CrossCudi's 95 AT200, New Paint Job Options

[CrossCudi]

Sorry guys i never really entroduced myself, just kinda walked in about 2 yrs ago lol !!
my name is martin, but known as *Cross =)

so lately ive been working on my celica and decided to share.

Red 95 celica 1.8st
Pretty much stock everything except:

Headers, some tinted windows, and a decent sound system.

Last week i was able to get my hands on some TC wheels for a very cheap price because they were filled with curb rashes, and only had 3 tires.
Over the weekend went to my local ACE Harware and bought some beauty supplies...

FOA: sorry for bad quality pics:

they were all like this:


and this:


since i dont have a garage to work, i carried them up to the roof and started working there !

i JB Weld all 4 rims and sanded them down...


after that process was done, the next day was finally the more fun day,
i primer n paint n clear..

*3 coats of primer:
if u look closely i didnt do the greatest job applying and sanding the jb weld
but i am 100% more happy with how they look now than b4.




and here they are after *3 coats of gold




im totally unexperience with this stuff, and if i can go back i would definitely prep alot better before painting.
sanding really makes a huge defferent but its such a B****!

i was very happy with this color, i wanted a bit darker but i can roll wit it.
the 3 tires are in fair conditions, i would say about 75% thread on there,
need to buy a fourth.

Also: Ordered me some Megans Coils which i should be recieving in the mail tomorrow..
can possibly do an unboxing video or just snap some pics to show u how they come and look.
i was reading up on the HOW TO: threads and was really tempted on installing these myself,.
Any recommendations would help..

This post has been edited by CrossCudi: Apr 7, 2014 - 2:04 PM

[Dennisthe10]

looks good for a DIY job, interested to see the pics when these are sitting on the car

[Keiri]

Cross that gold looks stellar! I think you did a great job for the amount of prep before primer and painting; can't wait to see them mounted.

[SwissFerdi]

I was gonna say, damn you only spent one day sanding. I sanded for 16 hours in total. The end result on yours looks nice though.

As for the coilover installation, read up and do it yourself, not much harm in it. Do not attempt without a breaker bar and PB blaster.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jun 10, 2013 - 5:18 PM

[Keiri]

Adding to Ferdi's advice I'd also look into having replacement rear endlinks on hand when the coilovers are installed; also, installing them yourself (the coilovers) should take less than a day with the proper tools and will be much cheaper than paying a shop.

[Syaoran]

All you really need are a couple sockets (12, 14 and 19?mm) and some ratcheting wrenches to install coilovers. 3 nuts on top of the struts on all 4 corners and 2 big bolts on each strut, the 1 nut for each endlink on the back and they're off. You don't have to remove the springs from the struts or anything so it isn't that complicated.

[RabidTRD]

If you wanted darker, you'd use a grey primer or a red primer before hand. You can also use a black primer for a more "bronze" look. (red will also make a copperish/bronze look) White makes it a "brilliant gold," which IMO looks better.

[CrossCudi]

thanks guys for the compliments

I was gonna say, damn you only spent one day sanding. I sanded for 16 hours in total. The end result on yours looks nice though.

As for the coilover installation, read up and do it yourself, not much harm in it. Do not attempt without a breaker bar and PB blaster.

OMG sanding took an entire day and i woke up with a horrible backache.. and yet it wasnt enough, having the proper grit really matters.

Adding to Ferdi's advice I'd also look into having replacement rear endlinks on hand when the coilovers are installed; also, installing them yourself (the coilovers) should take less than a day with the proper tools and will be much cheaper than paying a shop.

my links were replaced last summer, because i was told that this was the cause to my rattle sound over bumpy roads, and they werent. should i still get a set ?
what is a pb blaster, i did some googling but i still dont understand its purpose ? already did some searching, and know where to get it.

All you really need are a couple sockets (12, 14 and 19?mm) and some ratcheting wrenches to install coilovers. 3 nuts on top of the struts on all 4 corners and 2 big bolts on each strut, the 1 nut for each endlink on the back and they're off. You don't have to remove the springs from the struts or anything so it isn't that complicated.

doesnt sound to complicated, i will most likely take the car to my friends garage super early and work on it this weekend.

