is it possible to turn the tercel into rwd?

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j0fish
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2017 6:22 pm
My tercel:: 1984 toyota tercel 4wd

is it possible to turn the tercel into rwd?

Post by j0fish »

I don't plan on doing this anytime soon (as in not in the next 3 or 4 years) as I'm still learning about cars and how they work, but I want to one day have a rwd tercel. What I'm wondering is if it is possible to do without welding or cutting and is it within the realm of 3000 dollars or less. I know that the tercel uses the rear axle of a rwd toyota corolla joined through the gearbox/transmission (thats what I saw from somewhere on here atleast, again I'm still learning so I may be wrong) so could I just get parts from a rwd corolla and put them in or would it require alot more since the engine seems to be attached to the rear through the transmission so I would have to in some way disconnect the front wheels while keeping the original transmission since the tercel can only connect to that transmisssion without major work?
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helipilot77
Top Notch Member
Posts: 382
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 9:03 pm
My tercel:: 1984 SR5 wagon
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: is it possible to turn the tercel into rwd?

Post by helipilot77 »

You could do it by pinning the transmission in 4wd mode and then disable the front drive maybe by removing the front axle shafts and installing a blank in their place to seal in the oil. Who knows how the transmission would hold up being constantly driven in 4wd drive mode though. Not sure it would like having 100% of the torque always being directed to the rear output shaft. Not sure the the output was designed heavy enough for that.
. / TOYOTA
./_| |/|/ |]
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Petros
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Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: is it possible to turn the tercel into rwd?

Post by Petros »

you need the T4wd trans to make it work, but if you have a good 4wd trans, why would you do it?

it would be rather difficult to get a rwd corrolla trans to work because the input shaft and output shaft on the T4wd trans is drasticaly different, and unique to the first and second gen tercel. you would have to lower the engine position, or raise the tunnel and driveshaft so it will line up. neither would be easy conversions.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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