Death on Impact

On a more related note to my project, I went and had dinner with the parental unit and told them about my plans. They didn't exactly react how I was expecting them too, which would be, "You're an adult now, do what you want with your money" and instead threatened to take me off their insurance policy. See, I'm 22 and have been on their policy to save a bit of money over what the same insurance plan would cost me as a high risk under 25 driver. The plan had originally been to keep me on until I turned 25 and then let me pay on my own, well, until I totaled the beater utility truck in a pileup on the highway. Then it changed to the end of the year. So, at worst, I'm looking at a whole extra three months of increased insurance premiums, which just cuts into modifications to the car. However, I am going to talk to my insurance agent, see what I can get and for how much, and also see if I can get sunny-day driver insurance on the Corolla. Should be able to go get the car this weekend, the journey back in the car is going to be a lot of fun. It will be about a two hour drive, and I know of a really good route back that takes me along the coast and has a lot of fun turns. In fact that route is pretty much all turns and constantly changing elevations. I'll try and remember to bring a camera so that I can have my buddy take some pics if it isn't raining.

THAT *#$%ING BASTARD!!! If the original seller hadn't gone to boot camp (why he sold the car), I'd call him up (again!) and get this c**t's contact information so I could go beat the $#!* out of him until he won't be able to have any more kids! I know that car, I was in the process of buying the car before the kid had to head out to boot camp on the 19th of September, and he told me he sold it to someone else who was going to fully restore the car. Which was reason he gave for not selling it to me after I had told him I had the money and would be down the next weekend; he said he wanted the car to hopefully be in one piece and in better condition than when he left for boot camp and Iraq. (Well, unless the current owner shot the then seller an offer he couldn't refuse, and the seller fed me a BS story) That just pisses me off! The guy bought that car for $300 on the Portland Oregon Craigslist on the 19th of September back after throwing the kid some line about restoring the car and putting it in his collection, and is now trying to sell it for $800 after apparently doing nothing but brush some of the dust and pine needles off the hood. If I wasn't already getting the KE30, I would be very tempted to buy that car for the $800 he set the buy it now at if only so I could give him a $500.00 asskicking when I pick up the car! On a lighter note, more related to the car itself: In addition to telling me about the floor being rusted through, the original seller informed me that the engine still ran, very very rough though. An engine swap might be economically reasonable or necessary; the kid did make it clear that the engine was on its last legs. Also, I was told the frame was straight, but the car did have alignment issues. Be sure you get pics of the underside of the car, if he won't provide them then don't buy it. From my understanding, it was not a pretty site. How are you planning to get the car from SoCal to Oklahoma? Best of luck to you if you do buy the car, it definitely could use some loving, and there aren't too many any real sprinters left on the road these days.

Hello there, this seems to be the most active reservoir of KE30 knowledge on the net that I have found so far and I do intend to utilize this knowledge as much as I can. Thank you all for the help you have so far given through your posts, and hopefully will continue to give. I'm going to be picking up a TE31 (American) in decent condition this weekend, weather willing and under the assumption that someone doesn't swoop in and buy it out from under me. Which is exactly what happened with a '69 Sprinter a few months back. That one still gives me the sniffles, although the fact that it was completely rusted after sitting for 30 years under a tarp and would have required a major resoration does ease the pain. Anyways, the TE31 is a five speed deluxe two door that was manufactured in December of '78. The plan for the car is to turn it into a purpose built race car over the next 5-6 months in preperation for next year's racing season (at least on this side of the globe), and I have been researching what I am planning to do to the car. For starters, I'm not looking to build a powerful car, well at least for a while. In fact, I would rather leave the engine and drivetrain as close to stock as I can and just concentrate on getting to know the quirks and characteristics of the car until power becomes a limiting factor. So what do I plan to do to the car? Well, read on: First off, the interior isn't in very good condition. So, what better excuse could I ask for to gut the car and get to work? The plan is to strip the car all the way down to the metal, repair or replace any unpleasant surprises I find, and start from the bottom up. Then it will be time to break out the trusty MIG torch, weld every seam, reinforce the body, and weld in a proper roll cage. While I shouldn't need a full cage as I long as I'm running the 2TC in stock or even moderately modified condition, I might as well get that out of the way while I have the car down to the shell and time to do it. Besides, safety is a good thing. So is structural rigidity. While I'm at it, I might as well spend a day rerouting the wiring and filling the frame members with stiffening foam. Moving along, next on the list of things to work on is suspension and handling. This is also where things get a bit tricky and less certain. I.e. any advice is appreciated. On the front, it would seem that either AE86 or Silvia front suspension are both bolt-on affairs and the two wisest choices. Both are widely available, both have lots of aftermarket support, and I don't have a moral qualm with putting Nissan equipment in a Toyota. In either case, upgrading to coilovers and upgrading the brakes will be about the same for either choice, although because the stock brakes for either should show an noticeable improvement over the stock brakes as it is, the latter shouldn't be necessary until I'm ready to work on improving engine power as well. In light of this, is there any reason why one is better than the other? Whatever the choice, urethane bushings and stainless brake lines will also be installed at the same time. Also, perhaps I just have terrible luck with search results, but what options do I have for the steering? Haven't found anything beyond a whisper about T/C rods, rod ends, rack/column options, solid couplers, or the like. On the rear, I'm going to keep with the leaf springs; no coil conversions here. From what I've been able to find out, my basic option is obviously to reset the springs and add leaves as needed; doubling two KE35 leaf packs was mentioned in the FAQ. Although KE35s are a bit of a rarity here, which makes obtaining the leaf packs even more of a challenge. Another more drastic option would be to put composite leaf springs in the rear, although this will probably be reserved for later (i.e. when the steel leaves become too bent and deformed). I may or may not install an LSD. Depending on what I can find used, the money to buy a new aftermarket LSD may be better used elsewhere. Definitely something I will decide on when I start taking the car to the track to get some practice with. Beyond that, wheels and rubber are going to be a must, although fragile ricer wheels tend to break so I will probably be looking for a used set(s) of datsun iron cross/RX7/Starion wheels and worry about rotational mass when it comes time to start looking into squeezing more power out of the car. The engine and drivetrain aren't going to be receiving too much love; as I said earlier I need to get used to the car with stock power before I go making it faster (does not include making the car lighter to better utilize the power it already has). However I do expect that after 28 years I will have to replace some all lines and perform general maintenance on the engine no matter how good of condition it is in. Probably a good time to drop in a new radiator as well, can't imagine the original will be too clean on the inside, and it would be a prefect time too put in a bigger rad to keep things nice and chilly. An aftermarket oil cooler can wait until I starting driving the car and determine whether the stock engine will even be getting hot enough to necessitate one. Eventually I intend to get a scatter plate, driveshaft hoops, overflow catch, and various other regulation equipment out of the way if I start modifying the engine but I won't be crossing that bridge until lightened flywheels, one piece driveshafts and the like. Aside from all that, I'll be getting a grippy bucket, harness, fire extinguisher, and anything else I might have left out. So I suppose that is about it, does anyone have any recommendations, advice, or corrections to any of the above? Definitely looking forward to building the car, it will be fun.