Another Seattle AL25 member

Post about yourself, your Tercel, or your Tercel projects in here, share pictures of your Tercel, or post trip threads!
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helipilot77
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Posts: 382
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 9:03 pm
My tercel:: 1984 SR5 wagon
Location: Seattle, WA

Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

Hello fellow members. I am brand new to the site and have recently puchased my second 1984 4WD Tercel Wagon (I sold my first one years ago). She is a blue SR5 model in pretty good condition.
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Original paint and hardly any dents or rust (a couple little dings that have some surface rust on them. I bought her for $600 because she needed a clutch. I picked her up on Thursday and loaded her onto my buddies tow dolly to head to his place where we would replace the clutch.

Not sure yet what I have planned for her other than cleaning her up getting her tuned-up, fixing the clutch and having a look at all the systems before daily driving her.

I also have a 1987 4Runner with a 3.0 1KZ-te turbo diesel that I swapped in a few years ago.
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Here is my build thread for my 4Runner.
http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=98969.0

Running list of repairs made (updated regularly):
- new clutch
- new clutch cable
- new shifter bushing
- new spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor
- new brake master cylinder
- new brake booster
- new front axles
- replaced distributor
- replaced all vacuum lines with silicon lines
- replaced front drivers fender
- replaced drivers door
- new front wheel bearings
- new front struts
- new front polyurethane suspension bushings
- new power steering rack
- new tie rod ends
- new power steering pump
- new rear wheel bearings
- new rear shocks
- new rear brake lines
- new rear brake drums
- new rear brake shoes
- new LED headlights
- new LED lighting inside and out
- replaced wheels and tires
- new windshield and rust repair on windshield flange
- new alternator
- new load independent flasher
- new heater core
- A/C installed
- new transmission
- new muffler
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Last edited by helipilot77 on Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:22 am, edited 9 times in total.
. / TOYOTA
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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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

So today my buddy and I wanted to get started on the clutch replacement. Before we got started we needed to move the car from the street were I parked it after unloading from the tow dolly. We wanted to do the work in his garage but we need to get the tercel up his very steep driveway. So using the pickup and a tow strap we towed it up the driveway until the truck couldn't pull forward any further without being trapped in front of the tercel. Then we chocked the tires and set the e-brake to make a plan on how to get it the rest of the way in. Using a pulley and some webbing and rope we hooked onto the tercel with one end of the rope then thought the pulley and to the truck. I started creeping down the the driveway in the truck and then stared to load the rope. Once all the tension was out of the system I creeped slowly forward and the tercel started to creep up the driveway and into the garage. It had just started moving forward when the webbing broke and the car rolled backward a few feet then hopped over the wheel chock and picked up speed as it rolled down his driveway towards the neighbors house.
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The drivers side door had been left ajar and after it crossed the street it caught some bushes and ripped the door open which slowed it down and possibly even stopped it.
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So now my nearly pristine tercel is in need of a door and fender and of course some paint.

After all this we started to tear into the clutch replacement job. What a bear that transmission is to remove and install. Just not enough room!
51CE4C18-FB63-423F-94A1-F62261553FB7.jpg
After we got it out we pressure washed the 33 years of grease and dirt off it and prepped everything to go back together.
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I just have to say how comically small the clutch in these cars are after being use to the clutch in my diesel 4Runner.
The surface on the flywheel looked pretty good so we hit it with an orbital sander to rough it up a bit and put the clutch together. After about two hours of wrestling we got the transmission back in. After looking at the condition of the front axle CV's I decided not to reinstall the old ones and will be replacing them with some new units.
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Last edited by helipilot77 on Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
. / TOYOTA
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atoyta
Top Notch Member
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:32 pm
My tercel:: 3 wagons now
Location: Monroe, Washington

Re: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by atoyta »

Hey, welcome. Glad to see you made it here. Sorry to see the damage you suffered.
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Gottolovem
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Posts: 1637
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:28 pm
My tercel:: 1985 SR5 with snow plow,1987 auto 1984 parts car,1987 FX-16 GTS
Location: Reno

Re: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by Gottolovem »

