Lowering Springs

trpldblr · Post by **trpldblr** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:50 pm

I've tried lookimg for lowering springs for my tercel (85 hatchback) but to no avail. Any suggestions? Also I've searched endlessly for tercel SR5 hatchback spoiler and body moldings anybody know where to get them?

Gasoline Fumes · Post by **Gasoline Fumes** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:53 am

The shorter FX16 rear struts fit, and then you can use any rear lowering spring meant for an FX16. I'm not sure what fits in the front.

takza · Post by **takza** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:01 am

The EASY WAY is here....

<a href='http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=70' target='_blank'>http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php ... =7&t=70</a>

I've used the SADDLE type spring "booster" to clamp all 4 springs down on a car...lowers the car and stiffens it. I'ts low tech and you can't brag about it...but it is effective.

If you check the ride height for your car...it's probably already lowered due to spring sag?

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 8:20 am

............
If you have a 4wd why the heck would you want to lower it?? Just where do you live? Dude...

As for body mouldings, I think the 92 Civic Hatchbacks front spoiler will fit, with a little forming. Side skirts and rear bumper along with spoiler... You may be on your own. For side skirts, generic ones might be able to be used, and for a spoiler, you cab fit just about any spoiler on, but it will not be too functional as our back ends were not designed to have downforce on them. You could reinforce it to make it work though. I would look for Civic wagon or some other Wagon spoilers, just to ATTEMPT to match the lines. Just any ole spoiler will look disgustingly obscene. Make it all look right and you could potentially bring the Tercel's "street cred" up a few "points". lol.

For lowering, I can say this. You will need custom struts ALONG with your springs. Bottoming out your struts and shocks will kill them faster than you probably want to buy new ones. If all you want is some "rake" then I'd throw Monroe air shocks on the back and air them up fairly high. If you want true lowering, I'm go with what Takza suggested. And make sure you look for duely shortened struts and shocks. Shocks in the back, struts up front.

If you are going to screw over your 4wd utility, then why not look into turning the 4wd into an AWD with central differential? I know I've asked about it but never really got a straight answer for if it was possible or not. Maybe a viscous coupling from Subaru would work? I'd only suggest Subaru's as I've heard a lot of bad from other companies.

trpldblr · Post by **trpldblr** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:33 pm

Hiya typrus, I dont have a 4WD, my tercel is a 85 3 door hatchback (checkout my profile). I'm interested in lowering so my 15" rotas will look even better on it. I have a friend over here at PR he has a tercel SR5 hatchback, he made it turbo, it's really nice ($13,000 spent on it) but what he did was cut the stock coils. I ain't gonna do that. Wish there were some eibachs or intrax springs available for it.

PS The body moldings I meant are the side bars that say sr5 and the spoiler I meant is the stock rear spoiler that sr5 3 door hatchbacks have. Any out there?

Lateer · Post by **Lateer** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 6:13 pm

Er...
Isn't this the Tercel 4WD forum?

I didn't realise we were dealing with the other forms of Tercel as well...

trpldblr · Post by **trpldblr** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 6:21 pm

OK bud, go ahead, pick on the newbie. It's alright I'll pay my dues.
But truthfully isn't my tercel related enough? There practicaly brothers not some distant cousin.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 8:12 pm

Well hey. Its for people with an interest in our cars, right? We have Civics and other vehbicles here, no need to fuss over a HB. Besides, he might be ready to convert it to 4wd/AWD. j/k lol. I'd imagine thats difficult. In a big way. But at any rate, he just wants the opinion of fellow Tercel-er's, right?
Are you going to buy a Terc 4wd in the future/have any thoughts? That would be a good place to start.

GTSSportCoupe · Post by **GTSSportCoupe** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:40 am

Lateer wrote: Er...
Isn't this the Tercel 4WD forum?

I didn't realise we were dealing with the other forms of Tercel as well...

Go easy guys. Personally I don't feel there is anything wrong helping someone out who has basically the same car as us without the rear axle. I'd say we are, after all, the experts on the 3AC/4AC engines, as well as the second gen tercel chassis; 4wd or not.

If we start getting folks on here asking questions on how to turbo their '90s tercel, and what sort of body kit looks best and what type of neon lights etc, we
ll send those guys to tercelonline.com .

trpldblr:

About your springs. I recommend taking measurements and then calling a place like eibach and asking if they have a lower/stiffer equivalent. I'm sure they will find a spring of the same dimensions that will work fine. They make many many springs. You can also talk to any other spring manufacturer out there.

About body moldings and such, the only option I see would be to import moldings that came on some of the Japanese tercels. 3AC-Power scanned in some images of these tercels for us, and they looked incredible with the factory paint/molds that we never saw in North America. Getting ahold of these parts might be difficult/impossible though.

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 10:47 am

I support the hatchbacks. Hey, I'm getting one myself, this weekend!

We should cover 1st and 2nd generation Tercels, that is 79-82 and 83-86, including wagons up to 88. These are all A-series engine, Z-series transmission. And largely not touched by the transverse engine EL series Tercel crowd. While the wagons get more of a following, our knowledge extends to cover so much of the hatchbacks and FWD wagons as well. And it works the otherway around too, look at how much 20V Tercel has taught us.

If you'd asked about 4 months ago about the mouldings, I would have had some for you from a wrecker, but I don't think the car is there anymore. Those are indeed tough to find as there are lots more SR5 wagons out there. A 2-door hatch has different door mouldings plus the quarter fender one that's not on the wagon. All I can suggest is scour the listings on http://www.car-part.com (online database of US and Canada wreckers) to find someone with an SR5 hatch - you do this by searching for common parts that they're more likely to list on the inventory - you won't find anything under mouldings - and ask them if they have the mouldings for the car. If that fails, hold tight and keep checking ebay including the international sites.

Can you get some pictures up of your friends turbo hatch? Can we at least find out some specs and how he did it?

shogun · Post by **shogun** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 2:50 pm

i think the springs can be custom made, i had mine done like that
the downside is that the stabilizer bar isnot made to go that lower so the bushings die fast if they are rubber, another thing is i very hard to get it alligned after some serius suspencionmods

but its worth it, ive beaten a couple of sportscars on down hill racing with the mods i heve

trpldblr · Post by **trpldblr** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:46 am

Thanks for the support guys, about the japanese body moldings. I have a friend who has a honda perf. shop, his specialty is jdm parts(not only honda). He could probably locate them. Could you tell me where those pics 3A-C Power posted are posted.

GTSSportCoupe · Post by **GTSSportCoupe** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 2:27 pm

trpldblr wrote: Thanks for the support guys, about the japanese body moldings. I have a friend who has a honda perf. shop, his specialty is jdm parts(not only honda). He could probably locate them. Could you tell me where those pics 3A-C Power posted are posted.

They'll be hard to find because they are used and on a relatively old car, but here is what they look like (the black and gold tercel):

<a href='http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php ... ese+tercel' target='_blank'>http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php ... +tercel</a>

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 9:23 pm

I think I have an 84 HB SR5 back in my bone yard. I'll check tomorrow and get back with you. I don't remember seeing any spoilers on these Tercels. Is it incorporated in the roof rack system?