If you wanted darker, you'd use a grey primer or a red primer before hand. You can also use a black primer for a more "bronze" look. (red will also make a copperish/bronze look) White makes it a "brilliant gold," which IMO looks better.

yes your right, a darker primer would have gave me the darker color, now i know for next time .

[Keiri]

If your links were replaced last year then no, don't get another set - the ones you have shouldn't be hard to remove and put back on. Usually, when people do automotive work it's on old, rusty bolts/nuts that haven't been moved/touched in years so they use PB blaster to lubricate and loosen the rusty metal making it easier to be wrenched off. A can of PB blaster is a must have when working on an older car.

[CrossCudi]

If your links were replaced last year then no, don't get another set - the ones you have shouldn't be hard to remove and put back on. Usually, when people do automotive work it's on old, rusty bolts/nuts that haven't been moved/touched in years so they use PB blaster to lubricate and loosen the rusty metal making it easier to be wrenched off. A can of PB blaster is a must have when working on an older car.

Thanks a lot, I will definitely get a can today!

As I mention before, I need a 4th tire. The current size are 215/45/17
I wanted a more beefy look coming from the back, almost as if it was a rear wheel drive car.
Would it be bad if I ran 225 in the rear and 215 in the front ?

[CrossCudi]

uuuuuuurgh im soo upset....

so I go to FedEx today to pick up my Megans ! =]


when I get home, im so anxious to open the box to only get surprised by the wrong coilovers

I didn't order the EZ model, I ordered these

http://www.redlinemotive.com/part-number/m...r-cdk-tce94.asp ..

now im trying to reach RedlineMotive and no answer..

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[CrossCudi]

update on rims*

rear 225/45
front 215/45

here is a before and after shot without the suspension in yet.

Before...



Now...

[CrossCudi]

a very exciting update



finally got the right coils in the mail over the weekend and quickly brought out my tools.

I MUST SAY, THANK U SOOO MUCH ON THE PB BLASTER IDEA !
i would have never got the hub off, that thing was soooooo tight ! but i managed
with a rachet and a 5 feet extension metal pole came off like butter.

and this is how i sit now with no adjustment to the coils, stock manufacturer presets.
i must say, these thing make such a HUGE difference in ride..

as u will see in the below pic, now that im a bit lowered, my sunken is much noticeable
and rear were set with some neg camber which made it worst....
i will probably will leave it like this until i find out where i would want to go

i dont know if to go with new rims or some spacing...

[The_enD]

Looking good, man. Especially, if you get rid of that sunken in look.
Would like to hear your input about them after few weeks of driving.

[Syaoran]

Space them out. You'll need larger spacers on the rear than in the front obviously, but it'll make the wheels look a LOT neater on there.

I think 25mm will be enough in the front ones, and 30mm on the back ones will do the trick. You need to make that rear camber a little bit more positive though.

Just for reference, from what I could gather you need 8" wide wheels on the front with +25 offset for them to be near flush, and 9" with the same offset for the rear.

Your wheels are 7" wide +45 offset, so with a 25mm spacer it would be like having a 8" wide wheel with 45 offset (still 20mm away from being fully flush)

on the rear with a 30mm spacer it'd be like having a 8" wide wheel with 40 offset, so they'd be a little bit more outside than the fronts, but the fronts will look much more flush than the rears.

I wouldn't run a gigantic spacer such as 45 or 50mm though.

In your case maybe getting 15mm fronts and 30mm rears will make it look a bit more flush and not seem like the fronts are way more flush compared to the rears.

This post has been edited by Syaoran: Jul 2, 2013 - 10:37 PM

[SwissFerdi]

Don't know if it matters for your driving style but on a FWD car, having a smaller width front tire increases tendency to understeer. Otherwise, looks good.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jul 3, 2013 - 7:50 AM

[CrossCudi]

thanks, im looking into spacers now, just brought out a MM ruler and looks like front 20mm and rear 30mm.
i would go 35 rear but there not rolled, (*have no idea how to do this) and my tires on the rear are far from stretched

to be honest, as a daily driver with highways and your avg traffic, turns are pretty awesome. well now they are due to upgrade on suspension
but i can imagine how much better a wider tire and rim would feel.. uuurgh *Decisions*..

