parrot

I'm not aware of a generic Japanese club, and with everything going to facebook, the clubs have remained pretty much as what was around 10 years ago. If you go to a TCCAV coffee cars and donuts you will find a wide variety of cars, not just Toyota's. I reckon once restrictions ease off, the first CC & D will be a popular event. If I remember, I'll message you so you know its on. I might even get my AE86 on club reg by then.

TCCAV is great, but Victorian based obviously. Where are you? They are still a very social group with an active competition programme, plus club meetings when COVID doesn't get in the way. As with any group, there is a smaller core of active members, so don't be put off by thoughts the group is too big, many of those (including me) are remote and not directly involved in the internet era.

So no surprise, the genuine KE2x strut tops are out of production and unavailable. Not very happy with the service from Amayama on this occasion, and that's got nothing to do with the unavailability of the part, rather their requirement for payment 3 days ago without any certainty of part availability.

The big part wholesalers can be a good source but unfortunately the catalogues can prove pretty generic, especially with older models. The Thai ebay guys are usually on the money with the right part, but some of their stuff can be a bit generic too, for example the door locks. They sort of fit, but not very well as tey use the same one across multiple models. And quality can be variable. I think an issue with some of the aftermarket strut tops is that people put them in cars with rock hard springs, then wonder why the rubber in the strut mount splits. Essentially something has to give. Amayama have come back to me saying, "We haven't heard back from the supplier regarding availability of your order #123456 however there's a 95% chance they are in stock at the supplier. Please, make payment to process the order." Not quite the usual service i expect from them, but it's been a while since I bought anything through them. I'll pay for it and see what happens. Previously they ascertained whether it was available and THEN you paid. Have also ordered some rear spring insulator pads and some control arm bolts.

Be warned that part number is for a KE70/AE71/TE72 or Tercel. Will it fit a KE20? I have no idea. With respect to your question though, the daily driver item notes: The Shock/Strut mounting is exposed to strong demands and influences of the weather and therefore it is among the commonly replaced wear and tear parts. The consequences of a defect are perceptible: Loss of exact wheel control Loss of optimal road contact of the tires Unprecise steering behavior Prolongation of braking distance Increased noise Decreased absorption of vibrations Which one would you choose? I once ended up in the middle of a freeway jammed on the end of a barrier rail after an aftermarket tierod end failed. My wife to be ended up in hospital with a jaw fracture. We were very lucky. I always try and buy genuine for something like this if i can. Or think ery hard about aftermarket if it isn't

Glass is glass, although it can vary in thickness. And a seam is a seam. Any other older style car with a fixed window is going to have a seal with the same construction. As long as it is long enough, it could be cut down. Amayama have come back to say they are checking stock for the strut tops and a couple of other items I ordered. Experience suggests some items will be NLA, while some others will be. Knowing my luck, only the lower control arm bolts will be available....... I should say, Toyota Heritage are a great business. Gary is very responsive to filling demand, but tooling up suppliers for his products is probably far more complex than we realise.

As above, coming up as available only means they aren’t definitely unavailable! But fingers crossed. Do let us know the outcome either way. I’ll do the same with the strut tops.

Wenisman that’s spot on. I would be stunned if they were available. I would be looking for something ‘common’ and more recent with that type of window, and buying a seal to cut down

Part Number for KE2x strut tops is 48609-12030 To my surprise it is showing on Amayama as available, which really only means it MIGHT be available. Anyway, I’ve ordered a set and will find out one way or the other. $190 a pair.

Here you go. Yell out if you don’t know how to read the part number

I'm an Amayama fan, and also a Yahoo Japan auctions fan. A part number book is a great thing to have but they are not commonly available. A surprising amount of assorted parts can be picked up new from Toyota new via Amayama. There are tricks to using those sites to have the best chance of locating things. Same with ebay. You need look outside the box and look at US ebay for stuff like brake parts/fuel system parts that you otherwise may struggle to find. There are part wholesalers in the US with lots of stuff who specialise in reselling stock bought in from closed businesses. Quoted Ebay postage can be extreme, so talk to the sellers about actual postage. They will generally work with you on this. BUT, you need to know what you are looking at, and whether it is correct for your application. i.e. if looking at brake cylinders for example, knowing which bore size you need. Try and stick with components that were made in japan if you can determine this. Often you will find they also made the OEM parts in the first place. 555 for balljoints/tierods. Miyaco for brake components. Often the stuff from US resellers is Japanese made, but rebranded in a Girling box as an example. I can help with part numbers if required. This is a link to some aftermarket strut tops. You will get varied opinions regarding quality with any aftermarket stuff https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TOYOTA-COROLLA-TE27-KE25-KE20-KE26-TE28-STRUT-MOUNT-NEW/163970705675?hash=item262d6a690b:g:3bIAAMXQiNdRfMBS

Problem with Rockauto is they are in the US, and postage is astronomical. Welcome to the wonderful world of part searching. Being doing it a long time, and have learned to buy stuff when I see it at a reasonable price, if I think I'll need it in the years ahead. Various repro stuff is available from Thailand, but a lot of it is fairly ordinary quality. Realistically though, there aren't really any other options. Mechanicals are reasonably available but becoming increasingly scarce. If you think you will need a windscreen, buy one now. Trim is only available second hand, if you can find it

Pop your location in your profile, makes a big difference in helping with things like this.

Install an electric fan with a relay to cut in at appropriate temp. A good idea to use the standard shroud on the back of the radiator also. There are write ups online of how to set up your relays. I have setup mine (in my AE86) as per The Witzl's thread on Toymods from years ago, using a stock AE82 Corolla thermo switch to activate it. There are vast options for cheap fans at your local pick a part, and if you take a tape measure, you may find something that fits well with a bit of thought with its own shroud. As Banjo says, a clutch fan sticks out a fair way. Personally I dislike aluminium radiators because they don't look right in my view. Years ago my mate and I had identical TA22's except that he had a stock 2TG in his, and I had a moderately warm 2TC with twin webers etc in mine. We used to race in clubsprints at CCCV events, and usually we were pretty even with very similar times. One day I was able to gradually pull away from him, and it drove nuts because he knew I hadn't done anything special to the car. I told him my modification was in plane sight, but still he couldn't see it. All I had done was take the fixed (not clutch) fan off the car when we arrived at Calder. Not an issue when racing in 3 lap sprints. He only realised at the end of the day when I re installed it to drive home. Vale Paul Carden - a much better driver than me.

They do look really good. Body appears pretty straight? Or the result of a lot of work?