Crown

[gianttomato]

My Crown.
I bought off an old fella who couldn't drive it anymore after open heart surgery (don't ask, won't tell). Had a blown head gasket. Fixed it (by replacing the 4M with another 4M).

Drove it like that for a year till it blew another head gasket (thankyou silly little $5 dollar hose for splitting). I sat around for a month pining about what to do about the old rig. So then I bought this,

pulled this out of it,

and then dropped it into where we thought it couldn't quite go.

The fat ugly bespectacled guy with the goatie is moi.

Unfortunately, the driver's side bank of cylinders wanted to share the same space as the steering box so I farmed the car off to have this done.


Then I fitted some big old XD rotors at the front, Toyota Supra brakes at the back and a Hilux LSD (custom tailshaft too).
Now it looks like this.


Managed to keep the 4 speed auto and with a bit of stufffing around it's all hooked up to the column shift too (took me a year to find the 1967 model auto column - hardest part of the project).

Needs paint badly. Hoping to get some steel wheels made to fit the hubcaps sometime in the next year.

It's a tow car for this thing.

Look, it's ugly and definately not everybody's cup of tea, but I love it. Rips a good skid too.

[Splash]

Rips a good skid too.

i bet it does

[RX7HEVEN]

SWEET! Sleeper from hell

[Norbie]

Cool machine, I'm a big fan.

This car even got a "special mention" at the Toyota Nationals show'n'shine earlier this year.

[Shitbreak]

That is super cool. Would be hella fun a car to cruise around in.

Would look pretty cool pimped out slammed on some dished watanabe's.

[F|sh]

did you show the old guy what you did to his crown???

[Motorsportlady]

I'm sure I saw photos of it when I was in Perth last month for Rally OZ...I crashed at my friend's house while he was working in the bush (we overlapped for a day and he showed me pics from a trip a few of them did to Sydney this year!) He has a nice collection of Newer and Old Toyota's plus chuck in a few old Fords.

[gianttomato]

did you show the old guy what you did to his crown???

Haha! I did. He rather nonchalantly said, "That should tow quite well now."

Motorsportlady, that would have been one of the Toymods boys (sounds like Clint given the Fords) - they crashed at my place on the way up to Sydney for Toyofest. We did a 5 speed conversion in my garage on his XA panel van, and then he drove it back to Perth!! Crazy (but great) guy!

[Motorsportlady]

Yep! I've known him for a few years!

[bigmuz]

Beautiful. Sleeper isn't really the word!

[CLG]

Haha! I did. He rather nonchalantly said, "That should tow quite well now."

Motorsportlady, that would have been one of the Toymods boys (sounds like Clint given the Fords) - they crashed at my place on the way up to Sydney for Toyofest. We did a 5 speed conversion in my garage on his XA panel van, and then he drove it back to Perth!! Crazy (but great) guy!

You all just keep saying good things about me, and no one has to get hurt!!!

[GTREA]

Your right, the car is as ugly as sin....but I love what you've done

Will look great with good body / Paint and retaining hubcaps etc

BTW, anyone evr told you you look like Elliot Goblet...?

[gianttomato]

LOL! One of my work badges was altered to Elliot Goblett. Get it all the time.

[08ESE]

Hell yes, big thumbs up from this direction!


love the work!

[Norbie]

You all just keep saying good things about me, and no one has to get hurt!!!

OMG he's still alive!

[ScortFreak]

Shit that's awesome, nice work.

[smellytofu]

I'd say don't paint it. Keep it as it is as it'll get less attention.

2nd the Elliot Goblet.

[Jim]

^
| American spammer.

[MR-PUNANNY]

Awesome stuff Tomato! Ive never even seen a crown like that!!

[jzx83]

My family had one of those in gunmetal grey during the 80s. It was a 2M ie about 3/4 the power of a 4M but otherwise pretty similar. 2.0 litres instead of 2.6 litres. The old girl had a 3 speed manual with electric overdrive. The OD operated by lifting your foot off the accelerator. It would change up and then you'd get into it again. All good except that if the accel pedal hit the floor she'd kick back out of OD. Bit silly for a top speed run, where the motor just had enough torque to keep (slowly) accelerating in OD, but wouldn't spin any faster when the OD kicked down.

LMAO at the comment from the former owner.

Another vote for Elliot Goblet, but
1. Your face has an expression on it.
2. You're not wearing a tie.
3. Is your mate taking the part of Darryl or Ozzie?

Top job and thanks for liberating one of these old girls from what was IMO a good little engine that should never have been put in a car as heavy as these. Tatty paint = sleeper. HEHEHE

[gianttomato]

I have a 1967 sedan which was originally fitted with the three speed electric overdrive - it was a big pain. IIRC, if you nailed it at really high (engine) speed, it wouldn't drop out of overdrive. You couldn't have the overdrive engaged for towing - you'd just destroy the planetary gears. And now it's all a little fuzzy for me but I think the thing would be in 'angel' gear (freewheeling) if you were coasting downhill. Also clearly remember having to feather the throttle to overtake! I replaced it with a 5 speed.

I have two other wagons - one is absolutely plum original 1965 model with the original M series motor (boy is that gutless) and the other is a 1966 Deluxe with a 3R (argh!!!!!). I'm looking for a 6 cylinder ute to complete the line up.

They're a great old car. I think the Japs had the right idea. They had a limited release of the "Crown Eight" which ended up being the precursor to the Century. It was fitted with the original V motor, a 2.6 litre pushrod V8 with about 160 - 170 hp. It was 4" wider than a regular 40 series Crown.


I like the old M series motors and all the motoring journals from back then absolutely spoiled their pants over them when compared to what else was around, but let's face it, it's a new millenium. It's just cheaper to fit a 1JZGE with stock ECU than to rebuild an early M and it would deliver double the horsepower reliably!

[2JZR31]

You have some cool cars GT.

[Fraud]

very nice work.

pics of skids?

[jzx83]

Oi Oi. Is that an RT40 series 5 door parked next to the Crown Eight?

Yours? I think I've only ever seen one of those, apart from in the owners manual for my first sedan.

How many cars have you got?

[gianttomato]

Yeah that's a 40 series 5 door parked next to the Crown Eight. The Eight was photographed by a guy I know in Japan at a car show.

I have 8 cars - 4 40 series Crowns (3 wagons and a sedan), 3 Mk11 coupes, a 40 series Corona sedan and a tidy 80 series Corona sedan. Will be getting rid of the 80 series sedan and picking up an IS200 (for conversion purposes of course).

[AlexinPerth]

I love the crowns, nice work. The toyota V8 is a good thing.

That crown 8 would be incredible with the LS400 in it. Black. Chopped.

Alex.

[jzx83]

What have you done to the RT40?

JZT40 or UZT40 have a certain ring to them.

Would definitely need big time brake improvements. Four wheel drum brakes FTL

edit: BTW wasn't one bank of the Crown Eight motor the basis for the original K engine in the Corollas?

[F|sh]

i like the black crown you posted super sweet!!