6G Celicas Forums

I've decided the car is going to cost more money than it's worth to fix. The suspension on that corner is definitely shot, and the cosmetic damage would be costly. In the original accident there was no actual damage to the car aside from the dent (which, based on the body shop estimate from the dealership I work at, would have originally totaled the car anyway) and the fact that the exhaust snapped where the tailpipe connected to the main (it was rotted really bad already, it was only a matter of time).

Picture of the damage... farewell my colorful friend.



Someday I'll get another Celica and build it up for real, the way I restored my Eclipse. This one had a good run while it lasted, maybe it really will get a second chance at life though if someone I know takes it and decides to fix it.

Well scratch that, the Celica may or may not be heading to the junkyard now. I'm going to the yard tomorrow to scope out parts. Coming down a windy mountain road that I'd made it through earlier with no issue, I tried to make the last turn and the car started sliding straight into the guide rail (we got hit with some rain and snow and freezing stuff today). Smashed into the rail, slid along it for a few feet and then slammed into a large tree at the end of the rail. Shut it off immediately and tried to get out - driver side door won't open. Jump out the passenger side and try to see how bad it is. It's pretty bad. Called my father and my friend who's close with a towing company and waited. Mechanically, the car actually might be okay. I haven't tried to start it, kind of afraid to so do; but as far as WHERE the damage is, and what we saw when we forced the hood open, the engine and all major areas of the bay are fine. Fuse box was where the main impact was focused, the frame seems crimped a bit. I'll see what happens as far as that. Anyway, as far as what seems to need replacing so far:

-hood
-F.L. fender
-F.L. turn signal
-F.L. side marker
-F.L. fog light (found the housing a few feet behind the car)
-front bumper cover (might not replace, hard to find good ones in the yard and the edge is just cleaved off)
-driver side low beam (lens shattered, the bulb surprisingly intact and pushed all the way back to where the fuse box is)
-front driver side control arm

I know the suspension on that side is SHOT, it was dark as hell so I can't see much and I didn't get under the car but the front wheel was pushed way back into the well toward the door (I found the splash shield on the ground not far from the escaped fog light) so at the very least, the control arm is bent. I'll have to look at the suspension and steering systems tomorrow, and everywhere else under the car. Figures, the day I come back to the 6GC forums, I demolish my car. I don't think it'll get sent to the yard just yet, it isn't leaking anything and the rad/rad support weren't hit, the bay seems fine aside from the fact that the battery died and left me in the dark on the side of a backwoods road with no hazards or headlights. So probably still a good running car, it's likely mostly cosmetic damage and suspension damage. Even the tire didn't go flat immediately and the wheel doesn't look bent (got lucky with that in the original accident too somehow). Only time and inspection will tell, but this car has been a survivor so far so maybe her time isn't up yet. I'll get photos tomorrow.

A '98 Suzuki JLX slammed into my passenger side at about 40mph without trying to swerve or stop while I was crossing an intersection. My car fishtailed across the intersection and came about a foot away from a building before stopping. Details of what happened immediately after aside, my whole rear quarter panel was crushed in further than the wheel. I was, however, able to drive my car away without issue (and thus, non-reportable "minor"accident). No damage to the Suzuki, literally. There was a huge streak of red paint across her bumper, and when I realized that it was not from my car I understood what kind of person I was dealing with. We beat the dent out from the inside and I sanded it down, a friend was doing coats of bondo every now and then but he doesn't finish what he starts so I finished it myself so we could paint it. I didn't want to show up at school with what my friends were calling "the cow car" because of the massive bondo/primer patch on the side.






My father left the stupid blue towel over the back end and I didn't notice it when painting, so the car has a weird little primer/black overspray/towel fuzz streak. It's not really that noticeable. The quarter panel could have come out better but the car was a real wreck originally. After the accident I replaced my flex pipe and discovered that the exhaust had snapped at the back of the car. Because it was hanging, we took the muffler off for a while until we could get some new piping in there. I liked the sound without the restrictive muffler, and ended up tossing the stock muffler when I found a Flowmaster Impala SS tail pipe laying on the ground in the junkyard. Sounds a lot nicer than anybody expected.

I don't remember why anymore, but in October of '14 I removed the whole rear bench and seatbelts from the car. For a temporary carpet extension over the exposed metal, I took the black carpeted boards off of the back of the seats and laid them down over it. I wanted to open up the back of the car I think, and I don't like having passengers anyway so the back seats were useless. Hella more room for car parts, if nothing else.

