Doesn't anyone here restore their cars to original? I would love to see some pics of some that have been saved.
I have an 82 totally stock, 185k and runs like a champ all it really needs are some new tires. I was thinking of taking care of what little rust there is and really making this thing look like new again. Anyone here taken on this sort of thing or is this site all about turbos, wings and rims? Little help here please.
I'm about the rims when my car came stock with 13" ones.... LOL
Most people don't restore 80's japanese cars since they are underpowered. Domestices are restored usually because they had a decent power rating to start. But even with those alot of people don't restore them. Why restore a car when we now have the parts to make the old car drive and handle like a new one?
LOL! there's tons of people who restore 80s cars.. the AE86 would be an example. There's tons of people who restore 70s cars, you just gotta know where to look.
I know some do it but it's more common now for modded cars because like I said why use old parts when the newer better designed stuff is out.
Toyota OEM parts have a great history of reliability and performance, I know lots of people who are driving FJ40's that still have most of their original parts still in them. Let me know in 30 years if your alternator from where ever that is supposedly better designed is still working.
It depends on the car. I'm sure 510's, older celicas, corollas, etc are restored (or modified old skool style, not ricer style, which maintains it original roots). Its just that 80's and 90's corollas are massproduced stuff. Older muscle cars are restored, because their value goes up if they are done like they were from the factory. Doesnt apply to a 90's corolla.
yea the 80's and 90's cars have their price go up with good mods that are in demand in the market. I am not saying the old parts aren't reliable. But for instance most of your oem ball joints, tie rod ends and so on are non greasable. As long as you maintain them the greasables last you alot longer. When people are saying the toyota timing belts can be ify on how long they last and recommend one that last longer. And usually the aftermarket parts are cheaper.
besides is it really a restoration the moment you put that cd player in there? Because if I ever do that firebird the chances of it keeping that 8 track player is pretty slim. BUt a true resto would have you use the speakers and radio that came with the car, speakers have improved drastically since then.... My sr5 isn't even suposed to have rear speakers :|, or the more comfortable gts seats.
and my oem alterntor wouldn't last 30 years, most don't. As for compaing an old FJ40 to an 82 corolla... doesn't exactly work like that. Now your even getting out of vehicle class. And from a street car to an offroad vehicle...
and even with that flashmn on the older cars they sell for more if you put the better suspension and such on them to make them ride nicer. Restoration cars aren't worth as much because they became so common, if it isn't numbers matching it's not going to worth much nearly as much.
But for instance most of your oem ball joints, tie rod ends and so on are non greasable. As long as you maintain them the greasables last you alot longer.
But parts are dirt cheap, I wouldnt bother with greasing them. I'll just get new ones.
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and even with that flashmn on the older cars they sell for more if you put the better suspension and such on them to make them ride nicer.
I'd say you're wrong there, over here old american cars fetch for much more money if they are OEM. Plus here I think it was 25year or older cars can be museum registered, meaning they have a special status. However, they have to be 100% OEM.
like I said they fetch more for number matching. But if you grab another engine of the same type from another car it lowers the value as does the tranny and alot of old cars have had one of those changed.
once those have been changed they fetch more if you make them ride nicer. The big thing here right now is people wanting 50's, 60's, and 70's cars to drive like new ones. Since to most of us those style cars can be a pain to drive since suspensions have improved alot since those times for large vehicles.
as for them fetching more where you are well your not in america where they were made, you yourself have said the old american cars are expensive there. Like you said with the japanese cars, they were mass produced here. Camaro's, firebirds, and mustangs were everyday drivers for the mid income famlies. They tend to only be worth alot of it's a rare version of that car such as the shelby mustangs, or the yenko camaro. But not only are they expensive but it's hard to find one thats even for sale as people who have the cars now love them.
