KE70 unit with AE86 Kit.

[Samworth]

AE86 Body Panels on a KE70 – Is It Possible?

Hey everyone,

I have a serious question and would really appreciate some input. In my country, AE86s are extremely rare, but we have plenty of KE70s available. I used to own one and now I'm planning to buy another.

While comparing the trunk panel of a KE70 with that of an AE86 Corolla Levin, I noticed a striking similarity between the two. That got me thinking, is it possible to weld AE86 body panels onto a KE70 chassis?

If anyone has experience with this kind of swap or build, I’d love to see some photos, reference videos, or any resources that could guide me. My goal is to create something visually and structurally close to an AE86.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edited April 8 by Samworth

[altezzaclub]

I thought they were based on the same chassis, but having prepared an AE86 Sprinter as a rally car I don't think any panels will fit. The boot floor may be the same, check say, bumper bracket width and shock bolt widths, but you'd need to measure under the cars from sill to sill and check the width in the passenger's compartment.

The windscreens have different part numbers and prices, the AE86 lies down more on the car and the pillars are different, and I think the engine bay has a different width and certainly a different height.

 

[Samworth]

17 hours ago, altezzaclub said:

I thought they were based on the same chassis, but having prepared an AE86 Sprinter as a rally car I don't think any panels will fit. The boot floor may be the same, check say, bumper bracket width and shock bolt widths, but you'd need to measure under the cars from sill to sill and check the width in the passenger's compartment.

The windscreens have different part numbers and prices, the AE86 lies down more on the car and the pillars are different, and I think the engine bay has a different width and certainly a different height.

 

Someone in Indonesia managed to convert a KE70 into a Trueno Hatchback, and in Malaysia, I’ve seen a Daihatsu Charmant transformed into a Levin Hatchback, so I believe the width compatibility is definitely there.

The AE86 dashboard fits nicely into the stock KE70, so that’s another good sign. Just to clarify, I’m not referring to swapping every panel, but mainly the outer body parts like the front and rear bumpers, headlights, grille, fenders, doors, rear quarter panels, tail lights, and trunk.

I’m not entirely sure about the pillars, but I think the door pillars can be repositioned and welded to accommodate AE86 doors.

That said, I’m especially interested in knowing if a Levin sedan conversion is possible. If anyone has worked on something similar or is currently building one, I’d love to see your progress, photos, videos, or even build threads would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBNge5Xhyk5/

 

Edited April 9 by Samworth

[altezzaclub]

That's an amazing conversion, just changing the A pillars for windscreen rake and the roof would be a big job. I haven't heard of anyone on Rollaclub doing a giant body conversion like that. So they kept the Charmant floor pan and replaced the whole body above it. I suppose they had two wrecked AE86s, one red & one black, and a Charmant for a clean VIN number.

These diagrams exist, although I've never chased one for an AE86. I'll run a tape over the Sprinter tomorrow.

Edited April 9 by altezzaclub

[Samworth]

22 hours ago, altezzaclub said:

That's an amazing conversion, just changing the A pillars for windscreen rake and the roof would be a big job. I haven't heard of anyone on Rollaclub doing a giant body conversion like that. So they kept the Charmant floor pan and replaced the whole body above it. I suppose they had two wrecked AE86s, one red & one black, and a Charmant for a clean VIN number.

These diagrams exist, although I've never chased one for an AE86. I'll run a tape over the Sprinter tomorrow.

THIS IS AMAZING! THANKS FOR SHARING THIS INFO AND GRAPH WITH ME! HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

And yes I manage to have a conversation with the owner who converted the Daihatsu Charmant into a KE70, He told me that he sourced the body panels via Yahoo Auctions. IDK if that is a possibility that you could just order body panels from the auction but that's what he said. Also he mentioned that the proportions of the Charmant and AE86 are quite similar. Could you bump this Forum post with everyone how has expertise with AE86 and KE70 corolla. I think this is an interesting topic for those who could not afford or import an AE86.

[altezzaclub]

I did a quick check today and the AE86 Sprinter and the slanty KE70 have the same width from sill to sill, the same width across the rear shock pins in the boot.

As long as the panels bolt straight on you're fine, scuttle, bonnet, guards, stone tray... Then doors.. but after that its dismantle and weld on for the rear quarters.

So when you go to buy a spot-weld removal drill bit, buy the ones that are a solid drill with a little spike in the end on a flat cutting face.  You can pilot drill with a 2 or 2.5mm bit if needed, but usually I just use a center punch to dimple the middle of the spot weld.

We have replaced corners on cars, or whole fronts, and a roof or two, and the AE86 Sprinter looks a difficult roof to do, it will certainly keep you busy.

I haven't read of anyone doing it on AE86DC, Rollaclub or Toymods, or a couple of other Toyota forums I have visited. Start a new topic when you get going on it, we would love to see it happen.

[Samworth]

5 hours ago, altezzaclub said:

I did a quick check today and the AE86 Sprinter and the slanty KE70 have the same width from sill to sill, the same width across the rear shock pins in the boot.

As long as the panels bolt straight on you're fine, scuttle, bonnet, guards, stone tray... Then doors.. but after that its dismantle and weld on for the rear quarters.

So when you go to buy a spot-weld removal drill bit, buy the ones that are a solid drill with a little spike in the end on a flat cutting face.  You can pilot drill with a 2 or 2.5mm bit if needed, but usually I just use a center punch to dimple the middle of the spot weld.

We have replaced corners on cars, or whole fronts, and a roof or two, and the AE86 Sprinter looks a difficult roof to do, it will certainly keep you busy.

I haven't read of anyone doing it on AE86DC, Rollaclub or Toymods, or a couple of other Toyota forums I have visited. Start a new topic when you get going on it, we would love to see it happen.

Really appreciate you going to such lengths to measure the car, means a lot! I’m honestly glad to hear that my assumptions were correct and that the proportions between the AE86 and KE70 are pretty much spot on.

Looks like we can officially call the KE70 the daddy of the AE86 now 😄. Thanks again for the tip about the drill bits too. I’ll definitely try to source them, although being from Karachi, Pakistan, it’s pretty tough to find specialized tools like that here.

And for sure, once I get started, I’ll document and share the whole process. Can’t wait to get going!