Banjo

So the Corolla sold last night, & today another Toyota pops up on Collecting Cars auction site. Not a Corolla, but a 33 year olde Toyota Landcruiser with just 36,486 klms on the clock. https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1988-toyota-land-cruiser-cab-chassis-pickup First bid just popped up, @ $ 3,500. And for those of you who are still jealous that Colin has had a drive of the Yaris GR, then you must watch this video, to understand what all the fuss is about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr1eJJhnsLQ&feature=emb_rel_end Cheers Banjo

There were 9 more bids in the final hours of this auction, & it eventually was won, by a bid of $ 12,750. Hope the new owner is very happy, & joins our forum, so we can learn what the plans are for it. Cheers Banjo

There is a note on the auction website today as follows . . . Anyone know what "Reserve Lifted" means ? It sounds like it had a reserve of $ 10K on it, & as it has surpassed that mark, the reserve has been met. However, could it mean, that the reserve has been increased/lifted; & if it doesn't reach that newer/higher amount, the highest bidder does not necessarily win the auction ? Cheers Banjo P.S. Just got an email from Collecting Cars, with link to the website that advised, & answered my query as follows. NO RESERVE

Hi Colin, More info please. Review, impressions. You've done something most of us mere mortals will never get to try. The 1979 Corolla, which was the subject of this thread, just broke the $ 10K mark today. There has been a doubling of the number of bids today. 11 this morning. 21 tonight. There is still 24 hours to go. Watch this space ! The Rolla is now assured a selling price of at least 3 times, what it was worth new 42 years ago. That's a lot of years to wait to triple your money/investment. If you had invested $ 3000 for 42 years ago at 5% annual compound interest, & never touched it, it would now return you $ 24K. We'll have to get the new owner to join this forum; but then, in the condition the Rolla is in, he/she won't need much assistance. Cheers Banjo

Hi Dave, Litchfield apparently think the "hype", is warranted. https://www.litchfieldmotors.com/toyota/gr-yaris/ No ! Go the full hog; aim for a WRC 21 version. OMG ! They can even levitate ! Cheers Keith

Hi Pete, I read recently, that a proportion of the sales of the new Yaris GR Rallye, were for investors, just snapping them up, for investment, as they believe, being a limited edition, the car will be most sought after, within a few short years, & achieve that "extremely desired classic" tag, that we know exists with say the AE86 Series. https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car-news/hot-toyota-gr-yaris-rallye-launches/ I've read a few of the early reviews of motoring journalists, who have driven them, & it does sound like it is a winner. You just need somewhere, between $49K & $59K, depending on what month you purchased it. Apparently, there is a waiting list. Cheers Banjo

Hi Pete, It now Sunday night, with 3 days to go, & there have been 9 off bids, & it's up to $ 6.5K. It struck me that is about double the price this car sold for, when it was brand new. I had a KE35 2 door coupe once, which I bought off a girl next door, where I was renting. First weekend, I cleaned it from top to bottom, (inside), as she used to cart her cats around in it. In the back of the glove box, I found all the original paperwork, including the original receipt of sale, when it was new, which indicated it sold for a tad over $3K, off memory. Cheers Banjo.

Note it is up to $6.2K Sunday morning, 28th Feb.2021. Would not be surprised if it got up as high as $15K, if the right person, somewhere in the world, really wants it. There was a case many years ago, when I was looking for a "similar state" Corolla of the 70s vintage. I came across one on ebay, & starting bidding. It was at Port Macquarie, NSW; original, one lady owner, low mileage. You know the score. I had it in the bag, until the last 15 minutes of the auction, where another new bidder joined the fray. I played the game & thought I had it, but was pipped/nipped in the last few seconds, before the auction closed. As an ebay bidder, you are able to see after the event, the details of the other bidders. To cut a long story short, this winning bidder was an international car buyer/broker. After the auction, the car got transported to The Netherlands ! There is a lot of interest in the following journalistic contribution on Caradvice.com.au website atm. https://www.caradvice.com.au/919581/old-cars-belong-in-museums/ The article itself is one thing; the replies & answers below are also a good read. It's a topic that will resonate, with many on this forum. Cheers Banjo

