jackeo21

Thanks for the info, Currently, I've cut the bump stops in half in the rear to allow for lots of travel. So, I know that there is no way that it's riding on bump stops. I figured this was the initial issue as there was a really small gap between the stop and the spring perch. This is fixed. I didn't cut an awful lot off the original spring, everything still sits nicely etc and looks legit. There are a good few coils left on the spring, and the shocks I'm using are really stiff but adjustable with a little screw on the side. I don't have a part number, but theyre KYB's from a mitsubishi of some sort. When my diff comes out this weekend I'll be sure to measure them up and find out exactly what they are. I'll also measure out and see if they're too short, like you mentioned, they could well be too short for this thing. I figure if I find the extended length of my original shocks, and take a good 100mm out of the max extended length, I would be on the right track. I previously tried VT commodore rear springs as they're a great fit but they're far too stiff. Basically this weekend I will remove everything and do some measuring and report back. The front is running standard KYB replacement inserts, but the springs are far too soft as it comes down hard over speed bumps in the front, but stays rock solid in the rear. I've definitely mucked something up somewhere! I'm just hoping it can be fixed with relative ease, I don't mind spending money on the right bits. I'm super new to lowering cars with this being my first "lowered" vehicle. If it makes any difference, when I jack the car up/lower it down the wheels almost don't move. Stays the same height on or off the ground. Shocks are set to the stiffest setting although setting them to the lowest makes bugger all difference. I feel like this is pretty standard knowledge but I'm learning! suspension isn't my thing.

In regards to the automatic transmissions, I've bought a really cheap W series bellhousing, clutch and flywheel, so it will be converted to manual when the 1G-GE is ready to get in there. A little more fun. Thanks to all for advice on how a more modern automatic could work though.

It's got really short shocks at the moment, but maybe not short enough! I've checked and modified the bump stops, they still look factory and function correctly. I figured with cut standard springs they'd still be soft enough (quite a narrow coil) but it's awfully bouncy. I'll be pulling it all apart this weekend for the new diff so I can take some proper measurements and get to the bottom of what the issue is. Even people who deal specifically with low cars tell me its pretty tragic haha.

Quite a bit has happened, I removed the rust holes in the roof, welded, and refinished the areas. Had a go with spraying through the gun, don't think the results came out too bad but it was done in a bit of a hurry to beat incoming bad weather. I also cleaned up the scruffy tailgate, the bottom is still made entirely of filler and will be a major to fix, so I'll follow a lead I have on one in Australia. First time seeing it with badges! This was pushed in bad when I got the car. I also painted the front lip to blend a little nicer with the bodywork. I spent some time and fibreglassed the ends too, to reshape them for my lower panel. For anyone interested in the same lip, it was to suit a KE70 Corolla. I think it works pretty well with the car. Also picked up a low k's E series diff, unsure on the ratio but it should be fine as it was spun by a W55, which is what the wagon will eventually receive. I can make it work. Gave the diff a clean and paint tonight, even threw in some non-factory, factory looking markings for lols. Tomorrow it will get new slaves and shoes and be put into the car this weekend. The current diff is so noisy, at the pinion but also both wheelbearings, and the brakes leak. So, cheaper and easier to just put this fresh diff in, which also doesn't leak which is perfect. This month's focus is prep for next months warrant. Being entered in at drag days, and with a big road trip planned over summer I'll be screwed without it! So fingers are crossed she makes it through. I'll give it some fresh suspension bushes in the rear too, for peace of mind. Also, I managed to find a full set of NOS toyota centre caps for a corona. With the gold Hayashi Street's I think it really works. Happy with this current setup. That's all for now, I still (desperately) need springs that fit until the S13 coilover conversion next year. Cheers

That's what iv'e been warned about following a few talks I had with car folk yesterday. I might head over to zebra today and have a look how it's connected. Physically the transmissions all look the same, although I do believe altezza ones are electronically controlled so that could be the end of that idea.

Cost, finding the pedal box, and interior manual surround, and i'll need to change the handbrake setup from foot brake to the normal pull type. It's quite involving is all. Ideally I'd like to have it off the road for a maximum of about a month, and I don't think I could pull all that off in that time.

