Hey guys, I just wanted to pick everyones brains about my KE55s.

We know how KE30's were bult in Japan and how the KE55's were built in Australia. But my KE55s (Hardtop) states it was built in Japan. I rang Toyota and they told me that the only KE55 they have record of importing was the Liftback (KE55p).

I thing I find so odd about my car is that under it it has both auto, and manual mounting points for the gearbox crossmember just like the KE35, where as the Australian built KE55's didn't. Another thing is that the brake calipers are standard ones and not Girlock ones like Australian built KE55 hardtops. Now I don't know what type of brake calipers KE35's had.

Last item is my grille, I haven't seen any other KE55 grilles like it.

Now I've spoken to PhatKE30 who was the previous owner and the owner before him was an elderly old lady, so I know that the brakes couldn't have been downgraded.

 

Can anyone shed some light??

 

Edited June 3, 200818 yr by JiP_01

My ke55 has both mounting holes?

does that mean it was an import?

 

also what size are your rear front leaf bushes 35mm or 50mm.

apparently corollas with 50mm ones are import and 35 mm were aussie built.

When was the build date?

It may be one of those weird cases where it was built right on the model change from late 35 to 55.

 

So it says KE55 on the plate, but got the last of the 35 bits and pieces.

 

Thats my guess..

Well this is a 79 KE55s and was biult towards the end of the year, September to be exact. Where as my first hardtop, SL1 was April 1979 and built in Australia.

Most Corolla's were built in Japan, assembled in Australia.

 

They came as a package and we're assembled together.

Just so that everyone knows, the old bird that had it before me origonally bought the car brand new,

 

cheers phatke30!

Well this is a 79 KE55s and was biult towards the end of the year, September to be exact. Where as my first hardtop, SL1 was April 1979 and built in Australia.

Thats kinda interesting cause the '55 i have it was built in Sept '79 but its got the late model front end, dash, 4k motor and trimatic auto but the rest of its more or less ke30, except for the transmission mounts.

 

Most Corolla's were built in Japan, assembled in Australia.

 

They came as a package and we're assembled together.

The typical aussie stuff (trimatic, BW diff, etc) were just to save on the import tax/tariff.

 

On the build plate at the bottom of it, it has "Plant/G.V.W" on mine it has the code "Z31". The code is where the car was manufactured, i've got the codes somewhere but i'm buggered if i can find it

Whats so strange about the grille? Looks basically identical to an early KE55 grille (the later ones went to the egg-crate style with the square headlights)

Yup, jip - have a look at a few pictures of my grill....its exactly the same. It's just an early version for the round headlights. as for the mounting holes....I have my t50 mouted in the rear holes and it fits perfect.....i orginally thought that was why there were there. Mine is a October built 1979 model and has the bigger drums on the rear and girlock calipers

just to continue on a bit, which ke55's were given the larger rear drums??

I should be a bit more specific with the grille, I had never seen the blue badge before.

never hey??

Yeh, ive got that badge on mine, i think they are prone to coming unglued, cos they are a bit rare.

WoW, how did you pick that up. Its so small in the shot!!

 

And about the Girlock calipers, am I correct when saying that all hardtops came standard with them??

I was told many years ago that 4dr sedans were assembled in oz, but wagons, coupes, PVs etc were fully imported.

Another clue could be on the comp plate some say made in Japan, while others say AMI.

I think the AMI ones were assembled in oz in Pt Melbourne and the others were fully imported.

Not sure about this but what I was told.