It’s a strange person who punishes their body over a 21-, 42- or even 100-kilometre distance. How the plods behind the sport figured they could sell it as a 'fun run’ is beyond me. Heard the term oxymoron, people? Obviously not. Maybe I’m dark because I never won. Or maybe it’s because I just genuinely sucked at it, which is somewhat surprising considering that given the length of my pins I should cover more ground in one stride than most can in two. But then, I never had the same take on long distance running as Dan Udy has.
If my subtleties are no good, then I’ll phrase it like this: Dan’s 1985 Toyota Levin GT-V AE86 has been built to run long distances around the circuit. Think the Pukekohe six-hour and the Taupo and Manfeild four-hour races that make up the North Island Endurance Series. Here it’s not a test of whose car is outright fastest on a single lap, it’s about which car has the goods to take punishment lap in, lap out, for hours on end. This Levin is from the latter school of thought. It may have taken many years and more than a few bucks, but the end result is this amazingly prepared, endurance-ready machine.

We’ll clear this up early on. If the name Udy sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Dan’s brother Johnny was the animal behind the wheel of the NZPC Project-D Nissan Silvia in ’06/’07, and he’ll soon be campaigning a Holden Monaro in both the NZ Drift Series and abroad. Followers of the now-defunct SuperGT racing class in New Zealand will know of Dan’s old man, Malcolm, who can consistently be found driving the doors off one rather powerful Dodge Viper. Dan himself is no stranger to competition, spending many years in karts before stepping up to a SuperGT-spec 600hp ’65 Ford Mustang a couple of years back. Yes, racing’s definitely in this family’s bloodline.

Dan first got his hands on the AE86 around five years ago, when it was privately imported from Japan as a very clean street car. “When we got it, it had a bolt-in roll cage, and was essentially set up for a bit of drifting,” he says. “It also ran the standard 4A-GE engine with HKS engine management system. We changed a couple of suspension and differential components, and then started to look at how we could upgrade the engine package. We initially looked at building up a Formula Atlantic-spec, atmo-fed 4A-GE, but after Johnny and I bounced a few ideas off each other we finally settled on going down the Nissan SR20DET route as there are more aftermarket parts available than its 3S-GTE counterpart.”
Only a small amount of progress was made on the Levin before Dan took off to Australia in 2006 on work commitments, leaving the old girl under a cover in the shed. Before leaving New Zealand, however, he did some work renovating a house for his dad.

To return the favour, Malcolm and Johnny decided they’d get to work putting together one of the best Toyota Levin AE86s in the country. Engineered by Hamilton’s Mitchell motorsport, this old school Toyota is packed to the hilt with clever ideas gleaned from Malcolm and Johnny’s years of racing experience.
Returning home earlier this year and stopping by Mitchell Motorsport to check out Johnny’s Monaro, Dan was pointed down the rear of the shop and told to lift the covers on what appeared to be just another workshop build. To his surprise, pleasure, and whatever other words you could use to describe this moment, he found his car in a very different state to how he had left it.

While you’re sitting there touting that as a little on the unfair side, it’s kind of like when you were a kid and your parents did something for you that they’d also benefit from. It’s the same situation here. You see, endurance races are fun, but not when it’s you behind the wheel for the full four or six hours. In fact, it’s probably not even physically possible, and it’s actually not technically allowed.
Enter Malcolm and Johnny. “We’re all the same size and have similar driving attributes,” Dan says. “I’d love to see us take out the six-hour title with all three of us driving.”

The car itself is definitely up to task, as it’s been built tough to endure hour upon hour of race-pace driving.“I think an AE86 was the right place to start, as it’s nice and light and doesn’t carry excess weight,” Dan says. “If the setup is not right, we’ll build on what we’ve got here. I don’t believe there’s much left to do, so we’ll just tweak what we need to. As the base has been built so well, if we need more power it’s just a few upgrades via a boost upgrade or a new turbo.” But with around 450hp flowing down via the rear wheels, and less than 1000kg of mass to push around, this Levin should have no problems being competitive. Truth be told, it actually stands a good chance of winning.

