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Bangkok Shite: Toyota Corona Liftback


Conan

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With the gigantic rubber bumpers, sealed beam headlights and front amber side markers, one could almost assume this was a US-market Corona.  Until you notice it's right hand drive.

The T130 Corona was sold here from 1979-83.  They were fairly popular here, especially as the 1979 fuel crisis accelerated the tidal wave of American families abandoning their petrol-guzzling Detroit Dinosaurs in favour of more efficient and reliable Japanese alternatives.  However, like all Japanese cars from this era, you could watch it dissolve away with rust right before your very eyes!  In North America, Toyota replaced the Corona with the new front-drive Camry for 1984.

Yours looks to be a particularly clean and original example.  Almost museum quality, I'd say!  It's been decades since I've seen one that wasn't completely rotten due to the aforementioned rust.

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2 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

With the gigantic rubber bumpers, sealed beam headlights and front amber side markers, one could almost assume this was a US-market Corona.  Until you notice it's right hand drive.

The T130 Corona was sold here from 1979-83.  They were fairly popular here, especially as the 1979 fuel crisis accelerated the tidal wave of American families abandoning their petrol-guzzling Detroit Dinosaurs in favour of more efficient and reliable Japanese alternatives.  However, like all Japanese cars from this era, you could watch it dissolve away with rust right before your very eyes!  In North America, Toyota replaced the Corona with the new front-drive Camry for 1984.

Yours looks to be a particularly clean and original example.  Almost museum quality, I'd say!  It's been decades since I've seen one that wasn't completely rotten due to the aforementioned rust.

I wish it's that good! The pictures really are flattering. There's quite a few rot spot especially on the doors but that's to be expected. Nothing that can't be remedied with sparking stick though!

Interestingly, the high end Japanese spec are also fitted with thicc rubber bumpers and these Corona always have sealed beams until 1980 facelift. USDM was in vogue back then.

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Lovely. I remember one of my neighbours had one of these back in the late 80s/early 90s, on a W plate. A rare sight in the UK even back then, I remember it caught my eye because it looked like nothing else on the street. I also remember it was absolutely fucked in terms of rot, all four arches made of gaffer tape, door bottoms like swiss cheese and no rear valance by the time it finally went to the crusher in the early 2000s.

Here's hoping the prevailing Thai climate has been much kinder to this one!

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  • Conan changed the title to I've got (Toyota) Corona.

First Pez after 4 days. There was 3/4 tank of E10 when I bought it. Still half a tank left today. Another tank full of E0 surely would make it run like race car.

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I've decided that I don't like Auto-choke. I'd rather have cable.

Can't stop looking at it. The styling I'd describe as kitsch as hell for the late 70's. But now it stands out a mile in the sea of boring moderns.

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What a lovely thing. Huge fan of the 626 too. Late 70s/early 80s Mazdas have all but gone here in the UK. 

As for your Corona, the back end reminded me a little of the smaller cousin - the Corolla Liftback. A neighbour owned one around thirty years ago - it was quite an unusual sight even then. QUp5rj.thumb.jpg.55868e3a2d13dc40098f8eb478da20b9.jpg

One thing though- rethink sacking off those Enkeis - they're lovely! (unlike the BM8s on the Liftback above, which look waaay too big).

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1 minute ago, Dick Longbridge said:

As for your Corona, the back end reminded me a little of the smaller cousin - the Corolla Liftback. A neighbour owned one around thirty years ago - it was quite an unusual sight even then. 

My Granny had one in bright yellow, used to drive it like a psychopath. 😂

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24 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

What a lovely thing. Huge fan of the 626 too. Late 70s/early 80s Mazdas have all but gone here in the UK. 

As for your Corona, the back end reminded me a little of the smaller cousin - the Corolla Liftback. A neighbour owned one around thirty years ago - it was quite an unusual sight even then. 

One thing though- rethink sacking off those Enkeis - they're lovely! (unlike the BM8s on the Liftback above, which look waaay too big).

Back then each model of Toyota had so many body variation it's a wonder they can turn any profit! I really get the appeal of these liftback though, they're quite practical and absolutely stylish.

Sadly I don't have the space or the need to keep these Enkei Compe. I'm sure someone with something similarly retro will find a use for it.

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  • 1 month later...

Fookin hell that took way longer than expected.

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Finally got the car back with superb air-conditioning system. New compressor, new heat exchanger, new tubing, pressure switch install, and a whole bunch of relays and new wiring so it's safe to use. It was expensive but important stuff. £350 to sort it out.

The timing is pretty correct as the air-con on the Lolvo decided to not conditioned about 2 weeks ago. Feels like dying from dehydration just driving it 15 miles to the shop today. So I just left it there and drove the 'rona back.

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After I got the car back I changed the gear knob for period correct Celica knob. Did the lace steering cover too because the wheel is fucked and nothing else will do. Also did the window winder which was easy.

Now I have to sort the V5. Also I'd probably remove the window tint.

I still don't have any regrets buying it. A lovely car to drive.

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So I washed the car today and saw one corner of window tint is peeling. I then start to peel it further and found it's much easier than I'd thought. Be gone tint.

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Suddenly the car feels much more friendly and the inside much more airy. I put some period JDM stickers on it too. Because I'm a weeb like that.

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I missed this one, it's wonderful! I like what you're doing to it.

As others have said it was never very common here, only sold as the 5-door hatchback and with a high-ish spec including A/C (unusual back then).

We got skinnier chrome bumpers however:

1979 Toyota Corona press pic

Always thought they were an attractive car, but I don't remember seeing many. Even at the Japanese shows back in the '90s/'00s there may only have been one or two and the last one I remember for definite was in a Norfolk scrapyard. It was available, I was interested but I believe it ended up going for export.

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Same reason many other big liftback cars are unsuccessful I believe. If people were to buy a big car back then they'd want a booted version. Even with nearly no luxurious pretention.

In the UK these would've been replaced by the Carina II with liftback body available. As it happen, it's not just the Corolla that they kept both FWD and RWD platform in the same period. In Asia and Oceania we got the Carina II as Corona FF, while the RWD Corona becomes the T140 which wasn't available as a liftback. The FWD caters to people who wants modern, while the RWD caters to people who wants the same as before thank you. T140 was pretty much the same as the T130 while the T150 FWD was all new.

It's telling how well Toyota was doing back in the 80's when they could just make 2 completely different cars on 2 of their most popular line of cars. Most other would just switch over.

Would the saloon be hen's teeth rare as well? They do rust like pretty much all Japanese cars back then. The only reason mine survived is because of the kinder climate. Had it been in use similarly in the norther place it'd probably already dissolved by now.  No wonder the only place with numerous amount of these is Australia.

Reading about these I found 3T engine response really well to Webers and tubular exhaust manifold. I'd probably do that eventually. Not the main priority right now though.

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I had to go run some errand so only uploaded the detailed* installation video. Might be confusing as to what I've actually done.

The original grille was bent at the top in such a way it cannot be bent back into shape. Even on the picture it is obvious.

Last night a mesh hardtop coupé grille appeared on FB Marketplace for cheap so I took this opportunity to fix that. I've been looking for one for a while now. SCHPORT.

Before.

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After.

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Truth be told after I installed the mesh grille I wasn't completely taken by it despite actively seeking one before. Not that I hate it, just that I wouldn't mind either type on the car.

Then again, I'm keeping the original blocky grille so I can swop it out anytime if I ever feel like it.

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