The Zenki’s Change of Heart:
I can’t honestly remember why I was burning these bushings (I think I was selling the subframe with bushings removed) but it was rad and it belongs here.
Something that really needed to be addressed on this car was the brakes. They were just shit to be honest. Since I had sold my original set of Z brakes, I bought another set and got to work. I decided that I wanted to take off the lettering so I took a dremel tool to the calipers until it was nice and smooth across the front.
Next order of business was to get some color on the calipers. I also picked up some decals to throw on the Z brakes. They turned out just how I wanted them, perfect! Also, took this opportunity to put some GKtech handbrake levers on the stock rear brakes to help them lock up a little better.
The brake booster had seen better days so I decided to strip it and repaint it with some engine paint. I think it turned out pretty good.
I made the decision that ABS wasn’t for me, so I got to work removing that crap. I wanted to do this the right way so I bought brand new non-ABS factory hard lines and got a 1” BMC with three ports. I went with the 1” since I was keeping the rear brakes stock.
Bench bleeding the “new” master cylinder. Super ghetto setup, but it worked perfectly.
It was time to think about getting back out on the track. I knew I wasn’t going to do it with a KA and I really wasn’t feeling the SR. It was close to my birthday so I got myself a present.
The twin turbos were the first thing that needed to go, as well as the intake manifold.
One thing that really bothered me when I got the intake manifold was the factory oil cooler. It was so damn bulky and annoying. I decided that I wanted to get rid of it since I was going to run an aftermarket oil cooler anyway. I bought a threaded union pipe, proceeded to remove the factory oil cooler, and installed the Greddy oil cooler adapter. This adapter has a built in thermostat and I just happened to have it sitting in my garage, so win-win for me. I had originally bought the adapter for the S14 SR that I had, then I found out that it would also fit the KA so I kept it after I sold the SR. Well, I then found out that it also fits the 1JZ motor, so I finally ended up using it, HAHA.
The motor seemed to be in overall great condition. The sloppiness in the shifter was crazy. Upon further inspection I found that the old rubber bushings on the tripod had given out.
The guys at SerialNine are all about that Toyota life so I contacted them to CNC me a set of bushings for the tripod shifter. They explained that they weren’t making them anymore but they agreed to make me a set. I knocked out all of the old bushings and pressed the new ones in. Great fit and obviously super solid.
It was time to start buying parts for the motor, so I went on a purchasing spree on Driftmotion.
Went with an OS Giken twin plate clutch with the pull-to-push conversion. I have used OS products in the past and have always been impressed with the quality.
Also picked up a 57 trim turbo kit from Driftmotion.
I was very reserved about putting the motor in before I could get the car registered as a classic rod, so I figured I would do some work on the car itself. I hit up SPL Parts and purchased all of the replacement arms for my car. I also purchased a GKtech subframe bracing kit and had my friend weld it up. He added a couple of additional braces as well and then I took it to get powder coated.
Everything assembled on the subframe
I ended up getting bored and decided to put some of the smaller parts on the motor. I got the Greddy timing belt, timing belt tensioner, water pump, crank pulley, front main seal, cam seals, and aluminum pulley set installed. I also took a little time to paint the serpentine belt tensioner with the same paint that I used on the brake booster and to get the surface rust off of the cam gears as well.
