Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

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duragauge
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My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Willamette Valley

Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by duragauge »

I don't know how I've not stumbled across this earlier, but it is impressive. In 2020 a team from Colorado took this stock 1984 SR5 wagon,

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added a bunch of parts and custom fabrication

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to end up with this RWD rally beast.

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Their blog has a timeline of the build and there are more photos on Instagram.

Some highlights:
  • The engine swap is a 3SGE Beams black top out of a Japanese market Altezza RS200. They say it makes 200 crank hp, revs to 8,000RPM happily, and has a 6-speed manual transmission.
  • They custom fabricated the cage and the suspension themselves.
  • The suspension achieves almost 10” of travel while maintaining a normal ride height.
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Nordical25
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My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

That is really nice and clean build. It must be one of quickest Tercels on planet. Has anyone else heard of any Tercels above 200hp?

The best thing is definitely the sleeper look. It would be hard to guess engine + powertrain without knowing.
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Mattel
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My tercel:: 1988 Corolla 4wd Wagon (AKA Corolla All-trac) 5speed, AC, Power Sunroof, Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Locking, Diff Lock, 14" Corolla SX Alloys with Silica Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, 210,000kms
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Mattel »

Hey, Yeah I follow those guys on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/verve.racing/?hl=en
They rolled that Tercel a while back - no injuries but are rebuilding the car now it seems.
https://tinyurl.com/4na2tm52
Previous: 83 Tercel SR5 4wd, 84 Tercel SR5 4wd
88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
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Nordical25
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My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

Great, more pics. It is so fast that it has been already rolled before I knew of its existence.
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NWMO
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Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by NWMO »

That’s Steve Olona, awesome build out of Colorado. There is a fellow in Manhattan, Kansas that was USAC racing a super-charged Tercel, but I honestly think he rolled his as well.
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Nordical25
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My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

Is there any material of this super charged Tercel? It would be also interesting to see.

Engine upgrade sounds promising but a bit dangerous if all quick modified Tercels are already rolled over. So maybe it is safer to stick on stock 3A and stock 4A engines. Otherwise Tercel 4wd will become an untamed one based on these stories.
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NWMO
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Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by NWMO »

Richard didn’t post much, but I will see what I can find. For typical driving, no problems. Both of these were rolled on racetracks, really pushing the limit. Larry McGrath did a beautiful 4age swap up north. I haven’t seen him post lately, but he shared quite a few pics.
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Nordical25
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Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2022 11:49 pm
My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

Thank you for trying to search pictures of that car NWMO, hopefully I will see supercharged Tercel pictures. I had once supercharger Mercedes (Kompressor model) and that was a lot of fun so I can supercharged Tercel fun.

I see, lots of things can happen in racetrack.

Here is a Youtube clip of 4ag-Tercel in mud track (looks also lot of fun):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCtfF4Cd9a8

That one was rolled too according to video.
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NWMO
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Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by NWMO »

This is the Tercel I was telling you about, Richard’s. The RT4 was 4age swapped, but he has another “clean” Tercel that is super charged that we took around the block a couple of years ago. Keegan in the big lincoln (now sold) is part of the Midwest crew and always under the hood. He is wrapping up a fantastic engine build soon (I think for his 1st gen Tercel?).
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Petros »

there is not much of the original Tercel4wd left,just some sheet metal body. the roll over can be attributed to the all new (and unproven) suspension, front and rear, as much to the extra hp.

it states it is "stock ride height" but that does not look correct to my eye. that is a very costly suspension set up, but looks like a decent job. I do not see any indication that they tuned to suspension for oversteer/understeer, body roll, etc. that may have resulted in the roll over. Though when off road, roll overs are not uncommon. They used a Ford Explorer rear axle? That would be an interesting up grade except they went to a lot of trouble to shorten it so it fits under the body. I wonder if going to an IRS rear end may have been a better option, the Nissan 300ZX is a dime a dozen and has a great IRS, with LSD diff available for it. that has been my "wish list" rear end for an ultimate build Tercel4wd.

also, that is a very interesting engine/trans up grade, the JDM toyota Beams 3SGE, I had never heard of this engine before . that set up however seems it would raise the CG more than you would want for an off road racer. you can buy those engines, with the rwd trans, on ebay for $1500 to $3000. too bad you have to ditch the 4wd if you go this route. I wonder how much work it would be to adapt this engine to the 4wd tercel trans, or perhaps going to the Toytoa 4wd truck trans to get more durability. that looks like an awesome engine to swap in.

