Rampage's Super White

41505 Views 141 Replies 17 Participants Last post by cyclehead, 11 d ago

Rampage

Discussion Starter · Nov 18, 2012 (Edited)

NOTE: If you read through this thread from start to finish then you will notice that it is a little disjointed and fractured. That is because my entire account was accidentally deleted by a moderator in the early months of 2015 and all my post were lost including this entire thread. The Administrators had to recover and replace all my post from archives. Unfortunately, all the post that other members made in this thread were lost. You will see some of them quoted in my responses. It makes the thread read a bit weird but I was just happy to see most of it restored. Thanks for reading!

I decided it was time for me to do a build thread on my 2000 Super White:

First, a little history; I decided that I wanted to buy a hard top Spyder in March of 2011 after having admired them for years. Originally, I wanted a Mica Blue but once I saw Casey's white hard top equipped car for sale on Spyderchat, I changed my mind. After a couple weeks of negotiation, I booked a flight up to Burlington Vermont and drove the car the 715 miles back to Ohio. It was a homecoming of sorts as Casey had bought the car in Ohio a year earlier.

The first mod was one of necessity. I opted not to purchase the Works wheels and BF Goodrich KDWs that Casey was running on the car. The car made the trip home on stock wheels and Blizzaks.........on June 30th. A week later, the 16x7 Moda MD13 wheels and the Yokohama 205/45-16 S Drives arrived and went on the car.

2012 look:

I also added the TRD front strut brace and adjusted the JIC Magic FLT-TAR coilovers. The TRD bar made a huge difference in the feel of the car.

The car already had the TRD rear strut brace and Che under chassis bracing.

I have continued to mod the car over the last 18 months. My goal has always been to build a MR-S the way that I believed that Toyota should have built it from the factory. Other mods:

Black cloth Celica GTS seats

LPX rear lip

LPX front lip

2ZZ and 6 speed swap done in April 2012. LR/DDP Header added September 2012

Genuine TRD exhaust with BFT

JNZ stainless steel catted downpipe with two O2 sensors

GT86 6 speed shift knob on TRD short shifter

The car came with the soft top gutted which saves weight and adds some much needed storage space under the hard top

That brings us to how it sits today posing for a few fashion shots:

The car now has the look that I wanted and has the performance that I dreamed it would. It is close to perfect for me. Future mods.........................................................................................................................?

New mods and updates: March-April 2013

Dev Demplator
Red painted calipers
Flat black Plasti-Dipped lower front bumper
Modified 1ZZ baffled oil pan
Ishihara-Johnson oil pick-up extension

Photo from the Tail of the Dragon April 13th 2013

New Mods 2014

FR-S Pioneer Head Unit
Padded leather door armrest
Padded leather center console armrest
2003+ Rear bumper inserts
2003+ Taillights
Corky's Breast Plate

One of my few pieces of pure BLING. Thought the engine bay needed a splash of color:

Photos from Tail of the Dragon SADAS XV April 2015

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 142 Posts

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #2 · Nov 20, 2012

Thanks for the comments guys!

tommy214 said:
Awesome car. Yeah... this is one of the Spyders that immediately caught my eye the first moment I saw it.

Though I have to be honest Steve, I can't say she's perfect without a little more shine on that exhaust tip. :wub:

You got me there. It is not a show car. I built it to be a ridge runner and it has not been cleaned up since its last trip down to SE Ohio. The tip is stainless and shines up real nice when I take the time to do it. Now that you have shamed me I will have to do that. :blush:

j/k about the shamed part.

mitch said:
love the car! get a TRD lip Kit and TRD high Spoiler, Turbo the 2zz and call it PERFECT

I am not a big fan of the body kits because the Spyder is such a short blocky little car and in my opinion the side skirts and heavier front lip add to that look. I was trying to make the car appear lower and longer. I added the LPX rear spoiler to lengthen the lines of the car (it also keeps the back of the car cleaner so it must smooth airflow over the rear). The lighter front lip has a similar effect by lengthening the lower body lines and it makes the front end feel more planted at highway speeds. Then I painted the pinch seams black to make the body appear thinner from the sides. The dimensions have not changed but I think the changes make the car appear sleeker.

