6G Celicas Forums

So... after much teeth gnashing and hair pulling I finally installed the TRD/Tom's cluster. I made the wonderful discovery that a standard 3S-GE tachometer will NOT work with the BEAMS motor and that you not only need to swap the gauge, but the face too so that you don't end up with all black with a white tach >.< *sigh* well it works now and the blue LEDs light up and match the rest of the interior quite nicely...finally!

...installed my free GT-4 rear strut bar and covers

Yeah me either on the TRD auto cluster. It seems like the Tom's bezel was a Toyota readily available aftermarket accessory too. (Pic taken from the owners manual)

just rolled to 94,400Km (around 58,00mi)

So it is a little late and it is not really a Christmas present per se but hey, it was FREE! What I mean was that we got some cars in for extrication at the fire pit and when I went there to do some stuff not related I noticed a Celica sitting there that had a TRD sticker on the side and such but looked kinda worse for wear. Well I opened the trunk and found a treasure!



Yes, it is sad no leather cover but oh well.

Then I looked inside and found another treasure! but sadly that was all the goodies I could find. Talked to our training guy and he said I could have them no probs since they were going to cut the car up anyway.



Woot! not only a TRD cluster but a Tom's carbon fiber surround too!

LMAO, only in Japan do you get this kinda stuff from cars that are going to be used for training.

Just chiming in...

Here in Okinawa where there is no real freeway longer than 80km(ish) I do mostly city driving. Couple that with a heavy foot at times and my MPG isn't so hot. For a 98 BEAMS with an auto tranny and just an intake, over the last 8 months, I averaged 21.6 MPG!

actually that is how you are supposed to apply it. just us e a VERY small amount on a rag and let it dry for at least 24 hours. I used 3 coats myself and it took a while to completely dry but looks great and is holding up very well. Just remember a little goes a long way and if you use too much it will take FOREVER to dry!

So I took this from my post on a scooter forum (yes I have a 250CC scooter; it makes sense here in Japan!). I figured this will apply to any plastics that are not painted that you want to bring back to make look new and can obviously apply to more than just cars and scooters!

QUOTE:

Okay so I guess it is not really a question but more of an answer that I could not find a proper place to put it in *sigh* so please move it as needed.

Anyway, for those who want more of a permanent fix to dry, faded plastic that armor-all or other short-term expensive chemicals, here you go! I did some research and was a little leery in trying this since there was not much actual usage of the idea but I figured, what the heck, and boy I'm glad I did! The solution I used was the infamous 40% boiled linseed oil and 60% paint thinner. So far after three coats it has dried completely and has been out in the elements with no problems. I live in Okinawa where the acid/salt rain, onshore salty breeze, jet exhaust, and harsh sun will eat the crap out of plastic; I will make sure to post updates on how well and for how long it lasts. This is more of a sealant than a plain "make look good" solution so I think it should last a great deal longer than anything else out there!

All right, enough of my talking, here is the proof of transformation!

BEFORE:



AFTER:



COMPARISON PICS:

I guess I can add to this thread fo the sake of more information..

this is the ebay intake setup (yeah it's not the greatest but I'm cheap, lol):



Using a ****ty caliper to measure out 73.5mm:



and this is where it sits inside. Sorry can't measure the distance since it sits too far down the piping:



so, yeah...

Thanks for the info Rsuty. I may have to play with the height since I am running 17" rims with the same size tread-wall as you atm. On the damper is that clicks starting from far right or far left?

So I finally broke down and splurged. I went ahead and got me a set of TEINs. With the horrible yen rate what it is, they cost me a little over $1,800. I wasn't sure about it but when I found out that TEIN is discontinuing the pillow-top mounts (they have officially stopped making them this year) as well as possibly the entire set-up in the future, I wanted to grab these up ASAP. Lucky no shipping for me, just went to the parts store, ordered them with the customer service rep, waited a week for them to come from mainland, and Voila! See pics below, lol.

Sadly, they will have to wait for me to put them on until I put my car through JCI inspection (they are pretty strict when it comes to aftermarket) later this month but after that I will be golden! Yes I will make sure to post before and after pics.

on a side note, people who run TEIN (the JP ones) what do you guys have the height and dampening set at? I may get the EDFC later down the road but for now it will all be hand adjusted.







Some of the random stuff that was packed in. See that little bottle? It's a rust preventive spray, lol!

I've searched, don't worry and I wasn't trying to hijack your thread, my bad

It sounded like you had a great steal of the set for only 38 till I saw how much you paid for shipping, ouch! At least they will look good though and I will be interested in seeing how your car turns out, keep it up man.

*edit* never-mind, answered my own questions. good luck with the sale!

that's the biggest one, gettting it registered, grats on getting it done! no issues with getting a VIN and all that I take it? nice! *sigh* I hope Oregon is as lax...

man all this talk about importing and such yet sadly never any concrete info. I'm just chillin here in Japan with my BEAMS itching to go back to the states with no good leads on how to make it happen. I guess It is a little different bringing a running car back and not a clip or parts car >.<

the reason they junk low mileage cars is that as the age of a car increases as well as the mileage, the JCI (which is the Japanese safety inspection) price increases. It is easy for a fairly low mileage car that's older to have a JCI cost of over $2000 US just based on age, mileage, and condition. And when JCI is done every 2 years, it really isn't cost worthy.

On a side note, why are most cars low mileage? Most Japanese use public transportation and long distance trips in cars is not that popular (gas prices are high and the fact the whole country is about the same size as California).

Here is my intake, i think it works gret and didn't have to spend tons extra to make it work (just 4 bucks for a 3 inch to 3 inch silicone adapter since the one that came with was 2.5 to 3 inch, lol)

*note* sorry for tha bad pic, I'm too lazy to take a close-up of it ATM

yeah I know, I noticed things disappearing a little faster than normal in the JY's

as for the red button, when you press and hold it, you can shift the transmission into any gear even when the car does not have the keys in it.

Hey that's my steering wheel! (not not really I just have teh same one) and all cars, once junked have the airbags detonated here in Japan for, yes, safety reasons.

Mine is an auto and still a blast to drive (I usually just auto-stick it since they made the tranny able to do so anyway). But I'm more thinking....GREAT, another person to compete for parts with...

*edit* oh and for an intake, I use one from a late 90's 4runner and it works great, but just had to get a proper sized silicone adapter.

sure, link a video that I can't watch in Japan >.< lol!

^ I agree. Crutchfield is good and has nice stuff but a little spendy. Sonixelectronics is a great site, good prices and LOTS of selection and I have purchased a a fair amount from them and they ship to APO's and fairly quickly as well.

They look nice but yeah, I'd rather have safety over looks, besides, I like my motorized ones better anyway

I am also interested in the different coilover set-ups since I am in Japan and can order the Tein directly (with the included pillow-top mounts) but would like to know if there are other better options from those who have hands-on opinions. And no, I'm not trying to go cheap but quality is more important to me.

lookin' good, can't wait to see it on the road again!