Have to make a run before long

[NWMO]

Hey all,

An aquaintence from the TN board for 7th gen corollas sent me this pic of a T4 in the local salvage yard. A few hours away, but will make it down sometime. I would be tickled to get the correct turn signal marker, as I have one that is not correct.

Chris

[Petros]

there is a long list of spares you can get: left and right steering knuckle if the bearings and seals are good (it is usually cheaper and far easier to get the whole assembly and swap it out than replace the bearings and seals within the hub), get the inclinometer if it has one, and the instrument cluster with the tach if yours does not have one. The rear axle shafts (not the whole assembly) with the bearings, if the bearings are good. Window regulator, front driver's and passenger sides.

Get the transmission/axle assembly if it is good and the price is reasonable. well worth it for parts alone. The drive shaft assembly if the u-joints and carrier bearing is good. Mud flaps, front grill assembly, both turn signal/side marker light assemblies if they are good. Radiator if good or recent, carburetor, the distributor assembly, alternator and starter if they look recent (these are reliable and still easy to find, but if the price it right it is not bad to have them as spares). Any missing trim or interior pieces that you might be missing. A spare hood and front fenders takes up space to store, but you may need them sooner or later.

Get the short steering shaft link with the small u-joint assembly, and the whole rack and pinion if it is good (these last a long time if cared for, but are very costly to replace or rebuild if necessary, so a spare one is not a bad idea.)

[ARCHINSTL]

Interesting - it's been off the road since January of 2008.
Tom M.

[Petros]

it does not look wrecked, that means it either has a blown engine (head gasket?), a blown trans, or might only need a clutch. Shop carefully.

I remember one fairly nice Tercel4wd that showed up in a pick n pull here that was not wrecked. I pulled the trans and found the clutch had fallen apart. it appears it was still derivable, with a lot of loose parts rattling around in the bell housing. It must have made a really bad sound, so I would imagine a repair shop probably just told them the trans is likely damaged, so rather than replacing the clutch they sold it to the wrecking yard for $200.

What a shame, could have been fixed with about $100 worth of clutch parts. I have the trans as a spare in my garage.

[NWMO]

I believe this car had reported trasmission problems. Probably just grab easy smaller stuff before considering the larger components. I believe The aquaintence already grabbed/sold the inclinometer. As I enjoyed driving yesterday, I surveyed my dash and am quite happy with it. I don't think I desire the inclinometer presently.

Chris

[NWMO]

Good Morning,

Thanks for all of the help so far. As I hope to visit the JY, I will be looking for the interior A-pillar trim among other things. I assume it just snaps into place?, any tips to avoid breaking them during removal? I suppose it would be pretty easy to paint the current ones as well. Should it be dark gray to match the dash or light gray to match the ceiling trim?



I am also hoping to service the transmission fluid shortly. The car is shifting well, but I've not checked fluid level and assume it would be best to change. I figure to keep the old oil, just in case the Amsoil GL-4 (from an earlier post) creates any issues.

I need to clean the interior windshield well, as it fogs easily and the defrost (hot or cold) takes a while to clear it. I wonder about a pinhole in the heater core, but there is no odor, so I assume it is a quirk of the car? I am figuring to backflush the heater core this fall some time and renew anti-freeze. I need to service "flaps" too, as there is still a LOT of air out the dash, when set on defrost. I may opt to replace the timing belt and front seals at the same time I service the heater core, but I've not decided.

I have a line on 4 of the MR2 wheels with tires (unknown age w/ 40% tread) for $125, leaning that way. I currently have two tires with good tread and one with medium tread and one not so good tread, so they should carry me to winter at a minimum. Looking forward to suspension replacement with slight lift, but, as well as it drives right now, can't justify, so will wait on that.



Car is driving nice, getting 30 mpg. It does resemble a kite on windy days, but it's not that windy that often

Chris

[Petros]

yes, those A pillar trip peices just pop off, they have a little plastic tang, one near the top and one near the bottom as I recall (there might be one in the middle too), that just gets shoved into a slot with a metal clip in it. get behind the trim with a flat tool like a putty knife (a plastic one works best) and slowly lever it off, working both sides with alternating pressure. Try pulling your bad ones off first to learn how it works, that way if you damage it you did not damage a good one. they pop off fairly easy, but if they have been in the sun too long they can be brittle.

Rather than paint it, try cleaning it good, and than carefully applying heat from a heat gun. It will restore the plastic to original condition. Again, practice on your old one.

A set of MR2 wheels for $125 sounds like a good deal, get the lug nuts too, they are specific to the alloy wheel. You will also notice an improvement in handling and road response over the stock flexy steel wheels.

[NWMO]

Thanks Petros,

I figured if the parts car didn't have the trim parts, I might try to paint the beige that I have to match. Hopefully the parts car has them. Yea, I've got alloy wheels on my Prizm, so I'm familiar with the shoulder lug nuts, but wasn't thinking about it. Thanks for pointing that out, worst case $16-$20 on ebay and can go black or chrome.

I've run both steelies and mags on the Prizm, can't say that I noticed a difference in handling, but I wasn't looking for it either.

Chris

[4wdEconoBox]

Ohhhhh, If you head up there to get some parts, do you mind picking up a few things for me NWMO? If not its fine, but just thought I'd ask hahaha.

[ARCHINSTL]

A pillar trim - since the donor bits have been on for three or so decades - before using the plastic blade - give a spritz in the joint spaces with silicone spray - or even WD-40.
Tom M.

[NWMO]

Ohhhhh, If you head up there to get some parts, do you mind picking up a few things for me NWMO? If not its fine, but just thought I'd ask hahaha.

Anything I don't want or need I would gladly pick up for you, within reason. Put together a list and I will see what I find when I go. Right now my boys are wanting to stay home for the weekend, momma would rather travel and it's supposed to be rainy? Who knows what we do.

Chris

[4wdEconoBox]

Haha, thanks man, and I totally understand that, but I'm in no hurry for anything anyway, just whenever you get to it hit me up!

But I know for sure that I need the front 4wd badge/emblem....mine fell off and I found it a week later in the middle of the road....it was trashed....but I've got it zip-tied on for the moment.....maybe the entire grill, although it may be a little expensive to ship..I also need the tvsv just in case and maybe the carb, umm any rear access covers, all of mine are missing. The little small square cover on the right side of the gear shift console thing, it should just pop out. The 4wd shift knob maybe even both shift knobs. The front corner fog lights, not the turn signals. Ohhh the fan switch, the one in the radiator. And of course if you don't feel like getting some of these parts or if theres some of them you want for yourself thats completely understandable, I was just listing things as they popped into my head haha. If I think of anything else I'll let you know, I'm sure I'll think of others when I drive my car tomorrow haha. Thanks so much man!!