1981 Tercel Hatch

[irowiki]

Mark, they should all have a cat converter here in the US. And the fuel canister should be there but probably needs clean, and it should have the electronic ignition.

I agree with Peter, finding 1st gen Sr5 seats will be like finding unicorn teeth. You tend to be able to find those though

Bryan, you'll want to save ALL the inside of that white car if you can. The seats, door panels, every piece of plastic trim, the glove box, etc.

I had an 81 sedan and loved it but we had to trim our fleet.

[Mark]

And the fuel canister should be there but probably needs clean.

Mine has the charcoal canister, but it's only for fuel vapour from the fuel tank. The line from the carb bowl wasn't put in until the second gens (up here anyways). It sounds like in the US, the 1st gen was more advanced (pretty much identical to the 2nd gens) than the version we got up here.

[irowiki]

Yeah, I remember reading in the FSM for the 1st gens, Canada got a pretty basic model, but the emissions in the first gen was pretty similar to the second gen in the US, except for things like the EBCV. Instead of that, 1st gen had this fancy funky vacuum valve with like 8 ports on it.

[bryanthompson]

Thanks for the tips, as always, folks!

Wow, the car came out so nice. Back from Austria, and was delighted to find that all went well. So many new parts, that the car actually handles and drives like new. I took some more photos today. I saved the perforated vinyl from the sedan rear seat in case I can't find a set of SR-5 plaid seats, and that way I can have the inserts in the front seats replaced with factory correct vinyl. Also, I picked up a SECOND Camry that's a twin to my 84. This one only has 47,000 miles on it, and its actually much nicer than the first one.

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[GLet71]

Nice looking ride you've got there.

[bryanthompson]

Hey, folks,

I have an update on Gillem, the 1981 hatch DeLuxe today. He is officially, completely dent-free!

This was a tedious process, but the best way to retain the original paint. I highly recommend Mira at Dentlez. He's done all my cars, and they turn out flawless. (Are we allowed to share links to people we like to work with? If not, I'll delete, but, otherwise, here you go: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dentlez-playa-del-rey)

For the interior, the seats and headliner are under way as well. After much deliberation on whether to source the proper factory-correct vinyl, I decided to collaborate with my Color and Material Design colleague from my Nissan Design days, Anke Bodack, and we developed instead a period correct plaid, that, while not original, will give the car a bit more charm, and is kind of an homage to the optional SR-5 plaid. We tuned the orange thread in the fabric to match the orangey-copper exterior paint, so this should be quite nice when finished.

The final fabric used is the one in the photo that shows the sample by itself.

Enjoy the pics!

BT

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[ARCHINSTL]

Yes!
How cool is it that you are able to follow a passion (some might say "whimsy," but I do not!)?
Tom M.

[bryanthompson]

Yes!
How cool is it that you are able to follow a passion (one might say "whimsy," but I do not!)?
Tom M.

Thanks, Tom. I love rescuing these little forgotten orphans, especially the ones that were once well cared for. I gave it a lot of thought before departing from the original vinyl seat inserts, but in the end, I'll keep the vinyl I sourced with the car in case anyone ever wants to return the seats to factory spec (in the distant future when there aren't any more of these cars left.) In the meantime, the occupant experience should be something special.

Best, always. BT

[Petros]

i have no problem with making the car better, it is especially fun to keep it "period correct", but yet customizing it so it makes it a better driver. i do not thick these cars will ever be valuable enough to consider what you are doing will detract from it collector value, particularly since this was Toyota entry level car, there are many details that can be improved.

I have a vision of someday making a set of "picnic blanket" plaid custom seats in all leather (or almost all leather), with some extra shape in the lumbar, seat and thigh area, so it looks like a factory option up grade, for the "GTS" Tercel4wd that toyota never offered, but should have. That one will come with a 16 valve EFI power plant, and a few other nice tweaks as well. All toyota original of course!

[bryanthompson]

Plaid is happening!

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[bryanthompson]

So proud of the craftsmanship going into this humble little car. It's already come such a long way.

As you guys may know, I'm such a purist when it comes to restoration, but this little fella needed something extra.

I'm looking forward to ice-cold a/c drives in this plaid perfect pod!

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[Petros]

personally I have liked leather seats for long drives, though real wool is the next best for comfort.

Someday I want to build up some "SR-5" type seats out of leather, with a few "improvements" to ergonomics, just for fun. not stock of course, but keeping with the style and spirit of the Tercel4wd.

[bryanthompson]

I'm quite happy with how this humble little car came out. It just needed some love and care, and a little plaid pep inside

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[ARCHINSTL]

I'm sure I am predicting that ALL will say "WOW" on the car - esp. the interior!
Bigga bucks invested!
Tom M.

[bryanthompson]

Thanks, Tom! I just registered the little guy for JCCS this year, so if anyone wants to see him, I'll be there with both the little Tercel and my Honda City R complete with Motocompo Scooter!

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I'm sure I am predicting that ALL will say "WOW" on the car - esp. the interior!
Bigga bucks invested!
Tom M.