Mkernz22's Progression Thread Options

[mkernz22]

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

[HectortheRican]

Once you learn, it's second nature. I'm never going back to Auto again. Manual is just too much damn fun. No worries, it's not too hard to get down.

[mkernz22]

Everyone says it's not that hard, and it really doesn't seem like it. I've started driving my auto like a manual, I up shift and down shift. I don't know it that's bad since it's and auto, but I could care less right now haha

[HectortheRican]

Main thing is the clutch foot. The actual act of changing gears is the easiest part. Gotta get them smoooooth shifts makes her sound sexy! Haha. And I can't wait to follow the progress man!

[mkernz22]

that's going to be really fun to learn lol
i got some goodies coming my way, I'll post them up tomorroww

[mkernz22]

Complete story is up right now, will add more as it comes!

[presure2]

good stuff man, your dad is a super cool guy, i hope you bring him to EVERY meet from now on.

[zakinabox]

man i did not realize how much work you'd put into that car already. well done dude.... haha hopefully i can follow your work ethic and not get lazy on my car.

[mkernz22]

yeah i've put a lot of work into her so far, and a lot more will come in the future as well!
it's a slow process sometimes, but just make the best of it.
I know for a FACT that I'm never selling this car now! Not after all the work I've put into rebuilding the front end.

[Zake]

Main thing is the clutch foot.

i went from a 5-speed mustang gt to my auto celica, and my foot still shoots out for the non existent clutch when i have to hit the brakes hard. its hard to switch back to auto. lol

[HectortheRican]

i went from a 5-speed mustang gt to my auto celica, and my foot still shoots out for the non existent clutch when i have to hit the brakes hard. its hard to switch back to auto. lol

LOL that's why I'm not gonna

[mkernz22]

auto is boring as hell anyway! i drive it like it's a stick...just without the clutch, but I've been practicing the foot movement haha

Here is a little bit of an update.
I've decided that I'm going to wait till the spring to get my car painted!
I'm going to be saving up for the manual swap all winter as well as for some other goodies! (and the paint job of course)
Also, I will be getting a GT-4 Hood right now, no bumper though. Looking to create a Knight Rider look to it haha

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Sep 19, 2010 - 8:12 PM

[NOVAKx17]

To each his own my friend, to each his own!

but lovin the progress, i can't wait to see this keep gettin better and better

[=

[mkernz22]

It's going to keep on getting better and better!

Here's another part I received in the mail today!


If you can't tell, it's the green L.E.D.'s from superbrightleds.com. They look amazing!
I can't wait for the gauges from Mike (Novakx17) to come in! I'm going to have some fun with them haha
Pics will be up when they are done!

I got another present awhile ago that I haven't posted. I'll get pictures of that up tomorrow

[HectortheRican]

I got LEDs from them and the one that lights up the tach area is a bit gimpy

[mkernz22]

In that picture, it's cell phone quality and I threw a blanket over it since there was still daylight, but at night when I went for a drive, I didn't notice any gimpy areas.

[HectortheRican]

I'm gonna take it all out and see if it's plugged in right. If it is, I got a gimp bulb

[mkernz22]

I hope you didn't man! That wouldnt be good!

Update: Putting Side Skirts on today!
Also, receive rear splitters from dustin15brown.
I'm going to try and get them on within the week.

Pictures up later!

[mkernz22]

To start off, I have to say sorry for the bad quality of the cell phone pictures.

Here is what I put on my car about 2ish weeks ago now, they are CF riser blocks and they look amazing!


As for today, the side skirts that were originally on the parts car went on my car!
It's a bit of a hassle to get them on since you have to drill out the holes.
Overall, it came out good, but when I go to get my car painted (or maybe even before that), I need to patch up a few of the holes I drilled because they were the slightest bit off and that made all the difference when I was putting the skirts on.
On the passenger side there is a gap near the fender because it didn't line up right, I drilled a little too high. In the rear, I drilled a little too low, but no gap
Same goes for the driver side on the rear, but the other mistake was in the middle. It doesn't look bad at all and the gaps aren't noticeable from far away.



I'm really starting to dig the whole black and silver look now. Probably because it cuts from silver to black in a pretty close proportional manner now.
If you look at the pictures, you will see what I mean. Also, I cannot forget about the other present that came for her today!


Rear Splitters! Woo!
The only problem that I am going to have while mounting them is drilling the wholes out in the fiberglass, drilling out the 2 snapped bolts under the bumper (driver side and passenger side) and that's where one of the mounts are for the splitters. Oh yeah, and the muffler is right underneath the passenger side bolt so that will need to come off as well, and on the drivers side, the bottom part of my quarter panel rusted out. There is about a inch and a half long hole now and its about an inch wide. I'm going to cut the panel off the parts car and get it welded onto mine. It's going to be a fun ride putting all those things on haha I just hope its doable!

