Been a long time since my last update. I've been pretty busy in and out of work, and I have had one delay after another with this project, but I have started to make some progress so here is the latest.

I found that my old radiator was clogged. I suspected this may be the case considering its cooling problems, but I neglected to check it sooner. I got the car running on the Webers (though I had a vacuum leak somewhere...), but after a few minutes of idling it began to overheat. Great. That is when I found the clog.

So I was presented with two choices. Recore the original, or go with an aftermarket aluminum unit. I decided the cost was close enough to the same on both that I might as well go with aluminum for the better efficiency. Of course, once I got my Griffin unit from BRD racing, I was faced with some fitment issues. First off, the stock water pump pulley is far too long. Therefore, I had to pull a later pulley from the junkyard (more on this later). Also, the battery was too intrusive in its stock location. I therefore moved it to the other side using the original bracket and tray. Interestingly, each side has bolts in the same location, so it is literally a matter of flipping everything around. Of course, I had to buy some new cables, but they were in need of replacing anyway (the under hood wiring is a mess...I will have to see to that eventually). The coil will also need relocating, but I haven't yet solved that problem. I have an electric fan coming in the mail, as well as some flexible coolant hose and other goodies.

The below pictures show where I am at under the hood as of now.



I was fortunate to find a '78 TE51 SR5 at my local junkyard (a rare find in these parts), which is where I pulled my pulley from. I also got a sweet set of four spoke steelies which came stock on the car. $25 for all four wheels, $5 for the pulley. I will be getting the wheels blasted and powder coated black before they go on the car, and I will be getting some new beauty rings for them as well. I also got a fifth wheel for free with my pulley, but I don't think it will be salvageable. It is very rusty. But hey, it came with a center cap, so now I only need three more!





Somewhere during some down time I decided to paint all the trim black with some cheap rattle can paint. I will get it all more nicely done when I get the car painted (its original metallic dark purple), but I think I am staying with the look. The wheels will also be black, as will the flares. I am also planning on doing a black stripe along the bottom edge of the car to slim up the body line.




Finally, I have a question for all of you (I will also make this a separate topic later). The 78 is equipped with an exhaust manifold that looks like a 4-2-1 tri-y setup. Does anyone know about these? I am interested mainly because the only TE27-specific headers I can find are custom ones from BRD racing for $289+shipping. How do these compare to a set of headers? Are they worth the effort? If nothing else I may use them as a stop gap between what I have now and the headers I may eventually buy. They are certainly better than the pitiful 4-1 setup this car came with from the factory.

My friend bought the BRD TE27 headers. Perfect fit, only problem was he couldnt turn right because the steering would hit. But 3 lefts equals one right if Im not mistaken.

That definitely inspires confidence!

The more I look into this manifold, the more I like it. It looks like it may be an older design similar to what was offered in '71 (http://www.sv3power.com/?page_id=301). In that article, it states that that particular manifold was better than most header designs of the period. Since there really are no available headers now, it seems like the way to go.

Also, it looks like it is actually a 4-2 exhaust, not 4-2-1. There is one for sale here on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/78-79-80-TOYOTA ... 1b&vxp=mtr).

I am still looking to see if anyone has any experience with these manifolds. Let me know if you have!

The Painting looks good. I love those steel rims. They are the best steel wheels for these cars.

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See my 76 Corolla build: http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19630

Oh yeah those wheels are nice... I really regret selling my car with them still on...




I widened the front to 6.5" and the rear to 8.5" and arrange for the offset to have bring the lips flushed with the fenders... saddly I sold the car before I could drop it and the new owner junked the rims... asshole!

i say : "Do it!"

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1977 Toyota Corolla TE31 (traded)
1974 Toyota Corolla KE20 (Project)

Wow...those rims really look incredible on that car. Too bad you never got to lower it, I bet it would look fantastic. And even sadder is the fate of those rims!

Also, the color on them really brings them out. I don't think it would work with the color scheme I have in mind...but it has really made me stop and think. I can't imagine a better color for them in most cases.

Easy question to answer...

I hate you for posting that pic... now I really really miss that car... Oh well, I just hope I can do something similar to my "new(er)" 74 peanut.

Oh btw, those rims were painted with standard metallic enamel engin paint in a can... just choose your color and spray!

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1977 Toyota Corolla TE31 (traded)
1974 Toyota Corolla KE20 (Project)

Now that is a skill I need to pick up!

Sorry.

That just looks awesome

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"Life can only be understood backwards. Unfortunately, it must be lived forward." ... Kierkegaard

Interesting about the exhaust system. I'm looking at the same conundrum myself, albeit in a '73. My understanding is that any headers will have to be custom-made. This is a two edged sword, because it will result in a waaay cooler final product, but also more $$$.

Keep us posted!

