OK, I'm sure the orignal poster isn't paying any attention to this anymore but for the sake of future readers I'm adding my two cents. My short backround as to why I'm adding this is that my family owns a performance shop that's been around for over 25 years now and besides growing up in there I also have extensive knowledge of cars and how to build/work on them. I'd also like to add however that while you can do this in any state I'm talking from a stand point of FL laws that do not require emmisions tests. It is never technically legal to this extensively modify a car but that being said it's also not enforced and building one won't get you in any trouble more extreme than a noise ticket for having a exhaust thats to loud. however if your in Cali I feel bad for you cause their psycho when it comes to restrictive car laws and I really dunno how much wiggle room you guys have for custom cars compaired to my state. Now to the question at hand and if theres any questions feel free to send me a message because I'm happy to answer them the best I can.
As far as the AE86 goes you can indeed get one of the older Corolas which like most Japanese cars are exactly the same with the two main differences of drive side (which side the steering wheel is on) and though I'm not dead sure on the corola it most likely has a different engine or at least one that's tuned differently. I say this because I own what is now my third 240sx (exactly the same as the 180sx in the show except the drive side and engine) that I've converted over to JDM specs aside from the drive side. Like I said above about the corola theres very little difference body wise and if you import the SR20DET (one of the orignal turbo charged engines that came standard in Japan) it litterally drops in the car with very little adjustment and essencially makes it the same as the JDM (Japan Domestic Market) models at that point. The Corola is no different in this aspect, the paint job can be matched to the show by any decent painter without having to look for one that came that way from the factory and the badges like anything for the 240s can be ordered online from middle man brokers that collect popular parts from the junk yards in Japan. If the engine is significantly different in the JDM models then that can be ordered from there as well at a much cheaper cost than you would think. A note on why it's so easy to get the engines, Unlike in the US after a certian milage the Japanese government enacts a heafty tax on older cars to which most people replace the engine with a brand new one and junk the old engine or junk the whole car. We do not have this tax and since the engines or front clips (a whole front half of a car usually from the dash forward) are shipped over here as junk parts they are not restricted by the US federal emmisions tests that once prevented them from being standard in the cars we recived state side. The result (if you buy from a reputable importer) is that for around $2000 (using the SR20 as a base line) or sometimes less we can get high performance JDM engines with low milage (around 40,000 miles) pretty easilly state side. So, if you wanted to have a true right hand drive (the one in the show) Corola state side it's possible with the help of a friend that is a decent mechanic and wielder or if your willing to take your time and teach yourself the ropes. If you wanted to go full blown JDM and not just have the badges, paint job, and engine from over seas you could actually buy a front clip from an importer and convert your Corola to right hand drive. I've noticed a few that actually import AE86 clips I'm guessing because they were made popular by not just Initial D but also the man they call the Drift King (Keiichi Tsuchiya). The short version of the process is essencially taking the front clip of the Japanese AE86 and transfering the parts needed to your Corola by cutting and reattaching whats different between the two cars. All japanese versions of the same body type will generally only differ in the front half of the car from it's american counterpart so a clip will give you all the parts you need.
One quick note to add about your project when it comes to the finishing details. The one thing that can make Japanese cars differ from their US counterparts that isn't always easy to get ahold of is aero (body styling and design parts) from special models that were only released in Japan. The only other issue you would have in this catagory that is directly related to making a copy of the AE86 in Initial D would be the wheels. The wheels most often shown on the car in the series look to be a set of Watanabe wheels which while they look fantastic they are discontinued retro JDM wheels that are not easy to find and if you do their not normally cheap. However if your more concerned with the look then their's companies that still make imitations such as the XXR 513 (bannana sport) wheels that have a very simular look for a decently cheap price.
Like I said if you have any questions or would like a more detailed explination then feel free to message me, I tried to keep it short with as much info as possible here because most don't want any more than the basics.
~~Mike L.
How do I get an AE86?
Re: How do I get an AE86?
Nope, my engine is the same as the first engine Takumi had. They didn't modify that for import. There were 3 different engines though that they did. Red, blue, and black top versions. I modified my AE86 body style/wheels by getting the Sprinter tail lights, and the rims. I haven't tried to get the front bumper yet.