Project Phoenix 1990 Alltrac Paint Work Starts 3-5-16!!!

Lamont

New member
jonahs_3sgte":2rq6a6uv said:
hey lamont
hows the alltrac driving?
i traded my halftrac off for a mustang
but as of tomorrow i will be a new owner of a 90 alltrac lol

Hey jonahs_3sgte, the Alltrac is driving very well. I currently need a better suspension, and new seat covers, and of course a paint job :oops: :oops: . It also passed inspection and I'm using Phoenix as my daily driver :wink: . Not recommended as gas mileage is horrible and 93 octane is over $3.00 a gallon :cry: :cry: . I can't believe you sold the halftrac :( :( you put a lot of work into it, but upgrading to an Alltrac is the way to go. Let me know when you get it on the road maybe we could do a mini-meet :shrug: :shrug: .


alltracst185":2rq6a6uv said:
What did you do with the cs/rc hood you got with the car?

Hello alltracst185, the original cs/rc hood pictured above was traded to another member rrain3288, for an OEM Alltrac hood pictured early on in this post. It is currently installed on his car in AZ., after he put some serious work into it 8) .
 

jay4prez

New member
Hey Man, hows the car coming along?

I havent even started on mine yet, engine is still sitting in the warehouse, got a lot of parts to buy/need.

Hopefully she's purring along right now
 

Lamont

New member
Hey guys well I guess its time for an update :twisted: . Since my last update I have passed inspection :p :p and have just been enjoying driving Phoenix :wink: :wink: . Dan was nice enough to check my timing while at celi_wabbit aka Flors place. I have been driving around for months now with the timing set at roughly 20 degrees advanced :doh: :doh: . On the way home after our red Alltrac mini-meet :lol: :lol: I noticed that I couldn't accelerate very good and that I was losing power very badly in 4'th and 5'th gears :cry: :cry: . Once I got home I gave Dan a call and he agreed to look at it for me in the morning :wink: . The next day on the way to Dan's place the car accelerated much better and seemed to not have any issues at all. When I arrived Dan popped the hood and we noticed that in our rush to devour some Chinese food the day before we forgot to remove the jumper wire from the diagnostics box :doh: :doh: . Now that the timing is correct I have noticed a dramatic improvement in gas mileage as well as better acceleration and turbo spool 8) . I have also removed the cat and installed my Aussie down pipe. I immediately notice a much quicker spool from the turbo, and also a very pleasant low rumble from the exhaust 8) :smokes: . Next with the help of some expertly made custom fog light brackets fabricated by justjoe & darthripley I was able to install my MKIII Supra fog lights. I can't even begin to put into details just how nice these brackets are, but I'll just say they are heavy gauge steel, remain fully adjustable, very sturdy, and they fit perfectly. I was even able to keep my WTA heat exchanger in the same location with no fitment issues at all :D :D . I also had a custom aluminum intake pipe fabricated to mount a MR2 BPV :shock: . While I was installing the BPV I managed to break one of the ends off the VTV :doh: :doh: , and at the moment it's being held together by JB weld, and some liquid plastic while I wait for a replacement from Toyota. Driving the car after installing the BPV I wondered why Toyota made the BPV standard on the MR2 and 3rd Gen GTFOUR and not the 1st and 2nd Gen. Alltrac :shrug: . Maybe something to do with the homologation rules of the WRC :shrug: :shrug: . I would say honestly after taking the first drive with the BPV that it does allow for much quicker spooling of the turbo following a gear change. Anyone who was on the fence about possibly installing a MR2 bypass valve I would highly recommend it :wink: :wink: . Lastly I decided to heat-wrap the CS/RC WTA intercooler. I used a product from Summit Racing called floor/tunnel heat-barrier. It has self-adhesive 1/4" insulation and also very heavy gauge aluminum exterior, and is rated to withstand 2000 degree temperatures with as little as 1/4" clearance from the heat source :shock: :shock: . I am really impressed with this product because after driving Phoenix for three hours aggressively I might add :oops: :oops: , I am still able to place my hand on the intercooler and it is cold to the touch :shock: :shock: while the rest of the engine bay is Dante's Inferno :evil: :evil: :evil: . At $25 shipped for a 24"X24" sheet, which was roughly enough to double insulate the intercooler, I would say it was a bargain 8) :wink: . Most of these parts have just been piling up and I wanted to get them installed before spending money on anything else :nono: :nono: . Here are a few photos of my recent upgrades:

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Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys :D :D
 

deecee

New member
did the down pipe come with a support bracket? if not, make one up and install. It will save the dp from cracking.
 