ThangCu35 said:
Very clean! I'm always afraid of white spyders because it's alot of work to keep them clean, but you did such a great job. I actually like the LPX front and rear lips, it's something different than the TRD trend. Gotta agree on the 2zz turbo :lol:

The turbo is tempting but it would require a lot of changes to the car. I currently run a Celica ECU so that I can pass emission testing which is required in my county. If I want to go turbo then I have to buy the kit, get a PFC, install it, get it tuned and then move. The increased horsepower would also require bigger tires on the rear to handle it and to dial in some safety. I am running a square set-up which makes the car's handling range from neutral to mild oversteer during hard cornering. I can steer the car with the rear end. A huge dose of HP would upset the balance and change the car completely. I suspect a turbo might lower the fun factor and raise the fear factor for me.

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 21, 2012

xbiker said:
Don't change a thing.
Do you ever go topless? Before I reinstalled a soft top on my car I'd remove my hard top if there was no chance of rain.

The top has not been off of it since I have owned it. I know it sounds ridiculous for a Spyder owner but I do not like convertibles. The hardtop was the reason I bought the car. I was very sad when you sold your hardtop. I loved the look of your car with the top on it. You know there is a red top for sale on the forums right now......lol.

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #4 · Nov 21, 2012

bob12312357 said:
Only thing that I would want to do is change to clear side markers, but who cares what I think? Really nice looking car.

I thought about going with the clear markers. On any other color I would have but on the white I think that the contrast is needed. I still may try it at some point.

LeftCoastSpyder said:
Awesome car. The wheels look perfect on it.

Thank you.

Mateo Largo said:
Great car! Very classy--sometimes with the aesthetics, less is more.

Thanks. I will admit that your red influenced me in the direction I took with the car.

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 8, 2013

Got a nice day today. 42 degrees and sunshine so it was the perfect opportunity to finally get my JNZ catted downpipe installed to replace the stock cat. Wow, it sounds nasty now when I rev to 5500RPM in the garage. I hope it is not going to be too loud on the street or drone on the highway. Sound and performance testing will have to wait until the salt residue is washed off the streets. Photo added to first post.

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 15, 2013

1d0mr-s said:
Your car looks beautiful.:wub: Might have mine sprayed in white when the time comes for new paint.

MR.Spyder said:
Very nice, I love white with hard top

Thanks guys.

It was over 60 degrees the last two days and it had rained hard the day before so the roads were free of salt. I got to take the car out to play for the first time since the JNZ install. I had also installed new plugs, a new coil on cylinder one and fixed a self inflicted problem with the fuel rail. The car is much louder up through the revs at WOT and the tone has changed to a higher pitch. There will be no more stealth WOT runs! While cruising the car is quiet and there is no drone at 70 MPH on the interstate. I was told by another member that ditching the stock cat in favor of the JNZ downpipe and high flow cat was good for at least 8 HP on a 1ZZ. It feels like it is giving that much or more to the 2ZZ. Money well spent and I highly recommend.

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 29, 2013

Finally got a little break in the weather (50 degrees) and started prepping the car for SADAS XIII and the summer driving season.

Parts and task to do:
StopTech front pads
Replace brake fluid
Paint calipers RED
040 color matched PU plastic headlight eyelids
Dev De-dimplator
Relocate front license plate
Black Plasti-Dip lower part of front bumper to eliminate "smiley face"
Install Ishihara-Johnson oil pick-up extension
Modify and install 1ZZ baffled oil pan
Oil change and OEM filter
OEM front crash/camber bolts plus alignment
Front to back inspection.

I will add pictures to the first post of this thread as I complete each task that is picture worthy. If the weather will cooperate I will get everything done before SADAS. It is supposed to snow again Monday and Tuesday!

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 29, 2013

I have red horns that are visible through the front grill and a red nose badge. I figured I would stick with the theme. White/Black w red accents.

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 30, 2013

rcntype said:
Wheels look acceptable in design but passing over the Works?! Incredulous!

Could not deal with the price ($3000 including tires) or the weight (17.8lb).

