3SGE Beams powered Celica, Her replacement has arrived Options

[S8S8]

I've had my Celica since 2005. It's a ZR model which was released in Australia with the 5SFE engine. The ZR came with a few nice little extras like the leather wheel and gear knob, airbag, ABS, cruise control etc. I wish it had the sunroof, but unfortunately the original owner was too tight to tick the option box!

My current plans are to build a car that I can enjoy on the weekends and take out to the occasional track day. I used to have an AE86 JDM Levin that I took to the track, so I'd really love to get back into that.

I toyed with the idea of selling it and buying a later model WRX or EVO, but I reckon for less than $10,000 I can build a car that might not be a rocket ship, but will definitely be good fun.

I'm not really into the visual side of things, so most of the work will be around making the car more fun and enjoyable to drive.

Current mods:

• 18" wheels
• Lowered springs

Planned mods:

• 3SGE Beams conversion (done)
• SS-II twin piston brakes (done)
• SS-II instrument cluster (done)
• SS-II leather steering wheel (done)
• JDM auto climate control (done)
• GT4 front end (done - but needs paint)
• GT4 rear strut brace (done)
• JDM tails (done)
• JDM projectors (done)
• Bigger exhaust to suit the Beams (done)
• BC Racing coilovers (done)
• Sportier front seats

Here's a couple of pics back when the wheels were new:









Looking forward to starting the Beams conversion and I'll probably be asking plenty of questions on here!

Cheers
Shane.

This post has been edited by S8S8: Jan 19, 2017 - 6:46 PM

[THE20V]

hey, good looking Celica, looks clean.
Its good to see more Aussie cars on here. Do you mind me asking how much you picked up the Beams for? Do you even need a Engineers Certificate? I wouldn't think so, cause you're actually downsizing the motor and its still NA. Keep us posted with your progress.

[S8S8]

I purchased my engine today, woo! It arrives on Monday and then the fun begins. It cost me $2,750 plus $200 for shipping from the Gold Coast to Brisbane.

Unfortunately it's the earlier non-LSD model, which is a shame, but at least I could use that fact to bargain them down a extra couple of hundred! I had found an LSD model elsewhere, but they wanted $1,000 more and it was just the engine + box + loom.

The bigger brakes (I think they're bigger?) look to be in good condition and the instrument cluster is also perfect, so there are a few extra goodies I should be able to swap over.

Here's a couple of pics:

[njccmd2002]

sweet find......

[Batman722]

what year do you think it is ?
I think it's atleat a 97, which should have helical LSD. Take a post a pic of the name plate on the firewall (it's in the 2nd pic) and the brakes.

This post has been edited by Batman722: Mar 16, 2011 - 10:30 PM

[BonzaiCelica]

oo very nice!!

[S8S8]

what year do you think it is ?
I think it's atleat a 97, which should have helical LSD. Take a post a pic of the name plate on the firewall (it's in the 2nd pic) and the brakes.

Not sure what year it is, but the trans code is S54-06A which is non-LSD right? The model code is E-ST202-BLMVF.

The clip is still at their warehouse, but I'll take a pic of the plate and brakes when it arrives on Monday.

Cheers

[Rusty]

Yes, SS-II with BEAMS

SS-II is (E-ST202-BLMVF)
5 speed manual non lsd (S54-06A) the difference is the A & the D, the D refer to the LSD model of transmission.

anyway...... Welcome to 6GC.net ....... and to the 3S-GE family , hope you have fun with your build, quite a few members have swapped a beams if you run into any problems or need help, (although you should find it easier being RHD compared to LHD)

[Batman722]

Rusty beat me to it, SS-II w/o lsd

Clip looks clean

[CelicaZR]

Nice mate
Will be keeping an eye on this one

[PL-41-ER]

Very nice ride. It is good to see more Aussies on here
Good luck with your project. I hope it all goes well.

[S8S8]

Thanks guys.

Just finished reading the great thread on the 7th gen short shift, so I've ordered an ebay kit which should arrive next week.

Also decided that I'm going to try and swap the climate control from the clip into my car. Reading a few of the threads on the forums it seems to be quite an involved job, but at least I know I'll have all the right parts.

Really looking forward to starting on the conversion.

[S8S8]

The cut (or clip as you guys in the US call them) was supposed to arrive today, but now won't arrive until tomorrow. Doesn't really matter since I won't be starting work until next week anyway.

I thought I might have dramas getting a replacement timing belt, but I called my local Toyota dealer, quoted part number 13568-80015 and he said he'd have one available tomorrow! Not bad considering the Beams was never sold here in Australia.

Looking at steering wheel options now...

[Cuts_the_Pilot]

Good job mate, look forward to the results

[S8S8]

Thanks man. I love your GT4, very nice!

I finally succumbed and bought a set of JDM tails. They will be the only visual mod to my car other than the wheels which I've had for ages.

[S8S8]

The cut arrived today!

First of all I have to thank the towie who delivered it. He went out of his way to get the cut inside my garage without the use of a forklift or anything else besides his truck and our muscle! Thanks champ.

Nothing much to share at this stage besides some pics, as the real work doesn't start until this weekend.

Here's Mr Beams checking out his new home for the first time...



And little red eyeing off Mr Beams...



Do the carpets match the drapes? They will soon!



I'll be swapping over the cluster and probably the silver panels, I have a new centre for the leather wheel ordered, and I'm going to have a crack at transfering the climate control over too.



Fun times ahead.

This post has been edited by S8S8: Mar 22, 2011 - 2:19 AM

[Cuts_the_Pilot]

shame the airbag has gone off, they are a cool looking OE wheel

[S8S8]

shame the airbag has gone off, they are a cool looking OE wheel

I picked up a new centre piece and airbag for $80, so the wheel will be good as new in it's new home.

[SwissFerdi]

LAL @ carpet matching the drapes. Nicely done. That's a great steering wheel indeed, perforated leather and red stitching is madly tasty.

Best of luck with the swap, I'm eager for more progress.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Mar 23, 2011 - 11:32 AM

[S8S8]

Some slow progress is happening...

