Parts compatibility

[mrdance123]

I am about to pickup a beat up '83 Tercel hatchback,
hoping the engine is usable with a new head, it's under 200k miles anyway.

Are the front end suspension, steering, hubs and brake parts the same on all Tercels 83-87?
Engines are all the same, right?
I can't tell from Rockauto parts listings,
for example, calipers, a few of the items listed say 'except wagon',
but there are no wagon parts listed either.

Knowing these other parts are usable would be additional motivation to risk doing it.

[mmmbeer]

Others here will be able to give more detail, but no, I do not believe many or any of the parts you listed are compatible between models.

[ARCHINSTL]

All of the parts you list are compatible.
Steering could be different, depending on whether MS or PS, including tie rods.
Springs differ, depending on AC or non-AC (very small and irrelevant point, however).
Preceding would be true, whether sedan or wagon.
Tom M.

[xirdneh]

struts are 1" shorter than 4wd wagon, i have used them on wagons

[rer233]

All the rear brake stuff is different.

[Petros]

engine parts are all the same, but only some of the trans parts are interchangable, ratios are all different too. Steering rack should be interchangable and worth salvaging if you are going to part it out.

Hood and fenders, as is the cross member, are all the same, but front grill trim and indicator lights are all different. Front bumper looks similar but mounts 1" lower (because of the shorter struts used on the 2wd Tercel) and the rubber covering trims out different because of it.

[Petros]

oh yes, the front brakes are identical, but do not bother except in a pinch. they are undersized for the T4wd, so do the front brake upgrade I outline over in the repair guide section.

The front CV axles are the same too, if they are good save those for your T4wd.

the 2wd Tercel is mechanically similar to the T4wd up through 1985 or '86, even though the t4wd was made through model year '88, the 2wd change in major ways in the '86 model years with a transverse engine, 12 valve head, different fuel system, etc. so nothing on the '86 or newer 2wd Tercel is interchangeable.

[ARCHINSTL]

the 2wd Tercel is mechanically similar to the T4wd up through 1985 or '86, even though the t4wd was made through model year '88, the 2wd change in major ways in the '86 model years with a transverse engine, 12 valve head, different fuel system, etc. so nothing on the '86 or newer 2wd Tercel is interchangeable.

The '86 sedans are the same as '83 through '85. The '87 sedans are Gen III, as Petros describes.
Tom M.

[mrdance123]

OK.... this '83 hatchback has a "3A-H" engine, per the label on valve cover.
The firewall plate says 3AC.
The owner thinks the engine was swapped sometime before she got the car.
Not sure if I should try pulling it to put in a T4, might not fit?
Google is not telling me what this one is.

Anybody know?

[ARCHINSTL]

That should be "3A-HU." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_A_engine and scroll down
That is a hot 3A, making 85 HP @ 6000 RPM and 89 ft lbs @ 4000 RPM versus 62 HP @ 4800 RPM and 76 ft-lbs @ 2800 RPM for the 3A-C.
The compression ratio is 9.3 to 1, compared to 9.0 to 1; I'm not qualified to state the fuel required.
If it fit the sedan, it will fit the wagon. Again, I am not qualified to state whether the higher RPMs are appropriate for your use.
It is nearly as powerful as the 4A-C, but at higher RPMs.
Tom M.

[Petros]

those were commonly sold as crate engines from Japan, they were never installed in any USA domestic market cars, but will bolt in and fit perfectly well in your T4wd.

I wonder what they did differently in it to get that much hp out of the 3a engine, not just compression, but perhaps a different cam as well. It may have originally came with the JDM duel SU carbs (which would also deliver more HP than the crappy tiny 2 barrel carb we get). Most people toss them when they get an engine (not knowing what to do with them), but they are great little carbs and easy to tune.

It is a good engine and will work fine in your car.

[ARCHINSTL]

... the crappy tiny 2 barrel carb we get). Most people toss them when they get an engine (not knowing what to do with them),

Yeah - we Weber converts are dummies ...
Tom M.

[Petros]

Yeah - we Weber converts are dummies ...
Tom M.

Ha! I would take SU carbs any day over a Weber any time, and day. I drove many thousands of miles on them on my old volvos, and learned to love them. I used to show all my friends with British sports cars how to tune them, and they learned to love them too. you get typical rude remarks about SU carbs from mechanics and other ignorant people that just never bothered to learn how to set them up and tune them properly (not difficult, just different, it does not even take any equipment, can all be done by hand and "ear").

They are a brilliant design: three moving parts, full range easy mixture adjustment, can be cleaned and tuned in about 10 min, max.

I think, like all carbs, they were a victim of emissions standard, but I always thought the duel SU was the next best thing to EFI; less parts, and very reliable once you know how to tune them.

I think they got a bad reputation because people would not know how to tune them and they would often run like crap, they could not be bothered to buy a simple little booklet on adjusting them (this was before the days of the internet). Your average mechanic or gear head, who thought they know about carburetors, could not get them to respond to typical attempts to make them run better. They of course would use carb tuning methods for American type carbs (that do not apply to the vacuum operated fuel metering system).

[ARCHINSTL]

i, too. liked SU carbs; they came on my Morris Minors (I had 5 of them from '58 through '81), as well as my '64 122S, but with a dual setup.
Oddly - and I am not making this up - I just got back with helping one of my best buddies fix one of the SUs on his body-off restoration '58 MGA!! the front float bowl was leaking - we fixed it!
Tom M.