Echo-Troll Modding Thread (2005 Toyota Echo)

[CigaR007]

Originally Posted by echo-francis

i use screw and nut to keep them attached

Ah, that was going to be my second guess. Thanks for the clarification !

[HyperMileQC]

Wheel Skirts are done for about 3 weeks now. Echo-Francis and I were planning to see what we could do with the car. Thinking about Belly pan. We will have some photo of the rear wheel skirts this week-end maybe.

[echo-francis]

Frontal Belly Pan DIY Fabrication :

Today, we have worked on the underside of the car for about 3-4 hours. Result : a new coroplast Frontal Belly Pan! Yes, we do not plan to test them tho, cause their hard to install, and pricey in duct tape. We plan to make a complete belly pan, we will make a center pan and a rear pan. for the future Boattail!

Here some pictures of the jacked car :
We jacked the car with bricks and 2x6. For the 2 Frontal wheels.

We have also placed 2 jack to securize the position of the car. And bricks behind the wheel to stabilize.


The fabrication of the Belly Pan :

First of all, we began to build the driverside Belly. it is all made of coroplast. We fixed it with screws in the plastic underbumper. Also put our best friend, duct tape to smoothen the belly. Here some picture of the first part of the belly pan :



After, we started the construction of the second part, the passengerside belly pan. Did the same as well, screw it in the bumper, and smoothen with duct tape. Here some pictures :


(Notice the cat

[CigaR007]

I thought the Echo already had a front belly pan, well mine does.

Be careful when using cinder-blocks to work under the car; they are prone to crumbling !

[pete c]

roll the cinder block 90 degrees so the openings are at the top/bottom. it is much stronger that way. the way you have it, it is likely to crumble.

nice job, so far.

[MetroMPG]

This is a great thread.

One of the additional effects of your wiper deflector is it covers the fresh air intake at the cowl.

Restricting flow into the intake there may be similar to the concept of a grille block: better to send air around the car than through it, unless you need the air.

[echo-francis]

i dont need this air the fan works like before

[CigaR007]

Keep in mind that during Winter, it is better to have fresh air into the cabin for proper windshield defogging.

I would leave a small part of the fresh air intake open.

[daverods]

Originally Posted by echo-francis

We are in Canada so winter is one of our preocupation. I decided to make a Grill Block to help Engine keep its heat. Its made out of Styrofoam and Duct Tape. Took me 1 hour to do and work well. Not tested. It is also blocking the hole for the fog lights (I don't have any).

Added upper grill block made of coroplast and duct tape.

I love the look of your lower airdam block! The fact that you adjust it for the seasons is awesome haha!

I think if you could invent something to go over top of the upper grill on the outside it may be more aerodynamic in comparison to blocking the grill from behind.

Great little car!

[HyperMileQC]

Originally Posted by Daverods

i love the look of your lower airdam block! The fact that you adjust it for the seasons is awesome haha!

Thank you Daverods! In summer, if the hole is to much grilled, radiator fan starts all 10 min, so we decided to put less grille, but when winter arrived, the engine temp was lower, so we decided to put more grille, and ICE temp is still alright running ~88°C. (Fan start at ~95°C).

Originally Posted by Daverods

I think if you could invent something to go over top of the upper grill on the outside it may be more aerodynamic in comparison to blocking the grill from behind.

The upper grille block is pretty simple, we cutted a coroplast in a surf board form, then, we zip tied it to the original grille. but the coroplast sheet is zip tied from the exterior, not from interior, of the bumper. FYI

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

This is a great thread.

One of the additional effects of your wiper deflector is it covers the fresh air intake at the cowl.

Restricting flow into the intake there may be similar to the concept of a grille block: better to send air around the car than through it, unless you need the air.

Thank you MetroMPG, some of our inspiration comes out of your great mods, some of basjoos ideas and many others. the echo is being modded pretty well now that we are hypermilers, echo-francis and I.

And for the whiper deflector, the air blocked by the mod is not really cooling the engine, only taking the air under the car, and that's not good. We prefer to have it blocked, so the wipers and the grille are out of the flow.

Another thing, neither Me or francis have 250+ post on EM, so we cannot add this thread to the project library, if you could add it, it would be nice.

Denis