Project Sprinter

As posted to a thread on KE10/11 colours...and with further great fear of the wrath of the forum admin; we've (our company - Toyota Heritage) been doing a heap of research into AMI paint codes and colours, and the artwork of the decals that carried the information. From my KE10/11 thread: We have done our research across a vast number of sources including former AMI employees, and the additional AMI assembled brands of Rambler and Triumph. What I can categorically say is just when you think its all 100% correct you will find yet another anomaly. For example the above mentioned Desert Beige - appears on a handful of AMI colour charts sporadically through out the years...but is probably the most constant colour, with slight changes to the mix, throughout nearly the whole time AMI assembled Toyota vehicles. We have also found that if a colour was 'available' in a certain year that it was essentially available for the years after due to painted bodies that carried forward into the subsequent year, and where demand was still strong. Before bursting into print - please remember I am initially talking broadly about AMI colours here. We have noticed that the arguments for Toyota colours are the most consistent though. Specific to his thread: In some cases we have found 'Build Plates' such as the one on your car provide colour as either a 'part number' or 'manual reference' as opposed to the actual paint code for mixing. Some paint suppliers have the cross references though, others don't. Also on build plates; its a myth that they were all riveted on...many have screws in what we have found. Full imported cars have screws as a starting point, and then we have found AMI cars to be the same. My best assessment of the colour of your car is that as a previous post said, if its is 1972 build and if it is an AMI assembled vehicle - its in fact 'Big Bad Orange' with paint code 566-13757. This colour was popular with the Rambler Hornet and also the Javelin. That's a 'relative' view point based on how few of these were produced compared to Toyota models. Our current range of decals supporting the 1967-68 build years can be found here: http://www.toyotaher...xt#.WDJKgvl96Uk Please note am putting this in the thread for mutual benefit. We hope to get a pic of each colour applied to a vehicle to assist owners identifying their car's colour. The range will expand to subsequent years, colours and the various decal artwork designs. Keep watching for more - Big Bad Orange is in our next batch after the ones we are working on now.

With great fear of the wrath of the forum admin; we've (our company - Toyota Heritage) been doing a heap of research into AMI paint codes and colours, and the artwork of the decals that carried the information. We have done our research across a vast number of sources including former AMI employees, and the additional AMI assembled brands of Rambler and Triumph. What I can categorically say is just when you think its all 100% correct you will find yet another anomaly. For example the above mentioned Desert Beige - appears on a handful of AMI colour charts sporadically through out the years...but is probably the most constant colour, with slight changes to the mix, throughout nearly the whole time AMI assembled Toyota vehicles. We have also found that if a colour was 'available' in a certain year that it was essentially available for the years after due to painted bodies that carried forward into the subsequent year, and where demand was still strong. Before bursting into print - please remember I am initially talking broadly about AMI colours here. We have noticed that the arguments for Toyota colours are the most consistent though. We have come across Sirius White in our research...but not via Toyota sources!! Our current range of decals supporting the 1967-68 build years can be found here: http://www.toyotaheritage.com/index.php/shop/category/97-decals-ext#.WDJKgvl96Uk Please note am putting this in the thread for mutual benefit. We hope to get a pic of each colour applied to a vehicle to assist owners identifying their car's colour. The range will expand to subsequent years, colours and the various decal artwork designs. Keep watching for more!

Hi Jan Post up in wanted for some axles and diff centre. They're reasonably available from other E10 gen cars here - but shipping is going to be expensive. Best regards

Hi, I recently came into possession of the lense in the photo attached here - it has markings of Koito L2352 It was given to me as a KE10 lense...but there's no way in this life time that it matches up with the lenses on my KE17 Sprinter... Anybody know what it is actually off? Did the early KE10's have a smaller lense like this one? Thanks

Thanks Andy - sorry for he delayed response. We've found this along the way too!

Thanks Parrot, most appreciated. I can take a look at the KE20 box I have in the garage and see if we get the countershaft married-up. regards, Gary

Parrot if I can cannibalize the KE2x gearbox - is the gear box with the selector to the aft end? or is it still further up like the KE10/17 gearbox?

Can anybody confirm that the K40 gearbox was the only manual box used in the KE17's imported into Australia? Is this also the same box found in AMI built KE10's? Did they change the box for KE11's? Appreciate any advice that can be given. Thanks.

Nice red KE15! Welcome to the club - you can see my car some more on FB too

Hi Lawrence, Thanks for some interesting insight int your car. Certainly seems like it may have been a shame to have sold given it was so quick? You may like to join me and other friends who are interested in the Sprinter variants - I have a facebook page at www.facebook.com/EarlySprinterRegister - if you're really keen you can post up some pics of your old car. Kind regards, Gary

Yep that's right - that's why I am building my race car! Fun and retro at the same time - what more could one want. Gotta say though, not many of us KE17 owners on he track. There's a couple of KE20's going round though.

