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Dave GRolla's build

21K views 94 replies 17 participants last post by  Wsidr1 
#1 · (Edited)
I will be updating the mod list below as the build continues, including links to the post where I install them and links to the parts, where applicable

Current list of mods & plans, in chronological order:

  1. Hard folding sunshade - INSTALLED (Amazon)
  2. GR branded door cup protectors - INSTALLED (Import Image Racing)
  3. Magnetic drain plug - INSTALLED (Amazon)
  4. Side reflector, 3rd brake, and reverse light overlays, smoked - INSTALLED (Premium Auto Styling)
  5. GR-FOUR 3D inserts, red - INSTALLED (TVD Vinyl Decals)
  6. Painted spoiler - INSTALLED (eBay)
  7. Behind infotainment storage tray - INSTALLED (Amazon)
  8. Door Sill Protectors - INSTALLED (Toyota)
  9. Splash Guards - INSTALLED (Megachip)
  10. "Oh-$#!t handle" sunglass holder - INSTALLED (Amazon)
  11. Key fob protector - INSTALLED BUT LOOKING FOR SOMETHING BETTER (eBay)
  12. Red GR Emblems - INSTALLED (eBay)
  13. Simoyama emblems for the fenders - INSTALLED (AliExpress)
  14. Redline trans and diff fluids - INSTALLED (local speed shop)
  15. Exhaust wrap to protect clutch packs (and rear diff, for good measure) - INSTALLED (Amazon)
  16. Armrest - INSTALLED (SXTH Element)
  17. Cusco pedal covers - INSTALLED (Cusco, bought through goturbo.net)
  18. Armrest Garnish Cover Plate - INSTALLED (SXTH Element)
  19. Black Toyota steering wheel emblem cover - INSTALLED (@MESO )
  20. Short throw shifter - INSTALLED (Forge Motorsport, bought through grcorollaparts.com)
  21. Heat tape for clutch pack temp sensor - INSTALLED (Amazon)
  22. Black Toyota Emblems for grill & hatch - IN HAND (eBay)
  23. Door kick protection - IN HAND (Tom's, bought through Mod in Japan)


I'm still wanting to order the following in the near term:

  1. Black Toyota Emblems: Wheels (Toyota? eBay?)
  2. Black AWD or GR-Four badge? (Toyota? eBay?)

Items I'm still considering:
  1. Circuit hood and vents (Toyota)
  2. Brake ducts (Toyota)



All of the above I will be installing myself. I always work on all of my cars, and hate paying others to work on my cars. That said, I am wanting to have the following done to it:
  1. Ceramic tint. 35% all around, 50%+ on windshield
  2. Paint correction and ceramic coating


Original start of this thread:


Meet Dave. Dave GRolla. I thought of his nickname a few months ago, and shouldn't stop chuckling to myself, so I knew it was meant to be.

Tire Wheel Sky Land vehicle Vehicle



I picked him up March 18th from a tiny mountain dealership nearly 300 miles away from where I live in Denver. A bit of back story; I called every Toyota dealership in Colorado when they announced the GRC (15, IIRC), and put my name on the list at any place that would sell at MSRP. Fast forward a few months, and I get the call from Hellman's Toyota saying that the one person who was in front of me was unable to secure financing for the dealership's first allocation, so they asked if I was still interested. Um...cold weather, technology, and performance pack for MSRP? YES PLEASE.

On top of those packages, the dealer had all weather floormats, frameless mirror, and the GR weighted shift knob. It was supposed to have the door sill protectors as well, but apparently they didn't have any at the port so that was dropped. It was everything I wanted, with nothing I didn't (although the tech package and frameless mirror I would've been just as happy without as I was with having them).

The car had 11 miles when I arrived, 22 after I finished the test drive, and 299 when I pulled into the driveway. I have since been continuing to do the break in procedure as well as ordering a bunch of small parts.





I am hoping to get it out to a track day with a friend who bought a GR86 here in June, but I'm not sure if there are any spots left. Here Dave is pictured with his stable mate, my "Sunday car" to the GRC being my daily, my '92 Skyline GT-R, which I'm the first US owner of. It's very clean, a few minor tasteful period correct mods, and low miles. I also have an '86 4Runner that I call my Parts Runner, since it's been in that role for the 16 years I've owned it.

