This Toyota Starlet EP82 is going to be the death of me
Every project needs to start somewhere, and bodywork was definitely on the top of the list along with suspension (more on that in another update), especially when you have a couple mini rust craters on the roof.
A car manufactured the same year I was born, a car I had always loved and now a car I own, this Toyota Starlet EP82 is going to be the death of me. It's either going to work me to death or I'm going to get my head chopped off for all the money I’m going to throw at it over the years; one way or another, this love child is here to stay.
Every project needs to start somewhere, and bodywork was definitely on the top of the list along with suspension (more on that in another update), especially when you have a couple mini rust craters on the roof. I neglected it for a while but when an angel and a devil is on the same shoulder whispering in my ear, it was time to get it into bodywork and paint. the angel was there to save me from the pain of water leaking from the roof from progressive rusting and the devil telling me go full baller on the paint.
Well a little about me before we get deep into the article, most of the car scene would knows me as Vizionz ’93 Photography, but my name is Byron. I've been a car head for as long as I could remember and that love manifested into me falling into automotive photography. My plan for this build has probably been done time and time again but with every evolution of this 4 stage project, it's going to be a daily driver with autocross and time attack (hopefully it stirs at bushy park again) mode during the weekends!
So off to my cousin, Chillie Clarke, to get everything done in quick time. This isn't the first time I've seen him work but definitely the first time I've seen him working on a car; and trust the attention to detail is second to none. A cigarette in the mouth, sanding block and a bucket of water to wet sand the body with, he was already in his give when I got there on the day and nothing would stop him.
Touching the sanded primer/ filler spots around the car all I can feel is nothing but an extremely smooth surface, smoother than the previous paint on the car even; definitely took me for a loop! The rear right of the car that never lined up with the trunk is now aligned. The rust spots on the car that I always cringed at whenever they were in my sight, I can't remember which side had which spot, and did I say already it was buttery smooth. The only thing reminder of the car I know I first bought is the door handle I broke on the right passenger door.
It was time for another layer of primer; a cigarette and a steady hand is all it takes as the scent of the primer permeates the garage. Walking around the car one last time, I pay attention to all the spots I know that would’ve never been noticed till he did his work.
A spot of guide coat would bring an end to the day, just to pick up the sanding block and another cigarette again the next day. Till the next update, I'm just going to let you know now, it's going to be a bit sexier…
Gallery
Hatch Not Hot - Lucian Streets
When you’re asked to think about a Toyota built sports car from the 90s, more than likely the Supra would spring to mind almost as quickly as it accelerates. But what if you’re told to think of something a little smaller? Celica, Levin? How about the Starlet? The Toyota Starlet Glanza V was the entry to the Toyota sports car brotherhood, but by no means is it to be taken for granted. With a punchy engine, go-kart like handling and so little weight that you have to pin it down when you park, the Starlet Glanza V is a potent little pocket rocket.
An Article from our friends over at Lucian Streets in St. Lucia!
Although a popular phrase, the words ‘cheap’ and ‘cheerful’ really go together well about as often as fast and Prius. But on occasion, they do come together in a smiles for miles package, which is what we have here. No, not the fast Prius, the other bit. When you’re asked to think about a Toyota built sports car from the 90s, more than likely the Supra would spring to mind almost as quickly as it accelerates. But what if you’re told to think of something a little smaller? Celica, Levin? How about the Starlet? The Toyota Starlet Glanza V was the entry to the Toyota sports car brotherhood, but by no means is it to be taken for granted. With a punchy engine, go-kart like handling and so little weight that you have to pin it down when you park, the Starlet Glanza V is a potent little pocket rocket.
Starting out life as an economical hatchback, Toyota capitalised on the Starlet’s small size and decided to crank it up from mild to wild. Changes were made to the suspension in order to stiffen it up and improve handling, and under the hood Toyota added a turbocharger to the 4E-FE engine in order for it to produce 131HP fed to the front wheels through a close ratio 5 speed transmission. In OEM specifications the Glanza V wouldn’t have much of an issue keeping up with its larger brothers on tight and windy roads but as with almost every car in existence there was still something to be had. Some pent up potential left for one to discover for themselves.