And of course, over time I ended up painting the interior, the gas door, and the wiper arms to match the wheels and continue the black and red theme. I was going to get seat covers and a black carpet and yadda yadda yadda, but now I'm not sure. I think I'm going to lose this Celica this year, and after the accident that would have honestly totaled the car out, I'd rather start over someday with a cleaner car. Or at least one that isn't covered in dents. Really, I'm looking to restore a first generation Celica and base the colors of off this one.

Anyway, that's how the Celica and I spent our year. It's been wild, and now we're just about to hit 115,000 miles on the clock.

Lotta miles on the clock there, but the car looks like it's not in terrible shape for that age. Nice progress already with the GT4 bits + JDM tails. I assume a paint job is in your plans for the future, what color are you going with? Original or something else?

And welcome to the forums

Car's been leaking gas a little for the past month or so. My father replaced the breather hose before we found that it was the filler pipe. So that got replaced today, thank god the gas smell shouldn't be hanging around anymore. Supposedly my gas tank looks like crap too, but that's a trial for another day I guess. Aside from that, not much has gone on with the lack of money lately. Got a little steering wheel cover I'd liked for Christmas, red and black so at least it goes with the theme. Installed the Pioneer head unit from samboo (thanks, man) a while ago as well. Car is dirty as heck lately.



So the red wheels don't look so hot when covered with salt, oops





Glad to have gotten this done, I hadn't realized how fugly the old pipe was until it was off the car.



For humor's sake, a photo of the steering wheel and the head unit behind it; kind of weird driving, the wheel's so bulky now. Cute enough though.

Maintenance to-do's for the future I would like to get done:
-fix the leaking sunroof
-fix the passenger side window (motor, I guess, will have to check that out)
-replace the drive accessory belts
-fix the cigarette lighter

And things I would LIKE to get on it eventually:
-Indiglo gauges
-black seat covers (or seats.. preferably)
-black carpet and new OEM floor mats
-black lug nuts
-Kouki tails
-short ram & aftermarket muffler of some kind
-probably maybe paint the interior trim
-pull a driver's side fender out of the yard or somewhere... one that isn't dented up
-bigger wing (more fast more furious)

Man, someday I'll take photos with a legit camera.

Tightened the alternator belt up and the sound is gone, great. Still need to fix the passenger side window and replace the lights over the license plate. When this car gets parked during the winter I'm planning to pull the climate control + gauge cluster out and get some Indiglos in there/change the lights from green to red. Might also be a good time to get some red LED strips for under the dashboard.

Alrighty, sounds like it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. I can only hope I'll be able to take the car tomorrow, they're calling for sleet and snow. :\ It's insane how loud the noise is with the hood open... I thought it sounded bad from inside the car, but when I got near the engine bay it was horrible. Thank god it's not something uber intensive, though.

Well, it's been a while and the car has left the shop, but I have a sinking feeling it's about to be parked again. Some interesting updates, though:

(During the Celica's time in the shop, I happened to miss one day; another guy in the shop put the rear wheels back on after the drums had been cut. Funny enough, I almost died driving that car because apparently putting a wheel back on a car is too complicated for him. He tightened the rear passenger tire/wheel assembly on crooked, and the lugs came loose while I was driving home. Didn't know what it was when the clunking noise started, didn't have a choice but to keep driving with the hazards on the rest of the way (slowly, of course). By the time I parked the car, one of the lugs had actually fallen off, and the others had all come to be hand-tight; if I'd driven much longer the wheel would have come off and, considering it was rush hour, that probably would have been the end of me and the car. Guess I won't be trusting anyone around the Celi unless I'm there to make sure work actually gets done the right way.)

Anyway, issues currently plaguing the car:

Obviously winter is setting in and the mornings are cold, but the screeching noise that has started from under the hood is unbearable. Before we changed the timing belt, there was no noise. I'd assumed something was wrong with the power steering belt because it screamed on a cold start and whenever the car took a turn. Just turning the steering wheel back and forth, the belt starts to screech.

My father looked at the car and said it might actually be the alternator? After a quick search, it sounds like the screeching should be coming from a loose alternator belt. I'll have to double check that tomorrow when I pull the car into the shop. The power steering belt is definitely tight, the thing has no play whatsoever. But when I was driving the other day, my father commented that the headlights dimmed every once in a while, particularly when I hit the brake. My father actually suggested the alternator itself was on its way out? I'm wondering if anyone can confirm or deny this, tell me if it sounds like I'm on the right track here. I haven't had a chance to look at the car myself really, but tomorrow I'll have to check the belts.

Ugh, mine's an ST auto too and I paid $2800 for it with a dent, a leaking engine, and junk tires/dented rims. $2500 is a fair number, I wish I'd been able to haggle mine down to that price when I bought it. Good luck with it, someone is bound to come along and pick it up with that price.

