Jonny Rochester

Yes I will get rego again in a week or two and give it a wash. But not eating at makas much anymore, trying to loose weight.

Front springs are King 65mm ID coilover springs. Rate is roughly 325lb/in. Struts are XT130 Corona shortened a bit with Koni inserts to suit SV21. Sigma lower control arms. Plus Noltech adjustable strut tops. Rear suspesnion is a extra leaf, leaves reset a bit. And big lowering blocks. ... I think.

I have done alot of work on this car. Nearly finnished, only a few more years to go now... If has a Wolf 3D v3 and I have tuned it with the hand controler so it idles and can be driven up the driveway. Once Rob gets the doors on and some rego we can take it on the road and complete the tune. Suspension is sort of done, won't know for sure till be drive it. Need to change steering knuckles still. Also we will put flares on the wheel arches as the current tyres would hit at the rear as you can see, without alot of flaring.

I feel silly repeating myself on different forums over the years... but thats ok. The idea is to have a complete TE37 Levin, or as much as practicle with a KE55S shell. I often am made to feel silly saying this, because most people in Australia believe the first Levin was a 1998 model AE112 with a 7A-FE. And I am just a little boy putting late model AE112 stickers on my old car!!!! I have a complete Levin badge set for the 1975-77 TE37 Levin, which I got new in the Toyota packets from Japan. (Not on the car untill I have it resprayed and I have a garage.) The only other parts I want is the chrome strip for the bonnet, plus bodywork and a respray. The genuine TE37 Levin had different stiching pattern on the black vinal seats and door trims. The centre console extended further back. There was a foot rest. The early KE30 dash was used with triple gauges (tacho, etc), plus oil pressure gauge and others. (I have a tacho dash I made myself with Celica tacho). The Levin had 13" steel wheels (I have these out the back, same as T-18). The Levin had struts and front brakes similar to Celica (I have coilovers with 4-spots). The Levin had a quicker ratio 16:1 steering box. (I have quick steering with modifyed steering knuckles). And if you don't know what a 2T-G is, look it up... They have sidedraft carbies, solex mikuni brand, 40mm diameter throttles. 4 throttles! Compression works out to be about 10:1 or 10.5:1 not 100% sure. That is with standard 2T-G head, and 3T-C pistons with the pistons cut just a little bit on the exhaust side to clear the valves. 2T-G has bigger valves than 2T/3T. I used 86mm pistons, 1mm oversize. I have used premium 95 fuel. The main rule of thumb with these engines, especialy with 2 valve and not reving past 8300rpm, is that for a 1800cc motor you will not get more than 180hp. For a 2 litre you will not get more than 200hp. With a 4A-GE the head design is better and you can get 200hp from a 1.6 litre (I plan to do this with the AE86).

My car has very simple specs. It would be easy to copy. Basicaly TE37 spec with some sports mods. Here is the info: Engine: 2T-G 88222 head block, crank, pistons are 3T-C. Pistons cut alittle bit to suit 2T-G valves. crank and flywheel balanced 2T flywheel machined on the lathe, down to 6.5kg Reground cams at about 305 degrees (this is the main trick) Irridium spark plugs 2T-GEU distributor and igniter (I use coil and ignitor off Holden Shuttle, as its ND and plugs in) Stock radiator tanks changed to 3 core. Gearbox: T50 from TA22 standardish heavy duty clutch Tailshaft: TA22 item shortened Crossmember: Modifyed to suit 2T as per Toyota manual on my webpage. Carbies: Solex from early 70's 2T-G, with factory 2T-G manifold and linkages Exhaust: 2" Front struts: Corona shortened strut, HiLux 4 spots, vented disks, coilovers, 6.2kg/mm, short stroke. Rear: Complete diff from RA23 Celica, welded for leaf springs. TRD 2-way LSD. Koni shocks. Rear sway bar from late KE55. Front swaybar from late KE55 (its bigger).

Strut brace is custom, I made it several years ago. I'm working at Jadamzic Auto where the dyno is. When I finnish uni and get some office job in ten years time, I will send the old corolla to some bodyworks and have them respray the whole car. The only TE37 part I don't have is the chrome trim on the bonnet, which I did find in Malaysia via e-mail, but didn't have the money at the time. Other parts I don't need if I keep the KE55 dash. I plan to keep this car forever, will fix eventualy. If the motor ever blows up propper, the next rebuild will be 2 litres and near 200hp. No reason for that yet. I have spent the last 2 years only buying parts for the AE86.

