As some of you may already know, this used to belong to Scouser off here, I'd seen he had one late last year, sent a PM saying if he ever sold it I'd be interested, mid December I had a text from a bloke called Jon saying to check my PM's. Couldn't believe it my self, but a few weeks later I was in Liverpool dropping off my MK1 and on my way to his house to give him some money. Top bloke and he and his family truly loved this car and I can see why. Pictures can wait because It's dark already and my phones a potato. She's a J import, wods of history and MOT's. Basic plan so far is to get it back on the road then open my parcels from Japan and see what happens.
I guess putting 2 cars in one thread could get confusing, but that's all part of the fun.
The soarer came about when I decided to up and shift to Aussie for 2015. Ended up in Kalgoorlie for 6 months, which is 200kms hours from anything/anyone/anywhere. Then spent some time in Leonora & Laverton which are ever more remote, funnily enough I met a fella there who lived on the same street as me in Wales. Small world and all that. Anyway, I had a work ute, A hilux, then one night prior to going to the pub I thought about buying a project I could spend some time on when I wasn't working. Had a few different ideas, Starions, Cadillacs, Chryslers, GX61s, escorts. Then when I later returned from the pub, miserable I had to be up for work at 3:30 in the morning I had a brain wave. "What about them boxy soarers the japs rev the nuts off down the motorway" were pretty much my thoughts. Had a look around the suspected classifieds/forums. Not a single one. Then I found the owners group on facebook. Within 10 minutes of joining I'd bought this. Never formally advertised, the previous owner had a crack at restoring it but decided to go all out on his S-Body. Most of the welding has been done, to a good standard aswell. He got as far as paint when I came along; so it looks very panda, which is inkeeping with 80's toyotas I thought. Anyway, the car was in bits, and in Brisbane, specifically, a 30 hour drive from where I was. Never realised how bloody big Aussie is. Felt like a challenge anyway, looked a prices to get it trailered to me, about $2000, then I thought "this could go alright as a daily" got a quote to ship it to the UK $2800 (£1400). Well, I'll do that then. Thankfully the seller was kind enough to put it back together so I didn't end up with half a car. After going over everything I discovered it was actually a factory manual twincam, hard to find a car specced like this. Usually single cam and auto. Anyway being a G series motor it was pretty much the bottom of the line when new, the higher end of the poverty specs. I have quite a thing for 1G's though, never got on well with the other M series that were available in the other models. So skip forward a few months, the cars due in Southampton on the 2ND November. I'm due back in the UK on the 7th December. I don't plan stuff very well. However I have stockpiled lots of nice things for this and the GX71 over the past few months. Will probably spend a few weeks recommissioning both cars when I'm back and work out where to start with both of them, plans are to put the twincam and manual box from the soarer in the GX and use it as my daily driver. The soarer is then receiving a funny triangle shaped engine; but that will take alot of planning and probably money aswell. First thing I plan to do when I get back is to get the GX on the road, the fail sheet was mostly rust related, but that's 3/4 years old now, guessing the problems are alot worse after a few winters in the rain. Most of what I could see were little fiddly patches, either end of the sills, and one of the arches needs completely re-doing. I'll get around to that soon as I can.
Christ, I make boring books.
I guess putting 2 cars in one thread could get confusing, but that's all part of the fun.
The soarer came about when I decided to up and shift to Aussie for 2015. Ended up in Kalgoorlie for 6 months, which is 200kms hours from anything/anyone/anywhere. Then spent some time in Leonora & Laverton which are ever more remote, funnily enough I met a fella there who lived on the same street as me in Wales. Small world and all that. Anyway, I had a work ute, A hilux, then one night prior to going to the pub I thought about buying a project I could spend some time on when I wasn't working. Had a few different ideas, Starions, Cadillacs, Chryslers, GX61s, escorts. Then when I later returned from the pub, miserable I had to be up for work at 3:30 in the morning I had a brain wave. "What about them boxy soarers the japs rev the nuts off down the motorway" were pretty much my thoughts. Had a look around the suspected classifieds/forums. Not a single one. Then I found the owners group on facebook. Within 10 minutes of joining I'd bought this. Never formally advertised, the previous owner had a crack at restoring it but decided to go all out on his S-Body. Most of the welding has been done, to a good standard aswell. He got as far as paint when I came along; so it looks very panda, which is inkeeping with 80's toyotas I thought. Anyway, the car was in bits, and in Brisbane, specifically, a 30 hour drive from where I was. Never realised how bloody big Aussie is. Felt like a challenge anyway, looked a prices to get it trailered to me, about $2000, then I thought "this could go alright as a daily" got a quote to ship it to the UK $2800 (£1400). Well, I'll do that then. Thankfully the seller was kind enough to put it back together so I didn't end up with half a car. After going over everything I discovered it was actually a factory manual twincam, hard to find a car specced like this. Usually single cam and auto. Anyway being a G series motor it was pretty much the bottom of the line when new, the higher end of the poverty specs. I have quite a thing for 1G's though, never got on well with the other M series that were available in the other models. So skip forward a few months, the cars due in Southampton on the 2ND November. I'm due back in the UK on the 7th December. I don't plan stuff very well. However I have stockpiled lots of nice things for this and the GX71 over the past few months. Will probably spend a few weeks recommissioning both cars when I'm back and work out where to start with both of them, plans are to put the twincam and manual box from the soarer in the GX and use it as my daily driver. The soarer is then receiving a funny triangle shaped engine; but that will take alot of planning and probably money aswell. First thing I plan to do when I get back is to get the GX on the road, the fail sheet was mostly rust related, but that's 3/4 years old now, guessing the problems are alot worse after a few winters in the rain. Most of what I could see were little fiddly patches, either end of the sills, and one of the arches needs completely re-doing. I'll get around to that soon as I can.
Christ, I make boring books.