'85 Corolla "compromise" project

[ChrisAE82]

I bought the car a couple of years ago as a daily driver while I built my "race car", a Ford ZX2.

’85 Toyota Corolla AE82, 3spd auto with no OD, 187,108 miles, 1.6 carb'd 4AC with ~50whp stock.

Along with being a daily beater, I also use the car for AutoX and RallyX, so what I'm looking for are eco-mods that also aid in performance, or at lest don't hurt it, so this car is sort of a "compromise". Right now I'm only getting 24mpg highway and 18 city. This is due mostly to the 26 year old carburetor having a sunken float. This issue is being resolved this week with a set of Yamaha R1 motorcycle carbs. Another issue that will be taking care of is the transmission, which has no overdrive, at puts me at 29rpm at 60mph. A 5spd manual swap is in order. That leaves aero....this car is a box, lol.

Here's a few things I plan to do;
Front air dam
Underbody alloy paneling
Rear diffuser
Headlight covers
Smaller side mirrors
Fiberglass hood and trunk lid
Rear windows replaced with lexan


Things I already done that will help in the MPG department, is gutting the car, power steering delete, and tires aired at 40psi. Also have a rebuilt head with 1mm milled off for higher compression ratio.

Now for a question. I live in Louisiana, our summers are horrible. Temps can reach 110f with 100% humidity. Although my car still has A/C, I rarely use it as it puts a huge load on the engine, it literally cuts power (and mileage) in half. So I mostly ride with my windows down, which I'm sure puts quite a drag on the car. I'm thinking a solution would be to add a air scoop on the roof, similar to what race cars use. Not only would it let my keep my windows up, but I could also rip out the A/C for more weight savings.

Has anyone used one of these scoops with MPG in mind?

[cleanspeed1]

Too bad you are putting the bike carbs on the old girl; first thought that came to my twisted brain was a used turbo, intercooler and a Megasquirt. Run a little boost to keep the car entertaining, have a couple of maps, throw some E85 in for the races, lean the bad boy out for the drive to and from wherever, keep the A/C just because it's just too nasty where you're at..............

I am no help at all........adding the extra air into those cylinders plus some careful tuning will make the mpg go up; and then add the gear change too? Hit those whoop de do's at 100+ "Dukes of Hazard" style......

Sorry, lost my train of thought again....go over to the aerodynamic section and do a search. More than likely the mods you are proposing have been done to a car that is similiar to what you have now, plus modify your driving style. You'll see a big difference.

[Frank Lee]

A scoop shouldn't be necessary if the HVAC at the vent setting is opening fully.

Look at any car and the intake is at the base of the windshield- a high pressure area. It's especially obvious on the old '30s cars with the manually opening cowl vents. Why did those go away?

[robertwb70]

Yep, the vent setting on my HVAC system doesn't work very well at all so following Badbents lead (Roof Scoop) I put a vent on my car. I tried a scoop too (just something I had lying around) but it didn't have the desired effect so I'm back to just the vent alone, maybe I'll add the subaru style scoop some day but for now I'm too cheap.

Here's mine- Robertwb70: Roof vent for my Metro

[ChrisAE82]

Originally Posted by cleanspeed1

Too bad you are putting the bike carbs on the old girl; first thought that came to my twisted brain was a used turbo, intercooler and a Megasquirt. Run a little boost to keep the car entertaining, have a couple of maps, throw some E85 in for the races, lean the bad boy out for the drive to and from wherever, keep the A/C just because it's just too nasty where you're at..............

I actually considered boosting it, but I always had in mind "turbo=bad mpg". I'll have to look more into this. The R1 carbs hold boost quite well with a little preparation.

Originally Posted by robertwb70

Yep, the vent setting on my HVAC system doesn't work very well at all so following Badbents lead ( I put a vent on my car. I tried a scoop too (just something I had lying around) but it didn't have the desired effect so I'm back to just the vent alone, maybe I'll add the subaru style scoop some day but for now I'm too cheap.

My vent setting also doesn't work very well, blows hot air, even on a cool day. Why didn't your scoop work well?

[robertwb70]

The scoop I used didn't leave enough room around the vent door for air to get past it, it works fine when opened forward with or w/o the scoop but I wanted it to blow into the front of the car while opened rearward but that can't happen when the air can't get past the vent door...

[Frank Lee]

Wouldn't it be easier to fix the HVAC than to rig up another vent system?

[robertwb70]

If I could find something wrong with it to fix, it all functions as intended except the vent which gives very little flow w/o the fan on and not much more with it. The heat works great, the AC never has worked and I've cleaned what few leaves there were in the cowl out already.
Mind you I'm used to 70's era trucks that will just about blow you out of the cab with the vents so maybe it's just a problem of expectations being too high...

[cleanspeed1]

Forced induction with bad tuning = low mpg. There are plenty of cars here that are getting high mpg with boost ( I have been trying to find the DSM turbo Eclipse/Laser clone that has been in the 40s and he races it ), and STS is getting high mpg with their rear mount turbos. The EFI let's you take liberties with tuning that the carbs won't.

The HVAC question: with all the advances that have been made, you can have the A/C and it not be a penalty; just go big on everything including the blower motor. With the temps and humidity in LA, ya just gotta do it. Look on Vintage Air's website for ideas, and raid a late model Camry or Lexus.

[cleanspeed1]

Excelsior! Found the link!

cfg83 sent this in another thread, hope it inspires you.

90 Laser