My 1989 Camry

Okey so i just got back from driving my never before drivin in 2 years 1989 camry. Im a teen without any money and im happy to hear that i can call it my own. Its automatic but my dad told me about it having one of the last V6 engines from japan. All it needs is for the exteriour to be cleaned, new battery, and have a machanic look at it for any other problems.

But yeah even though its AUTOMATIC, what do you think can be done to it. I don't want to make a 10 second car out of it (even though tha'd probably be impossible), and im not looking to stick a giant spoiler with 22 inch rims on it and a flashy paint job, but i want to know what can be done to it to make it a better car over all. Meaning simple engine tunes, handling tunes, or just anything that you guys probably would have in mind. I don't know too much about it and i know that there is barely anything in aftermarket for it. So yeah don't attack me and completly go off on me. If i wanted that i would have just asked for it.

Anyways, i can spend some on it and i'd like to do that, so what ever you guys think just throw them at me. Thanks

10 second gen2 camry wouldn't be impossible. It would require extensive modification & an engine swap, but gen2's are lightweight.


Your dad is... Well wrong. v6's never stopped coming from Japan. The '89 2vz-fe was the last v6 without o2 sensors Toyota made. Maybe he meant that.



You can always swap the E-153 M/T from a 92-93 Camry, or a 97+ Camry / Solara. It's fairly stout. A good clutch & it handles 400-500hp without problems.


The engine itself has *the* funkiest factory Y-pipe of all time. If you throw out cruise control, and move the battery to the back, it would be the easiest Toyota v6 to turbocharge, simply by tapping the funky y-pipe.
The y-pipe sucks tho... It needs to be replaced if you're not putting a turbo on it. It's going to be expensive... Exhaust / performance shops are going to pee their pants when they see the work they're going to have to do!
The 2vz-fe is also the only Toyota v6 with really, really restrictive headers. So it has a little more to gain with a set of headers. Check Australia, they're more Toyota parts to be had down there. I know someplace down there use to make 2vz-fe headers.
All Toyota ECU's run overly rich. You can install a piggyback to lean out the mid-upper rpm range. Always 10 horsepower to be found somewhere in there.
If you get a Y-pipe made, and you have no emessions testing, get rid of the Cat convertor. Another easy 5-10hp to gain from loosing that restrictive hunk of metal.
You can get the heads ported & polished. That can be fairly big money, and loose the car for a week, but nothing else N/A will give you as big a gain.
Any cam trick is going to cost out the wazoo. Forget it.

Avoid any intake modification. It's a waste of money. Simply put... You don't have 3hp to gain with a perfect intake, or 3hp to loose with a bad one. The stock intake is all ready CAI, if you want it louder, remove the resonator.

A Cat-back exhaust also has no power to give you. The factory system isn't very restrictive.




n2o is always a cheap way to add power. A 75 wet shot oughta be nice. If you're running over a 75 wet shot, you need a bigger fuel pump, and injectors / extra injectors.




You can swap to a later 3vz-fe with custom mounts, A 1mz-fe if you want all the OBD-II re-wiring, the 3.4L 5vz-fe simply won't fit in the engine bay. Inches too tall.
You can also do a direct swap to a 3s-gte. That's gonna be the easiest way to make 300hp.




Read on ToyotaNation.com also. A couple of 2vz-fe guys doing some modding. Jetspeed finally did his E-153 M/T swap.










For stuff you can do right now without any money.

Adjust your AFM here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=3196974&postcount=11), and adjust your transmission kick-down cable for a sporty feel here (http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t53223.html).



I forget if the 2vz-fe has ACIS (Varriable intake) or not. If it does, I can show you how to change it so it activates much earlier. Get some pictures of the passanger side of your upper intake manifold, the front of the entire upper intake manifold, and a few closeups of the vacuum hoses on top of the throttlebody.

ooooo *drools over* :iceslolan

thanks a bunch i'll really go into researching all of that.

But what recommendations can be made about suspension tuning and all that other good stuffs?

Is there a chance that there are aero kits in Australia? Because the rubber bumpers on the car does need to be changed (starting to fade and get all dis figured from sitting in the sun).

And the simple fact that its Auto makes it okey right? Like you would go ahead and slap mods on it even if it was? Because i always thought (before when i didn't know much about cars) that it being a camry, and an automatic at that too wouldn't be worth spending money on. But if the transmission could be changed around a bit then hell i'll do it haha

Toyota used the A540/A541 sieres Automatic without major mechanical modifications from 1987-2001.
It's good for 250hp easy without any changes.
A valve body upgrade & aux cooler takes them up to around 300hp.
I wouldn't drive 320hp+ on a daily basis without a full rebuild.

350bhp+ will destroy the third gear clutch pack on the first pull.



Suspension parts are all around, any gen2 Camry part will fit.
There are a few gen2 body kits.







Stock vs Stock, a m/t will win, simply becuase they have less power loss.


Automatics, with a valve body upgrade, shift much faster than any manual can, and are always consistant. All reasons why almost all the fastest professional drag racers (in nearly any division) have built automatic transmissions. Best thing going if you drag race. If you like to turn, a manual is still better. ;)

Looks like another lecture for the FAQ thread...

:)

hahaha oh well shiit i don't care its going to be an everyday car. So all the minor upgrades will be fine wit me. Thanks a bunches. Anyone can keep throwing stuffs out if they want