1953 Rover P4 75
September 2018 - Engine, transmission, and steering
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Engine and transmission install
1982 Toyota 22R long block rebuilt by Performance Machine in Thrall, Texas. I cleaned up and installed the intake manifold. For emissions control reasons, the intake had more orfices than a coral reef. I installed a manifold plug kit from LCE Performance who supplies Toyota performance parts.
I also ditched the original Toyota carburetor and installed a Weber 32/36. It's a popular carburetor upgrade for a variety of engines including the 22R.
Late 1980s Toyota Aisin-Warner A43D transmission after power washing, degreasing, and all new seals installed. This was the transmission that came with the P4 when I bought it.
Engine and transmission mounted back on the P4. All the mounts lined up perfectly, thankfully.
Steering
I also cleaned up and reassembled the steering box back in July in anticipation of installing it at the same time as the engine and transmission. I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to remove the steering box and column to be able to remove the body so I ended up taking it apart in pieces. This turned out to be a very painful mistake because reassembly was horrifying. I don't know about later model P4s, but this box uses ball bearings at the top and bottom of the box assembled with loose steel balls secured in place with an inner and outer steel ring that were in no way attached to each other like most modern ball bearings. The inner ring was on the steering rod and the outer ring was pressed into the box housing. The moment I separated the steering column from the housing, the balls scattered and I even lost a few. Good way to lose your marbles. I ended up ordering brand new 3/8" steel balls to replace all the old ones. Very thick grease was needed to hold the balls in place as the column was reattached to the housing. Don't touch your steering box if you can help it! Just change out the oil and use thicker semi-liquid grease. Gear oil will likely leak out of the pitman arm shaft unless you want to go through the trouble of replacing the seals.
Steering box reinstalled alongside with the engine.
Attached the pitman arm and rest of the steering linkage. Now the P4 has steering.
More engine components
Installed starter motor and A/C compressor. I reused the same parts the engine had before.
Installed alternator, distributor and plug wires. I reused the same alternator and distributor that the engine had before, but replaced the distributor cap, spark plugs and wires. Parts are easy to find on RockAuto for a 1982 Toyota Celica.
Cleaned and reattached the manufacturer data plate at the top of the body firewall.