SimonM

Hey, I've been following this build for a while now. Looks like a lot of fun and I love the bare metal idea. Re. club rego, not sure about laws there, but I know in SA it must be completely stock to get historic club rego. Other option is hot rod rego, but I think te car must be pre-1970. Would be a good idea to contact a local club and find out what the go is.

If I can get parts and rego this week then sure.

If 'ronas are welcome too and mine is on the road in time, I'm interested.

Looks beautiful! :y: how much did the paint job cost?

ca18 is a great engine. My brother's got one sitting in the shed. Looked at putting it in my RT80 but cbf doing all the necessary firewall/crossmember mods to fit it in. If you do put one in yours, I'd love to see it! :) http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Toyota-Corona-2R-12R-Celica-2T-Carburettor-Kit-Early-/230684704338?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35b5e13e52 This is what I used for mine. If you're in SA, there's an RT104 with an 18R on Gumtree http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hackham/cars-vans-utes/rt104-toyota-corona/1015972186 But it's being scrapped on tuesday so be quick if you want it. Ridiculously cheap at $150 even for the rust bucket that it is. 18R should be a fairly simple bolt in job.

Stripped the paint off the rocker cover and resprayed the radiator. Rocker cover is coming back off next week and going in a molasses bath then being painted.

Oh, and Glen, be jealous! I saw Mark's 'rona in person yesterday. It's pretty great! :y:

Checked mine last night, and it has stock white/silver around the gauges. Perhaps yours had been sanded off previously?

Looking at this: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hackham/cars-vans-utes/rt104-toyota-corona/1015972186 But not keen on regoing with a non-stock engine. Cops 'round here would tear it apart.

New water pump and thermostat housing. Painted pulley red just for a bit of fun. It'll go faster now! Before: After: Radiator has been sanded and painted. Still drying. def no more work til next week, because I cut the tip of my thumb off while cleaning the rocker cover. Another trip to hospital :bash:

Looks pretty snazzy! Might try it myself.

Looks good! Might be a good idea to try photoshopping it to see what it'll look like? What paint did you use? Mine could probably do with a touch up.

this engine is starting to piss me off more and more. Got a water pump from Sprints today, brought it home, took the old one off and THEN realised that the new one is wrong :/ the new one is 'snub-nosed' so needs a smaller pulley. Gonna take it back tomorrow and see if they have the right one. Lots of fun. Also worked out why the 18R springs don't work. They have the same number of coils but have more resistance and are a few mm shorter. Which explains why the valve isn't closing all the way.

+1 Also, custom steering rack. I have a Triumph2500 with a Leyland P76 4.4L V8 and a toyota 5 speed in it. Modded: tunnel, steering rack, bonnet, radiator mounts, engine mounts, cross member, fuel system, wiring. See if you can get your hands on an interesting engine though. LS1 is a bit boring.

I like the speakers. Need to put something like that in my ute.

My engine bay looks awful. Might take your idea and re-paint removable things like that. Getting a new water pump tonight and gonna have a go at putting some 18R valve springs in because they're the closest I've found so far. Check my thread later tonight or tomorrow for updates :)

Fair enough. Just found an RT104 rust bucket with an 18RC on Gumtree for $800neg. If I can get it for <$600, might grab the engine and part out and scrap the rest. Thoughts?

ohk. I might see if I can find some shitty extractors and try that myself then. Need some carbs first though. :P Other thought was a webber.. I've noticed alot of people put them on rollas...

what did you make the manifolds out of? Also, I don't have a welder, so it might be a pain to find one to borrow...

Do you still have the bike carbs and manifold?/want to sell them? I want to do something like that to mine now, but I wouldn't know where to start with making a custom manifold...

Just to give an idea of how disgusting this engine really is.... Valve train: Inside the rocker cover A bit hard to see, but the spring on the left is out of an 18RC, the one on the right is the original. Seems like the valve on the left is sitting about 1mm higher than the others, which is causing it to run really roughly. Next time I have a day off uni, gonna go find a set of springs to replace the lot. Any suggestions as to the best way to clean all the rusty cr@p off without pulling the head off?

Hey Mark, chuck us your address and availability in a pm and I'll come grab that grille some time? I'll probably be down south on Wednesday...