Blacktop clocking in at 180 000+km,rebuild soon?

X3nonz

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Hi Sifus, I'm currently searching for my second car,most likely an ae101 or ae111(genuine coupe,not converted ones,Hooked bit it's handing dynamics and the responsiveness given by the ITB's after I drove my friend's ae111 during my trip to japan last autumn) .Lately I've been eyeing on a blue pearl ae101 from mudah listing with a blacktop in it.Clocking in at 180000km or more,I would like to know if a blacktop with that much mileage on it expecting a rebuild soon?or can it take some more spirited kilo's before a major rebuild....If it requires a rebuild soon,how much would it cost roughly?I've got a limited budget of 20k excluding the car itself spend into modifications throughout the next 18 months.And Is there any 4age specialist located in KL aside from KLG auto?

Proud owners of 4ages,Drop your two cents here,answers would be appreciated,THX!!

BTW,I drive a BP5 legacy spec b,Iam looking for a new owner for it.
 

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RENESIS VIII

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I believe 20k is enough for you to rebuild the engine and replace any wear and tear parts provided that the Levin/Trueno coupe that you bought is in good condition without major problems. If you plan to heavily modify it, then it might exceed more than RM20k.

Whether do you need a rebuild or not, that depends on the engine condition itself. Does it have any internal problems like head gasket leak, compression lost, worn out piston rings and other things like this. If everything is operating well such as no problems with engine temperature, power and no loss of engine oil, then I suppose you can continue to drive the car as it is until you feel like doing a rebuild.
 

vr2turbo

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Why look for a car then look at rebuilding? Better get a mechanic check it over before buying. If in good condition at least can last you for some time before rebuild. If want to rebuild get one that is cheaper and then rebuild yourself
 

X3nonz

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http://www.mudah.my/Toyota+Levin+Coupe+2+door+Blacktop+1+6+M+-51113554.htm

Thx for the speedy reply,this is the car I am eyeing on,since I know that I wont be owning it for long cause I will be working in japan officially within this year or two.Parts wont be a problem for me cause i'll be able to bring them back from the land of the rising sun.XD

My vision:
Roughly 12 years ago from now,I was once just a normal child,watched some initial d,able to memmorize models from certain manufacturers worldwide and stuff(you can say that I am into cars since i was born....Hell,my mom even told me that the first word which was audible from my voice was literally"car car"when I was two years old.But I am not into the modification and tuning aspect of any vehicle.)It was until one day,one of my cousins,a person who I idolized for years took me out for a spin in his vm180 trd MRS on the winding roads of Tapah.I got out from that car a changed person.Since then I was into the JDM car scene,Anime is one of my other passion,which ended up as my career,so I learned japanese.After countless volumes of hot versions as I am growing up and some discussion with my cousin,I finally know which route I would pursue.My motto:lightweight,low power,nimble.It's the driving skills that counts.

Why I am letting the legacy go:
I was into the ZN/ZC6 platform when it first launched in 2012,I knew that one day in my live I must own that car.The fact that gt86 utilized a boxer 4ugse/fa20 under the hood greatly affected my choice for my first car,My father bought the legacy cause it was sold by one of my father's friend,at that time my father need a car with plenty of cargo space so he can unload stocks daily.Within two years of ownership I did some upgrades myself(basic bolt on mods:Blitz SBC,intake,muffler,strut brace...etc)Tons of researching went into it,I cant deny the fact that I am now familiar with the infrastructure of boxer engines..unfortunately my family need to let it go due to the fact that we cant support that car financially anymore,the car deserve a better owner.So I must look for a new daily driver.I cant say that I am unsatisfied with the bp5,It's just that the elements i am looking for,this wagon was not known for them.The car was abit too heavy,the driving aids are always in the way during spirited driving sessions(too much voodoo magic going on during corners,lack of the raw feeling)it was just a family car to be began with,not a driver focused car.But I gotta admit that it feels low on the ground just like a gt86,that's a thumbs up.But the car got no boxer rumble like the STIs did either,cuz it's still an Equal length header.And the biggest let down was..that car is an auto.
I know that the time for knowledge-only wont do good for long,I need to work on my techniques,and learn how to really handle a car.

