Driftspec's AE86 Sprinter

[Driftspec]

Here is my Sprinter. Bought it in early November last year off Glenn (ae86fow), who had trucked it up from Melbourne in the April '06.

Now, where to start:













Basically, it is a fairly stock ADM Sprinter. Paint isn't, obviously. I like the silver/black combination, I think it's fairly rare to see a paint combo like that on a Sprinter, I think it looks nice. Couple of rust spots, one on the hatch, where the window is, one on the left side quarter panel, right up against the window, as well as some new rust/cancer spots on the right guard. The Kenwood sticker on the hatch came with the car, so I thought I would back it up with some sound gear to suit:



Strathfield Moayfield, he got the install happening for me (right before Christmas too!). Custom made parcel tray with Kenwood 6x9s (as came with the car) running off the headeck (Kenwood MP3 head unit, also came with the car). 12" Titanium boxed sub and 4" splits (in the front) running off a 520W amp. Very nice sound and doof doof while driving



Remote Central Locking! That doesn't come standard now does it kiddies?!



The interior is very clean, crack and age free, and I intend on keeping it that way. Again, all stock ADM in there. All the panels have no damage to them (which is rare), seats are classic ADM :fap: . MOMO steering wheel is very nice. A very small wheel (not sure on exact size). Very different to drive if you are used to a normal wheel, and is a lot heavier because of the smaller radius, but it does tend to offer a great deal more control while driving and cornering.



View from the back. And what is with the air fresherners in Sprinters? Everyone has one!!




Frame No. AE86-0022002, the proof! S-series diff FTL, mind you.




Here it is, the torquey 4AC motor! Has a little under 230,000km on the clock (going on the odo), still going strong. Has had head gasket work done about 20,000km ago. I suspect something similar needs doing now, as it is starting to get rough, drop in power. In fact it feels like it is having major fuel surge issues, as in you floor it, starts accelerating, then power drops off aorund 3 - 3.5k rpm, before picking up massively. It does have fuel flow issues, namely sometimes stalling while idling, so I can't be too sure if its a compression issue or a fuel flow issue...



The Driftspec drifting look, thanks Jase!

Current modifications:

AJPS suspension upgrade (before the car was mine). Full write up from Glenn here ->


8kg front/6kg rear springs, Excel-G short shocks, adjustable panhard rod. The strut brace in the piccies on that thread is in Glenns car, he grabbed it for his panda Levin before I bought it off him. HA!

Basically, for me, the aim of this car is to try to make a nice looking streeter that has the capability for track days, be they circuit or drift. AE86s are easy to make look good, there are plenty of them around. I've been looking at Gilly's old 86, and gotten a lot of inspiration from that. Nice, clean, dropped Spinters are awesome. Easy on the eyes, classic design.

I have a vision of how I want the car to look... I'm thinking a front and rear bar with side skirts. Lower the car (and helping the overall handling of the car). Engine upgrade isn't a high priority, and I have a few options for that which I am keeping open at this stage. I figure: get the car looking and driving great, then increase the horsies pushing it. Clean up the rust as well from the car, is always important.

I think thats enough for one post

Edited cause I'm bored

[roadsailing]

looks ice and clean, i hope you have a few speakers in the front of the car too.

you should buy a few cans of bumper paint, they look a bit shabby next to the nice shiny gray/black stuff.

[Driftspec]

Might include some info on the clutch swap, performed about a month ago. The stock clutch was slipping like a biatch, and was causing all sorts of problems while driving, on the track, etc etc. So, it got replaced!

Heavy duty Exedy clutch with new throwout bearing. Not sure on exact handling capacity of the clutch, but I know its plenty. In Sprinters, the swap is extremely easy to do. Drop the box, take out the old clutch, fit the new one, pop the box back on. If you have the right tools and location, should take no longer then 2-3 hours. We knocked over 2 Sprinters in about 6 hours, including lunch

Didn't get too many shots of taking the box out, suffice to say its simply a matter of dropping the tail shaft down, removing 5 bolts that connect it to the engine (including 2 tricky ones behind the head in unexposed areas) and it will literally fall out! Dont forget to take the shifter out but:




The lovely T50 transmission. Over 20 years of dirt and grime were coated on it, time to clean that shit off! Really should have done an after picture... here is the before but:




Old clutch sitting in place. Was a standard clutch, no doubt about it. Pretty bad for clutch kicking, and hard driving in general.




