Tercel Visions

kingtercel · Post by **kingtercel** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:24 am

this may seem slightly odd if not fairly retarded but i was wondering how much effort would go into converting my stick shift into a column shift 87 terk,
its a crazy vision after drivn a workhorse datson ute round a maca farm on the weekend and realizing; this is perfect tercel counrty and enjoyn the farm style gear lever setup
the main colum structure could be based on a wreckers yard part with customised rods ?? dunno

Post by **ARCHINSTL** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:57 pm

This sounds devilishly difficult, if not impossible, due to a lack of room.
Maybe there were some JDM models with this feature?
Also, what is a "maca farm?"
Tom M.
PS: Maybe Typrus, our resident visionary and Rube Goldberg legatee, can solve this?

keith · Post by **keith** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:19 pm

This transmission is a top loader with internal linkage so that would be kinda difficult. Most column shifters were side loaders with some external linkage. My Borgward had a 4 speed column shifter with a cable to a top loader. I never paid much attention to how it worked though.

Many JDM cars had three speed column shifters, don't know if any of these were 4wd Tercels. Might have done it with 2wd though. They probably ended around the same time they disappeared from American cars.

Is your location Hawaii?

kingtercel · Post by **kingtercel** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:21 am

yeh does seem more difficult now, but i figured all cars had internal linkages, and column shifters went down steering column into a sort of universal linkage then had rods back along transimission to top linkage ( i guess that explains the side linkage- space) thats how the old Kingswoods operated (but their engine bay took up half the car length)
but seeing as it is internal the forces and angles of a linkage/shift rod does make any other setup seem unviable

wats JDM??

-Macadamia nut farm, bloody delicious, absolute bitch to open (nut) and extremely spikey leaves, grown in hawaii but australian native

Post by **ARCHINSTL** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:52 pm

JDM = Japanese Domestic Market. Kind of shorthand for parts/accessories/models produced only for that market, but sometimes desirable for other international markets. For the Tercel, some JDM parts that are desirable here in the USA are clear front side markers, front bumper/air dam and etc.

Thanks for the clarification on macadamia nuts; they are delicious - but also quite expensive in the "contiguous 48." Did not know they were native to Australia.

Ditto on the "ute." Kinda similar to our Ranchero/El Camino - at least some are. You guys had a much broader range of styles from which to use than did we. Best I could find on the (Holden) Kingswood was looking like the El Camino with a flatbed on the back instead of a well-type body. Is this it? I learned quite a bit about your "utes" in a brief search.
Tom M.
PS: Great avatar!

Starfire · Post by **Starfire** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 7:42 pm

Ute is Australian slang for a utility vehicle - basically a combination of the front half of a car and a trailer. You might call them trucks or pickups in the US and elsewhere.

The main difference between a pickup and a Ute proper is that the tray of the Ute is integrated in to the cab forming a one peice body.

The Holden Kingswood was a full sized Australian built car from the 60s to about 1980. They were available in sedan, ute, panel van, coupe (called a Monaro) and wagon configurations. A luxury model was called the Statesman.

On the whole they were rather crude and uninteresting.

There is a nice example of a Kingswood Panel Van in the movie "Mad Max" in the scene where max and his wife go on holidays. The purple car driven by the Night Rider at the start of the movie is a Monaro.

</useless australian information>

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:40 pm

The Pontiac GTO of new model is just a restamped Holden Monaro. The remake of one of, if not the greatest, muscle cars of time is an Australian design.
I personally don't like it very much... Think its not holding to the Muscle Car spirit. Though I will say its one hell of a powerful vehicle.

Ute. Look up the Subaru Baja. Remake of the Brat. That a Ute? How about that new Chevy piece of crap excuse for a truck? That thing can't even stand a dirt road that was just graded let alone a good Outback washboard... Or Colorado washboard for that matter.

Well, if you could configure a way to install a modern electronic system that senses the position then activates a group of servos to perform the shift, then you'd be well off. I think it'd be more worth your time to configure for a 6-speed manual.

Post by **Mattel** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:07 am

Starfire, My old HX Kingswood wagon used to have 3 on the tree as well and was a great hulk of a car.. but I still got 330,000kms out of it, mostly on the SA coast from Victor Harbor over to Yorke Peninsular and Cactus beach on surf missions. They were mostly keyed alike so I would move my freinds Kingsy around the corner to piss him off when ever I saw it

Column shifts had to many links in them with the vaguest gearshift ever, a few people put 5 speed celica boxes into there kingsys which was pretty amazing as the celica would have been on a 2litre motor and people were dropping them into cars with big 202ci 6 cylinders.

I can't believe that my Tercel is only 5 years newer than that prehistoric machine

I was happy to sell it to some rabbit shooters for $250.00 in the end. It wasn't quite as fine as this panel van puberty blues model though