We took bit of stab at this; we purchased an oil cooler from a guy with an MGB, thinking roughly the right capacity. That hasn't been track tested as yet... But basically we have modified the oil pick up and filter arrangement so that it pumps outwards for cooling post filtering. The guys at Road & Track in Ipswich QLD did this modification, and pretty sure they'd be happy to assist.

Hi Peter - I too have a KE17 Sprinter as a race car. Mine is being prepared for historic racing here in Aust so I'm required to keep the 3k engine. There are pics here on the rollaclub site (just click on my pic over to the LHS). But you can also see more pics at my facebook site - www.facebook.com/EarlySprinterRegister You can join us there too and put your car "on the register" if you like.

bob / airocobra - you may like to also take a look at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ke1517-Sprinter-Register/547331745277586?fref= ts Plenty of KE15 and KE17 Sprinter stuff there too.

Parrot - thanks for the pics on the grille and boot badges (fantastic). I hadn't seen the red boot badge previously, and I suspect the "white" ones I have seen actually have had the colour faded out... The grille badge is identical to that on my car. I too have the "SL" badge front and rear of the car - its silver with red out lines. These are really nice design, but impossible to find anybody with some brand newies...but as my wife keeps reminding me on a race car brand new is not always the optimal approach! Back on the side badge (alongside B pillar) - the turquiose conspiracy has some momentum with two others here in QLD having the same colour... Can't pin this on having been a QLD thing though, as my car was originally sold through York Motors in Sydney. There is also a car in Newcastle that claims to have had white checks in the emblem, and the owner as you could see here in this chat, mentioned that matched the colour of his car's body. Mt guess on that is a touch-up at some time in the car's life. So back on turquoise; I'm wondering whether that this colour was an end of run issue - sort of an oddity that occurred but with no direct reason. My car is a 1969 model, but I haven't been able to check with the other owners here in QLD (mostly as the owner at Beaudesert is not a Rolla club member).

Parrot - I've seen the bootlid "Toyota" badge in both white and blue backgrounds... What about the grille emblem - my car sports a white background behind the big C, but I was always lead to believe the SL's had a green background....

Jason - that's interesting about the checks being body coloured. What colour is your car? I still favour my theory - the blue checks were originally intended for Euro/USA market ("export" if you like) and the Japan market (which is considered same as Australia {RHD}) had the green and black checks...and over time both types ended up here in Australia... This is of course without discussing the red chequered emblems......which appear on non-SL models. ;) My car also had the glass with the greenish hue - don;t know if that ties-in anywhere in this saga?

Cameron - I should have added; This pic is actually from a car over Beaudesert way...not mine, but mine do look the same. Also what I suspect is that both colour arrangements have been used...perhaps Blue in-laids reflect a different market such as Euro and/or USA. I also have seen red, but understand that these were used on non SL models.

Cameron, happy to help if you need help on your car. Keep taking a look in at R&T and hopefully we'll cross paths soon. The badges I have had on my car looked like this: As you can see they had greenie turquoise colour, as well as black...the mystery deepens!

Trev - I thought you do!

Parrot - the blue is actually consistent with the badge work on Corona 1600GT then. I had seen a guy in Cyprus selling these too - but I wasn't willing to give up my first born! Thanks for the help really appreciate it. Best regards, Gary

Trev, the plan is to next post pics once she is on the track. Its been tempting to put a few up but the detail is so minute in what we have done to prepare the car in recent months - all the big visible work has been done.

Thanks senior member Parrot - most appreciated. This is interesting as these have a "royal" blue type colour. The ones I have seem to have a turquoise green colour in some of the squares. The raised squares are also black... Do you actually have these emblems or just a pic? Is this a metal badge - my ones are plastic, which seems to be another twist on the details.

Hi Guys, hoping somebody can help me - I am about to restore the side emblems for my KE17 Spinter SL but can't find a photo of the original paint on the emblem. These are the ones that go beside the B pillar. I know that the checked flag section has some turquoise coloured squares - but that's it. Appreciate if anybody can post a pic here for me to take a look at. Many thanks, Gary

Somebody also mentioned about Greville. I had an email or two with him over a year ago. Not a lot of exchange took place, but I recall him saying he still had the KE25. I can;t fidn any referenec to it at Bathurst - believe it may have been run locally in Victoria only. Would be great if anybody has contact with Greville and can shed some further light.