My Old Te51

[johnny01]

Hi, just thought I would post a couple of pics of a TE51 I had a long time ago, sadly the car is no longer running but she had a good innings and made it to age 21 or 22. I remember the structure and bodywork being sound, with no rust or rot anywhere, though paint-wise it was not well looked after, hence the re-paint.

Going from an RA-28 Celica GT to a TE51 was a bit of a shock so I carried out a few 'budget' mods. Shame things aren't as interchangeable these days:

Celica 1600 GT engine

Twin Mikuni downdraught carbs mounted on Celica GT inlet manifold, re-jetted for performance and balanced

2" exhaust system, with single backbox only

Celica GT 5-speed gearbox and clutch (original was 4-speed)

100+ Alloy wheels, blasted, powder coated and fitted on aluminium spacers for wider track

uprated shock absorbers for firmer ride

Toyota Crown (IIRC) lights inset into front grille

whole car re-painted darker blue

Went like stink and good in a straight line, but the leaf spring rear suspension let it down on the corners!

Sorry about the bad picture quality, I have some other pics somewhere I'll scan soon. Enjoy!

[jerry phipps]

Proper old skool

jerry!!

[dawesy]

love it

imagine the fun you could have with say a tweaked 4A-GZE in there or if room permitted a supra lump.

tis a shame there are very few of the old skool classics anymore :(

[johnny01]

Thanks for the replies guys

I haven't seen one of these for many years now, would love to know if anyone has one still running or any at shows? I always thought they were quite nicely 'balanced' shape wise - but then I've always liked 3 door liftbacks or coupes.

I'll post some more pics in a few days when I get around to sifting through my pile of photos

[78te51]

Hi There. Great car - shame it's gone!!! I am Currently running one myself. Are there any more out there ? Or does anyone know where there are any being broken ?

[Mr KE70]

Hi There. Great car - shame it's gone!!! I am Currently running one myself. Are there any more out there ? Or does anyone know where there are any being broken ?

I know of a few around the uk .... Gettin scarce mind you !!

This one was owned by a friend

saw this on my travels..

this was on eBay last week...