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

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timothygodden
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My tercel:: 84 tercel 4wd sr5 lifted, modified head, delta cam, 2" exhaust
Location: seattle wa

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

Post by timothygodden »

Love your story, amazing that you were able to find your families old car.
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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 »

Hey folks!

Well, we've made some significant progress, recently. It's a slow-going project, because I have to work only as I can afford it.

We've removed the front end to assess and repair the frame damage that occurred when the car was crashed, and left abandoned in the ditch.
Looking closely at the visuals, you can see that the impact caused bends in the exact locations that were designed to crumple. It's neat to see that the car performed as it was intended to, but as you can imagine, this is a repair that will require some time and delicate work.

Fortunately, we do have the donor car, who will be giving up quite a bit more components!

There is something satisfying about knowing that the car will be getting so many factory new components, and I really look forward to seeing the portions that are usually hidden from sight become clean and tidy again.

More to come down the line. Thank you for staying interested!

Bryan
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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 »

Hi, Bryan -
Thanks for the pix; I've never seen "what lies beneath."
What is the object on the cowl, just in front of the DS wiper?
Tom
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."
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BaileySims
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My tercel:: 1983 Tercel SR5 4WD
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by BaileySims »

In the first photo? A pair of slip joint pliers.

Edit: disregard. I see what your looking at now.
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NWMO
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by NWMO »

ARCHINSTL wrote:Hi, Bryan -
Thanks for the pix; I've never seen "what lies beneath."
What is the object on the cowl, just in front of the DS wiper?
Tom
Hey Tom & Bryan,

Pretty sure that is the plastic/rubber boot for the antenna.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

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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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 »

@ NWMO - it is pointing forward at about 45º. Never seen an antenna on the cowl, as opposed to a fender.
Bryan's first photos show the antenna on the DS fender.
Tom
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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NWMO
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by NWMO »

ARCHINSTL wrote:@ NWMO - it is pointing forward at about 45º. Never seen an antenna on the cowl, as opposed to a fender.
Bryan's first photos show the antenna on the DS fender.
Tom

Tom,

Zoom in on the photo, it appears to have been removed from the fender and is resting upside down, just lying there like the pliers. I could be seeing it wrong, but don't think so.

Chris

REPLY BY TOM: Ahh, so - I've never seen the ''attachment" part of an antenna!
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

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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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5 : Life in Pictures / Lost & Found: RESTORATION DOCUMENTED!

Post by Petros »

if you are going to stretch the bent parts back into shape, very carefully inspect all of the spot welds, joints and seams. Often they can get damaged during straightening. It is hard to see, but it happens. It is best if you can stitch weld all of the adjacent seams to strengthen and stiffen the old spot welds.

Often over time these welds fatigue and get cracks in them, making the chassis "flexible", stitch welding not only stiffens the chassis, it makes it much stronger and more durable. Mine has tiny cracks in all the spot welds in the strut towers just from frame flex and driving on my rough gravel roads. I added a strut brace, but some time I will want to re-weld all of the seams on the front sub frame and strut towers when I have a reason to take it all apart.
'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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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, guys.

The bent components will be replaced with the new ones from the donor car.

As an auto designer, I cringe when I see structural and safety components bent back into shape. They really are only engineered to deform one time, and won't ever behave quite the same way during a subsequent impact. That said, welding on the units from the donor car can also affect their performance if not done perfectly, but given the two options, using replacement units is better than reforming the damaged ones. The place doing the work has excellent standards.

On a more personal note, I love finding things that remind me of the car's unique history with my family. For example, I can see red dirt in the frame from many trips to Sedona, thirty years ago. These little surprises are part of what makes restoring THIS car so important to me. Some people get it, and some don't, but regardless, it's a wonderful journey to see something that had such a profound effect on me brought back to life.

More soon....

BT
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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 »

Hey, Bryan - romance, whether about a lost love or a lost (and the rediscovered bit of Sedona Dirt, in your very fortunate case) car, or a just-found musical instrument from a youth barely recalled, or even an item so mundane as a high school yearbook scribbling from one's long-ago past is a part of one's life, so - relish, revel, and rejoice in it!
Of course, I know you do.

Your Odyssey is one most of us can only hope to revisit - which is why we dream.
Where is my first car, a '46 Ford V8 convertible? Well, I can dream it lives on somewhere - right?
And to heck with the reality of its finality!
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
oldfaithful
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My tercel:: 1984 Tercel 4WD

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

Post by oldfaithful »

I know how you feel Bryan about your Tercel,back in 1971 my first car was a 1971 Celica I bought brand new when I finished Trade School, I loved that car, but when the 1976 Celica fastback came out I traded it, i still have the '76 which I love too, it is still absolutley mint, still in it's original paint.I often wondered where my '71 went and one day I stopped into a Salvage yard and went into the shop and I could not believed what I saw, and as SOON as I saw it I went, Oh My God! That's my old Celica,the guy told me it had been sitting in a field for roughly 12 to 15 years when he found it, the paint was faded really bad and he was welding a small patch in the drivers front floor, other then that there was no rust on it, I said to him do you want to sell it? He said oh no, I've been looking for one for years and this one is so good that's why I'm restoring it, about a year later I went up to see how he was doing and I went in the shop and his wife was there so I told her who I was and asked about the Celica, she said you don't want to know what HE done to it, I said why? apparently he got all liquored up one day and cruched every thing, the Celica and all, she said she could have killed him, and I had the same thoughts too, so Bryan when people say why are you doing what you're doing? we just ignore them. I'm sure if anything ever happened to any of my cars I would do exactly the same thing, my wife and I both call our old Terc a family member, we've had it 25 years now and the Good Lord willing,we'll keep her another 25 years. People say I'm nuts and likely I am. BUT I love my Terc.
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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 »

I love these stories. Keep 'em coming! They make the whole project so much more interesting to hear other people have similar sentiments.
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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 »

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More progress today:

The donor car has officially joined the fray. It was so hard to see such a nice car cracked open, but now that it's underway, the focus shifts back to how great my family's car is going to be, with this car's donations.

We've removed the front and rear bumpers and placed them in a parts room away from the sun. Also the sheet metal components.

I have a set of new old stock 1983 headlamps as well.
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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 »

That gold donor car looks just like mine. Off-topic, but I've always wondered if the car in your avatar pic is a 1st gen Camry. I used to have the hatchback version.
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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 »

Mark wrote:That gold donor car looks just like mine. Off-topic, but I've always wondered if the car in your avatar pic is a 1st gen Camry. I used to have the hatchback version.

They're very close. My donor car is a Canadian market 1987 model with about 40,000 miles.

Yes, the car in my avatar is a 1984 Camry. This car is, in my humble opinion, one of the important designs of the 1980's.

Here is a little feature I wrote for Hemming's about it:

https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/201 ... ere-going/
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