After work, I'm going to take some pictures and try I'll see if I can get them up tonight!

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Sep 22, 2010 - 3:34 PM

[pipes]

looks niice i take it no 404 for you!

[Batman722]

Looks good Mike.
JDM tails would really make it look better though

[richee3]

Good stuff, Mike I had no idea you were only 17 and you've only owned the car a few months. I assumed you were older and had the car a lot longer.

[mkernz22]

pipes: Nah sorry man, I need all the extra cash I can get right now.

Dustin: I'm definitely going to get a set of them soon!

richee3: Yeah I'm only 17 and I'm going to have a lot of memories with this car, I can say that for sure! In the few months I've had it, I've realized it's an amazing car and I might get another one in the future, after college though. For now, this is my project/ DD car though.
I want to get a 3s engine over the winter and swap it in, in the spring, but depending how the money is, I might just go completely rebuild the other 5s I have and turbo that instead. We'll see what happens though!

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Sep 22, 2010 - 9:04 PM

[mkernz22]

Alright so today I went to DQ with my girlfriend and as I was coming out, walking back to my car, I noticed something that I never noticed at all since I owned the car.

IT'S DROPPED IN THE FRONT!

Here are somethings that I think help to contribute to this find:
1. The parking space I pulled in was pretty much perfectly leveled.
2. The front of the car was angled to the left because that was how the parking space was setup so I had a nice view front to rear.
3. The side skirts I put on extended the look of the body in the middle of the car, and I could easily see the difference.

What this explains to me now:
NO WONDER WHY I HAVE A NEGATIVE CAMBER IN THE FRONT ON BOTH WHEELS!

like WTF, the previous owner never mentioned anything about it being lowered.
I'm happy, but pissed at the same time because I have to figure out how to adjust the camber on the front wheels so that they don't wear unevenly.

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Sep 24, 2010 - 11:45 PM

[HectortheRican]

LAWL!! That's really funny man xD But good luck getting that camber ship shape!

[mkernz22]

Thanks! I just have to figure out how to do that now...
I've never touched any of that stuff before.

[mkernz22]

soooo today my steering wheel came in! Thanks Dimitri (Cyprus_GT)!
Here a crappy cell phone picture:


It'll be a while before it goes on because it needs some modding.

[HectortheRican]

Sweeeet. I really wanted it, but the blue stitching didn't match my SSIII seats

[mkernz22]

I wanted it too! lol so I jumped on it cause it was either this or an aftermarket steering wheel.
The stitching is semi faded to white so it's a blueish white stitch now. I still have to get a part from him because it doesn't use a clock spring.
It actually has a metal tab/stick/pole that sticks out and makes contact with the ring on the back of the JDM wheel.
I'll have some fun trying to get it to work once it's shipped over.
Also, I'm thinking about relocating the buttons for the cruise control because the switch doesn't mount on the JDM wheel or I might just leave it off altogether.

[HectortheRican]

I hate cruise control anyway. Thought my whole 10 hour drive from Fort Worth to Albuquerque I didn't use it once.

[mkernz22]

I don't hate it, but I'm not a fan of it. It's good to use when your screwing around with your friends and you're sticking your head out the sunroof, but other than that, no fun.

[mkernz22]

so today I got the piece I need from Manny (pressure2) to swap out my steering wheel!
How to/ progress pics will be up later!

[mkernz22]

Finished swapping out the steering wheels! took me about 2 to 3 hours to do it because I didn't realize it was so simple at first!

Finished Product:


Here's the link to the How To:
http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showto...mp;#entry879913

[jcbass7]

Looks awesome Mike , glad to see you got the steering wheel on there.

[cyprus_gt]

Nice wheel mate

cheers

p.s.
keep going....

[mkernz22]

Thanks you guys! My next project will be to make my own custom cruise control buttons, can't wait to get it started

[4-eyed-freek]

wow that looks great!! nice job!

[Ted95]

wow dude.. look alottt different since the meet lol. great job so far tho! very impressed.
and good idea in waiting to paint her in the spring. you dont want the NE winter to beat the snot out of the fresh paint! lol
a midnight black pearl would b sexy dude, do it up!
cant wait to see it all done at the next meet!
my car should b completely done by then as well

good luck dude keep it up!

