6G Celicas Forums

This is how my story goes. My name is Mike Kern and I live up in MA. I'm only 17 years old and I will be turning 18 in November. This is my second car because I totaled my first one in a snow storm. I'm scared as hell to drive in the snow ever since I lost control and hit a telephone pole. This is my first time ever working on a car this in-depth, and I thought it was going to be really hard to fix, but I took the challenge.
My first car was an Acura Legend. I loved the car for the way it drove. It was just very comfortable and there were a lot of features to the car. That's mainly because it was a luxury car back in the day. The suspension I didn't like because if I took an off ramp at 40mph, the car would nearly tip over because the suspension was that loose. It got up and going very fast, that's because it's a V6 and had 200hp.
My Acura Legend went from this:


To this:

I sold it to some guy for $550 or $500. Not bad I guess.
Then I saved up over a month or two and found this baby on Craigslist for $1500.

^Only upgrade I had in that picture was the aftermarket fogs.
I got the seller down to $1200 so I think it was a steal!
Originally, I was skeptical about getting it cause of the rust, but when I drove it, I knew she was a winner.
My dad didn't want me to get a coupe cause they are not great in the snow, but he could tell I really wanted it.
I had her for a few months, about 4 to 5 I'll say, and I didn't do any upgrades at all to her.
Then, one lovely day on my way to work, disaster struck...


At first, my mom and dad were telling me to scrap her, and I was like no.
I told them about this forum, and how there are so many useful resources, and that I know I can rebuild the front end of her.
So I did, whether they doubted I could do it or not.
It started off with the tear down, which was oh so very fun.




At one point I can say I had a reverse opening hood haha


After that I just kept tearing her down more and more.



Eventually, I got a new window installed and it was free cause insurance covered it.


Then I acquired this bad boy from a guy in Mansfield for $450!



Finally, the two Celicas meet face to semi face lol



I had originally gone to the junk yard to slowly get parts for my car. That is why the red radiator support is on.
Soon after I got the Silver Celica. I spent about $200 there so my total came to $650 for everything.
Slowly, but surely, the swap started progressing!




Just did some mocking up to make sure it was going to be ok.



I got a new exhaust and intake with the car as well!

^Installed

^Not installed yet.

Some pictures of me cutting out the radiator support on the Silver Celica.









Some pictures of me lining the radiator support up onto my car!




I bolted down the radiator support, on both of the sides by the fenders with two bolts and on both the middle legs with a good amount of bolts as well.
I started installing some more parts on the front end little by little.



I also replaced the fuse box cover because it had a decent size hole in it from the crash.



Here is how the front of the car is as of right now. I don't have any recent pictures, but I'll be getting some soon
In the picture the front bumper and hood are just mocked up, nothing is bolted down.




I have some goodies coming my way right now so I'll put them up as I receive them!
Right now I'm saving up for a paint job. I am hoping that will happen in late October or early November.
I'm looking to just get a Midnight Black, but Manny said he might be able to throw a small amount of Blue Pearl in it so it glistens in the sun
I'll keep you all updated!

What I'm so pumped for is that I just convinced my dad that a manual swap will probably cost less than getting tires for the 18" rims off my parts car. WIN!
So that will go down this spring as well as swap out the 5s from the parts car (126k) into my car (214k).
I would love to save for a 3s over the winter, but I think that just learning how to drive stick on an N/A car will be easier.

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Jan 31, 2013 - 8:14 PM

I think I'm just getting old then because sometimes I'm just sick of shifting and like a comfortable safe luxourious car

so i got around to getting my first lesson today.
It wasn't that bad, I only stalled it once lol but other than that it wasn't that bad at all

You should practice on an incline. If you can master that. You don't have to worry about anything else.

+1 when i was leaning to drive a standard trans, i didn't stall it till i got to an incline. well, incline + angry drivers behind me + getting nervous = stall..

ya the incline will def b ur test mike. if you can do that then you will b golden. and if you find urself nervous and in traffic on a hill and ur at a stop just pull ur ebrake up and slowly release it as you go. my uncle told me that but i never had to do it but it would work.

and i think im might pick up another celi myself for a DD/winter beater prob a auto tho so i ca relax sometimes lol i learned this weekend, manuel, plus 3 o'lock highway traffic, then 5 o'clock highway traffic sucks asss and i hate it haha .. but everything else 5spd is where its at haha

Well, im gonna beat a dead horse here and agree with the incline thing, your gonna roast your clutch a few times but after that everything else is a breeze.... and yeah traffic in a stick suuuuuhhhhks

Well the car I'm using to learn manual is the blue one I got from celicaboston. I'm only learning it in my neighborhood cause it's not legally registered (just throwing my plate on the rear) and driving it around lmao. My neighborhood is pretty big, and almost in the middle of no where, and it has a decent size incline in the back of it, it's not overly huge, but i think it would work for learning on an incline.

Being about the same situation wise I believe my two cents may be relevant here (:

I literally learned it after driving it in probably a week. Not saying I mastered it that fast but I could get around. My dad rode with me once to tell me what to do and after that it was all me. Chill, learn where the clutch unengages to pedal match (incorrect term) on hills and pretend it's a really slow racecar you'd hate to wreck. Which after 2 I bet you feel the same way I do lol

As for the hours thing on the last page I figured I'd get stuff done once I had a job. 29 hours last week with Sunday off... So I guess I don't get money AND time haha

Happy shifting amigo

EXACTLY how I learned.

Other than getting going, I'm perfectly fine with driving manual. I only got to do it for less than an hour cause a cop just happened to roll by in my neighborhood (there's been a ton a break-ins around the area) so they're on patrol more.

Up shifting and down shifting is easy enough, after a few more times I'm going to work on heel toeing while downshifting to make it smoother. I'm probably going to sit in the car tomorrow after school and just learn the pattern cause I shifted from 1st to 4th once and from 2nd to 5th, but it's no biggy. Just like anything else in life, it's a learning process

lol wait until ur rolling along pretty good and u shift 4th to 3rd instead of 5th haha that will bug u out a lil.

Heel-toe shifting is pointless unless you're autocrossing the car or something. Downshifting is easier than upshifting because you don't have to worry about the gas pedal. Just let out of the clutch a little bit slower and you're golden.

Ahh, I seeeeee

Just to give you guys some food for though of what's going on in the spring.

2 words x4 sentences in descending order:
Sequential lights.
Tranny swap.
JDM lights.
Paint job.

got my key in today from ebay, it looks really nice

Something that helped me learn stick was going on an extremely slight downhill incline and give the car no gas and just let the clutch out extremely slowly so you can feel exactly where the engage point is. Then start doing the same thing but giving it gas and letting the clutch out a little bit faster. Then just practice.

Manual is definitely the way to go. I've never had an auto, and until I lose function of my legs, won't have one unless its a truck towing my cars to the track, haha.

There is one basic problem with sequential tail lights. The idea seems cool until you take a good look at your tail lights. Mustangs have 3 red lights per side. A Celica has two red lights and an amber turn signal. So you're either going to be flashing different colored lights or else you're just turning one of your tail lights into a turn signal. Which means one light on, the other flashing. You can accomplish this far more easily by simply unplugging your bulbs in the back and using the wire for the turn signal in a brake light hole.

Do the tranny swap first!!!

First things first, I agree completely.

Who said anything about the tail lights being sequential? Muhuhahaha
(but that would be a good idea)

And the tranny swap will probably be first anyway

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Dec 25, 2010 - 10:15 PM

Touche. Explain?