Valence’s obsidian little fighter began its life in his hands as most Starlets do these days. Battered, faded and in need of love. Tired from years of abuse and changed owners. Not too long after purchasing it Valence breathed new life into the Starlet with a fresh paint job, front lip and many performance goodies. The car’s already impressive handling characteristics were improved on with polyurethane bushing and coilovers, and the car was given a decent amount of more go-go through an aftermarket ECU and TD04 turbocharger pumping air through a larger front mounted intercooler to help keep things, well…cool.
With the larger turbocharger, the 1300cc engine has to reach further up into its revs to get the turbo spinning fast enough to develop positive boost pressures but when it does, the little hatch hurls you towards the horizon at an alarmingly quick rate. And then when you get to the end of the horizon and need to go around a corner, it sticks to the pavement with tenacious grip and minimal body roll, seeming to avoid the laws of physics like a disease. In a world dominated by big ticket star cars, sometimes we need to take a step back and appreciate the light, lower power fun machines. The sort of cars that cost next to nothing to maintain and modify, the sort that one can actually drive to its full potential with more enjoyment than concentration. Small car’s not hot.
Q&A
What got you into the car scene?
A couple years ago I was looking at buying my first vehicle and my friend thought it would be a good idea to buy a car that his friend was selling. Turns out it was a turbocharged Starlet, and that’s what really got me started.
It’s been said that you’re the go to guy for Starlets on the island. Is this where it started?
Yeah, that’s where it started. It started with me knowing little to nothing about cars and then buying this car. Then came engine failure. I gave it to who I thought was a competent mechanic to rebuild the engine which only lasted another two weeks after it was repaired. From that moment on I decided if it was to be done right, I’d have to do it myself. I took some time to research, browsed the web, talked to people and gathered my information. I built a 1500 block myself to replace the 1300. From then on I always worked on my own cars, and have worked on just about every Starlet on island, except for a few.
Do you favour small cars, or is it just Starlets?
I like small cars, I find they are easier to work on. I find the larger vehicles require a lot more effort, and I do everything myself usually without help. I can work on the smaller vehicles in my spare time. I like cars generally – sports cars – but because I do the work myself I prefer smaller vehicles.
What’s your level of enthusiasm in the scene?
I’d say casual enthusiast. Over the years you live and you learn. I look at things differently, especially with this car. When I got it I said I built 3 of them for myself prior so I want to do everything right with this one. I’m not a hardcore racer; I don’t think I have the time or the budget for that. I’m more causal.
What’s the story behind getting this vehicle?
How did it get from where it was to where it is? Getting this one in particular is a very funny story. I noticed it a couple of times on the road a couple years after I sold my last one. I decided if I had to get one I wanted a stock one with no accident history and that’s why I wanted this one. I was hunting it down but could never get it. I got to know the car was owned my someone in the fire service so I spoke to an EMT I knew, and it turned out that the owner of the car was her boyfriend. Initially the owner said his car is not for sale and wasn’t budging. About a month later I was back on the hunt for a car, looking at the GT Advance but the night before I decided to contact this guy again and he said he had just put a for sale sign on the car so I snatched it up.
How much work have you done on it?
When I got the car it was in rough shape, visually and suspension wise. It’s had a full respray and suspension overhaul. The stock struts and TRD lowering springs were replaced with McMaster coilovers, every bushing is either Powerflex or Super Street and more. And that’s just the beginning. A completely new engine is going in. It’s a work in progress.
Would you recommend a Starlet to someone?
I would, because one of the things I always say to my friends in the car scene is that when they take parts off of their car to go faster, I just take them to go faster. A lot of the parts that are stock for other cars, are modifications for these cars such as a Subaru’s TD04 turbo. For someone who’s just starting and on a budget I would definitely recommend one of these cars to them.
Go Check out Lucian Streets for more content like this!
