hi all, just after some advice. i've had quite a few corolla's over the years, with a pretty even mix of ke70 vans an wagons, ae82 twin cam 16's and ae92's. plus a ke20 sedan for 2 weeks and a rusted te71 levin coupe. i have just swapped my stripped down ke70 panno for all the bits we need for my fiancee's celica and i'm feeling a tad lost without a toy lol. i have been offered a ke25 with it's fair share of dents an rust an possibly no motor but 99% complete FOR FREE! my question is, would it be worth getting as a long term project? have no idea what these are worth, or how hard they are to get parts for or work on. get it an see what i can make of it or save myself the effort? sorry for rambling on lol :rolls:

Parts are a bitch, thats why I've now decided to part mine out, plus the rust in mine was always going to be an issue.

 

If you have the time and patience, go for it!

If you have a genuine interest in corollas then yea go for it, KE25's are very nice cars in both looks and performance stock and when modified. They are really rewarding cars with lots of potential.

 

All depends what you want to do with it and how much money you have / willing to spend.

 

Parts can be hard to find, and these days your only hope of sourcing hard to find parts is basically the internet.

There are various forums like Rollaclub devoted to old school Toyota's where you will find parts for sale and meet people who have parts or can get parts.

 

looks like you've had heaps of experience with 80s corollas so a ke25 should be a breeze to work with, they are even simpler.

 

only real major difference worth noting is that they are leaf spring rear end and there is not much you can do about it.

 

I own two KE25's I know them in and out any questions just ask :)

yeah i thought parts could be a problem. money, well it's always hard to come by lol but my fiancee is one of those rare girls who likes cars and doesn't tell me I'm not allowed to buy things lol so while it could take years it could happen. I've always liked the look of them, nice shape, right amount of chrome and nice details. knew a guy a few years ago who put a 3sgte in one, was bloody quick and he did the conversion well but i thought the car lost some of it's "soul". was thinking a worked 4/5 k or maybe a 2tg. thanks for the advice and the offer of help if needed =) hmm looks like anna's ta22 may have a friend to talk to lol

let us know and get some pics up! keen to see what it looks like condition wise

so, where are the bad area's for rust? and are there particular area's that if it has rust there i should walk away from it?

oh an any views on motor choices? found some nice pics of factory rally cars.... i like!

Bottom of front guards, around the bottom of the windows, underneath the taillights, front of the bonnets, bottom of rear quarter panels, doors etc

 

they are old cars so rust is to be expected, what can ya do? if you have skills then you can do it yourself or are willing to give it a go, otherwise get a panel beater to fix it.

 

Stock they are 3K 1.2L, great strong engines, last forever with just basic service every now and then, but always good to keep up regular services with k motors as they tend to leak/eat oil lol.

 

could swap in a 4K from a KE55/70 or a 5K all bolt in nothing to do if you bolt on the 3K inlet/outlet manifolds. 7K bit of work involved

 

T series engines next on list, in particular the 2TG, will need custom engine mounts or get a TE27 cross member from overseas.

 

Engine and t50 gearbox will then bolt in no worries, but will need hydraulic clutch setup, TE27 have a hydraulic clutch but the pedal box's are not a bolt in process into KE25's, some drilling and custom fab involved.

 

Next is 4AGE, which is same amount of work but all custom, EFI as well so will need wiring done as well...

 

Sky's really the limit though with engine conversions....

Have a very close look at the front rails. Seen a few rust out on the drivers side. Generally look ok but one big bump or twist will cause them to crack along the rail. Also under the radiator.

cool, so if there is rust in the front rails can it be fixed?

also, i need a grill and the bits above and below it plus the corner garnishes and headlights and frames. hard to get? :hmm:

Got all of the above parts bar the grille.

 

Good luck getting one of those, mine sold for $150.

 

Another common place for rust is under the battery tray. ;)

Nothing is hard to get, if you are prepared to look around and don't want it by tomorrow

Agreed... I love my new-old-stock 67 grill, took 2 years to find :)

=) time is no worry to me, its going to be a very long term project. was dropped of today. very happy at the moment. it does have an issue with the right front rail, hope it can be fixed it's not real bad. how much for the grill surround parts?