How To Tackle That Engine Conversion-

[Willis]

This is a good thread. Wish it was around when I started mine.

[bigblue]

I have noted everything important that has been said by you more experienced members an I thank you :D

 

Gotta take in all I can on my 3t-->ke20 conversion :)

[BUZ440]

If you are going to do a conversion make sure it is not your daily and rely on it as time can get away from you thinking you can do it all on a weekend

 

Make sure it's a shell or grab an unfinished project

[20v4agteEL31]

Great thread. Still plugging away at my EL31, bought it unfinished, and like others have said, just waited and waited for parts to come up. I have everything except coil overs now, but its taken over two years to get to this stage. Doesn't help that i now live on the other side of the country and the car sat in brisbane waiting for me for over a year.

 

A healthy combination of baby steps and genuine enthusiasm get a car done slowly but surely. I still get so excited on friday arvo to start work with plans I've daydreamed about all week at work.

[Killar_of_giants]

Great thread, hadnt seen it before. needs reviving.

 

As someone stated earlier, for me the biggest thing was research which I spent a lot of time doing before I started any work. I created a corolla folder on a hard drive. Inside that I created sub folders for every section of the conversion which was practically everything except diff, shell and interior. As we all know, hardly anything simply bolts into a KE30.

 

I over estimated what it would cost and doubled it knowing it would probably cost more then that still. Gearbox oil isnt free, nor are caliper rebuild kits. The list goes on and on. I couldnt afford the conversion so when I made the decision to go ahead, I couldnt afford to bail out. I purposly didnt keep tabs of what I spent. My car isnt half as flash as most of the cars here on RC so I don't want to know how much I spent.

 

I can't see a cheap or budget way to do it. Who wants to pull all that shit out once its in anyway. If you think youll need bigger fuel lines, do it. Not quite happy with the geometry and throw on the clutch pedal you modified, fix it. Not trying to come off as a know all, this was my mentallity when working on my own car. The bloke that mod plated my car did so on first inspection. All I knew was I didnt want to have to get him to come back again. I put that down to research and not taking shortcuts. Conversions have been done a hundred times before and documented by blokes here with more experience then me.

[styler]

Yeah I'm sure a few more people could add some valuable advice, thinking back... some starting points of project cars or restorations...

 

1) You need a seperate daily driver, a turn key operation. Something that gets you around. Not the project car. Something reliable.

2) Buy the best condition car you can, money spent up front on good paint, straight bodywork and little rust pays itself over may times.

3) If its a first project car, you could do a car thats popular so you can follow other peoples path and use the same parts / methods.

4) You need somewhere to work on the car that it doesnt need to be moved for periods of time, if outside use premium waterproof car cover.

5) Essential tools... internet, forums, vernier calipers, measuring tape, car manual, tech books, camera, storage space, zip bags, marker pen + tape.

6) You need tools, like a toolchest full of tools. And a jack. And wheel ramps. And a compressor... And you get the point... this also adds up.

7) Safety first, proper jack, ramps, stands, boots, gloves, glasses etc...

8) Modifying cars can get very complicated "Nothing bolts in, when it does bolt in it doesn't work and if it works it doesn't work properly."

Generally the case, something to keep in mind when modifying something, often you are thinking you are improving it when sadly you are not.

9) You need try and have "soft hands" to be able to have a mechanical feel to using tools and parts and for things like cross tightening.

10) Awesome tools include rattle guns, penetrating spray, degreaser, dead blow hammer, pry bars, rachet spanners and more....

 

Well thats some early advice anyway, especially for someone thinking of starting a project car, some heads up on a good starting point...

Edited June 7, 2015 by styler

[Mangu8991]

Ok thank you littleredspirit  and all but at the moments no body anwer my question I appreciate that you tell me all that but 

1 i got the money to spend

2 this is a hobby 

3 and i know it take time and all that 

but that why i join this club to get info and people talk about everything except for the real question I don’t understand 

[Mangu8991]

On 6/7/2015 at 3:58 AM, styler said:

Yeah I'm sure a few more people could add some valuable advice, thinking back... some starting points of project cars or restorations...

 

1) You need a seperate daily driver, a turn key operation. Something that gets you around. Not the project car. Something reliable.

2) Buy the best condition car you can, money spent up front on good paint, straight bodywork and little rust pays itself over may times.

3) If its a first project car, you could do a car thats popular so you can follow other peoples path and use the same parts / methods.

4) You need somewhere to work on the car that it doesnt need to be moved for periods of time, if outside use premium waterproof car cover.

5) Essential tools... internet, forums, vernier calipers, measuring tape, car manual, tech books, camera, storage space, zip bags, marker pen + tape.

6) You need tools, like a toolchest full of tools. And a jack. And wheel ramps. And a compressor... And you get the point... this also adds up.

7) Safety first, proper jack, ramps, stands, boots, gloves, glasses etc...

😎 Modifying cars can get very complicated "Nothing bolts in, when it does bolt in it doesn't work and if it works it doesn't work properly."

Generally the case, something to keep in mind when modifying something, often you are thinking you are improving it when sadly you are not.

9) You need try and have "soft hands" to be able to have a mechanical feel to using tools and parts and for things like cross tightening.

10) Awesome tools include rattle guns, penetrating spray, degreaser, dead blow hammer, pry bars, rachet spanners and more....

 

Well thats some early advice anyway, especially for someone thinking of starting a project car, some heads up on a good starting point...

Thank you for the advice 

[altezzaclub]

Classic examples-  Massively overpriced, poorly planned and many hours of work to finish.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/east-fremantle/cars-vans-utes/1982-toyota-corolla-xx-manual-sedan/1277681660

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cranbourne-north/cars-vans-utes/1984-3sge-beams-ke70-unfinished-project/1279563872

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/runaway-bay/cars-vans-utes/sr20-ke70-ae71-wagon/1275286410

 

[ke70dave]

Its amazing in a time when everyone has an extremely high quality camera in our pocket that we end up with advertisements with such shit photos and detail. 

[LittleRedSpirit]

I've seen so many adds for sale lately priced on potential.  Like a stock roughish VK executive with a HSV GTS motor, on a pallet next to it, asking 25k.  With a comment like, just needs to be dropped in.  lol.  Car is valued at 5k, motor at 6k, how do you come up with 25k.

People get in too deep, cause its easy to spend if you're an idiot with cash, but idiots cant fix or finish anything.

Hows the ae86 on FB marketplace with the full ra65 engine, box and interior, with positive offset wheels asking 25k.  Fucking vomit spec.  Where I come from people like that get slapped.