Automotive parking light Tire Wheel Car Vehicle





That's about it for now. I will be keeping a log of modifications and other notable events/milestones as time goes on. Feel free to reach out with any input or questions. I'm looking forward to this journey!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
First addition, sunshade. Spoiler alert, I went with the AutoTech. I still wish it was GR branded though. Maybe I can put something vinyl on there?

 
#5 · (Edited)
As I was writing the comparison, my GR branded door cup protectors showed up, so I installed them as well!

Each pack contains 2, so this is enough for all 4 doors:
Tire Wheel Vehicle Hood Automotive tire



Can anyone read this? I sure can't...lol:
Font Gas Tree Number Plant




I started the install outside, but it was too cold and windy, so I moved inside. This was a good idea, since I ended up needing to use a hair dryer to apply heat (seriously...I can't believe how often I use my wife's old hair dryer).

I used several methods, putting on dry, window cleaner, a lot of soap, and a tiny bit of soap. By far, the best method was using just a bit of soapy water, light heat from the hair dryer, and a lot of patience. It took a long time to mold the flat pieces to the curve of the door, but eventually they started to accept their fate. Honestly, it would've been a lot easier with a 2nd set of hands to hold the hair dryer, but it wasn't too bad without. I need to remember to check this regularly to make sure that there are no air pockets underneath, especially when it's hot out. I was leery how it would turn out when I first started, but now I'm really happy with the results.


I used a permanent marker to prop the handles up to give a bit more working room:
Automotive tire Automotive lighting Fluid Bumper Automotive exterior



Finished product (I would show all 4, but they look the same lol):
Automotive parking light Tire Vehicle Grille Car
 
#6 ·
Received the corner marker/taillight overlays, but it's currently snowing here, so I can't install them just yet.

I also did order GR door sill protectors though. Should be here in a week or 2.
 
#7 ·
Meet Dave. Dave GRolla. I thought of his nickname a few months ago, and shouldn't stop chuckling to myself, so I knew I had was meant to be.

View attachment 9103


I picked him up March 18th from a tiny mountain dealership nearly 300 miles away from where I live in Denver. A bit of back story; I called every Toyota dealership in Colorado when they announced the GRC (15, IIRC), and put my name on the list at any place that would sell at MSRP. Fast forward a few months, and I get the call from Hellman's Toyota saying that the one person who was in front of me was unable to secure financing for the dealership's first allocation, so they asked if I was still interested. Um...cold weather, technology, and performance pack for MSRP? YES PLEASE.

On top of those packages, the dealer had all weather floormats, frameless mirror, and the GR weighted shift knob. It was supposed to have the door sill protectors as well, but apparently they didn't have any at the port so that was dropped. It was everything I wanted, with nothing I didn't (although the tech package and frameless mirror I would've been just as happy without as I was with having them).

The car had 11 miles when I arrived, 22 after I finished the test drive, and 299 when I pulled into the driveway. I have since been continuing to do the break in procedure as well as ordering a bunch of small parts.

Current list of mods & plans:

  1. Hard folding sunshade - INSTALLED (From Amazon. I hate soft sunshades)
  2. GR-FOUR 3D inserts, black - ORDERED (TVD Vinyl Decals)
  3. Magnetic drain plug - IN HAND (Amazon)
  4. Key fob protector, black with a clear area to see the GR logo - ORDERED (Amazon)
  5. Reflector and reverse light overlays, smoked - IN HAND (Premium Auto Styling)
  6. Painted spoiler ORDERED (eBay)
  7. GR branded door cup protectors - INSTALLED (Import Image Racing)
  8. Sill Protectors ORDERED (Toyota)


I'm still wanting to order the following in the near term:

  1. Black Toyota Emblems (Toyota? eBay?)
  2. Simoyama emblems for the fenders (Toyota? eBay?)

Items I'm still considering:
  1. Brake ducts (Toyota)
  2. Pedal covers or gas pedal spacer



All of the above I will be installing myself. I always work on all of my cars, and hate paying others to work on my cars. That said, I am wanting to have the following done to it:
  1. Ceramic tint. 35% all around, 50%+ on windshield
  2. Paint correction and ceramic coating


I am hoping to get it out to a track day with a friend who bought a GR86 here in June, but I'm not sure if there are any spots left. Here Dave is pictured with his stable mate, my "Sunday car" to the GRC being my daily, my '92 Skyline GT-R. I'm the first US owner. It's very clean, minor tasteful mods, and low miles. I also have an '86 4Runner that I call my Parts Runner, since it's been in that role for the 16 years I've owned it.

