Father & Son Builds - 1973 Mazda RX3 - 1981 Toyota Starlet
Listening to a V8 engine rumble to four-cylinder engines scream. But there was one particular engine that had a very notable sound. It buzzed and loped and at higher revs, it sounded like a lawnmower on steroids. That is the reason why I got into the Rotary Engine.
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Father and Son Builds
Angelo Angeles
1973 Mazda RX3
Team: Rotary Creations/ Team Toyo/ Team Garage Life
Location: Montebello, California
Instagram: @angelo_is_papablue
Photographer: Marvin @mr2mivin
Julian Angeles
1981 Toyota Starlet
Team: Team Toyo/ Team Garage Life
Instagram: @gps_julian
Photographer: Marvin @mr2mivin
My passion for cars started at a young age. At 5 years old, my favourite Christmas gift was a Matchbox diecast De Tomaso Pantera gifted by my "Criste" cousins. That is what fueled my passion for cars. Growing up, I enjoyed building plastic car models from Revell. Im my early teens, I started building RC Cars and learned about the suspension. In high school, I took an automotive engineering class where I learned about general engine mechanics and repairs. I also frequent the street races and admired the fast cars. Listening to a V8 engine rumble to four-cylinder engines scream. But there was one particular engine that had a very notable sound. It buzzed and loped and at higher revs, it sounded like a lawnmower on steroids. That is the reason why I got into the Rotary Engine.
I got into the car scene because of the camaraderie and making new friends. Also helping each other and learning from one another is what it is all about and brings great satisfaction in life. Over the years I've had my share of cars. But I've always gravitated towards the Mazda Rotaries. My favourite of the rotary lineup is the sporty RX3. It reminds me of a muscle car but in a Japanese compact-sized powerhouse. I customized this car to suit my driving style. I like to cruise to local car meets, do spirited runs and take the car on a twisty road. From time to time, surprise unsuspecting road bullies and hit WOT.
I take pride in owning the RX3 because there aren't very many of them on the road anymore.
Modifications:
ENGINE BLOCK:
- Block code: 13B RE Street Ported,
- Oversize Half Inch Chrome Moly Studs,
- E&J Autoworks Apex Seals,
- Side Cut Rotors and Balanced Rotating Assembly.
FUEL SYSTEM:
- Injector Dynamics Fuel Rail,
- Injector Dynamics 4 2200CC Injectors,
- Aeromotive A1000 Fuel Pump,
- Aeromotive 100 Micron ORB 10 Fuel Filter.
INTAKE SYSTEM:
- Borg Warner EFR 9180 Turbo,
- Turbosmart Power Port BOV,
- Custom UICP.
EXHAUST SYSTEM:
- Custom Turbo Manifold,
- Custom 3.5" Down-Pipe,
- Custom 3.5" Stainless Steel Exhaust Piping mated to two BORLA XR-1 Multi-Core Mufflers,
- Two Turbosmart Gen V WG40 Comp Gate.
DRIVETRAIN:
- Transmission:
- Mazda Turbo II Transmission,
- Clutch Masters 10031-HDC6,
- Mazda GSL Rear Diff/LSD.
SUSPENSION:
- Techno Toy Tuning Front Tokico Illumina 5 Way Adjustable.
- BRAKING SYSTEM:
- Mazda RX7 GSL-SE Front and Rear Brake Conversion with Hawk Pads with Stainless Steel Braided Lines.
WHEELS AND TIRES:
- Wheel type: Epsilon Southern Ways 15x9.5 Rear and 15x7.5 Front
- Rear Tires: 205/50/15 Toyo Proxes R888R
- Front Tires: 195/45/15 Toyo Proxes T1R.
- BODY AND CHASSIS:
- Paint: House of Kolor Purple
- Custom Strut Tower Brace by HELIARC WORKS.
ELECTRONICS:
- Engine management:
- Adaptronic 420D Instrumentation/gauges:
- Phantom Series Autometer Oil Pressure,
- Water Temperature,
- Boost Gauge and Tachometer.
- AEM Ignition Coils Moristech PDM14 with Rywire Lead and Key Pad.
INTERIOR:
- Seats: Recaro
- LX Fishnet Momo Steering Wheel and Shift Knob.