I ordered a bunch of engine parts from Toyota, just the usual things like water pump, thermostat, timing belt etc. Also managed to score a new Beams badge which will probably make its way onto the back of the car.

After trying to track down an engine crane I found that the cost to buy one was about the same as hiring one for two weeks! So I just bought one.

I also realised that the front calipers are twin piston, so they will be getting swapped over as well.

Most of the cut is stripped out now, so I just need to pull the engine out and get started on the maintenance.

[S8S8]

More progress!

After having a little difficulty pulling the Beams out of the clip I ended up dropping the engine out from underneath instead. It worked a treat, but I managed to smash one of the plastic plugs on the throttle body. Oops... I'll take a pic tomorrow during daylight. Hopefully the replacement plug isn't too expensive.

So anyway the engine is out and tomorrow I'll get started on the maintenance side of things, then it will be the turn of the 5SFE to come out from it's comfy home.

Getting back to those extra parts I ordered from Toyota, I called them yesterday to see if they were in yet (there should have arrived on Monday) and the guy said there was no record of my order! He didn't sound to helpful, but said he'd look into it and get back to me. I felt a little let down by my beloved Toyota, but just ten minutes later the guy called back and said he could have the parts for me tomorrow (today) and he'd give them to me for trade price. Thanks Toyota!

Okay now I have a couple of questions:

1. The Beams is currently still attached to the sub frame and sitting on my garage floor. My mate reckons we should use the same method to install it into my car, by just lifting the body up and over the engine, then just bolting the sub frame into place.

Is this the best option? Is there an easier way to pull the 5SFE out of my car, then detach the Beams from its sub frame and drop into my car? It seems like this is the way more people go with.

2. I read elsewhere on the forum that the correct clutch combo was a 3SGE pressure plate, 3SGE or 5SFE disk and 5SFE throw out bearing. I went to my local clutch guy and we looked at the part numbers, and he reckoned the complete kit for the 3SGE would work. Does that sound right? Well that's what I've got, so I guess we'll see if it works.

Thanks

This post has been edited by S8S8: Apr 1, 2011 - 3:57 AM

[njccmd2002]

the clutch combo thing, is only for us U.S.A. guys, we dont have those parts here. Aussie received some Rav4s with beams, you have access to this, which is great...

to anwer your engine question thing, there are more than 3 ways to skin a cat...., whatever works for you... in my case i used a engine hoist...

[Rusty]

Wouldn't it be easier to swap everything over (the engine, gearbox, axles and brakes) It should make your job for finding/getting the right parts in the future simpler?

[S8S8]

the clutch combo thing, is only for us U.S.A. guys, we dont have those parts here. Aussie received some Rav4s with beams, you have access to this, which is great...

I'm 99.99% sure that we didn't get a Beams powered Rav4 in Australia. There may be some converted ones around, and maybe even some grey imports, but definitely not local models.

But anyway, hopefully all is fine.

Wouldn't it be easier to swap everything over (the engine, gearbox, axles and brakes) It should make your job for finding/getting the right parts in the future simpler?

For sure, that's what I've been planning all along. That being the case, I guess coming up from underneath is going to be the best bet.

Progress

The engine and clip are now finally separated. Lifting the cut on my own was trickier than expected, but it's done now and all I broke was the TPS which hopefully won't be too expensive to replace.

I really need to find my camera charger so I can take some decent pics instead of these iPhone pics.

Here's the body, still suspended after being lifted over the engine. As you can see, I didn't quite get the balance right... in fact I got it completely wrong! This meant I had to muscle the body around rather than lifting straight up over the engine.



I was very happy to finally see an empty engine bay...



And even happier to see my new engine free from it's old home and ready for some much deserved maintenance...



This post has been edited by S8S8: Apr 2, 2011 - 7:43 PM

[S8S8]

More questions...

1. Removing the gearbox. As you can see in my last pic, the engine and gearbox are still attached to the sub frame. I'm taking the gearbox off to replace the clutch, and so far I've removed all of the bolts that go from the box to the block but I'm unsure about what happens with the axles. I assume I have to remove the axle from the front of the engine in order to remove the box? Are there any other tips to removing the box? Some guidance here would be appreciated.

2. Removing the crank pulley bolt. I've Googled and found plenty of different methods, but most of them relate to having the engine still in the car and being able to put the car in gear. With my engine and box sitting on the floor and in neutral, are there any tips or tricks to getting the bolt loosened?

Any help with these two questions would be very much appreciated.

[Euphoria]

I wouldn't of thought you'd have to take axles out but it would make it easier, haven't done it on the celica so can't be much help.

Have you tried a rattle gun on the pulley? should come straight off.

[Rusty]

Congrates but, how long were the front brakes sitting like that?

and for the TPS quick check gets me... $78 or $110ish AUD

89452 SENSOR, THROTTLE POSITION (FOR E.F.I.)
89452-20130 (ST202..CV, SS2, SS3) 1 $81.57
89452-22090 (ST202, 205..CV, GT4, SS2, SS3) 1 $114.64

If I remember correctly one TPS has 3 wires the other has 4?

[S8S8]

I wouldn't of thought you'd have to take axles out but it would make it easier, haven't done it on the celica so can't be much help.

Have you tried a rattle gun on the pulley? should come straight off.

Oh yeah, looking again I can see that there's just a bracket which attaches the block to the axle. With that gone I should be fine. I've changed gearboxes and engines in rear wheel drive cars, but never front drive. RWD is much easier I think!

I have a compressor and rattle gun here, but the mate I borrowed it from didn't leave one of the parts, and now he's away for a few days. I'll give it a shot when he returns.

Congrates but, how long were the front brakes sitting like that?

and for the TPS quick check gets me... $78 or $110ish AUD

89452 SENSOR, THROTTLE POSITION (FOR E.F.I.)
89452-20130 (ST202..CV, SS2, SS3) 1 $81.57
89452-22090 (ST202, 205..CV, GT4, SS2, SS3) 1 $114.64

If I remember correctly one TPS has 3 wires the other has 4?

