Life Blasters » Blog Archive » Homemade Hachi Goodness

Homemade Hachi Goodness

Posted by Bohan on August 6th, 2012

Here at Life Blasters we love the AE86 Corolla. I have personally owned one since 2008, and our boy Justin Shreeve acquired one as a daily driver just a few months ago. Because the AE86 Corolla holds such a significant place in our hearts we wanted to make this year’s 8/6 post extra special, so we scouted out a car to feature at Slide Your Ride 86-fest that truly embodies the meaning of Hachi-Roku enthusiasm. Chris Legaspi is the owner of that car, and the following is his story. 乾杯(kanpai)!

LB: Chris, tell us a little about yourself.
CL: I’m Chris Legaspi and I’m 20 years old. I study mechanical engineering at Delta College in Stockton, California, and I grew up in Hayward.

LB: What sparked your interest in the AE86 Corolla?
CL: Back in 2001 my brother and I watched a lot of JDM Option videos and I’ve wanted a Corolla ever since. Katsuhiro Ueo’s car is my favorite.

LB: Coupe or hatch?
CL: Coupe if it has a Levin front-end, hatch if it’s a Trueno.

LB: What is your experience with motorsports?
CL: I got in to autocross after hearing about it from my friend Jan. He started doing it a few years ago in his TE72 Corolla and one day when I was at a race with him he let me take a few laps in his car. I was instantly hooked. I’m still in my first season of autocross, but I intend to keep at it. At first I didn’t think I would actually like drifting, but I’ve been to three or four skidpad drift events now and I definitely do!

LB: Your car doesn’t have all the trendiest gear on it, but it is dripping with style. Tell me about how you gave it so much character.
CL: I made the front lip for $10 out of base cove which is actually bathroom floor molding, the spoiler is from an E30 BMW, and the side skirts are actually from an FX16 Corolla! I used these parts because of their low cost, but I like the way it looks now.

LB: What mechanical upgrades have you made?
CL: I’ve got TRD front shocks with the Ground Control coil-over package, NCRCAs from Techno Toy Tuning, and Battle Version camber plates. For a differential I’m using a rebuilt stock GT-S limited slip with a 4.7:1 ring & pinion. The wheels are 15×8″ 0-offset Enkei meshes.

LB: What makes being a Corolla enthusiast special to you?
CL: Well, I’m Filipino so I grew up around lots of old school Toyotas. When I was first learning to drive, I drove my Dad’s MKII Toyota Supra and after a while the engine blew up. When it came time to replace it, he said “pick any car” so I chose this one! Funny thing is, this car was owned by a friend of mine about four owners before me!

LB: Did your dad have a row of like four 6×9″ speakers on the back deck lid of his Supra?
CL: No, haha. He’s not that Filipino!

LB: Tell me about your crew, “Sleeping Forest”.
CL: We’re just four guys who have been friends since middle-school and all love Toyotas! We figured we’d give it a name.