View attachment 9109




That's about it for now. I will be keeping a log of modifications and other notable events/milestones as time goes on. Feel free to reach out with any input or questions. I'm looking forward to this journey!

Nice! I was #3 at Hellman, #2 at McDonald Fort Morgan, ended up getting mine in Fort Morgan. I was wondering who was gonna get Hellman's allocation when I saw they were getting one.
 
#8 ·
LOL, nice. I honestly thought I'd get mine from Stapp, but both of the ones they offered me were non-PP, so I had to pass.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Spent some time working on Dave last night

Break-in oil change complete (it's go time now!), and magnetic drain plug installed.
Car Wheel Tire Vehicle Land vehicle
Automotive tire Tire Motor vehicle Automotive care Bumper
Liquid Water Hood Light Automotive lighting


I've always used Napa Gold filters. Someone say something if there is a better option that you can buy locally. This was my first time using Penzoil, as I've always avoided them due to the lower oils being paraffin based, and seeing what that does to the inside of a motor. I used to run Castrol Edge EP in my WRX, but I don't think they make that in 0W20, so I went with what the masses here are using.

After draining, I noticed there wasn't a lot of metal flakes in the oil. The larger pieces you see are little pieces of leaves that blew in the pan while it was draining. Hopefully the low metal content is a good sign and not indicative of the fact that he's not actually broken-in yet. I did save a sample that I'll be sending to Blackstone for analysis.




I also threw on some vinyl overlays (before/after shots):


Amber side reflectors:
Automotive parking light Vehicle Grille Hood Automotive tire

Motorcycle Automotive tire Hood Automotive lighting Fuel tank



3rd brake light (didn't get a before pic):
Motor vehicle Hood Vehicle Window Car



Rear turn signal & reverse lights:
Land vehicle Automotive tail & brake light Vehicle Automotive lighting Grille

Hood Automotive lighting Grille Vehicle Automotive tire



And the most noticeable change:
Automotive tail & brake light Motor vehicle Automotive lighting Automotive tire Hood


I really thought these were going to be thicker, almost like those puffy stickers we used to get when we were kids. Oh well, it still looks good, but it was a pain to install.



Overall, I'm very happy with the minor changes I did last night. It also reinforced the fact that I will never have a career as a vinyl wrap installer, because even installing small overlays like this took forever and they are far from perfect.
 
#10 ·
Which vinyls did you use for the lights? I've been considering getting some for mine as well.
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
Thanks! I was having trouble finding anything but 2022 and older. Now I just need to make sure I find some that fit the tail lights. I'm hesitant to order some for 2022 or older because I don't know if they made slight adjustments that would result in them not fitting.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I hand washed him and installed a small spoiler extension. I had plans on doing more on the GRC, as well as a few things on my old 4Runner, but working on a black car in the sun on a 70°F day wiped me out sooner that I would've liked.
Car Plant Motor vehicle Vehicle Automotive lighting

Sky Vehicle Hood Automotive lighting Motor vehicle


If I'm honest, I thought the wing I bought was larger than this (I intended on getting the one @JimsGarageToys installed, because I liked the way it looked, but this is what showed up) but I do like how this one is subtle. I tend to try to fly under the radar, so less flashy is my typical modus operandi.

*edit: on closer inspection, this is exactly the one Jim used. IDK what I was thinking. Must've been confusing it with an XSE or Circuit install video. Oh well, I'm happy!
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
No real update as I've been spending my wrenching time on my '86 4Runner, making it more pleasant to drive to work on days when I don't want to take the GRC (I have a 64 mile commute). I finally made the sway bar functional (it had a broken end link when I bought it ~17 years ago) replaced the valve cover gasket that's been leaking since I rebuilt the motor 13 years ago, adjusted the idle, and a few other quality of life things. Anyways...I'm rambling.

I updated the first post with a few items that I forgot I had purchased, as well as changing the status on some items that have arrived. I'm hoping that maybe tomorrow I can swap fluids in the diffs and trans, as well as throw on the exhaust wrap while it's on a lift. I also need to make time to install the oh-#$it handle sunglass holder, as the lack of interior storage is really getting annoying.
 
#20 ·
Damn, 64 miles a day?! You hauling your ass down to the Springs or what? If you are, I'm sorry. I was born and raised in the Springs and had to GTFO to Lakewood.

