Mechanical Sympathy

Hey Rollaclub, I've been posting here for a while now - lurking even longer - and figured it was about time I shared some details of my current projects, being a silver KE55 XX coupe and a buff KE55 sedan. First the coupe... I first owned a yellow KE35 when I was 16 in 1989. It's my profile pic. After a couple of years I had thoroughly trashed it, so traded "up" to a VK Commodore, then an XF Falcon, then a ZA Fairlane before picking up another bright brown KE35 around 1997 for $800. I drove that 35 around for 6 years before blowing a head gasket. At which point I bombed it up with a 5K, extractors, paint & interior and polished XX alloys, then regrettably sold it too cheap around 2003 (no photos of the done-up car unfortunately) Throughout the last 10 years I kept the twin carb sprinter manifold, hoping that one day I'd get another coupe. Suddenly I realised there didn't seem to be many around any more and started getting anxious about finding one. After a bit of hunting I picked this one up in Toowoomba for cheap. While it's a bit rough in places - there's some rust coming through after the previous owner gave the paint a freshen up - there's a lot to like about this car. It has a reconditioned GEM long motor that has done 1500km. Everything is tight. Doors go "thunk" when you close them. Everything works. After two or three years of sitting idle, it fired right up and purred away. Underneath the car is clean, neat and thankfully rust-free. Anyway I finally got it home this week, after sitting in a friend's truck yard in T'bar for the last 6 months. Time to get my excitement out and start tinkering! Here's some snaps from when I got it home; Future plans: A quick snick back, deal with the rust in fibreglass (I'm going to fit TE37 replica flares over it anyway) and paint in acyllic and clear coar - probably in a grey colour. Fit my twin Sprinter carbs to the GEM reco'd engine. Maybe pop the head off clean it up and slip in a cam. I'd really like a 7K (or a 3RZ long term!) but the 4K will do for shits and giggles until someone takes out the sexist leftie tards at the child support agency. Extractors and a 1 3/4 exhaust Go over the brakes and suspension, repair replace as necessary for rego. KE30 front and rear chrome bumpers. I have some Gold 15x6 Superlites (currently on the sedan) that I'll test fit, but I reckon it'll need 15x8's by the time I fit the flares. Drive it on Sundays. Thanks for looking. Updates as they happen!

Other things you'll need to consider and address; Thermostat housing RWD conversion, Suitable radiator and/or plumbing, Computer and wiring loom grafted into KE35 wiring, Modifying intake to suit RWD, EFI fuel supply - pump, filter, return lines etc. or Twin carbs and manifolds and linkages, Exhaust system, Making the speedo, reverse lights, temp and oil pressure guages work. New timing belts/tensioners, water pump, clutch, fluids filters etc. as part of a general major service. Passenger side rear-view mirror. Good brakes. Engineering certification. And sell me your 7K! Good luck!!

Ha in my experience, driving a KE at 110km/h and taking your foot of the accelerator pedal is like throwing out the picks.

IMO as a "performance" upgrade, a full freshen-up of your braking system (new slotted discs, pads, calipers, bearings, hoses) is a cheap, easy and noticeable upgrade over the 30-40 year old wobbly worn out gear that's probably on your (and my!) car presently, and more than adequate for a 5K street car. These bigger brake conversions certainly look cool, and kudos to the guys who can make them work without clashes or compromises - I'd love a bolt on set too! But short of taking my car on a track and shaving seconds off a lap time (which I've never done), I never felt like my previous KE35 needed better brakes for the daily commute, than the new stuff I put on it. Having said that, the Australian brakes fitted to my 55's do indeed appear chunkier than the Jap spec stuff I've seen on KE35s. But I haven't done a side-by-side comparo. One would imagine they're a bolt-in.

On the northside Reed? I dropped the name of a Celica dude who sent me, so maybe I got lucky. A week ago I picked some higly-rated KE30 front and rear bumpers with all lights, indicators, bolts and end/body rubbers, driver and *passenger* rear view mirrors, clutch cable E-clip, and miscellaneous driveline and body bolts for one-fiddy (it was all the cash I had on me, talked him down from two-hundy). "I get $144 each for those bumpers mate", he reckoned. So, not cheap - but blinged out my KE55 sedan nicely. Must do a rides thread soon. There was an average chrome '55 wrap-around/pointy rear bar that I'd go back for, as my XX coupe has body colour bumpers. blurgh.

