The 67 Crown Sedan arrived...

The 67 Crown Sedan from South Dakota arrived at 9:30 am Saturday March 19th. It came via an enclosed car carrier and in transit, it had a few issues.

The lower control arm had rusted through thanks to years of ground moisture and broke off at the ball joint.






And the rear shock and trailing arms rusted away causing the rear end to break free.

What a headache to get the car out!










So here is what it looked like as it arrive in Seattle and onto the flatbed to its final resting point... my driveway.











After dragging the car out, it pulled the rear end back far enough to pull the driveshaft out of the transmission. It bled to death in the driveway.

And by pushing it back into place, cause the driveline to move forward into the radiator.

More to come...

A new addition

I was told by Joe to update my blog, so here it is Joe!

An new addition to the crown family, another 67 Crown but this time a Sedan, rescued from the jaws of death in a South Dakota wrecking yard.

I wanted this for parts but do to incredible good fortune I have been able to locate all the parts I need from Japan, Australia and Finland. So this car may just be ANOTHER one to add to my list of rolling stock.



Comes with the 2300 cc inline 6 with the 2 speed Toyoglide automatic











All the trim is said to be intact and from the looks of it, seems to be true. Solid all around with just some surface rust.











So this makes 3 Crowns, 2 Coronas and a Corolla... and that is just the Toyota part of the garage!

Engine came out without a hitch. Had to remove the drive shaft and transmission which proved to be very tight. the 6 cylinder leaves no space for moving things around.








Engine bay looks better, transmission is hanging in a pool of it own fluid.

Both go to the shop March 3rd (tomorrow) to get renewed. Now the task at hand is to dismantle the entire car and get the body off the frame to get the frame painted, suspension done and the driveline back in place.

Engine time

I know a lot about engines and this is one of those engines that is nothing but bad, wrong and no good. 2 pistons have holes, head gasket had failed in the #2 cylinder. Piston is rusted in there like metal in the salt belt.

No saving this one, off to the wrecking yard for another 2M or 4M.





So the fan clutch still turns and so does the alternator. Engine sure won't turn no matter what but the head seems to be in great shape, no noticeable wear on the cams.

We'll see what the machine shop says.

Little bit of surface rust and a few items that need some attention... like everything!









Found out the two knobs on the left are labeled H and L. One for High Octane gas and Low Octane Gas depending on what you use!

Also, no turn signal lever. The horn ring is the turn signal, turn it left or right to activate the signal. Cool!






Door panels are toast. Windows barely roll down. Outside door handles are frozen solid but they work inside. Surface rust EVERYWHERE.

I do so like a challenge.

Pulled the drums off the front, seems clean enough. No fluid left in the lines, bearings looked good, but going to replace them any way.

Found out the aluminum pistons had corroded themselves into the sleeves of the cylinders. Hey, they are only $166 each from Japan! I'll take 4!




Rear brakes took about 2 hours to get the drums off. Steel cylinders on the back but I did find on of them on eBay for $15! The rest need to be hunted down.

Enough of the brakes, time for the engine and transmission removal.

After 30 years, this is the rust that had fallen off the hood into the engine, and everything was covered in surface rust. Luckily most of the nuts and bolts are coming out with a healthy does of WD-40.














Carb has been corroded with a few living creatures in it. The alternator, distibutor and fuel pump all look about the same... dismal.
















Looks worse than it is. Some good clean up and a few hundred hours of work and it should be back on the road...










Looks barn fresh to me! Parts came apart easily despite how bad it looks.