Presenting My Vintage Corolla!

[Jaliya48]

Yesterday I saw a Toyota Corolla KE72 or KE74 (same as Jaliya's one) with "GM-XXXX" number plates.

I've heard of this particular wagon myself, but never seen it. It was an auctioned car it seems.

[Jaliya48]

I'm back with an update- I always wanted to 'refurbish' the "TOYOTA COROLLA" trim on the tailgate for the longest time, but I couldn't detach it from the number plate lights so I left it at that. Last weekend I decided to try again and managed to unclip the lights to detach the trim. After sanding off some irregular areas and spraying the letters, I masked off the letters and sprayed the initial coat of black. Tried the second coat and to my horror the can spluttered obscene amounts of paint all over the surface and clogged up the can in the process. No amount of fiddling unclogged the wretched can so I threw it out in fury. (this TOA can was initially bought in March this year to refurbish the wheel caps and ironically the white no-name spray can which performed flawlessly is from 2009... ) Later I decided to sand off the built-up paint globs and buy a new black spray can to complete the job. After two decent coats it was time for the great unveiling (removing the masking tape from the letters). Turns out the cheap, crappy masking tape I used stuck to the surface and removing it caused the adhesive to stick with the black paint. One disaster after another!

After several days of soaking the adhesive with ammonia-based window cleaner and scraping it off with a flat screwdriver, I managed to turn the disaster into a presentable standard. My 'weekend project' turned into two weeks' work!

Here's how it stands now. I was going to spray one light coat of lacquer clear but doing so would make it look painted. (the original was polished black plastic with white letters) I'm still not entirely satisfied with the white letters and you can probably see the botched areas in the close-up shots I've attached. It looks decent from afar but I'll be seeing the imperfections each time I look at the rear end of my car!

What do you think? Should I redo the white or leave it as it is?

Close ups. Excuse the masking tape still on the rubber frame-

Gross!

Thanks for viewing!

Regards.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Jaliya48

[Davy]

Thumbs up on the effort!

To get a much cleaner line of black paint around the lettering, you can try out the method below next time around:

1. Sand the entire trim down using 1200 grit water sandpaper to make sure that there are no flakes of paint and scratches on the plastic.

2. Without using any masking tape, spray white over the letters, don't worry about the white paint being sprayed on the areas which should be black, just make sure you cover all the letters (2 coats).

3. Paint the entire thing with black, yes paint over the lettering as well (over the white paint). 2 coats will do, but go easy around the letters on the second coat.

4. After everything is dried out, sand over the lettering to remove the black paint and reveal the white underneath. Be careful as to not scratch the black paint surrounding the letters. Apply as little pressure as possible when you start seeing white paint appear. We don't want to sand the white paint also. Using a sanding block will be helpful.

This method worked well for me.

[Jaliya48]

Thanks Davy! I'm cutting a stencil to fit around the letters so I can attempt to save this paint job. If it doesn't come out as planned, I'll just fix it and forget about the imperfections!

My next mod would be those lenses I got a month back. I'll try dipping the old ones in a bucket of hot water as none of my friends want me to put car parts in their oven!

[Komisiripala]

Our family parted with with 16 sri 3705 after 21 years. My cousin sold it. I could've cried man. Love that car so much.

I'm so happy yours is getting loved so

[rameez]

Jaliya I have PM ed you can you please respond....

[Jaliya48]

Our family parted with with 16 sri 3705 after 21 years. My cousin sold it. I could've cried man. Love that car so much.

I'm so happy yours is getting loved so

Sorry to hear that man! My car's days are numbered as well, but I'm going to hang on to it as long as I can. Let's not forget these are at least 24 years old now and prone to failures.

Regards.

[Jaliya48]

Thumbs up on the effort!

To get a much cleaner line of black paint around the lettering, you can try out the method below next time around:

1. Sand the entire trim down using 1200 grit water sandpaper to make sure that there are no flakes of paint and scratches on the plastic.

