My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

JyuRoku
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My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:57 pm

**ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN CARRIED OVER FROM ANOTHER FORUM** It is however, up to date.

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So I have had my AE86 for almost two years and other than a mix of TRD/poly bushings. A 350MM Nardi Deep Cone steering wheel, and loads of miles, i have left it alone.


Recently i decided to do all those little mods i had been wanting, all at once.

This thread will track my progress.

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Items Purchased so far:
Complete AE111 Levin
Blacktop Gasket set (and general tune ups)
Complete Sam-Q swap kit
Whiteline Adj Sway bars
DIY adj lateral rod parts
T3 RCA's
T3 Shifter Rebuild kit (TRD Shifter for sale!)

During the swap ill also be having the seams all fixed up with spot welding and fresh paint for the whole bay.

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The car is already sitting at the shop and I recieve photo updates quite frequently, which ill be posting here along with whatever i go to help out with.

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First Update 4 Feb 2014:
 
AE86 and AE111 rolled into the garage, preps for engine removal started.

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Update 8 Feb 2014:

Engine Removed from AE111.

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Update 9 Feb 2014:

Engine removed from my dear 86. This 16v was amazing for what it was. In the 2 years I ran it, never had to add coolant or oil. Never had any problems and I revved it to the moon almost everytime I drove it. After driving Naoki Sato's 20v swapped Levin though...the 16v was no longer enough. Comparing a fully built 16v to a bone stock 20v, the 16v is a hand grenade. The 20v will stand up to years of abuse and almost zero-maintenance.

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Last edited by JyuRoku on Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:58 pm

Just so everyone knows, the garage isnt mine. Im in the military so I only have a small apartment style home to live in with no garage but a daily rental one.

My friend Naoki Sato is doing most of the work for me, ill be assisting when I can but Its hard as he lives an hour away.

Here's a cool video of his home/shop, HachiFarm.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTT23UsNOrc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTT23UsNOrc[/url]

JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:00 pm

Naoki found some tweaks in the frame rails from a past incident. Spent all day straightening the car out. Funny because it drove and aligned perfect...but whatever! It'll will be a awhole new car when i get it back.

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Some of the parts have come in, I think this is the clutch, flywheel, spigot bearings and new belts(we have to communicate via Google Translate haha)
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The OEM shifter came in to replace my TRD one.
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Greddy Radiator
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JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:00 pm

UPDATES! He didnt have a helper this weekend so he asked me to come spend a day helping out which i have no problem with. This was my first time doing chassis modifications like drilling and welding.

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Removed all the bits that werent needed from the 20v. We will be painted the valve cover a bright blue and leaving the cam cover and plug cover factory black. Cusco strut tower brackets will be repainted to match.

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Will obviously receive a good cleaning and some gloss black paint on the block. I forgot to take pictures but he has a new time belt, tensioner, spigot bearing, cap and rotor, spark plugs, exedy clutch, and a throw-out bearing.

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Subframe and suspension was all dropped out and pushed aside for cleaning.

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After its first degreaser soak. Will get a couple more and then steam cleaning.

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Here is the panel he had to cut out to gain access to the inside of the frame legs. He found some dents from a previous accident and got in there to hammer them out. Its all welded and smoothed and will eventually get some undercoating.

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Not sure what to refer to these as...they are only holes through the first layer, then he welds it in to connect both layers together.

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Finished welds. Will be ground smooth and painted over with undercoating.

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Naoki at work.

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Temporarily coated to prevent that overnight flash rust.

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Welding on the strut towers. This was the easy part. What isnt shown is me scraping old panel sealant off of the joint and from the gaps...took 2hrs of hard labor. But well worth it.

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Welding complete.

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Total engine bay after welding.

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The old paint on the frame leg was fuct so he ground it all off for a fresh paint surface. Looks like he also ground the welds down at this point for sealant.

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3M Panel sealant applied. If you look where the leg meets the firewall, there was a large gap and because of the sound deadening material behind the wall, you cant weld there. So we put a steel L bracket there and coated the whole thing in the 3M glue. Mostly just for peice of mind...i could stick a screw driver in the gap and flex the firewall no problem. Should handle like an F1 car now! :shutit:

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:01 pm

Alot of progress made yesterday. But unfortunately we were so busy and i was totally covered in wetsanding mess that I never had a chance to pick up the camera and take some photos. When i arrived he had already removed a few more things from the bay and sprayed a few coats of primer. He handed me a bucket of water and some paper and said DOZO! (go ahead). Im pretty sure i thought i was finished 20 different times but he put me back to work.

Finally(aftger 6hrs of work) we arrived here.

