1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
Location: West Hollywood, CA
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

Thanks! What a difference it makes when you get the right shop involved, eh? The project feels fun now, and exhilarating.
dlb wrote:that's really cool, bryan. i can only imagine the thrill of driving such a cherished thing that you've been separated from for so long. congrats on getting it this far, and looking forward to the rest of the restoration.
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Mattel
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My tercel:: 1988 Corolla 4wd Wagon (AKA Corolla All-trac) 5speed, AC, Power Sunroof, Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Locking, Diff Lock, 14" Corolla SX Alloys with Silica Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, 210,000kms
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by Mattel »

Hi Bryan,
Did you change the transmission and rear diff oil as well? I would recommend synthetic Redline product (can't remember if it is GL4 or GL5) as a preventative measure.
Previous: 83 Tercel SR5 4wd, 84 Tercel SR5 4wd
88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

Indeed they did. But thank you! Very important, I agree.

There are still mechanicals to take care of once the frame is straight. But this push to get the car back to being mobile has been a long time coming.
Mattel wrote:Hi Bryan,
Did you change the transmission and rear diff oil as well? I would recommend synthetic Redline product (can't remember if it is GL4 or GL5) as a preventative measure.
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Mark
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My tercel:: 1984 Automatic, 1981 sedan
Location: Victoria, B.C.

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by Mark »

dlb wrote:that's really cool, bryan. i can only imagine the thrill of driving such a cherished thing that you've been separated from for so long. congrats on getting it this far, and looking forward to the rest of the restoration.
I was thinking the same thing. It must be pretty surreal for you. I'm trying to think of the idea of reuniting with something from my childhood that would give me the same "blast from the past" emotional connection, but I can't think of something as cool. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your story.
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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

Thanks, Mark!

The idea of this project has been conceptual for so long, knowing that I would restore it "someday" that to see it actually happening is very satisfying. I calculated the time the car spent in its storage unit in Arizona, and it turns out, I've had it there for longer than we actually owned the car, from when my parents bought it new, until they traded it in on a Ford Aerostar!
Mark wrote:
dlb wrote:that's really cool, bryan. i can only imagine the thrill of driving such a cherished thing that you've been separated from for so long. congrats on getting it this far, and looking forward to the rest of the restoration.
I was thinking the same thing. It must be pretty surreal for you. I'm trying to think of the idea of reuniting with something from my childhood that would give me the same "blast from the past" emotional connection, but I can't think of something as cool. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your story.
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by dlb »

Mark wrote:
dlb wrote: I'm trying to think of the idea of reuniting with something from my childhood that would give me the same "blast from the past" emotional connection, but I can't think of something as cool.
i think the closest thing i can think of would be a viewfinder with the slide disc for michael jackson's thriller. i was so scared to look but couldn't help myself. one of my fave childhood memories -- but admittedly still nowhere near as cool as restoring the first car i loved, learned to drive in, inspired my career, etc.
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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

This is awesome! I had the same disc.
dlb wrote:
Mark wrote:
dlb wrote: I'm trying to think of the idea of reuniting with something from my childhood that would give me the same "blast from the past" emotional connection, but I can't think of something as cool.
i think the closest thing i can think of would be a viewfinder with the slide disc for michael jackson's thriller. i was so scared to look but couldn't help myself. one of my fave childhood memories -- but admittedly still nowhere near as cool as restoring the first car i loved, learned to drive in, inspired my career, etc.
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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

Came across a nice shot from about 1985 or '86 of the Tercel; it would've been about two years old here. I love seeing the little brake light indicator on. Just a daily driver at this point; It's affect on a little young designer already cast and in motion. The car couldn't know yet the rough life ahead, and subsequently the special care it would receive in restoration. #Tercel4WD #JapaneseNostalgicCar
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dlb
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by dlb »

where was that, bryan?
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bryanthompson
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

dlb wrote:where was that, bryan?

I believe it was somewhere in Colorado.

We did lots of skiing trips, and I remember the Tercel being a massive improvement over the '78 Subaru 4WD we had before. I actually started to like the trips because plaid fabric and modern interior design made life much more enjoyable than cold, sticky vinyl and painted metal door inners. Lol. I was such an aesthetite even then...
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Mattel
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My tercel:: 1988 Corolla 4wd Wagon (AKA Corolla All-trac) 5speed, AC, Power Sunroof, Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Locking, Diff Lock, 14" Corolla SX Alloys with Silica Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, 210,000kms
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by Mattel »

Did you use Snow tyres?
Previous: 83 Tercel SR5 4wd, 84 Tercel SR5 4wd
88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
Location: West Hollywood, CA
Contact:

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

Mattel wrote:Did you use Snow tyres?
Oh goodness I have no idea. At 9 years old, I would've considered anything not having to do with the styling as part of "the help" and not been interested. I was acutely aware of nuances in the exterior surfacing; the delicate transition from the D pillar to the door chamfer, or how the value, hue and saturation in the grey makes a gradual shift from darker to lighter, from cooler to warmer, and from more pigment to less in order to draw the eye upwards from the carpet to the headliner. But if someone talked engines or other "dirty bits," I would've stared blankly and waited for the foreign language to return to design. A little precocious designer right from the start, I was. But I knew what I was talking about, even then.
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bryanthompson
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD SR5 Wagon : "The Brochure Car"
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by bryanthompson »

Restoration Update:

Today is the first time seeing the donor car (left) next to the restoration car (right). Frame straightening and transfer of components begins now.
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helipilot77
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My tercel:: 1984 SR5 wagon
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by helipilot77 »

That donor almost looks to clean to cut up. But I trust your judgment.
. / TOYOTA
./_| |/|/ |]
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ARCHINSTL
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by ARCHINSTL »

helipilot77 wrote:That donor almost looks to clean to cut up. But I trust your judgment.
The recipient T4WD is Bryan's actual family car from when he was a little kid.
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
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