Toyota SA restores 2000 GT classic

ALMOST two years ago, Autodealer reported on a very special car, a Toyota 2000 GT, which was undergoing a nuts and bolts restoration.

The car is the property of Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM).

Only 351 2000 GTs were built between 1967 and 1970, and of these, only three were sent to South Africa.

This particular car belonged to a certain Mrs Wessels, wife of Bert Wessels whose father, Albert was responsible for bringing Toyota to the country in 1961.

It also happens to be the last of the three 2000 GTs originally imported into the country to remain on local soil.

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When Toyota’s GR department announced it would start producing replacement parts for the 2000 GT as part of the GR Heritage Parts Project, TSAM took it upon itself to do a bumperto-bumper restoration of the important classic.

Using local talent, the subsidiary split the GT’s body from its chassis, delivering both sections of the car to Dino’s Auto Body in Germiston where it would begin the refurbishment process.

“Despite Dino’s experience on classic vehicles, like many involved in this project, they had never seen, let alone worked on, a Toyota 2000 GT,” said TSAM.

This example proved to be particularly challenging as it has seen better days. It required paint correction, dent repair and panel realignment, among a host of finer touch-ups.

The shop got to work removing surface materials and paint from the allaluminium body to gauge the extent of the repairs, quickly realising certain areas needed more attention than others.

“Lead needed to be heated and applied to the affected area, where it could be smoothed out after it had cooled and hardened,” said TSAM.

This specialist procedure was carried out in various places on the 2000 GT to get the body ready for a fresh paint job. However, the team hit a roadblock when it had to decide what colour the rare Japanese sportscar must be.

According to official records, when it left the factory in the late 1960s, the GT was painted in Thunder Silver, but the example standing in front of them had clearly transitioned to Solar Red over the years, and it was impossible to determine when this occurred.

TSAM decided its GT would remain red to stay true to its uniquely South African history.

Dino’s was able to recreate the original Solar Red hue with the help of US-based Maine Line Exotics, and reapplied the colour without blemish.

The mirror caps were painted in gunmetal to be closely aligned with the original colour scheme.

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The cabin proved to be equally difficult to restore; the original wooden trim being faded and brittle, the chrome strips breaking at the slightest bend, and the wooden steering wheel’s smooth pattern being broken up by a 'sizeable splinter'.

These components were meticulously removed and placed in plastic bags, and then individually restored to showroom condition.

The original 60s radio was disassembled and refurbished by a 'veteran radio repairman'.

After years of storage and exposure to the elements, the GT’s original 3M-10256 engine had also seen its fair share of wear and tear.

As such, the unit was completely stripped and rebuilt by Wessels Motors in Kempton Park.

It took cleaning up the original components that were still salvageable; replacing items such as the sprockets, gaskets, and bearings; and designing and building a custom bracket for the aftermarket air-conditioning compressor that is mounted to the side of the motor to get it back up and running.

After all was said and done, the body was married to the powertrain once again, and the 2000 GT roared back to life as if it had never left.

The restored 2000 GT will now be showcased at the prestigious South African Concourse on 20 November for visitors to admire, with its calendar undoubtedly being filled with many more public appearances.