Lamont

New member
DeeCee":crmhpbca said:
did the down pipe come with a support bracket? if not, make one up and install. It will save the dp from cracking.

I did install a support bracket as well :wink: :wink: here's a couple pics:

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darthripley

Moderator
Glad the foglight brackets worked out for you - nice you didn't have to move your h/e either.
Keep up the good work on the car, great job resurrecting the car from the ashes - literally!
 

Fox 21 Alpha

New member
effin sick mate, glad to see your getting to enjoy her dail. I'm finally pulling the engine in my all trac (for real I got stuff disconnected I swear), so we're gonna have to meet up in a few weeks. Some AWD fun in the snow perhaps?
 

mike325ci

New member
Lamont, looking good!~~~ And I believe you, but I think I really have to see it for myself-- the heat shield for your IC core-- really???? It's cold to the touch???? WOW. That's amazing!! (I am now regretting selling my WTA, lol... *sigh*)
 

Lamont

New member
Wow guys it has been way too long since I have posted an update. Well now that I'm up from hibernation :? :? and almost thawed out from the seemingly 8 month winter we just enjoyed. I thought I would give you guys a little heads up on Phoenix's condition. I have had a small steering fluid leak that developed once the weather really started to get cold, and I thought maybe it was caused by not using thread sealer tape or maybe some small metal shrinkage due to the cold weather. I watched the fluid level and added it as needed in hopes that the system would hold up until spring for proper maintenance. All was well until maybe 2 1/2 weeks ago when I completely lost all power steering on my way home from work :shock: :shock: . For those of you who don't know this is a very bad thing :bangshead: in such a heavy car. Once you are moving it's not too bad, but at slow speeds or stopped it was one heck of a workout :lol: :doh: . So without checking to see exactly what the problem was :doh: :nono: I assumed that the power steering pump went bad and needed to be replaced. Remember guys 2 1/2 weeks ago it was too cold to check in detail :roll: . So I ordered a remanufactured pump and new power steering and alt/ac belts from Rockauto and also a new power steering return line from 1sttoyotaparts (mine was dry rotted and cracked) in hopes that this would fix the problem :) . I was a little disappointed when I finally had a chance to look at the power steering pump area in detail. It was bone dry and didn't show any signs of wear, but I had a new pump so out with the old and in with the new :wink: . I have to say that the work itself is just awful. The space you have to work in is so small and you have to take the front driveshaft out which involves a bit to do. The brackets for the pump also have to be removed to make room for the pump to be taken out. The front bracket isn't too bad, but the rear bracket is a bear to remove. It is held in by two bolts that you have to remove by touch because once you have your hand in there you can't see anything. To install the pump is not as bad if you remember that you have to position the pump before you reinstall the brackets, all while trying not to break the oh so delicate vacuum idle up valve :pissed: :pissed: . To make a long story a little shorter :oops: it was great to finally get outside and get dirty 8) 8) . I enjoyed myself a great deal :D :D . Unfortunately the power steering pump did not fix the issue. I now have a very bad leak in the system and due to the leaks location I can't pinpoint it. So Phoenix has to make a trip to the shop in hopes that they can find the leak for me. So I'll drop Phoenix off in the morning and fingers crossed I'll be back on the road shortly. It’s been far too long guys, and now that the weather has finally broken, I hope :roll: , maybe I’ll have more updates. Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys :D :D and wish me luck that the fix won't break the bank :lol: :lol: .
 

mike325ci

New member
oh no, sorry to hear about your troubles... don't you just hate that? chasing leaks just sucks... i hope you can take care of it soon...~ i have that intermittent starting issue that i have to look into as well, but just don't want to do it, haha...
 

