KE55 Budget racer. 3SGE Beams powered.

**JZK25** · 03-06-10, 06:05 PM

This all started after I bought a beams 3S and 6MT from an Altezza for cheap. I was just going to resell it until one night a brillant idea popped into my head. We shall build a cheap racecar!

My bro jzx83 had this KE55 coupe in his farm shed for 8 years in partly restored(the part where you pull it to bits and lose interest). So I bullied him into handing it over. It was duly delivered in this state.

Rebuilt engine, suspension and brakes half sanded down and then simmered for 8 years. It was still pretty good though and the price was right.

I hate bodywork so I got a local guy to beat and paint it. Came up reasonably good in Kermit green.

Stripped the insides out and dispersed all the silverfish and rats into the wilderness. All very tidy inside.

Test fitted the Momo seat that's been haunting my shed for years in the back of the Trumpy ute.

This week was very light on work so we towed it in with a view to filling in the gaps by fitting the engine, box, hilux diff and coilover/4spot front struts.

We pulled the old donk and box out and cleaned up the bay a bit. The brake booster and master were very haggard so we pulled them out for a look. Turned out that a subaru booster bolted straight in to the firewall so one thing lead to another and we ended up with pulsar GTIR booster(same as subaru) and master(fitted better) and GTIR clutch master as well(needed one anyway so why not). A bit of customisation to the pedal was required for the clutch.

We then slung the engine and box in and fiddled it into place after a few mods to the sump and tunnel.

Ended up using shackle bushes for engine and gearbox mounts.

Need to find some wheels that suit the new struts and hilux diff. Or go nuts with flares and use these. The panel beater will freak if I ask him to cut the guards.

The rest we are figuring out as we go.

Should go pretty well with 210hp and under 1000kg. Plan is to use it for local hillclimbs and maybe some allmtr drag stuff and whatever else pops up.

**Boxer** · 03-06-10, 09:19 PM

I rikey!

You buggers that are cluey and skilled enough to fabricate your own mounts and stuff shit me to tears.

I'd like to do a project like that, but know I'd sit in the corner of the shed scratching my head for half a day before pulling a cover over the car and quietly exiting the shed

I think my project will need to be far simpler (have a hot OEM donk built and I'll bolt that back in where it came from)

I thought beams motors had squared off cam covers?

**23Kev** · 03-06-10, 09:45 PM

Fucking cool.

I'd love to do something similar to an old corolla, although i would have chosen a KE30...

Will be keeping an eye on this thread for sure!

**AlexinPerth** · 03-06-10, 10:32 PM

Sweet. Can you take a couple more pictures of your fuckups? You make it look easy.

**JZK25** · 04-06-10, 07:09 AM

The engine normally has a big squared off plastic cover over it.

I wouldn't let the mounting of a foreign engine being difficult crush your dreams of buiding a car. It's a day job for us to mount a foreign engine and box into a car(providing it can physically fit). It'd cost under a grand to have the thing all bolted up ready to have the other 1000hours work done on it to get it on the road.

We just use export matt black to cover our fuckups.

Jks, I am a self critical cunt and would do it over if it didn't look or work right.

**jzx83** · 04-06-10, 08:09 AM

Haha Export Matt Black. Nah I don't think so. Not with your perfectionism. Lucky you have yours under control. That was half the problem here, Gary getting all perfectionist on the bodywork was what stalled the project back in the day. That and having no real need for the car, lots of other more urgent jobs, etc etc. Can definitely relate to Boxer's scenario with looking at it for 1/2 a day and then leaving it, though. One of the better things we have done in our shed for a few years was clearing this out of it and letting someone with the time and inclination to work on it have a go. Amazing the difference removing one car and a ride on has had to clearing some of the logjam in there. Keep the updates coming bro.

**jezza323** · 04-06-10, 08:22 AM

amazing work on the mounts, especially love the gearbox crossmember, very professional looking

good luck with it

**Ke26 Wagon** · 04-06-10, 10:07 AM

Saw this on the rollaclub forum. very nice mods

**charged** · 04-06-10, 06:18 PM

Ke55 make great race cars, nephew runs a 3sgte ke55 rolla in IP

I'd love to do something similar to an old corolla, although i would have chosen a KE30...

Other nephews KE30

**NFJ16** · 05-06-10, 04:13 PM

needs more convos

**9triton** · 05-06-10, 10:50 PM

wheres the OP photos gone ?

**takai** · 06-06-10, 12:56 AM

Wait until tomorrow.

**JZK25** · 06-06-10, 06:47 AM

Photobucket ate my baby.

**JZK25** · 08-06-10, 07:01 PM

Been chipping away at this in between proper work. Stints knocked up the front pipe today and sorted out the coilover front struts and camber tops yesterday. Managed to get the wheels to fit quite well with carefully adjusted camber(lots of it).

LN41 hilux diff is in and sitting on some lowering blocks. We have to restud the axles and fit the 4.6 LSD centre yet.

It's coming along nicely.

**JZK25** · 10-06-10, 07:14 PM

More chipping away today. Stints restudded the hilux axles and drums to 4 stud and fitted the LSD centre that turns out to be 4.8 ratio. He also made the rest of the exhaust yesterday. Ready to start wiring it up and do the fuel system now.

Currently wearing Stints drag radials on the rear.

**Guido** · 10-06-10, 07:56 PM

I'm following this, very cool.

**evil_weevil** · 10-06-10, 09:03 PM

awesome!!! Im like Boxer, want to do stuff, have no idea and scract head and give up hahaha

/subscribes

**ALLMTR** · 10-06-10, 09:20 PM

Is this for sale yet?

Originally Posted by JZK25

Looks like the gearbox is being powered by a thermo fan...

TJ · 11-06-10, 02:04 AM

Awesome.

**JZK25** · 24-06-10, 07:03 PM

Got this bit o' shit going, well Stinton did anyway.

Needs some brake pipes and seats and we are away.

Overkill fuel system made of shit we had lying around.

Front brakes/struts.

Show detailed engine bay.

I caught Stinton looking up Julia Gillard Porn on the laptop while he was supposed to be tuning. (Hence the guilty grin)

**takai** · 24-06-10, 07:19 PM

Heh, did you make up those struts from scratch? Or buy them from someone?

Look identical to my old ones from the AE86, right down to the brakes, and surface rust pattern.

**JZK25** · 24-06-10, 07:25 PM

I bought them off some guy, they weren't rusty when I got them though.
It's a pretty generic formula for struts I believe.

**takai** · 24-06-10, 07:29 PM

Yeah, the alloy threaded sections are a bit rarer though. Sold this setup:

To a guy up your way about a year ago.

**JZK25** · 24-06-10, 08:15 PM

Some guy in the 'woom?

Your welds look a little more precise than the one's on my struts.

**JZK25** · 01-07-10, 06:56 PM

Stints took the rolla for a blocky this afternoon, everything works except for the fuel tank which is not currently fitted as it is full of barnacles. A 20l drum feeding the surge tank did the job though.

It's very civilised.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F79g1MWn6vQ

**jzx83** · 01-07-10, 10:51 PM

Sounds sweeeeeet.

**ALLMTR** · 01-07-10, 10:55 PM

How long start to finish to get this up and running?

**JZK25** · 02-07-10, 06:47 AM

3 weeks between other jobs. Been pretty quiet lately though.
How do reckon it'd go in All Motor?

**2JZR31** · 06-07-10, 05:52 PM

I'd love something like this as a daily. Nice work.

How do reckon it'd go in All Motor?

No vtec no care

**littlefireyone** · 06-07-10, 08:27 PM

All this time I thought it was All Meter?

Now I feel like an idiot!

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