wenisman

On a side note, I was replacing the lower ball joint on the suspension arm and again using 555. One of the ball joints is tight and requires some force to move. The other is very loose, I can move it around with just one finger. I'm wondering if the loose ball joint is defective, or since it's probably not going to move alot the loose joint might be ok?

Thanks for the feed back guys, that was very helpful and much appreciated. That self centred steering makes sense, and explains why the rubber is so torn around the ends. I was having banjos exact problem of things weren't lining up when I put them back on the car. So I have backed the nut off and I'll tighten it once it's all aligned. But I will see about what can be done with regards to getting a tapered bush arrangement

Just for context, I attached two photos of the idler arm to bracket interface. You can see the teeth on the crush tube and the indexing notches that are in both the bracket and end washer. Both the old original idler arm and the new 555 idler arm have the same setup. But I'm also not sure how I can replace the bushes. They are just a solid rubber peice. The ke30 idler is different in that it has some bushes that sit between the rubber and the crush tube I believe.

Thanks banjo, I'll back the nut off for now. But without a castlated nut I hope it won't come loose

Hey everyone, I took the old idler arm out of my ke26, but one of the captive nuts stripped off the bracket as it was sized good and proper. So I bought a new 555 idler arm, but the new arm doesn't seem to turn. I have taken the idler arm apart, the tube in the middle has notches that seem to be used to index onto the bracket and the end washer. The rubber bushing doesn't look to rotate, so I'm wondering how this arm was designed to work? Should I just released the tension on the nut holding the idler arm to the bracket until it turns freely?

@KWHPWRDAN I would love some more info on your build. Did you keep the original transmission or did you update or even remove it? And maybe what you did about some mod cons like aircon etc.

Yeah, I'm looking at getting the egt213. A casual 150hp should suffice https://electricgt.com/shop/213-e-crate-conversion-system/ I am drawn to this system because it's the easiest system to install, will without going down the rabbit home of sourcing parts yourself and designing in ev system. But the costs are very high, $49k usd for the v6 equiv crate motor (313 system) is a turn off.

There are a number of people who make parts for the rwd conversion of the duratec engine as they are pretty common in caterhams and Westfield's. I am seeing if I can get an electric gt ev crate motor in aus. If it is closer to a direct drop in then it may be a costly but convenient option.

I am in the middle of tearing down the ke26 wagon and I was wondering if a drum to disc conversion was possible. I was looking at a wildwood unit, but without taking the drums off I don't know the axle offset. Does anyone know what the axle offset on the ke20 was, I have a u code diff so it maybe slightly different but close enough will do for now 🙂

Personally I think that once i have bought and paid for an item, no matter the size and value then I am able to make decisions on how the item is to be repaired/upgraded etc. The prospect that some company can hold me to ransom and say that only they can service/repair an item is ridiculous, especially as the manufacturer will only "support" and product for so long. This is forcing us into an upgrade path that we may not want to take. Its an legal conundrum as we actually own the item and so why arent we allowed to upgrade or service it with whomever and with what ever parts we like. Sure we may void warranty but isnt that our right to choose?

I was actually looking at doing the EV conversion on my ke26, as i was half way through rebuilding the engine and thinking of going efi... there are only 2 issues, the first is do i have $30k to do the EV conversion and the second is where to put the batteries. Easiest solution is to keep the gearbox and drive train and get an adapter plate and bolt the motor in place of the engine. I went and did the EV course online with EV Alliance and the rough ratio for a 1 tonne car is 20kwh will get you 100km of range... that is actually 4 tesla battery modules or about 7 LG Chem modules, this is about 70cm x 60cm x 30cm (and close to 160kg) when you add in the cooling plates and battery management modules and package it in a weatherproof box. Needless to say this is actually a large space that is much bigger than a fuel tank on a car. You also need to consider that you will need to engineer the solution and speaking to my local engineer you can go about 10-15% over the original weight of the car from the factory if you want to be able to register it for the road, so when you add in the weights of DC-DC converter (so you can run the 12v system on your car like lights, aircon etc), chargers, motor, Management modules, adapter plate for motor to gearbox etc you don't have a lot of wiggle room of you only take out an old 3k motor and gas tank. Also the original drive train wasnt designed to take the full torque that an electric motor can put out, so often people have to upgrade the gearbox or at least the internals, and the replace the axles. Whilst I am still looking into the best solution as throwing time and money into an EFI conversion on an old 3k motor is good, is there something that will keep the car running longer? Personally if i can get 200km of range in a battery package about the size of a gas tank then the EV conversion will become worth while, so whilst i have time i am keeping my options open

On that note, does anyone have a toyota ke20/ke26v parts catalogue that they are willing to part with? I have the collision parts manual but that only covers the body parts. I am looking primarily for the suspension parts and the interior parts.

