1979 Toyota Corolla

Crash1976 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:39 pm

to clarify any 2dr coupe or hard top doors will work...not four door cars...their front doors are shorter i think.

chithead · **Posted:** Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:46 pm

Oh really? I called a guy last night that has a 77 liftback and 79 Wagon that he is parting out, and he said according to his books that not many parts off either one of those cars is compatible with mine. I may have to ride out there and measure the liftback's doors just to double check.

chithead · **Posted:** Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:19 pm

Went ahead and ordered some wires today to finish up the new battery install, and have it ready for when audio time comes.

Also talked to a local glass shop. They can get a new windshield and rubber for it, but can't locate the quarter panel seals or the rear glass. I am trying to source those, having only found some on eBay. However, I did locate a site by Village Toyota - they have almost every piece for the car listed as available. Even the floor pans!

Has anyone ordered from them before?

chithead · **Posted:** Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:57 pm

No go on the Village Toyota. Even though they have the parts listed and prices, they aren't available anymore through Toyota. Bummer...

So this means it's time to buy a welder and quit messing around. Took the battery tray out today, so I can fabricate a new one for that massive Kinetik power cell. Also stocked up on cutoff wheels and more prep supplies for the sheetmetal repairs. Still need to order some sound deadener for after all the panels are repaired. Can't have too many rattles once it's all back together.

Also think I have decided on some wheels, but we'll see if I can squeeze that into the budget.

a-dub · **Joined:** Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:22 pm **Posts:** 17

Amazing! One of these is sitting in a lady's yard not 3 miles from my house...Husband passed away, it was his car, etc. I have first dibs on it, and am waiting for the day she calls. I would imagine she wouldn't ask more than 3-500$ for the car. Plus, it is a sub 100k mile example. It is identical to this one, except it is an ugly green two-tone, and it has a large dent in the driver's side door. Keep up the good work!

chithead · **Posted:** Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:28 pm

Oh wow! You have GOT to keep me updated on that. I always love to see these Corollas being revived.

Good luck, and definitely post it up here when you bring her home!

chithead · **Posted:** Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:55 pm

Ok I give up.

Going in a COMPLETELY different direction now. Stay tuned for more details soon

chithead · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:36 am

Cleaned up the gauges this weekend, refreshed the numbers, and painted the faded orange to a bright red:

Also starting converting the interior from blue... to BLACK!

Wasn't too difficult, I used Undercoat first in a thin coat for texture, then Plasti-Dip over that for the tougher coating:

Here is how they look after a light Undercoating:

And then after a liberal amount of Plasti-Dip:

Some detail shots:

Also had a problem with the battery tray:

Cleaned it up and hit it with rust stopper, then undercoated over that. But the tray was toast. So after all the metal donations were done from friends and family, I took an old broiling pan, and made this:

chithead · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:38 am

If you can't tell... I've decided to just fix the old girl up, and drive her the way she is. No worrying about a fancy paint job, I'm going for that "rat rod" look.

UtahSleeper · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:56 pm

Looks like your cleaning some of her up. So, not worrying about the floor pans now?

chithead · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:19 pm

Actually, the floor pans are the only thing I am going to replace. The rest of the body work, is getting cleaned up and sealed. I want to just enjoy the car for now, and worry about restoring her later on!

Got a great idea for a door logo that I will be painting on there. And a grille emblem also.

whit · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:32 pm

Did you use a textured paint on your interior plastic pieces?

Did you redo the white on the "HAZARD" lettering and how?

chithead · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:04 pm

I sure did, used a thin layer of Duplicolor Undercoating. And then sprayed even coats of Plasti-Dip over that for the finer texture and to completely cover the pieces. I plan on applying a scratch resistant material over these layers to further seal everything and keep it from coming off real easy.

The white lettering I just used craft paint and a fine brush ( I built model cars for many many years, and always love an excuse to break out the detail brushes )

chithead · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:25 am

Project "RatRolla" has officially kicked off! Interior is almost converted completely to black, and about to start on the floors. Should have some more pictures soon.

chithead · **Posted:** Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:47 am

Starting recovering the factory panels:

Rear seat is almost finished:

Also a little sneak peek at another "modification" for the car

brosgarage · **Posted:** Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:17 am

looks like a fun project! Have you tried swinging by Toyz Unlimited? I don't know the exact location but I know how to get there. It is a nostalgic car dreamland and its all Toyotas. 2000GT.. and a lot of cars I have never seen before.

chithead · **Posted:** Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:56 pm

No I haven't been by there!

chithead · **Posted:** Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:06 pm

Decided the car is going again, in another direction.

This might anger some of the purists, but this car is just beyond what I consider a "restoration" project. With the amount of work required, I am just parting out most of the car. Engine, trans, rear end, most of the interior pieces, and the add-on A/C module.

I've decided it's time... for a Toyota restomod. Big engine, big trans, roll bar, beefier suspension, completely modern interior, different exterior styling, the works. The way I see it, Ford released an updated version of their classic Mustang. Dodge released an updated version of the Challenger, and Chevy followed with the Camaro. What if... Toyota released a modern interpretation of the classic Corolla... that's the direction I'm headed in now.

mandalore · **Posted:** Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:18 pm

definitely keep the faded white!

where did you order your audio stuff from?

chithead · **Posted:** Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:32 pm

Uh oh, I was actually leaning towards either Burple or Inferno Red on the color choices :lol:

The audio equipment I gather from numerous sources. Most of it is from the fine folks over at DIY Mobile Audio though.

1979 Toyota Corolla

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