A few months have gone by and the Camry (affectionately now nicknamed the "Slamry") has finally been lowered! There have been a few roadblocks in the way, so I'll run you guys through the adventure.
We start off in early May, when I spent most of my time cooped up at school cramming for the licensing exams you've heard about more than once at this point. To break the monotony of studying, I had a few appointments here and there to fix up the car. With the appointment for fender rolling and coilover install at TT Automotive coming up, I had called Lightspeed to double check when the coilovers will be delivered. They called BC Racing, who indicated that the part was backordered and only recently were shipped off. Unfortunately, they were only HOURS late in arriving for my appointment so we proceeded with the fender roll only, which alleviated some serious rubbing issues encountered on the drive down to Calgary for Driven. The coilover install was rescheduled to June 17, 2017, more than a month later. TT Automotive is incredibly busy, so if you're ever looking to have work done, call at least a month early and earlier still if it's changeover season.
With that out of the way, it was back to studying. In an unfortunate lapse of judgement one evening after studying though, I curbed one of my Enkeis while pulling up to Famoso to pick up pizza. I was gutted, ashamed, and mad at myself. The damage wasn't severe, but you could definitely see it and it was honestly all I could think about for the rest of the day.
Superficial but super disappointing
The next day, I headed over to the Wheel Clinic to have them assess the damage. With a slightly higher than expected quote, I sighed, and organized to drop off the wheel the next day for refurbishing. After putting the spare on and dropping the wheel off, I waited a day before getting a call saying the wheel was good to go. After arriving, they noticed that they missed a spot and would have to repaint. Although somewhat annoyed, I appreciated their honesty and was glad that they were not the type of people to release sub-par work. In the mean time, I drove over to Ming Shine south for some bothersome, albeit minor, body dents. They were incredibly accomodating and had me slotted in in two days for dent pulling and some minor paint repairs. The next day, I headed to Jasper Autoworks for a slightly overdue oil change. I told Wai about my wheel curbing story after he asked about the spare and we had a laugh over it. After that, I drove to the Wheel Clinic and the wheel was perfect. You wouldn't be able to point out where they fixed it. I certainly couldn't. I headed home, re-installed the wheel, and everything was back to normal for the time being.
How she stood for the month of May
I dropped my car off at Ming on a sunny Thursday afternoon and headed over to McDonald's for more cramming while I waited. Although I was quoted 3 hours, it was almost 4 before they called telling me it was good to go. Apparently even though I was quoted for only 3 dents to be removed, they found 7 dents and pulled all of them out, at no extra charge. What a bunch of champs. As a bonus, they gave me a significant discount for knowing Gerick (@d_d0ubleg, aka the man with the White Rocket Bunny RC350) as Ming sponsors his car. Score! The manager even gave me some discounted rates for work I may want done in the future. I'm sold!
At this point, it was all cramming from here on out. After completing both days of the written test, I had some downtime to bring the car to Autoglass Soutions for a new front windshield. The Alberta winters and the constant back and forth between Edmonton and Calgary was not kind to it, and there were easily more than 5 big chips. The rest of the front end was still pristine thanks to the paint protection I have. A worthwhile investment. In the downtime I also tackled the roof, which I had been putting off for more than a year. When I first performed the paint correction, I was too tired to complete the roof and it was too high to reach comfortably. However, every time I get out of the car or fill gas, I always see the scraches and holograms on the paintwork and it was aggravating to say the least. Now, the roof is pretty damaged as it is, and has a few rust spots at the front from the years of previous neglect. However, with all paint-related projects, I became obsessed with a perfect paint correction and spent something like 3 hours on the roof alone. The finish came out really well as I had paid Auto Obsessed a visit and picked up some Meguiar's 105 cutting compound, which far outperforms the stuff available at Canadian Tire, which I had used previously. I also spent some time hand polishing the door handle wells, which had deep scratches, and touched up most of the car with some paint and a fine brush.
After completing the practical exam, I was off to San Francisco for some downtime and good food. Upon returning, I installed a K&N Intake on the car for a bit more noise. I know that this is a bit of a controversial modification because the intake air is generally warmer than before, possibly reducing performance. However, it definitely sounds better and my butt dyno believes that it has more mid and upper range power. I also had an appointment later that week to have my rear bumper repainted in the spots that had flaked. The shop I used honored the warranty, but really didn't do a fantastic repaint job. I could still see fine sanding marks and some imperfections. However, I had planned on getting a different shop in the future to do a repaint anyways, so it was enough just to touch the bumper up, even if it isn't perfect.
Which brings me to the coilover install. Yesterday, I brought my car in to TT Automotive for the install. Now before I get started, I have to say that this is one of the friendliest shops I've ever been to. It's almost as much of a meetup and chill spot as it as a shop, and they welcome everyone with wide open arms. Apparently Terence and Teresa (the shop owners) were out on an errand when I arrived, so Alan (Terence's brother) was running the shop. He went over what he was going to do, asked me about ride height, and wrapped up some odds and ends before getting started. We decided on a ride height that resulted in about a 1 finger gap between the tire and the fender so that it was low but not to the point that there would be excess rubbing. We also decided to run the coilovers on the lowest damping initially to let the springs settle and then I could increase the damping as needed.