I'd tell you the wreckers in Brisbane that has a dozen KE's that you could easily get the bolts you need, but then the secret would be out.

The old yella one in my profile pic was taken in 1989 - my first KE35 when I was 16. I need to get around to setting up a rides thread for the two 55's I currently own. However I've seen a few turquoise 55's around and I reckon done properly they look great. Having said that, I'd like my XX coupe to be in that Fiat racing grey colour. It's currently almost silver.

NIce coupe, looks like a good base. I'd love a 2TG also but hard to find. Apparently there are hundreds being used as door-stops in NZ but importing them is problematic. I don't think anyone likes their Corolla's colour to begin with - but they grow on you. In the past I've had bright-yellow, bright-brown, and now buff and silver KE cars and never liked the colour initially. Good luck with your project!

Having a 4" backspace I'd just about say yes on the rear - might have to lip the arch if it sits low. But I estimate the front would sit 1" outside the guard.

Have you put a timing light on it to confirm the vacuum advance on your distributor is plumbed and working correctly?

Have you done an engine conversion previously? Yes it's possible. Though it is likely difficult, expensive, time consuming and will require significant modifications to the car including - but not limited to - firewall and transmission tunnel, crossmembers and mounts, cooling, brakes, steering, suspension, differential, speedometer, wiring, fuel system. A search within Rollaclub may reveal that others have undertaken this conversion, at least on later models anyway. And please don't do it to a Sprinter.

15x6 in a +24 is just about the perfect fitment for a 55. I have these on my sedan. That gives a 4" backspace. Though a 205 tyre on that offset is just getting a little too close to the strut for my liking. 195 tyres would probably fix it. But you're wanting to fit 7" or 8" rims. With a 7" you'd need a +12 offset to keep a 4" backspace. I reckon that's about the max you can get under the front guards without over stretched tyres and a baseball bat. A 15x7 +12 would fit under the rear easy. An 8" rim would require a neutral offset to keep a 4" backspace. I reckon that'd put the edge of your front rim an inch outside the front guard. And the rear rim about flush with the outside guard. My estimate anyway. Someone else may have achieved more dish than that.

Out of a 1980's Lite Ace van. Or there are "Accuspark" brand $50 kits on ebay to convert a points type Nippon Denso distributor to E.I. apparently they go alright.

Maybe a few hack-sawed slits half way into the turned down edge of the filter base plate, so you can open it up the diameter a bit? Enough to get it over then screw it down. Or what about a short - like 10mm - piece of rubber hose or o-ring the same internal diameter as the outside of the carb/base plate the you can sit on the carb and sit the base plate in. If such a perfectly sized thing existed.

Scary. I always wondered if I hadn't torqued up flywheel bolts properly would they let go without warning. So I check them and re-check them triple-time... Good to know there's a rumble warning! So now you'll have a cheap/spare SC12 for sale?!

Well it's just basic metric stuff. If you have at least one of what you want, the rest won't be impossible to source. Don't give up!

Yah I need a engine-to-gearbox bolt too... Best bet is to scrounge the wreckers for nuts n bolts IMO.

Keep the chrome if you can. I'm not sure if the clips or a substitute are available but usually it's the first chrome to get pulled in a respray and keen collectors see it as a badge of originality! Car looks great though. Keen to see how it turns out.

Weber and manifold combination ought to be interchangeable with whatever K series engine you end up using. But I've never seen a 2K so I don't know if it has any extra water inlets/outlets to the manifold that later engines don't have but I'm sure it could be blocked off. Sometimes manifold flange thicknesses don't match but easily fixed. Not major modifications. The Liteace 5K was 1.5 litre models from the mid-late 80's onward. The Townace 7K was 1.8 litre models from around 1997 onward.

Ooh so many choices. Easiest (i.e. closest thing to a bolt-in swap) would be a 5K or a 7K. From there, the sky and your budget are truly the limit!

Or just help out a brother who's down on his luck and needs a door with a good deal and pay it forward?

Yes I see your motivation now. Nonetheless, I reckon 3 grand could make your 2.4 litre 22R own a stock n/a 2.0 litre SR20. No mod plate required. Yanks do crate motors wiv them and shit. Someone put one in a KE55. http://r.ebay.com/humH2J

I worry that you haven't budgeted enough. Though $3000 would build an awesome n/a 22R.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=13b+rollaclub G'day Shane, there should be a few to check out if you click this link!

http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/10/sydney-street-style-at-wtac-13/#chapter-best-in-show Getting some love on Speedhunters...