Out of all the options,why FF?
I am a FR guy,always is,I am into drifting...At once I considered a ke70,after some approching and mass amount of research i found out that the ke70 was not the ideal solution for my situation,chassis and body are 30+ years old,mostly trying to avoid rust issues and bend chassis after countless thrashing by different generations of owners,bad noise isolation,spare parts are abit scarce for the 16v,plus there are no venues for me to go sideways after speedcity shut down,closest to me is manjung drift,which is 100+KMs from me in Perak,another one is in pahang goes by the name of pekan speedway,then there's the MIMC,and finally bridgestone potenza park in Penang...That's all I am able to list out for now.Even if I managed to solve this problem,drifting as a hobby will definitely burn my wallet to ashes.(the usual stuff..tyres,Clutch will blow,and diffs shatter itself to million pieces.)So I got no choice but to cross them out,another factor is that I will be focusing on my footwork for some brief period of time to come,from researching I found out that FF platforms really relies on driver's footwork to keep them at pace,braking,accel,cornering there are so much things happening at the same time on the front section of the car,plus I feel like I may be able to learn shifting the weights around with controls..a little bit,maybe?

Vtec b16vs 4age...Why the blacktop?
After some test drive I found out that vtec's counterpart is too brutal for my preferences,you'll need to rev the hell out of it to really feel the sensation,cause they are designed to be driven like that...in no ways I am trash talking about vtecs,in my opinion,they are superior powertrains,they produce power easily,parts are easy to find,the way they utilize camshaft timing and lifting are innovative...near competition-level cams from factory,seriously?But the point is,I am looking for something mild,subtle and abit of comfort as well,I need to daily that car.Sure,4ages are abit short on power,but it's the 4 throttle setup and the lightened flywheel that gets me..

(Variable)Why not converted ones?(ae101 SEGs)
Well,I am not really sure about this...I feel like the weight distribution would be off for the big body sedans.plus I'm gonna leave the internal stock since I will not chase for big power...in most extreme scenario I would just change the head gasket,altering the ignition timing a bit and trumpets(velocity stacks).some cooling system upgrades and better brakes.Most importantly transmission upgrade and LSD if the car didn't came with one.Anyways,I will do it step by step,I wont touch anything before I feel improvements on my footwork.I feel like this is the chance for me to own one of the truenos/levins since they're really hard to come across,I remember last time I saw a yellow ae111 bz-r for sale was about 2 years ago.

The infomations above are based on my experience and a little bit of know-how around cars,they're just my opinions,if there're anything wrong dont hesitate to correct me.This is not my final decision,results may change in the future.Thanks you all for willing to bear with me until now...Happy New Year!!
 
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X3nonz

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RENESIS VIII

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First of all, congratulations for securing an opportunity to work in Japan. To be honest, based on your long write up, I saw a lot of relateable similarities between you and me. I'm very much into cars since I was as young as 2 or 3 years old. Occasionally looking at car magazines that my family bought for me although I can't read at that time. Only knowing the cars based on brand and names. I like anime and other Japanese related things too like their culture, nature, environment, infrastructure, architecture, ethics and so much more. Currently in my final year of my studies in university and will be coming out to work around middle of this year. Whether can I get a job in Japan or at least a chance to visit there remains as one of my goals in life. Anyway, I'm digressing, so back to the topic.

Owning a ZN6 86 or ZC6 BRZ shouldn't be something that is too hard to achieve in the near future. I'm seeing recon prices of these cars selling around RM140k nowadays. Few years down the road later, their price will probably drop to 80k to 90k for a used one. I like them too as they seemed to hold a lot of potential for modifications and ever since their introduction, a lot of Japanese tuners are giving a lot of focus to these two cars. Actually there isn't much new Japanese performance cars available for these tuners to experiment anymore isn't it. Logical that much focus is placed on these two cars.

