My not so new 87 Terc (pics inside)

[Petros]

for the 4ac you will not need to change the flywheel bolt pattern, you dont have to modify the 3a flywheel at all (it will bolt right up and fit no problem on the 4ac), but I recommend lightening it and balancing it. You only need to modify the 3ac flywheel to make it fit on a 4age, it will even bolt up to the 4afe without modification.

You should replace all four exhaust valves with new ones (they get heat damaged and can fail after a rebuild-they do not cost much so best to replace them), the intakes can be reground no problem. A machine shop will have to do the seat and intake valve regrind, they can check the valve guide wear and if necessary replace them for you (they only cost about $4 each, so no big deal).

I have not found it necessary to replace the valve springs, the factory ones are pretty durable and the Delta Cam regrind is not so "hot" that you need high strength springs. I have never seen a broke toytoa valve spring in almost 40 years of working on old cars, the machine shop can check the springs for length and compression, if they are all within specs I would use them over. It will save you money and many after market "performance" springs are junk and more likely to break or give you trouble later. I have reved my built up 3ac to over 7000 rpms without valve spring problems (but I do not recommend it1).

I personally would not buy a full overhaul kit, it is usually less costly to just buy what you need, but ebay is an okay place to buy them if you buy fel-pro or some other name brand. buy the pistons as a set with the rings, buy the bearings, buy a head gasket and pan gasket and possibly an intake/exhaust gasket. the machine shop will provide the valve stem seals when they do the valve job and assemble it for you.

you should not need to replace the crank, the factory one is very durable (I have never seen a broken Toyota crank, even after it threw a rod or blew a piston apart). If the bearing lands are not badly gouged, the crank can be polished and used as is (after balancing if you desire). Use standard size bearings as required. If the engine was ever run dry of oil it might damage the bearing races enough to need them to be reground but even that is pretty rare, polishing is all that is usually necessary and if within spec use standard size bearings. This will save you a lot of money, no reason to change a perfectly good bomb proof Toyota crank for an unknown one.

You will likely get as much as 85 to 90 hp with this set up, and you will be very happy with it. the high and long torque curve is what makes these engines work well in the Tercel4wd. You will both increase hp and torque and still have very good fuel economy. You should also get a new clutch for it and have it balanced along with the flywheel.

You should be able to do these mods and overhaul for well within your budget, including the new exhaust systems. Going to either a 4afe or 4age is a much more costly undertaking with a lot of custom parts that have to be made, you are doing the best you can with a reasonable budge and will end up with a pretty decent engine in your Tercel4wd.

[toughtercel]

what is the deal with the glove box in these cars, my handle is sagging to one side just like yours

They all do that; I tried straightening mine (pot metal) and that lasted for several openings - afraid of breaking it, I just live with it.

Acuna989 - you did well! I'll have to send you a pix of how I "fixed" my broken and worn seatbelt holder.
Tom M.

In almost every interior I have seen, the glovebox handle has been slanted.

Some one mention years ago that ,the Glove department handle are might to be Slanted or crocked because Driver is on left side and it easier for them to open it , if it were straight then It might get crocked from the driver side .

[Petros]

Some one mention years ago that ,the Glove department handle are might to be Slanted or crocked because Driver is on left side and it easier for them to open it , if it were straight then It might get crocked from the driver side .

but what do they do on the right hand drive ones they sell in Japan, England, Australia and elsewhere?

I think it was a design mistake, the spring puts off set pressure on the handle and pushes it that way. Also, this would make the pivot wear uneven so the older and more use it gets, the more crooked it is. I would have never even noticed it except for the perfectionists on this forum pointing it out. There are lots of other more serious issues with these cars if you want to pick it apart, like flimsy brakes, poorly designed head.

But while ware at it, Ever notice how the colors on the various interior plastic trim is not all quite the same shade?

[gatemaster]

The Schneider cams may cost more than Delta cams. But it isn't fair to say that Schneider Cams are too much for the 3ac or 4ac when according to SynthDesign, he used the Schneider 284 cam. That cam would be way too much for any reasonable street machine, even in a v8. The RPM range is way out of line and would not be street friendly. specs below

Part Number: none

Grind Number: 284F

Intake Duration (gross): 284

Exhaust Duration (gross): 284

Intake Duration (.050”): 240

Exhaust Duration (.050”): 240

Intake Valve Lift*: .428"

Exhaust Valve Lift*: .428"

Lobe Separation: 106

Intake Valve Lash: .008"

Exhaust Valve Lash: .010"

RPM Range:
3000-7000

*Based on 1.5 Rocker Arm Ratio

[Acuna989]

Haven't been on here for a while due to my wedding. Looking forward to rebuilding that 4ac that's sitting in the garage, just have to come up with the funds now. Shouldn't take more than a couple months. Planning on doing a wright up once things get set in motion.