samg1988

Got the sub-frame out next to make room for working in the bay. Then the engine bay was wire brushed back where necessary, and some rust prevention applied. The underside then had the same treatment. Angle grinder with a wire wheel for most of it first, then again some rust preventative coating. Then it was onto the first couple of layers of red oxide primer. Then some VHT chassis black. Moving on, I wanted to get good access to the fuel system so removed all the interior bits. It'll be some time before these go back in. I found some australian coins, a parking ticket from the 70s and a tae kwon do badge. With the interior out, I decided to start removing the old sound deadening. I wanted to try dry ice for this, but its not easy to come by at the weekends. A can of plumbers freeze spray, or some air duster held upside down also does the trick. The plumbers freeze spray can I had didnt last very long, so I ended up just taking my time with a hammer and flathead screwdriver. Don't do this with a heat gun! Its just melts everything and makes it really messy. The best technique with the hammer I found was to try and 'shock' the stuff into cracking with sharp 45 degree hits rather than lots of tiny hits. Once you get it going it comes off pretty easily. The fuel tank came out the boot, then I cleared some of the surface rust in the wheel well to get the same treatment as the underside. To be continued.

So out came the gearbox and original engine. In perfect working order, so might try and flog these both. I had sourced some front wings from Portugal. Test fitted and they look pretty good so far. I'll be happier cutting these up rather than the originals for fitting fender flares at a later stage. Panel gaps are looking good so far. And with the bonnet placed on top to see how square it sits. The kit from KE conversions had a hydraulic clutch pedal mod I was keen to get fitted up. It's basically an extension of the pedal over to the other side of the box, then a lever into a master cylinder. Holes drilled in the firewall and everything lined up nicely. Off comes the rear diff and leaf springs. I'll be looking into getting these reset to sit lower, flipping one of the springs or just getting a whole new spring set made up. I'm looking for something that I don't have to put lowering blocks on ideally. And then the subframe from the front came out. Next thing is to get the underside stripped back to metal ready for any repairs / undercoat. Before getting the place covered in dust, I started on removing the interior carpets to check out the floor. Some water ingress from an old rubber grommet in the rear that looks to have degraded. Rust doesnt look bad... just the sound deadening starting to come off which I'll be doing eventually anyway.

I used to own a Datsun B110 1200, which is I guess the rival model at a similar size and shape. I had to sell it to buy my first house. There's not too many of these KE series cars kicking around the UK, and I've always loved the design, so it seemed fitting to do get one as a new project. I didn't actually import this one myself, it was just by chance I was starting to enquire with Australian agents that I came across it already in the UK, fresh from the docks!

Had some free time so made a start on getting the engine prepped for removal. The oil cap on the engine was aftermarket, so once I got the carb off I was amused to find where the old one ended up. Melted to the exhaust... After many hours of meticulous labeling and bagging of bolts, the engine is just about ready to come out. I was worried about getting the exhaust separated from the manifold with it being old, but it unbolted like it was new!

Got myself a hammer and dolly set to work on the front end some more. Still needs some work but its getting there: A set of 14" wheels arrived. These will get a refurb and some sticky tyres one day: Then my AE86 brake setup started arriving in various pieces too. I considered a willwood setup, but for the money the 86 brakes will do just fine for now. Calipers I have sourced refurbed. Mounting brackets and hubs I sourced second hand, so I have nearly everything for the front suspension gathered. Australian based company 'KE Conversions' supplied me with a kit for the 4AGE to make things 10x easier when I do the swap. This includes engine mounts, gearbox mount and a reinforced pedal box now that I'll be using a hydraulic clutch. Next up is to start dismantling the old engine, exhaust and front suspension. Everything up front is getting replaced while I have the car apart.

Had the car started and driving, so turned it around in the garage. Driven for the last time on this engine. Aquired a set of coilovers from an AE86. Started taking these apart to get some new shocks in there and give them a lick of paint. Then I got to work on the front end lower valance. This was dented in shipping, so just needed to pull it back out. Figured I'd start dismantling the front end anyway for removing the engine soon. With everything removed, the valance pulled out not too bad. Will need some more work but happy for now.

Hi All. Scotland based newbie here, with a KE25 imported from Australia. The long term plan here is to do a restoration with a 4AGE running on carbs. To then be used for fun and the occasional track day. When I bought it: It was white, unmolested, no previous welding done and relatively rust free (for Scottish standards at least). When it was in Australia: When it arrived with me: First impressions were pretty good. Got it rolled into the garage and started making a list of parts I needed. There was some damage in shipping from Aus as you can see in the photos - Worst being the front apron and indicator lights needing some attention. The rear boot lid also wasn't flush on the right hand side. Looked like the car had been rolled into something and the tail light section took a knock. Nothing too bad. Front wings were gone at the bottom. I was prepared for the sills being gone too, but surprisingly good on first inspection. Floor pans and under the car look great. Never been welded, meaning any repairs that might need done I can do properly and not spend hours undoing someone else's bodged repairs. Long term plan: Engine and Gearbox swap to 4AGE / T50. Also the diff. AE86 front suspension, and brakes. Rear suspension and hub upgrade to AE86 at the same time. Maybe reset the leafs or get some lowered leafs somewhere. 13/14" wheels. Sort out the body work. Bare metal respray, flared arches, fender mirrors etc. (Probably keep it white, but I'm tempted to go mango). Restore the interior back to former glory.

Hi guys. I'm looking for a KE25 corolla as a project. These are hard to come by in the UK, so I'm looking at importing one from Australia. Can anyone recommend any australian based companies they've maybe used for something like this? I'd need a car collected from the seller (wherever that may be), taken to the docks and put on the ship going to the UK. The service I've been looking at for shipping is the Roll-On Roll-Off service, so any car I'm looking to buy will need to be driveable at least. Cheers.

Hi guys. I'm new here. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently looking for a project KE25 globally for import back to the UK. Looking forward to the forum. Cheers, Sam