If a car has covered 400,000 miles, it’s pretty much going to last forever, right? This high-mileage 1982 Toyota Tercel Deluxe sports pretty much everything you didn’t want in high school: beige paint, four doors and not a ton of power.
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But today, yeah, it’s pretty cool. Is tha…
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I love the idea of an engine swap. 1JZ would be fun, but I also feel like the sky's the limit. 1UZ? RB? EV?
I'd be all for a BEAMS 3SGE swap. Definitely needs some ITBs.
Could be fun! When thinking about dream swaps, don't forget that stock, these are longitudinal FWD, with a transaxle designed for 60-85ish hp.
The best way to get something like a 1JZ in there would be a RWD conversion, with new transmission, rear axle, floor/tunnel, etc. Totally doable with a little fabrication! 
te72
HalfDork
9/19/23 2:22 p.m.
Good friend of mine in AZ has a Corolla of this era that he put a turbo 6M into. Pops wheelies, kinda rad, and that was before he cut the firewall to set the engine back further...
If I recall it was running high 5's in the eighth mile.
I always get these confused with the Starlet, which was RWD.
In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :
Wow... I knew that these were front wheel drive, but I never knew that they were longitudinal.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
It’s like we’re an educational channel. :)
I knew they were longitudinal because my parents had one just like that, just a different colour. Really basic transport, but I did take it out once and flogged it around on some Laurentian dirt roads. With a longer wheelbase than other FWD cars of the era it was quite stable. The good ole days when you could still buy sub 2000 lb cars.
In a similar vein, I stumbled onto this:
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Make note of the Vibe/Matrix dashboard:
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Because, its running a 2zz ala Vibe GT (and Lotus Elise)
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Tom1200
PowerDork
9/19/23 6:29 p.m.
My take on this is as follows:
You can straight swap the larger 1500 or 1600cc engines.Add side draft carbs and a cam and your looking at a 120hp engine in a 1900lb car.
Add some sway bars, lower it and upgrade the brakes.
Loads of fun for not a lot of money.
In reply to Tom1200 :
Yes and totally have to mount some side-drafts.