Ledge's '93 AE-101 Levin Daily

Thanks guys for the warm welcome in the welcoming section, thought I must contribute in the build section.

This is my '93 (facelift) Levin daily driver:
Photo's taken before a good wash down last week, have since replaced the filthy looking broken hub capped wheels with 15" factory BZ-R alloys from my donor for my AE-111 build.

Engine:
4AGE 20v Silvertop
-Completely factory standard

Exterior:
Factory Side Skirts
AE-111 15" BZ-R Alloys
GT-Z Bonnet

Interior:
AE-111 Levin (1996 version) Steering Wheel
TRD Leather 5-Speed Gearknob
AE-111 Floor Mats

In the not so Distant Future:
GT Monroe Gas Shocks w/ King Sring Super Low Springs
2.25" exhaust system (catalytic converter back), 1x Coby resonator w/ 3" tip.











Engine bay is soooo much cleaner now, outdated photo this one.



These are the alloys I have just fitted, and they do look great!


Off to the panel beaters in the next week or two to fix up the clear coat peel and spray the GT-Z bonnet. Also, waiting on a factory GT-Z cat-back exhaust system I managed to source.

Plan with her is to have a nice, tidy factory looking example daily to drive the partner and the buddies around in. Nothing overly flash.

Opinions and so on, all welcome!

very nice mate, looks super clean.

any interior pics?

She's a beauty man!

More pics needed!!

Sorry guys, will get an interior pic and more when she is back from the beaters. All is going well with her though, replaced a CV joint and doing a CV boot this weekend.

She really does run well for an old girl!

UPDATE TIME

So has been a while since the daily got an update. Here is how she currently drives.







Basically since the last update, you can see the BZ-R alloys are on, and yes, the old girl has STILL yet pay a visit to the panel beaters to have the bonnet and clear coat peel tidied up.

BUT, I think I have a good enough excuse why this is the case.

These came up for my AE-111 project, I HAD to have them!



A pair of Recaro SR3 seats at an absolute STEAL of a price, so I used the money for the panel beaters to help pay for them.
Although not to worry, the panel beaters is still high priority on the to-do list.

Now onto the interior, I can pretty much say I am happy with it now, have really tidied it up to a much comfier feel about her.



As you can see, I have joined the TRD Leather Gear Knob Club, lol. Excuse the surface dust, just need to give her another clean with the vacuum on the carpet and mats and a surface wipe down. The surfaces are clean under the dust as I spent an entire afternoon cleaning every nook and cranny with Armour All Car Interior Surface cleaner of some sort.
Even installed some 'doof doof' in the boot and an amplifier under the passenger seat for when going places with the fellas or the partner.
Oh yeah, I took this photo this afternoon while I was getting the car ready for her first Warrant of Fitness under my ownership. In New Zealand, we have to have a working horn, where my BZ-R steering wheel had a different horn plate and adapter that isn't compatible with the AE-101, so I'm forced to put my old AE-111 steering wheel on from an older model that works the horn fine. This is the older steering wheel in the photo. I'll put the BZ-R steering wheel back on after she passes, just really need to fabricate a horn connector for it, shouldn't be too bad/hard.

Pretty much now just collecting parts to give her a full service (gearbox/motor oil drain/replace, filters, check brake pads, etc etc..)

TO DO LIST:
Panel Beaters -Have bonnet and clear coat fixed up.

Exhaust System -Too hard to find a factory GT-Z twin exhaust system within the country so just going to take the one from my donor BZ-R which I don't need for the AE-111 project, sounds great on the BlackTop 4AGE.

Replace Shocks and Springs -Current shocks are SHOT, still have yet to install my Monroe GT Gas Shocks with King Spring Super Lows around them that I originally used on my AE-111 before the coilovers went in her.

Full Service -Currently working on it and collecting parts her and there. Genuine, new Toyota parts only.