Brakes were sitting like that for a while... I'm guessing that your concern means it's a bad thing to leave them hanging? I wasn't too concerned, as I'll be using the lines from my car anyway. Are there any other issues with them hanging?

Thanks for the info on the TPS. The cost is a little higher than I was hoping, but not the end of the world. Mine is the 20130 part number, which Toyota has thoughtfully printed on the part. This one has 3 wires.

This post has been edited by S8S8: Apr 3, 2011 - 5:29 AM

[S8S8]

No work on the Celica yesterday, instead I was lucky enough to spend the day at the Porsche Sport Driving School.

It was a great day, with the highlight being the 911 Turbo. 473hp and 0-100kph in 3.7s is simply awesome. Coming out of the corners with that much power going though the tyres is a LOT of fun!

Here's me getting out of the GT3 after a few laps. It doesn't have the power of the turbo, but the handling is unreal. The full cage and harnesses makes it feel like more of a race car too.



Driving my Celica home was a bit of a let down to be honest!

Back to reality now...

This post has been edited by S8S8: Apr 4, 2011 - 9:29 PM

[S8S8]

After a few weeks away I made some really good progress over the weekend.

The old engine is out of my car, and I can't tell you how happy I am to see that dirty old Camry engine out. It should never have been in a Celica to start with!

Here's the state of my garage earlier this weekend, with my one and a half Celicas.



I've finished most of the maintenance on the Beams, with the timing belt, water pump and thermostat done. The new clutch kit is almost ready to go, but I just have to get the flywheel machined first.

Once I get the flywheel done and order a new TPS (which I broke earlier in the process) I should be on the home straight and ready to get the Beams into its new home.

Should be on the road next weekend, fingers crossed!

[delusionz]

your donor clip has ABS too if your car didn't have it

[S8S8]

your donor clip has ABS too if your car didn't have it

Mine did have ABS, but there are a few other goodies to swap over.

I'm picking up my newly machined flywheel later this morning, then the box will go back on and hopefully the engine will be in within the next couple of days.

I installed my JDM tails over the weekend too. I'm not usually keen on cosmetic mods like this, but I have to say I'm really happy with the results! The 6G has such a modern look for its age, but there are some little things that give away its age, such as the crumby looking orange tails. The JDM tails give it a much more modern and fresh look, and are definitely worth the money. I don't think I'll ever go projectors, but you never know...





PS. That's not my real plate, just photoshopped half of it to hide my top secret identity...

This post has been edited by S8S8: Apr 17, 2011 - 7:46 PM

[BonzaiCelica]

just to confirm something, can you take of a picture of the hole in your transmission. Since we all know you don't have Helical LSD, I just need you to snap a pic of that hole that you put your axles through. If I'm not mistaken, if you should have a small bar inside the differential which means you have an open differential, but pics will confirm it much better. please and thank you!!

[S8S8]

just to confirm something, can you take of a picture of the hole in your transmission. Since we all know you don't have Helical LSD, I just need you to snap a pic of that hole that you put your axles through. If I'm not mistaken, if you should have a small bar inside the differential which means you have an open differential, but pics will confirm it much better. please and thank you!!

No problem. I assume this is the small bar you're referring to:



I have the flywheel and clutch assembly back on the engine now, but getting the gearbox back on is proving to be quite difficult. Does anyone have any tips for getting it back in place? I've been told it's a much easier job with two people.

In the meantime I'm installing my 7th gen quick shift kit.

[S8S8]

IT'S IN!

Finally got the gearbox on, and everything else was pretty easy after that.



Now the fun starts with the wiring. From what I've read on 6GC the wiring should be almost plug and play, with a few changes required for the cruise control. Is that correct?

[BonzaiCelica]

nice work! cruise control on the beams really, I took mine off its your weekend car right, take off the cruise control it keeps the engine bay much tidier but thats my opinion.

[njccmd2002]

i took mine off too actually.

[S8S8]

nice work! cruise control on the beams really, I took mine off its your weekend car right, take off the cruise control it keeps the engine bay much tidier but thats my opinion.

Hmmm. I don't use my cruise too often, but it is handy to have on the highway. I'll go without for now and see if I miss it enough to reinstall.

That could work out well actually, because I was going to have to cut into the side of my new leather three spoke wheel (which is a non-cruise wheel) but this will save me the hassle.

[BonzaiCelica]

grr. I envy you right now. I'm having the same problem you had before, I can not line up the transmission properly so that I can mount it back onto the block of the engine!!!

[S8S8]

grr. I envy you right now. I'm having the same problem you had before, I can not line up the transmission properly so that I can mount it back onto the block of the engine!!!

Envious about the 3 spoke wheel? Yeah, that's one of the good things about getting the full clip, all the little goodies like the JDM steering wheel and dash parts. Mine has red stitching too, which is very nice.

With the gearbox, a mate and I spent an hour trying to get it on without any luck, then last night night I tried it on my own and it went straight on! I think we were just trying too hard, you need to relax and just let it slide on. Mine stopped around 10mm from the block, then I started threading the bolts in which pulled it all together.

Today was a day of major frustration! After getting the engine in place as per my previous post, I was talking to an ex-mechanic mate of mine who asked me a bunch of questions...

Did you do this?

Yes.

Did you do that?

Yes.

Did you slide the steering column back into the rack...?

Fu@#!

So I had to undo everything and drop the engine back down an inch or two so I could fix the steering. Talk about annoying! To make matters worse, after getting everything lined up so easily the first time, the second attempt was a nightmare. Very frustrating...

Anyway things are looking good now and I should be ready for the first engine start sometime tomorrow. There's still plenty to do, but I can definitely see light at the end of the tunnel.

[TRDGT4]

sweet work there mate, you will be stoked once you are out cruising again!!

[BonzaiCelica]

damn sorry to hear that. No i was envious of you being able to install the transmission so easily. I tried last night for 3 hrs but had no luck. but No I don't envy you, i just wish you the best of luck getting everything back on again. Ya I've had my car for 3 months and still haven't felt the power of the beams engine. So I know how you feel.

