4A-C: The Power Struggle

Toyota's 4A family of engines definitely started a cult following. Everyone remembers and likes 4A-GE, he was the high school  quarterback and prom king, people even remember 4A-GE's bodybuilder cousin, 4A-GZE, even if it was because of the scandal with performance enhancing drugs. But no one every really gave much of a thought to his Average-Joe older brother, 4A-C. 4A-C was decent at sports, and though not really phenomenal at anything he wasn't a quitter. 4A-C may not have won any races, but he finished every one. 

The Little Engine That Could

And he should be commended for that. 
Well, the group at 4AC-Powered.forumotion.com does exactly that, and sifting through page after page of modification, inquiry, and backyard-engineering you really start to feel a glimmer of hope bubbling up in your chest, 4A-C power is possible! 


Is it worth the money? Probably not, but then again Hell yes it is! I admit, I admire 4A-GE too, but something about the underdog nature of 4A-C, I end up rooting for him every time. So this is the post dedicated to how you can pump up 4A-C into something respectable.
First thing first, take the C out of the equation. The evil octopus, black spaghetti of death, the emissions equipment littering the engine bay has been known by many names, but it's intentions have always been straightforward: to hold you back!


BE CAREFUL IF YOU HAVE TO PASS EMISSIONS THOUGH, TANGLING WITH THE OCTOPUS WILL MOST LIKELY LEAD TO A FAILED VISUAL.


There are tons of videos and explanations for what needs to be done to free your baby up and get it out from under The Man's thumb, and once all the clutter is gone it'll make you feel a lot less anxious when looking under the hood.


Carbs don't have to be bad! 
There are good carbs, like the old tried and true Weber 32/36 DGEV Progressive Carburetor. Retailing at around $230 for the carb alone, it can seem like a chunk of change, but breathe easy as there are usually a few used models to be had on Craigslist in your area for around $100-$150 (though a good rebuild might be in order, and don't forget your adapter!). Or, if you just want to spend the cash and get it over with, the Weber Redline K740 kit comes with everything you need (carb, adapter plate, filter) to bolt that baby onto the manifold, and runs just shy of $300.
You've got your Weber on and it's running stronger, and is way cleaner under the hood now that you wrestled the octopus out of there Godzilla style, what next?


Cam it, baby! 
The good fellas at Schneider Racing Cams will regrind your camshaft to whatever duration and lift floats your boat! Send your camshaft to their shop in San Diego, along with $120 US, and in a few weeks you'll be hearing some gnarly idling! Don't forget to grab your double valve springs from Schneider while you're at it (~$75), you don't want to float a valve!


What Next?
Now you're cammed, you've got a new carb, and your new double valve springs are in and you're looking for more? You have a couple of options now, Hage Tool and Machine Inc. in Bear, Delaware happens to make Adjustable Cam Gears that look incredible. And a deal for only $100.

And don't forget the flywheel! The stock one sits at more than 20 lbs!!! You can get an after market lightweight 6-bolt flywheel for the 4A-C that weighs 8 lbs, but it'll cost you a chunk of change anywhere between $325(Stillen) - $400(Aasco). 


Unfortunately, we're now starting to run out of easily acquired parts and upgrades, from here on out it's handyman corner (unless you're flush with cash). 


The exhaust, from the manifold all the way back to the tip, is small and restrictive on a stock 4A-C. And since pacesetter and S&S haven't made headers for this engine for some time, you are either going to have to hawk Craigslist, eBay, and Corolla forums until one pops up, hire a fabricator (or Forum friend) to make you one, or make it yourself. Expect to shell out no matter what direction you go.


Another handyman upgrade is the conversion from a standard internal coil distributor to an external high voltage MSD 6AL with Blaster Coil 2. As explained by 4AC-Powered's own Und-R-Steer, owner of the Ultimate 4A-C, "Once you get into heavy performance modification to your engine, the need for a more precise and powerful spark control becomes important." Makes sense to me, hopefully it makes sense to you. The full instructions are listed on the 4AC-Powered forum and you'll have to become a member to get complete access. (Ha! I knew I would find a way to make 4AC-Powered invaluable at some point!)


