'85 T4WD "Zombie"

[MR2Di4]

Ok Terc fans, you wanted to see it, here it is. Be prepared to laugh, cry or be simply astonished! This is my most recent acquisition that brought me back into the world of the T4WD. It was pulled out of the weeds five weeks ago and I've been working on it steadily to get it roadworthy again since. Haven't put much into it aside from a new alternator and just tonight a new stereo and speakers plus a few odds and ends I've had lying around.





I know some of these aren't the greatest, but I'll have more soon...

MR2Di4

[dlb]

mr2di4, i was only able to view the pics by removing the "i430" at the start of the URL and replacing it with "www". you can use each pics direct link info from photobucket to paste them directly onto threads here.

what's that white car with the blue stripe behind the terc? that thing looks sleek. that's an interesting rear sway bar link for the terc. beats the shoelace someone had used on one of the tercs i picked up a few years ago. what are the cut c-clamps from? nice subs, too bad they take up so much room. i'd only keep one. the interior is actually in very good shape. you can remove the seat covers to launder them. i've done that several times and have come out with nearly mint seats. here are some pics of the last ones i cleaned:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7776&p=57807

i posted a thread in the repair guide section on how to remove the seat covers, in case you're interested.

[ARCHINSTL]

what's that white car with the blue stripe behind the terc? that thing looks sleek.

OMG - that's an American Motors AMX ! ! !
Just the most desirable AM car ever - NOT kidding!
Pix of it, please!

I think those C-clamps are to demonstrate the "quality" of SinoSteel...note the bent levers as well.
Tom M.

[MR2Di4]

Ok, First off: Yes, you are quite correct. Arch, that is an American Motors AMX, a 1970 390 Go-Pak model (the rarest) that has been in my family since '72. It's my "other" passion with a special place in my heart but even at 42 years old still runs good and turns a 14 second quarter mile.

Second, that's weird about the thumbnails, didn't have any problem pulling up the pics from my garage computer running Firefox. I'll go in and see if I can edit the links to work properly. I didn't want to post full-size pics and take up too much bandwidth.

Third, I didn't cut those clamps, they broke that way. Very weird since I've been using C-clamps to compress brake calipers for years and never seen that before. Ironically the tool that did work was a low-grade NAPA caliper compressor I forgot I had.

I'll keep more pics coming as I continue to work on it, and yeah I know I could get away with one box, but I bought them from a friend years ago and haven't had the drive to put them in anything until now. Hell, it was like being a teenager again, putting a "system" in my ride and enjoying full range music. Got a few rolleyes from my better half and plenty of chuckles from my co-workers when I drove it to work this morning. Thanks for the tip on the seat covers, they'll be washed when I get a chance to take them out.

MR2Di4

[dlb]

man, that AMX is unreal. never seen one before but it's such classic styling. very cool.

i think a good sub is necessary for any complete car stereo. even 6x9 speakers simply can't put out the low frequencies that a sub can, and those frequencies are part of any good recording, so without a sub you're missing out on them. i don't blast music and rattle the car apart, i like it EQ'd well so that i just get that full range of sound. the only vehicle i don't have a sub in is our camper and that's because we need the space for camping stuff. would if i could.

i can see the thumbnails now, not sure if it was my computer at the time or something. internet gremlins.

[Petros]

Wasn't there an old "rebel" type movie with Peter Fonda that featured an AMX trying to escape some red neck cops in the south?

Here is an AMX promo that introduced the AMX in 1969, it was a cut down two seat Javlin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LEBxSJTSH8

[ARCHINSTL]

Long Wiki article on the AMX: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_AMX
They were even hotter than I recall! And the Go-Pak option was the pièce de résistance!
Tom M.

[toughtercel]

Hi MR2Di4 , you are not alone , I also have two AMC too. 1967 Marlin with 343 and 1969 " X" code Ambassador 2 DR . Enjoy in this Forum .

