headhoncho

Oh.. forgot to say, I'm in Rowville.

I'm bringing my original TE37 Corolla Levin... and I'm looking for someone to drive down my KE55 Rally car so I can display them both... anyone interested?

Hi, Is this for all Toyotas of this region or just Aussie ones? Does it mention any TE 27/37s? Thanks in advance.

Good news... Finally got around to having a look at tuning the 2TG in my Levin. New Plugs, New rotor and balancing the carbies has cured it of all the popping and spitting that it was doing. It's now running beautifully. The bad part... we checked the oil pressure (the gauge isn't working as it has a light switch sensor, not a gauge sensor) and it's a bit low :( , so no racing in it for now! It's fine for road work, but if I want to give it some stick, I'll need to check out the oil pump and main bearings. The engine's going to get an overhaul as part of the rebuild, so it's not a huge drama. So, now I can drive it around a bit! More later.

Yes.. someone blacked out nearly all the chrome... so I need to either replace it or get it redone. I did... but found someone... so I'm OK for now. Regards Michael

Hi Jimi, Sorry, not in the immediate future, but I'll keep you in mine. Regards Michael

Well, the Levin now has a club permit (through the HRA), and I'll hopefully be giving it a run this weekend down to Archie's Creek with the HRA. I've replaced the clutch master cylinder, but need to get it tuned... it's popping and banging like you wouldn't believe. Who knows when it was last tuned, and, for that matter, what sort of fuel it has in it! (I'll have to drain the tank and put some of the good stuff in it). And if anyone's interested, I've entered the rally car in the Moornapa Mountain Rally http://hra.org.au/index.php?q=node/2301 on 2nd June based out of Briagolong about 10 minutes north of Stratford (2½ hours east of Melbourne). I'll keep you posted with updates and photos as they happen.

I was hoping to be there with my TE37 Levin, but will be interstate.

Yes - totally - and the piston - and it also damaged the block. I have another head exactly the same, however I decided to put in a rebuilt engine that I found in Wodonga rather than rebuilding from scratch - my budget is limited, especially after I found the TE37! This new motor appears to work very well (apart from having to replace a timing chain tensioner that didn't ilke hot oil!) Pop on down to the Moornappa... I'm sure I'll be there!

Gotta couple of things to do to it before it can "go out" but I may let someone take it down to the Winterfest... it's only around the corner from me! I'll let you know.

It is! I ran it for a season... and won the HRA novice driver with my daughter winning the most improved navigator and novice navigator titles. The engine developed a leak in the rear main, and when this was inspected it was a "let's have a look at the rest of it"... which turned into a total rebuild. This ran last season until the first night stage of the Alpine, when a valve decided to let go, and destroy number 2 cylinder. So.. it has a "new" 2T-GEU retrofitted with the solexes... which has been kept totally stock. I ran the Gil Davis, and picked up 1st under 1600cc car. ATM, I'm looking for a navigator for the Mornappa, and plan to be there. I'm just back from the Readyplan Rerun.. and the car performed great over the 1200 odd km of outback roads!

I probably will when I display it(!) It's a rare part, and it works particularly well on the rally car... so it'll stay there most of the time. (Also, it's off a TE27 so the actual air filter canister doesn't fit quite right)

In my case it was around 3 months... waiting for paperwork was the "worst" part! I'll be putting it under a club permit, which caters for cars of this age/status. So, no it won't be a problem. And in Vic, this allows me to drive it for 90 days using a logbook. And, anyway, it's pretty stock... apart from being lowered, it's as it came from the factory... so there wouldn't be an issue anyway.

Yes, I saw the red KE30 2 door sedan... didn't get a chance to chat to owner/driver, but I'm sure we'll catch up sometime.

It's the little things! There are a few bits of rust just starting to come through which will quickly grow ugly if not fixed. (they don't show up in any of the photos I've posted). It's been repainted... slightly the wrong colour... I think I'll take that back to the original colour. The engine needs a tidy up.. I'll eventually rebuild it completely. The exhaust needs redoing (apart from the cool "octopus" extractors!). Seats need redoing - carpet - rear parcel shelf etc etc. It's more than just a tidy up.. and these things are so rare it's worth putting in the effort to make it right. "Some say" there were only 256 of these ever built - and less than 40 survive.

If you're talking about the All Toyota Winterfest on June 24 - unfortunately, it won't be there. I'd already booked to be away for that week. Import went very smoothly! I hardly had to do anything. This is how it went.... I found the car on the import monster site (which translates all the yahoo.jp auctions) I found extra photos at the original yahoo site, which gave me enough information to make an offer. The guys at import monster did some negotiating for me (and got it at a lower than the 'starting' price). The rest was easy... the car was shipped to their warehouse in Japan. I applied for a vehicle import approval... which was easy as the car is pre 1989 with basically no mods. Once this was done, I just had to wait for it to be put on a ship. Clearing customs and quarantine took 2 days [very quick apparently], and the car was delivered to my door on the back of a tow truck. All I had to do was pay the bills. It took around 3 months from start to finish... and most of that was waiting for paperwork to be done.

Here's some more photos - was a great day in Melbourne today! Front 3/4 Another View: Grill with Levin Badge Dash with 200kph speedo and tacho Oil pressure/Oil temperature(!)/Ammeter - Original Japanese AM/FM radio (hope it'll pick up Aussie stations) Pristine driver's footwell (with standard footrest) Passenger Footwell (with rust in front left corner) - about the only bit of (major) rust in it. Crappy driver's seat - to be replaced!! Pristine Passenger seat and rear seat No rust (well surface only) in the spare wheel well! Original jack and toolkit (haven't opened the toolkit yet, so it might be empty!) Engine / intake /exhaust The driver's seatbelt.... I might have to change this. The important bit - matching chassis number with the build plate - although you can't see it too well... chassis number matches the one on the plate that has the all important 2T-G stamped as the standard engine! (a close up of the plate) That should satisfy you for now!

I'm keeping my eye out for parts... getting a headlining in good condition is going to be difficult. They were a one piece unit, and the vinyl used to come away from its backing. The trim shouldn't be so difficult - plenty of aftermarket carpet, and there are enough old KE35/55 coupes out there that I should be able to find the A/C pillar trim. And yes, that was my rally car... and no, it was going fine in that event.... depending on which stage you saw me on, I might have been trying to plug my intercom in. (long story). It doesn't sound as throaty as other 2T-Gs as I have an original air cleaner on it. More photos of the TE37 coming shortly.

More photos will be coming soon! The rally car is a KE55 (TE37 replica) - 2T-G - twin solex carbies, t50 gearbox. Vented front discs - RA23 (I think) rear end with discs. Full cage, rally seats/harnesses etc etc. My hobby car!

Hi all, Thought you might be interested in my "new" TE37 Levin. I found it on the yahoo.jp auction site, and with the help of import monster (http://www.importmonster.com.au) purchased it. It arrived in my garage in Melbourne, Australia on May 4 2012. The good: It's super straight - very little rust, original shell, dash all there (re-covered binnacle) everything is clean and tight. The "bad": not really bad... just different... The head has been changed (to an EFI "big valve") but still with original carbies, suspension has been lowered, missing the air con compressor and evaporator, no carpet. The ugly: well not really ugly... just parts that are hard to get! Missing the headlining, A pillar trim and C pillar trim. I'll keep you posted as I dismantle and rebuild this rare classic to its former glory. Regards, Michael Ward Photos: In it's new home: Original dash! The Levin badge Rear end (next to my rally KE55 rally car)