Anyway I do have a question to end with.
My car was one that came from factory without a catalytic converter, I do have a spare one and want to put it in to help the emission levels a wee bit. The spare one I have came from my donor BZ-R funny enough, so should be a straight bolt in where one of the mufflers is. Has anyone ever put a catalytic converter on a car that originally didn't have one? Is there anything I am missing and I should consider before I do this?

Bit text heavy, but that is where I'm up to with her.

Loving the work, especially the seats

about the cat, it should go straight in no problems, however you will lose power as you are adding a restriction into the system, if you want to help emmisions use a sports cat, 100 cell or something similar.

Thanks Milb, I realise that with cats as I had it removed on my AE-111. Hmm, we'll see.

Doing the world a favour where I can, as being a daily car, I'd say the HP robbed from a factory cat is hardly noticeable

Very nice work and I especially love the seats. I'd say, personally, if it's your Daily, get the shocks/struts done first. Those can get to be a pain.

My rear left strut is blown, and both rear springs are completely sagging. It's a terrible ride. I have the struts/mounts/springs to replace them, but I'm waiting for other bits. So I know what it's like to ride like that haha.

woohoo, new pics! AWESOME SEATS!!!

Wouldn't happen to be the counterstriker/GPForums Ledge?

Oh how I love the two tone on these

Yup, I sure am.

Gotta meet up here on sunday if u feel like a 8hr cruise first

Thanks for the invite mate, but I may have to pass on this due to petrol costs, work, etc etc.

Next meet down in the Wellington area? Lollllllllll

UPDATE on the daily.

Started servicing her the other weekend.

-Coolant was fine so didn't touch it. Will do a full flush maybe 6 months down the track.
-Changed engine oil and filter.
-Have new brake pads, front and rear.
-Fixed an oil leak coming from behind the oil filter. Using my 4AGE blacktop service and repair manual as a reference (Japanese translation ), managed to pin the leak down to a couple of o-rings in the oil filter housing. Has been bone dry since. Turns out the two o-rings I replaced cost me $68 from Mr. Toyota.. Apparantly they are updated o-rings from the factory spec ones (made of more than just rubber?) and will last a whole lot longer.
-Replaced passenger side C.V joint.

STILL TO DO

-Replace brake fluid, power steering fluid.
-Replace gearbox oil.
-Driver side C.V boot.

are they the green o'rings

1993 fxgt wrote:

are they the green o'rings

Nah, nah they were black. They felt like rubber to me, Mr. Toyota says otherwise ..

When i did mine i got green ones from toyota

They sound like the ones I got, worked a treat

UPDATE:

Just got the old girl back from the panel beaters. My goodness! She shines!

Had the black GT-Z bonnet sprayed matching green colour, fixed up ALL paint damage and clear coat peel around her and even polished up my headlights.

Turned out ONEHUNDYMILLIONDOLLAR! Will post up pics when I have a second in day light to take some photo's.

I feel the 'every stone chip will be accounted for' fever coming on for the freshly sprayed bonnet already, lol.

PICS TO COME

cant wait to see pics

idd... PICS!

Nice work! Those seats are awesome!

Pics dude! haha, sounds awesome.

Not the flashest weather today, but here is how she now stands. Other than the panel work, the daily has had slow progress with what I want to accomplish with her due to most my efforts going towards the AE-111.













She officially no longer looks like a pick-a-part promotional car! Also, no more paint damage!

Almost there, other than a few general service issues to sort out which I'm chipping away at, the 'to-do' list as it stands:

-Catalytic Converter Back exhaust System (2.25" w/ 1 Coby Resonator & 2.5" tip) Sounded awesome on my BT 20v

-Monroe GT Gas Shocks all around w/King Spring Super Lows

-Fix up rear parcel speaker tray (is a flippin' mess from last owner, roughest speaker installation job I've seen, looks like ice cream containers as spacers ..) Will get the brother to make me up some nice spacers and carpet the surface to cover the bothced previous job.

Have also discovered a leak coming from the rear engine seal, will get that sorted when the clutch gets replaced next. Do it all at the same time.

Thanks for looking!