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Pump fitted & torqued to spec, new OEM idlers also installed.
New belt & tensioner to go on next..
Fitted & spun 2 revolutions by this point, hence the belt installation marks already moved.
New lower timing case gasket.
Timing case thoroughly cleaned & new rubber gasket applied.
New crank pulley bolt. No reason other than it was cheap enough to just add in!
Crank pulley & distributor housings fitted, rotor buttons line up with their corresponding marks also, happy to continue on.
New Denso radiator & alternator imported from old faithful, Rock Auto. Despite being made in Indonesia, it's a very well made OEM replacement in my opinion. It was also cheaper to import than it was to buy local Chinese-made rubbish!
This is where the engine is currently at, while I wait for 1 more OEM parts order to come in next week (copper washers for hydro fan, temp sensor for radiator etc. + some extras..) In the meantime, more engine bay & undercarriage TLC!
The kind words & feedback are always appreciated Craig, helps keep the motivation in motion
I plan to get the ball rolling on the original wheels sometime in the new year, not yet decided if I will have them powder coated or professionally spray painted. But some test strips on the colour will definitely be on the cards to help narrow down the best suited gray. Too dark & they will disappear into the arches, too light & it'll play against the silver paintwork.. so I've got some deciding to do.
I don't believe I've come across a dedicated history book on the Soarer before either, that sounds like a great read. I'll be sure to take you up on that offer if I ever need some colour referencing!
Between the original Z30 wheels & the new set of BBS RG now, I'm pretty content I think. If ever there was a good deal again on a set of A80 TT wheels, it would sure make a wise investment with the seemingly daily price increases to anything Supra related. Though I would still like to see what the Griffin caps would look like on them, uniquely cool I would imagine.
Thanks a lot! Really appreciate it I feel it's in an acceptable state cosmetically now, not great, but I'll challenge myself to get it somewhere close!
Luckily enough I was able to have the rebuild done locally (in AU), as there are still some owners out there who offer to refurbish them. They work on exchange service, for your old accumulator. From memory it was a couple of hundred dollars. I can pass on their contact details to see if they can help assist you internationally? On a separate note, I have a Polish background also interestingly enough
will be great if you can pass me their contact 😀tanks !
It was an eventful few weeks to see September out, major service was a success & everything running beautifully. Roadworthy inspection was done & finally registered again.
Only managed one hiccup since the engines initial start-up, which was the new Denso radiator that turned out to be a dud.. so in went the original again & all was good - smooth sailing since.
I'll let the photos do most of the talking:
The latest Toyota order to have come in just before completing the service was some odds & ends which consisted of:
It was cool to see that the diagnosis check wire & SST for the crank pulley were still available, both of which will/have come in handy.
Bit overboard buying bulbs from Toyota, but cheap is cheap.
New ignition coils to finish off some of the last of the bolt-on parts.
Last gasket to finish with the hydro fan before adding the new fluids.
New ECT sensor for the radiator.
New radiator hose clamps x4
The failed Denso radiator after the 1st start/coolant bleed, appeared to be an internal leak as seen on either side. May have it repaired in the future.
Original old faithful to go back in, after yet another partial coolant drain..
The day after, coolant bled (again) & ready for a test run.
OEM timing belt service decal put to use!
Pictured above was during the roadworthy inspection. No leaks overnight & test runs went well the day before. Not forgetting to mention that the new wheel & tyre setup didn't disappoint either - straight & true.
Driving back home from the city after the inspection. Weather was perfect for a nice cruise down the highway.
Booked in a couple days later for registration & she's back on the road again. I hadn't washed the car either since purchasing it, as it was pointless while it was off the road accumulating dust & paw prints.. so was great to give the paintwork a good scrub, something it likely hasn't seen in some time!
This is where it's at right now, it's since undergone a fairly substantial exterior detail & a good going over with the touch-up pen. The bumper bars will need to be replaced for a content outcome, but will suffice for now. I was just pleased that the paint still had potential to reach a nice standard. Hard to tell when the photos have been taken with an old phone camera..!
On a separate note - dialled in a setting on the height controller which I'm content with as seen above, comfortable & aesthetically pleasing I think.
Was nice to dust off the new (old) plates & fit them at long last. Very happy with the JZA80 "style" plate bracket too.
Also fitted up another set of headlights, which were leak-free. As a bonus someone has de-lined the inner lenses & done a pretty good job of it which will stay fitted for now. Eventually I will pull apart the original units & reseal & return to the factory look.
Early this month I put through another Toyota order consisting mostly of transmission service parts in prep for the flush as well as some other bits & pieces which is running a little behind at the moment from Japan, so while I patiently standby for that to arrive I needed an excuse to do some more work, in which I managed to catch up with the previous owner of this car & picked up a complete spruce air purifier setup which had my name written all over it.
I still need to clean up the re-routed wiring & mount the amplifier properly, but otherwise that kept me busy for a day while taking a bunch of photos.
This is my 2nd install of one of these now & glad I managed to get a hold of another this time around - pretty cool little feature, one that tends to get thrown away too often by new comers not knowing the rarity.
There are 2 types of purifier units & this is the sub woofer version.
Parcel shelf before.
Stencils for provision of the vents as seen, makes life easier!
Stencil cut-out & holes punched for the screws.
Parcel shelf after.
New speaker cover / vents in place & the old anchor point holes plugged - easy part done.
Foam block removed & amplifier / sub wiring relocated into the trunk.
Sub wiring fed back through another opening through the trunk.
A look at the relocated wiring. I still need to run some wire conduit & mount the amp properly, but otherwise that's the fiddly part done with.
Purifier unit bolted in.
Loom fed through the cabin & into the junction block in the passenger side footwell (white top connector).
Connector for the switch, tucked away to the side usually.
Finally filling the last blank cover with the control dial.
Rear firewall cover is even pre-cut for easy trimming. Must be cut out for the blower motor & filter openings.
The end result.
Other than purifying the cabin of unwanted smells etc. with the blower motor on & set to the lo setting it creates some white noise when the audio or climate fan is off.. quite a soothing soundtrack "for mind cruising"
WOW, Mike!!! What an update!! The Soarer looks so clean and you did a perfect job on the engine servicing!! And now this... adding the ultra-rare optional factory air purifier system to the rear! Finally it's cool to see that whole apparatus demonstrated!
And now I have to ask... what do you think of it in operation? Do you notice any difference in the cabin air quality? Is it loud at the highest setting? And are the filters for it rare to get hold of?
If it's an exceptional system I wonder if it can be fitted and wired in SC's. And also, what is the black switch with the "eye" symbol right next to the air purifier mode switch?
Your work to make this car look practically brand new never disappoints!!
WOW, Mike!!! What an update!! The Soarer looks so clean and you did a perfect job on the engine servicing!! And now this... adding the ultra-rare optional factory air purifier system to the rear! Finally it's cool to see that whole apparatus demonstrated!
And now I have to ask... what do you think of it in operation? Do you notice any difference in the cabin air quality? Is it loud at the highest setting? And are the filters for it rare to get hold of?
If it's an exceptional system I wonder if it can be fitted and wired in SC's. And also, what is the black switch with the "eye" symbol right next to the air purifier mode switch?
Your work to make this car look practically brand new never disappoints!!
Craig, I appreciate the kind words as always my friend! Great to get some feedback on the progress.
There isn't many photos floating around of the purifier & it's components during installation etc. so thought it may be of interest to some to see those images.
At the moment with the original filter still in place, air quality is no different, however from what I've heard from other owners whom have replaced the filter with new, this is a noticeable improvement. Regarding availability of the filters, there is still a (rather costly) Denso replacement out there that is available - which I will soon import for it.
With the purifier on it's highest setting it is quite loud, from memory it's equivalent to having the climate fan speed on medium or the 2nd highest setting.
I too would be interested to know if the purifier system could be adapted to the SC, more so curious if the wiring loom for the mode switch is tucked away there or not.
And the switch next to it is for the front parking sensor
Late October another OEM order I had been waiting on arrived. Far from exciting, but meant I could get the trans flush underway & a couple other bits & pieces replaced.
Shortly before that I also had the middle mufflers replaced with 2" pipe from the centre resonator back to the stock rear mufflers, resulting in a nice subtle-ish burble. I'll have the centre resonator removed next & then leave the exhaust alone.
As seen below with the old vs new trans fluid comparison, it was well overdue. Prior to the flush however the transmission was problem-free, other than the pan sealant no longer doing it's job. I had 16 litres of Type T-IV fluid on hand, but found 12 litres was sufficient for a proper full flush. By the time I had flushed it's capacity (~8-9 litres) I found it was more than clean enough, but went ahead & did those few extra litres to be content.
Replacing the trans mount also gave me a good chance to finish off cleaning the mess caused by the past cam cover & trans pan leaks, including the cross member that had accumulated most of it. Safe to say that now the undercarriage is finally free of any leaks & I can sleep at night knowing it!
After getting the trans fluid level adjusted, I took the car for a decent road trip & from what I can see everything has sealed well. Not shown in the pics, I used the recommended Toyota Red FIPG for resealing the pan.
I had some very slight seepage from the trans cooler lines also, hence the new clamps, the bottom hose is d/c but original is still in good shape. Top hose is still available to purchase, as seen.
No noticeable change with the new trans mount in, other than getting ahead of any eventual / unwanted NVH from the original. Despite the old one being quite compressed in comparison, the rubber was still decent no splits & never had any clunks going into reverse or any shifter vibration etc. For the peace of mind anyway I'm glad it's replaced & done.
On the other hand, for the 2nd time now over the last 2 Soarer cars, the noticeable difference in drivabilty after a full flush reminded me of it's benefits. At this point, the car drives & feels better than any of the newer cars I had owned before it - very happy.
Front sway bar bushes were also done as above. I'm making an effort to minimise my time spent at the aft, or more-so underneath of it - so that's about all that will need replacing in this area for a little while.
I also had the original OEM boot struts re-gassed. Not happy with the sloppy fittings on the aftermarket set, it was only a matter of time before going back & recycling the OEM pair. Next time, will be a new set from Toyota.
New rubber caps for the ABS unit bleeder ports (new vs old).
Further preventive maintenance & replacement of these 2 known problematic relay(s).
Update to see November out - replaced the hydro fan motor with a great condition replacement, now eliminating all known fluid leaks. Fresh ATF added, system bled & all is good. I'll disassemble/clean the original motor next & try to source a suitable replacement rubber o-ring for it, seeing as the OEM part has an unknown ETA from Toyota JP..
At the same time I also did a P/S flush & replaced the air control valve. Unfortunately I couldn't cure the pump whine after the fluid change / bleed, but managed to do away with the puff of white smoke at startup from a leaking ACV. I have an OEM rebuild kit for the P/S pump just waiting to go in, however will source a spare pump to fix to keep the car on the road. No immediate rush for that just yet.
I then booked the car in to have an A/C regas. Unfortunately, that didn't go to plan thanks to a leaking evaporator pressure regulator, so now I'm decided whether to buy a new replacement (few hundred $ for OEM) or attempt to repair the seal (as discussed here: http://soarercentral.com/sc-forum/me...80/378376.html). 1 mm thick silicone rubber or something similar is proving difficult to find locally in that size unless buying in bulk amounts for big $. So that's been put on the back burner for the moment.
Also along the way I scored a bunch of OEM plastic (seemingly hard to come by plastic!) to finish the engine bay cosmetics. Can't use the battery cover right now as the current battery is a few CCA too big (720) so when that packs it in, I'll drop down to the factory size.
The good replacement motor. Didn't even need to clean it's spotless housing!
The leaking original, which will soon become a repaired spare.
(Need to invest in a camera..) Leakage left from the old motor, which subsequently made mess of everything underneath of it.. I'm way over ATF!
Leak-free replacement motor installed.
Nothing exciting in a P/S flush, so just a few photos of the replacements parts. New Air Control Valve, as above.
New hose & clamps (only 1 of 2 OEM hoses still available)
Reservoir after a good clean.
New ACV installed - still need to replace the corresponding hoses.
Lucky score of engine bay cosmetics, taken from a parted-out '97. Stoked on sourcing the negative terminal cover, at long last.
A sense of completion, in the engine bay at least.
With only the belt tensioner & P/S pump left to do mechanically, the exterior has been screaming out to me to pay some attention to. It's looking quite neglected at the moment with the moisture-filled headlights & sun damaged LHS fender (2nd replacement so far which I had sourced locally from a dishonest seller re it's condition..).
So to my luck, browsing the (Yahoo JP) auctions over the past week, an excellent condition 176 silver S1 JZZ30 was being parted-out (not a body colour that shows up too often) from it I managed to win it's lip-less front bar (personal favourite) with the griffin intact as an added bonus (won entirely for the cost of what people are trying to sell the badge alone for). Also managed to secure the passenger front fender - both in seemingly top condition.
Hopefully I'll be seeing them in the next couple of months. Even though I'm not expecting the fender to match 100%, something that hasn't been exposed to the Oz sun for the past two decades has got to be better than what I've found locally. This is my last effort at keeping the original paint before having the front-end painted in the future.
And whilst I'll be losing the parking sensor on my current bumper when the new replacement goes on, I'll be gaining the parking pole instead (also my preferred option) in which I came across the complete setup from the same seller parting the silver JZZ30 (won it for cheap, so I can forgive it not being sold with the bumper!).
Also listed from the same car, ironically was a set of great condition late model headlights (swapped in, likely) which were won as well. Should see both parts arrive sometime this month.
On the subject of well-price parts, earlier the week prior, an incomplete but beautiful condition set of S3 floor mats were up for next-to-nothing (also at the auctions) that had been in long-term storage. Funny enough, I scored those as well, for a mere $35!
My original Soarer mats are tired & missing the "Soarer" embroidered patches, so these replacements should look terrific in place of them. I will reuse my old front passenger mat to complete the set.
The new mats should leave me somewhat content with the interiors condition once in. Other than needing to replace the drivers seat leather with something of better condition, the cabin has lived a good life.
On the other hand, if I can get a good result from the replacement body panels, I think I'll be on my way to being done with the outside of the car. Time will tell.
Series 1 lip-less front bumper w/ optioned parking pole (provision for it seen top right).
Both body parts awaiting next container from JP to AU.
Complete parking pole kit, which will take place of the currently optioned parking sensor.
Nice condition late headlights (signified by the larger/improved moisture breather ports)
Series 3 floor mats, with seemingly very little use, due to arrive next week.
Great updates and services to your 32 as always Mike! Still the cleanest UZZ32 I have ever seen!
Aside, that factory parking pole kit is interesting. I will be curious to hear how useful you feel it is compared to modern parking sensors even though I know you're getting this as you have many other rare options to add the best of what was available from the factory to your restored Soarer.
wow.. never seen a seperate blower system in a SC/Soarer. whtas the benefits of this system?
greets
Tom
Tom, apparently it was an option only on some model years of the Z30 Soarer. It's a factory Toyota air purification system. I'm curious to hear Mike's thoughts on how well it really works to clean the air within the cabin apart from the white noise ideal "For Mind Cruising"
It's probably very difficult to find all those parts used!
Great updates and services to your 32 as always Mike! Still the cleanest UZZ32 I have ever seen!
Aside, that factory parking pole kit is interesting. I will be curious to hear how useful you feel it is compared to modern parking sensors even though I know you're getting this as you have many other rare options to add the best of what was available from the factory to your restored Soarer.
Too kind Craig
There's certainly some other local cars in the Soarer scene which would blow it out of the water in terms of cleanliness, but nevertheless it is clean for it's age, less than perfect - but nice enough. The scratches & dents I can live with, I'm just glad it hasn't become a victim to the harsh UV rays here over the years.
To be honest, the parking sensor has been switched off since owning the car. While I was testing it out I found it alerts you to stop much too early, when there is still plenty more room to close the gap when parking. Aside from the sensor itself sticking out like a sore thumb on the front of the car, I think the parking pole will be my preferred choice of the 2 options. I'll have an update on that by Feb hopefully!
Originally Posted by Boergy
wow.. never seen a seperate blower system in a SC/Soarer. whtas the benefits of this system?
greets
Tom
Hi Tom, it's meant to remove odours etc. as it circulates the air around the cabin. Unfortunately I haven't yet cleaned/replaced the filter for it, or the cabin filters for that matter, so benefits would be little at this stage, other than the white noise that it creates. However the system is known to work well.
Originally Posted by RudysSC
I adore this car and admire your hard work in bringing it back to its former glory!
Thanks man! Really appreciate you taking the time to read the progress on it so far.
Hope to have some content of the car being enjoyed out in the wild other than under the carport over the course of the year!
09-11-20, 11:37 PM
I feel it's in an acceptable state cosmetically now, not great, but I'll challenge myself to get it somewhere close!