I had considered redesigning the front suspension to eliminate the primitive sway bar/trailing link set up on the stock tercel. they used a separate adjustable trailing arm, which is what I have considered, though I would still want a front anti-sway bar that is separate from the trailing link and also adjustable to fine tune the handling. they state they eliminated the front sway bar to make room for the engine, that would result in heavy over steer it seems, also something not good for gravel road driving.

a very interesting build, looks like they knew something about the T4wd community when they choose the Tercel to build into an off road racer.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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Nordical25
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My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

That sounds promising NWMO, it will be interesting to hear what kind of engine it will be in 1st. gen Tercel. And he is also knowing what he is doing since that Tercel was so quick.

And yes Petros, there is very little left of original Tercel so that is definitely no build for the beginners. I understood from website that he has been in contact in community, since he sold all of leftover parts to community including seats + gearbox.
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SirFoxx
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My tercel:: 1981 Toyota Tercel w/ 7age

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by SirFoxx »

Nordical25 wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 1:00 pm That sounds promising NWMO, it will be interesting to hear what kind of engine it will be in 1st. gen Tercel. And he is also knowing what he is doing since that Tercel was so quick.
Hi, im the one who messes around with these engines and what to find their limits. I boosted a 3a safely to 8psi, bumped it to 15psi before realizing the crankcase was filled with wiper fluid (parked on an angle, no check valve on the feed line and it siphoned into the motor). Basic wiper fluid is water and methanol, which is very useful in controlling detonation.

As for the first gen, I am building a 4AGTE with a goal of 200whp. Theres been a lot of details that I am trying to sort out since this is my first major, non-backyard build. I may keep a safe tune of 160whp, and if the tuner and I feel safe pushing it, I may have him make a "fuck it" 200whp tune that I can switch to if I want. Sad thing is, the motor will be capable of 350hp....
1988 DLX 4wd Tercel Wagon w/ weber (RIP)
1985 4wd Tercel SR5 (RIP)
1986 Base 2dr Hatch (RIP / PARTS)
1986 DLX 4wd Tercel Wagon with ???
1985 DLX 2dr Tercel Hatch w/manual swap
1981 2dr Toyota Tercel w/7age (RIP)
1981 3dr hatch Toyota Tercel w/Turbo 4AGE
1981 3dr hatch Toyota Tercel SR-5
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Nordical25
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My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

Hello SirFoxx,

I am glad to know that you are around at forum. It sounds to me that you know what you are doing. I hope that you could share us some content when that 4AGTE engine is finished. 200hp is really magical number for 4AGTE-engine.

How new 4AGTE it will be? I have understood that later ones generate 200hp more easily.
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SirFoxx
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My tercel:: 1981 Toyota Tercel w/ 7age

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by SirFoxx »

Nordical25 wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:36 am Hello SirFoxx,

I am glad to know that you are around at forum. It sounds to me that you know what you are doing. I hope that you could share us some content when that 4AGTE engine is finished. 200hp is really magical number for 4AGTE-engine.

How new 4AGTE it will be? I have understood that later ones generate 200hp more easily.
you can get 200hp NA from a 4age. just takes some head work.

The 4agte im building is a mix of parts. the block is a 4afe and the head is a big port blue top, prolly from a MR2.
1988 DLX 4wd Tercel Wagon w/ weber (RIP)
1985 4wd Tercel SR5 (RIP)
1986 Base 2dr Hatch (RIP / PARTS)
1986 DLX 4wd Tercel Wagon with ???
1985 DLX 2dr Tercel Hatch w/manual swap
1981 2dr Toyota Tercel w/7age (RIP)
1981 3dr hatch Toyota Tercel w/Turbo 4AGE
1981 3dr hatch Toyota Tercel SR-5
User avatar
Nordical25
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Posts: 307
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2022 11:49 pm
My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: Amazing 1984 Tercel Rally Build by Verve Racing

Post by Nordical25 »

I see. Is 250hp any harder to reach with NA 4AGE?

I did not know that you can use also 4afe blocks for this build. Then you need only 4AGE head, cams, distributor etc. which are easier to find than a complete 4AGE I think. Are there differences in 4afe-blocks? Heads should be different at least between gen 1 4afe and gen 2 4afe.
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