There's a guy on Facebook working on an armrest mod for the interior. I don't miss the armrest as much as I thought I would, but do miss the storage and his solution uses an armrest with a small storage area.
 
#22 ·
I think he's also here but I can't remember the connection between his FB name and forum name. Name on FB is Colton.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Door sill protectors and the storage tray for behind the infotainment showed up yesterday. Was also told that my door kick protectors are on back order, so that's fun...

I'm hoping to get the sunglass holder, sill protector, and infotainment storage tray put in today, possibly even changing the fluid in the trans and diffs and wrapping the exhaust by the clutch pack

*edit: just got confirmation that my splash guards should be here later today!
 
#30 ·
I "installed" this while waiting for my kids to get let out of school:
Car Grille Hood Automotive tire Automotive lighting



It hovers a bit above the dash on the windshield side. Not sure if that is intentional or not. I can't see that being caused by my installation either, but possibly. Does anyone else have this and want to chime in?
Sky Hood Automotive tire Automotive exterior Tree



Underside. It only sticks to the backside of the infotainment:
Vehicle Hood Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive lighting



Knob for scale:
Vehicle Motor vehicle Bag Reflex camera Automotive design



My phone (samsung s22 ultra) won't fit in the larger side. Not sure what use this will get, but I figure I'll try it for a bit and if it's not used, I'll pull it out.
 
#31 ·
The 4th key protector actually fits (barely...I had to hit it with a hair dryer to get it hot). Unfortunately, it doesn't have a window to see the GR logo on the backside, the Toyota logo isn't centered in the opening, and it's everyone's favorite finish...piano black...

I'm open to other suggestions

Communication Device Finger Gadget Thumb Gas

Watch Automotive lighting Communication Device Finger Gesture
 
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#32 · (Edited)
Busy day. I had previously noticed a couple of bubbles on the door cup protectors, so I addressed that first. I tried everything to push the bubbles out, but was unsuccessful. I ended up popping the bubbles with a dental pick. Time will tell if that becomes an issue, but I'm fairly sure it'll be ok.


Then, I installed what should've came with the car as part of the "style package", door sill protectors (apparently the port was out of stock, so they were removed from the invoice). I really like these, but wish the rear had a GR logo or something. Oh well:
Hood Wood Bumper Grille Automotive exterior

Grille Hood Vehicle Car Automotive tire



Next up was the splash guards. Mine arrived unbroken, but I've heard others weren't so lucky. I'm not surprised, given the way they were packaged. Install went well, and I love the look of them. Could've easily came from factory with something like this. I like keeping my cars looking OEM:
Wheel Tire Bicycle wheel rim Automotive tire Bicycle tire


Last up was something to help with the lack of interior storage. My sunglasses barely fit, but they do, which is what matters:
Vehicle Steering part Motor vehicle Automotive mirror Automotive design

Automotive lighting Eyewear Bumper Automotive mirror Automotive exterior



All in all, it was a great day. Small mods, yes, but they are all ones that will make me smile when I look at them.
 
#34 ·
#37 ·
Well, I looked at the oh shit handles in my car with a couple of different light sources, and couldn't honestly decide if gray or black would be a better match. Shades of both can vary quite a bit. They only had one of the gray ones left in stock, but plenty of the black ones. So I ordered the gray one. If it's too light in color, but I like it otherwise, I'll exchange it for a black one. If it's too small for my sunglasses, I'll just send it back.
 
#39 ·
Yeah, it doesn't really seem like wraparounds will fit, but there's nothing to lose by trying.

I like the Megachip guards. They add a little additional coverage but they're still pretty discreet. I don't hold the big rally guards against anybody, they're just not what I'm personally looking for. I caught these on a hell of a sale, and I'm getting them for $93 shipped to my door. I can live with that.
 
#40 ·
They add a little additional coverage but they're still pretty discreet. I don't hold the big rally guards against anybody, they're just not what I'm personally looking for.
Exactly why I like them
 
#41 ·
Forge Motorsport short shifter ordered. I really need sort out some better pedals too. I too a trip up the canyons a few days ago, and iMT was only rev matching ~50% of the time. I miss being able to heel-toe :cry:
 
#42 ·
First post updated with links to writeups and vendor websites.
 
#44 ·
No problem! I figured we all have similar issues with these cars, so why not share what I'm trying to do to address them?
 
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