DSPORT Issue #254
Text by APEworks// Photos by Joe Singleton
“What’s a Carina?” “Wait – do you mean a Toyota Corolla?” To the uninformed, having someone tell you that they drive a Toyota Carina might end in an exchange that sounds a lot like that. Even for the vehicularly-informed, the rarity of a vehicle offered for only two years here in the States, and whose presence was overshadowed by its siblings Corolla, Crown and Toyota Truck, is enough to propel even the most-plain of all econobox grocery-getters into JDM stardom.
Escondido, California resident Oliver Ferrer knew that he wanted a standout vehicle and the Carina fit the bill. “I have always been a fan of old school cars and I really wanted a car that is smog exempt,” Ferrer explains. “The idea of having a classic car and modifying it with modern parts for better performance really appealed to me,” he continued.
Stepping Into the Carina
A quick search of the Japanese Nostalgic Car online forum turned up the Carina pictured here. “It turned out, the person selling it lived about five miles from my house,” Ferrer stated. “The car already came with the 2JZGTE and the stock twin turbos when I bought it,” he explained, “but it really didn’t run right. It had boost leaks and the sequential turbo system didn’t function the way it was supposed to.” To add insult to possible “buyer’s remorse” injury, that Carina’s decades old, factory grocery-getter suspension, brake system and steering components were all in place and begging for upgrades or out-and-out replacement.
The tried-and-true Toyota 2JZ was installed and running, but that was about the extent of the accolades that could be given with the powerplant. Ferrer decided to remove the engine and re-do the swap properly. This proved to be another strike against the project in general as he ran into trouble sourcing original or cross-platform parts that would work in his specialty application. “Parts were really hard to find for it so there was a lot of mixing and matching from different cars, even different makes.”
Still, the heart of the restomod build – the venerable Toyota engine – stayed in place; that is, a er a complete overhaul and rewiring of the electrical system while the engine was removed. “I wasn’t planning on doing a complete wire change on the car but I was forced to since I discovered that the wiring’s insulation all over the car was already brittle,” Ferrer recounts. “The best moment of the project was when I put everything back together, the engine started and all the lights worked on the first try. It was amazing!”
And Then There Was One
The solution to get the car back on the road with the least amount of headaches was the same path taken by hundreds of 2JZ enthusiasts everywhere; conversion to a single turbocharger system. Ferrer’s solution was to toss the mini blowers and re-plumb the system for a single Comp Turbo CT4 turbocharger. The T4-based turbo is a common option for 2JZ owners that want moderate power without the complexity of the factory dual-turbo system. A TiAL MV-R wastegate is responsible for the mechanical modulation of boost pressure, while a GReddy Profec boost controller supplies the electronic impetus for said pressures.
An original-equipment Toyota 2JZ ECU is responsible for the remainder of the fuel, boost and ignition control functions on the electronics side but the supporting cast of hardware to ensure safe and reliable boost from the CT4 was upgraded in its stead. The Carina’s original normally aspirated 1.5-liter anemic fuel pump was scrapped in favor of an Aeromotive 340 fuel pump to support the 3.0-liter 2J and it’s new boosting friend. Similarly, the sextet of fuel injectors normally found in the 2JZ-GTE platform saw themselves replaced with Bosch EV14 units. The requisite W58 transmission transfers the power to the Celica/Supra rear end through an ACT flywheel and clutch combination.
Chasing Waterfalls
The appeal of classic car restomodding is relatively easy to understand; there’s a certain type of sensibility that can meld classic lines and appearances
with modern function and technology and still have the package look greater than the sum of its parts. With that in mind, Ferrer selected a set of period-correct-looking SSR Longchamp XR-4 wheels in a staggered 15-inch configuration and wrapped them in Toyo R888R tires. Knowing the Carina’s factory brakes wouldn’t be able to scrub the speeds generated by the 2J, Ferrer enlisted a set of Wilwood brakes in the front and cannibalized a Nissan S13 240SX for the rear rotor and parking brake combination. Wilwood brake pads provide the friction surfaces to make it all happen.
Inside, Ferrer extended more efforts to have “function as fashion” with an Autopower 4-point roll cage, Recaro Old School seats, Personal Grinta steering wheel and hub and Speedhut gauges. The exterior borrows from other vehicles of the time to retain the “old school” feel; no one would ever guess that front lip spoiler was sourced from an MK1 Volkswagen Golf, and in a final nod to the melding of old and new, one will have to experience the Carina’s waterfall tail lights.
Living Beyond Its Means
Ferrer learned that the TA22 Celica suspension system would work in the Carina platform with minimal headaches and promptly enlisted the help of Techno Toy Tuning (T3) to source a coilover and adjustable shock setup for the front and rear of the Carina, respectively, as well as throwing as much of the Toyota TA22 suspension catalog as he could afford into the undercarriage. However, even after the upgrades, the single-turbo 2JZ is writing checks that the suspension and chassis can’t cash. “I’m definitely most proud of the suspension and brakes,” Ferrer relays. “I tried driving the car with the stock suspension and brakes and I’ve never been so scared driving a car,” he admits. “Adding sway bars definitely helped the car’s handling as well, but I think the 2J is too much power for the car. I love it, but if I had to do it again I would opt for a 4-cylinder engine.”
Inside Job
With a number of trophies and the semi-eponymously-named 6L4 Light Olive paint decorating the panels, Ferrer wants to return his attention to the “resto” part of the restomod and focus on securing a new dash and the appropriate interior paneling and accouterments. “I’m on the hunt for a stock dash and all the surrounding plastics that go with it,” Ferrer states. “In the meantime, I want to go rip the canyons in rural San Diego with my son. I bought this car a week a er he was born and now he’s 10-years-old and the restomod is essentially done.” Perhaps in a few more years, the elder Ferrer will hand the keys over to his newly-licensed son and keep the project running in the family.