Impulse bought KE70 front lip resulted in this, of which I would call a win: 20 mins of cutting and marking and it's sitting pretty good. Just gotta make up some little stainless brackets for the corners, sand, prime, and paint body colour. I'll be painting the bottoms of the guards, and the lower panel to bring them back to life at the same time. I think it gives the car a little more of an aggressive look, and when I drop another 40mm or so out of the front it'll really come into its own and look the part. Time off work is coming up very soon which means I'm able to get across town and have my engine block dipped. Unfortunatley the need for a new phone sets my head rebuild back, but I'm not fussed. I won't be putting the 1G-GE in for quite some time yet, so I'm working more on the car itself. I've been thinking about my auto. I'm not keen to manual swap for a variety of reasons, but the old A42/3 automatics are awful. I had been thinking about adapting an altezza 1G-FE auto to fit, and I think the only hiccup I would encounter is the rear X member. I'm thinking that the late model auto's, especially if sourced from something low kms, would be far smoother. And for the price of them, it would be a far cheaper option than rebuilding what I already have. Let me know if this is a bad idea. Entered in OS Drags too, so hopefully the 1G-E and slushy auto can smash out a sub 30 second run

Success! The 1G SOHC crankshaft and connecting rods have, and will work perfectly in my twin cam block. Need to find time to get my block sent away to dipping. I'll be taking the head in to get refreshed sometime next week, I've had it quoted up. I'm currently waiting on the cheap and probably shit really good value complete gasket set from Aliexpress. Cringe all you like, I've heard good things and it includes every gasket + seal required On the body side of things, I really need to get into the rust spots that are forming under the paint. I'm expecting some lovely filler work when I go digging rust out, shes had a repaint at some point in the past. Hopefully it doesn't become a huge nightmare and I can keep repairs small and neat. The bonnet has rusted out on the inside, but I have a basically new, perfect bonnet that needs to be painted and put on someday. It would be really neat to have the stickers in the engine bay and under the bonnet reproduced so I can put them on after the engine bay gets it's respray. As far as ride height etc goes this is awful to ride in. If it weren't for the comfy seats I'd be seeing a physiotherapist by this point. The rear springs have had some meat removed and it has really short and stiff Mitsubishi springs to keep everything tight but it jumps over bumps, bounces over every little thing in the road. Suspension + springs etc is certainly not my strong point so any advice on making it a little comfier to ride around in would be awesome. I thought X73 king springs may be the solution, but I'm not sure they'll fit. I had even brainstormed the idea of fitting the IRS rear end but really haven't put thought into that. I don't really have the coin for S13 front coilovers at this point in time. That's all for now, I'll update the thread when I rip into it and start changing things (again). Grabbed some pics out on a weekend cruise.

That's the plan. It's still a little pushed in around the taillight area, so I'll pull all that out and repair it all when I can get it into work.

it is indeed I have access to the appropriate repair tools at work so shouldn't be many dramas. The damage isn't bad at all really. Tailgate needs the whole bottom reconstructed though, thats about the worst of it all haha. It's rusted pretty bad, but the entire rest of the car is close to perfect. Quite strange.

talk about wagon here does anybody know the production numbers of these things? I can't imagine these were ever a popular car in wagon form.

Eventually got tired of the high life and found some cheap Hayashi Street CR mags with good tyres. Found springs at zebra that fit result: I think I'd like to bring the front down some more, the back sits just a little lower. I found some unknown mitsi shocks for the rear, and had bushings machined to suit. Such a huge improvement from the boat-like handling characteristics it previously represented. I just installed standard front shock inserts to get the front stiffened up. New Nolathane went in all round, too. On the lookout for a diff, this one has done nearly 300K and it makes some pretty terrible noises, not to mention both wheel bearings need replacing. The plan here is to sort another replacement diff (E312), new brakes and bearings/seals/clean and then install. To keep me busy until I sort the diff, I went ahead and tracked down a 1G-GE, courtesy of a fellow GX enthusiast. Sold in an unknown cond. I didn't really know what to expect. This should be a big improvement from the asthmatic SOHC 1G, having double the valves, bigger ports, and a cross-flow head. Although it won't be as simple as cleaning it up and putting it in, as it turns out it ran bearing number 2 and churned the metal filings from said bearing around the engine. Thankfully, the leaky SOHC 1G I pulled out earlier has put its hand up to donate the crank and rods. They have the same sized mains, too. (later 1G engines had different sized main bearings). That's all for now. Once the SOHC motor is pulled down and the crank and rods are test fit I'll send the block off for a dip and the head to be machined.