Jeeeez, glad you're okay - that's the most important thing, always - but that sucks big time. Poor thing was looking so fine, it would be a shame to have to part it out/scrap it now. Hopefully it can be fixed, it would be nice to see it back in good shape. I know I'd be devastated if my car got slammed like that; I hope everything works out for you, man.

QUOTE (mgnt232 @ Nov 4, 2013 - 9:42 AM)

Welcome to the site, hope you do some mods soon. keep us updated, there is also a ton of info here

I hope so too; gotta stack up some more money for mods after buying the Eclipse. Slow going, but something's bound to get done eventually.

This is Lucy. She is a 1996 Celica ST Hatchback, cutest one in town.
Bought February 2nd, 2013 for $2800 with 103,XXX miles. My first car.

As of 01/01/15:






When I bought her:










Modifications:

Underhood:
-Cone filter
-NGK plugs

Wheels/Suspension:
-Stock suspension
-Stock wheels powder coated Alert Red

Interior:
-Painted interior trim
-Removed rear seats

Electronics:
-Pioneer HU
-BOSS amp + 13" Subwoofer

Exhaust:
-Stock exhaust piping
-Muffler deleted, welded a straight Impala SS Flowmaster tail pipe on the back




***I haven't been around for a year, a lot has happened. The Celica was wrecked and fixed and now I'll probably be losing it anyway after I graduate. But I miss the forum and I'll get another Celica someday, so I came back to finish Lucy's little story.***

How much for the Pioneer unit to be shipped to 18222?

Guys, I need some help here. When I first bought my Celi, the guy explained how its alarm system worked. Apparently it used to have a horn, but he "cut that out." So instead, it just ticks until you hit the button. I mean, I don't know how many other Celicas were equipped with the same one, I assume it was a dealer install? It's got the little button down in the footwell that you have to hit before you can start the car, and it goes off any time you open the doors or hatch or anything and can't be deactivated unless you actually go as far as to start the car (if you just push the button, it comes back eventually?)

So it seems that it's killing my battery. Every once in a while I would go to start the car and the battery would be dead; I was only starting the car like every week or so back then, but the battery is basically new, so I wouldn't think it would die off that quickly. I haven't noticed anything else that would be causing a parasitic drain, especially considering the lights would all start flashing even when I opened the door to get something out of the car and would stay that way for a good minute or two. What can I do to fix this? Does anyone else know what I'm talking about at least?

I like that the alarm stops anyone from starting the car up unless they know where the switch is, but if my battery is going to suffer, I just can't keep it. Is there an easy way to disarm it permanently, or at least alter it so that it doesn't keep draining the battery? My car's in the shop right now since I was changing the timing belt and valve cover gasket, so I figured now is the time to get anything else done that it needs. Anyone have any advice?

That is a shame, indeed. I know I remember reading about powder coating and that was what made me afraid to do it. Every so often one person would make a statement like that, that it was dangerous to alloys - though nobody who said that ever actually came up with legitimate proof that it was a real risk. I agree that unless there was some other factor interfering with the wheels beforehand, there's no way powder coating would ruin them like that. From all the forums I've seen, the reviews on powder coated wheels (when done correctly) are overwhelmingly positive.

PlastiDip I've heard different things about, but I suppose it's the better option if you aren't sure about color, considering it definitely won't last forever. But then again, if you do decide on which color you want and you're pretty confident about it, maybe it would be better to go with powder coating because it's more permanent.

My wheels are powder coated and before I got them done I asked a similar question. Overwhelmingly, it was suggested to go through with the powder coating. If you can pick a color that you think you'll be comfortable with for a long time and you don't plan on ditching your rims anytime soon, go for it. Anything you've read about powder coating ruining the structure of the wheels is BS from what I've found. A lot of people choose to get their wheels powder coated because it stands better against the elements and lasts longer than most other options; if there was such a risk of your rims falling apart I doubt it would be so popular. Get it done right and they'll turn out fine. I personally have had absolutely no issues with my wheels and I love them. So go for what you think would best suit your situation.

I was never much a fan of matte black paint jobs, but I have to say that car looks sleek. Nice work + progress so far, man.

I joined up over there and sent a message to him; unfortunately he doesn't really have much info to give, he purchased the lights from someone and they were just like that. Apparently nothing off the shelf, so little chance of me being able to get anything like that.

Vsideboy mentioned perspex when he listed off materials, which I'd never heard of before and had to look up. Considering it's a plastic material, could it have been that which was used to create the lenses he had? It is clear after all, from what I see. Can it be molded to take the place of the diffused red plastic used in the stock tails? In all the searches I've done I haven't seen any other tails with clear lenses like that, and if the stock ones can't be modified to be clear then I assume new ones would have to be made?

x2 I agree.