Lets compare: shagged clutch plate on the top, newy on the bottom. The old one literally had no bite left, and was below the rivets The picture of the flywheel won't show it, but there was damage done it by the rivets on the clutch. Should replace the flywheel sometime, but thats in the future.






Bolt it on, line the splines up (we did it by sight, but you can get tools to do it for you), lift the gear box up and in, put the driveshaft in, fire it up and test it!




The throwout bearing is easy to install too, rip it out, tap the old one out, tap the new one in (being careful not to damage it), and then slot back onto the spline in the box. New throwout bearing improves the way the clutch feels. Takeup starts much quicker and higher up, and a lot smoother than before. The new clutch, with less fingers, is a lot quicker to actually get off the line. Of course, now with more bite, it becomes easier and better to kick that clutch!

With wear-in, it also becomes acceptable for daily driving. Also gives you more confidence, in that you feel that you can dive the car now, instead of limping into higher gears. Acceleration becomes more aggressive, quicker changes are possible, actually it enhances and improves the car in general. Can (and probably should) be done as an upgrade, for the very least those reasons.

[Driftspec]

But of course! 4" Splits with separate crossover box, run off the amp. Needed to produce those lovely high notes/electric guitars. Tweeters are mounted on top of the A pillar, right next to my head, so after listening to music loudly I go deaf


That is probably the only thing I am unhappy with about the are right now, the bumpers make it look uber stock. It has had plenty of weathering, and Amourall can only do so much. Thats why I want a body kit, to make it blend into the car more.

Almost forgot, recently had a nail in a tyre, so I replaced the rear tyres with Pirelli Dragons, 185 R60/14. These are amazingly grippy tyres, at about $120 per tyre. Only drawback: no skids, and induces massive understeer because you are suddenly into a corner much quicker than usual. Will replace the fronts with the same soon, methinks, as they are pretty tired too.

[Bustin_86]

Dude put the grippy tyres on the front!

Im looking to buy some new tyres, would you recommend the pirelli's?

[BrittanySpears]

name dosent match the car lol

[outcast350]

^^Driven with enough enthusiasm, I bet it gets sideways.

I like your steering wheel, normally I don't like anything that isn't an old-school Nardi, but that Momo just looks right.

[slide86]

hey man
progress looks good.
and i just realised im pretty shure i met u at sunnybank macca's and u knew moc? or was that previous owner?

[Driftspec]

Yeah, finding that out now hey I plan to get new front tyres before the Byron cruise, as having grippy rears is really upsetting the overall setup of the car through turns. Would recommend the Pirelli's for sure, they rock! Will get the same for the front when I get them swapped over.

Yeah its not driftspec yet, but it does get sideways... anyone been to the first 2 Driftstate days (the practice and round 1)? I was there on track, probably the worst setup for drift (4AC, open diff ) but it still goes pretty well, will hopefully get better

The Momo is awesome, thanks! I think its the small dimension of it that makes it suit in the car.

Next job is going to be getting rid of the superficial rust on the car. Take the paint off the affected areas, scrub the rust off, get some rust converter on it and let it do its thing, paint over to finish. Theres actually a lot more than I thought behind the rear bumper, but it may need to be properly cut out. Still, needs to be done very soon (methinks holidays, in about a month).

Also starting to do research on/making enquiries about coilovers for front and rears, preferably with camber tops (front only). I want the car more twitchy, at the moment it feels too soft for my driving style.

[Driftspec]

Thanks mate!

Don't think that was me, I been in the Sunnybank area with the car. Might have seen it when Glenn (ae86fow) drove it, it was his work car for about 3 months or so and he's all over the city/southside. But that would have been about this time last year