For the boxer sound thing, you can always try to get an aftermarket unequal length header for these cars, be it ZN6/ZC6 or your BP5. But that will definitely affect the power band range of the car. I know some Japanese tuners do make unequal length headers for these cars. There is a lot of potential in your BP5 I believe. The automatic gearbox can be swapped for a manual gearbox if you have the money and if your BP5 is using the same 2 litre EJ207 engine with WRX STI, you can definitely mod it to achieve 300hp plus or near 400hp. A practical wagon with near 400hp paired with a 6 speed manual gearbox. Sounds like a promising goal and a really good package to me.

KE70 is probably just good for short term use for beginner drifters or those who just want to experience a thing or two about drifting. Sooner or later in order to progress further in drifting, an upgrade to a better car is definitely needed. Like you said, the chassis is old and rust problem can strike anytime. Furthermore, KE70 doesn't start out as performance car to begin with. A lot of chassis upgrades and improvements is definitely needed in order to make it perform on par with better cars. If one buys a KE70 for its old school charm and probably some simple drifting occasionally, then I think it is okay.

Undeniably, VTEC equipped machines are good and powerful stuff. Power, handling, lightweight all in one. But what is the worse thing for owning a modded Honda in Malaysia? THEFT RATE. Recently, the stolen rate for old Civic equipped with B series VTEC engine is really high and most of the time, parts are stripped off the car in less than a day after stolen. It is really a bad idea to start playing with VTEC nowadays. Not to mention the high asking price to get one of these cars. Buying a B series VTEC equipped Civic is very expensive especially if it is a 2 door. Many of them are not even original SiR chassis or Type R chassis. Just local CKD Civic chassis but yet, their price is crazily high for a converted 2 door hatchback economy car. Buying an unmodded Civic is also not a good idea. Just look at how high halfcut price for VTEC engines have become. And all the work needed later to get everything in nicely. At the end after you have done all that, the idea of your car being high on theft list will always haunt you whenever you bring your car out. A friend of mine with a 4 door EG sedan got his car stolen last year and found it back the next day. Parts had already been stripped off when he found the car. He is not being careless with security either because he is using a quick release steering and he brought his steering out when he parked his car. So, you can imagine that the thief actually came prepared with their own steering to steal the car. You can't really stop these thieves if they have your car targeted in their list. So, what I can say is, better avoid Honda if you plan to start new.

Lastly, I'll go with your quote earlier as well. What I have said is also based more towards my own experience from reading and not really hands on experience. So, I could be wrong in the things that I have said and pardon me if what I said is offensive or wrong in any way. A long write up from me, but I guess that is because your story really got me interested in replying.
 

X3nonz

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Thx for the head's up,will definitely avoid VTECs.ZN6 wise,I am not talking about normal ZN6,I will be aiming for complete cars like GRMN 86,14r,or BRZ ts...for me,I wont go all out on modding my car until I the day I am able to live in japan.Looking at our nation's economy,it's really hard to heavily modify a car,needless to say the aftermarket support here is weak,crazy amount of money needed just to do some basic mod(import tax,labour from workshops),especially on newer cars.If it gonna happen,it will be in japan.Anyways,that's a thing for the future,It dosent really matter now.
Back to bp5,why stop investing into the bp5?Well,legacies and STIs are completely different breeds apart from the chassis.JDM bp5 houses a EJ20x/Ej20Y(open deck unlike the STI goodies like semi closed deck and forged piston and conrod from factory.For manual versions,which is near to impossible to acquire here).5EAT versions came with vf38 twinscroll turbine from factory,focused on spooling speed with the drawback of a lame high-end torque drop off.while MT versions came with TD04 turbines,to achieve the boxer rumble I would either do a turbo kit swap,which means pretty much a new "everything"(injectors,fuel pump,turbo kit,new exhaust due to diameter change,not really a good choice for auto,since clutch-pack will let up after some time).Swap wise,I know a guy from SCM trying to secure a complete package for swapping and it took him about two years,the wiring loom sucks too,you will need to rewire the whole car just to swap it into manual.STI came with DCCD and a hellical LSD,which is what my legacy needed the most,with just a viscous rear end I would sometimes question myself during corners.With the whole drivetrain package it will cost alot,to the extent of exceeding the car value itself.I wont be investing into a car that only costs 30+ks in japan,subie's parts are expensive.Just not worth it.
 