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1973 TE-27 Corolla

So you have a '73? I hear the bumperless look really works for those...I can even find a nice home for those old bumpers if you want

I've definitely decided to go with the better manifold for now. I may eventually go for some custom headers, just like I may eventually put a 2TG in there.

I will have a big update soon. I just got it all back together today and am on the long road to tuning. Hopefully I can get it right tomorrow!

Rather late to the thread, but an awesome story on finding the Corolla! Quite like the matching wheels too.

I can attest to the bumperless look working, because it's been that way since I bought it. Just do things the really hard way and go custom chromoly all around!!

Nice to see another one of these coming back to life, even if you're already way more advanced than me.

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1973 TE-27 Corolla

OR if you are willing to go fibreglass, I found some drag racing dudes making FRP parts for the mango:

http://www.prodbodies.com/toyota.html

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1973 TE-27 Corolla

So I don't know how others have fared with BRD Racing, but I can't speak highly for the aluminum radiator they sell (http://www.brdracing.com/toyota_2tc_3tc_cooling.htm). "With Appropriate Brackets these are a perfect fit for the once impossible to properly fit TE27, TE21, TE28 1971-1974 Corolla." Frankly, that is bullshit. If you have been keeping up with this build, you know that I had a clogged radiator and that I ordered the BRD Griffin Radiator. I was pretty excited for it...getting recore on an old radiator is $$$ and the aluminum radiator would not only be cheaper, but lighter and better at cooling. Great. But before I pulled the trigger, I called BRD and discussed fitting the radiator with them. I just had a few of questions. "Do I need to modify anything to make it fit?" No, it drops right in. "What sort of brackets do I need?" Any universal brackets will work. "What about my hoses? Will they fit, or do I need to get some custom ones (I asked this because the picture on the website shows the upper hose being on a different side)?" Nope, you can even use your stock hoses.

Right.

So I ordered the radiator. The first thing that I noticed is that there is no way that it will fit in there the way it was sitting. First of all, the water pump pulley and fan were waaaaaaay too far forward. Even with the fan off, there was just not enough space there. So I had to go to the junkyard to find a later pulley, and I had to order (for the second time) a new water pump. Even still, fitment was a no go on either side of the radiator. The battery had to be relocated to the passenger's side (weirdly, there is more room over there) and the coil had to be moved to an odd location. Fine, done. Oh, and I obviously had to purchase an electric fan with the bunch too, as the stock fan would never fit. If you haven't noticed, I am quickly racking up costs on this venture.

I bought some universal brackets from Summit which work...okay. They aren't great, but I guess they get the job done. Mind you, it has taken me days to get to this point. Now the hoses...I knew they weren't going to work as soon as I got the radiator. It is HUGE compared to the stock unit. And the lower hole is also 2 inches in diameter, way bigger than anything on the Corolla (which uses 1.25 and 1.5 holes). So I have to order some flexible hose and a reducer for the 2 inch hole. At this point, I have gone through about 5 or 6 combinations of hoses and reducers. Let me tell you, the finished product is UGLY. It looks like a Dr. Seuss creation. But I got it all in, sort of. Except not at all really, because as soon as I got the engine up to operating temperature, the lower hose blew out of place because the reducer is too freaking big for it. So now, new hose, or new reducer, or something. I can't believe how much this has cost me so far, in both time and money, and it looks so bad. I am so pissed, but there is nothing that can be done for it now, I am stuck with it.

Oh, and BRD was supposed to send me an intake gasket with the radiator. It took nearly two months for me to finally get that.

In other news, smoke is pouring out the PCV valve on my valve cover when it is running. I'm afraid something is in a bad way in this engine, but I can't tell because of this freaking radiator problem. I don't really have the space to accommodate a full strip down and rebuild, either. I just want to stop the bleeding and drive the bloody thing...lol

Been hearing a lot of bad things about BRD. Anyway I bought this radiator off ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Champ ... 4f&vxp=mtr
Also not a perfect fit like the auction states but he was willing to pay for return shipping or send me a electric fan for free. I took the fan. I got the radiator to fit without drilling any holes in the body. Just added a few holes in the radiator bracket to match existing holes. Nice radiator and runs really cool.

Pic of it in my coupe.


All these radiators have the same part number so you can get it cheaper then i did. Some come with a 16" fan but the biggest I could fit in the front was a 12".
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=19 ... 2&_sacat=0

i wonder if this champion radiator would work on a te31/ke30 corolla, do you guys know if the dimensions are similar with both te27 and te31 cars radiators?

(Sorry for interrupting, terolla)
Regarding the exhaust manifold: yes, that later one would be an improvement over the stupid '74 one. I had one on a '75. But if I remember right, the secondary 'collector' would conflict with the transmission crossmember on your car, maybe other stuff too. If you try it, I'd like to know if it works. My TE28 has a '71 manifold, which also has two pipes, and is designed for the chassis. Hard to find, though. My TE27 has a Hooker header, which fits but was a pain to install, and also probably hard to find.