[Euphoria]

Awsome that someone in Australia has finally done this! wish you lived closer and It could be some motivation for me to do the same! cars looking awsome too, nice to see the right tails are finally on there .

That GT3 would of been unreal, I hate getting in ridiculous cars then getting back in the celica, its death lol.

[S8S8]

sweet work there mate, you will be stoked once you are out cruising again!!

Thanks mate. I love your GT4, definitely one of my favourite cars on here.

damn sorry to hear that. No i was envious of you being able to install the transmission so easily. I tried last night for 3 hrs but had no luck. but No I don't envy you, i just wish you the best of luck getting everything back on again. Ya I've had my car for 3 months and still haven't felt the power of the beams engine. So I know how you feel.

Oh right, yeah well I'm sure the box will slide on for you eventually. I have other issues now with starting, so I too am yet to feel the Beams power!

Awsome that someone in Australia has finally done this! wish you lived closer and It could be some motivation for me to do the same! cars looking awsome too, nice to see the right tails are finally on there .

That GT3 would of been unreal, I hate getting in ridiculous cars then getting back in the celica, its death lol.

Thanks man. There must be more Beams powered 6th gens in Australia, but I can't seem to find any on the various forums like Toymods etc. I know of two 5th gens with Beams though.

Yeah the GT3 was awesome, but I still prefer the 911 Turbo for its brute power.

[S8S8]

The engine is now fully installed, but I can't get the thing to start!

The engine turns over, but won't fire. We're pretty sure the problem is the fuel pump, as there is no fuel pressure. The relay on the ECU is operating, so the issue seems to be somewhere between there and the fuel pump. It was working fine with my old 5SFE just last week, so I'm sure it must be a wiring issue rather than an issue with the pump itself.

There are issues with the dash wiring too. I thought I had read it was pretty much plug and play besides the cruise control, but I can confirm that is not the case here! I installed the instrument cluster from the clip, but nothing works properly. The door ajar light comes on when I flash the high beams, the handbrake light comes on when I indicate, and the dash lights don't work at all.

So now I'm thinking the best course of action is to fit the whole interior wiring loom from my clip, and that way surely everything will work fine. Having read through the threads on removing the whole dash it sounds like a pretty big job, but it should solve the fiddly work of rewiring everything. This should also make the job of installing the JDM climate control easier, as I can just do the whole lot all at the same time.

[BonzaiCelica]

ha yes sir removing the dashboard is one helk of an annoying job. Well good to see your making progress keep at it man. Your almost there.

[delusionz]

Yeah swapping over the interior wiring and everything will probably be the best course of action for you, it may even get your fuel pump working

that includes all the electrics in behind the 2 kick panels aswell and the interior fuse box

the plug behind the steering wheel will save you from buying that adaptor loom also

and good thinking on that climate control.


-----


But, what will you do about that cut door wiring? I still think somewhere along the way there will be some repinning with your original interior wiring. Good luck!

This post has been edited by delusionz: Apr 24, 2011 - 5:16 AM

[S8S8]

I swapped over both interior looms today, what a fun job... Things are looking much better in terms of the right dash lights coming on at the right times, but I'm still having this issue of the engine turning over but not firing.

Previously I thought the issue was with the fuel pump, so today I ran power directly to the pump and could hear it working. I tried cranking the engine at the same time, but I still had the same issue again of turning over but not firing.

I'm really struggling for ideas. I feel that I'm heading in the right direction with swapping the interior looms over, but I just can't work out why the engine won't fire. I've seen the engine start when it was still in the clip, so there really should be no excuses now.

But, what will you do about that cut door wiring? I still think somewhere along the way there will be some repinning with your original interior wiring. Good luck!

The door wiring seems to be working fine. After swapping over the looms my power windows and central locking etc are all working fine. Thank goodness for that!

Whilst on the subject of doors, previously my headlights would turn off automatically when I opened the door after switching off the ignition, but now they stay on and I get a little warning tone instead. That was a surprise! I preferred the old system, but I guess it's a little bit of JDM uniqueness compared to all the other Aussie Celicas.

[S8S8]

I've been playing with the car again, but still no start. I have no spark, and I still have no fuel pressure unless I connect the fuel pump directly to the power. I've re-checked all plugs and earthing points, but I still can't work it out. Any ideas???

I'm also about half way through converting to auto climate control, which should be a nice little change.

[S8S8]

Still no luck with getting the engine running, but I'm working on it with thanks to my thread in the tech section.

I'm a bit bummed out about that, so I went out today and picked up this to lift my spirits:



Yep, a GT4 bumper. It's been stored not so well, so the gap under the grille has squashed down and the plastic supports have broken. It shouldn't be too difficult to fix, and I'll have to get it resprayed to suit my car anyway. I've also ordered a GT4 bonnet which should arrive next week.

I was a little torn on whether or not to go with the GT4 front. First of all because I liked the idea of a sleeper with my Beams engine, and secondly because my car isn't a GT4, so why make it look like something it's not? But at the end of the day, I love the look of the GT4 and have done since they were new, so stuff it I want it on my car too!

And finally here's a pick pf the dash before I installed the new climate control boxes. You don't see Celica interiors this naked very often. The wiring was all out originally as well, but I'd started reinstalling for testing purposes when this was taken.



Can't wait to get back on the road. Hopefully soon...

[S8S8]

I have accepted defeat... The mobile auto electrics bloke is visiting next week to get things sorted out. It's a shame I guess, but I really want to get this car back on the road!

In the meantime I will finish the twin piston caliper conversion and a few other bits and pieces. I've also decided to go with the silver interior panels from the SS-II donor car, but they've seen better days so I'll be giving them a fresh coat of dark silver.

[S8S8]

It's alive! The auto electrician sorted it out very quickly. Have to go now, but will post more info tomorrow.

Very happy to hear the Beams singing.

[Rusty]

Congrates on getting it going!