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I also started cleaning up alot of the grease and rust off of the 20v block, we will be steam cleaning the engine and painting the block gloss black. The valvecover is already painted a beautiful blue color(same paint used for R34 RB26DETT covers). I started installing the SQ Engineering/Sam-Q cooling kit. What a PITA. The block on the rear of the engine was easy, but the water neck is no simple feat. Had to do some grinding and bending of vacuum lines and lots of massaging. It will definitely look better than the tacky 6ft of hard water lines though.

More to come.

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:02 pm

Masking removed, booster painted.

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JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:03 pm

A lot of progress yesterday!

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Fresh timing belt and tensioner. The 16v water pump was in good condition so it didn't get replaced. Also using the 16v alternator and brackets(has to be ground down as it touches the timing belt tensioner). 16v A/C accessories are also used. When using all 16v accessories, the 16v crank pulley must be shaved down 3mm, as it will stick out too far and belt alignment will be off.

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The oil filter block was eventually removed, a greddy relocation and cooler kit will be going in.

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The blue paint was pretty random, he asked me what color i wanted the cover. I looked at my new Nike's and said, THIS COLOR. That was it lol. Turned out good tho, the strut tower brace brackets are painted to match.

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Here you can see how we cut out the cam gear cover. Im not really liking it, but ill wait and see how it looks finished(smoothed edges and painted satin black) before I leave it removed. I also removed the old fiberglass heat wrap off the header. Partially because it was just destroyed and gross, and because it would get even more gross as it was being handled to recieve the modification it would need to fit the 20v head.

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Cut detail. It could be alot tighter but in order to remove the cover without having the remove the distributor cap, it had to be loose.

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For reference. Again, it will be straightened,smoothed, and painted.

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The OEM 4th plug wire does not fit. Definitely order the wire from SQ-Engineering if/when you order the dizzy kit. If anyone knows brand/part numbers for some aftermarket wires, please let me know.

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How i went about the water pump outlet routing. The hose I have isnt quite 90 degrees but we will see how it works out.

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The idle control valve that must be relocated if you use the SQ cooling kit with the heater option. I plan to just pull it to the right and zip tie it to that hard vacuum line. If not, i will extend the hose.

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All accessory/engine/trans mounts received some TLC. Lots of black engine paint and 3 coats of clear.

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ooooo laaalaaa.

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While i was painting, Naoki and his Nissan technician friend were prepping the engine bay. Cleaning everything as they installed it.

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Everything going back together nicely. And much cleaner than before.

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The engine before being moved to the other garage for installation. All accessories installed (minus AC pump, as it was never disconnected from the car).

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No need to cut the alternator tensioner bracket when using all the 16v parts.

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And in the hole.

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One more.

Thats where were at now. Lots of little things to be done but hoping its all finished in the next 2 weeks as my inspection is due on the 1st of April.

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YOTAHOLIC808
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby YOTAHOLIC808 » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:41 pm

Dude! you are soo lucky! I am friends with Naoki on Facebook and have been seen these pics haha! Must be AWSOME getting your car built at the HACHI FARM! Keep postin!
@_yotaholic

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby John H. » Mon Mar 10, 2014 9:57 am

Can't wait for more updates!
SUBSCRIBED!

-John H.

JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:00 am

QUICK UPDATE. Nothing detailed.

New Syncro's and sleeves.

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Very blurry photo of the bay partially assembled. ALMOST THERE!
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joel23
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby joel23 » Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:24 am

looks good, great build..... :mrgreen:

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby Clouds » Fri Mar 14, 2014 4:18 pm

JyuRoku from YouTube? Sweet, glad to have you on the forum :D
There shouldn't be a day that goes by where you don't learn something new.

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:40 pm

Thanks

JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:40 pm

A few more items installed, will be starting the engine this weekend. Have to install the oil filter relocation and cooler. Get the new Greddy radiator all hooked up and then its fluids and final checks before start-up. Hopefully the car will be completely finished next weekend!

Using OEM clutch fan for ultra reliable cooling. Was thinking about painting it black, what do you think? Also have some cool gold heat reflect tape the cover all the A/C lines. Ill be using 50mm SQ-Engineering/SAM-Q stacks and some Jubride style screen filters between ITB and Stack.
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OEM Exedy clutch and OEM flywheel. The bigger size(212mm? I cant remember).
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sekang0
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby sekang0 » Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:07 am

Nice! Looking forward to updates!
'85 GT-S project since 2010
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riddleyo
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby riddleyo » Sun Mar 23, 2014 8:19 am

Looks great, keep up the updates.

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:28 pm

Well, shes pretty much finished. Oil cooler installed, coolant system all hooked up and working. Radiator fan shroud was a bitch but improves cooling drastically when using the OEM clutch fan. I will probably go around the shroud with aluminum tape and seal it up to the radiator. Engine idles perfectly and revs VERY healthy. Not happy with the look of the tiny 50mm velocity stacks but I will be doing things in the future to fit some 110mm stacks.

