1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

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The Professor
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My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
Location: Western Washington
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Re: 1983 Tercel Wagon 4WD SR5 | Overland Build

Post by The Professor »

SuperPro has a US-based arm as well. www.SuperproUSA.com
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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AugustusFerdinand
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Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 10:06 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5

Re: 1983 Tercel Wagon 4WD SR5 | Overland Build

Post by AugustusFerdinand »

The Professor wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:01 am SuperPro has a US-based arm as well. www.SuperproUSA.com
While true, this is the list of parts for my '83 on the USA site: https://superprousa.com/collections/all ... esi1005447

And this is the list on the AUS site: https://superpro.com.au/find/superpro-s ... -999500205

While you can pull the part numbers from the AUS site and plug them into the USA site to find the parts, it's annoying. Plus I bought these in March when there was a nice (for me) dip in exchange rate for AUD to USD to 0.57:1. I'm sure you'd get them faster from the USA site though if you're in a rush. I do wonder if they make the USA branch parts in the US though as one of the bushings I ordered delayed the overall shipment as I received an email stating they were out and a new batch had to be poured to fill the order. If they don't also pour them in the US, then I'd wonder if they'd just cancel that one item or wait or ship it from AUS.
Mattel wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 5:48 pm This is looking great. Thanks for the updates. If you need assistance getting things mailed from Australia you are welcome to get in touch with me.
Thanks for the offer Mattel and noted. I very well may hit you up on that!
1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 - 7AGE swap in progress
señor.tercel4wd
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Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:12 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Re: 1983 Tercel Wagon 4WD SR5 | Overland Build

Post by señor.tercel4wd »

AugustusFerdinand wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:44 am
Looking good and glad to see someone else with these. I ordered a full kit of everything Super Pro makes for our cars straight from AUS. The only one I'm lacking they don't specifically list for our cars, but I'll find out once I have the car back in the air, is for the manual rack bushings.

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WOWZA! That's definitely the motherload of bushings lol... Have you gotten around to installing them all?
Mattel wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 5:48 pm This is looking great. Thanks for the updates. If you need assistance getting things mailed from Australia you are welcome to get in touch with me.
Thanks for the offer, will definitely take you up on that offer when the opportunity arises!
Hello Jorge,

We have the SPF0979-21K on our US website but it isn’t yet mapped to any vehicles.

We rolled out our website update in early July and we’re still working through a lot of the vehicle/product cataloging on the site.

The kit can be found and ordered here: https://superprousa.com/products/spf097 ... r-bush-kit

We do not have the kit in stock in the US currently but can special order it from Australia. We have an air freight order that comes in every two weeks. We just had an order leave last night due 9/4, the next order would be due 9/18.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Kind Regards,

SuperPro Sales & Technical Support Team

1810 South Milliken Ave. | Ontario | CA | 91761
Phone: +1 650 362 8016
Email: sales@superprousa.com
Web: www.SuperProUSA.com
Here's some info when I was looking into the Sway Bar Bushings directly from the US storefront. It's as AugustusFerdinand says, you'll have to manually cross-check from the AUS site for the Part numbers.
'83 Tercel SR5 Wagon Overland Build Thread >>> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14880
señor.tercel4wd
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My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by señor.tercel4wd »

As much as I want to put those fifteen52 wheels that have been sitting the garage for almost a year, I need get all my ducks lined up first otherwise I risk grenading the transmission 🤯

4a head swap, 2" free flowing exhaust system, custom re-grinded cams, 1" sub-frame/tranny lift and extended studs.

Until then these 195/75r14 Avalanche Xtreme Hercules Tires and Unique Series 83 Cragarwheels will have to do. This combination weighs about 35 lbs on each corner and honestly, I wouldn't want try anything larger till the other mods have been done.
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'83 Tercel SR5 Wagon Overland Build Thread >>> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14880
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AugustusFerdinand
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My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5

Re: 1983 Tercel Wagon 4WD SR5 | Overland Build

Post by AugustusFerdinand »

señor.tercel4wd wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:11 pm
WOWZA! That's definitely the motherload of bushings lol... Have you gotten around to installing them all?
I haven't gotten around to installing any of them. Between one set needing to be made, shipping times from AUS, and COVID popping up they didn't get here until Texas began it's non-stop 100+F days. Only just started to cool within the last week and now I'm in the midst of building a second garage so it's on hold while I do that and work on other projects.
1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 - 7AGE swap in progress
señor.tercel4wd
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My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5
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Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by señor.tercel4wd »

🔻 The EL gear in this thing is OP 💪🏼👵🏻

I was stopped at a stoplight on my way to drop off some packages at UPS and when I popped it into 1st there was a SUPER LOUD clunk. I pulled over to take a look and one of the new CV axles I had just replaced (passenger side) snapped at the joint. The only thing holding it together was the rubber boot.