Since selling off my other projects and dedicating most of my available time to this barge I figure it deserves a project log. Nobody wanted this, it was for sale on TM for aaaggeess until I thought to see if the seller wanted a ute. Thankfully, the answer was yes, and a deal was made to swap cars later that night. However, arriving to collect this, the bonnet refused to open, the exhaust was half falling off, the tires were low, and she ran on 5, but I had to have it. The deal was done and it chugged along to the nearest gas station on as many cylinders as it could, where no visible issues were present. Air in the tires, and a quick window clean saw us headed over the harbor bridge back home wondering if we'd even make it. Sure enough we made it back late that night. First thing out was the huge "fart cannon" muffler, and since it's my only functioning vehicle, I used it for the following two days until the warrant expired on Friday, and then went and got a fresh WOF on the Saturday. First Order of business was to clean it, and investigate the misfire. After a week of diagnosis I finally found the issue - the wires inside injector plug 2 didn't reach the injector after that was sorted it was relatively smooth (but far from quiet) sailing. At this point it looked like this : Although that didn't last long. Pulled the window tints due to not enjoying having window tints. Replaced weird wrong 5 stud spare wheel with a 4 stud one. Power steering pump seal quit life and shat oil across the entire engine bay, fan assisted. Replaced pump. Gearbox rear seal and sump pan gasket, rubber trans lines, along with the engine front main seal thought it would be fun to leak lots and drain the entire gearbox overnight. Lifter tick got annoying Removed whole engine and gearbox with pleasure Installed 1G-E and auto from later model cressida = success Problems = solved Problems left to solve = shitloads lots

Cheers to absolute legend @crustywhip for sorting me a whole box of interior trim, door rubbers, windows, regulators, and most importantly two mint front guards, one of which has already found it's way on the car. Cheers to @The Bronze for hauling the bits up the country for me. Now that the front is together, only minor things left for a warrant. Need to stop annoying exhaust rattle, put my new front calipers on, and get the headlights working again. Front guard will be painted at some stage but for now it's not too much bother. goes so hard. I get many "when is it getting a turbo" comments, but for what it is it definitely doesn't need one. till next time

The hardtop got engaged this week. New wagon needs boatloads of work, but more focus is on the hardtop. New shocks finally arrived after much waiting as they got lost in shipping. The new rear shocks are from an Isuzu elf and stiffen the car up nicely. Currently being driven to the point of insanity with the headlights. When turned on, the dash lights and rear lights work fine, however I get nothing at the front. No headlights, parks, or indicators. Not even hazards. Only thing I can think to check is the modules, even then I'm not sure that's my issue. When I turn the lights on, I can hear a click from the engine bay relay but nothing much happens from there. If you can help me, I would love to hear from ya. Next on the list is to redo sections of the exhaust, secure lower p/steer lines, and put the front together.

Little update Got my front headlight and with minor adjustment yet to be made it should be perfect. Took some work in finding it but that's about the biggest hurdle overcome. The front is nearly ready to go back together, after some radiator mounts are made and some snapped bolts are removed. In other news, I went and installed new nolathane bushes in place of the worn out old rubber ones. This should help with stiffening up the car a little. Found some mint lower arms with good bushings and brand new ball joints so those have been installed, too. Shocks had been put on order 3 weeks ago but got lost in shipping. Replacements are due to arrive next Wednesday. Then it can finally come back down to earth for the rear to be renovated. More engine bay renovations have been happening. Installed a new starter cable, battery terminals, and secured heaps of loose wiring and brackets that had been flapping in the breeze. Next is to pull the 5 puck clutch and replace it with something more street-ready. The 5 puck is so violent that it is near impossible to drive comfortably, makes for a super harsh ride. Diff will be coming out at the same time. that's all for now! cheers