[S8S8]

As I expected, the problem was incredibly minor - just a loose plug and a missing fuse! I'd checked everything a million times, but I guess it takes a fresh pair of eyes to pick these things up sometimes.

I felt a bit stupid to get an auto electrician out just for that, but at least it wasn't anything major. $80 well spent I say!

Here's a quick video of the Beams in action (shot using iPhone = crap quality!). The engine sounds a bit strange at 0:53 but it's just because my finger slipped over the microphone.

http://youtu.be/ar2ZnqT0BXY

Now to put everything back together and get this thing back on the road!

[BonzaiCelica]

muhha it lives. Very nice. Almost there!!!!

[S8S8]

There are a few more little jobs to finish, but they shouldn't take too long:

• Replace drive-shaft seal
• Bleed brake lines (SS-II twin piston calipers now installed)
• Link up the exhaust (Beams mid-pipe is about a foot short of my existing exhaust)
• Replace steering wheel airbag (have a new centre ready)
• Repaint silver interior panels
• Put interior back together
• Replace both front tyres

My GT4 bonnet just arrived too. Here's a sneak peak at how she'll look with the new front end...



But for now these parts are going straight into storage. I'll wait a couple more months before I get them painted, and I don't want to drive around with mismatched panels.

[delusionz]

Lol st202. Hey I got a spare set of foggies if u need em

[S8S8]

Lol st202. Hey I got a spare set of foggies if u need em

Haha, yeah I don't think the importer knows his Celica model codes too well! I'm undecided on what to do about fogs at this stage, but I'll let you know if I go down that track.

Not a great deal of progress lately, just slowly getting everything back together.

The donor car came with silver interior panels as standard, but they were a little worn. I've repainted them in a similar dark silver, but I think I'm going to stick with the standard black anyway. This pic shows the two painted panels along with the driver's side air vent panel which is still the original silver.



I also de-badged the rear...

[Euphoria]

looking good dude! awsome that you got her started, can't wait till you get more videos up.

How were your old interior panels? I'm in need of the centre ones and I've been tossing up if I should paint them or buy them, most paint jobs I've seen have been revolting but those dark grey ones above look good, what paint did you use?

[S8S8]

looking good dude! awsome that you got her started, can't wait till you get more videos up.

How were your old interior panels? I'm in need of the centre ones and I've been tossing up if I should paint them or buy them, most paint jobs I've seen have been revolting but those dark grey ones above look good, what paint did you use?

My old interior panels were actually in better shape than the new ones. The new ones look okay in the photo, but the paint doesn't look good enough in person so I've decided to stick with the original black panels for now. I'll keep the spares and maybe give them another go later.

The paint was just auto touch-up paint purchased from Supercheap. Normally you'd probably need a plastic primer too, but I didn't because they were already painted from the factory. I definitely agree that the dark gray panels (similar to factory colour) look much better than the tacky bright silver ones out there.

Well the interior is pretty much finished now. All that's left to do is replace the steering wheel centre with a non-popped air bag.

I don't have any daytime pics, but here's a shot of the new dash cluster at night. I'm not a fan of the orange, so I may have to look into one of those LED kits and switch to blue or bright white.



And below is a pic of the auto climate control installed. I don't know why Toyota had green lights for this and orange lights for the dash, seems a bit funny to me. Anyway a matching LED kit will probably be the way to go.



I also had a look at the leaking driveshaft seal. I managed to get the axle and driveshaft out, but I can't work out how to get the rubber seal out. Any suggestions? I've posted in the tech section but I'm still waiting in hope for a reply.

[delusionz]

Awesome!

[S8S8]

The interior is finished!

Well, almost... I still need to get a new gear knob and eventually seats, but here she is for now.

Changes from standard include:

• Three spoke leather wheel (with red stitching that you can't really see in the pics)
• White face dials
• Auto climate control (along with all sensors)
• Small tray under the climate control (usually a blank panel in Aussie Celicas)

The parts all came from my SS-II clip. There were also factory silver plastics, but I decided the black looked better.

The pics...







Now to get the drive shaft seal sorted out...

[Rusty]

looking great, not long now

[S8S8]

DONE!!!

Tonight I drove the Celica out of the garage for the first time in a month!

I would have taken it out for a sneaky drive, but I want to give it a full check tomorrow morning during daylight so I can double check everything.

But very happy to have moved the car with Beams power for the first time.

Driving report to come tomorrow...

[delusionz]

You can make your climate control orange to match your dash by unscrewing the bulbs and taking off the green condoms

you can also get LED's for those but they are tricky to get, they are special bulbs built into tiny sockets rather than the norm of separating bulb and socket

Glad to hear the Beams is going great, that must be awesome compared to that 5s-fe boat anchor

[S8S8]

Not a lot of progress over the last few days, but I have taken her out for a quick drive with the new engine.

Given that my exhaust is not connected the car is obscenely loud (not in a good way) so I couldn't really do much. From the short drive I did the engine doesn't feel any different to the old 5SFE, but not taking the revs over 5,000rpm probably explains that.

Next week I'll be getting the exhaust sorted out and can take it for a proper drive. At this stage I'm just glad that everything works!

[delusionz]

Yeah man, That 2.0L High compression motor should be taking on the same load as the low comp 2.2L, it should be more fuel efficient down there too. Make sure you top up with high octane petrol to really feel the difference.

You should also notice sharper throttle response at the tip of the pedal too?

Once that VVT-i opens up though, at the point where your 5S-FE started to pick up pace and then fall flat, your 3S-GE Beams will pull harder and harder towards the extended redline.

This post has been edited by delusionz: May 16, 2011 - 10:26 PM

[Euphoria]

Did you sort that seal out? theres a special tool for prizing wheel bearing and axle seals, makes life alot easier!

[BonzaiCelica]

the difference between putting 100 ron (which is what the beams takes in order to push out its full 197 hp) vs putting 95 ron is quite a lot for a N/A vehicle. This has not been tested in any way or dynoed for that matter, but it feels like you lose about 5-6hp with the crummy 95 ron fuel. The best we carry In California is 95 ron so sometimes when I'm carrying extra cash with me I like to mix 4-5 gallons at most of 100 octane race fuel to obtain a 100 ron mixture of gas.