Luckily, I was only a mile from home so I slipped it into 4WD and used the granny gear to crawl back home to to take out the broken CV axel. I kept the old one just in case I needed it so the car is already up and running.

Has anyone else had problems with this axel (SURTRACK/TRAKMOTIVE TO8039)? I already opened a claim on RockAuto Wednesday and the replacement arrived Friday.

My CV axel angle isn't too crazy. I have about a 1" lift in the front. Maybe it was just a bad axel...

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'83 Tercel SR5 Wagon Overland Build Thread >>> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14880
The Professor
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Posts: 650
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My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
Location: Western Washington
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Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by The Professor »

Topic #1: Remanufactured axles for ancient, obsolete foreign cars are not to be trusted. In the Subaru community, the general consensus is that OEM axles are superior and that every effort should be made to quickly I.D. a torn boot, replace the boot and re-grease the original CV/DOJ. We have had no luck in the Subaru community with reman axles for about the last 15 years. Find an OEM axle and refurbish that.

Topic #2: For some reason, the Tercel community has latched onto suspension lifts using only taller springs and shocks. This increases the angle of your CVs beyond what most 200K+ mile CVs can withstand, especially since you're now extending the CV to angles they've never operated in before. Again, in the Subaru community, lifting and off-roading is well over 20 years old at this point. As a general rule, body lifts are de rigor. By spacing down the upper front suspension mounts ALONG with the engine/transmission crossmembers, you provide additional clearance for larger tires while also preserving the OEM CV angles.
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by dlb »

The Professor wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:50 pm By spacing down the upper front suspension mounts ALONG with the engine/transmission crossmembers, you provide additional clearance for larger tires while also preserving the OEM CV angles.
Big like on this comment. Although I am generally a keep-it-stock kind of guy, if you're gonna lift, this makes the most sense.
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simon84
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Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by simon84 »

dlb wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:03 pm
The Professor wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:50 pm By spacing down the upper front suspension mounts ALONG with the engine/transmission crossmembers, you provide additional clearance for larger tires while also preserving the OEM CV angles.
Big like on this comment. Although I am generally a keep-it-stock kind of guy, if you're gonna lift, this makes the most sense.
I'm curious what one would use as a spacer to drop the engine & trans cross members. I have my trans out now and the car on blocks. I also have the front end apart (struts removed) right now. So it would not be too hard for me to add spacers to the mounts. I'm guessing metal plates with holes drilled would work, but thought I'd ask and see what the latest wisdom is on here. I have just over 1" lift in there already and would be cool with easing the CV axle angles if possible.
Driver: 87 Tercel SR5, white, 4ac, weber carb (aka the Tercedes)
Road Tripper:95 Mitsubishi Delica L400 2.8L Turbo Diesel
Motorbike: 94 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6
Project Car:Red 68 Plymouth Sport Fury III
Previous Tercel:Orange 84 Tercel 4wd (aka the pumpkin)
The Professor
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Posts: 650
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 6:38 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
Location: Western Washington
Contact:

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by The Professor »

This is one of the lift kits available for the '85-94 Subaru DL/GL/Loyale. https://www.sjrlift.com/collections/ea8 ... cts/4-ea82

Image

From the top of the photo you can see:
  • the rear diff spacer, top center
  • The rear shock spacers top L/R
  • two small blocks and two blocks with oval holes space down the rear suspension crossmember
  • the "SJR" branded blocks space down the engine crossmember
  • 3-hole offset spacers drop the front upper strut mounts
For the Tercel you would need to drop the front suspension strut mounts and the engine/trans crossmembers and equal amount. The rear end can use the existing suspension lifts (b/c solid axle), but ideally, the trailing links and the Panhard rod all need to be lengthened to keep the axle centered and to provide the full range of articulation allowed by the rear end lift.

