4Wheel drive conversion, please help Options

[FireinDC]

ok before i hear you ask me why--- or something like i should import a gt4 or whatever... just anser me this (btw i did a search for this and found nothing) im geting a celica st for cheap (200$-500$) with a blown engine and im gunna throw a 3sgte in it... but... ive been thinking...ok tell me can i get a old alltrack like a 3rd gen and swap the 3sgte and the tranny? what trouble would i run into? About how much would thbis cost? ok if i cant do that what other options are there to make this car 4wd?? any ideas welcome

[FireinDC]

also go here and look at the ST185 Celica will that plug into a 98 st ?

[97sccelica]

most everything supposedly bolts in,

it just requires a lot of labor and the trunk floor plans must be swapped with those from a 6th gen GT4

and it must be from a 6th gen gt4, a 5th gen will not work, only the 5th gen engine will go in, the drive train will not

[kuya1284]

[Stipt]

No one should attempt the AWD conversion unless they have a place that does lazer percision welding and can do it by the micro inch. Otherwise your alignment is gonna be thrown off and you will have one hell of a time keeping it straight doing 100+ without feeling scared. Tilting your wheel sideways at that speed to go straight just isn't worth it to me.

[Inferno]

Matt said something about frame-holding pieces of equipment that major shops have. I think that would take care of the problem.

[Stipt]

Its the welding that throws it off though, thats the thing. Because it is not exact, when you weld it tosses it off just a hair and it has to be exact. So that throws your alignment off. Attempt if you wish, but if you do normal welding, more than likely you're going to fail, sorry for being pesamistic*SP* but thats the way the wheel turns

[Inferno]

Well, I can respect your attitude toward something that (as far as we know) has not been successfully completed. However, I think it can be done. And once I get my car, get a good job and so forth, I'm willing to try. That's only one of the things I'm thinking about converting, as well. I look forward to the challenge.

[97sccelica]

[Stipt]

Who is currently doin' the process? I'm not trying to be negative, just warning people before they start buying all the parts and find out they bit off more than they could chew. It sad to see money wasted ya know?

[97sccelica]

qatar11 aka mike.

he is mainly on celica.net

he has all the parts already and began the process a while ago. he bought a whole gt4 for $4000 shipped if i remember correctly

[Coomer]

I'm guessing that Mike will be able to pull it off. That guy's a pioneer in the sixth generation Celica community and is really smart when it comes to that stuff.

[Inferno]

Matt is doing it as well, for his girlfriend. I think he said to be on the look-out near the end of the year, but I could be wrong. I just don't want to step on any toes.

[97sccelica]

he hasn't really given too many updates, but here is a link to pics he has taken

http://www.topshelfracing.com/p2/images/d1/

[Inferno]

Interesting.

[aaronc222]

From what I remember, he was taking his body/interior and putting it over a GT4 frame. The frame was good, but the top was chopped off.

[97sccelica]

[Chrobis]

NO, just no... no AWD, the gt-4 is built for being a rally car and requires the AWD... How many of us go to rally's in our cars? AWD adds weight, slows down the car, decreases actual wheel horsepower and is just overall expensive and impratical. We would never be able to convert a USDM GT to a JDM GT-four. The Gt four has so much other stuff in it. Just stick with FWD and get some sticky ass tires!

[SpedToe169]

First of all, it is totally possible to weld parts of a car together and still be able to align it. All that laser welding is a bunch of ****, I've never even heard of anybody doing that. If I can make it work on a World-Challenge car, then it'll work on street cars too, you just have to know what you're doing. How do you think roll cages are welded? Its not by 'laser welding' its by good ol tungsten inert gas (TIG/GTAW) welding.

Second, AWD does have its advantages on the street. It really doesn't add all that much weight that cant be saved in other places. That being said, I don't think its probably worth it to try to convert a 6th gen. As somebody said, it would be easier and cheaper to make a FWD swap fast than it would be to try to do an AWD conversion.

[phat94celi]

Why do an AWD conversion when RWD is much more fun!

And it will be.

[97sccelica]

[NEVERSTOP]

k - time to settle this debate...

Converting to AWD isnt worth it...period.

Trust me I know I did this conversion almost 2 years ago.

1st off.. you dont need the GT4 floor boards.. that is Jarco or toysport trying to sell more parts. Relocating the gastank and cutting out ur sparetire well will do the job just fine.

2nd... Im not sure if you can even do this in the 96-99 celicas, that depends on how the exhaust is ran.. the 94-95's are already tunneled for a driveshaft except the exhaust runs thought that area so you have to relocate it.

3rd... most of the rear axle will fit fine on the rear but you will need springs and struts for the GT4. we did have to do a couple of welds to fully support the rear end though and that is where we messed up.

when we welded the rear axle we where off on our measurements by just 2 to 3 degrees and what would happen is the rear end would try and steer the car to the right... which gets kinda scary at 100+ mph.

an alignment to counter this would help but only for about 1-2 weeks.. It just became too much of a hassle to keep up with it, so when I tore my car apart this last time I took the time to weigh my options and after about 6 months of debating which way to go.. and a nice offer for the rearend parts, I decided to scrap the awd and just return to FWD.


Point is.. YES IT CAN BE DONE... but is it worth it? I dont really think so but if you could have a shop do it and make sure everything is dead one then yea go for it.


BTW as for using a 5th gen alltrac rearend.. I would believe this would work just fine.. have been told that the rear axle is almost identical to the 6th gen one the only problem I could think off that you would run into is the drive shaft not being the right length but a good transmission or machine shop would be able to make a new driveshaft for 100-200 range.

[phat94celi]

[97sccelica]

my 97 has the well for the drive shaft.

and my exhaust is in it too.

[Guest_Matthew_*]

[97sccelica]