GBKE15

Mikey, I had a shop nut and bolt my car to run last month and the owner of the shop nixed the strut tops saying there wasn't enough flex to them. If you want to give them a shot, send me your address and I'll send them out. If you like them, send me your dizzy. Glenn

That's cool. They are actually going on a ke15, which is drum all around. I like the rx7 wheels that I am running now and really don't mind the bolt pattern. It seems that worst case you could cut the plate/connector off of the bottom of the ke15 strut and have it welded to the bottom of the rx7 and it would line everything up properly. Also the diff that I have is a GSL rear from a first gen. The GSL's had the db and lsd here in the US. Thanks for the info taz. Glenn

I have been trying to find ke20 parts at every yard that I go to and there just haven't been any. I have found several first gen rx7's and have a early model with lsd available to use. I am fine with the rx7 wheel pattern and it seems that they should be strong enough behind a 3k. I think that I can do the rear axle fairly easy. I aslo want to try to use the front struts/hub/brakes and the proportioning valve from an rx7. Do you think that this possible? Thanks, Glenn

I should have taken a better pic. The dizzy has a vacuum on both sides. The other one is hooked to the carb. Do both of the ports go to the carb? Thanks, Glenn

I just realized that I left out the pic that I needed help with. Where does this vacuum line from the dizzy hook up? Glenn

I've only driven it around trhe block so it's hard to say how it feels exactly although for what litttle driving I did, it felt great. The guys at www.geocities.com/ke15 is running 250lb springs up front and agrees that that is too stiff for normal driving. Mine are 180 so I think that it'll be okay I think that I had $75.00 in the strut tups. The expensive part was the bearings. The rest was time. I need to hit a few bumps to make sure that they will hold up. After that we'll see, there may be a gen two top. Glenn

Here's the update fo anyone checking it out.... pic 1 front shot pic 2 back shot pic 3 where does this hook up?? pic 4 my version of stewart's strut tops pic 5 one more inch to go. Glenn

the insert is held in by the original threaded nut, the red cap is just for looks/dust, maybe. I'll ahve pics tomorrow. I am also doing a similiar version of Stewart's adjustable strut tops. We'll see how it goes, I finally have all the bits. Glenn

It's the usual stuff, I think the part that you are talking abou tis just the strut insert. If not, I'm not sure. Lindsay..the adjustable bits are ground control and the springs are eibach 180lbs. +++NEW QUESTION+++ I bought some tokico strut inserts on EBAY and they ended up being the ones that are made for the ke15. The overall lenth of the strut case is 17". I was trying to get the ones for the 71+ corolla but they were missmarked. How bad off are these going to be? I know that the car is at least 2-2.5" lower, but with the stiffer springs, I think that the only thing that I have to worry about is big bumps right, not so much the bottoming out issue, right? Glenn

If anyone was interested in the coilver conversion, here's a couple of pics........... Glenn

nevermind gang, I found the issue. The rubber o-ring wouldnt give and then finally came out. All straight now. Glenn

Hey Guys, I am in the middle now of rebuilding my struts on the ke15. I have a set of Ground Control/Eibach coilovers that I am going to fit to the ke15 strut and they are for a 99 corolla, but they will be close enough for what I need. I also have a set of tokico inserts for them. I got the first "retainer nut" out and the insert won't budge, is there another nut under there. I see a flat washer looking thing with a hole on each side like it may be another one maybe. These appear to be original rebuildable struts. Thanks for the help, Glenn

I ended up adjusting the pipe with a BFH and it seems to clear a lot better now :'( , not exactly the best solution, but I didn't have any more patience for the clunking. I figure that the amount of "adjustment" vs the excess piping that the exhaust shop left probably evened out. Mikey, the starlet dizzy is elec, right? No points and more spark, this is a new one for me. I'll get with you after the holidays to hook up on it. Thanks for your help. Glenn

Mikey, I'm not sure what car the motor came out of. It's a 3k that came out of a 79 ish Corolla, I think. I bought it from one of the techs here at work and it came out of a relatives car so he couldn't remember. It is a dual plane exhaust which adds to the size by a good bit. I have cut the exhaust off and hammered it a bit to make some more room. It's not the best way, but I really don't know how else to fix it for now. The more I get into it, the more I think that I should've gone with the single plane from the k motor, it would've been much easier and cheaper. I'm not sure if it helps much on the power side. Do you still have the starlet dist? I may be interested if you do. If you can think of any other bits that might help me tweak some power out of this ride would be nice. By the way, I used your trick on the clutch with the tube to extend the adj. and it feels much better. Waht setup are you running again? 4k with efi? What car here did you pull that off of? Thanks, Glenn

Hey guys, it's been a while but now I am back on the corolla. I am still trying to find the best way to fix my exhaust issue that I am having and would like some suggestions. The exhaust is hitting on the steering box and I don't knowo what the best way might be to fix it. I have attached a pic from the top so that you might see what I am talking about. I need to lower the engine on the drivers side (right if facing car) or lower on the other side. It seems that lowering on the pass side will give a little of the "uprighting" effect although, I am not sure if this will cause any issues. Maybe I need to lower the engine on both sides? Open to suggestions, Thanks, Glenn

