It’s been a few months since I last updated you on my AE86 activities here in Japan, and what an eventful few months they’ve been. We kick things off with a quick trip to the Ebisu Circuit.
For years I’ve been behind the camera, capturing floating action, first in Australia and now in Japan. But getting behind the wheel? That was always a goal, but never a priority. More often than not, I would spend track day money on a new lens or camera accessory instead. But when the opportunity arose to drive my Levin notchback around Japan, I would have been a fool to say no.
Don’t get it twisted though. Taking Project AE86 to the track was not a decision I made lightly. It took months of arm-twisting from my friends and reassuring me that the risk of me hitting the car against a wall was minimal. In the end they won.
Coming from Australia, where track options are limited and far from home, I knew I had to take advantage of Japan’s vast offering. For many, drifting in Japan is synonymous with the Ebisu Circuit – with seven circuits ranging from beginner courses to D1GP and FDJ level circuits, this was the obvious place to start.
I drove to Ebisu from Tokyo first thing on Monday morning with a good friend who had just finished building his AE86. For both of us it was a bit of a break-in test drive – brave, considering we had no trailers and were expecting a four-hour motorway journey home afterwards.
Other than a few enthusiastic turns here and there, this was my first real time on the track. I had no idea how the car was set up, and from the differential to the steering knuckles it would be a learning curve.
To my relief, the car had a limited slip differential. It felt like a TRD two-way with the stock 4.3 final drive ratio, although you wouldn’t notice until you kicked the car sideways at high speed. However, the street wheel setup was a little too grippy for Ebisu’s newly repaved School Course surface – which is to be expected from 195/50/15 semi-slicks.
After swapping in a pair of RAYS Volk Racing TE37Vs with a pair of throwaway tires inflated to 45 psi, we were off to work. One thing that makes Ebisu so great is how quiet it is on weekdays. We only had to share the school course with a few other cars, which gave me plenty of time to concentrate and work on my drifting technique.
For the most part, the car performed excellently. However, I had to put a lot of faith in the factory gauges. Running the car hot in 10-minute sessions exposed the limitations of the Freedom ECU, which was rich enough to sap the already minimal power produced by the lightly tuned 4A-GE engine with 16 valves.
Here is a short video of a few rounds at Ebisu School. As you’ll see, it’s some serious clutch training, but with a little more speed and confidence I hope I can give it a bit of a rest. Big thanks to Dino for taking all the photos outside the car!
The transformation begins
After my day at Ebisu, the car’s next major trip was to JBeat Customs, a body shop just outside Tokyo in Saitama. This trip has been a long time coming. Over the past few months I had been collecting parts and ideas for the Levin.
If you buy an AE86, you will always have to make a compromise unless you have money to burn. For me, that compromise was the paint of the car. It may have looked good in the pictures, but in reality it was far from great. The painting job was a DIY effort in the backyard, with overspray everywhere and a lack of primer causing chunks to break off on several panels. But most of all, I just didn’t like the salmon red.
When I came across JBeat, I didn’t even know what color I wanted to repaint the car. The shortlist consisted of silver, gunmetal grey, dark green, blue and black, so it was fair to say this was going to be an impulse decision.
Jun, the owner of JBeat, suggested pairing a custom black base with a blue pearl. He was convinced this would be the best choice and unique in Japan, where every AE86 color combination has been done.
After a quick mix and test spray, we called. From most angles the paint looks black, with just a hint of blue reflection. But when the light hits it, it shines blue. This subtle effect was precisely what I was looking for.
Along with the new color I had previously purchased a Goodline FRP hood and a set of Group A style mirrors. These were both AE86 ‘grail’ pieces for me, so it was exciting to put them on the car.
Two weeks in
Two weeks later I was back at JBeat checking in on the progress.
Seeing the car in pieces gave me the opportunity to discover some hidden surprises, mainly in the form of rust spots. Luckily, the team at JBeat was quick to cut them out and replace the affected areas with fresh metal. They also sealed the antenna hole, which makes the driver’s side fender look much neater.
We had also decided to remove the gold from the RS Watanabe wheels, leaving the raw, silver anodized finish. A small change, but one that has made a world of difference to the overall appearance of the car.
At that point, primer had been applied to the still unknown body kit and I was just in time to see some color. Seeing the paint on larger surfaces would give me a better idea of how it would look on the car.
Needless to say, I was happy with the results! As intended, the car looked black from most angles, with the blue only visible under direct light, especially in the fluorescent glow of the shop. I stood back and let the JBeat team finish their magic.
The end result
Fast forward four weeks, and I picked up my freshly finished AE86 from JBeat. To celebrate, I did what any self-respecting car enthusiast in Japan would do: a photo shoot in a supermarket.
Then I took the Levin to a local rice field for more quintessentially Japanese photos, sitting back and admiring the car as the sun sank below the Shinkansen tracks. The JBeat crew did a great job – not only on the paint, but also on the overall finish. The panels that had once been slightly wavy were now perfectly straight, the wheels were silver, and the mirrors and hood were in place. Best of all, the rust was gone.
I have successfully converted the AE86 that I wanted to learn to drift into a car that I am almost too afraid to park at the shops. But honestly, I couldn’t be happier.
Current day
A few months have passed since I got the car back from JBeat, and after leaving Japan for a while, I’m now back and can put the car’s new look to good use. I have put a few thousand kilometers on the odometer in just a few weeks.
I even put together a video of a quick night run around Tokyo. Check it out!
It’s not just Tokyo that’s graced by the sound of 8,000 rpm and the goodness of 4A-GE ITB. I also took the car to Hakone Turnpike and Skyline – only an hour from home.
The view from the top of the Turnpike is hands down one of my favorite places in Japan, especially at sunset. That is, if you don’t get swallowed up by the clouds, which happens quite often when you are more than 1,000 meters above sea level.
And that’s where we are now, all wrapped up in my Project AE86 journey. Big thanks to Jun and his team at JBeat Customs for their incredible work on the car. I’m looking forward to the next update, hopefully from one of the dream circuits I have to ride here in Japan.
Alec Pender
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