Lastly, you will need to lengthen the steering coupler and shifters to accommodate the body lift, that's probably the hardest, most custom part of the process, unless someone starts building and selling Tercel lift kits.
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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simon84
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Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:18 pm
Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by simon84 »

Ok, thanks for that. I just swapped out the power steering for manual and will have to fabricate the extended steering column mount. T4WD member Xirdneh has made a useful video explaining this. So I can sort that out after making cross member and trans mount spacers. Based on what I'm seeing in your post, I'll find some thick steel plate or sqaure tubing and drill some holes. Not looking for tons of extra space in there, just enough to ease the angle on the CV axles.
Driver: 87 Tercel SR5, white, 4ac, weber carb (aka the Tercedes)
Road Tripper:95 Mitsubishi Delica L400 2.8L Turbo Diesel
Motorbike: 94 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6
Project Car:Red 68 Plymouth Sport Fury III
Previous Tercel:Orange 84 Tercel 4wd (aka the pumpkin)
señor.tercel4wd
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Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:12 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Contact:

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by señor.tercel4wd »

The Professor wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:50 pm Topic #1: Remanufactured axles for ancient, obsolete foreign cars are not to be trusted. In the Subaru community, the general consensus is that OEM axles are superior and that every effort should be made to quickly I.D. a torn boot, replace the boot and re-grease the original CV/DOJ. We have had no luck in the Subaru community with reman axles for about the last 15 years. Find an OEM axle and refurbish that.

Topic #2: For some reason, the Tercel community has latched onto suspension lifts using only taller springs and shocks. This increases the angle of your CVs beyond what most 200K+ mile CVs can withstand, especially since you're now extending the CV to angles they've never operated in before. Again, in the Subaru community, lifting and off-roading is well over 20 years old at this point. As a general rule, body lifts are de rigor. By spacing down the upper front suspension mounts ALONG with the engine/transmission crossmembers, you provide additional clearance for larger tires while also preserving the OEM CV angles.
The Professor wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:31 am For the Tercel you would need to drop the front suspension strut mounts and the engine/trans crossmembers and equal amount. The rear end can use the existing suspension lifts (b/c solid axle), but ideally, the trailing links and the Panhard rod all need to be lengthened to keep the axle centered and to provide the full range of articulation allowed by the rear end lift.

Lastly, you will need to lengthen the steering coupler and shifters to accommodate the body lift, that's probably the hardest, most custom part of the process, unless someone starts building and selling Tercel lift kits.
Topic #1: I'm seeing that first hand now. I hadn't heard any thing bad about these TRAKMOTIVE CV axels on the forum that's why I pulled the plug on a set. With that said though, I'm going to start pulling OEM CV axels from the scrapyard whenever I see one pop up from now on.

Topic #2: I'm going to start looking into this. Might be able to get away with a 1"-1.5" body lift on the front suspension strut mounts and the engine/trans crossmember without getting into the steering coupler and shifters. Most small lift kits don't include the latter. Just a bummer that body lifts effect a lot of systems without giving any real improvement in articulation or clearance. I'm not too concerned about the engine crossmember since that sits on the most sturdiest part of the frame but the trans spacers could punch through the body sheet metal and could end up costing a lot more to repair.

Truth be told, if multiple tire companies still made 196/75r14 All-terrains I wouldn't even be contemplating a lift. Ever since BFGoodrich stopped selling their 195/75r14s those Goodyear Wrangler ATs have gone up in price ridiculously. I refuse to pay +1k for a set of all terrains on principle. The next tire size up for all terrains are 205/70r15 and 215/70r15 (Yokohama, General, Federal) but at the expense of more weight per corner. 35-40 lbs on 14 inch wheels vs 45-50 lbs on 15 inch wheels is a significant weight difference.

Can't win man...
'83 Tercel SR5 Wagon Overland Build Thread >>> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14880
señor.tercel4wd
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Posts: 51
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My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Contact:

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by señor.tercel4wd »

Photo Dump

For those of you who are not on the FB group or who do not follow me on IG (@tercel4wd), this is what the "totaled" $350 Copart car from Eugene, Oregon looks like after a lil' elbow grease and a little imagination.

If you remember the auction's pictures, my front end was 2-3" shifted to the driver's side, that's why my front end looks a little off. In order to get everything perfectly squared, I would have to remove the welds from the headlight support panels, find a a pair that's in decent condition and re-weld. That will probably be another project down the line.

I'd say this is a pretty good improvement with just a Hydraulic Portable Ram from Harbor Freight. For now she's perfectly imperfect.

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'83 Tercel SR5 Wagon Overland Build Thread >>> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14880
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by dlb »

Wow, that looks awesome. Nice work. I love the stripes on the side, very few of the manual trans t4's I've seen had decals like that. For some reason they mostly ended up on automatics, at least in my experience.
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ALiveSR5
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My tercel:: Was a stock 1985, SR5, 4WD, 6-speed manual, Wagon.
Location: Pennsylvania USA

Re: 1983 Tercel 4WD SR5 Wagon | Overland Build

Post by ALiveSR5 »

Wow! Very nice :o
No other vehicle that I have ever owned had a heart and soul like my 1985 Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon. :D
~
Great minds may think alike but it is the doers who see their visions become reality. :?
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