Blaze's AE86

[Blaze0010]

it's been awhile, but here some updates!
On the last day of 2024 i managed to start the engine for the first time, after discovering i've rebuilt the distributor turned 180 degrees
After fixing that, it started just fine, and once the timing was perfected, it has run good since!
I had to fix some errors on the ecu, all due to a mismatch between the EUR engine loom and the JAP dashboard loom with some of the sensors.
Traced and spliced the wire in the ECU and all the codes were gone!
I was able to sort out all the wiring issue, and the dashboard is 100% functional now.
Mechanically the car is ready now, just need to change the rear calipers since the handbrake don't hold even with new cables.
As you can see from the photos i was then able to restore all the interior plastics and headliner.
The headliner come from a 2-door, but with some cardoboard and minor adjustment, it fits just right.
The interior paint look fine, maybe just the door card are a bit too shiny, but i hope that the clear will dull with time.
Carpet is from ACC, purchased on RockAuto, i don't really think that is the OEM color, but i really like and it looks just right to me, considering the maroon/brown interior.
In a few weeks i will have all the seat, front and rear, reupholstered, and with a boot carpet on the way from Japan, interior will be done!
I am now working on the last body pieces missing, and if all goes well i could be able to try and tackle the inspection in a couple of months!

[decryphe]

Absolutely beautiful project! Super nice that it's now all coming together.

Since you're investing in the OEM chairs right now: Do you have access and imagery of which bits and pieces like to start squeaking?

My driver's seat is a little wobbly sideways and squeaks.

[Blaze0010]

(04-30-2025 03:46 PM)decryphe Wrote:  Absolutely beautiful project! Super nice that it's now all coming together.

Since you're investing in the OEM chairs right now: Do you have access and imagery of which bits and pieces like to start squeaking?

My driver's seat is a little wobbly sideways and squeaks.

I will disassemble the seats soon, so i can definitely take a look and send you some pictures so you can maybe figured it out!

[Blaze0010]

Just received the cloth sample for the seats!
The fabric is this one https://online-meubelstoffen.nl/product/...of-seven/.
The suggestion come from i believe Ivan141 who responded me on the AE86 Europe group on Facebook
Looking to several photos i would say that the Saffron and Dark Brown are the two closest color to OEM, but i must admit that the Scarlet one is definitely good looking!
The Saffron looks very similar, maybe just a little to orange than needed.
Still undecided, i will check with the seats i have, in the unfaded section on the back

[banpei]

I personally would go for Scarlet.
Also, the scan of the brochure does not represent what it looks like in real life. Those scans are at least 22 years old (that's how long ago I downloaded them from Club4AG), and the scanner technology is much better today. This is my own scan of the same pages:

As you can see, the colour is still popping, but it's not that orange.

Also, this is an official press photo from Toyota with the interior from the other side:

[Blaze0010]

Yes i figured that the scan is probably not the ideal reference for the colors due to the age and also the original photo which seems to have a very unnatural lightning.
I went to check directly with the front seats i have mounted right now, in the unfaded part on the back, and indeed the Scarlet, even if a bit too red and bright, is still the most similar one!
It helps that i also really like the Scarlet!
The brown section, in some low light condition looks almost identical to OEM, but i believe is just a little less dark than it should be, but overall it match with the Scarlet well and i think is a good fit.
Still undecided on what to do with the (i believe) vinyl section. On both the front seats it holds well and it's scratched or ruined, but has faded as usual to the dark blue, while in the back is another color completely and really not that well kept.
Since the headrest seems quite complex to cover, i don't know if it's best to try and match dark blue also on the back seat.
Here some other pictures of the fabric with the seats. Light is not the best but i've tried to take some photos with different lightning.

[banpei]

Scarlet looks indeed the closest.
Which fabric did you choose for the headrests? I do see some samples of the vinyl/skai fabric in your photos.
The reason for asking is that I need to create new ones for mine as well:

I replaced them with the EU seat covers (on the left), but they are slightly different from the Japanese ones, and the colour is off. The fabric of my original seats is in great condition, so my initial plan was to switch the headrests of the two. But perhaps I could recreate the originals with similar fabric.

[decryphe]

Just to add to this, I actually went with a brighter orange to contrast with the more wine red plastic trim pieces, as "slightly off" is worse than "plain different", in my opinion. Here's the pics from when I got my seats done:
- https://www.aeu86.org/forum/Thread-JDM-G...#pid169839
- https://www.aeu86.org/forum/Thread-JDM-G...#pid170668

I don't know the brand of the cloth, but it's been super sturdy, quite a bit stronger than the original, but not as fine grained on the surface. I'm happy with the result, it's a very durable cloth. Also, the chairs got much stiffer foam, so they feel almost like bucket seats.

[Blaze0010]

Yes i've requested some samples of fake leather of the same brand (textaafoam), more precisely is called Aston, while the velvet is called Seven.
I am not really satisfied of the fake leather, while it seems a good product, i doesn't look to have the same kind of finish compared to the oem.
The oem is smooth and more lucid, while this one is more soft the touch and doesn't reflect the same.
I was thinking to try with a more generic vinyl found on amazon that looks more like the original one.

---

They indeed look quite nice, and even if the material is not the same, it has a nice look!

(05-13-2025 03:20 PM)decryphe Wrote:  Just to add to this, I actually went with a brighter orange to contrast with the more wine red plastic trim pieces, as "slightly off" is worse than "plain different", in my opinion. Here's the pics from when I got my seats done:
- https://www.aeu86.org/forum/Thread-JDM-G...#pid169839
- https://www.aeu86.org/forum/Thread-JDM-G...#pid170668

I don't know the brand of the cloth, but it's been super sturdy, quite a bit stronger than the original, but not as fine grained on the surface. I'm happy with the result, it's a very durable cloth. Also, the chairs got much stiffer foam, so they feel almost like bucket seats.

[Ivan141]

Oh, so that was you, cool to see some follow up.
I suggested Seven because it was pretty similar in terms of material feel, but mostly because the color 'cappuccino' is a near exact match for the original cream (beige) interior.
And it doesnt break the bank. I think I would be happy with the scarlet color myself.
Did my own seats in completely different materials that look nothing like oem, but if I had the red/brown interior I think I would stick with something original-adjacent too.

Here's some cream rear seats I did next to sunfaded originals.