[S8S8]

I've just had the new exhaust fitted. It's a 2.25" system with a high-flow cat and straight through muffler.

So now I've had a bit more time to experience the Beams, and I have to say... I'm disappointed.

I'd have thought a power increase of almost 50% would be very noticeable, but it's not. Even driving in the 6-7k rpm range it doesn't feel that special. I think last time I filled up was on standard fuel, but even with the 5-6hp difference that Bonzai pointed out with higher octane fuel, I hardly think I'll be massively impressed.

Now I'm kind of regretting not going the 3SGTE path instead, but hopefully I can get the Beams running better and look forward to some more enjoyable driving.

Did you sort that seal out? theres a special tool for prizing wheel bearing and axle seals, makes life alot easier!

Yep, I ended up buying the proper tool and it came straight out.

[BonzaiCelica]

Im on the same boat my motor is not fully at 100% but its still fun nonetheless. Get some dyno runs in and ull know if u have all the 197 hp at the crank. It shud conver to 169 whp

[Rusty]

I suggest getting it dynoed. the 197BHP was the claim/selling point in reality could be less.

Someone has dynoed a stock redtop BEAMS engine, and made 154WHP (115KW). However with people swapping and adding mods, it can vary from 145WHP - 170WHP (108KW - 126KW)

[delusionz]

If you're used to driving fast (turbocharged) cars alot, 5S-FE to 3S-GE wont feel all that special, but if 5S-FE is all you've known, 3S-GE should be amazing. Well atleast when I went from 3S-FE to Gen3 3S-GE, the other side of the tacho's 4 marker was amazing and unlike anything I had prior.

This post has been edited by delusionz: May 24, 2011 - 2:53 AM

[delusionz]

There was simply power in places that were never there before, and additional power in the lower to mid range.

But definitely needs high octane fuel, otherwise the ecu will pull the timing and it'll be sluggish as before.

[Euphoria]

Have you done a compression test? I would of assumed the beams would be awsome fun, I had a 4th gen for a couple months and even though it had less power than my car as it was old it still was loads of fun to drive as it actually liked to rev and stay in the redzone, unlike the 5sfe which seems to be aimed more at low down torque and not much up high, even the first gen 3sge is a nicer motor imo.

go take some similar power to weight cars (7th gen, renault clio, prelude vti-r etc) to see how they compare and maybe you won't feel so bad, I know when I get in my car after driving my dads clio it feels pathetic, feels similar to mine down low until you hit 4k+ haha.

[njccmd2002]

I dont know why you guys are having problems with the beams, i had no problems what soever.

The beams power is not on the 1 to 4 rpm range, it feels like a regular motor, the power starts as soon as u hit 4 rpm, you feel the engine just want more and more...

check for codes, leaks, and sensors.

beams has power, and its fun to drive.

[Cuts_the_Pilot]

I suggest getting it dynod to know if its truely down on power or are you being a bit too expectant.

[njccmd2002]

going from a 3sge non beams to a beams is not much difference.

from a 5sfe to beams is a lot

[mak5603]

Nice looking car!

I'm sorry you are disappointed with the power. I figured the beams would feel a lot like a gsr dc2 integra, and having driven a few, I know they are by no means fast. That is why I ended up opting for 3sgte.

[BonzaiCelica]

ya me going from a 7afe to a beams motor is quite a difference I say! and yes its fun to drive if your cars running at 100%. compression test should be at 198.7 psi across each cylinder.


Here are you steps:

1. Compression Test with psi being at 198.7 max for each cylinder. Make sure you disconnect the EFI Fuse or else your injectors won't throw fuel into the spark plugs. haha thats a mistake I made.
2. Make sure your timing is on par? come to think about it is there a way to know if my timing is on par??? I do not have a timing gun, but how do those work anyhow??
3. ya max output from a stock beams motor is 169whp. with your 2.25 inch exhaust your power-band will move up a bit and you'll lose a bit of midrange torque.

here are dyno results with mods to different cars/engines on the beams redtop forums

http://www.mr2.com/forums/beams-owners-gro...s-registry.html

This post has been edited by BonzaiCelica: May 24, 2011 - 8:36 PM

[S8S8]

Thanks for the tips and comments. I knew the Beams wasn't going to be a rocket ship, but I did expect a 50% increase in power to be more noticeable.

The engine revs nice and freely, and it has no problems getting to 7,000rpm pretty quickly, but it just doesn't feel as good as it should. Down low the engine is just as I expected (much the same as the 5SFE) but up high it just seems to rev without delivering a whole lot. I've owned two 4AGE powered cars, and both seemed to pull much harder in the high rev range. I would expect the Beams to behave similarly, but with even more up high thanks to the VVT-i.

Is there any way to check if the VVT-i is activating properly?

Anyway, I'll follow Bonzai's tips and get the car on a dyno. That should answer the question on whether my car is down on power or if I was just expecting too much!

[delusionz]

waaaaaaaaaBWARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[BonzaiCelica]

the compression for each cylinder should be identical. If one of your cylinders is not the same as the others, the range should only be off by 8 psi at most. That was the case for one of my cylinders

[S8S8]

I took the car out again last night, and I must say it's starting to feel a lot better. Maybe not quite up to expectations, but enough to keep me satisfied. I'll be filling her up with some high octane fuel today, so hopefully that will give the little extra that I'm looking for.

waaaaaaaaaBWARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Haha! Should it really be noticeable though? I don't feel anything different through the rev range, other than that she pulls a bit harder past 5,000rpm or so.

Is there a more technical way to check if the VVT-i is operating properly?

Also booked her in for some new tyres today, just the same 225/40/18 that she currently wears.

This post has been edited by S8S8: May 25, 2011 - 8:37 PM

[SwissFerdi]

^ You're rocking 18's, ever think that your wheels are quite heavy and therefore holding acceleration back?