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 4, 2013

Knocked off a few things in the last couple days. Almost ready for SADAS XIII!

StopTech front pads - CHECK
Replace brake fluid - CHECK
Paint calipers RED - CHECK

040 color matched PU plastic headlight eyelids - arrived but not painted yet.
Dev De-dimplator - Should be here tomorrow
Relocate front license plate - CHECK but will have to see if it has any effect on cooling.
Black Plasti-Dip lower part of front bumper to eliminate "smiley face" - CHECK

Install Ishihara-Johnson oil pick-up extension - CHECK
Modify and install 1ZZ baffled oil pan - CHECK
Oil change and OEM filter - CHECK

OEM front crash/camber bolts plus alignment - CHECK on install. Alignment on Monday
Front to back inspection. CHECK, check and DOUBLE CHECK!

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 16, 2013

Added photo and update to bottom of the first post to bring it up to date.

Killboy.com photo at Tail of the Dragon

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 10, 2013

coneklr said:
Logging in for the first time in forever just to say, About Time! you make this thread haha. The car is looking great and it's nice to see you make it your own! Out of all of the cars I've owned, and there have been a lot, this is the only one I miss!

Hey Casey, nice to hear from you. I hope everything is good with you. The car is coming along nicely and there is not much else that I want to do to it now. It now has the looks, speed and handling that I wanted. I have not regretted buying it for an instant. Thanks for taking such great care of it while you had it.

@TheJfactor
The baffled oil pan seems to be standard on all 1ZZ engines. I do not really get it either. Maybe they thought that anyone that ran the 2ZZ hard would only do it in a straight line? I will have to look at a Lotus site to see what they did for baffling on the 2ZZ.

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 24, 2013

Another Dragon shot by Killboys.com

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 30, 2013

Saturday 9-28-13. Took the car out to run Ohio Route 26 with my son in his FR-S. This is what these cars were made to do. Here we took a leisurely break from the twisties for a smart phone photo op by a civil war era covered bridge along the way.

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #15 · Oct 23, 2013

I have not done a lot to the car lately other than replace the right rear axle and drive the wheels off of it. However, a couple weeks ago I accompanied my brother to Louisville, Kentucky where he bought his Spyder. While there, we met xbiker and bought some spare parts that he was hoarding. I claimed these:

They provide much need relief to my, twice broken, left elbow.

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #16 · Oct 25, 2013

The Ohio Fall Colors RT26/RT555 run:

First time for the Spyders to play together!

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 25, 2013

Most of the group from 10/20/2013:

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 1

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #18 · Nov 29, 2013

Winter mod plans:

Install FR-S head unit (completed 12/5/2013)
Finally reroute PPE intake to behind the battery to locate the filter near the driver side vent (completed 03/28/14)
Buy and install black 03+ rear bumper inserts (completed 03/30/2014 but went with white instead)
Secure the padded door armrest so they will stop falling off when I close the doors (love them but geez that is aggravating!) (completed 4-3-2014)
Added padded center armrest to match the ones in the door (completed 03/28/2014)

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #19 · Dec 5, 2013

VEGASPYDER said:
I think the frs unit will look great. Ive gotten used to having the aftermarket setup in mine with an amp for the dash sub and one for the doors that was in the car at purchase. It'd be great to lose their weight, but I wonder what it would sound like. Can you use Bluetooth with the frs unit or a USB to it? Do you know if it has RCA outs?

Great pic btw.

I did the install of the radio today. It does have RCA jacks. I believe you can do USB but I did not have the cable for that. I do not believe it has bluetooth. I think you have to get the Bespoke unit for that. This is the base unit but it does look good in the car. The display has bluish white lettering and the buttons and indicators are a orange that matches the instrument panel perfectly.

Sorry for the blurry picture but you can get the idea how it look:

See less See more

Save

Rampage

Discussion Starter · #20 · Dec 5, 2013

Not yet. I am going to buy a 45 degree 3" to 3" coupler to replace the 90 degree one that came from PPE. That should point it where I want it but I may have to extend it a bit to get it right by the side vent.

Save

1 - 20 of 142 Posts

Top Contributors this Month