1981 Toyota Corona T130

[JaykeDW]

Hey all, I own a clean and relatively rust-free Corona wagon, which I absolutely adore (currently granny spec).

I'm going to start off by saying that I know absolutely nothing about the mechanical workings of cars, and cannot do work on it myself.

She's aging a bit, and the appalling power output that the Holden Starfire (Toyota 1x) engine gives is really starting to bug me.

I'm by no means a hoon, I don't need my car to have all that much power. I would just like it if she ran a little smoother and easier, took off from the lights a wee bit quicker and didn't feel like she was dying when I take her to 100km/h :/

How much do engine swaps typically cost (I have no car knowledge and would not be able to do it myself), and are they worth it? What engines would I want to look into, if I wanted a noticeable power increase?

I replaced the carb and intake manifold on my old Ford Falcon, which made a noticeable difference to it's power, would this be worth doing on my Corona? Or is the Starfire not worth modifying?

She starts everytime and has never broken down on me, but when driving in summer I just sit and watch the temperature gauge rise and rise...I'd be willing to spend a total of $3500 on my car, but I would be hoping that could cover some minor tint, new wheels, an a new engine (and whatever else I have to get with that).

Is this possible?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Edited July 31, 2012 by JaykeDW