igor

Have you replaced the condenser? Maybe along with the points as a matter of course but it was not on your list in the initial post.

How much development potential does an 18R have? My dad had an 18R powered '76 Corona that was good for 180 straight out of the box. I didn't tell him that until after he sold it of course.

Sparkplugs correctly gapped? Tappets set correctly? Air filter clogged with crap? Carby jammed shut? SU carbys are a bastard for that when they get worn. Take the air box off and stick your fingers down the intake. You will be able to feel if the carby piston is stuck. If it is you should be able to get a finger or two under it and get it unstuck. If your fingers are too fat for that take the dashpot off and do it that way.

We need a new thread for listing what wheels fit what else.

Try 14" Falcon rims if they fit under your guards. I'm pretty sure the older Falcons where the same stud pattern as the Zephyrs. The new ones might be too for all I know.

My Falcon crunches when going into reverse but if I put it in 5th first then slam it straight back into reverse it's quiet as. I've forgotten what Escort shift pattern looks like but try what downtrail suggests. You'll know when the clutch is dying because it will start to slip like a wet bitch on steep hills and you will find that when you put your foot down the engine speed will increase but the vehicle speed will not. This may or may not be accompanied by the foul stench of burnt clutch lining.

If you were here in New Zealand I'd suggest dumping the 4M and repowering with something like a Falcon or Holden six that you can get parts for easily. Must be something available in your part of the world that would be an easy swap if you really can't get the 4M fixed.

Reminds me of years ago when my dad's B1600 was doing weird shit like that. He shagged around with the carby for ages and fixed a few obvious things but it still ran like shit. In the end he got a mechanic to sort it and the verdict was "it was something electrical".

Don't bother flaring the guards. Just pump the hydrolastic right up and run it rebel. Most cops won't notice a tidy looking grandpa spec car like that. I've only been pulled up once in my Wolseley 1300 but lots of times in my Falcons. Love that replacement washer reservoir. To get the dints out of the bumper you might get away with just beating the fuck out of it with a hammer if the chrome plating is good and well stuck on.

Nothing wrong with EA coon throttle body injection when it's working right Ogre. I've got two with over 450,000 ks on them and both were running sweet last time they ran. My current daily is another EA with the 3.9 Multipoint which is fine too but it does idle a bit high and rough sometimes. Maybe it needs a new manifold gasket as dr.wylde suggests above. I'm not keen to fuck around with it in case I make it worse. I've got a Haynes manual but I haven't found it to be as helpful as those for the older cars. It tends to say things along the lines of "there are no user serviceable parts in here, this is beyond the scope of this manual, so consult your local Ford dealer".

http://www.trademe.co.nz/toys-models/die-casts/matchbox/1970+/auction-823066673.htm Inside of yours looks almost the same shade of yellow as this.

this is brilliant. Who's up for chicken chow meow?

I fired on a Peckett steam locomotive on a museum line a few times many years ago. There was a valve controlling what we called a blower to boost the fire a bit. That would be what runamuck refers to.

I remember back in the day a lot of T-buckets used forklift radiators.

V8. Go on. You know you want to. With an aluminium block (I'm thinking Buick/Rover, maybe something Japanese) you might find you don't even need to change the front suspension setup. Insurance could be an issue though.

Just remove the garden hose and let the clutch cover vent to atmosphere. I've had a lot of these things and Minis and I've never seen that vent connected to anything. Some of them don't even have a vent, just a place where the hole in the casting never got cut out. Look at a few others, especially later Minis, and you'll see what I mean. Even having a squiz at engine bay pix on trademe should tell you something. As to the rust in the cooling system you must remember that the car is nearly 43 years old and it is going to have a lot of shit in there no matter how well it has been maintained. That said it does look like you have found a good one. It looks a lot better than my Wolseley. The first thing to look at when you suspect a blown head gasket is the oil. If it has water in it you will notice immediately as the oil will be milky grey rather than black. Being a push-rod motor replacing the head gasket is dead easy. While you've got the head off have a look at the bores and the valves, rockers, etc. You may be interested to know that BMC 1800 valve springs fit these. They are the same external diameter but have heavier coils. I belive that this makes them a valid alternative to Cooper S double springs. I used one once when I broke a valve spring. Should have changed all of them at the same time. Means you can rev it harder before it starts to valve bounce. There is tremendous devlopment potential in these motors. I knew a guy in the '80s who had one just a bit hotter than Cooper S spec and it blew away a lot of V8s. Looked stock as a rock just like yours but was good for 105 mph. Early Toyota Starlet 12" rims fit these things too. I know this because I bought some with good tyres on them thinking that I would need to swap the tyres onto my BMC rims but found that the stud pattern was the same and they fitted. Good luck with your project. Mowogs Rock.

I'd love to cut a Rolls Royce into a ute.

My mate has one of these. A real tidy one. Stock as a rock with 12R, column 3 speed, and a bench seat. Like a time warp.

Many years ago I had a TK Bedford with a 214 running a dual fuel setup. Ran sweet on lpg but the few times I tried it on super petrol it ran like shit. I knew next to nothing and just assumed that the ignition timing was advanced way further than it should be for petrol to make it sweet for the lpg. It never bothered me because lpg was way cheaper anyway but I've often wondered about it. Does anyone care to share their knowledge on this?

Driven my Wolseley 1300 in the snow on the ten mile rural commute to work a few times as was my daily for seven years. Never felt the need to use chains. One morning I only saw one other two wheel drive car moving and I couldn't go slow enough in top gear to stay behind him so I passed him at the breakneck speed of 35 mph. That hydrolastic demo on your signature line is brilliant. Saw the whole thing on tv years ago. Heard they destroyed about seven cars doing it.

Chch to Aucks in a 1300? Piece of piss mate. Did Whangarei to Bluff in mine in '94 with 6x6 trailer full of household gear. Three and a half days. Was hard work holding the speed down to 55 mph. Just couldn't do it on the big straights in South Canterbury. Was so boring I let it creep up to 70 mph. Bet the 8 inch wheels on the trailer didn't like that much. Did you pass the licence test? Don't worry about that shit on the sump plug magnet. All A series engines do that even if they're in good condition. It's a design feature to save everything else. Just clean it every time you change the oil. Let us all know how that flexi-joint on the exhaust works out. All the minis and 1300 I've had over the years have had a habit of breaking the exhaust. Loved the black and white photo outside the tower block. That's the height these cars should ride at. Plenty of ground clearance. You'd be amazed where they can safely go off road if you are confident enough.

Hey cressy. Coolest looking thing Toyota ever made. Always liked them. If a Corona was a Falcon this would be like a Fairlane. I had one for a couple of years in the late '90s. Wish I'd kept it. Under powered as hell with the 18R but still cool. Had dreams of putting a Holden 186 with a yella terra head and triple carbs in it but had no money. Thought it should be a relatively easy swap. With so many people putting Toyota five speed gearboxes into Holdens back then I figured that most of the thinking had been done. Guess you already know that in other parts of the world they came out with the 2.6 litre 4M six that the older Crowns had. Would have been far better that way.