EXHAUST

Engineered especially for endurance class racing, every piece of the Levin has been built to last long, hot and trying races for hours on end. This is apparent when you spot the factory cast exhaust manifold. Ordinarily, the factory SR20DET manifold is one of the first modifications to go under the knife. However, aftermarket manifolds have a tendency to crack under sustained loads. To get around this problem, the factory manifold remains, though it has been both heat treated and hand ported.

ENGINE

Peeking beneath the lid, you could be forgiven for thinking this Levin is a show-spec car. You’d be wrong. While immaculately detailed, it’s not all for show at the sharp end. Built by Ivan at Udy Automotive, the S14 SR20DET engine has been pulled down and, like the rest of the package, re-engineered to go the distance. The bottom end has been fitted with a balanced crank, JE pistons, Eagle rods and ARP bolts. Up top, the factory cylinder head has been polished, and Trust PRO camshafts measuring 256 degrees on the intake and 264 degrees on the exhaust were fitted. With SR20s suffering from rocker-stopper walk at high rpm, a Trust rocker-stopper kit was fitted, before the whole shebang wound up back together with a Trust GREX head gasket sandwiched in the middle.

COOLING

To keep engine temperatures at a manageable level for long periods, there’s a Griffin radiator with custom overflow tank, while a Trust oil cooler and remotely mounted oil filter take care of oil temperatures.

TURBO

Because the AE86 is a light package, a Garrett GT2871R turbo was chosen as a good balance between power and drivability over marathon distances. Internally wastegated, the roller bearing huffer should be good for around 450hp once tuned. To force the air from the turbo back round to the factory intake manifold, there’s a Trust intercooler and custom intercooler piping.

FUEL SYSTEM

Like most aspects of this build, the fuel system has also gone under the knife. Starting where the fuel enters the car, the engine chugs back the good stuff from a boot-mounted fuel cell. A Holley lift pump slurps it out of the cell and throws it into the custom surge tank on its way to the front via the Bosch Motorsport 044 fuel pump. To regulate the flow into the intake manifold, there’s an SX fuel regulator and a full house of Tomei 550cc injectors squirting more than ample amounts of aviation fuel.

BODY

Hardly what you’d call heavy from the factory, Dan’s AE86 has been lightened further.
Wearing lightweight FRP doors, bonnet and hatch the Levin’s exterior is essentially all fibreglass. A modified Vertex front bar, rear bar and side steps feature, as do J-Blood front and rear fenders that have been cut and pumped out an additional 60mm to allow big wheels to slot beneath. The car was then lavished in coat after coat of Honda Cobalt Blue. The final pieces in this lightweight puzzle are Lexan windows (which feature everywhere bar the front shield) and a rear diffuser that improves the aerodynamics.

SUSPENSION

Way back in the ’80s, the little AE86s were renowned for their handling capabilities. Fast forward two decades and, while they’re still more than capable, a number of modern day enhancements to newer cars mean the Levin can be easily out-handled. To avoid spending time down the lower half of the pack, the entire rear end suspension assembly has been changed. Replacing the Panhard rod setup is a custom fabricated four-link and Watts linkage gig. Up front, rose-jointed Nissan Silvia front arms feature to provide better handling characteristics, while Tokico adjustable coil-over struts and Dobi Sport springs feature on all four corners.

BRAKES

Much like the engine, Nissan has been responsible for the replacement of the stopping power behind this AE86. At the nose, Nissan Skyline R32 four-pot items clamp a set of Endless pads and DBA5000 rotors. It’s a similar setup down the rear, with DBA rotors, Endless pads and this time R32 two-pot callipers biting.

WHEELS

Although they are DTM Drift DR wheels, these rollers look at home bolted to a circuit-spec car, too. On the front end they measure in at 17×8 inches and are wrapped in supersticky 215/45ZR17 Toyo Proxes R888 semi slicks. Out back, they’re much wider at 17×10 inches, and are shod in fat 255/40ZR17 rubber.

ROLL BAR ADJUSTERS

Because this car has been designed to run long distances, adjustable roll bar levers have been installed. These allow Dan and whoever else may be sitting front and centre to adjust front and rear roll bar settings to suit track and tyre conditions while flying about the circuit. Handy.