Actually I did more digging and found a similar mod from a user that was on 6gc. (I think?) I'm referring to vsideboy, who made custom LED tails? Seems he hasn't been around in a long time and it seems he never got around to doing a write-up on how exactly he did it. But his tails almost resemble those, aren't they kind of a similar deal? (I mean, they don't really LOOK like the ones cited, but they both have that clear outside, and vsideboy's just have LEDs instead of the bulbs, and he kept the black dividers).



That. Isn't that similar, it looks like it has a clear lense at least. I mean I know the interior is set up differently than what I would end up with but the outward appearance at least seems right (though I guess in my case it would be minus the black dividers and the LEDs would be arranged differently); "made myself using the backing of some standard lenses, filler, pcb board, homemade circuit, leds, clear perspex." Am I on the right track here or am I derailing and barking up the wrong tree? This is the thread I'm referring to: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=39180&st=0 .

So I can use the USDM tails for this? O: That makes it easier to bear...
What exactly is everything, I've never taken a tail apart before so I don't know what all is actually inside ha. I guess I'll be doing some research then.

And @ czwalga: thanks for the suggestion + example. I'll be sure to stop around other forums as well. I wasn't really sure if this was a realistic thing that I should consider trying at first, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get involved in a real DIY and go after something 'different'-looking.

Do you guys think the Aventador style lights would flow with the Celica though?

So essentially the stock tails won't work because of the blur, but if I picked up a pair of JDMs it may be possible. I mean I suppose I worded it wrong when I said 'is it possible' anyway, considering with enough time/money/know-how basically anything can get done.

What about the cost? I mean I know I'd have to probably get a pair of JDMs then, in that case. What about the LEDs or any other parts? And for example, in the replica Reventon's tails, the turning signals had a strobing effect. I'm assuming that would require what you mentioned, The_enD. Is that like opening a whole new can of worms, like a lot of extra work/time, or is it not that bad of a process?

Overall I'm just wondering how much money this could run, and how much time and effort it would take to do the right way.

So, noting before anything else that I have very little experience or knowledge when it comes to custom electrical components like tail lights, I was wondering about the possibilities of a tail light conversion. I know there's been posts about the 'LED Celica' with the Aston Martin replica tails, and there are some members around here who have done pretty awesome custom work, so it seems possible.

Anyway, the Aventador tails seem pretty simple in themselves, would they be possible to replicate in a Celica tail? Like, can you actually do that just with a stock tail, take it apart and use LEDs/whatever else to copy the appearance? Obviously Celica tails are shaped somewhat differently but they have that general rectangle shape to them, that the Aventador arrows shouldn't look too out of place, right? Could it work, would it look good? Probably couldn't get an exact duplicate of Aventador lights, but keeping in that style.

I assume that it would be along the same process of the Aston Martin tails made for the green Celica, but even though it was explained somewhere before in the forums I don't know that I could go into something like that with so little detail on the steps. :S Does anyone have input, opinions, something? I'm really just thinking out loud, I like the idea of cars with modifications that make them stand out. I just thought that since Aventador tails are so neat, they might be something to consider. Meanwhile, I did find a demo video of some tails made for a Reventon replica and they seem along the lines of what I was thinking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct2UoEEWFws . But then again the Aston Martin Celica feels closer to what I was picturing in my mind ( http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images...70003_large.jpg ).

Food for thought, I suppose.

I mean, I was wondering how that... brick(?) ended up on the windshield, who threw that at your car?? Jeez, I would have been horrified too if I had just gotten a vehicle and it was attacked like that, at least you got it fixed and done with..

And so the plot thickens :P I never used Craigslist before, and eBay to me always seemed like the place to get decent cars at low prices; we got a parts truck for my mom's '96 Ram for $1400, and that ended up being the truck we used because it runs fine even though the outside looks like crap. My Celi came from eBay too for less than 3k, and was listed just over in East Stroudsburg. But on the flip side, I've also seen some real junk sell for more than they were ever worth, usually in bidding though. I simply default to eBay because I have more experience with it, and it seems like one of the quicker ways to sell off the truck.

But thank you for your input, you make a fair point and I'll certainly take it into consideration when I do decide what to do with it. (:

I agree, it always seems easier to start at the high end, rather than low and end up getting less than you could have. I at first said 15k, toward 16k as well because the truck is honestly in pretty great condition for a 7 year old vehicle. KBB value, assuming I got all of the options right (not sure whether the wheels are steelies or alloys though?):

Excellent
$13,723
Very Good
$13,323
Good
$13,023
Fair
$11,948

Ebay puts things a tad differently:

"What it's Worth
Just sold on eBay Motors:
$14,725-$15,650
Kelley Blue Book Value:
$12,000-$16,650"