Lamont

New member
3tcpower":1o6rxjia said:
Nice to see she is alive and kicking.

So, what are your hopes for her this coming summer in regards to work done?

Man 3tcpower, talk about a late reply :twisted: :twisted: :lol: :lol: . I am only planning on getting the paint and bodywork done this summer. I am being realistic and not going overboard :oops: . I would love to do more, but at this time I think it will have to do :shrug: . Phoenix is already at the body shop, but they still have a classic GTO that they have to finish before any work is started on Phoenix. The shop is close to my house so I will be stopping in after work and on the weekends to do a little work myself and to take tons of pics too.

mike325ci":1o6rxjia said:
oh no, sorry to hear about your troubles... don't you just hate that? chasing leaks just sucks... I hope you can take care of it soon...~ I have that intermittent starting issue that I have to look into as well, but just don't want to do it, haha...

The shop traced down the leak to the power steering pressure hose. It’s the one that snakes down the firewall and is half hard-line and half high-pressure hose. Mike aka ToyLextech works at a Lexus dealership and got me a good deal on it. When it was first installed it still had a little air in the lines and would get tight at times, but now it’s fine. It is our fate to constantly repair our cars :doh: :doh: , but it is fun to get dirty :rofl: . Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys and fingers crossed I will have updated pics soon :D :D
 

mike325ci

New member
hey lamont, good to hear about the update... :) i've been away for a bit, i know... been "daily driving" my ST185 a lot lately, and fixed a few things here and there (clutch system, fixed my starting/electric problems, a/c), so things are going well... hope to see you around soon~
 

Lamont

New member
Hey guys, it’s been over a year since I last updated my progress on Project Phoenix. To be honest there hasn’t been much to update really. Phoenix has been sitting at the painters for over a year now. Not all due to the painter either. I have been dragging my feet as well. Well my painter is finally ready to get started, and so am I. It has been a long road to get Phoenix were it is today and I know by looking at it you can’t really see all that it took to get to this point. I have done most of the mechanical work just to get Phoenix up and running now it’s time to get the cosmetic work started. To give you guys an idea of the scope of work that will be done during the exterior restoration. My body guy will be replacing the upper and lower radiator support, cutting the rotten rear quarter panels from the car and replacing them with rear quarter panels from a Celica GTS that are in excellent condition. They are completely wrapped up and being stored in the rafters at the shop or I would have snapped a few pictures of them to show the condition, but all in due time. I will be replacing the following parts with new Toyota parts: front fenders, CS/RC hood, CS/RC front bumper, grill support (ties both fenders together and is also the bar that you attach the front grill to). So the entire front end pretty much will be getting replaced with new Toyota parts including all new hardware. I know it may sound like overkill, but I think it will really pay off with the final fit and finish to have all new parts installed where possible. I will also be replacing all of the trim pieces as well. I’m really excited to be starting on the exterior restoration. I took a few pictures while I was at the shop. Not much has been done, but just wanted to show the state of the car as it sits. The rear fender wells especially are in pretty bad condition. Here are some photos of the progress so far.

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Lamont

New member
Hello guys so the restoration has been on hold for a while. Well it recently started again with the replacement of the upper radiator support and also the removal of the rusted out rear quarter panels. Unfortunately I was unable to make it down to the shop to get pictures of everything being done been a little busy. Also the front end was in pretty bad shape and needed to be straitened quite a bit. I have a few photos of how the front headlights and hood line-up now compared to how off things were in previous photos. I also had the seat reupholstered and took a few pics of how they look now. Hopefully things keep progressing smoothly and I can have Phoenix nice, straight, and painted soon. Here are a few snapshots of the progress thus far. Thank you for following Project Phoenix and I hope to post new progress pics soon.

Here is my van filled with all new Toyota Parts :D



These are the reupholstered seats.








This is the replaced upper radiator support, and the hood and fender alignment.








Here is Jeramy removing the rear quarter panel.










Here are a few pics of the donor rear quarter panels.





 

88gt4DE

Active member
Keep it up man ... Those seats look incredible. Thats what I'm suppose to be doing to mine right now ... GRRRRRR engine
 
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