A buddy of ours had an old Corolla, an '81, when we were in college. We loved that car. It transported us to and from innumerable bars and parties without once leaving us stranded.
Brendan Alvarez of PSI Racing in Miami also has a thing for an '81 Corolla. His shop, which specializes in installing custom forced induction systems on naturally aspirated cars, does do up the occasional new Civic to pay the bills, but the company's interests lay in "old-school era" vehicles. This is evidenced by Alvarez's own tube-chassis, MR2-powered drag Corolla.
West Palm Beach, Fla. resident Luis Albarran, who has been friends with Alvarez for years, wanted something similar, only street legal. A year and six months later, he owns what could be the ultimate street sleeper, an '81 Corolla that runs the quarter mile in the low 10s at more than 130 mph.
An initial shakedown session at 2002's World Import Challenge in Houston yielded a 10.97-second e.t. for the car's very first trip down the 1320. This run was made with 20 psi of boost. With a little fine tuning and augmented boost levels, Alvarez became convinced the car was capable of low 10-second times-more on this later.
The car's engine is the same single-cam powerplant it was born with, incorporating various modifications to better deal with the increased power output. The cylinder bores were opened 2mm to 87mm, and a balanced factory crankshaft now swings steel billet ARP rods, which in turn link to Arias 8.0:1 pistons and rings.
Up top, the stock cylinder head was ported, polished and bolted in place. Oversized REV stainless-steel valves, sized 44mm intake and 39mm exhaust, are actuated by a custom ground PSI hot cam, which bumps the valves 0.485mm at 288 degrees duration. Tripled-up springs and heavy-duty PSI retainers make sure they seat properly once their duties are complete.
The forced induction system centers on a Turbonetics T-61 ball bearing turbo with O-trim turbine wheel and 0.69-inch turbine housing. A PSI-fabricated tubular manifold with mandrel-bent mild steel runners supports this unit as a Turbonetics Racegate purges excess pressure when the system is on the boil. A Spearco intercooler has been located up front for optimal cooling of charge air, and the front fascia and bumper have been opened to allow maximum flow into the prodigious core. PSI made its own end tanks and plumbing to enable the massive Spearco unit to fit within the narrow Corolla front end.
Of course, the carburetor on the 3TC mill was banished and replaced with an EFI system designed by PSI. A custom intake manifold harbors 85 lb/hr injectors, which are supervised by a Haltech F9 control unit with a 3 bar MAP sensor. The Haltech unit can provide fuel enrichment to 30 psi, according to Alvarez. Ignition spark is controlled by MSD's 6AL, remote-mounted below the dash's center within the cockpit for easy driver's seat adjustments if they're needed.
Some of the most interesting modifications are beneath the car. To deal with the increased torque levels, a five-speed transmission from an '82 Celica was bolted in after receiving modifications to its bellhousing to ensure a correct fit. A Clutchmasters clutch actuates a factory flywheel, which has been dowel-pinned securely to the crankshaft to deal with the serious smackdown the Stage 5 clutch is capable of dropping.
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