Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

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NWMO
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by NWMO »

Thanks duraguage,

Are your toyota stripes vinyl or paint? I want to incorporate some on my rusty ol’ rig in the future. Have a great time and stay safe!
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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duragauge
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My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Willamette Valley

Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by duragauge »

They are vinyl. I bought a few 12"x12" samples of Oracal 651 in different colors and cut them by hand. Cost maybe $15 total, but that's because I picked up one of every yellow, orange and red they have so I could play around with color combinations.

You can buy samples from most sign shops for a few bucks. 12x12 are less than a dollar, 12x24 under $2, or you can buy it by the yard.

Even craft stores like Michaels sell the sample sizes, but for about double the cost.

Originally I was thinking of a larger wrap for the back, something like this

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or like this

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but the cheapskate in me won out, which is why I ended up with this:

Image
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MrWrench
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My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5. aka Spud
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by MrWrench »

I really like the way you ran the airlines for the MA700. I think I am going to relocate mine like this when I repair the small leak I have in one of the air hoses.
1984 SR5. Lifted offroader with a snorkel. Aka "Thunderbucket"
1985 SR5. Daily driver. Aka "Spud"
1986 SR5. Dakar Rally clone build.
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NWMO
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by NWMO »

Duraguage,

Love the color schemes, I think the red rear is my favorite!
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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duragauge
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Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:24 pm
My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Willamette Valley

Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by duragauge »

The Oregon Gambler 500 starts Friday and I'm off soon. My kids decorated the hood (it's chalk on the chalkboard paint ) and it doesn't look half bad.

Image

Hope to have some good pictures to share after the event.
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NWMO
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by NWMO »

Have a great time and share oodles of pics please!

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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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by Petros »

well if that mighty 1.5 liter engine does not scare them, perhaps that hood decoration will.

is that a GoPro on the front bumper?
'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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duragauge
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My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
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2021 Gambler 500 Trip Report

Post by duragauge »

Not only did my kids decorate my hood, they also came up with this ingenious A/C hack, which turned out to be a good idea since the dates for the 2021 Oregon Gambler 500 overlapped one of the most intense heat waves in the state's history.

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I took lots of parts and tools with me, but the two most valuable turned out to be a 5-gallon water cooler (which fits nicely inside a 13" wheel) and a portable air compressor (more on that later).

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On Friday I met my brothers and we caravanned about 200 miles to Gilchrist, Oregon. If you are ever near Eugene and have some time, the trip from the valley floor up Hwy 58 to the high desert is a blast--lots of curves and great scenery.

The Taurus was dubbed "Taur-toise" due to it's amazing speed and, after a long pause when asked what the name of my SR5 was, it became "Tim the Tercel" in a nod to Monty Python's Tim the Enchanter.

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Once we arrived in Gilchrist the red Neon entered HooptieX, which is a time-attack rallycross race that's a sister event to the Gambler.

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Luckily someone had installed a free HD Live Stream in 4K next to the track, which was very helpful.

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After the race we drove an hour south to Crater Lake National Park

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and caught an amazing sunset.

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On Saturday we started "gambling", which basically means driving down forest roads looking for trash. Unfortunately, the unimproved roads dislodged some gunk in my gas tank that repeatedly blocked the fuel lines. After 4 different instances where Tim died and then came back to life after we blew out the fuel lines (thanks to the compressor), we abandoned bumpy roads and enjoyed the scenery along the highways.

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The drive back home on Sunday was uneventful, but now cleaning or replacing the fuel tank is certainly at the top of my to-do list.

Overall, the Gambler was a fun event, full of friendly people and crazy car builds, many of which could have been straight out of a Mad Max movie.

Even if you don't participate, if there's a Gambler in your area find out where it's being held and go to a nearby gas station to watch the cars as they come in to fill up--you won't be disappointed.
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NWMO
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by NWMO »

Nice pics and great report (all things considered),

Just getting out in nature with friends is worth the trip, even when there are a few challenges. Good luck with cleaning up your fuel tank.

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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duragauge
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Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:24 pm
My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Willamette Valley

Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by duragauge »

New problem I'd love some advice on. I noticed a knocking sound from one of the front struts. After removal it seems that the nut that keeps the shock cartridge in the housing was off. This part here:

Image


The nut would not go back on and after closer inspection some of the threads are stripped inside the barrel. I guess I must not have torqued it to spec when I put it on a few months ago.

Image

Is there a simple way to refresh those threads? If not, are the strut housings available anywhere? I couldn't find them on RockAuto.
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ALiveSR5
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My tercel:: Was a stock 1985, SR5, 4WD, 6-speed manual, Wagon.
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by ALiveSR5 »

duragauge wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 1:44 pm If not, are the strut housings available anywhere? I couldn't find them on RockAuto.
I have this set of struts from my 1985 SR5. I attempted to change the cartridges but was not strong enough to get the retaining nut off. Since I have since sold my Tercel, I have these available, for someone with the ability to replace the cartridges.

I am in eastern Pennsylvania and have no idea what shipping would cost, to wherever you may be. :)
~
Front_Struts.jpg
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No other vehicle that I have ever owned had a heart and soul like my 1985 Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon. :D
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Great minds may think alike but it is the doers who see their visions become reality. :?
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Petros
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by Petros »

you should be able to clean up the damaged threads so it will thread back on. Looks like you have plenty of threads left. Carefully clean up only the damaged threads with a rotary file or sanding drum, than use lock tight or similar thread locker on it before you torque it back down.

I had this same think happen to me. we have rough gravel roads I drive daily to get home and I suspect they just worked loose. fortunately I was able to get the nut back in place without having to take it apart. I reached my fingers in between the spring coils and got it threaded back down, and put a big wrench on it to get it tight. I may have put some lock tight on it to keep it in place. I have not had it happen again since.
'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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duragauge
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My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by duragauge »

Thanks for the suggestion, Petros, I'll give that a shot.

If that doesn't work I'll check some local yards and then PM you ALiveSR5 if I can't find anything.

Will update within a week. Thanks for the support!
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duragauge
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My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by duragauge »

Success!! I finally got it back together.

Hit it with a wire brush and then found an old tap that had the same teeth pitch (but obviously not the same diameter) and scratched back and forth until I cleaned up the threads as best I could. From there it was just pressure and elbow grease until I got the cap to bite.

Put everything back together, hit a few pot holes & speed bumps on purpose just to check, and everything seems to be holding firm.
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ALiveSR5
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My tercel:: Was a stock 1985, SR5, 4WD, 6-speed manual, Wagon.
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Re: Gambler SR5 - Introduction & mystery part

Post by ALiveSR5 »

duragauge wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 2:47 pm Success!! everything seems to be holding firm.
Congrats :!: Enjoy your T4 ride. :D
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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