Behind The Build:
The RX3 is primarily a streetcar and has had its share of track time at the races. It has also been seen at several car shows. Savanna has been evolving since 1992 and will always be an ongoing project. The next modification will be a roll cage to help its structural integrity, as wells as an added safety. Custom fabrication will be in the care of Ted Andrda @heliarc_hustler of Heliarc Works. Then a stronger rear end will also be addressed. Once the next updates are finished, I plan to have the car re-tuned for a higher boost. But for the most part, she is primarily a weekend warrior that likes to be driven in high revs. Cruising around with the kids to local meets and doing spirited runs.
If you enjoyed this Car why not read this ONE HERE
Special Thanks: Big props to Vincent Brock for the engine build, Mike @hamiltonporterfabrications of RE Custom for making the Custom Turbo Manifold/Downpipe/3.5 Exhaust System. Thank you Jet Tran for the TLC with Savanna, Julian Angeles for helping with the rebuild process, Rommel "Wacky" Bigasin for all the advice, Ted @heliarc_hustler of Heliarc Works for the Strut Bar, Jose at Classic Metal Polishing for bringing the shine. Daniel Kuo @ItsGarageLife for all the awesome tune and mechanical support.
Thank you Ryan of RS Performance for the dyno time. Bells & Vaughn for the hospitality. Big shout out to the Hooligan Crew, my Pinoy Brothers in the old skool car scene. The fellas at Vintage Japanese Motor Union for keeping it real! Old Japanese Car Meets for always welcoming my family at the events. To all the OG's in the OG West Side Racers, you all know how we did it and still doing it! Thank you to my kids, Farrah & Julian for always helping me with maintenance on Savanna. Shoutout to Louie Escamilla from DNA Garage for the wiring.Thank you Marvin @mr2mivin for the awesome photographs.
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Julian Angeles
1981 Toyota Starlet
I'm from the city of Montebello. I've always had a passion for cars ever since I was around 5 years old. I would play with my Hotwheels and name every single car on the street when we went out for a drive. As I grew older, I became more involved with my father's builds like the RX-3 and helped here and there with the motor. When I was 14 my father brought back the Toyota Starlet from its long hibernation and we decided to give it a complete makeover. I also participate in a lot of hot rod builds at my High School Auto Shop such as motor swaps, chassis fabrication, suspension modifications, ECU tuning, and wiring. I am also part of the Schurr High School Eco-Marathon Team where we compete against major universities in a fuel consumption race held by the Shell Gas Company.
I followed my father's steps into the car scene after tagging along with him to track days and car shows when he had an Evo 8. Feeling all that adrenaline when going 120mph around the roval at AAA speedway made me want a build of my own.
I chose the Starlet because there aren't very many of them left out on the road. I wanted to be different and build something unsuspecting when I show up to meets and track events almost like an underdog. The Starlet is the perfect platform for a race car since it is extremely lightweight, has a very reliable motor, rear-wheel drive, and a short wheelbase. I chose to customize this car with a bright purple that will grab peoples attention and wonder what car it is. I also had a roll cage put into the car for safety reasons, as it is such a light and small vehicle.
It feels like I'm driving a big go-kart around everywhere I go. I also drive the Starlet in memory of my uncles: Revo, Roy, Ron, and Rommel. They were the biggest inspirations behind this build and convinced my Dad and me to get the car up and running again.
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Modifications:
ENGINE BLOCK:
- TRD 4K Upright.
- Block code: 4K.
- Pistons: TRD 82MM.
- Radiator: Toyota OEM.
CYLINDER HEAD:
- TRD Valvetrain.
- TRD Head.
FUEL SYSTEM:
- Carter P4070 Electric pump,
- Aeromotive Billet-6AN Fuel Filter with Cellulose 10 Micron Filter,
- Aeromotive Fuel Pressure Gauge,
- PTFE Braided Stainless Steel -6AN Fuel Line and miscellaneous Earl’s Fittings.
INTAKE SYSTEM:
- Twin Weber 40 DCOE/Sidedraft Carburetors paired with a Redline match ported intake manifold.
EXHAUST SYSTEM:
- 2.5” Borla Pro XS Muffler and Borla Intercooled Tips.
- Custom 2.5” with custom piping from Valley Mufflers.
DRIVETRAIN:
- Transmission: Toyota K51 5 speed
- Clutch: Centerforce Flywheel: 9.5 lb
- Lightened Flywheel Limited Slip: TRD LSD 41301
SUSPENSION:
- Techno Toy Tuning Front Coilover Conversion with AE86 Strut Casings and Swift Coils.