Just put the old Corolla Levin on the dyno for a quick run after work. 80kw at the wheels. I didn't make any changes, just run it as is. 2T-G 3T block - crank - pistons ~305 degree cams, stock cam timing about 110 degrees I recon I could tweek it to 90kw easy if I had the time.

I can also confirm my AE86 starter is basicaly the same as my TE72 starter except for the front alloy casting. I just had to swap a solonoid over.

On a new car with a tight engine and everything hooked up, I imagine the switch on 4th and 5th gear would save fuel. The switch would operate one of those solenoids in the engine bay thats connected to the birds nest of vacuum hoses. I have had a tendency to rip all that stuff out and just have one hose from carby to distributor and block off everything else at the carby and manifold. But there would be some satisfaction in understanding all the hoses and having it work right, if you could be bothered getting a emissions test and working out fuel consumption. Something for a nerd apprenctice with far too much time on his hands I say. There should be a vacuum map sticker on the bonnet, or in the service manual.

From memory both clutch forks are the same, but I'm not 100% sure. It's been some time. Have you adjusted the cable up at the firewall? Is the gearstick in the hole right? I know the gearstick has to be a K50 one.

The other 2 switches are on 4th and 5th gear. You don't need these, ignore. They were used for emissions, and operate switches to make the carby more lean when cruising on the highway.

JC807: Can you please tell me what size master you got, if you know. And what brakes you have? I am guessing you boosted only the front? I'm not after a super stiff pedal. I'm after a normal pedal, like what you would have on a facotry 80's car. Maybe a tad firmer. I can imagine if you have stock front brakes, but big master, you will have a very stiff pedal. But big brakes and stock master = too soft a pedal and too much travel?

Thanks heaps Lindsay. That photo under the dash is great. I was going to do the clutch like that also. But I am still fishing for info. There is a ridge in the firewall which makes it interesting. I take it Australia never got a booster on a KE20. All the American ones did, and the Jap TE ones. I wish I could just get a TE pedal box with booster etc and bolt it in. From TE27 pics the booster is mounted hard to the right, and the clutch one is mounted fairly high. ? The KE20 Master is 11/16". I would like to use that, but considering I have the 4 spot calipers was thinking it was a bit small. I have the same HiLux 4 spots on my KE55, and I use a T18 13/18" MC. And I consider that a bit small, wouold rather have a 15/16" like the HiLux does. Has anyone actualy driven with standard master and big brakes? Too much pedal travel? Also, looking for experience with boosting only the front. I guess this makes the pedal a bit firmer than boosting everything. What about the stock 11/16" master (can you get different sizes?) with no booster, but big brakes? Thay may feel ok. I have a new HiLux 1" master ready if needed, but will have to make a huge adaptor to bolt it on. Sorry, I know everything about KE30's. Never thought I had to work on a KE25 till now.

Any standard setup has the breather hose going back to the air intake. And the PCV valve hose going to the base of the carby, which keeps the breather as a closed system, and you never smell oil. Having a open breather will always give off a oily smell. A small amout of steam and oily vapor is normal. But if the breather puffs out oil like a chimney, then its time for a engine rebuild.

I am working on a KE25, we did a ground up rebuild with different motor etc. The last thing I have to sort out is the brakes. The car now has HiLux 4 spot brakes on the front, and a Celica diff with drums up the back. This KE25, and a few KE20's we have only came with a single master cylinder with no booster, and cable clutch. I notice the TE27 in Japan had a booster and twin master cylinder and hydralic clutch. (I would like that setup). Question 1: Did any KE20/25 in Australia come with a brake booster and dual master? If so I need to buy one and the pedal box, PM me! Question 2: If we never got the booster option, I have a VF44 remote booster that I will use. But I also will need a bigger 15/16" or 1" master to make the HiLux brakes work. Anyone have ideas about how to hook this up? Any pictures or info on KE20/25 brakes would be good. Thanks.

If the car is overheating it will more likely be on of these problems: 1. Coolant leak somewhere, even a pinhole leak. CHeck with a pressure tester on the radiator and let it sit. The leak could be through the head gasket (dibble of water out the exhaust), or a external leak. 2. Radiator cap is not holding pressure. Test or get a new one. 3. Thermostate is either missing or rusted OPEN. 4. Or half the fins are missing on the radiator, and its a really really bad radiator. But most often it will be a water leak. The leak may not show itself untell it gets pressure.

