Ta22 Fuel Efficiency

[YrocLeumas]

Hey guys,

New to the forum,
I am considering buying and restoring a Ta22 celica, and considering I am on p plates it would be with one of the original engines.
I have read (From wikipedia and other sources excuse my noobishness) they had the 2t series of engines.
I am not too experienced with older engines and am wondering what kind of fuel efficiency I could expect from this series of engines?

On top of this simple nooby question,
Is there anything else I should look out for when buying one?
Particular rust spots, known flaws etc?

Thank you!

[o_man_ra23]

Gday and welcome.

Indeed you are correct that the 2T engine was available with the TA22. There are 3 main variants of that engine which are P Plate legal. The standard 2T or 2T-C single cam, single carby engine is a strong little motor, and you should be able to get better than 10L/100km if it is tuned correctly and in good condition. The next step up is somewhat rare, it is the 2T-B engine, which runs a single cam, but twin downdraught carbies. This is a fairly nice engine, but they are hard to get. The one to have is the 2T-G engine. These were available as a twin cam twin sidedraught carb in the 2T-G and 2T-GU variants, or as EFI in the 2T-GUE. If you get an EFI car and want everything 100% legal, then the fuel system will need to be engineered (the motor itself does not need to be engineer approved).

Check to make sure all the dash parts are present, and aren't too far destroyed. If it has Air Con that is a big bonus, the under dash box isn't the easiest to come by. As far as rust goes, the main sections to look at are:
Rear Quarters
Rear wheel arches
Inner Rocker Sills
Outer rocker sills
Top and bottom of the A pillars
Top of the B pillar
Bottom corners of the rear windscreen
Under the bootlid seal
Around the tail lights
Boot floor
Under the stainless trim at the top of the door
Bottom corners of the doors

These are the main sections I have seen rust, other than in complete rust buckets.

Good luck on your hunt. Also, it may be worth your while looking in the 1970-1977 classic celica dedicated thread in the general car talk section.

[Silly Rabbit]

If it is running a standard carb / aircleaner etc you should get good fuel economy out of it....don't know exact litres per 100k's but it would have to be one of the more miserly cars out there...if you are gonna buy a 35+ year old car the least of your worries is gonna be fuel economy though!

As for known flaws etc....they are pretty robust little cars and rust will occur in any part of the car if not looked after and maintained....floor pans / bottoms of guards and doors / sills / around windows / under chrome trim and the front of the bonnet are spots to look at...these are usually the first places to easily spot signs of rust or signs of dodgy rust repairs.

No other real problems with these cars.......everything will be suitably worn from years of use so budget in getting most / all brake and steering components looked at and replaced as a matter of course. Engines are quite bulletproof but will be worn as well so possibly engine rebuild or freshen up could be on the cards. Vinyl interiors don't wear particularly well over the duration so may be tatty but seat covers etc can fix that.

Other than that go for it........i've owned 6 22's and they are awesome cars.

[YrocLeumas]

Thanks guys,
Exactly what I was after, I'll keep you posted in time if I end up getting one!

Cheers!

[jfallen]

I've owned 6 22's and they are awesome cars.

So you've destroyed 5

I've had 4 (including 2 wrecks I bought for parts.) They're great fun to drive. but have no illusions. If you want it to be nice expect to be paying in the + $4-5000 range or more. For that money you'll likely get one that's been well looked after and possibly garaged for most of it's life. you'll also likely be looking at ones that have had a 2TG conversion.

The 2TG is a much better engine, and twin side draft Mikuni's will genuinely put a smile on your face after you're mother's died of cancer and your girl friends dumped you on the same day. That throaty noise, the fire hazard, the scream as the tacho passes 8,000RPM. Magic!

Almost makes me wish I hadn't gone turbo EFi in mine...

Happy Hunting
Jordan

P.S: If it's got a Vinyl Roof (super cool) it's also super full of rust.

[Silly Rabbit]

.....no i still own 2 and have bought and sold the other 4 in that time......all sold for a profit as well might I add .....and yes as jfallen has advised you probably need to spend some decent coin on buying a solid example.....gone are the days of the trading post being full of $500 one lady owner cars.