[kurt95gt]

Looking good
Love the goal scion rims thought about doing that myself

[SwissFerdi]

but i can imagine how much better a wider tire and rim would feel.. uuurgh *Decisions*..

It's not about the width of the tire, necessarily, it's that a staggered setup (meaning narrower front tire than rear) tends to make FWD cars understeer, reportedly. But if it works well for you then...

[CrossCudi]

I can finally post this UPDATE

So after a small lil struggle with my projectors and having fuse blown due to
some interference of an extra piece of loose welding they are finally in and disco'ing away




PS. Not too fonder with the black rubber being loose on fitment..

[CrossCudi]

:also i been thinking very hard about my spacers, but after all the hard work put into these rims
i am considering looking for wider ones to avoid huge spacers..

[SwissFerdi]

Congratulations on the projectors. Per the wheels, I'd go for a light 17x8, or an even lighter 16x7.

[CrossCudi]

I could never get a pretty box from HonkKong !

just recieved at work

[Tigawoods]

http://youtu.be/85clSij--iI

[CrossCudi]

LMAAAAAAAO ! ^^^

I was very similar to this !


TAILS =)

now to find out how to install..
hopefully its not like my projectors where the entire bumper must come off ?

[Box]

WHAT DO WANT FROM ME!?

[CrossCudi]

Lmaaaaoooo sorry box didn't mean to shout you out like that !!

True or false ? Usdm lights has an extra bulb ??? Or am I losing it ??

[richee3]

True. If you didn't get the JDM harness, just unplug the extra bulb from your USDM harness and tuck the extra plug out of the way.

[Box]

It's for the side-marker light you're legally required to have.

[CrossCudi]

So as we wine down to nearly 3 weeks left
for which has been for me the most anticipating
6gc reunion event, ive decided to do some cleaning
and work on some simple and quick projects.

1: Now that i have jdm heads n tails i feel like my car has went from a 95" to a 2007"
heres a pic, dont mind the horrible rear camber settings.



2: So i realized how insecure i was with the interior
of my car because the main rug was so dirty and stain and BEIGE but luckily
no tears or rips in it, i decided to pull it out and power wash the
hell out of it. After rinsing it, it was clean but still stained...
Now What....? OK, Lets paint this thing black !


as u can see this thing was YUCKIEEEE !



Pulled:



Before:



progress:







and after it was all done with the use of 4 cans and i shouldve went with 5
this was the result:









3: If u guys remember i was having problems with my 7a,...
so in case you are about to reach 200k
like i was and have a rattling sounds while driving, i would get it
fixed ASAP before it gets worst and dies like mine ! so yes,
my 7a finally gave on me... and in 2 weeks i put so many miles
in my frs just debating on this 1mz swap
(thanks to : kurt95gt, smaay, mkernz22 and box for helpful info)
knowing i would have to fight a war with time to complete it just in time
for R.I ! i knew i didnt have the right ANYTHING to make this happen
so soon. So i had to go out and quickly buy another 7a for a quick
and easy job to get my DD back on the road. and so i succesfully
got it replaced and it driving better and stronger than ever with a
7a at 78K miles.
Sooooooo, having an extra valve cover i decided to continue to rely
on spray bottle for a solution in style ! lol
Lets paint this baby RED !

here it is all power washed and just lightly sanded:



sorry forgot to take a primer pics,
but here it is with 4 light coats.
no clear coat, a few tutorial i viewed
didnt use clear for prolly safety issues, idk.







i will post pics as soon as i put this baby in

4. i have one more little interior project im currently working on
and hopefully its done befor the meet. i want to surprise u guys with it,
prolly isnt so exciting for some but i cant wait to finish!


Hope u guys enjoyed the upgrades !

[Fate]

looking great!