2. Without using any masking tape, spray white over the letters, don't worry about the white paint being sprayed on the areas which should be black, just make sure you cover all the letters (2 coats).

3. Paint the entire thing with black, yes paint over the lettering as well (over the white paint). 2 coats will do, but go easy around the letters on the second coat.

4. After everything is dried out, sand over the lettering to remove the black paint and reveal the white underneath. Be careful as to not scratch the black paint surrounding the letters. Apply as little pressure as possible when you start seeing white paint appear. We don't want to sand the white paint also. Using a sanding block will be helpful.

This method worked well for me.

I've got a question, when you sand the black from the white letters, wouldn't the white become matte? I tried sanding a painted surface with 1500 grit sandpaper (using plenty of water) and noticed that the sanded surface becomes matte. What are your thoughts?

[Davy]

I've got a question, when you sand the black from the white letters, wouldn't the white become matte? I tried sanding a painted surface with 1500 grit sandpaper (using plenty of water) and noticed that the sanded surface becomes matte. What are your thoughts?

As a matter of fact it does, and sorry I have missed that point in my instructions.

After the sanding is complete and the white letters have become fully visible (and matt now), Apply some rubbing compound (or brasso) and polish it well until it's all shiny again. Hope this helps.

[Jaliya48]

As a matter of fact it does, and sorry I have missed that point in my instructions.

After the sanding is complete and the white letters have become fully visible (and matt now), Apply some rubbing compound (or brasso) and polish it well until it's all shiny again. Hope this helps.

Yup, very helpful. Thanks!

I'm hesitant to use Brasso as it completely removed some of the black paint the last time I used it on this trim. Can you name commonly available brands of rubbing compound so I can look for some? I used to have Super Cut as well, but not anymore.

[Davy]

Yup, very helpful. Thanks!

I'm hesitant to use Brasso as it completely removed some of the black paint the last time I used it on this trim. Can you name commonly available brands of rubbing compound so I can look for some? I used to have Super Cut as well, but not anymore.

Glad I could be of assistance.

Well, Brasso in this particular scenario would be OK I guess because the letters are embossed and the chances of it removing the black paint is very little (unless you're in too much of a hurry). But if you insist on trying out rubbing compound, I recommend the 3M Light Rubbing Compound which can be found in almost any L@ughf$ service station.

Just checked the price tag on the 3M Rubbing Compound bottle I have with me and the faded label reads Rs. 1650 (bought it a couple of months back).

[Jaliya48]

Hi Davy,

Thanks for the recommendation. I finished the trim yesterday; I'll be waxing it and fixing it back today. I'll add some photos today if the weather clears.

Regards.

[Jaliya48]

Here's the finished result. Still not happy but I'll tackle this again later

Surrounding black paint lifted off with the tape the second time

Also cleaned and polished the numberplate lamps-

All installed-

Closeup of the paint loss (under the "O" for instance)-

A final glimpse-

Brighter illumination from the numberplate lamps-

Some A**hole broke my driver's side mirror while it was parked in Bambalapitiya (opposite the MC)-

I was thinking of buying another locally, but if that proves difficult, will get this fixed. It was fixed once by my mechanic but it's missing a lot of parts on the base.

That's it for now, thanks for viewing!

Edited December 23, 2012 by Jaliya48

[Kavvz]

Surrounding black paint lifted off with the tape the second time

Also cleaned and polished the numberplate lamps-

All installed-

You should touch up that dent below the license plate before rust sets in as it looks like its broken through the paint.

[Jaliya48]

Kavvz; yes I should. The rear quarter panel on the left side also has some slight damage so I'm going to address them both together. I should also fix those lens covers before the turn indicator blows up!

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Some A**hole broke my driver's side mirror while it was parked in Bambalapitiya (opposite the MC)-

I was thinking of buying another locally, but if that proves difficult, will get this fixed. It was fixed once by my mechanic but it's missing a lot of parts on the base.

