Description
Selling my completed Fresh & Rust-Free Silver SuperCharged RestoMod OE++ 1979 Toyota Corolla KE70 DX 1. 3L.
The car is honest and decent enough built to be accepted at the Main Exhibition Hall of the "Art of Speed 2026" event in Malaysia (can check it out online), which is considered to be the biggest and most prestigious car event in the country, with international guests being invited (this year "Liberty Walk" from Japan attended the event).
As per the exact work done on the car, the following has been performed:
1. Chassis:
-Full body restoration and rust repair, body conservation & underbody protection, performed by Axled Fabrication. The fuel tank was also opened and restored. Front fender arches were trimmed a little bit at the bottom front corners to allow for maximum positive caster, while the rear fender arches have been extended to match the front ones. The car has been sprayed in Silver color, including the engine bay, while the interior and boot are black gloss. In addition, the chassis has been stiffened with brand new Ultra Racing Fender Bars & Front Adjustable strut bar + SuperCircuit Front Under Brace and Rear Strut bar, all purchased brand new.
2. Engine, Transmission & Exhaust;
-The original 4K 1. 3L engine is A-to-Z fully rebuilt (with an upgraded alternator and a high-speed starter) with new low-compression pistons for a boosted application using an AMR 500 Compressor on 0. 9 bar boost with a smaller than stock crank pulley and a 4-rib PTE belt (no belt slip under hard driving and/ or when the A/ C compressor is on). The supercharger setup is a suck/ draw-through type using a 12V Carb from Proton Wira/ Mitsubishi Lancer C96/ C97 and their 4G13 and 4G15 engines' carb versions. The supercharger system piping uses stainless steel pipes and plates (there are no silicone joints in the entire system). The Transmission was changed from a K40 4-speed to a K50 5-speed, together with a modified AE86 short shifter and an 8-Ball Snooker/ Pool Ball to add some weight to make shifting easier. Engine & Transmission Cross members have been sandblasted and powder-coated in gloss yellow with New engine & trans mounts. Final diff ratio is 3. 9 (at 140km/ h, the engine is around 4000 RPM). 4-2-1 bigger exhaust manifold with 2" aluminized steel 2-piece exhaust system using V-Band Clamps with a center muffler/ bullet and rear muffler with stainless steel shotgun-style tips.
3. Suspension & Steering:
-New Front Height Adjustable & Serviceable coilovers with modified AE86 HKS camber plates. Front arms have reinforcement plates welded on the bottom to prevent flex. Rear springs are height-adjustable with Hilux dampers. Spring Rate front/ rear is 6kg/ 4kg per mm. New Drop Links, PU bushings all around, excluding the front anti-roll bar, which has new rubber bushings. Rear adjustable panhard rod with poly bushings. New manual steering rack with tie rods & SuperPro PU bushings (direct import from Australia). The steering shaft has been rebuilt to eliminate free play. The entire front suspension and rear trailing arms have been sandblasted and powder-coated in gloss yellow. New wheel bearings & seals all around.
4. Wheels
-New Atara Racing 14x8J, ET:-10, 4x114. 3 wheels with 185/ 65/ 14 Toyo Proxes tires.
5. Brakes
-Front Brakes have been upgraded and rebuilt to a bigger size than stock using 1st Gen Proton Perdana / 7th Gen Mitsubishi Eterna/ Galant (E50/ E70/ E80 series) front brake calipers, supports with custom adapter brackets, rotors, and pads with HEL UK braided stainless steel brake lines (both front and rear). Rear brakes are stock drum brakes with a new brake pump and brake shoes on both sides. Brake Booster is from a JDM Honda.
6. Exterior:
-New Silver paint job (when purchased, the car was faded maroon red or brown, not sure if that was its original color or not), new head and tail lights, new front bumper, and fender turn signals. Front & rear bumpers have been painted matte black. All 4 tow hooks have been sandblasted and powder-coated in gloss yellow.
