KennyDang91's Corolla 95 (Warning: Tons of pics on page 1)

Hey thanks, really appreciate it.

yo kenny nice clicks and man that rolla is beautiful

What's the tyre size on the gram lights??

Thanks Sheroze, I got a bit more to do before I'm done but that'll have to wait till summer.

Tire size is 205/45/16. Chose that size because it was the best size for 16s without throwing off the speedo too much.

Hey everyone,

Not much of an update. I've been working full time all summer, saving up for college once more.

Latest update are Toyota brake pads and Brembo blanks. My old rotors developed some bad shimmy on the highway and pulsation under braking. And the pads were pretty worn out.




Nifty old school Toyota logo on pads




Also a while back I got a TRD strut bar. I honestly did not feel much a difference. I probably would've felt a significant difference if I didn't have my coilovers. Does look nice though!

_DSC6782


Earlier in the week I did a complete suspension overhaul. All new bushings underneath, no more worn 20 year old bushings! Also replaced a wheel bearing myself using bearing adaptorss, sockets and a big hammer. Tedious work, but worth the savings.

Car currently has an oil leak coming from the upper oil pan gasket. Not looking forward to dropping the cross member just to access it.    

I was checking my struts during my bushing overhaul and found that the front passenger shock's rod vibrates and shakes as it rebounds. Now I have to send in the unit for a repair. Thank goodness for KW's lifetime warranty...

But yep! That's really it... just a few car problems here and there but nothing too bad.

Other than that, I'm just working my life away. I recently got a $2 raise at my job when I became the restaurant's (Chick-Fil-A fast food restaurant) official maintenance guy, which I am pretty thankful for.. The paychecks are nice, but I am so physically worn out.  

It's seriously awesome to see this forum alive and well. Hope to see you guys around more often.   

Awesome, you're still alive and kickin'!! Yeah the strut bar is more for pretty than anything... and pretty it is!

You'll feel the strut brace more on a track when the car is really being twisted, on the road the car doesn't twist so much. Awesome work you've done, I bet she feels a lot firmer with all the bushes done.

wow nice work kenny

youre still alive lol

Great work man

Thanks for the support.

Got these Ichiba 20mm spacers today



Here's a pic of the Ichibas on the left and the generic 10mm ebay ones on the right.


Thought they would be different by being a one piece design as opposed to my generic 10mm spacers which is a 2 piece design... but they're not. Exact same design. Even came with the exact same instruction and warning, font and everything.

Ichibas advertises how lightweight their spacers are. I weighed them on my scale, the 20mm Ichiba weighs 1.58 lbs. The 10mm generics weigh 0.79 lbs. If you take ratios into account, they weigh the exact same.

So in conclusion,

Avoid paying for the overpriced Ichibas spacers.

lol nice conclusion.... I guess the reps are pretty good these days.

New exhaust! The old Vibrant Super Street got louder after 2 years. I shined a flashlight in it and I could see the packing inside coming out through the perforated tube in the muffler. I would not recommend it to anyone because of this. I was expecting to hold up for at least 4 or 5 years. Was great while it lasted.

I went with a flowmaster 60 series. It has sound deflection walls so longevity is not an issue. I also put in a Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator in the midpipe. That particular resonator has numerous positive reviews so I figured I should give Vibrant another shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Z5xgQ0oj8

Video doesn't fully do it justice. I get the sweet bass on idle I get zero drone in the cabin at any speed. I used to get a terrible drone between the 2-3k rpms. It now sounds like a civilized sport exhaust. For the first time, I drove home with the music on low just to enjoy the sound it emits. If you listen closely to the vid it even pops a little on decel!

As far as performance goes, it doesn't feel any different than the old straight through muffler. It does feel that I may have gained some more response on the low end but it could just be a placebo effect.

I highly recommend this setup for someone who wants an exhaust note that isn't obnoxious and for daily driving.

Awesome! Glad to see an update to it

Dang dood. If my wagon sounded like that I'd have more of a desire to modify it. Sounds excellent. I hope you're doing well my friend

Thanks guys! I'm not around as much as I used to be but I do try to update with new parts and some reviews to help out any readers.

I'm doing well, thanks Ty. Working at Honda as a lube tech right now. The paychecks are kinda nice lol maybe this is the year I'll finally paint the dang thing.

I've been taking some time off school to decide what I truly want to do with my life.