That's it for now, thanks for viewing!

Jaliya , I think good fiberglass worker can repair it properly. I had same kind of experience with my previous Jap Alto Mirror. A guy at Panchikawatta repaired it nicely. He himself integrated new metallic connectors which hold the screws, which originals were missing when I handedover the broken part to him.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Sampath Gunasekera

[Jaliya48]

Hi Sampath,

Thanks for the recommendation. Please send me the details of your contact through a PM if time permits.

Regards.

[Jaliya48]

Best wishes of the season to all AL members. A bit off topic, but I thought I'd share a bit of Toyota history with this link-

http://www.speedhunters.com/2009/02/car_feature_gt_gt_vintage_rally_te72_corolla/

Gee, Toyota, whatever happened to you?!

[xax]

Sorry i'm stumbling too late upon this thread. but gosh, you car is a beauty jay. kudos to you for keeping her the way she is, especially when guys of your age [am assuming your age by various evidence posted here] ruin cars like these with so called modifications. i salute your wisdom mate. good luck.

[Jaliya48]

Thanks, xax! I'm aiming for the '1987 factory fresh' look. There are excellent examples of well-kept KE72s here, but they've replaced the original steel wheels with the 'Hiace' wheel which allows wider tyres.

As a general update; I found an excellent driver's side fender mirror complete with all pieces for a very reasonable amount. Needless to say, it's now installed on my car! I'm very careful where I park my car now though, I doubt I'll be able to find another if some j***a$$ breaks the new one! I also found the elusive fan shroud (commonly known as the radiator cover) to fit the 4K. It hasn't been installed yet, but I'll be seeing my mechanic tomorrow. Hopefully now I'll be able to get the AC running again! Now if I could get a respray done in acrylic gloss white!

Await new photos.

Regards.

[Komisiripala]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Jaliya48" data-cid="229330" data-time="1357317031"><p>

Thanks, xax! I'm aiming for the '1987 factory fresh' look. There are excellent examples of well-kept KE72s here, but they've replaced the original steel wheels with the 'Hiace' wheel which allows wider tyres.<br />

. Hopefully now I'll be able to get the AC running again! Now if I could get a respray done in acrylic gloss white! <br />

<br />

Await new photos.<br />

Regards.</p></blockquote>

Looks like I'm not the only one dreaming in white these days! It's maara aathal to find those little parts no?

[Jaliya48]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Jaliya48" data-cid="229330" data-time="1357317031"><p>

Thanks, xax! I'm aiming for the '1987 factory fresh' look. There are excellent examples of well-kept KE72s here, but they've replaced the original steel wheels with the 'Hiace' wheel which allows wider tyres.<br />

. Hopefully now I'll be able to get the AC running again! Now if I could get a respray done in acrylic gloss white! <br />

<br />

Await new photos.<br />

Regards.</p></blockquote>

Looks like I'm not the only one dreaming in white these days! It's maara aathal to find those little parts no?

Yup, 'maara athal' to find that fan shroud! I even thought of getting one from Australia sometime back! The old girl is 100% complete now.

I LOVE gloss white cars! (Not the new 'phantom white' you see on all these Allions and Beltas though, that's just weird!) and white wheels compliment it beautifully.

[isurunugawela88]

Stunning Car!! My father also had a KE 72 in 1993, The No was 16-3709. I still love these cars.

[Jaliya48]

So my mechanic told me that the fan shroud isn't the one for the 4K and that it can't be fixed to the radiator without surgery :speechless-smiley-003: DARN!

[Komisiripala]

So my mechanic told me that the fan shroud isn't the one for the 4K and that it can't be fixed to the radiator without surgery :speechless-smiley-003: DARN!

and then that "maara charter" moment when the part doesn't fit. this happened to me too man. hang in there. ohoma thamai.