Hi Cashed Up RollaCub Members. He is a very original 1979 Corolla 4 door sedan, located in Melbourne, currently for auction on CollectingCars. The auction closes on Wednesday 3rd March. https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1979-toyota-corolla-cs I'll say no more. Just look at the 180 pics of this vehicle on the auction site, & read the full description. It reads like a Rollaclub members wildest dream. Cheers Banjo

If you live in Melbourne's north western suburbs near Caroline Springs, you can take a 45-60 minute joy ride in a Delorean, for $ 299. https://www.redballoon.com.au/product/delorean-time-machine-joyride/MUS005-M.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8viQ9KfR7gIVja6WCh3O5ATNEAYYAyABEgIxgfD_BwE Cheers Banjo

Hi Pete, No it's not a DeLorean ! A bit closer to home ? Tempted ? It reminded me of a post I put up on here a couple of years ago. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/73779-delorean-model-dmc-12/?tab=comments#comment-712934 Actually, I just put the word Delorean, into the search engine on Rollaclub, & found there are 14-15 posts mentioning this classic. Actually, I never posted an update to my original post, after seeing one in the flesh; up close in Canberra, a few years ago. I was down there again, just before COVID-19 hit, & was walking across the underground carpark, in the complex where my son lives; & there was the Delorean again, but this time there was someone working on it. We walked up & started talking to the guy, who was the owner. He had a USA accent, so my guess was he was stationed in Canberra. He told us all about the car, & what he had done to it, over the past year or so. I told him that I had seen it on TV, as when our PM (Malcom Turnbull) resigned & went to advise the G.G. in Canberra, the ABC TV crew were at the gates, of Gov House, & picked up a Delorean passing by. He advised it wasn't him; but did advise, that there are two (2) Deloreans, resident in Canberra. it must have been 45 mins before we eventually said our goodbyes; but reinforced to me, how passionate some people are about their cars. Cheers Banjo

You Be The Judge ! Cheers Banjo

We all know Dave luvs his Euro Toy (E30), but I wonder if he is so dedicated as this guy, who when he put down his last spanner, & drained the oil for the last time, . . . . had to take his Bemmer with him. (well a replica anyway) Now there's a good idea for my olde KE30, if my kids don't want it. Instead of the usual Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes, it will be . . . . . Rust to Rust ! Cheers Banjo

As the u-tube video above relates, the reason we need a big ampere/hour battery, is for just one thing; to start the car ! Once the car is started, you really only need a quite small battery, as the power/current consumed by the car once running, is very small, by comparison to starter motor current, which can easily be supplied by a small alternator & smaller battery. I'm olde enough to remember my dad using a crank handle, to start our Morris straight 6, when it had a flat battery. It not only took a lot of effort, but if it fired & "kicked back", it could really do some damage to your arm or wrist. The reason the starter motor is large, is that it is working against the compression in the engine. Lots of remarks on the net that we only have another 10-15 years, before the demise of I.C.E. motors. I read an article recently, in which it claimed the ICE motor is not done with yet, & there are still those developing new features, to prolong it's life. One that caught my attention was a "camless" engine, where the valves are opened by hydraulic pressure, controlled by electronically controlled electric valves. They have built running engines, that rev to 20K rpm, using this technique. One feature that caught my attention was the fact, that the starter motor size could be greatly reduced, & hence the size of the battery. The technique was that when starting the engine, all valves would be opened except one. Once it kicked in, the other cylinders could be brought on-line, one at a time. Crazy when you thing about it, that we lug this very heavy battery around all day, simply so we can simply start the car, when it stops. https://youtu.be/S3cFfM3r510 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bch5B23_pu0 Cheers Banjo

