1972 Toyota Corolla Hi Deluxe review from Sri Lanka

It was in the family for many years before being passed down to me as my first car.

Brakes, single piston non power assisted master cylinder was replaced with a booster assisted dual circuit unit from an AE91 Corolla with a little re engineering. New brake pads & shoes all round with rear washers and flush brake lines. Modification proved its weight in gold.

Charging system, constant flat batteries lead to the external voltage regulator being replaced and alternator serviced. Brushes replaced as a precaution + new battery.

Starter motor, serviced due to not turning over engine when hot.

Entire front suspension and steering ball joints and bushes replaced + laser wheel alignment.

Replaced complete exhaust system.

Front suspension cross bar replaced due to corrosion. I was told this was a common problem in Corollas of this vintage by my mechanic.

Difficult cold starting, cured by overhauling the carburetor, overhaul distributor new ignition leads, new Denso projected tip plugs, contact points, condenser, air filter, fuel filter, vacuum lines, distributor cap and electronic engine tune up.

Over heating when stuck in traffic. Cooling system flushed with new coolant, hoses, radiator cap and fitting a coolant expansion tank.

Stock 12inch rims+tires replaced with aftermarket 14 inch rims with low profile tires.

Front and rear windscreen rubber beading and seals replaced with new hood lining.

Driver side door key barrel replaced due to excessive wear.

New clutch and reconditioned transmission.

Front foot wells getting wet when car washed with high pressure water. Problem partially cured with closing off the vents below the front windscreen.

Front seats needed new covers.

Factory fitted clock failed to keep the time and finally stopped.

Poor night time visibility cured with 75W/90W sealed beam headlamps.

After being used and abused by my family for more than a decade, the car was in a really bad state till I resurrected it from a near death.

Outstanding efficiency of the 3K engine shone when it started to exceed 15 km per every liter of fuel, yet being powerful enough to keep up and even overtake cars 15 years younger.

The four speed manual gear box's lack of an overdrive heavily is felt on long distance drives where the engine noise starts to get irritating after the first half an hour.

Very reliable, never has a breakdown after fixing up the car.

Over took a car cursing at 130km/h with less than half throttle on the fourth gear.