Bodywork
— Bodywork and interior —
Q: My seat does not seem to be mounted very sturdy, whats wrong?
One thing to always check when you’ve got yourself your hachi are the seat mounts. For the driver side seat three seatmounts are part of the body work but one of the rear mounts is a small bracket thats welded onto the body work. These welds are not very strong and after years of use these welds often let loose. So make sure you check this on your hachi and get this mount fixed. It may save your live one day.
Q: I heard there was a digital gauge cluster (digi dash) available in JDM cars. Which ones did have one and what do I need to install one?
According to several sources the digital cluster was available on the GT Apex trim only. For the first batch (july 1983 till first half of 1984) of Zenki AE86s it was standard on the 3 door and optional on the 2 door models. This includes both Levin and Trueno. After that it became optional for both 2 and 3 door models.
The digital cluster has some drawbacks: it lacks a oil pressure gauge, it reads in km/h (for US/UK problematic)and it is not as accurate and reliable as an analogue cluster. But they look cool and they are very scarce, so if you are seeking one you can best try to get them through Auctions Yahoo in Japan.
If you want to install one you can read about it here:
How to install a digital cluster
Q: I want to buy new bodypanels, where can I buy them?
New panels are scarce to get by. Sometimes they are sold on Ebay, but most of the time you’d better go for second hand panels. 
However, there are some aftermarket places you can buy new (immitation) panels:
https://www.aeu86.org/viewtopic/aftermarket-rear…light=rear+panels
http://www.alfaparts.net/toycor.htm
Q: I want to paint my car, what color do I need to order?
If your car still has the original color you can find the color code of your car on the VIN plate in your engine bay. Its a 3 digit code.
Hachi life used to have a color code list online but it is no longer available. We’ve mirrored the original page here:
Colorcodes
Q: Driving around on the track my car flexes like crazy, it sucks!
Well its an old car with 80ies body work and 80ies steel, what you expect:D
There are plenty of aftermarket components out there to strengthen your body work up. From strutbraces to rollcages (they aint only for safety!). You can also weld in reinforcements and what is often done in racing cars is that all the existing welds are spotwelded to strengthen them.
More info about improving the strength of the AE86 body can be found here:
Reinforcement for the AE86 body