Hi Pete, I could bore you to tears, but this video describes just about everything regarding automotive alternators. https://youtu.be/jdSKlg80DjU The only difference you will come across on our Rollas, is that early Rolla's had alternators, where the regulator was a separate unit, & was non electronic. Later model Rollas have alternators, which have an inbuilt electronic alternator. Alternators, are generally sized by the maximum load current they can produce. Maximum electrical load is usually required during night driving, when lights & other electrical loads are at their greatest. One of the best mods you can do to a Rolla, is fit an alternator, with a greater output. Early model alternators fitted to Rollas, produced 30 - 35- 40 amps max output current. Best mod I ever did to my KE30 2 door, was to fit a Hilux alternator, with 85 Amp output. Others on this forum, have used Holden Commodore alternators, with up to 120 amp output. Cheers Banjo

Are you just doing the front wheels, or plus the one on the diff, at the back ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, I've not come across this before, so can't offer much help. However, if you Google your query, Google offers the following . . . . Hope that helps. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, I know just where you are coming from. Your totally original acquisition looks to be in extremely good condition, for it's age; & results from the extremely low usage over it's life, by a "little olde lady", who only used it to go to the shops. I have no idea, how much a car like this is worth in the USA, but it is the land, where if someone wants something, they will pay dearly. It may be a case of thinking outside the box. What if: You had the car professionally cleaned & polished, & brought back to totally best condition, so the car is genuine, & is in excellent appearance & presentation. Possibility no: 1 You take it to a car show where there are lots of cars of that era or genre, & lots of people viewing, who are potential buyers. You put a for sale sign in the window & see what transpires. Possibility no: 2 You approach Toyota dealerships, with show rooms, which might jump at an olde original, immaculate Corolla, to place on the show room floor as a drawcard, & talking point. Possibility no: 3 Sell it to a business, who wants to be recognized, while it is used for small deliveries, or the like, to which they can add their brand name, & a logo like "Good Olde Fashioned Service" or the like. You might be pleasantly surprised how much it may be worth, to the right person. You could then use those funds to buy a project car of your choice, with which you can learn, & have some fun with. Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, Build up of carbon in an IAC valve will stop it working properly. Even a small bit of carbon, will stop it. Have a look at this video, & see if your valve is like this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUB1UiDkKc If your IAC has severe carbon build up, you may have to replace the whole IAC valve assembly. You would be surprised how a little bit of hard carbon, inside the IAC, on the vanes, can prevent them from working properly. There is also the possibility that the actuator is faulty. I still wouldn't write off, the possibility of a leaking gasket somewhere of the inlet manifold, between the throttle body & the head, if the IAC works well. Let us know how you go. Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, 1600 - 1800 rpm idling, is a bit high alright. Few questions. 1. Did this happen suddenly, after it had been OK for a long time ? 2. Did anything else happen to the car just before this became apparent ? (had you been working on the engine) 3. Is it a steady high idle, or "wavering around" between 1600-1800 rpm ? High idling, is usually caused by too much air. That could be caused by an air leak into the induction system, on the engine side of the throttle box butterfly. (failed gasket ?) It could also be that the bottom stop of the butterfly movement is set too high. It is usually set so the butterfly 'edge" does not bang up against the inner wall of the dicast throttle body. However, I came across one recently, which was set a bit too wide, & therefore stopped the IAC valve from controlling properly, & doing it's thing. P.S. Do you have an aftermarket ECU fitted to this engine ? Trust this starts us off, in ultimately helping you solve this issue. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, Is there any particular reason, you need to change the carburetor to a Webber ? You pointed out early, that you wanted to keep it as original as possible. For a car with 83-84k on it in 41 years, the wear & tear on the car mechanically, will be minimal. However, simply, " time" can deteriorate alloys & metals, & a device like a dicast carby body can corrode inside, if left standing for years. My suggestion, would be, to remove the carby, & dissemble completely, or give it to a professional, if you don't feel comfortable pulling it to pieces. They will put it in a cleaning bath, & the whole unit will come back like new. If inspection after dissembling, indicates it is "passed it's prime", then by all means have a look at alternatives, & the Webber is a good one. I would imagine, if this Rolla, has spent it's life in a dry climate like Arizona, that corrosion, is not a major issue, hopefully. If you want a little more power out of the car, then there are several things we would suggest. Change the oil & filter more regularly, for the first 10K. Take it for a few long drives away from the city on highway roads, where you can open it up, & "let it breath". Have the distributor professionally dissembled & cleaned. (particularly under the plate where the advance springs & bob weights reside). Drain & clean the fuel tank, & replace fuel filter. The other thing, is to replace the exhaust muffler, if it is original. It could well be the restrictive area to good through flow. It is probably possible, that the head has never come off this engine, in 41 years. A valve grind & decoke, plus a new head gasket, will also be a treat for the engine. You will be surprised how attention to all these little things accumulatively, could reawaken your little "olde" Rolla. We wish you all the best with your new acquisition. As I said before; there are a lot of people around the world, reading your post, that are very envious; yours truly included. Cheers Banjo

