sampathd

The AWD was called a RTi. I had one. It was fab to drive. But pretty bad on fuel. The way it moved was amazing. Cornering was really assuring!

Yup that's the one. It's rusted a lot more than can be seen on the pics. So I am contemplating which one to take to a tinker first. the Corolla or the Escort. From what I can see the Escort is in better nick than the Corolla. Decisions....

A small update. Nothing much to write about. Drove the car last weekend. Was so thrilled but it was short lived. Even a push cyclist overtook me up a hill on borelagamuwa. So the car went back to the garage. Seems that the buggers in Jaffna had messed up the carb. So swapped the carb from the engine I sourced. Yup I got hold of a 681F engine. Said to be 1.6L still trying to ascertain that though. But it had a Fodomo carb. engine in the car was a Solex. So now the Fodomo is in the 1100 engine. There was a fuel leak from the petrol pump. Got a repair kit and also the plug wires. And the mechanic at the garage has done another dissapearing act. So waiting to get the pump sorted and do a test run around. And then planning to take it out, do a bit of light running for a few weeks while zooming in on the tinker. Things like signals and lights are all in working order. So should be okay to run it around. Wanna see how it feels before I can plan any other upgrades. So far I've been quoted 350K and 150K by two tinkers. Hope to show it to Komi's place and another place another member here recommended. And hopefully by the end of the month she will be undergoing her surgeries. Got down some FG wheel arches as well. I've been promised a set of front disk brakes as well. The rest of the car seems pretty decent nick. Probably needs to be scraped and painted.

Well my Escort is still getting road worthy to visit a few tinkers. So far I've got two quotes one at 150k and another at 350k. Hope to show to a couple of more ppl and decide and start on it.

Hey, was it the red one in nit tambura or the yellow one that needed a full resto?

Great write up Charith!

Yup. That's the one I got. Escort project is moving, but very slowly. This one caught my heart and also the price was right for me.

Ok. So I got another ride. It's a Toyota Corolla KE 50 lift back. It was circling on some FB groups for the past few weeks. I went and had a look and have an offer. It finally came at my price so I got it. It isn't perfect (who would expect 35 year old car to be?) So it has got a lot more rust than the photos show you, and a few more quirks to work out. Like the car doesn't start with the key sometimes and you have to short a wire on the engine bay to get the starter motor running, wheels rubbing against wheel wells at a full turn, lights, wipers. But it will be interesting to get it back in shape. So hopefully for me, I think I've reached my limit, at least for a while.

Hi guys, I went ahead and got my hands on a corolla ke50 lift back. It came at the price I wanted so got it. Now I have to work out the quirks before get onto serious stuff. I was hoping some of you guys will be able to point me in the direction of spare parts dealers who stock parts for old corollas. Ad if you have any contacts of breaker yards. Cheers, Sampath

They are more or less the same price. But I guess comparing the mods gone into the coupe, I guess his asking price makes it more desirable.

Garage baases. More like bastards. I've been waiting for a mechanic to turn up for work for over a week now. And it seems like its always not today, tomorrow.

There are a couple of Trueno's advertised recently. One is a fully modified one on the classifieds here. The other one is a more desirable body shape, but it seems stock on another site. On a mission to get my wife to go along now....

Sorry for the late response guys. I have two daily drivers now. And my project car is slowly falling in line. Slower than my patience. In my household there are 3 drivers. So two cars leaves someone calling a cab sometimes. And what I would ideally like to do is to get something that is not necessarily a classic still, but will turn out to be one in a few years, and hold on to it. Use it for a bit of light running, mostly errands, picking kids from classes, mostly in and and around the neighborhood. So I was thinking of something like a Merc W115 or W123 or a BMW E30. Cars which can be had for less than a mil and if its a properly taken care of one should last a life time. And Insurance shouldnt be that bad on a vehicle under a mil right? What other cars can I consider? I would like to consider a few JDM classics as well?

Hey all petrol heads, Please don't take this in the wrong vein. But how many cars are too many. I find myself going through for sale ads and spending quite a bit of time. And when I see some specimens I really get exited. But getting my wife to agree to buying another car is a hard task. Her simple question is why do I need another car? So those who have car collections how do you justify adding another to the stable? At what poi t do you say this is enough?

I would definitely be interested if there a 2 door datta 510

Well, I didnt find any metal that is totally rusted and falling into pieces. But there is rust on the metal in a lot of places. I will post up some pics on the other thread. Dont want to hijack another thread.

Any recommendations Don?

Hey Guys, Thanks for the advise. I'm going to take the route suggested. Going to do the body first. Managed to source a 1.6 engine. I've committed to buying it and the seller has committed to selling it to me. Hope he wont change his mind Hopefully with the engine sorted out, I am now turning to the body. Figured I'd do a full restoration now rather than later. So I am on the lookout for a good tinker. I know they are hard to come by. But planning to check out a few before committing. I also need a good mechanic to rebuild the engine that I am buying. Can anyone recommend someone who knows Ford engines and maybe about mods (such as putting in duel webber carbs, etc). Any leads are appreciated. Cheers,

Hi Guys, Nice to see another escort coming live. My project has been a bit on hold. But I managed (I hope) to source an engine. And as advised by the members I am planning to put the car in for body work soon. Any idea of a price for a full tinkering of a car. Komi has your friend got any quotes for body work of his escort? I saw the pics of it on FB. Cheers,

I checked out Aramex option based on one of your previous posts. I guess its good if you are ordering one package as they dont offer consolidation. But since kapruka consolidates and ships, I guess it'll be cheaper on shipping charges. But I think kapruka is currently US only. So in my case, it'll still have to be Aramex or a friend living in the UK.

I shouldnt mention names publicly. But he's the one sorting out a lot of stuff for me

Thanks for the advice. I'm tormented between two lines of advice. I too thought of doing the body first. But I'm being told to sort out the mechanicals first. Slotting the engine, updating the suspension and brakes. The body is in pretty decent shape. Just needs a scraping and some work on a fender. Even the floor boards seem to be in pretty good nick from the first inspection). I guess there is a lot to learn from you guys Thanks for the advice, and keep them coming. Cheers.

AN update: The project is currently stalled until I find an engine transplant. Thought of getting the mechanical parts sorted out before I get to the body.

I take it to the place down Union Place. Anyway, will book an appointment to get it checked. Thanks for the info.

Thanks all..