Several members have taken their builds further by modifying the factory intake manifold to be more straight-through, having parts specially made/altered, adding the 4A-GE's oil cooler, as well as switching out the bottom end with a more sturdy 7-rib block. The possibilities are endless!


Now you just have to get the suspension set up and you'll be running with the big boys!


Thanks for reading! 


SlowTEC

Do-It-Yourself: WHEEL SPECIAL

So if you are like my father, you think that the right wheels can make up for any amount of body damage.

Considering we are all in love with 20+ year old cars that have a following (but not large enough of a following that OEM panels are still produced), body damage is something we all live with.

But that doesn't have to be true for the crusty, dim, grungy, flaking, peeling, road-rashed, beat up, scuffed, chipped, or ugly wheels that we put on our beloved Corollas. And besides the cost of a few materials, which can be cheap depending on how hard/easy or long/short you want the job to be, it is something that can be accomplished on all of us no matter what stage of our build.

So pulling straight from our own AE86-Scene sites comes two extremely well written articles showing how a little elbow grease and wrist strain can produce some seriously envy-inducing results.

The first article was written by Dorikaze.ca's own Loki440, and is titled, Loki's Guide to Polish and Paint your Wheels. The guide is well written, with enough pictures and explanations given to help you through, and the finished product is an incredible refresh, making the original picture look like a washed out old Polaroid.

The second article is a doozy. The article was written by Club4AG's Jeonsah, and, while beginning the thread in an arrogant tone about Club4AG's "coolness," the result of his long and arduous labor, in my opinion, definitely gives him the right. The article, Club4AG's Own DIY Wheel Restoration!, is a long, intense, labor of love on the part of the member. The amount of time and effort that went in to such a project is nothing short of mind numbing, I mean, honestly... the guy spent 40 long hours working on those wheels! And the way they look in the end shows that it was worth every second. And considering he did it with the tried and true ol' Supra wheels gives him a +1 in the Corolla Good Book.

I am planning to undertake a similar project with my Corolla's factory alloys very, very soon. So expect it in the near future.

Have a good evening,
SlowTEC

4AC-Powered: The Underdog Story

The first post is going to be reserved for my most active forum: 4AC-Powered.

"The Little Forum that Could"

STOP! I know what you're thinking! The 4A-C is not the retarded cousin of the 4A-GE, he's just the slacker little brother. But just because he was the high school outcast and not the varsity quarterback doesn't mean he lacks potential. It is that his potential isn't immediately apparent, it takes a special kind of person to cultivate that potential. And that is the best way I can describe the membership of 4A-C Powered, they were the people that saw the misguided outcast and chose to put the effort into helping him excel.

He may not be as popular, but, as many members have proven, he can still be successful.

And since the 4A-C was thrown in quite a few cars, the membership is as diverse as any 4A-GE group. The main issue is the aftermarket support, or, I should say, the lack thereof. Because of this the Do-It-Yourself spirit reigns supreme here, if you aren't handy already you're going to be in a hurry.

So maybe the next time you or a friend is buying an SR5, take a moment to weigh your options, the 4A-C may be down but he definitely isn't out.

-SlowTEC

Hachirokuuuuu!!!

Hello there!

So the purpose of this blog is to update the interesting Corolla stuff I find in an effort to really consolidate my knowledge base and put together a link center of the interesting articles I find so I can quickly look them up again for my own sake!

I hope it helps others in the process and I am going to put up some merchandise for sale in the paypal storefront I have created that is on the left-hand side of the screen. (I'm sorry if the left-handedness offends any UK or OZ people... it's just the way I'm wired here in the good ol' US of A)

An introduction is in order!

I am a member of nearly every other Corolla community, and I enjoy all of them, the only problem is that I find it's difficult to remember/find a lot of articles I felt were really useful. And that crap is irritating. The name, or handle if you will, that I go by is "SlowTEC," yeah yeah I used to have a Civic and that's where it's from. Look man, we've all made mistakes...

I don't mean to poach other people's readership, or compete in any way, I am just making this a shortcut.

So without further ado, here we go! First post will be up shortly!

-SlowTEC