There isn’t much on Alibaba, Temu or Shein that you need in your life. The vast majority of the ultra cheap stuff coming from these Chinese bargain sellers is scam garbage that will make your life worse. But if you’ve got a rusty, clapped-out AE86 Toyota Corolla hatchback in need of restoration and rust repair, this brand new shell might be the ticket. The availability of brand new metal-stamped chassis isn’t new, as they have been available for things like Camaros and Mustangs for years. As these ‘80s icons age (and increase in value), they’re getting in line for repop. Hopefully these new shells are a match for 1980s Toyota quality.
The listing for a new “Full Body Part for AE86, Replacement Car Full Body Metal for T oyota AE86 1984-1987” is live on Alibaba right now, and says it’ll be fulfilled by Jiangsu Aodun Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. That company is listed as an ISO-certified stamping facility, apparently used to stamp OEM components for Volkswagen, General Motors, Mazda, Toyota, and several domestic automakers.
“Made in China” used to be something of an epithet when it came to car parts. Sure, there’s still a lot of cheap garbage made there, but only because Americans continue to demand it. China has been manufacturing components for cars for decades, and has gotten really good at it. That isn’t necessarily an endorsement of this particular product, but it’s entirely possible these stamped bodies might be quite good. Or at least better than forty-year-old rustbucket shells you’d find on Craigslist.
Each one of these bodies will run you $9,500 and they have a minimum order quantity of five, so you’d better get your Facebook pals together for a group guy. If you can buy in larger quantities, Jiangsu Aodun will cut you an even better deal. Order more than 50 of these jammers, and you’ll get them for just eight grand apiece.
The images for these shells show a car covered in 3D scanning dots, which leads me to believe this is an original Toyota shell that has been stripped and scanned for future production. These will likely be made to order once you place a large-quantity order, which is pretty normal in the auto parts industry. And if you’re so inclined, they also offer complete body shells for Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers, and Land Rover Defenders.