THE LONG HAUL
April 26, 2024
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
BIG THINGS COME IN SMALL (BLOCK) PACKAGES
The owner of this ’77 Chevy pickup got tired of the performance and poor fuel economy of the truck’s 350 small block, and rather than rebuild the engine, he decided to replace it with something better. If there’s an engine better than a small-block Chevy, it’s one of Chevy’s new Gen-III small-block engines, which include the Vortec truck motors, LS1/LS6, and even the new LS2/LS7.
Turn About is Fair Play
Long before the automotive world was familiar with the name Chip Foose, he had already honed his skills working with his father, custom car builder Sam Foose, at Sam’s Goleta, California, shop since he was a mere seven years old. Armed with this hands-on knowledge of the mechanics of hot rods, Chip enrolled at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Fade to Black
Sitting slightly nose-high and looking that much more restrained with dog dish hubcaps framed in bias-ply blackwalls, this ’62 Chevy bubbletop is as sinister as it is subdued. In fact, as smooth as these panels are, one has to wonder if this car has ever broken a sweat or even turned a wheel with aggression since it rolled off the showroom floor.
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’80s FLASHBACK
This Is One Bad-Ass, Old-School Hatchi
Everyone is talking about old-school-this and old-school-that, but we here at The Auto Builder don’t really care about old school, true school or new school. What we do care about is bringing our readers the best damn cars from around the world. Whether we are featuring drift, show, street or drag cars, one thing is certain: we will bring you the best cars that are out there. And sometimes the best is simple and to the point, as if you built the whole car in your garage.
Author
Neil Tjin
Photos: Justin Saiki & Lance Akagi
Even though Brandon Lee’s ’85 Toyota Corolla has been featured in two mainland magazines, that hasn’t discouraged us from presenting it to you AutoBuilder-style. We’re going to provide you guys a different twist and explore this great drift machine in a way that many readers have never seen. In this article, we break down the car from top to bottom, showcase the drift suspension and unbelievable motor, and share the details that make this Corolla such an impressive show car and daily driver.
Dominating the Show Scene
While it’s important to note that this car is a very impressive drift machine and has been burning up some serious rubber, it has also taken Hawaii’s show scene by storm, becoming one of the top Toyotas on the show circuit. The suspension and wheel and tire combo found on Lee’s Hatchi are some of the best that we have ever seen on a car of this caliber. However, drifting is not the only thing that Lee’s Corolla is good at. A rare mixture of show, go and drift is what makes this car exceptional—not to mention that it’s older than some of the enthusiasts competing against Lee! From the one-of-a-kind exterior to the wicked motor setup, this Hatchi is definitely a work of art.
Eye-Catching Exterior
The first thing that caught our eyes was the beautiful exterior. The custom blue paint screams for attention and is the perfect shade to accent the Jubiride accessories. Lee’s Corolla sports a Jubiride front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts and fender flares, plus a j-blood vented hood, Japanese OEM rear taillights, Crystal Body side mirrors and H4 crystal headlight housings. Before the car was sprayed with the custom hue, Lee had the bodyshop shave the door locks and side marker lights.
Rare Wheels and Suspension Makeover
To accent the Hatchi’s new exterior, Lee decided on some pretty rare wheels. A set of SSR MK III rims matched with SSR spacers were bolted onto the car. Next, it was time for the suspension to get its makeover. Here’s where Lee went with some of the sickest components around, starting with the Endless Garage custom chrome-moly rollcage, all the way down to the J-spec rear coilover kit. He also had Battle Version coilovers installed in front and a set of Tokico front and rear adjustable shocks and struts. Next was a Battle Version camber kit, negative roll blocks, rear traction brackets, adjustable traction bars and lateral, Cusco adjustable front and rear stress bars, and Suspension Techniques front and rear sway bars. Once all the suspension components were completed, Lee upgraded the brakes with Brembo front and rear cross-drilled rotors.
Wild Interior Upgrades
Then it was time for the man to go wild on the interior. The Endless rollcage already scored major show points, but Lee wanted some more goodies to really spice it up. For starters, he installed a set of Sparco racing seats, harnesses, steering wheel, pedals and shift knob. A TRD short shifter and Japanese drift e-brake button go along with the Sparco shift knob. The rest of the interior has been done up in a custom black finish and features an Eclipse head unit, HKS turbo timer and an assortment of Auto Meter gauges in a custom pod.
Extreme Motor Buildup
Lee decided not to go crazy on his motor buildup—he went wild! The Spearco intercooler is only a slight indication of what lies underneath the vented hood. Moving on to the car’s performance side, you can see that it’s received its fair share of modifications as well. The main weapon of choice is a Garret T3 turbo mounted on a J-spec 4-into-1 exhaust manifold. For increased airflow, Lee had a one-off, one-piece aluminum intake manifold made, as well as a one-off air box housing the 20-volt individual throttle bodies. A TiAL blow-off valve was used with the custom turbo and the gases are released via a GReddy exhaust unit.
Long Block and Cooling Enhancements
Moving on to the long block, Lee had a mild 85mm port job done. Up top he added a set of HKS cams matched with a pair of Jubiride cam gears. Of course, not to be forgotten are the 440cc Supra injectors Lee had installed. For cooling purposes, a Koyo radiator and an FAL electric fan were used. Lee also had a Permacool oil filter relocation kit/cooler installed. Transmission upgrades include a Cusco two-way differential and 20-volt flywheel with a TRD three-puck clutch. All of this is kept in check by the SDS standalone computer system.
Final Performance Touches
To complete the performance aspect of things, Lee got himself a MagnaFlow fuel regulator, a set of Hyper ground control wires and MSD spark plug wires. Miscellaneous goods added for aesthetics include a GReddy oil catch can, TRD oil and radiator caps, and yards of Battle Version steel-braided lines matched up with Earl’s fittings.
Wow, what a car! Now you see why we had to feature Lee’s Corolla here on The Auto Builder. Not only does this car deserve respect in Hawaii, we think it deserves respect everywhere.