- Bushed 4-Link Rear Suspension,
- Rear Coilovers,
- Front Strut Tower Brace,
- Camber Plates,
- Roll Center Adjusters.
BRAKING SYSTEM:
- Front Calipers: Wilwood Discs: T3 Slotted Rotors Pads: Wilwood Pads
Other brake modifications:
- Stainless Steel Braided Lines.
WHEELS AND TIRES:
- Magnesium Watanabe RS 14x9.5 Front and 14x10.5 Rear.
- Watanabe Titanium Lug Nuts and Watanabe Valve Caps.
- Tires: Toyo T1R 225/40/14.
- Track Tires: Hayashi Interspeed 245/500/14.
BODY AND CHASSIS:
- Harness bar modification,
- Custom catch can
- Custom reservoir tank by Ted Andrade of HELIARC WORKS.
- Custom Roll cage by AK Fabrication.
- House Of Kolors Pavo Purple Paint and bodywork by Javier Hernandez.
- The body kit is a TRD N2 Kit by Angelo.
ELECTRONICS:
Instrumentation/gauges: Autometer Tachometer Gauge and Shift Light.
Other electronic modifications: MSD 6A and Summit Racing 60K volt Ignition Coil OML 10mm Platinum Spark Plug Wires
INTERIOR:
- Braum Falcon Race Seats paired with Braum 5 point Harness.
- Custom Rear Alcantara Leather seat by Frank Cruz of A Plus Custom Upholstery.
- Techno Toy Tuning Door Cards and Rear Panels.
- Final Konnexion Steering Wheel and Shift Knob.
- Works Bell Rapfix GTC Flip-Up paired with DND Hub and Vertex Turn Signal Extension.
- Custom seat brackets by HELIARC WORKS,
- Dynamat Xtreme Sound Deadening.
Behind The Build: I've always had a passion for cars ever since I was around 5 years old. I would play with my Hotwheels and name every single car on the street when we went out for a drive. As I grew older, I became more involved with my father's builds like the RX-3 and helped here and there with the motor. When I was 14 my father brought back the Toyota Starlet from its long hibernation and we decided to give it a complete makeover.
The car was meant to be a dedicated track car since that was its original purpose when my father drove it. It eventually got painted and still track time at AAA Speedway and Streets of Willow. The current motor in the Starlet is a TRD 4K Upright, which was sourced in the Philippines by Joel Tan. We flew to the Philippines to check it out and eventually purchased the motor from a well known OG Pinoy gear head, Pablo "Atong" Ko, of Ichiban Motor Parts. We cleaned out the entire motor and bubble wrapped the parts inside of 3 luggage eventually making its way to the Ninoy Aquino Airport. Philippine TSA didn't bat an eye when they discovered the motor in the x-ray machine and still let us pass through. We checked in the motor and nervously boarded the plane, praying that the motor would make it safely to the US.
If you enjoyed this Car why not read this ONE HERE
When we landed, US TSA pulled us aside for questioning. It turns out that it had nothing to do with the motor but rather with the bananas my grandma had taken with her from the Philippines. We took the motor to the shop and I slowly started piecing it together with the help of Allan Calanog. The complete motor now resides inside the Starlet taking me to countless meets, shows, and track events.
Special Thanks: A big shout out to Joel Tan, Pablo Ko/Atong of Ichiban Motor Parts, Raymond Gonzaga of Race Toys, Kuya Oscar Cabatuando, Tommy Dolormente, Ben Sarenas, Eddie Arce, Alex Leyva, Jon "Bote" Bautista, Nathan Bautista, Patrick DeLeon, Dennis Dasalla, Colin Lagarde and the Hoolugan Crew and Enoch Bayan & MSM fellas. Allan Calanog, Javier Hernandez, Dennis Aquino.
Mr Armando Hernadez of Schurr High School Auto Shop for letting me work on the car during class and the SHS Shell Eco Team. Everyone mentioned above has been a big help with the build. A big shout to Savant, Marlon, Damian and Jaime of Vintage Japanese Motor Union and all of the VJMU family as well as Frank De Jesus and Rick Mena of Old Japanese Car Meet.
Thank you to four of the most influential people on my build, Roy Lumanlan, Ron Sino-Cruz, Revo Taccad, and Rommel Palma. May they all rest in peace. Thank you so much to my father Angelo Angeles, for supporting my passion. Another big shout to Marvin Recinos for the dope photoshoots.
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