7. Interior:
-3M 3mm soundproofing was applied on the internal firewall, floor, roof, and inside the doors. Dashboard has been changed from a Blue one to a better-conditioned Brown one. The Instrument Cluster has been changed to the one from the GL model, which features a built-in RPM gauge and digital clock. Analog Greddy Boost gauge. 4 New door seals and new rubber grommets all around (floor, firewall, engine bay and etc.). New Kamato floor mats. A, B and C pillars together with the New Door Cards and Sun Visors are upholstered in Black faux leather. Front and Rear Seats upholstered in New Black & Grey fabric. New all black carpet and roof lining, new speaker deck was made as well. Working center console gauges for Oil pressure, Oil temp and Volt meter. As for the car's entertainment system, a New Single DIN Carrozzeria Head Unit was installed that has USB, Bluetooth, AUX, and FM connectivity paired with New Sony Xplod Front (4") and Rear (6. 5") speakers.
8. Cooling and A/ C:
- Brand new and bigger 2-row Koyorad radiator with 2 electrical fans (the 2nd one comes on when the A/ C is turned on), new water hoses and new water pump, using OE Toyota red coolant mixed with distilled water. The car stays in operating temp even during and after a spirited driving session, no overheating.
-A/ C system is brand new with a new compressor, condenser, dehydrator, blower motor, fan speed resistor and piping;
9. Electrical System & Others:
- The original engine-bay wiring was removed and replaced, while the remaining electrical system was inspected, cleaned and repaired where requiredThe new battery is moved to the back-left side of the trunk and sits in an adjustable aluminum CNC bracket.
- New window wiper motor with new mechanism and new wiper arms with new adapters;
The car has the following small imperfections:
1. Mechanical: The rear axle is whining/ noisy at higher speeds, which is normal as the car is 47 years old and still on its original rear axle. The current axle is the stronger "S-Type" designed by Toyota, and it can be replaced with a second-hand axle, but cannot guarantee whether it would be in better or worse condition than the current axle, and most likely it will be the weaker "U-Type" axle, as it is more available in Malaysia compared to the "S-Type" axles.
2. Exterior: There is a small scratch on the paint at the right-side C pillar;
3. Interior: The Dashboard has 2 small cracks below the A/ C vent on the left side (quite common and tipical age related occurense like on BMW e30s)
The car was imported to Malaysia (based on its title's "Original status ("Status Asal" in Malay)", which states "Used Imported Vehicle (Kenderaan Import Terpakai)") by one of its previous owners and has been my personal project for the 3 years. It was purchased in June 2023 as a non-runner in a very sorry state, for reference, the last 2 photos in the ad are from the day of purchase. Can gladly provide photos of the project for reference over DM or WhatsApp.
As of the time of this ad, the car has done less than 3000km on the engine, chassis, suspension, and brakes, and one engine oil change after a 1000km engine break-in period after its rebuild. I drive it mostly on weekends, as I work from home and do not have to commute to and from work.
To emphasize, this is not a "nuts & bolts" restoration, but a RestoMod OE++ build whose goal was to build a solid, reliable & fun touge-oriented daily driver car, similar to my BMW e36 Coupe that I have back in Europe, but trying a different chassis while keeping the rule that the car has to be a Manual and Rear Wheel Drive.
The combination of the lightweight KE70 chassis, manual steering and upgraded suspension gives the car a very direct and communicative driving character.
This is an analogue 1970s driver's car: manual steering, manual gearbox and no ABS, airbags or electronic driver aids.
On the 16th of October 2026 (Friday), the car was put on a "rolling road" type DynoJet dyno where it made 3 runs, with the best results being 82. 46 whp @ 4570 RPM and 151. 48 Nm of torque @ 3300 RPM, at an ambient temperature of 24-25 degrees Celsius. Upon request, video recording of the 3 dyno runs and results can be shared over WhatsApp.
All body work restoration, welding, and custom fabrication work was performed by “Axled Fabrication” (I helped strip the car to a naked rolling shell), while all mechanical and electrical work was performed by “Axled Garage” and a small part by me (when I had free time to come to the shop and work on the car). Their work is well known in Malaysia’s vintage, classical, and young old-timer car community, especially when it comes to old Japanese and VW cars. Only chassis painting was outsourced to a third-party shop as per their recommendation.
Pretty sure I am forgetting some of the smaller stuff, but pretty much, that’s it, the car’s paperwork is in order and can be exported from Malaysia to any part of the world.
As for the reason why I am selling it, it's time to move to another project, and the funds from this sale will fund the new one.
If you are interested, feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your time and attention in viewing my ad.
