Body Parts Compatibility For 1997 Corolla

I have access to a salvage interchange index. These years fenders and front turn signal/parking lamps and will fit your car.

COROLLA 1993 - 2WD

COROLLA 1994-97

How ever for the door only 1997 will work. Seems weird but that's what the interchange calls for.

I have access to a salvage interchange index. These years fenders and front turn signal/parking lamps and will fit your car.

 

COROLLA 1993 - 2WD

COROLLA 1994-97

How ever for the door only 1997 will work. Seems weird but that's what the interchange calls for.

 

Thank you for a quick response, dorman!

Can you please explain what "COROLLA 1993 - 2WD" means? 2WD = 2 wheel drive? That would not make sense as I think you are giving a production year ranges "1993-"

I really think it is strange that the doors do not match up. Seems odd. I have a gut feeling that I should be able to swap the doors from the 1995 to my 1997 corolla with out many issues.

What do you think could be causing such an incompatibility? I been doing some research and only thing that I came up with is that the 1997 models are the first US made Corollas, but I am not very sure of that...

1993-1997 7th generation Corolla

 

1998-2002 8th generation Corolla

Though similar, the body panels are not a direct fit between the generations. Both generations have bodies assembled in Japan, US, or Canada. There are also Geo/Chevy Prism clones to the Corolla made in the NUMMI plant in California, though there are physical differences in body style and some electronic components.

Generally speaking, as long as you stay within the generation and manufacturer, the part will fit. There are some odd-ball cases where there were significant running changes that will not allow for a direct swap for a body panel. My suggestion is to ping on a body shop and see if they can look up a cross index for you. What I've found is there is not a clear distinction between North American bound cars and the overseas counterparts. Overseas, the model years for a particular generation - especially in the case of Toyota - are offset by a year (overseas 7th gen runs from 1992-1996).

I think it was a great tip that you gave me about calling a body shop. I called a local dealer's parts department (they also have a body shop) and they confirmed that 1995 and 1997 have interchangeable doors. Actually, he did not spend much time figuring out my answer - he just quickly said yes.

So I called another dealer that actually attempted to match part numbers for me (he had TONS of trouble doing that) and the part numbers matched (we picked standard driver-side door on both car years (1995&1997) for the Corolla).

So I called another dealer and after few clicks he flatly said NO. He didn't seem to be in the mood to elaborate.

So I called another dealer with a collision center (because I think they maybe used to working with body parts more then dealers with out body shops) and he gave me a more detailed information: late-1996 through 1997 will fit the 1997.

I had a hunch that there may have been an error in the parts interchange database that has been causing this confusion, but I will not be able to confirm it 100% until I put the part back on. It seems like there no consensus on this subject which is a bit upsetting to me.

My best guess is based on the second parts person I've spoke with (the one that had trouble looking up parts numbers): he said that there are few different kinds of doors for the corolla: two for each of the types (standard, LX, DX). I think when they look at the doors they do not always match those things up. This leads them to tell me that that it is incompatible. It seem that physically the door should fit, but it may not be the same as far as all the parts that come with it.

I am venturing in the land of unknown, so wish me luck guys!

From about 1989-1993 There was a Corolla AllTrac or 4wd Wagon which is a different body style.

I have access to a salvage interchange index. These years fenders and front turn signal/parking lamps and will fit your car.

COROLLA 1993 - 2WD

COROLLA 1994-97

How ever for the door only 1997 will work. Seems weird but that's what the interchange calls for.

 

Thank you for a quick response, dorman!

Can you please explain what "COROLLA 1993 - 2WD" means? 2WD = 2 wheel drive? That would not make sense as I think you are giving a production year ranges "1993-"

I really think it is strange that the doors do not match up. Seems odd. I have a gut feeling that I should be able to swap the doors from the 1995 to my 1997 corolla with out many issues.

What do you think could be causing such an incompatibility? I been doing some research and only thing that I came up with is that the 1997 models are the first US made Corollas, but I am not very sure of that...

I was at a junk yard and was tolled that 1995 Corolla body parts were not compatible with 1997 Corollas. I think they are wrong.

 

As I understand the 1997 is the 8th generation ( http://en.wikipedia....)#North_America ) and it was produced from 1995.

It does not seem like North American Corollas had any body changes during the 8th generation production cycle (I found no such information).

1. 1995 and 1997 are the same generation (and thus mostly interchangeable) in the US. However, your wiki link is the 1998-2002 generation.

 

2. They only announce major body changes, which are rare, but car models undergo minor body changes almost every year. Even if it's exactly the same shape on the outside, it's possible that holes, rivet placement etc on the inside have changed.

3. Part catalogueing is not always as accurate as you'd like, especially when it comes to parts made for different markets. General rule is, if the dealership tells you it's interchangeable, it really is. If they say no, it's still possible that the part will work.

Thank you for clarifying that dorman! Are there any other cars from which I could grab the fenders and the light?

Thanks to fishexpo and minidanas, I now have a much better understanding of the way Corolla generations work.

I have worked on the 1993 - 1997 models and have interchanged many parts.

There are some differences, so I try to match year and model, when it comes to body parts (although Color is not as important, since I can paint them).