Stock St165, where would you start?

BlackDragon

New member
Just closed the deal and paid for a 150k mile stock st165 from out of state. Just waiting for it to ship. Going to get it fully 100% roadworthy and drive it for the next year or so while I get and build up an st205 swap to put into it.

Left rear wheel well has the normal toyota rust. Found a patch panel, so I'll get that knocked out first. I have a body guy who owes me a ginormous favor for some work I did for him. Other than that and a couple of small dents in the front fenders that will also be addressed, the body is clean. As far as any body mods, I'm only going to tint the windows. I love the way the car looks stock.

After that I plan to flush every single fluid out of it and do any needed repair/maintenance that I find. As far as what the car needs, the previous owner says only the struts/shocks are wiped, so coilovers are going to be one of the first orders of business, probably followed by wheels/tires just to get the car sitting nice.

Once we arrive there, where would you start with bolt ons? Are there any "must have" mods for the st165?

Keep in mind that I will be driving it, so it can't be stuff that will put the car down longer than a weekend.
 

underscore

Well-known member
I'd drive it for a while, see what else pops up and what you like and don't like about it and go from there.
 

___Scott___

Active member
If it were mine, the first thing I would do after you freshen up the fluids and get it on the road is add a bottle of Regane to the fuel tank.
images
Regane makes fuel injectors happy.

After you are comfortable that the car is running good, the next thing I would do is buy a cheap boost controller off eBay and dial up the boost a little. Not too much, just enough that you can hit fuel-cut then back it off a hair. That will make it a much more fun car to drive.

Don't be fooled by flashy colors and shiny stuff, a simple boost controller is just as good as the more expensive ones. I am running one like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NXS-BOOST-CONTR ... d2&vxp=mtr
 

Awesome-Trac

New member
I'd start with these which is pretty much maintenance: water pump, timing belt, cam seals, front main seal, flush oil, trans fluid, radiator, diff fluid then do a tune up! At least this way you can pretty much eliminate any problems
 

st182er

New member
for my dream st165 (after a full fluid flush+maintenance)

coilovers
rear sway bar
some nice 16x8 +35 with fat semislicks
Change all the bushings
Strip the rear seats and spare wheel, then DIY carpet to make it look stock.
Short shifter
momo mod 78 wheel
recaro pole position
I would leave the exterior stock

IMG_0433_med.jpg
 

lumbercis

Moderator
underscore":30155mvd said:
I'd drive it for a while, see what else pops up and what you like and don't like about it and go from there.

I agree with this guy. Keep in mind you might find additional things during maintenance that you didn't expect, so plan for that. After it's in good shape maybe go do some autocross and see if anything else shakes out while pushing it hard stock. A well running stock car is more fun than an unreliable modded car.

After you do that for a while you may have a better idea of what kinds of mods would increase your enjoyment of the car. Don't mod just to mod. Figure out what kind of driving you like to do with the car and then improve the things you think will increase your enjoyment.

If I had a stock alltrac right now with all maintenance done, I probably wouldn't do more than wheels and tires, some decent dampers like Bilstein or Koni, springs, rear swaybar, exhaust, boost controller, and maybe an LSD rear diff, in that order.

Enjoy!
 

BlackDragon

New member
I do want to hit 11's in the 1/4 consistently and be able to withstand an occasional autocross outing. That is my goals
 

___Scott___

Active member
If you plan to autocross a stock ST165, be aware that a long right-hand sweeper will send all the oil to the end of the oil pan opposite of the oil pickup tube. This can cause brief oil starvation, enough to kill a turbo. I made that mistake once.

If you want to try it anyway, make sure your oil level is a little on the high side.
 

BlackDragon

New member
Well, for now, it's going to be stock, until all bugs are ironed 100%. IF I autocross it with the stock engine, I'm going to research preventative mods before. I don't feel like being stuck in jersey
 

CSAlltrac

New member
Only one mod will give you night and day difference. Stand Alone EMS with a good tune. Start there and you won't be disappointed. It's also the needed foundation to maximize any other mods after it.
 

88gt4DE

Active member
st182er":3evndrhk said:
for my dream st165 (after a full fluid flush+maintenance)

coilovers
rear sway bar
some nice 16x8 +35 with fat semislicks
Change all the bushings
Strip the rear seats and spare wheel, then DIY carpet to make it look stock.
Short shifter
momo mod 78 wheel
recaro pole position
I would leave the exterior stock

IMG_0433_med.jpg

I want that front emblem/ badge BAD !!!
 

de_engineered

New member
___Scott___":22wwsscx said:
If you plan to autocross a stock ST165, be aware that a long right-hand sweeper will send all the oil to the end of the oil pan opposite of the oil pickup tube. This can cause brief oil starvation, enough to kill a turbo. I made that mistake once.

If you want to try it anyway, make sure your oil level is a little on the high side.

A mod I've seen the V6 MR2 guys do is weld in a divider in the pan to keep the pickup as submerged as possible under hard turns. As per usual, YMMV.


Clean car, sounds like a nice proposed setup, good luck!
 

BlackDragon

New member
Why is it so hard to find good wheel info? I want to run something wider than stock 205, but I can't have rubber bands for tires due to living in NYC. I figured 16x8, but it seems tires choices are very limited. I should have decent room after putting coilovers and rolling the fenders. But it seems all the info I find went with a 205 tire.

The wheel thread has all dead pics and links, and searching the Internet has proven irritating at best.
 

BlackDragon

New member
I guess that's what I'm going to have to do.

The car is currently being shipped, so I was hoping to have the wheels on the ground when she got here. :(
 

BlackDragon

New member
Interior is real nice all considering. Steering wheel needs a rewrap, shifter knob is from autozone, the radio is terrible and the wiring behind it is even worse. Other than that, it's golden.
 

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GT4times2

Moderator
Looks good. Take it a step at a time. Make sure all maintenance is done first, before modding. Check for brittle harness and electrical issues, then go for BPUs (intake, exhaust, DP, MBC).

11s? Hmm. Totally do-able. Just put your plans on paper. Speak to those that are there now, or have been there. Saves lots of headaches and money. If you have DSM buddies, you can ask them about their mods (They have endless resources and are budget minded racers overall). The DSMs cars are not as stout as Alltracs (driveline issues, crank walk issues), but you have endless DMSs (1st and 2nd Gens) in the 11s and 10s.

Most importantly, have a daily driver. All Tracs, once they become projects spend time in the garage. Unless you live in a city like NYC, you'll need another car to take you to work. Experience talking.... Ask to see how many All Trac owners have another car on this forum. Most (if not all) do.
 
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