Over the years, Toyota 1UZ-FE V8s have found their way into everything. From cars to boats and even planes, the 4.0L four-cam, 32-valve engine is as versatile as it gets. For owners of early to mid-1980s Corollas, the 1UZ became a retrofit favourite, and for good reason – they’re reliable, provide decent power for the compact rear-wheel-drive chassis, and with a good throttle system. exhaust sound good.
It was all of these things that led Jason Vd Heever Thomas to trade in Toyota’s venerable V8 for his 1984 Corolla. But then he took things one step further…
Jason was introduced to the automotive hobby at a young age. His father Piet runs PPT Pro Billet, a manufacturer of billet parts for motorsport applications, based in Gauteng, South Africa, with the wider business, PPT Manufacturing, offering a range of specialist engineering services, including CNC turning and milling. Fast cars are in the family blood.
“When I was 14, I couldn’t wait to leave school and see my dad and his team build a Corolla known as ‘Rooi Kappie’,” says Jason. “Just by being around them, seeing how things are torn apart and put back together with different parts, I knew that one day I should save up and own a Corolla. myself.”
Within a year, Jason made it happen. He sold his motorbike and raised the extra money to buy this Toyota Corolla TE72 from a policeman in Johannesburg. It was bone and in good condition, having recently been repainted in its original baby blue color.
Jason started driving the car to and from school every day in this form, not to mention he wasn’t yet old enough to drive. However, it didn’t take him long to decide that the lowly Corolla needed something a little more powerful than the 1.8L 3T engine Toyota had given it. Jason found exactly what he was looking for in a 1UZ-FE V8 and automatic transmission taken from a Lexus LS 400.
At the shop, the Corolla’s 3T engine was removed and the bay shaved and repainted before the 1UZ found its new home. “I was ecstatic at 15 and driving to school in my Corolla V8,” says Jason.
However, not everyone shared Jason’s enthusiasm for building. “I had a hard time with the teachers not allowing me to bring the car onto the school grounds because I loved doing burnouts and didn’t have a valid driver’s license yet. . But my dad – who’s a real ‘lekker toppie’ [great old man] – knew people and people knew him, so I always got away with it.
The Corolla, which now also wore 17-inch wheels and tires, remained that way for a few years. Then Jason got another itch that needed scratching; his passion for fast street cars had really grown, and adding a boost to the 1UZ equation seemed like a great idea.
“Because my dad always tended to build things differently, I decided to boost my Corolla in a different way,” says Jason. “At the time, Dad was on a business trip to the United States, so I sent him pictures of me holding the turbo in the back of the car. His response was straight to the point: ‘Do you have any idea? what is a kak? [sh*t] i.e. a job? »
Despite his father’s warning, Jason decided to go. Nobody else had built a rear-mounted turbo Corolla in South Africa and Jason really liked its stealthy nature, so he started simulating pipes under the car to see how it could work.
Ultimately, Piet bought into the idea, and when the country was plunged into Covid lockdown, an opportunity arose to get the job done. The engine came out and received a full “PPT Recipe” rebuild with forged pistons and rods, cast heads and new cams.
Meanwhile, the Corolla itself was stripped down to a bare shell and sent for a complete repaint, this time in Toyota Cosmic Blue – the same color as Piet’s Hilux Legend 50. Lenso Project-D wheels also found their way onto the car via a 5x100mm stud conversion.
As you can see three pipes run under the car – two stainless steel exhaust pipes which join at the T67 turbocharger and an aluminum boost pipe which returns compressed air to the engine.
A tremendous amount of thought has gone into crafting the underside, and the quality of the bespoke build is truly second to none.
Other engine modifications include Bosch Motorsport fuel pump, Turbosmart FPR1200 fuel pressure regulator, Bosch 720cc injectors, custom 76mm throttle body to fit OEM intake, fuel injection AEM water/methanol to cool the intake charge instead of an intercooler, an electric gear pump to return oil from the turbo to the engine, and Toyota 1NZ coil packs.
Engine management is handled by a PowerMod ECU which, when set to 0.8 bar (11.7 psi) boost pressure, revealed 350wkW (470whp) on 95RON pump gas. Considering the stock 3T engine makes 45wkW (60whp) and the 1UZ in naturally aspirated form 150wkW (200whp), that’s plenty of power for the lightweight Corolla.
Above all, the engine runs cold. If the turbo was smashed alongside the 1UZ, it probably wouldn’t be so.
Perhaps the best feature of all is the dummy air filter in the engine bay, which caught a plot of people outside. Look closely and you can see the boost pipe underneath, which of course is the real source of air.
In order to create a complete, custom tram package, the transmission, suspension and brakes were all modified as well. There’s a Toyota M75 LSD differential with custom billet shafts, PPT Pro Billet coilovers up front, and Gabriel shocks with height-adjustable Tein E36 BMW rear springs, plus Porsche Brembo calipers – 6 and 4 pots – squeezing E46 BMW M3 and E36 discs front and rear respectively. Jason’s love of burnouts definitely hasn’t diminished, hence the mechanical front wheel lockup.
Inside, the Corolla was treated to new black leather trim, new dash upholstery, and new carpets. There’s also a Corolla Twin Cam steering wheel, a PowerMod digital dash display and a huge – but mostly hidden – Lightning Audio-based sound system.
In total, this final rebuild (for now, at least) took nine months, with Jason – to his credit – doing about 90% of the work himself.
You might be wondering how it drives, and the response is completely linear, with no boost lag, just plenty of traction. If you want to see the Corolla in action (recommended), watch the video here.
Brad Lord
Instagram: speedhunters_brad
Photography by Stefan Kotze
Instagram: stefankotzemedia
www.stefankotze.com
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