[BonzaiCelica]

^ You're rocking 18's, ever think that your wheels are quite heavy and therefore holding acceleration back?

I agree, that since 7th gen celica gt-s wheels weigh in at 19 pounds the same weight must of been applied for the beams rims that are 15x7, 5 spoke white on all SS-III Celica. My guess is that the yes the weight of your current 18 inch rims are quite heavy. My guess is that your rims weigh in at 24 pounds. The current motegi ff7 16 inch rims that I have only weigh 19 pounds. Yet another factor to take into consideration.

[S8S8]

Yeah, but I had the same wheels with the 5SFE, so I should still feel the 50% power increase regardless. Plus, when I originally had the wheels fitted the car certainly didn't feel any slower. So on that basis, I'm discounting the wheels as being a major issue.

[delusionz]

I agree, so long as the rolling diameter is within tollerance levels (+/- 3%) of factory fitment (ie, 1 inch up, 5% less sidewall) then his wheels shouldn't really be slowing him down, even the worst chrome wheel is still designed to be a car wheel, not a boat anchor. the cars are heavy as is, changes like that are less proportionate to Celicas as they are to sub-1000kg rice rockets.

Like for example removing 100kg from a Celica would do more for a Celica than it would for a petrol tanker if you removed 100kgs from it (exaggerated to make the point)

Let us know how you get along with high octane, as these engines run on 100 RON in Japan, anything less will start to trip the knock sensor and the car will pull timing when you start to put your foot down. It will feel like a 5S if it starts pulling timing. You'll notice it in load points above 2500rpm and half throttle, when I had 3S-GE I always noted the difference between 91 and 95 to be great throughout the entire rev range, and the same difference again in the upper half of the rev range between 95 and 98 octanes.

[al94st]

I agree, so long as the rolling diameter is within tollerance levels (+/- 3%) of factory fitment (ie, 1 inch up, 5% less sidewall) then his wheels shouldn't really be slowing him down, even the worst chrome wheel is still designed to be a car wheel, not a boat anchor. the cars are heavy as is, changes like that are less proportionate to Celicas as they are to sub-1000kg rice rockets.

Like for example removing 100kg from a Celica would do more for a Celica than it would for a petrol tanker if you removed 100kgs from it (exaggerated to make the point)

Let us know how you get along with high octane, as these engines run on 100 RON in Japan, anything less will start to trip the knock sensor and the car will pull timing when you start to put your foot down. It will feel like a 5S if it starts pulling timing. You'll notice it in load points above 2500rpm and half throttle, when I had 3S-GE I always noted the difference between 91 and 95 to be great throughout the entire rev range, and the same difference again in the upper half of the rev range between 95 and 98 octanes.

Not necessarily true, the Celica doesn't have that much power so removing 100kg should make a fair bit of difference. I can feel a difference between 3/4 tank and 1/4 tank,b/c my 7a is a turd. But regardless, they're talking about rotational mass, which makes a much bigger difference than static. If he were to put some steelies on the car it would probably feel a sh** ton faster. Just my .02, it's irrelevant since he had the wheels before, but it would make a difference.

[S8S8]

Project update

Time for a project update and pics.

Beams engine



The engine is in and has been back on the road for about a week now. There were no major dramas with the instal, just frustrating little things along the way.

I swapped over the entire front end, including the engine, gearbox, axles, brakes, power steering rack, subframe, radiator, as well as the engine and front chasis looms.

Maintenance including replacing the clutch, waterpump, thermostat, oil filter and driveshaft seal. The engine and gearbox oil were both replaced.

The finishing touch was a new 2.25 inch exhaust with a high flow cat and straight through muffler.

SS-II brakes

The SS-II came with the same size rotors, but with twin piston calipers. The swap was basically bolt-on, but I had to use the brake hoses from the SS-II as the standard ones were too short. I also had to change one of the brake lines as the thread was stripped. It would have been much easier if I'd have done this whilst the engine was still out!

The new brakes don't feel any different on the street, but hopefully on the track they'll give a little something extra.

Auto climate control

This was one of the most painful jobs of the whole project. It wasn't difficult since everything just bolted in, but I had to strip the interior completely bare since the auto climate control uses different boxes to the standard Celica air con. This also meant changing both interior looms as well as the front chasis loom which included another sensor. Stripping the interior down to the firewall is an awful job to do!

I haven't had the gas recharged yet, so I can't confirm whether the air will work, but I can't forsee any problems. The system is working fine on the heater side (which is great since it's almost winter here in Australia) and the temperate changes with the temperate knob, as it should do.

Interior



Changes to the interior include the auto climate control, SS-II white face guage cluster and three spoke leather wheel. The airbag had gone off, but I ordered a new center on ebay which bolted straight in, and I'm happy to report that I had no issues with the airbag light. Because I'm using a 6th gen three spoke wheel and centre I didn't have to adapt any of the wiring or plugs like we have to with 7th gen wheels.

I also had a 7th gen short shift kit to go in, but I've since found that the JDM and Aussie Celicas use a slightly different setup to the USDM models, so I can't use the kit unfortauntely. The shift in this car isn't that long anyway, so I'm not too bothered.

Exterior



During the engine conversion I also ordered some JDM tails which make a nice improvment to the back. I also got rid of the badges which I'd been wanting to do for years.

I also picked up a GT4 bonnet and front bumper, but these will be sitting in the shed for a while until I'm ready to have them painted and fitted.

Updated car specs

• 1994 Celica ZR
• 3SGE Beams VVT-i
• 2.25" exhaust
• SS-II twin piston calipers
• Lowered sports springs
• 18" rims with 225/40/18 tyres
• Auto climate control
• Leather 3 spoke wheel
• SS-II white face guages
• JDM tail lights

Future plans

• GT4 front end (have the parts, just need paint)
• Coilovers (probably BC Racing)
• Front & rear strut braces
• Rear sway bar
• New front seats (racing buckets)

And that will probably be it. The only other mod I can imagine down the track is a 3SGTE conversion if I feel the need for more power.

Here's a few more pics, which thankfully are from a proper camera for the first time rather than the crap iPhone camera!