BOX

Because the AE86 is packing heat in the form of a force-fed Nissan SR20DET engine instead of the naturally aspirated engine it left the factory with, driveline modifications were the order of the day. Attached to the back of the SR20 engine is a custom bellhousing, which connects the Holden Tremec T56 six-speed transmission. Chosen because of its strength and ease of replacement at low cost, the Holden transmission has also been fitted with a Ripshift system for switching cogs. An OS Giken twin plate clutch and flywheel combination sits inside the gearbox. The factory AE86 differential wasn’t up to task, so a Toyota Hilux differential and LSD diff head now fill the rear end.

NTERIOR

As you’d expect inside a circuit car, interior components are fairly sparse save for the essentials plus a couple of extra bits. To keep safe, a comprehensive eight-point roll-cage has been installed, as has a Racetech 4009 seat and five-point Motor Quality harness. While keeping busy switching cogs via the Holden Tremec Ripshift mechanism, and steering the car from apex to apex through the Momo steering wheel, Dan has a whole host of Auto Meter gauges to keep a watchful eye on. A MoTeC staged shift light lets him know when he’s got to stand on the Wilwood pedal box and pick off the next gear. Oh, and yes, that MoTeC shift light goes hand in hand with the MoTeC M48 engine management system that controls it all. Alloy door cards, a custom tunnel, a custom electronics switchbox and the compulsory motorsport-spec fire extinguisher finish this interior off adequately.

Owner: DAN UDY

Age: 23

Occupation: Project manager

Previously owned cars: Toyota Levin, Nissan Silvia S14, Holden SS ute

Dream car: You’re looking at it

Build time: Three years

Length of ownership: Five years

Dan thanks: Everyone who has been involved or lent a hand along the road, Udy Group, Kiwidrift.com

1985 TOYOTA LEVIN GT-V (AE86)

Engine: Nissan Silvia SR20DET DOHC 16V in-line four, balanced crankshaft, Eagle rods, JE pistons, ARP bolts, polished head, Trust PRO camshafts — 256-intake, 264-exhaust, Trust
GREX metal head gasket, Trust rocker-stopper kit, custom airbox, cast exhaust manifold, Garrett GT2871R turbocharger, Trust intercooler, custom intercooler piping, custom surge tank, fuel cell, Holley lift pump, Bosch Racing 044 motorsport pump, Tomei 550cc injectors, SX fuel regulator, 3-inch exhaust, Griffin radiator, custom overflow tank, Trust oil cooler, MoTeC M48 engine management system

Driveline: Holden Tremec T56 6-speed transmission, custom bellhousing, Ripshift, OS Giken twin-plate clutch/flywheel, Toyota Hiace differential, LSD head

Suspension: Tokico adjustable coil-over struts, Dobi Sport springs, custom four-link, Watts linkage, rose-jointed Silvia front arms, adjustable sway bars

Brakes: Nissan Skyline R32 4-pot callipers, DBA5000 rotors, Endless pads — front, Nissan Skyline R32 2-pot callipers, DBA5000 rotors, Endless pads — rear

Wheels/tyres: DTM Drift DR — 17×8-inch, 215/45ZR17 Toyo Proxes R888 semi slicks — front, 17×10-inch, 255/40ZR17 Toyo Proxes R888 semi slicks — rear

Exterior: Modified Vertex front bar, side steps, rear bar; modified J-Blood front/rear fenders; fibreglass doors, hatch, bonnet, Lexan side/rear windows, custom rear diffuser, Spies
Hecker Honda Cobalt Blue paint

Interior: Racetech 4009 bucket seat, Motor Quality 5-point harness, Momo steering wheel, Coleman quick release, Wilwood pedal box, Tilton brake-bias adjuster, adjustable sway-bar levers, custom tunnel, 8-point roll-cage, custom gear knob; Auto Meter tacho, oil press, oil temp and water temp gauges; MoTeC staged shift light and oil press light; fire extinguisher, alloy door cards, custom switch box

Performance: Dyno Power — 450hp @ flywheel