Been a couple of months, but it's been a slow & different year for everyone I guess. The Speeduino ECU underwent all the bench tests, & has finally migrated to the garage, & got hooked up to the 5K engine on the stand, controlling the ignition initially, in full sequential COP mode. After setting up the initial tooth wheel settings, the engine fired up, first time, & was rock steady, on the strobe timing light. The trigger clamp on the timing light, designed to go around a spark plug lead, would not go around the exposed COP tube. I used a work around, as pictured above, but discovered that the sensor would trigger the timing light, if it was placed close to the head of the COP. It worked perfectly. The removal of the distributor, requires it being replaced by a dummy drive shaft, to allow the camshaft to continue to drive the all important oil pump. An old 3K Denso dizzy cut down, with a 35mm cup type welch plug as a cover, provided a perfect dummy drive shaft. The synch pulse from the camshaft is provided by a Hall effect sensor that is mounted on the timing chain cover, detecting a single rare earth magnet, fitted to the camshaft sprocket. So a week or so, playing around with all the Speeduino settings, & then it will be onto the next stage, of fitting my 7K EFI throttle box & inlet manifold, & hooking up all the fueling requirements. P.S. For those of us, familiar with rotating the dizzy to set initial timing, & watching the timing marks jump backwards & forwards, at idle, due to the slop & take up in chain & drive to the dizzy; the first thing you notice about crank toothed trigger wheel triggering; is how rock steady & accurate it is. Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, It would be highly unlikely that Toyota would switch a 15A circuit through the small switches in the lighting stalk. Put the 15A fuse in, switch the fog light stalk on, & then go look for a +12V signal somewhere. When you find it, pull the 15A fuse out, & make sure the +12V disappears. If there is no relay provided, then use this +12V switched signal to power a relay, which will feed another +12V fused circuit to your fog-lamps, as per the sketches, earlier in this thread. Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, If there is a factory original harness down behind the fog lights, that is not used, then that is probably for the fog lights. If you have hooked it up, you will need to add a plug-in relay, for the fog-lights to work. Toyota would not provide a relay, if there was no fog lights fitted. However, the harness & relay/fuse box would be wired for fog lights, & all you should have to do, is add relay & fuse to the relay/fuse box. Should be a goer. Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, Is the headlight stalk, assembly, with fog light switch built in, identical to your currently fitted one, except the foglight switch function ? If so, & the plug at the end of it lead is the same as your current one, I see no reason why it can't be used. If the plug & socket is easily accessible, I'd be unplugging the installed one, & plugging in the "fog light" one, & see if all the light switching functions still work, before swapping them out. Cheers Banjo