steering ae86

Project Toyota Corolla AE86

Manual steering cars also use a smaller-diameter spline on the end of the pinion gear. This is by far the biggest issue with the manual swap-locating steering yokes or U-joints with the right sized female splines on both sides and extending the steering column to reach the new rack takes endless scouring of junkyards and forums. Two parts are needed, the actual yoke with the same smaller-diameter spline on both the pinion and column side, and the longer version of the male spline, stuffed into the steering column with an interference fit. The longer male steering column spline is necessary as the pinion box on the power rack is significantly taller.

There are three ways to get these parts, get lucky and find the pieces (or entire steering column) from an AE86 or older manual-steering Corolla in a junkyard, from forums (along with the matching steering column spline. Gimp up a long yoke by taking two much more common power steering yokes, hack off the end of the small spline on one and weld it to the end of the big spline of the other), or take it like a man, bending over at the dealer and buying the parts. We went for option three. Welding together two cast pieces in a critical component didn't seem like the smartest idea-and we strongly advise against it. At the time of writing, Toyota only showed seven yokes left in America.

The last difference is in the steering knuckles at the bottom of the front struts. Manual-steering cars have a longer arm on the steering knuckle that the outer rod end attaches to. The trade-off is (again) slower steering for less work. We stuck with the shorter power steering knuckles that came with the car. Not so much because we wanted faster steering, but because the longer manual steering knuckles force the tie rods further back at an increased angle, which contributes to an on-center vagueness and minor bumpsteer issues. Our Frankenstein steering is down to almost two turns lock-to-lock and kicks back from surface changes hard enough to sprain the wrists of the unwary. Outrageous for an everyday street car, Project Corolla turns and rolls like a go-kart.

To make it even harder on ourselves, we dumped the flimsy stock two-spoke plastic deathtrap steering wheel for a much more solid 350mm diameter Momo Mod 07 dished item. It might seem vain, but the inch-and-a-half reduction in diameter and the more solid construction adds a lot to steering feel as well as placing the wheel in a better position. The smaller wheel does, however, require quicker hands and more effort, and will also kick back quicker.

Another side effect of the new steering hardware is the added steering angle, which now rubs the tires against the inside fender along the frame rail at full lock. We resorted to a temporary street solution by fitting a set of 14x7 Toyota Celica Supra Mk2 wheels. They're half an inch wider than the stock Corolla pizza-cutters, have slightly less offset, which pushes the wheel out a little more to stop the rubbing, and weigh almost as much as steel wheels.

Shop Corner: Diamond Bar Auto Care
While the shop looks like any other gas station repair shop from the outside, the array of Corolla, Starlets, JDM-swapped Soarers, RX-7s and 240SXs in the parking lot is just a hint of owner Ray Gonzaga's vast experience with eclectic Japanese rear-wheel drive. His prized 1983 400hp turbo Starlet race car is also an indication of how serious and crazy he is. But this is a good place to go for Corolla service and tuning. Gonzaga and his team will do anything from an oil change to the rare JDM engine change. He has over 20 years of experience racing and tuning Toyotas.