First you have to tell us what model car you have. Look on your ID plate and tell us all the numbers. Maybe your van is a KY30 or something like that? Don't know. Then find the Transmission code. Maybe W40, or something. So next post, give us something like this: Model: KY30 Trans: W41 Diff: E382 Only then can we help, because we don't know vans that well.

Much of the conversion is the same as talked about on my site, for KE55. If you get a genuine Toyota KE20 set of manuals, I think the 2 different crossmembers (KE and TE) are pictures with all measurements. You won't be able to find a TE crossmember unless in USA or Japan, but you can cut and weld yours to match. Gearbox crossmember may be different. You may have to recut the hole for the gearstick, as I am not sure the K motor was in the centre of the car. The TE27 runs a brake booster and master cylinder similar to the KE30, with the master cylinder hard up against the strut tower. And they have hydralic clutch for the T 50 box, not cable. Idealy you would get a TE27 pedal box, or did some Aus KE20's have a booster? You will have to work it out. One issue is the sidedrafts coming close to the brake master. It may not be a problem, something to think about. You may need a different length tailshaft. But maybe you don't, because I did it with a KE30 once without changing this. Bear in mind, the TE27 Levin/Trueno had a bigger T series (Celica) diff, and disk brakes on the front with a brake booster. Bassicaly the TE27 was the same as a Celica GT only in a KE25 shell with leaf springs. You will want a TA22 gearbox. A TE72 gearbox will work, but the shifter is further back.

I think the 2000 was originaly designed with no popup lights, but they had to be added because they wanted the US market. And in USA the headlights had to be a certain height. The engine was a 3M, 2 litre 6 cylinder twincam, with tripple sidedrafts. About the same power as a 18R-G, not that much (Load it up on GT4!). The "G" was not used in the engine name yet at that time, but in general you could call it a 3M-G I guess. The 3M (and 6R in the Corona GT RA45 I think, of the same period) were the first Toyota twincams. The 2T-G and 18R-G came later. The Cressida, Cresta, Mark II, Crown etc have all been ralated to each other in some way. The history of the Crown goes way back, before the 2000GT. They started selling Crowns in America in the 50's.

Fuel is a killer towing a trailer that far. Be prepared to use twice as much fuel. The trailer can easily get the wobbles at high speed. Check that often, you may have to stick to 90kph. Also, the rental car trailers are heavy crude things out of MadMax. Often the trailer brakes won't work.

Unless your in a wheelchair, you don't really want to modify a car with a auto. Learn to drive first.

Yes a 4A-GZE or any 4A-GE can go into a AE95 4WD car. One main thing to look for is the differences in the block. The 4A-FE block in the AE95 has a cutout section and a different sump to suit to clear the transfer case. But it is interesting that my silver 20 valve also has this same block and curve in the sump. Meaning a 20valve would drop right in. Most other 4A-GE's may need to have the block swapped with the original AE95 block, otherwise you have to do some grinding. (Assuming you still want 4WD).

If you don't have turbo, there is no reason not to use the standard T50 box. The T50 is nice and light and works well. If you do have turbo, you can use a W58 or similar gearbox. If you get one from a 3T-GTEU it will just bolt on. I am also told the gearbox/bellhousing from a 1G-GTE also bolts to a 2T/3T block. 4th gear is the same ratio in all of these transmisions, 1:1. So if it feels different in 4th, then you know you must have changed the diff ratio, or used a different tyre size. Also, if 4th gear feels the same, but it feels different in 5th... then you know the gears have a different spread in that box. Simple. Use whatever you choose.

Yeah I guess. I have a RA23 rear end with mounts cut off and mounts for leaf spring welded on. I have retained the panhard rod mount which I have used in the past but am not right now. I have a 4.1:1 ratio, with a AE86 TRD LSD centre, 2-way. Tailshaft is a one piece TA22 item shortened 50mm from memory. I guess I am probably using KE55 handbrake cables. Baeu Yates uses drum brakes on his drift AE86. He says there are better for the handbrake. I have stuck with drums just for simplicity. I love stuff that is cheap and just bolts together. Using the Celica diff is just replicating what the Levin had anyway.

I have a RA23 diff in mine. A TA22 diff would also be ok, they are almost the same but a bit lighter. I have a spare TA22 housing here but I think someone bought an axle out of it. I also have a RT132 housing and axles here which is a bit wider. These are sometimes used for AE86 conversions.