Quite impressive on this orange crush are the Silkroad products. Silkroad, a Japanese manufacturer new to the States, provided all the suspension pieces (panhard rod and rear lateral rod, four-link rear, front triangle strut bar, front lower control arms, and roll center adjusters) and its coil-over kit with upper pillow-ball mounts. This kit is unique in that it changes the rear from a spring and strut to a full coil-over in the back. Other Silkroad add-ons include an engine torque damper, radiator hood cover, heat deflector, and racing clutch.
Since Lawrence was shooting for pro drifting specs, suspension meant everything to him. Additional footwork includes the JIC pillow tension rods, Revolver 4.8 ring-and-pinon gear, INTEC four-point rear C-pillar bar and Tanabe anti-roll bars. In case anything goes bad, a Cusco six-point roll cage keeps Lawrence safe.
Lawrence scored all these rare Japanese parts for his Corolla with help from his Japanese wife. She helped him navigate Yahoo! Auctions Japan, where he was able to purchase the Redline taillights, JDM smoked corner signals, Trueno rain guards and mud flaps, Nardi steering wheel, and the much-sought-after SSR 15x7-inch Dori Dori wheels. Our favorite Japanese parts on the car are the Kouki front and rear bumpers.
Next, Lawrence enlisted the help of Bob Bridge Toyota in tracking down some new mouldings, among other sundries. To repay them for their efforts, Lawrence bought heavily from the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) line. Not afraid to mix metaphors with different brands, Lawrence selected the TRD badge for the exhaust manifold with a 20-valve flange, short shifter, LSD, and for the exterior, the TRD front lip and copy side skirts.
Then Lawrence attacked the car's interior. He went with a custom black and grey interior scheme set off by a pair of Bride Brix II seats and Katz rear leather seats. He's held snug by a Takata harness. Keeping an eye on the numbers are an Auto Meter fuel gauge, Dfi heads-up display for rpm and speed, and Dfi gauges and custom bezel with warning lights for other relevant engine information.
Lawrence was compelled to have a full stereo system and a TV/DVD in the car, so he had installed a full Alpine system and custom mounted a 5-inch screen in the dash to watch "Initial D." The speaker pods with Focal speakers and subfloor system with Alpine 12-inch Type-S subwoofer were also custom installed.
Sound-proofing the Corolla is a Dynamat, while a PlayStation 2 keeps passengers entertained. It's all protected by an Alpine alarm system. This entertainment system has to be a first for a hachi roku, let alone a drifting AE86.
This Corolla is driven daily and also competed at this year's D1 Grand Prix in Irwindale, Calif. It caught the attention of the D1 GP guys, who wanted to have Japanese Trust pro-driver, Matsato Kawabata, race the vehicle in another event.
After driving the vehicle, Kawabata-san said he was happy with the suspension, but wanted smaller wheels and more power. That's next on Lawrence's to-do list.
Lawrence met the lofty goals he set for the vehicle in one year. This 1986 SR5 is a pro-driver-worthy drifter, a competitive show car and a fun street car to drive. Be sure to check it out at the next D1 Grand Prix!