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Transmission shaft with new 1,2,3,4 syncro's and 1+2 sleeves.
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby redbeltpanda » Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:27 pm

lots quality work looking great

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:58 pm

Well its totally finished and legal. I just passed inspection yesterday. I totally forgot about the front alignment and failed my first pass for excessive toe-in, had it fixed at a pre-inspection shop, and passed on my second go.

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I also picked up some of these TRD Door Stabilizers. They took like 10mins to install, i havent had a chance to feel for a difference but they definitely improved the sound of the door when you close it. Its now a solid thud. No rattle tin-can sound when you close the doors anymore.

Car Side
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Door Side
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I also found this cool tow strap on Speedhunters and thought it looked awesome so I ordered it. I was always a big Takata fan boy back in my highschool days.

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As for future plans. I already have a few parts and am hoping to get them installed so I can finally lower the car.(Had it two years and never changed the ride height).

I have:

T3 traction brackets
T3 lateral bar
Cusco front lower brace
T3 test pipe
No-Name Japanese front NCRA's.
A new Bride bucket with rails(track only)

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:39 am

Well this phase is finally complete. Thinking maybe a TRD rear wing in the next few weeks...but other than that I just want to fix the thermostat issue and get back the track.

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Also, is it common to run rear traction brackets? I bought a set as it seemed like something most people do when lowered but I noticed i had to raise the front of the axle to get the holes to line up. Seems like these could change my pinion angle...All my rear links are stock with TRD bushings.

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby shagymc » Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:51 am

I love how clean this build is. Good Work!

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby onnaj » Mon Apr 07, 2014 8:16 am

Wow really really nice build! I love the car and the 20V is a lovely engine! They all use a bit of oil though, but that's with all 4AGE engines ;)
Check my 4AGE 20V BT teardown, rebuild and transplantation over here --> http://club4ag.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3382

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby Deuce Cam » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:20 pm

JyuRoku wrote:Also, is it common to run rear traction brackets? I bought a set as it seemed like something most people do when lowered but I noticed i had to raise the front of the axle to get the holes to line up. Seems like these could change my pinion angle...All my rear links are stock with TRD bushings.


It's common. Most people here will say they're a must. Basically, they're supposed to help correct the angle/geometry of the rear lower control arms on a lowered car. The result is increased traction on acceleration.

Yes the geometry of the lower arms improves with brackets on a lowered car; however, they cause the geometry/angles of the upper and lower arms to become farther apart since the orientation of the upper arms can't be improved (unless you cut the chassis and install equal length 4 links). I haven't tried the brackets yet, but some big names like Tsuchiya say they make the car feel less balanced and more twitchy. He did say that increased traction on acceleration was noticeable, but preferred not use them because he prefers a more balanced feel. (Keep in mind that feel is somewhat subjective.)

Here's a link for installing them and retaining the pinion angle. Description halfway down the page: http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=84279

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:28 pm

Thanks Ill check that out, I actually installed them this past weekend and nothing seems to have changed. No new noises or anything. All seems well.

And Onnaj, my old 16v never burned oil, in the 2 years I drove it I never added oil once. Only routine oil changes. Ill keep an eye on this one but the engine was taken out of some old ladies AE111 Levin so it should be fine lol

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby Baoser » Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:18 am

Where did you get your transmission rebuild kit?

Great build thread!

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Grant
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby Grant » Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:59 am

You're living the dream with an AE86 in Japan! :D

Amazing build. Looks like you didn't leave anything ignored, and you even kept your creature comforts! (heat and A/C) Seems like most people leave everything out except the engine... :lol:

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby idreamofdrifting » Fri Jun 27, 2014 9:24 pm

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JyuRoku
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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Thu Jul 31, 2014 4:47 pm

Grant wrote:You're living the dream with an AE86 in Japan! :D

Amazing build. Looks like you didn't leave anything ignored, and you even kept your creature comforts! (heat and A/C) Seems like most people leave everything out except the engine... :lol:


I feel like most people do that because its hugely simplifies the whole process lol. But after a few track days and no longer daily driving it, I'm leaning towards removing the AC...

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby JyuRoku » Thu Jul 31, 2014 4:48 pm

Baoser wrote:Where did you get your transmission rebuild kit?

Great build thread!


I didn't buy a kit, we tore it down, checked everything for wear, and ordered the parts we needed from Toyota.

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Re: My Trueno GT-Apex 20v swap and resto.

Postby IndiaDorifto7 » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:34 am

I wouldn't lower it, keep it looking like it is. AE86's can still look good while not being excessively lowered. BTW love the build and the car :D