I know this is an old post, but I wanted to see if it was still working. I just purchased an 88 mazda 323 gtx that has a ton of spares including a spare engine,turbo, efi, and all the goods to do a swap. What year mx5 are you using for the tranny? If I cannot sell my ke15 for what I need to get out of it, I may keep it around and get this engine hooked up and ready to swap in. Just keeping my options open. Thanks for the help. Glenn

Thanks Felix. If I wanted to change the profile of the cam to provide more torque where would I start with the specs for the regrind? Would the specs for the tighe 112 be similiar to what I could get them to do to the factory cam? Thanks again for the help. Glenn

I think that I have read all of the FAQ's and googled more than I normally do at the bar on Friday night and I'm just checking for clarification on a few things. I swapped in a 3k-c into my ke15. I want to port and polish the intake and try to do something with the cam. Can I swap the cam and head from the k-c to the 3k-c? Just trying to see if I can work on the k-c head myself and get it finished/checked by a machine shop while still having a running motor in the car. Also, I have tried to find a cam through all of the parts sources here in the US and cannot find a cam available like the Tighe 112 (i think that was the right #) and I keep seeing something about resurfacing an existing cam. Will the k-c cam give me any benefit or can I get it redone to benefit me at all? Thanks, for all your help. By the way, for those of you familiar with my past posts, here's the update on my ke... Car is running fairly strong, I have never driven one in the past so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it'll do for now. I would love to kick it up to 150hp but I know that will involve a different motor setup. I put the supertrapp exhaust on with a 1.75 in straight pipe and it sounds wicked, might need to tone it down a bit. Clutch and lightend flywheel feel strong. The disc brakes a down the road a way, not sure if I really need it at the moment. Body work is starting to come together and it's getting a personality all it's own. Interior will be comign out soon, racing starts in March here in Virginia. Thanks again for all of your help. Glenn, again.

Felix, So is that a different mount or did you modify your existing mount. Is it just a shorter bushing? How far will that drop the engine before the oilpan hits the xmember? My supertrapp exhaust came in yesterday, so we'll see how it sounds tomorrow, barring any new years flu tomorrow. Thanks for the help. Glenn

I found the knocking :wink: sound that I was hearing on startup. The exhaust is hitting the steering box, LHD American setup. The motor mounts seem to be in good shape with no tears or cracks and the motor seems to have a good amount of shake although it goes away with slightly more idle. I'm not sure how much is typical for these motors (3k) and what to expect. The question is "How detrimental is it to bend/hammer/etc the exhaust pipe directly below the steering box to make more clearance. It probably won't take much to clear the box, I just don't know whether to start on the tuning to make sure that the motor isn't "looser" than it should be. I know that any restriction is goign to reduce the performance a little, but I am not sure where to start that will give me the best results. Mikey's right, doing anything exhaust wise on these k sereis here is a paint in the a$$. Hopefully this makes sense, Glenn

All is well!! :) :) I got it started Sunday and even took it for a spin. I swapped in the old k distributor and with a good bit of starter fluid it fired up and ran out very strong. A little bit o smoke in the beginning but it seems that it was because the engine sat for so long. Thanks to everyone that helped out. It looks like I am finally heading in the right direction. Mikey, do you think that the starlet dizzy is a better bet than the pertronix ignitor system. I was thinking of using the coil and the points elimination setup. Thanks, Glenn

My thoughts are in the distributor. I think that I may try to swap to the dizzy that I know worked on the k motor temporarily just to see if that is it. The one on the 3k may work fine after I replace the points rotor and cap, however, I think that I would rather try the other non-octane selector type before I spend money on the other stuff just in case. I also want to get the Pertronix ignition instead of points at some point anyway. I think the most reasonable causes for no fire would be the dizzy and the ground to the block. It'll probably be this weekend, but I'll post the findings. Glenn

I am checking on the grounding. I made sure that it was clean before I bolted the ground back to the block. The wire going from the distributor back to the neg side of the coil, check OHMS to make sure that it is not broken? Points seem to be working fine although they were dirty and I cleaned them up a bit with 180 sandpaper. I had a spark tester(?) that goes in the end of your plug wire that you connect to ground and there was no spark. I am using the 3k carb. There is a wire coming off of it that is black with a yellow stripe (I think) that is not connected to anything. To see if it is the distribtor, can I switch the k distributor out for the 3k. Only difference should be the fact that te k is vacume advance without the octane selector, right? I know that dist. was working prior to removing the orig. engine. Thanks for your help toycrash. Also, That is an awesome car you have, checked it out several times. Thanks, Glenn

So I was a little frustrated. I did however try doing some searches before posting the above message. I did another search and may have found some relevant thigns to try. Still, any suggestions appreciated. G

I swear I have done this kind of thing before even though it doesn't seem like it. This car is kicking my a$$ everytime I get to the next level with it. The exhaust is done and all seems well with the quality. I go to start the car and I have no spark. It's got to be in the distributor/points/rotor/timing area I think. Here's what I have done: I have checked to see if there is a fuse that could be blown and cannot find one. There is 12v at the coil with the key on and 12v at the ignition lead going into the top of the distributor. I have checked and the timing appears to be right. I cannot find any wires that are cooked/loose. Again, this is a 3k going into a ke15. The motor was supposed to be running with a rebuild. Is there something that I am overlooking? Thanks in advance for all of the help once again!!! Right now this thing is still a big ass baby blue anchor that i wearing me out. THanks, Glenn :) :blush: