Hi all,
Here is my 1984 Toyota Starlet KP60 project. I bought the car minus engine and box but with Toyota running gear.
I've just had the car painted so am now in the process of building it back up. It'll be running a freshly built 2.0 litre Pinto on Weber 45s. Suspension-wise, it's Escort mk2 Gaz coilovers on the front and Gaz Toyota Starlet KP coilovers on the rear.
I thought I'd add a thread to post up some details of the project so far.
That’s cool. Good to see something different. Love to see pics of the build.
I remember these when the Hot Rod boys swapped away from Escorts, moving complete engine, transmission, suspension and steering into these neat little cars that made worthy racers - should be an interesting road car!
lovely keep us updated! ive one im going to start on shortly, currently running a little screamer 4k but im going to be swapping in an Xflow/t9/english.
what axle are you going to run?
hell yes weneed more pics
Thanks for the comments.
The first thing I looked at was suspension. I purchased the Starlet rear coilover kit from Gaz Shocks...
starlet001.jpg
I also got a set of Capri(?) struts and hubs...
starlet003.jpg
The struts were then promptly sent to Gaz for conversion. This was the result:
starlet019.jpg
After some persuasion, I managed to get the rear bumper to part company with the car. It was clear to see that the brackets were not really useable without some major work:
starlet015.jpg
After looking around, I managed to source a set from Ireland. I also bought a brand new set of bolts from https://flos.ie/ and treated the brackets to a coat of black paint:
starlet016.jpg
It took a while but we managed to get the old standard Starlet rear axle off. We had to cut some of the bolts as they were well and truly rusted.
starlet012.jpg
starlet014.jpg
The new rear axle that I will be using is narrowed Escort Mk2 axle with the Starlet pick up points welded on. It all just fits and bolts on. I bought the axle as well as the rose jointed link bars.
The new axle is 47" wide which will allow me to run 7J alloys and I'm keeping the 8" Escort Mk2 drum brakes on the rear. I still need to look at the half shafts for this setup - I need to buy some where I have enough spline to cut them down but still have enough to sit nicely in the differential. I've spoken to other Starlet owners running this setup who have given helpful advice as to what I need.
A quick trial fit and you get the idea...
starlet018.jpg
As for the front, we've got an Escort Mk2 quick-rack with compression struts. Again, a quick test to just see how it sits:
starlet020.jpg
I looked for ages for the best shell I could find and the previous owner had commissioned some excellent repairs on the bodywork. The front wings unbolted nicely to reveal the Starlet suspension which was all unbolted.
starlet010.jpg
starlet011.jpg
The front ARB put up a bit of a fight but it all came off in the end.
More goodies to go on the car included this Simpson exhaust, previously on a Starlet with a Pinto in it. Happy days!
starlet002.jpg
A few more updates following a few weeks of work. Stripped a few bits down and am trying to get parts.
Fuel tank out and has been stripped/cleaned/painted.
starlet004.jpg
Headlights out and stripped:
starlet008.jpg
Brake servo, reservoirs etc.
starlet009.jpg
Does anyone know where I can get some of these for the headlights?
starlet033.jpg
I tried a Ford type 9 gearbox in the hole but the mounting point of the Ford 4 speed type E box seems a bit easier to work with so I'll put the 4 speed in to get me on the road.
starlet023.jpg
New RS2000 alloy sump to go with an RS2000 alloy bellhousing.
starlet005.jpg
Mk2 Escort rack ready to go in:
starlet006.jpg
And the dummy Pinto offered up on the mocked up mounts and unfinished crossmember brackets. Just wanted to see an engine in the bay and get an idea of how it would look.
starlet017.jpg
Fantastic this keep the updates comeing bud 👍
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Fantastic updates, keep them coming! Great to see this being documented as I'm heading down this road shortly.
Few questions if I could ask:
Can you share the info regarding what you found out about the shafts/axle setup? Is that a shortened escort axle or an Anglia van?
How did the type-9 fit in the tunnel?? I'd love not to cut out my tunnel if I could avoid it.
Are you using the escort xmember ? If so what are you doing about the difference in width and the control arms?
Cheers!! Keep the updates coming
Nice project,
Good to see a ford Power plant going into a Toyota,
This side of the sea, its mostly Toyota plants going into Ford bodies,
Subscribed !!!!!
Brilliant! This is going to be awesome! Enough work to be done building the car without taking pics and documenting it in here....fair play. Keep em coming 👍
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Yes, I cut 20mm off each standard Escort Mk2 shaft but I've not tried the diff in place yet. I'm debating whether to get some uprated 2 piece 18-spline Atlas shafts and then I'll cut them down to fit, but I'll report back on this when I've experimented a bit more. A mate had done something similar and it worked well.Originally Posted by onecamohv
Although the Type 9 and Type E appear to be the same length with the gearstick in the same position, I've got a gearbox mount made up for the Type E box by a mate (the gearbox mount on the type 9 sits a few mm further back than the Type E box) - which is why I'm going with the Type E for the moment.
We did cut a bit off the back of the starter motor housing in the RS2000 alloy bellhousing (always a shame to cut up a brand new item!) as it hit the Starlet tunnel as the gearbox was raised up. We also had to cut a new hole in the tunnel for the gearstick position and cover the old hole. I didn't want to hammer the tunnel at all, and so far, haven't had to.
Yes, we're using the Escort Mk2 crossmember - with some plates made by a mate and welded on by another mate to bridge the gap to the chassis rails. A RHD Escort MK2 2.4 ratio steering rack, RS2000 track rod ends, Escort Mk2 adjustable track Control arms, Escort Mk1/Mk2 Rix Engineering compression strut kit (with in-situ adjustable struts).
I hope that helps!
Last edited by jamieea; 31-03-2022 at 20:01.
My mate helped me to strip the front wings. They came up really well - so I just had to try them on the car.
starlet021.jpg
The interior was pretty much stripped out when I bought the car but I started to clear the remaining nuts, bolts trim etc.
starlet022.jpg
I have an Escort RS2000 radiator to fit. It's a bit too tall for the current Starlet radiator position so I've got to work out how I'll make this fit nicely.
It's a bit tall when it sits on the lower rail:
starlet025.jpg
The dash and loom actually came out really quickly. It doesn't take long to strip these cars out!
starlet027.jpg
starlet028.jpg
Here is the old gearbox hole - a mate put a plate over it and we cut a new hole further back for the Type E/Type 9 gearbox position.
starlet031.jpg
Last edited by jamieea; 31-03-2022 at 20:17.
The underside / floor of that shell is mint - just think Ford of similar age - er! no comparison!
great thanks a million for taking the time to do that, cheers will keep a close eye on this - p.s is that a new door?!
These rust a zillion times worse than any ford of any era! this is just a really good one!
mine currently as it sits
Last edited by onecamohv; 01-04-2022 at 10:08.
Yes, it was a new old stock door supplied with the car by the previous owner.great thanks a million for taking the time to do that, cheers will keep a close eye on this - p.s is that a new door?!So I'm thankful to him for sourcing it.
Looking good @onecamohv - is there a build thread?
There will be when I get around to building it lolLooking good @onecamohv - is there a build thread?
Love a nicely sorted KP , look forward to seeing it
Another photo of the engine bay as we stripped it down. I've remove the heater matrix now as it's a bit close to the back of the Pinto.
starlet007.jpg
And a couple of photos of the new engine during the build up.
starlet029.jpg
starlet030.jpg
Further updates and the Escort Mk2/RS2000 gearbox is ready to test fit:
IMG_7408.jpg
The fuel tank was offered up into position:
IMG_7714.jpg
Starting to put the front together:
IMG_7348.jpg
The engine is trial fitted too:
IMG_7619.jpg
IMG_7634.jpg
I'll see if I can repaint the blue strut brace, perhaps black?
Fuel filter is mounted:
IMG_7740.jpg
Good to see the engine in place and the bonnet closed!
IMG_7633.jpg
Putting the dashboard back in:
IMG_7346.jpg
As stated previously, the radiator is a bit tall so a new one is coming soon:
IMG_7747.jpg
Last edited by jamieea; 18-06-2022 at 13:56.
Starting to build the rear of the Starlet up too:
IMG_7345.jpg
It's been a while since I posted an update, so I'll sort out some photos and add a post or two soon. Just the final few bits to do and it should be on the road...
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