Let's never forget the process
Habits which make us successful at what we want to accomplish. So our habits if we keep them in check can bring us success. This requires discipline, attention to detail, mindfulness, and perseverance.
Habits, they make us who we really are. If they are good habits they can help us to be successful if they aren't good habits they may keep in the same place all the time or maybe even bring us down.
Success surely is a learned behavior, when we think of success, people usually associate it with habits. Habits which make us successful at what we want to accomplish. So our habits if we keep them in check can bring us success. This requires discipline, attention to detail, mindfulness, and perseverance.
How can this be related to Motorsport? A well working machine requires these same qualities if it is to work. I was given the opportunity to watch these habits in practice when I went to visit the Neil Corbin Racing Team, working on their rally car, preparing it for some development as the season this year got started.
Neil Corbin, the driver of this Toyota Starlet, has been rallying since 2003, with this same machine I might add. This car has been through a lot in its development. Neil started in the SOL Barbados Rally event. He basically jumped head first into the deep end of the pool. This being his first rally event, he pushed hard through the stages, but after an afternoon shower, he acquired his DNF from a tree spectating the event.
Warming the engine oll, so it flows out the engine when it's drained.
This didn't deter Neil though, and 15 years later, he's still here, his car has been through a ton of changes since then. He's built his reputation as a driver not to be reckoned with.
The idea goes around that if you think you are good at driving you'll do well in Rally, I mean it seems pretty obvious right? But that's not the case. Driving is only really one aspect of Rally, driving may even be the smallest aspect of a Rally. Neil has over the years along with his team developed habits which have made them successful in this grueling Motorsport. I was able to have a look behind the scenes at what some of these habits were. Today they were taking the engine out of the car so it could be worked on, he was going to make some changes, in an effort to get as much power and reliability out of it.
It started with warming the oil up in the car so it would flow freely from the engine. Once that was flowing they set up the drain and let that flow as they did a bolt check on the car. Bolt checks on a rally car are the most important parts of maintenance. As the car vibrates on the stage, it basically shakes itself loose, so constant bolt checks ensure important mechanical parts stay together and the car makes it through.
At the heart of Neil's Starlet, sits a 20 valve 4A-GE engine. The versatility of this engine never ceases to impress me. Those huge ITB's and the straight 3” stainless steel exhaust give a hearty scream as he rises through the rev range.
The motor has been through a ton of work, all the internals are now forged and compression has been raised, the engine has been built by Peter Hinkson, here in Barbados, the yellow color stands as a visual code for the engine size and level of modification it has gone through so Peter can keep track of it. Porting and Polishing the engine has been the job of Kurt Ward, he fine tunes the built engine. Jason King maps the engine using Mega-squirt 3 engine management.
Ceramic Coated Piston
The Pistons are ceramic coated to survive the heat and demands needed from it, as it powers through the rally stages. This engine makes around 195 hp and it a screams, a lot!
Looking under the car, the 6 speed tractive sequential gearbox sits attached to the 4A-GE engine via an adapter plate, this one was fabricated in Ireland for this particular use. Over the years, the modifications to the car adds up. Its wheelbase has been extended to that of the AE86, and its rear axle is now a Winters Performance Spool axle rear axle. This behaves like a a welded differential helping the car with cornering making it more predictable in the corners on uneven surfaces.
Even small things like weight distribution has been given attention, allowing it to be as close to 50/50 distribution as possible. Stopping the car is the job is a set of twin piston 300 mm AP racing discs at the front and pair of single pistons at the rear. Reiger's suspension at the rear of the car, and Bilstein's at the front allow the car to be fine tuned for optimum stability.
Neil and Shaun make quite the team.
The process continued with the removal of the driveshaft so the gearbox could be disconnected from the engine, as well as the exhaust down-pipe. This gives clearance for the engine to be removed from the bay. They were taking things a bit easier as there wasn't a rally event in progress.
“Whats your dream car?”
“This, maybe you know, a Supra with 2 step or something would be nice, but I bought 3 of these so I think it’s a Starlet.”