Decided that I don't want to be a mechanic. It's not a bad job, but something about working 8-5 everyday for the rest of my life in hot garages doesn't sit easy with me. I love working on cars, but I wouldn't want to do it forever.

Decided that I do want to finish college and get a bachelor's in mechanical engineering. I really really really want to work for a suspension company. Or design and engineer interiors on cars. Man that'd be like living the dream.

It's good hearing from you guys.

yeah life is busy for us all now it seems

at least you're thinking about these important questions now, instead of wasting a lot of your life going down a path you aren't sure about.

I don't think doing anything from 8-5 for the rest of my life sits well with me... unfortunately, I'm figuring that out now that I'm almost 30 :/ lol

Hey Kenny, like the updates man. Car looks great as usual. Seems like if you stick it out at the dealership as a mechanic a while, and go to school, you could possibly transition easily within the company.

Hey! Good to see you, sir! I love that your sig reminds me of CCC. Man those were the days!

That's actually a very good point. I'd like to finish school as soon as possible (before I'm 27) but that'd be hard to do being a full time mechanic. I'll have to talk to my boss and see if he'd give me some flexibility. If not then that's okay. Plan B is to start some sort of internship during school. After taking some time off, I realize how important education is.

Man, that is an old sig...as is yours lol. I actually have some new wheels coming in Friday so updates will be coming soon. Including a new sig

And good luck with your future plans. But yea, if you plan to go to school, give your boss a heads up on what your trying to do. You never know what doors might open up. And if he seems to shut down the idea, you can do like you said and stick with plan b.

yeah I remember "making" Kenny's sig.... good times

anything new done to this kenny?

its been a while

Hey guys!

Wow it's been a while. Not sure where to start...

I guess I'll start with this (TLDR):

I was helping a friend look for a Camaro and not knowing much about Camaros I watched reviews on YouTube. I then ran across this video:


Sitting there inspired, I thought to myself, "I wonder how much these go for."

Straight to Craigslist I went.

"240sx Convertible w/ 5 speed swap $3500.

Checked out the car and it had zero leaks, all interior panels, straight body.

Owner was really nice and he took care of the car. He owned two 7th gen Corollas and 2 S13s. He wanted to sell the car because he had too many and he was going to school so he needed cash.

After the test drive I worked out a deal with the owner and I got the keys to this:
2016-11 by Kenny, on Flickr



I've never been a fan of any convertible. Never liked them, never thought I'd own one. They're too feminine and the body structure isn't as rigid as it could be. But when I took it for a drive I couldn't help but love that open top. You just feel like you're engaged with the world around you. Like you're actually there, and not caged.

Even with the top up, it doesn't take much away from the natural lines of the 240 in my opinion.

As soon as I could I updated the cooling system.  OEM thermostat, OEM waterpump, ISR radiator hoses, Nismo radiator cap, and a flush.

Put 4000 miles on her in a span of 2 months. She makes for an excellent cruiser and feels solid reliable in stock form. It's like driving on a cloud!

Within the first week of owning her, I've gotten a peace sign from an ongoing 350z owner. I was caught off guard so I replied with my own peace sign in a quick awkward fashion. Nontheless it felt pretty cool to be acknowledged by other enthusiasts!

I've gotten compliments from a BMW 3 series drifter at a gas station. We chatted about the car and LSDs.

My mom loves sitting in the car with the convertible top down at night on our driveway. She even called her sister over to check out the car when I got it. So my mom thinks my car is cool. It's odd, considering she has never seem so interested in any car ever, but I'll take it!

My sister begs me to teach her how to drive manual so she can drive the car.

When eating at a restaurant, I sat near a window that gave me a full view of my car. I observed a few females taking a gander at the car while their husbands/boyfriends ignored it.

Washing the car, two little girls on their tricycle, no older than six, stopped and said, "We like your car!"

So I came to the conclusion that...

I. Have. A. Chick's. Car.

And I have zero RAGRETS.

The car is such a pleasure to drive, and being rear wheel drive it just feels natural in terms of balance.

Of course I still have the Corolla. I won't ever get back the money, time, and memories in that car. I will always love that car.

2016-4 by Kenny, on Flickr

2016-12 by Kenny, on Flickr[/size]

oh wow, it's an update and new pics! Thanks for sharing, always glad to see it

Still rocking the two tone on the Corolla too, nice. Been rocking a two-tone all year myself, and now I understand , it's not bad at all lol

Glad to see your complete build thread man! Very nice job!

New ride! I like!

Any updates on the cars?