[Keiri]

Yay for having another JDM sexy 3L2 twin!

I can't wait to see this car, and take pictures with it, at the meet!

[Nihil]

I love the color of the carpet... What kind of spray did you use?

[CrossCudi]

thanks guys,..

keiri: your car is just so much cooler, cant wait for this meet

Nihil: honestly i was pretty impressed myself with the outcome
to this carpet, i jus wanted to get rid of stains and it all worked out
pretty well. Thanks

i used 4 can of:
Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric
HVP104 - Gloss Black

[CrossCudi]

had some time yesterday after work

[SwissFerdi]

Valve cover is excellent. That radiator looks like it's about to die. Time for a front strut bar. Matrix, Solara, Corolla center caps fit the tC wheel. 2.25", and they're about $22 shipped.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Sep 4, 2013 - 7:07 AM

[CrossCudi]

Valve cover is excellent. That radiator looks like it's about to die. Time for a front strut bar. Matrix, Solara, Corolla center caps fit the tC wheel. 2.25", and they're about $22 shipped.

yes, agree with it all,where can i get a decent radiator, which brand to buy and which to stay away from ? .
and thanks for the center caps fitment, i didnt know that !

[Keiri]

Most of the aftermarket radiators are good choices but most everyone recommends Koyo or Mishimoto for upgraded rads. I just got a standard, OEM style radiator from RockAuto.com when I had my engine rebuilt - my old radiator (with ~162k miles) looked a lot likes yours does now.

[CrossCudi]

hey keiri can u plz post a pic, if u have one ?

thanks for the info

[Keiri]

I don't have any pictures of the radiator before the installation but it was this one:



Spectra Premium CU1575.

Got it for $99 shipped last year after a 5% off coupon.

[CrossCudi]

its been a long winter with some of the worst weather since a long time.
Hope no celicas were lost !
wasn't able to work on my car all winter except shovel it out of snow..

small update : Preping for makeup

[CrossCudi]

early this morning started working again.

[JoshuaM]

early this morning started working again.

Looks exciting!!! Can't wait to see the next stage

Have you thought about doing the side-marker delete (Or convert to JDM side indicators) whilst you are doing the body work? You have the accent bulbs in the projectors to replace that anyway.

[Fate]

good stuff amigo!

[Ted95]

Looks great man keep it up!

[Tigawoods]

no more door dings! its going to be SLICK!

[CrossCudi]

good stuff amigo!

Looks great man keep it up!

no more door dings! its going to be SLICK!

thanks guys !

so to start the first weekend of spring
I decided to add some bling,..

Oooooh how about my rapping skills..? LMAOO

[Tigawoods]

20" chrome?

[CrossCudi]

20" chrome?

maybe in the near future..

so I had a little fun with a photoshoot..
New wheels
18x8.5 +30
18x9.5 +35w/20mm

[CrossCudi]

[Tigawoods]

[mkernz22]

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Mar 24, 2014 - 9:09 AM

[The_enD]

[Box]

Yeah, I don't even know why our car has the fender side-markers. The turn signals satisfy legal requirements since they come on with the side-markers.

[CrossCudi]

when JoshuaM mentioned it I was honestly thinking about it..
I know for sure it would look a lot more cleaner and less crowded.

Can I have fenders wit no side markers at all, legally ?

[mkernz22]

Technically you have side markers in your headlights now.
But side markers were mainly just a stupid US thing for our cars.
Do you know of any other cars with them on the fender like ours?

[cheela]

guess it's a trend for the celicas.
Even on the 1st gens they had THREE!

[CrossCudi]

Technically you have side markers in your headlights now.
But side markers were mainly just a stupid US thing for our cars.
Do you know of any other cars with them on the fender like ours?

your right, I really don't know of any...

guess it's a trend for the celicas.
Even on the 1st gens they had THREE!

I kinda like it more on this body.

well Good morning everyone, time to shave and while
I am at it, I might as well shave that stupid antenna,
not looking forward in doing that s2000 conversion and
I don't listen to the radio... soooo yea.