[ARCHINSTL]

A '68 AMX with AT and the Go-Pak option just popped up on Hemmings, and the Detroit dealer's link is http://classicauto-showplace.com/files/ ... esults/amx
Lots of pix - $20K.
Tom M.

[MR2Di4]

Ok, some new issues have popped up that I'm addressing. First is the blower motor decided to stop working and let out some nasty smoke, so that will need investigation. I'm desperately searching for the rear anti-sway bar links to the body so I can remount that bar and test my other "custom" bracket I dreamed up to replace the rotted axle mount. Plus I've discovered the heartache of a leaky filler neck and of course replacing the tank means spending real money instead of just a few bucks here and there. So that will need to be dropped out, inspected and patched somehow? (bubblegum?) Despite all this I decided to put my time and effort last weekend into the thing that mattered least... wheels and tires. Go figure.



Was actually pretty impressed with how well they turned out for a rattle-can job. Perhaps I'll do a write-up for the Repair Section...

MR2Di4

[dlb]

i sometimes find it hard to go nuts working on something that looks like hell so i'll do some fun stuff like that throughout a project too.

i believe tom posted the part #s for the rear sway bar in this thread:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6444

but if you're looking for parts of the sway bar itself, you may need to hit a wrecker.

i just dropped and replaced a few gas tanks in the last week or so. really not a bad job, even with rust. after draining the tank, disconnecting the fuel lines from the top of the tank and unplugging the fuel gauge sender, i put a jack with a wood block under the tank. undid the two 14 mm bolts at the front, bashed out the rusted ol pins at the rear hinge, and lowered the tank down. installation was the same in reverse. luckily, i had a good spare tank to throw in. depending on where the leak is and how rusted the area around it is, you might be able to use JB weld to seal it.

[Petros]

gasoline will soften and weaken most sealants or caulk, the tough polyeurethane might last longer but not sure if it is a permanant fix. If the leak is isolated to a hole it might be possible to use fuel resistant rubber sheet and make a gasket, and a metal patch that you screw into place over the hole.

Of course if the tank has extensive rust a patch is only a stop gap measure. Rockauto had Tercel fuel tanks for only around $90 if I recall. Make sure it is for the 4wd wagon, all the others are very different.

[GLet71]

I'm tellin' ya, stick some SealAll on there, and it'll be good as new!

[Jarf]

I've been down the road of home-spun gas tank repairs, it is, at best a stop-gap measure.
If your planning on keeping it for any length of time, say 1 yr or more, I wouldn't waste the time.
When I tried that option (previous turtle) I got fed up after the 4th attempt, none of the repairs lasted more than 6 months.
Back then new tanks were still available.

Sadly, that is no longer an option as I found out this summer.
Dealer is NLA.
Spectrum has a listing and all the usual suspects claim to have stock until you place an order then it goes B/O with no release date.
Find yourself a proper gas tank repair place, they will weld in new metal and epoxy coat it inside and out.
Life time warranty and no more headaches. (and way cheaper than any of the quotes I got for A/M tanks)

Also, it isn't necessary to pull the pivot pins, just soak them well with a quality penetrant and work them with vice grips, once they start to spin,
the straps will pivot down.
Speaking of straps - mine looked just fine, until I unbolted them. Seems they rust from the backside out (under the rubber, hidden from view).
Fortunately for me, I had a leak at anything above 1/2 full, I suspect the weight of a full tank could have been rather spectacular.
New ones are still available, thankfully

[dlb]

Also, it isn't necessary to pull the pivot pins, just soak them well with a quality penetrant and work them with vice grips, once they start to spin,
the straps will pivot down.

this is true. i went that route at first but i found it easier to drop everything rather than angle the tank down and slide it out. i also took the opportunity to clean up and anti-seize the hinge pins.

i didn't know there were gas tank repair places. good to know with cars like ours that have NLA gas tanks.