Up on the lift
I dropped the car off at 10am and by noon, Terence and Teresa had returned, and Terence suited up and starting work on the car. By this time, the front coilovers had already been installed and work on removing the old rear shocks and springs was underway.
The old, liberated fronts. The years have put some surface rust on them, but they're otherwise in decent condition
Now Terence did warn me when I first went to get a quote 2 months ago that the rear endlinks can be very difficult to remove, especially on a car that's also driven in winter, so he ordered new endlinks in advance and told me that if they're not necessary, then he won't charge me for them. Luckily, they came off without a hitch, so that's 150 dollars saved. He also allowed me to take photos of the shop and wander while they were working, which I appreciated greatly.
The new BC Racing rear coilovers, which were disassembed, lubricated with Rust Check, and reassembled to prevent corrosion.
The shop itself was also a bit of a gem to explore. The front lobby is occupied by various model cars, toys, and trinkets. The walls were adorned with photos of cars and celebrities of the car world, including Kato-san of Liberty Walk, Morohoshi-san (the infamous Japanese Yakuza who hoons his Lamborghinis), and Sun Kan's FuguZ. I also met some shophands and other customers during my time, who spend time hanging out or borrowing tools and working on their cars in the back.
Nicholas' Varis Evo X sitting in the shop.
I immediately noticed Nicholas' (@varisevo_lyf) sitting in the shop. He's currently a shophand/assistant at TT Automotive as he's currently waiting for his Permanent Residency before he can start school to become an AST (Automotive Service Tech). He helped out with the coilovers and chatted with me during the downtime. He blew his turbo on the Evo and has some wiring problems so he's addressing those all while stripping the interior and putting in a roll cage to make the car a real track weapon.
Work in progress
Terence's recently dyed red hair almost matches my car's paint color! When I asked him why he dyed it, he said it's because he has too many white hairs haha
Nicholas' other car, a Subaru Forester, on cut springs, STi kit, fender flares, and TE37s
Derrick (@bugiwgn)'s newly widebodied bugeye wagon. The pieces haven't been painted yet so they've been covered in painter's tape. Pictured is Teresa doodling on the tape!
Teresa's 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera 4. They're planning on selling it, and if I had the money, I'd buy it. Terence gave me some great tips and advice on buying used 911's so I'll be seeking his expertise once that's feasible.
Behind the shop was a treasure trove of interested cars, some neglected, some not. Since the shop does its fair share of engine swaps and the like, I can only assume that some of these cars were donors for other cars.
This Hawkeye STI looked like it had been sitting in that spot for a while.
This squatting R32 had a bunch of parts in the interior (I spotted a turbo and manifold in the passenger seat) but doesn't look like it's been moving for maybe a year
Smashed up Corolla and Bugeye
An assorment of tools, parts, and fasteners
Logan (@evof8) working on his freshly painted Evo 8. The color is Rosso Corsa out of the Ferrari color catalogue
Terence and Nicholas fitting up the rear coilovers and fiddling with the damping adjuster extenders
One thing I realized while watching Terence is that he has such an eye for detail. Initially, we were going to put the damping adjusters in the trunk but then realized that they would fit well behind the passenger seats. Terence suggested that we could mount them in the plastic trim holding the seatbelts and the result is an OEM-like finish.
At this point the crew was getting ready for lunch and asked if I wanted any food. Never one to turn down a meal, I graciously accepted and had a great lunch with the TT Automotive family, all while watching Toy Story in their lobby.
Finalizing the fit and ride height
Jacking up the hub to check ride height and bolt up the coilovers
After some adjustments, the current ride height
At this point, I could not wipe the smile off my face. It looked so much better than the stock ride height (aka SUV height) and couldn't wait to drive it around.
We then moved over to the front of the shop for a photoshoot! Terence and Teresa showing off their custom livery!
You can see how it's cambered a bit to reduce the risk of rubbing
Terence took my camera and told me to pose in front of my car!
Terence briefed me on break-in procedure for the coilovers and damping adjustment. When I asked if he thinks it'll rub, he said likely no. On the way back though, and while grocery shopping with a few people in the car, it does rub a bit on dips in the road. I've since changed the damping to 5 in the front and 8 in the rear (it goes up to 30 front and rear) which has eliminated most of it. However, I'll probably stop by sometime and get a bit of the rear bumper trimmed to clear the wheels a bit better.
Sitting pretty in the garage
A huge shoutout to TT Automotive for helping me with the install and their overwhelming hospitality. Their knowledge and friendliness are legendary and are just genuinely great people. They even invited me to come anytime just to hang out! Plus I've always wanted one of their shop stickers since I think they look great and they gave me two and a bunch of business cards! I'll put these to good use. If anyone ever needs help with automotive customization or modification, or want help with a variety of car issues, or have a big car project that you need some expertise on, don't hesitate to call or visit them at:
TT Automotive
14526 - 118 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5L 2M8
Tel: (780) 453 3932
Email: ttautomotive@shaw.ca
Hope you enjoyed my little writeup of how my car is progressing. Currently, I have to readjust the headlights after the install since they're aimed really low with the new ride height, then save up for a roof rack and hopefully remedy the rubbing issue. In the works are still:
- Whiteline RSB + possibly camber adjusters for the rear
- Highlander BBK upgrade with StopTech Pads & Rotors
- JP Vizage Body Kit
- Lightwerkz Headlight Conversion
See you next time!
Gary