Faults:

One thing I have problems with is the starter. It works fine for a while then goes bad. It’s right next to the exhaust pipe, so that’s probably why. I have put a heat shield between the two, which helps a little.

I bought it at an auction for $133.00, not knowing the clutch was shot because it was a three-car auction, a rinky-dink place. But so what, I replaced the manual clutch. It ran like a champ, but poor gas mileage = 16 mpg. I never could figure out why since it was a 4-cylinder. But it is fast. Yes, the 1.8 engine is fast, but it’s on a sports edition coupe, which I suppose means beefier shocks, better steering. Not quite sure really, just guessing. But the glove box says it’s a sports coupe. It looks like a hatchback.

I had it painted cherry red in 1990. Then I got a Toyota truck, 1978 with a 21R engine, yes, a 21R engine, whatever that means. But I put a 20R engine in it from a 1976 Celica GT car. I still have all two cars and the truck. The 1980 I let sit and drove the truck. The '80 Corolla has been sitting since 2003, and I recently needed a car to drive, so I primed it with gas, and it fired up. But it’s not getting gas to the carb, so I’m trying to see why. Maybe plugged lines or fuel pump not working, so I bought a new fuel pump for $17 or $18. I need to install it, but that’s not an easy thing to do on this engine. It’s only two bolts, yes, but the left bolt is such a pain to get to. The pump is mechanical, and three ports come out of the pump. So I used a shop vac, a 6-amp, 170 mph blowing speed rating to blow through the gas port, you know, the gas that goes into the tank to fill the car up at the gas station. I took the cap off, blew the 170 mph air speed from the shop vac to see if I could blow the fuel lines clean from any plugged-up section, but felt no air from the lines from the fuel pump. Maybe the pump closes and doesn’t allow the gas line to flow until the pump is in a certain pumping stage. Don’t know yet, but tried sucking gas through the line instead, but none came flowing out of the line. So, I think I need a fuel line diagram of all three ports and what line does what. I know one line is a return line, one line is a vapor line that a charcoal container is used to control fumes, and the other line is the gas line to the carb. It seems like a line sucks the gas out of the tank because of the fuel pump, then goes to the fuel pump, and then a line gets that fuel and gets pumped to the carb. I will figure it out, but it’s winter now, and I don’t want to work on it in cold weather. But it fires up when primed. That’s great news!

General Comments:

The 1980 Corolla sports coupe is a great car. Why some say it isn’t fast is beyond me. It takes off fast. I have raced many cars to the next stop light, won some, lost some, but yeah, it’s fast and only lost by a little bit. Maybe they had the station wagon. I also have a wagon along with the sports coupe, both with the original 1.8 engine. And yes, the coupe is faster because of its size and weight. I also think it’s stylish and fun to drive, whereas others who comment on this type of car think it’s boring, unstylish, and slow. Whatever, to each his own. It makes an excellent drifter car since it’s rear-wheel drive and fast. It drifts great because of those reasons. That’s what I think, and I’m sticking to it.

Faults:

Head gasket wept (replaced).

Stock carb was rubbish (vacuum lines everywhere) (replaced).

Steering was very loose (pitman arm and idler arm) (replaced).

Rear hatch supports were bad (replaced).

Heater core line ruptured (replaced along with other hoses).

Brakes needed rebuild (rebuilt).

Driver's seat badly torn (replaced with junkyard finds).

Alternator went bad (replaced).

Various bulbs of all sorts (replaced).

Minor rust near hatch (on the list).

Transmission was leaking (rebuilt).

Rear diff was leaking (seal replaced).

Exhaust literally fell off in a parking lot (cat to muffler) (replaced).

A/C has stopped working (on the list).

General Comments:

I bought this car from an old man who was the first owner, and had driven it to the brink of death (both his and the cars by the look of it). Pretty much everything on the car was original, right down to the bulbs, which is miraculous when you consider it really. That said, all of the original (34 y/o) electronics and seals were not quite up to the task of daily driving, which is my use for this car. I love this thing to death though; it's simple and rugged. Pretty much everything I've done to it, short of major engine work, has been a piece of cake. Great car to learn how to mechanic on! I get looks and compliments everywhere I go, and people constantly ask if I'm selling it.

Since owning the car, I've replaced or rebuilt pretty much everything listed above (as indicated), rebuilt the motor with a high compression head and a Weber DCOE carburetor, and made many other mods. Thing is, I'm a 21 year old college student living on my own, so it goes to show how easy these things are to work on! Get yourself a basic tool kit (metric sockets, screw drivers, and pliers) and you can fix like 90% of the things on this car.

Also, from behind the wheel, what it lacks in pure get-up-and-go power, it more than makes up for in visibility and compact size, making it a great commuter in urban spaces. Even with manual steering, I have no trouble parallel parking.

If you're ever thinking about getting an old Corolla, or just want to know more about them, be sure to check out 3tcgarage.com, it's chock-full of useful info about these old Toyotas.