Slowly been working away at parts of the engine bay getting everything tidied up, hiding lots of loose wiring, and painting parts/cleaning. I love red valve covers, so the purple ones were painted in a wrinkle red. Inlet also changed colour. One other thing that annoyed me was the factory inlet piping, so for now I've ditched it and put the filter straight on the throttle body and made some exhaust heat shields to keep things cool and tidy. The front suspension in this thing is atrocious, like driving a waterbed on wheels. Took Shock Apart: yep, rooted. Bottom of the shock is all cracked and split, leaking oil and rendering the shocks useless. I would say these are originals. Next challenge is finding new replacements. While I'm at it i'll give the suspension a nice tidy-up and replace some bushings, as they're perished and rotted from 38 years on the road. Hoping to keep the current ride height but stiffen it right up, that's the goal. Hit the discussion if you can help me find some shock inserts - google doesn't give me a definite answer on the ones I require. Have heard MA60 supra ones may work. Cheers.

Proud new owner! Wanted this so much, I had it shipped up from chch. Unfortunately, previous owner ran into something, so I've been working away fixing that up. Lots and lots of other things to fix and improve. Little bits of bubbling paint really coming through, suspension is completely shot, and the 5 puck clutch makes for a pretty rough ride. Have been going over the entire engine bay hiding away many loose wires, securing power steer lines, and plugging firewall holes and the like. Here it is now, just over 2 years since the last thread update. The temporary Jolly chrome steel wheels will be for sale in the near future if anybody is interested. More to come soon! choice

I have collected my 5th Tru-Test after selling my other 4 over the past few years. Couldn't help myself to another, seen how they're so fun! This is a pretty nice, straight original ish bike. Handlebars have been changed to the ones you currently see on there but dare I say it, I think they look pretty cool. It has a fairly worn Briggs And Stratton 3HP. Bought it not running but after I slapped in a spare coil and wound out the carb it goes hard. Clutch was the first thing to be replaced. Since it was a twin shoe it would bite horribly and give a very rough ride. Swapped it for an equally buggered 3 shoe clutch and it goes far better. I need the engine for a rota-hoe so it will be coming off soon. I have a 5HP Briggs to take its place. Once I get rid of some projects I will restore it. Plan is powdercoat metallic blue, white fenders, with a few oldschool touches here and there. Updates to come when I either break it, pull it apart, or come up with new ideas. chur

Great point. When I first saw the truck I had figured it was very rare, possibly only one of a few in New Zealand. However as I dig deeper they are coming out of the woodwork, and I now know of at least 6, 3 of which I own. If I've managed to purchase 3 with relative ease, there are surely more hiding around NZ.

They seem to be hiding down south. Surely there cant have been too many of these things in the country? Two of my trucks are NZ new, this parts truck was registered in January of 1969. I have no plates or reg history for the first truck I purchased, but the chassis number indicates it was built just 26 trucks after the new parts truck. The white truck I have is a much later '70 model.

I have two rotten doors, since they're the same shape as the wellside I had planned to weld them in near the front of the wellside to create a "long bed". By cutting the wellside off just after the front mounts, and bolting that section to the chassis, I can then weld in the doors to fill the gap. Will elaborate/explain better when the time comes to fix it up Yep, the US trucks are SWB (2530mm) and our LWB trucks are 2770mm. Thats a 240mm difference in the two, just enough to annoy ya!

the parts truck is here. so is the american market wellside. pumped that I actually found one! However, since it was in timaru I ended up paying an arm and a leg to get the thing up here. it needs a lot of TLC to get her back into shape. I'm going to import a tailgate from the US, as the one I have is basically past it. The truck itself is actually pretty reasonable, with less rust than any other I've bought. I've decided not to chop her up. What it really needs is a full nut and bolt resto, a full strip, blast, the works. There isn't much to these things and they're easy to work with. This truck will be for sale in the coming weeks, with a flat deck runs and drives, these have the worlds shortest 1st gear, you may as well start in second and have a 3 speed manual. Thankfully I now have some parts that I've been missing (steering col. plastic, rear vision mirror, little trim bits). I now have the only RHD 521 with a wellside in the country. There is a white LHD US import 521 here, I haven't seen it in the flesh but came across it on googs. that's all for now input is appreciated :))

parts truck is actually tomorrow away, updates soon

Rev counter arrived, whipped up a bracket to make things nice and clean. Not much more on the truck thus far. Working away at a few problem areas but currently shifting focus to the mini in order to get the truck home. Parts truck is a week away.