[CrossCudi]

I like my woman shaved,..lol

finally fished the fenders and antenna


Shaved fenders


Shaved antenna


than thought it would be a good time to install some clear bumper signal lights

had these for a while, didn't want to install them until I put my fogs but hey,..





I think I am ready for paint

and BTW these Bulbs SUCK !
I thought they would be a nice Hyper White, lost 10$ bucks..


any suggestions on which bulb ?

[RabidTRD]

Really? I like them as backup lights

[mkernz22]

http://ledlightsmarket.info/?id=2057-powerful-white
anything LED should be really bright.

[CrossCudi]

http://ledlightsmarket.info/?id=2057-powerful-white
anything LED should be really bright.

are these the same size as our reverse light ? 2057

about to order 2 sets,..

and thanks a lot for the link !

[Tigawoods]

I would go with vleds.

I trust their company and products.

that site above looks like it was made in a middle school computer class

[mkernz22]

I would go with vleds.

I trust their company and products.

that site above looks like it was made in a middle school computer class

I just used those as a reference, but yeah, vled's have very good reviews.

[Box]

Yeah, I don't even know why our car has the fender side-markers. The turn signals satisfy legal requirements since they come on with the side-markers.

*COUGH*

The turn signal housing is reflective and lights up as a side-marker, since it wraps around to where it's visible from the side it satisfies the legal requirements. Therefore the ugly ones on the fender are redundant. If you're so concerned about legality you need to modify your JDM tails as they have neither a light or reflector in the sides of them.

[CrossCudi]

well its gone now...lol

[Box]

Good, if I ever painted the car I was going to remove them. There is a way to make the JDM tails legal, and it's never been done(here at least). I was going to do it when I intended to keep the car, but things change. Or they may change again, if the two people here interested decide not to buy mine I'll probably give up and keep it. Anyhow, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[CrossCudi]

back wit some updates,..

so here I am hanging out with a good friend of mine !

[CrossCudi]

so ive done a few changes,..

antenna removed
fender signals removed
2 post wing removed
headlight black rubber lining removed
OEM fogs installed w/ 2500k_55w Hyper Yellow Bulbs
front calipers Red
and new plastidip color for car
This honestly wasn't the color I wanted but it grew in me.
Very unique I think,.. plz tell me how u feel about this color,.. thanks

Raw photos













and a little edit






PS: I am having a little trouble removing the wipers,
I need to get them sanded but I couldn't get them off,
was afraid to force them out,. am I missing something ?

thanks.

[The_enD]

The car looks great, man.

Could of put some round pieces of vinyl over the spoiler holes and painted over it tho. Just temporary.

[cheela]

This one!

[CrossCudi]

The car looks great, man.

Could of put some round pieces of vinyl over the spoiler holes and painted over it tho. Just temporary.

didn't think of it, next time will deff !

I love the no wing look !

thanks cheelaa

This post has been edited by CrossCudi: Apr 7, 2014 - 6:53 PM

[JoshuaM]

Dayummmmmm.... What a transformation!!! Looks AWESOME! I like the satin finish too... and I'm not usually a fan of non-gloss finishes.

Good decision on the shaving too

[RabidTRD]

You can go to an advance auto parts and buy a wiper arm removal tool. It will push down in the stub while pulling up on the arm. Otherwise if you wiggle it up and down a bunch, sometimes they come off.

[Keiri]

Love the color; very unique and sleek.

The only thing I'd change is to leave the emblems non-painted.

[Spider77]

You can go to an advance auto parts and buy a wiper arm removal tool. It will push down in the stub while pulling up on the arm. Otherwise if you wiggle it up and down a bunch, sometimes they come off.

I was careful when I removed mine, as they are splined to each other. You can use any ol two jaw point puller though, dosent have to be a "special" tool.

[CelicaZR]

fark that is nice.. love it

[Red123]

Stance is a perfect.
I like that color, but imho toyota red color would be a better option.

[CrossCudi]

thanks guys,

and yes I was thinking of leaving the emblems untouched,
I might just get them done in black when I can finally get these wipers off..

rabid im headed there today.