That looks great, the toothed wheel turned out better than I would have thought being laser cut too. But the efi conversion is certainly coming along, should be enough to set up the efi now

https://www.onlineautoparts.com.au/products/04122-0855662115-9780855662110-Gregorys-Repair-Manual-Book/ZPN-25461..._ There's plenty around, Google will be your friend in this one. Also a few on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/233607922634

I had the same with amayama, they have cancelled the order as the parts are no longer available. Now I'm waiting for the money to be refunded... Not a great purchase experience

I just had the same experience with amayama. They couldn't confirm the frame number, so I sent them pics of the chassis plate. Then they asked for payment but haven't confirmed of they can get them yet However apparently the seals I want are in stock, so I've paid and will have to wait and see.

Otherwise i was looking at something like the datsun 1200 wagon which has similar windows. ive seen replacement rubbers for those and so just trying to find out if its a roughly equal size. then i might be able to make them fit, but a direct replacement would be better. SO maybe ill keep up with toyota heritage and see what they come up with too

Hey Pete, according to amayama they are available. So ive put the order in and I will see whats available. thanks again for your help. Toyota heritage are looking at making reproduction seals, so i will wait and see what they come up with. cheers for all your help, if youre in sydney ill buy you a beer or two!

Hey pete, so if in reading this right, the parts I'm after are the 68188-13010, 68189-13010 (for the door quarter windows) 62743-13030, 62744-13030 (for the rear sides windows) is this correct? sorry ive never used the parts catalogue so just making sure that I'm seeing this right, thanks for your help though, greatly appreciated!

Hey Parrot, if you do have the part number of the side rear window seal, and the rear quarter window seal that would be great. this part just seems to be as rare as rocking horse poo... I have highlighted the two seals that i need on both sides of the car. I'm just about to put the new shocks in the rear, but i was going to replace the ubolts and shackles. So i am looking for replacement shackles, if anyone knows some that fit it would be appreciated.

hey parrot, their shipping seems to have come down. only cost me $30 to have shocks, bolts, lug nuts, and some seals sent over. came via fedex and in about 1.5 weeks so i can't complain. given their prices are generally pretty good, if you have a list of parts then you can buy a few things and it all balances out. i shudder to think how much shipping in individual ebay items has cost me. but the hunt for parts is real, like finding replacement shackles for the rear leaf springs, and don't get me started on the rear side window seals for the ke26 4dr wagon. but i will keep searching, its all we can do

hey dan, I'm busy looking for the same rubbers, i have the front and rears but then rear quarters are like finding gold. If i manage to find someone who can custom make at a decent price, i will see if youre still interested. But please PM me if you find any.

hey k3twent, i purchased these ones for my rolla, the bolts where a little on the small side so i had a little trouble getting one nut on. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/COROLLA-KE20-TE27-KE25-KE26-TE28-TE21-STRUT-MOUNT-MOUNTING-SHOCK-LH-RH/160821043550?hash=item2571ae615e:g:VnQAAOxyFjNSPpkL&frcectupt=true they did fit well but i will be upgrading to coilovers at some stage (who knows how long a build will take) and then i will use camber plates. if i had my time again i would probably just order from rockauto, i know ive said it before but they are a good resource for you https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/toyota,1974,corolla,1.2l+l4,1367614,suspension,strut+mount,7600

hey banjo, i would be interested on your thoughts on the quality of the trigger wheel. if you give it a thumbs up then i might order one as well, cheers G

i just purchased some kyb for my ke26 wagon and they we $36 per shock and the shipping was about $30 all in AUD. but looking at the monroe website, you can find the struts that should fit your car. if you are in australia then monroe list the 805014MM https://www.monroe.com.au/trade-corner/catalogue-search.html?cat_make=TOYOTA&cat_model=Corolla&cat_year=1974&search_type=make_model_year&form_used=sidebar doing a little google you can pick them up from $100-$160. the $160 was from supercheapauto if that helps