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X3nonz

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nappx

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I got ae111 Corolla (not levin or trueno 2 doors) fitted with 4AGE 20V. Looking right owner to taking care. Not many people dare to ask the price. If you have the budget and want have fun with 4AGE.. you can consider..
 

RENESIS VIII

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Thx for the head's up,will definitely avoid VTECs.ZN6 wise,I am not talking about normal ZN6,I will be aiming for complete cars like GRMN 86,14r,or BRZ ts...for me,I wont go all out on modding my car until I the day I am able to live in japan.Looking at our nation's economy,it's really hard to heavily modify a car,needless to say the aftermarket support here is weak,crazy amount of money needed just to do some basic mod(import tax,labour from workshops),especially on newer cars.If it gonna happen,it will be in japan.Anyways,that's a thing for the future,It dosent really matter now.
Back to bp5,why stop investing into the bp5?Well,legacies and STIs are completely different breeds apart from the chassis.JDM bp5 houses a EJ20x/Ej20Y(open deck unlike the STI goodies like semi closed deck and forged piston and conrod from factory.For manual versions,which is near to impossible to acquire here).5EAT versions came with vf38 twinscroll turbine from factory,focused on spooling speed with the drawback of a lame high-end torque drop off.while MT versions came with TD04 turbines,to achieve the boxer rumble I would either do a turbo kit swap,which means pretty much a new "everything"(injectors,fuel pump,turbo kit,new exhaust due to diameter change,not really a good choice for auto,since clutch-pack will let up after some time).Swap wise,I know a guy from SCM trying to secure a complete package for swapping and it took him about two years,the wiring loom sucks too,you will need to rewire the whole car just to swap it into manual.STI came with DCCD and a hellical LSD,which is what my legacy needed the most,with just a viscous rear end I would sometimes question myself during corners.With the whole drivetrain package it will cost alot,to the extent of exceeding the car value itself.I wont be investing into a car that only costs 30+ks in japan,subie's parts are expensive.Just not worth it.
Perhaps you are correct about buying parts and installing/tuning them directly in Japan is cheaper over here. More experts can be found there and generally they tend to be more careful and honest in their work. But then, owning and running a car in Japan isn't as easy as it is here. Fuel price for one is already two times the amount here and premium fuel probably cost even more. Maybe you have already heard of this, in Japan in order to own a car, you must have an available parking spot for your car and you need to prove it to the local authorities in order get the approval for you to purchase a car. Every two years, your cars need to go through the Shaken inspection which is very strict. But there is a way to get through that easily as some tuners will 'demod' your car to send it for the inspection.


Thanks for highlighting the facts about BP5 Legacy. I actually din't thought about these drivetrain differences in Legacy and Impreza WRX STI. LSD, DCCD and engine internals. Well, I guess these are the gap that separates the performance differences between Legacy and Impreza. I do realize that Legacy can never be as agile as an Impreza but I thought that Legacy is actually quite close enough.

Back to 4A-GE topic, I think if all these while you are able to handle the maintenance cost of a BP5, then maintaining the 4A-GE shouldn't be a problem for you. Everything should be cheaper even tyres if you are using 15 inch for the Corolla.

But actually, what kind of engine rebuilding that you are planning to do? Just a normal full overhaul or you want to include things like engine balancing, blueprinting, port and polish?
 

ahaw

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sorry off toopic @RENESIS VIII, napx... care to share good engine foreman? want to rebuilt 4age bt. 300k eng in bad cndtn. pm pls
 

RENESIS VIII

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sorry off toopic @RENESIS VIII, napx... care to share good engine foreman? want to rebuilt 4age bt. 300k eng in bad cndtn. pm pls
Location?

If it is in Ipoh, then I know a shop which specializes in Toyota engines like 4A-GE, 3S-GE/3S-GTE.
 

ahaw

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ipoh oso can.. car already 1 1/2 year long term parking... pm sry hijack tread bos
 

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