78_7kRolla

Got some more work done today/tonight ;) Pulled off the top radiator support because it was pretty scratched. Gave it a light sand and it will be heading off tomorrow to my panel beater friend's place along with the boot which has crow's feet. Should come back nice and fresh! Today i also removed, tested, cleaned and then painted both the alternator and starter motor. While they were off i also cleaned up that side off the block and painted it gloss black. Also polished up some bits like the timing cover and battery clamp. They came up pretty good as well. Got the extractors back from my friend who only gave them a light sandblast because of the rust. They still came back with two small holes! After they were welded up i sprayed them high temp silver before fitting them. Here are some progress pics. Starter motor before Alternator cleaned up Extractor holes welded up You can see surface rust underneath where the radiator support normally covers and the dull timing cover After shot Rad support

Today i got stuck into it a bit. Pulled the radiator out to be sent off to have a new brass core installed. Found a bottom radiator hose a little better suited to give more clearance to the alternator. Pulled of the what appears to be the original water pump (the bearings were stuffed) and found that the hose coming from the pump to the heater was completely kinked! Also pulled off the extractors to be sent off to sand blasting. The rocker cover then came off to inspect leaks and also i re-tensioned the head. The cams i found in it have genuine toyota markings but appear to be slightly lumpy due to the duration set on the lobes. Bit confused here really. But from what i can see the motor appears to be in good shape. Here are some pics.

Thanks Adam. I may need them for some fiddly bits for the motor. And with the fuel pump my old man has already explained a fair bit about it to me. We just need some time to get it all done. Haha thanks Jarrad. I figured i'd won that award as Stu may have 'let it slip'. I graciously accept the award though! Just need to pick it up from webers place first. Anyway, i will put some progress pics in a post later on tonight.

Had a look at her today. Everywhere i look there is work to be done. Whole front end needs doing (pitman arm/bushes, idler arm/bushes, stabiliser link bushes, stabiliser d-bushes, caster arm bushes and rear shackle bushes). Pressure tested the cooling system and found the back of the head leaking and water pump absolutely f#$%ed. Sump was leaking but i have tightened it up for now, rear gearbox seal is pissing out. The half moons at the back of the rocker cover gasket are leaking. Electronic fuel pump needs relocation as it is perilously close to the rear uni joint and has no fuel pressure reg. Also the breather is not done 'to standard'. The work i did get done today was fix up the gearbox crossmember and mount. One mount bolt was bottoming out on the 'box and the other was stripped. One crossmember bolt was loose and the other was stripped! Not that is all fixed up and the gearbox secured and sitting properly. I guess guys it's one thing at a time now and i haven't even got to the twin carby tuning problems yet. I'll keep you posted hopefully with a few progress pics along the way. Matt.

I'm there!

Good work Josh. It's really refreshing to see a young guy like yourself going hard at it and making the best of what you have. I think you'll find in acrylic paint any white will more or less come out the same. So go for any simple white colour is my advice. Also white is great for not showing up imperfections like other colours. Best of luck as always.

I'm presuming it'd be ok if i tag along too adam?

Looks the goods mate. Although i'd like to know how the diff was rebuilt as they would have had to rebuild the center in the housing because of the way they are designed. I think she'd be too good to heavily modify, good luck with her!

Thanks for the comments guys. Well after i get her running sweet (hopefully an engine rebuild is not needed) and get the spare bootlid refinished (the one on it has crows feet) i intend on detailing the undertray and then enjoying it as a daily driver pretty much.

Haha EvanG i think those rims and tyre 'are the sex' too. Well Tedster you know how fussy i am, could never own anything less :) And yes Adam i sold the KE55 Hardtop.

Phwoar! 240k !!!! I thought most of these had rusted and been raped by people wanting upgrade parts for their 1600's. my old man says that he remembers alot of them being auto. Maybe someone else can shed light on this.

The two cars together before i owned them both! Expect progress pics and updates to follow. Matt.

The Story: Bought this today off 'never'. It was a 'must buy' situation as i have been obsessed with this particular little car since i was old enough to walk. This car was owned by my old man's karting buddy for 20 or so years. To say this man was fussy is an understatement and it needs to be seen to be beleived. Anyway after sacrificing a nice KE55 hardtop and clean Commodore daily driver the car was in the garage. The Plan: The motor is in need of a thorough tune as the mixtures, jetting and balance seem to be way out. Not safe or nice to drive at the moment. Hopefully get this sorted first and then move onto the other problems. The brakes require a fair bit of attention too. After this will be to tackle basically every single rubber bush/mount in the car as most are perished. Luckily for me bodywise it is basically rust free and interior is absolutely immaculate as this type of work is the most challenging for me. The Pics: Some are from the previous owner and some from today.

Hahaha Ben. Need to get some t18 front and rear bars for some classicness :). Good work on getting all that work done Adam.

Gav, those wheels look the biz! I'm really digging the look of it. Can't wait to see more progress.

Good work mate, i like your idea of using the least amount of filler as possible. Kudos! Keep going.

Very nice to see more progress Ben. I find that monroe gas we fit to customer cars are usually very good. Obviously not for going around twisties but for everyday driving they are the goods. One less thing you have to do i guess.

Reading through the last couple of posts has now got me thinking even more. As i figure this is meant to be an upgrade for life i'm leaning towards the alloy w56 path and obviously converting to hydraulic clutch. Also the larger heavy duty 7k clutch i have at the moment is just as easy to use as the pissy little 3k clutch, so it does depend of the type of clutch used. Thanks for the info guys. Matt.

I think i too will be unsure of what to go in as by then i will have two choices...... Food for thought me thinks.

Great to see some more pics up. Looks like i missed out on some fun too! Here are the only 3 pics i have from my phone.

Just got back from my shortened cruise. Had a ball hanging out with all you familiar faces and those that were unfamiliar. Even the trip home was decent :dance:. Have fun out there guys! Matt.

Can't wait for this! Car is all juiced up and packed for optimum weight distribution ;) I'll see you at the Todd Rd servo at 7am for those of you meeting there.

Hahaha nope. I'll leave that to the buyer!

Car sold today. Bit of mixed emotions at the moment.

Don't worry Johno you can still have plenty of fun in a getz! I had one as a courtesy car :D