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Brawr's 1984 KP61 Toyota Starlet Sprint


DAD

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  • 3 months later...

Been a bit tardy with the updates, sorry guys! 

Since last time:

 

I've moved to a farm cottage down a 4km gravel track. This is FUN, but each ping of a stone bouncing off the bottom of the car fills me with a teeny tiny bit of remorse. I've reconciled this with myself under the justification that this car needs paint at some point in the not-too-distant future, so it'll get the few small areas of rust repaired then, along with some thick underbody protection.

 

Been driving well, failed it's WOF a couple of weeks ago on rear brake balance (I think Sparkle mentioned the rears would probably need doing at some point when I bought it). I replaced wheel cylinders and shoes on both sides and it flew through a retest, so I'm a happy bunny.

 Excuse the wanky instagram photos.

 

10950385_408231809346025_961186231_n.jpg

 

I've also been gradually working my way down the carbs/extractors route, and have accumulated the following:

 

-Twin 40mm Dell'orto DHLAs

-Jets that will maybe-sorta-kinda be appropriate for a cooking-spec 4k

-Fiddly linkage bollocks

-Fuel hose

-Inlet manifold

-4/1 tubular extractors

-7k triple metal layer manifold gasket

 

Should be enough to get me started...

 

Teaser:

10903587_1529185367365947_1786566060_n.j

(this was before I put together all the new linkage bits).

 

Current aim: Have running well enough on carbs to be able to drive up to Nats in March.

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So that all came out pretty easily...

10968457_593715584837_109038514201579709

 

Bit of space to fill now:

10428680_593715549907_671709482122826514

 

 

Getting there:

10945692_593715564877_668821721513364830

 

 

I've since swapped the fuel banjos over and routed the fuel line behind the engine, that's all working well, definitely getting fuel to the carbs now.

Went for an optimistic test-(cold)start. Set idles to 2.5 turns from closed, gave it a bit of a crank and met with some mixed results. Occasional popping/signs of catching but no proper start. Not surprised at this really, but need to get to the bottom of it. 
I'm ditching the vacuum advance (have been advised it won't work properly with the carbs anyway) and planning to increase base advance instead. Was working on that when the heavens opened so retreated inside. Could stock timing alone cause failure to catch? I bodged up a temporary mechanism to hold the choke levers out on both carbs and tried with and without that with little difference. 

 

Help gratefully received!

 

 

New to-do list:

Make up throttle cable bracket (easy)

Catch can?

Muck about with choke cabling?

Order trumpets/socks

Get running!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bit of an update.

Still not running reliably - been busy sorting non-car related stuff over the weekends/evenings. Can get it started now and running but still getting a bit of fuel coming out of the venturis of one carb. Might be as simple as a bit more float tweaking needed, seemed to clear it up on the other carb and there might be less leaking from this one than there was. Don't think I'm going to have exhaust sorted for Nats, so depending how much progress I get next weekend It'll be in one of 2 states:

-Big crabs with standard exhaust

or

-Stock and sad

 

We'll see...

 

 

Oh, in the meantime, got a full set of these from Beaver:

 

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Currently tyre browsing. 175/60/13s are top of my list at the moment.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 5 weeks later...
On 7/22/2017 at 17:22, DAD said:

Only pain with them is I specifically ordered a setup to fit behind 13" wheels and they don't fit behind my 13" wheels. The WORKs have an indented lip on the inside barrel that interferes with the caliper. Got some 25mm bolt on spacers to help with clearance, but definitely going to need some serious arch tickling with them on. Problem for future me.

 

 

 

xldNyo2.jpg

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Done. Scarles, so you just know it'll go hard for what it is.

 

Still in the sky at the moment, will drop it down tomorrow and assess what the arch sitch is.

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Fitted all the radiator gubbins back in and filled it up with coolant. Thought I ought to let the old girl put her face on.

nsUAHAe.jpg

She's a pretty lady!
Dropped her down on the ground to check wheel clearance. Sits thusly:

jGzrvon.jpg

Not insurmountable and almost exactly what I expected, but the bigger issue is that the now-spaced wheels rub the back of the arch on lock, didn't think about that. Hum. Might have to get some less dishy wheels on the front. Anyone got any 13x6 equips? 

 

Oh, filled it up with coolant and brought it up to temp to start getting air out. First time I've been able to get some warmth in this engine, seems to run pretty well!

 

Then I ran out of fuel, welp.

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  • 4 weeks later...

These ought to solve my offset issues. They have the same rear step as the WORKs, but are a little skinnier with a higher offset. Pair of 13x6.5 +10s, and a pair of 13x7 +15s.

Outer edge of the fronts, with the 25mm spacers, sits only 5mm outboard of where the WORKs sat pre-spacer. Should give me the wriggle room I need. Rears might just get away without an arch roll as well, sit slightly in from the WORKs.

Don't want these to be mint, but they HAVE been sitting in a dude's garage for 15 years, and were corroded to buggery around the bolts. 

Pulled the bolts, got some new ones coming. Pulled the shagged valves, got some new ones coming. Got some SSR shank nuts on the way too. 

Gave the lips a rub down with some graduated wet-n-dry, and a run over with some polishing compound. Prefer the bare ally finish to the chrome-like reflective finish they ought to be, so I'll probably just clearcoat them like this. Wire wheel and some brake cleaner on the centres and they are ready for paint.

These were originally offered with an orange centre option, and I had some quite close orange paint in stock. The Starlet came with a green and and orange pinstripe down the side (of a green car, with a brown, beige, cream and red interior. Jesus, Toyota), so it should tie into that nicely.

CpLoculg.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a little update today.

The exhaust I'm using is the same 2" one I'd had made up before 2015 nats. The chap that put it together made it with a downturned tip, not quite what I was after, but didn't have time to change it at that point.

ekcSX11.jpg

I know the downturned dumpy look is a kiwi staple, but I'm really not a fan. 

So!

Chopped off the curved section. I'd nabbed a nice polished rolled tip recently, one of the ones that has a big jubilee clip inside for holding it on. The rearmost hanger was in the way, so I umm'd and ahh'd about chopping that off too, welding the tip on, and welding the hanger back onto the outside of the tip.
6jng8p3.jpg
 
 

Went for the slightly easier method of cutting a channel in the tip to slide over the hanger, then clamped it in place. Works well, sits nicely in relation to the body, and both the hanger and the jubilee clip are tucked away under the rear valance. Happy with that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought I'd try a video blog style update, just dealing with fiddly bits and pieces now. 

Big bit of news, some of you already know - I'm moving back to the UK in December, and taking the Starlet with me. Aim is to get it road ready by then, so I can MOT and register her straight away on the other side...

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  • 2 weeks later...

D2cn3II.jpg

Put a bung in that bunghole.

On a whim decided to offer up the spoiler. Got it in about the right place and marked holes for drilling, but will hold off until I've painted it before I go there. Along the top it's going inside a box section, so will be sealed and riveted on.

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On 10/2/2017 at 14:04, DAD said:

"...so I'll need to take the box out to sort the leak, so I'll probably just do that when I get back to England and use a lift, rather than scabbling around on the floor."

UXynS0O.jpg

 

Changed my mind. Shit I'm an idiot, that was a horrible job.

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  • 2 weeks later...

sLKOEKo.jpg

Bellhousing off

vkpnb8W.jpg

Tailhousing off and casing split - it was this join that was leaking. The surfaces look nice, no obvious nicks or cracks. Gave  them a good clean up and RTV'd the shit out of everything... 

jM7B6ud.jpg

Sweet. 

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