Welcome to the forum

What a bummer the car got away from you that sucks
From the looks of that 4runner your t4 is in good hands :oldgeek:
Ridlbox
Top Notch Member
Posts: 223
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:51 pm
My tercel:: 1984 Toyota Tercel SR 5 custom aluminum rims 4 a motor custom rims Bluetooth stereo system
Location: Plymouth CA

Re: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by Ridlbox »

Great find on the Tercel sorry that it rolled away and now you need parts but you're at the right place to find them beautiful Toyota four Runner
i will find a tercel in a music video
That's my new goal 8)
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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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

atoyta wrote:Hey, welcome. Glad to see you made it here. Sorry to see the damage you suffered.
Thanks for the welcome. Don't worry I'll have her looking sweet again!
Gottolovem wrote:Welcome to the forum

What a bummer the car got away from you that sucks
From the looks of that 4runner your t4 is in good hands :oldgeek:
I'm just glad that nobody got hurt. As for my plans , I've certainly been inspired by Larry's 20 valve build. I just can't ever seem to leave things the way they are. But then I guess that's why we are all here.
. / TOYOTA
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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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

Ridlbox wrote:Great find on the Tercel sorry that it rolled away and now you need parts but you're at the right place to find them beautiful Toyota four Runner
Ive realized that I seem to be in the nexus for t4's. Already found the parts I need. So it's not a big problem.
. / TOYOTA
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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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

Got the door and fender today.
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Last edited by helipilot77 on Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
. / TOYOTA
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ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
Posts: 6369
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:52 pm
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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by ARCHINSTL »

Welcome!
Save ALL of the innards of the blue door!
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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helipilot77
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Posts: 382
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 9:03 pm
My tercel:: 1984 SR5 wagon
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

ARCHINSTL wrote:Welcome!
Save ALL of the innards of the blue door!
Tom M.
Thanks! yeah I plan to swap all of the original guts over to the new door.
. / TOYOTA
./_| |/|/ |]
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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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

Well some official toyota literature arrived today to help me on my journey.
44C5096A-B5D3-4901-A0C0-62BC47D4A0D6.jpg
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Last edited by helipilot77 on Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
. / 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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by Petros »

welcome to the forum!

great find, remember to get all of the gear oil back in the trans. It would have been a good time to replace the rear main seal and all of the transmissions seals while it was out.

while I was reading your attempt to get the car in the garage my first thought was "that sounds like a bad idea". And it was. Live and learn. I have made my share of stupid mistakes too, no one is immune. I did that once trying to get a car unstuck by pushing the car from the door way with it running and in gear (it was high centered on a trail), once I got it moving backwards off the hump, a small branch on a nearby tree snagged the open door. I could not stop it in time before my door and front fender looked like yours. Was I pissed and felt stupid, so easily avoided. Oh, well. Car doors do not have much holding them in place.

Good luck.
'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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helipilot77
Top Notch Member
Posts: 382
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 9:03 pm
My tercel:: 1984 SR5 wagon
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

Yeah! It was stupid! But yesterday I got the new door and fender on.
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We were going to take it for a test cruise yesterday but the brakes are not functioning well. I think they just need to be bled because the reservoir was empty. Hopefully I don't need any lines or cylinders replaced. I didn't see any fluid leaking so it should be simple.
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Last edited by helipilot77 on Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
. / TOYOTA
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dlb
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Posts: 7305
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by dlb »

the brake fluid must have leaked out somewhere. it doesn't evaporate so fill it up and take another look for leaks. i find the rear wheel cylinders are the most common leak point, and the master cylinder is the second most common in my experience. i've found leaks at the rubber gasket between the reservoir and metal body of the MC. check all the lines thoroughly though.
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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: Another Seattle AL25 member

Post by helipilot77 »

So we bled the brakes and were able to get it stopping good, but as I was driving the pedal kept engaging at different heights. So I'm guessing a new master cylinder is in order. It was fun to get it on the road under its own power though. My clutch is engaging super early. I adjusted it as far I could at it still engages at the very bottom of the pedal travel. Only thing I can think it could be is a stretched cable. So I'll get a new one of those too.
Check this out. Either the previous owner insisted on buying original Toyota parts or this fuel filter hasn't been changed since the car was new.
B21B92F1-A9FF-4BDE-B7C0-B44844D25CE7.jpg
Here she after a quick cleaning.
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Last edited by helipilot77 on Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
. / TOYOTA
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