larger pulley, replaced the cam belt and other belts.
He has pressure tested the Levin radiator and cleaned and painted it. The
diff on the Levin gearbox was not a limited slip unit so Fensport exchanged it
and the LSD has been bolted back on. The 4A-FE has been removed from the Corolla
and the 4A-GZE(including engine mounts) has been installed – the engine mount
bolt holes lined up perfectly. Kevin reckons that the AE101 Levin and the
AE111 Corolla have the same floorpan and that Levin front wings and bumper will
bolt straight on (may be handy to know if I get to replace the front bumper!!)
Kevin will phone when the engine is running – he intends to use the original
top mount intercooler to get it running and when he’s happy that the motor is
OK he will install the front mount job and associated pipe work.
Just waiting………………………………
12th
June
OK. So another phone call to Kevin for an update. The front shocks are
fitted ( a PITA to get the Koni cartridges into the existing struts – bit it’s
done now).
The drive shafts have been fitted, the ECU has been wired, (central
locking works through the ECU and that has been tested and works),
reversing light wired and working. He’s hoping to get the rest of the
wiring done tomorrow and get it fired up on Saturday. It’s filled with
oils and he’s turned it over OK. I’ll phone him again on Saturday to
see if it’s OK to go for a progress visit on Saturday afternoon – must
remember to take some digi pics.
14th
June
Phoned Kevin and arranged to visit on Monday afternoon for a “photoshoot”
though maybe that’s not exactly the right description. He suggested
getting a Corolla G6 mesh grille to allow better airflow to the intercooler –
I agree.
16th June
When I get there the bottom of the dash is missing and all the wiring is hanging
out – this is not a pretty sight and definitely not for the faint
hearted. The engine I fitted with the intercooler sitting loosely on
top. But as the wiring is not complete Kevin hasn’t been able to get it
started yet. Things have been delayed by the ECU. The one on the front cut
was fitted but it would not work at all. After a morning of testing and
head scratching Kevin contacted Fensport and they set him a known good
replacement. I manage to get some pics which are
here..
Kevin tells me that he will not be working the following week so we agree that
he will try to complete the work before the following weekend – don’t want
to drive the hire car for any longer than I have to especially if my Corolla is
sitting in the workshop with Kevin on holiday!!
Later that week
With the replacement ECU fitted the engine fires up immediately. It looks
as thought the front cut had been tampered with before being exported from Japan
and the ECU replaced with a none 4a-gze one.
19th June
I arrive home from work and my wife tells me that she has just had a phone call
from Kevin wanting to talk to me. She explained that I was probably on my
way home from work but gives him my work phone and mobile numbers.
I haven’t heard from him but we both wonder what the problem is. Why
does he want to urgently get hold of me? Has he found an big problem that
means the car won’t be ready before he takes his holiday?
I shouldn’t have worried – the phone call was to tell me that the car is
running, the front mount intercooler is fitted and everything is
hunky-dory. He’s very pleased with the result – it’s quick and the
engine seems to suit the car well. He likes it so much that he’s taking
it home tonight to put some miles on the clock. He asks if I’ll phone
him the following day just to ensure that there are no major problems and to
arrange to pick it up on the Saturday.
20th
June
He so happy with the car that he’s done 100 miles in it before I phone at
11:00am. He’s happy so I’m happy. I arrange to pick it up the
following day.
21st June
Again Central Trains transported us, and Kevin picked us up in the
Corolla. It sounded different – more throaty, hinting at the power under
the bonnet. On the way back to his workshop he opens the throttle a few
times and has all of us grinning like fools. I get the chance to take it
round the block and am amazed at the responsiveness of the engine. Blip
the accelerator and the supercharger cuts in with an immediate surge of power
– this will take some getting used to. Back at Kevin’s workshop I can’t
stop laughing and grinning. It’s brilliant – nothing has prepared me
for the instant power - there’s no waiting for a turbo to spin up - at
about 1,500 rpm the ECU tells the supercharger clutch to engage and the power in
right there – it only begins to tail off after about 5,500 rpm. Driving
home (the longer, less direct route of course) I find the engine pinking on
regular 95 RON unleaded so stop to pick up a tank full of 98 RON Optimax – no
pinking now so it looks like it’s a minimum up 97 RON super unleaded from now
on.
Kevin had arranged for us to have a place on the Fensport pitch at the Japanese and Performance Show (JAPS) near Nottingham the following weekend but we hold fire on accepting that as we need to know that the car is OK before we take a 400 mile round trip – don’t want any problems so far from home. He also suggests that I get some uprated springs – the Eibachs that are on there are 20% uprated for the standard car/engine/gearbox combination but the extra weight of the supercharged engine/gearbox is too much for them and Kevin suggests 40% uprated
The
following week
We have a few teething problems – a drive shaft seal is dripping oil and the
Longlife exhaust is very noisy but we do make it to JAPS on the Fensport stand
but that’s all another story.
To be continued………………