After years of wanting one, I finally decided to take the plunge, and bought an old Corolla. A 1977 KE30, in bright yellow, to be exact. Why? Want a project, something to call my own. I was also sick of paying mechanics to fix my Subaru. With the Corolla, I can do it myself for the most part.

It currently has a 1.3L 4K engine, mated to a T50 5 speed gearbox, which, to be honest, is extremely gutless. Tempted to do a 4AGE conversion at some point, depending on cost, and time.

So far I’ve tidied up the wiring under the dash (previous owner had used cello tape…), installed a new choke cable, replaced the steering wheel and boss kit with something that fits properly and made it run a little smoother.

Still have a long way to go though, currently doesn’t idle properly with the headlights on, there’s a few spots of rust I need to take out over summer, and it could do with a re-paint. Also needs a stereo and alarm, badly.

My biggest complaint with it would be the ride comfort, it’s terrible, especially at motorway speeds, it crashes and bangs around. The tyres rub quite badly on the front as well, may need to put harder springs in the front. The brakes also have no feel to them whatsoever, which can be a little scary.

Photos

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