Mechanical Sympathy

The way some KE1X prices are going, yes I think you should hoard them for the nostalgic value. To clarify however, I'm not saying I'd pay $400 for them. I'm saying I didn't pay $130 for them. Start a $1 auction and post the link!

That sucks. Moral of the story - in the last 10 seconds bid what you would be happy to see some other sucker pay, not what you'd be happy to pay.

I let an Ebay auction go to the other buyer for $130 last month. I could easily have sniped the auction at the end as the other buyer was bidding in $5 increments. I would've paid more if it wasn't for the fact that I already have a set, but couldn't bear to see them go for any less. However personally I think a working set with linkages ought to be worth three times that amount. Corolla kids are tight.

Have you tried your local family-owned auto-upholsterer? I've had a set of KE35 front and rear seats re-trimmed in the past - for around $400 from memory. They looked grouse, and were a lot less pfaffing about than modifying some other twenty year old seat to suit through means of questionable legality, that ends up looking out of place and doesn't match the rest of the interior anyway.

Vinyl spray paint them! Paint is the best soap. Bleach is great stuff too.

Oh man - Eagers! I had 225/60/R13s back in the day. How is it that raised white lettering and wide 13" tyres ever went out of fashion? If the overstretchers didn't have to, would they? The Jellybeans look good too.

If you keep more than one, that's what invariably happens.

Were the pushrods bent?

Hi! Pedders have a listing : http://www.pedders.com.au/catalogue/toyota/corolla/1966-1970-10-series/ke10-ke11-ke15-ke17-ke18

In that case I'd stick with standard brakes. Have a look on eBay for relative prices of parts. I recently did my rear brake shoes and cylinders for $55 in parts, delivered. Though I didn't bother machining the drums. I get BHSS at Bowen Hills to recondition calipers. You might have something similar nearby, or an ABS or something. As for what a mechanic would charge you to do it - more than the job is worth I expect. Buy yourself a Corolla manual and you might get away with doing it all for a few hundred bucks. It'll stop heaps better than worn out 40 year old brakes. Spend an extra $100-$150 and replace the master cylinder at the same time for extra confidence. Having said all that - brakes shouldn't be trifled with. Read the book a few times and get a mate who half knows what they're doing to help you.

What are your plans for the car? Unless you're going circuit racing a perfectly adequate solution is to fully recondition the brakes with some new disc rotors (slotted and dimpled if you like), bearings, pads, reconditioned calipers, new or machined drums, new shoes and slave cylinders. Otherwise check out the Rollaclub wikis for info on upgrading suspension and brakes.

In 2002 I bought a new base model 3 door Echo hatchback fitted with factory alloy wheels for a hard-bargained price. This has been an excellent car for me. Cheap to buy, inexpensive to run and totally fit for purpose in typical 1up driving. It's surprisingly roomy, weighs a bit over ~800kg, has a "rorty" 1.3 litre engine that easily keeps up with traffic yet gets 6 litres/100 economy all day long, is chuckable and grippy in the corners - all the things that I've enjoyed from the KE35/55 Corollas that I've owned. Sometimes Toyota's best cars are their cheapest. I think the early Corolla ethos lives on in these cars. They should just do a 1.8 litre version to revive the 2TG/4AG halo image. Recent styling also remains an issue!

Car parts on the kitchen bench, because bachelor.

Yeah that's right. Will make it so much easier without the need to customise anything yourself (i.e. myself).

Sure - Ke conversions does T series engine and gearbox mounts for KE3x/55 now. Get a set of them, and an exchange pedal box and it'll be a bolt-in conversion.

Wow, what a buy. Look forward to seeing how it's comes up with a wash and detail.

Hi maybe you could post some photos - might help determine which year and/or which parts are fitted to it?

Everyone needs a friend like KE Conversions!

Prices will vary but it will be cheaper if you pull them out yourself and deliver them to your local spring-maker. Around $200 I reckon but it's been a while since I was hanging out with spring-makers. It can depend on if you're polite and they like the look of you! You won't get much lower by resetting because Corolla springs are already fairly flat. Some guys take it upon themselves to pull the pack apart and invert a leaf for more lows, but then your spring is working upside-down which ruins your handling and makes your car a shitbox. Lowering blocks are certainly the cheaper option and maintain spring/shocker geometry but the constabulary don't like them. Worth noting that fitting 15" wheels brings the top of the rim 1" closer to the body. I'm not a fan of lowered cars.

They pull the leaves apart, heat them up and/or flatten them a bit in a press, put them back together and paint them black. Nontheless - and I expect to get flamed for saying it - I think that car is sitting perfectly.

I believe the "KE35" one is a late KE55 coupe tail light.

Pop the old one out and take it to Supercheap/Repco/Autobarn. There's nothing proprietary about Corolla lights.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=toyota+4k+vacuum+diagram

A set went for $130 on eBay last week. I had been bidding on it only because I thought it was far too cheap and only let it go because I already have a set. The winning bidder was bidding in $5 increments so it could easily been sniped at the last minute. Or maybe it was you Dean?! I think they're worth more than that.

I'd offer a suggestion that it's because the slant K-engine crankshaft isn't centred on the car, but then I'm not sure what side you've found it is offset to. And that doesn't account for T engines - which I assume are centred.