[enderswift]

nice job man. Now tell us how it feels to drive

[delusionz]

If he were to put some steelies on the car it would probably feel a sh** ton faster.

If he were to put steelies on there then the car would have massive torque steer and traction issues thus negativing any lightweight gains.

It's not a 7a, when you have torque then extra weight slows it down less. Eg he doesn't need to put his foot to the floor to cart around passengers like you would.

[S8S8]

Let us know how you get along with high octane, as these engines run on 100 RON in Japan, anything less will start to trip the knock sensor and the car will pull timing when you start to put your foot down. It will feel like a 5S if it starts pulling timing. You'll notice it in load points above 2500rpm and half throttle, when I had 3S-GE I always noted the difference between 91 and 95 to be great throughout the entire rev range, and the same difference again in the upper half of the rev range between 95 and 98 octanes.

I've filled the tank with 98 octane plus a bottle of 2.5 octane booster, so I should be sitting around 100 now. I haven't really driven it over 4,000rpm since then, so I can't say if it's made any noticable difference. I'm going for a longer drive today were I can get stuck into it a bit more.

If he were to put some steelies on the car it would probably feel a sh** ton faster. Just my .02, it's irrelevant since he had the wheels before, but it would make a difference.

I highly doubt it to be honest. Maybe on a super light weight car when comparing lap times at the track, but I doubt the average person would feel any difference on the street. When I switched from the standard 15" alloys to the current 18"s I felt no difference, so I wouldn't expect anything different if I switched back. Not on the street anyway.

nice job man. Now tell us how it feels to drive

Thanks man, I appreciate it. The car feels good, but I think my expectations of the Beams were a little high. I need to take it for a run through the mountains or on the track to really get a feel for how much better it is.

But overall I'm pretty happy with the result, and it's still way cheaper than if I'd have bought something newer of similar spec. In the back of my mind I'm still wishing that I went 3SGTE instead, but I'm sure the Beams will grow on me as I learn how to get the most out of it.

If he were to put steelies on there then the car would have massive torque steer and traction issues thus negativing any lightweight gains.

Yeah traction would be an issue. Even with the old 225 tyres I was getting plenty of wheel spin. The new stickier 225s are much better though. If I went back to 185s or similar I think I'd be struggling big time!

In other news, I just bought a GT4 rear strut brace and plastic covers on ebay for $150 shipped. I had priced the same parts new from Toyota and it was about twice the price!

[BonzaiCelica]

Thise octNe boosters are marketing scams they might raise ur octane to 1 point. Make sure u buy some fuel injector cleaner or if i was u i wud of got my injectors cleaned n tested by a shop. 98 ron will do just fine.

[delusionz]

Yeah 98 is perfect, even 95. Just not 91 (this is what Americans call 87 or something), which is what you would have been running for 5S-FE

[BonzaiCelica]

Ur wrong 91 octane equals to 95 ron. In the us we measure the amount that fuel reacts by octane as to europe n japan use ron.

95 ron is not recommended for beams motor only 98 ron and even better 100 ron

[delusionz]

Do you read before you correct? In this part of the world we use RON (Australia and NZ), 91ron does not = 95ron. 95 ron is sold at some petrol stations as premium, while others carry 98ron as premium. All gas stations carry 91ron as regular unleaded. In this part of the world (AUDM, NZDM, even JDM) Toyota FE engines run on 91ron which is what he would have been using with the 5S-FE.

It is perfectly fine to use a 3S-GE (Any gen) whether ACIS, Redtop Beams, or Altezza Blacktop Beams in areas that only carry 95ron, but as I mentioned theres still a little more performance to gain by filling up at a petrol station that sells 98ron.

Probably similar in Australia, but we have in NZ

Shell V-Power - 95 octane
Caltex Techron - 95 octane
BP Ultimate - 98 octane
Mobil 8000 - 98 octane

here we all drive JDM Japanese used imports, depending on the area you're in, you won't always get a choice of stopping at a petrol station with 98, sometimes you have to settle for 95. It's still supposed to be alot more powerful running a Beams on 95 than a 5S-FE.

Our engines have things called knock sensors for a reason...

[BonzaiCelica]

Ur wrong 91 octane equals to 95 ron. In the us we measure the amount that fuel reacts by octane as to europe n japan use ron.

95 ron is not recommended for beams motor only 98 ron and even better 100 ron

wow dude no no no, did you read correctly???? I said 91 OCTANE!!! not 91 ron duhh

and yes I am well aware as I previously stated that all other countries besides the USA, uses ron as their anti-knock index!!! ie europe, japan, australia, russia and so on.... yes i'm aware of the so called knock sensor on our engines thank u.

on second thought I didn't fully acknowledge your comment but I am in no way wrong in what I said. yes 87 octane does equal 91 ron which is something you do not want to put in any 3sge engine, unless you plan on blowing it up.

This post has been edited by BonzaiCelica: May 29, 2011 - 10:41 PM

[S8S8]

Well, whatever measure they use here in Australia I've been using the 98 stuff. I was using the 95 with my 5SFE anyway, not the cheap 91 stuff. I've also run some injector cleaner through as suggested.

After two weeks with the car back on the road I am reasonably satisfied. The power is still below expectations, but I'm having fun with it.

One thing I have definitely noticed is the improved fuel economy. With the old 5SFE I would struggle to get 500km out of a tank, but with the new engine I'm not even two thirds through the tank and I've already done 450km. And I haven't exactly been driving in a fuel efficient manner if you know what I mean!

But I'd give up the fuel economy for more power....

I do have a problem with the car though. It's making a strange creaking noise from the front end at low speed. I've started a new topic in the suspension section here. I've been told it could be the tie rod ends. I swapped these over with the rest of the front end from the donor car, so I'll fit some new ones and see if that fixes the problem.

[TRD-Corolla]

The power is still below expectations

Out of curiousity, have you had the chance to check the VVTI? Is it working correctly?

This post has been edited by TRD-Corolla: Jun 5, 2011 - 10:45 PM