I am restoring a 1983 Corolla 4 door. Why? First it has 58K miles. it gets great gas milage, cheap to insure, cheap parts (when i can find them), easy to work on, etc....
restoring to me is taking care of the rust, changing bad parts, and making it better than original without the bling bling. My car will not get any wheels bigger than 13 inch, no gay ass wing on the trunk, no neon lights, no boom boom speakers.
and making it better than original without the bling bling. My car will not get any wheels bigger than 13 inch, no gay ass wing on the trunk, no neon lights, no boom boom speakers.
my point is that... your going to make it better than orginal, thats not a restoration. neither is using a different style rim than what it came with stock. as for the 13" wheels I'd say if your going to choose a different wheel go at least 14" as the smaller tire sidewall will help your braking and add to the comfort of your ride. although they say the 13" rim makes for a good winter size rim
Modding doesn't mean you have put a wing or neon lights. People put that stuff on their cars because they like how it looks, and hey it's their car they can do what ever they want (within the law at least). As for the speakers thats by choice. If you were able to come to one of the toronto TN meets you would see some nice cars. They are usually way better than stock. Most have larger rims on them because like I said better handling and braking. I don't think I have seen a car at the TN meet with neons (looks like at least in my area that the neon light fad has died down alot <THANK GOD>) I also don't recall alot of them having huge wings, although some of the ae86's have the wing that you can mold flush with the body.
I am restoring a 1983 Corolla 4 door. Why? First it has 58K miles. it gets great gas milage, cheap to insure, cheap parts (when i can find them), easy to work on, etc....
restoring to me is taking care of the rust, changing bad parts, and making it better than original without the bling bling. My car will not get any wheels bigger than 13 inch, no gay ass wing on the trunk, no neon lights, no boom boom speakers.
hahahahaha there
But these cars look better with 14 and 15inch wheels on them.. unless you get some 13x7 up front and some 13x8 or 9 with some wide ass tires on the back.
like I said 13" suck because of the ammount of sidewal flex there is in the BALLON tires that go on them. Ever sat in your car and tried to shake it side to side, well try doing that with low profiles. It wont "sway" like that with the larger rim making the care more stable and easier to drive. Also contraty to what people say I found my car rides nicer at low speeds witht he 16" with a 205/45/R16 on them rather than the 13" 175/70/r13. I still vote for braking it's the best upgrade, and you may say to this "well I don't plan to push the car" well sometimes when some SUV cuts you off because they think "ahh it's a small car it can stop" you don't have a choice. Best money I spent on that car so far. The other issues with the Non gts ae86 (and sedan counterpart) and ae92 is the suspensions. If you have the money upgraded them rather than go oem. A front sway bar is usually a nice addiditon which I can't wait to shove one on my car. Because Seems like most people who get in these cars tend to take corners and bends harder than normal just because it doesn't take alot of effort in them as well body roll sucks if you do it to hard or again have to manuover the car in an emerency situation it's nice to have all 4 tires firmly planted to the ground and from my experience that body roll can pick 1 or 2 of those tires up which isn't cool.
i don't know if you guys heard of it, but they DO HAVE low profile 13s. i was on a 175-50-13 Pirelli P7s on my car before. a lot of ol'skool wannabes try putting 14s or 15s coz they're too cheap to buy low profile 13s. yes, they are expensive! you'll prolly gonna say well that will fuck up yor speedo and shit like that... newsflash, you can change gear ratio on those toyota rear ends... THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF REAR WHEEL DRIVE, i guess you gays don't know that yet.
on the subject of restoration... that depends on what you define as RESTORED. people restore them to OEM North American spec and there are some who spend years to get the right Japan OEM Toyota parts. clubs like TORC (WestCoast) cater to those kind of enthusiasts. those are HARDCORE Toyota builders and restorers. they will only put period correct mods on their ride, NOTHING ELSE. i personally see some reasons why some won't restore their cars to original spec... A.) no budget [yes, it's expensive to track down 20 year old parts]; B.) no patience [like most young car enthusiasts at the moment]; or C.) they don't know where to look or find the necessary parts.
1phrogguy.. GOODLUCK on the restoration. i wish i had time and money to do one. if ever i come across a '69 Sprinter that i wanted... i'll definitely do it.
__________________ 1982 Toyota Starlet (SP61) boosted since 2007
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