Being able to watch Neil and Shaun work together on this car, really brought things into perspective for me. Onlookers tend to take the amount of work and development for a rally car for granted. Neil has worked on this car tirelessly over the years of his rally career and he hasn't given up.
It gives testimony that our habits have a direct effect on the outcome of our actions. For Neil, he has been successful in his career due to the good habits he has developed into a process. This process though unseen comes to light for a few split seconds while he's screaming past you at the rally stages. Lets never forget the process, amazing things always take a little time.
“Thanks to long-standing relationships with local businesses, they have helped me achieve my goals and without them, we couldn’t be racing. Companies like Nassco, H Jason Jones, Auto Solutions, Automotive Art, and Emtage Electric have supported me along the way and they deserve special recognition for supporting local motorsport!”
Thanks to the Corbin Racing Team, for this experience with them! Until next time, this is Alex, Happy Motoring!
Cutting Floor
Deliciously Stock
The stars aligned and I saw this baby for sale. A completely stock 1999 Subaru GC8 WRX. Sold my Starlet, never looked back.
Ah Subaru, the Sub, the Sub Dog, Subbie, Scobby, Rex, Rexy all names we call Subarus but I can finally call this one mine. From as far back as I can remember I always wanted a Subaru. When I was growing up I remember watching Colin McCrae tear up rally stages in his 2 door 22b STI GC8,I always wanted one after seeing him race. Also, I just love that boxer burble.
I don't have a very long or interesting car history got my first car when I was 21 or so, a 2 door 1999 Toyota Starlet Reflect, I spent the next 2 years or so converting that car to look like a Glanza V, my god it was clean.
The plan was to eventually swap the 4efe for a 4efte engine into it and boost it to hell and back but it was my daily and I couldn't really afford to have in a shop for long periods.
Then the stars aligned and I saw this baby for sale. A completely stock 1999 Subaru GC8 WRX. Sold my Starlet, never looked back.
It was perfect for a daily, it's stock so it's reliable, 4 doors and trunk space so it's practical and fast enough so i can still have a little, "responsible" fun.
I inherited a couple of issues with it though, some rear damage, nothing major and a massive boost leak from the top mount inter-cooler y-pipe. Once I got all that fixed, worked like a charm.
I do have plans to eventually modify it once I restore it to stock condition but right now I'm just enjoying it before I make the fuel economy worse.
I really enjoy the look of a stock car. I was never really a fan of ricing, when it comes to the exterior of the car I don't have any plans for it, maybe a front lip and a bigger hood scoop but that's a big maybe.
Delicious 4pot stock brakes. Just enough. For now.
Someone once described my engine bay as "Full" I can understand what they're talking about, not much room left in there. The space taken up is put to good use, according to my research from factory the turbo charged engine puts out around 214hp-220hp at 6400rpm and 250 lb·ft at 4000rpm though that was years ago, probably way less now (I would love to put it on a dyno). It is said to achieve 0-100 Km/h in 5.99s and a 1/4 mile in 14.27s. All this while the little turbo pushes out about 13.5psi of boost.
It has Subaru’s symmetrical All Wheel Drive System which causes it to tear my face off when it accelerates sometimes, you get a lot of grip surprisingly. It gives you a feeling of invincibility when cornering which has caused me to spin my car around a couple times.
“There is nothing more terrifying than losing control of a 4 wheel drive car. . . the horror.”
A triple gauge pod in the centre of the dash is planned.
When it comes to the interior of the car it's nothing special. It's very 90's JDM, hard plastics everywhere, function over form. Subaru added a few extra bits with the WRX and the WRX STI versions of the Impreza. A MOMO wheel, which feels great, a shift knob and boot with red detailing, along with the red and black bucket seats and the white background of the gauge cluster it really gives everything a nice look.
Vroom
I really love my WRX. I've had the pleasure of owning it since February 2017 and it hasn't let me down yet. I even met some really cool people in the Car Community, the Barbados Subaru Owners Club for example, maybe I'll get to do a feature with their cars sometime soon, they have some awesome cars.
Till next time.
-Maurice