[mkernz22]

thanks man! I'm not even sure if the paint job is going to happen in the spring or not lol
it all comes down to what happens over the winter, but well see!
and that was my other reason as well cause the NE winters are horrible! lol
I'm hoping to do a ton over the winter with her.
I do, however, want to get the skirts and rear splitters molded on before the winter or at least just the skirts.

do you have a thread for your car?
(i didn't look to see if you did haha)

[mkernz22]

yeah, so I'm getting another Celica within a week or so...
i feel like im becoming an addict lol

on a good note, it's a 5spd so you know what that means!

[jcbass7]

i feel like im becoming an addict lol

....I know the feeling

[HectortheRican]

i feel like im becoming an addict lol

....I know the feeling

The worst is when you're an addict, but you're broke

[mkernz22]

i feel like im becoming an addict lol

....I know the feeling

The worst is when you're an addict, but you're broke

which is how i am right now lol cause I'm saving week by week for this car.
I gave him a despot like 3 or 4 weeks ago and I'll have the rest of the money on thursday haha

[mkernz22]

So i realized my car has been guzzling a quart or so of oil about every 2 to 3 months, maybe less? I don't have blue smoke and it doesn't smell like it is burning anything. Also, there is something leaking on the ground, but I found out that it is the tranny liquid cause it was a sparkly red, which was the color that of the stuff I put in. I'm wondering where it could be going then? If someone could help me out, I would appreciate it!

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Oct 17, 2010 - 6:40 PM

[HectortheRican]

Is your valve seals and maybe piston rings. Same thing happens to me and plenty of other members. You're lucky, when I was driving 23 miles to and from work everyday, I'd go through a quart every 2 weeks. It's gotten better though.

[mkernz22]

well the good thing is that I'm putting the engine from my '97 in, but I'm thinking that I should get the valve seals and some other gaskets changed out before I drop it in. And actually it might be a lot less than 2 months cause I just remembered that my dad put another quart in last weekend. sh1t. ummmmmmmmmmm, so that was only like 3ish weeks before I first added some.

[HectortheRican]

Yeah bro, it's already coming out, you might as well spend the extra money for a light rebuild. Gaskets, seals, water pump. I highly recommend it.

[mkernz22]

Yeahh, I'm definitely doing the water pump as well as the T-belt and a light rebuild. I'd rather be safe than sorry after the swap

[HectortheRican]

Yeahh, I'm definitely doing the water pump as well as the T-belt and a light rebuild. I'd rather be safe than sorry after the swap

x2!! Haha Good luck Mike

[Bigblock]

Great work you're doing!!!

[mkernz22]

Thank you both!

[mkernz22]

i hate curbs!
I was on my way to school and i was almost late so i went around a car and thought i had plenty of room in between the car and the curb...
but no, my back rim hit it, and the car jumped out a little. I got to school and took a look and it wasn't that bad, but i roughed up the lip on half of the rim and the tire had a small 1/8th inch slice in it. no seams showing, thank god. the rubber is still on where the slice it cause it didn't take the whole chunk off so I might just get some black silicone or glue, put it on, and make it look like normal.

[HectortheRican]

Hopefully it's still structurally intact!

[mkernz22]

it didn't lose any pressure while i was in school (about 6 hours) and there's no hissing so it should be all set! haha
no more drifting in the dirt for me, or the snow in the winter i don't want to mess it up

[Batman722]

JDM tails.

[mkernz22]

JDM tails.

I know Dustin, I know.

[Batman722]

[jcbass7]

Here is what I put on my car about 2ish weeks ago now, they are CF riser blocks and they look amazing!

Those look great on there Mike, I put mine on last weekend and forgot how much of the rear mirror's view it blocks.. (had them on my old hatch few years back) you notice any difficulty seeing out the back now?

[mkernz22]

Thanks! haha I want to get a CF hood or mirrors so that they're not the only CF part on my car.
I can see out of it pretty well though lol
It's harder to see very far back into the distance, but when a car is up close I can actually see most of the car. Before I put them on it would usually cutout the headlights or the hood of a car. I've gotten use to them being on there now though!

[mkernz22]

so...yeah....

little bit of an update...

hmm, how do i say this?....

























































Going to look at another Celica tonight! Woo!

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Nov 4, 2010 - 4:48 PM

[Ted95]

thanks man! I'm not even sure if the paint job is going to happen in the spring or not lol
it all comes down to what happens over the winter, but well see!
and that was my other reason as well cause the NE winters are horrible! lol
I'm hoping to do a ton over the winter with her.
I do, however, want to get the skirts and rear splitters molded on before the winter or at least just the skirts.

do you have a thread for your car?
(i didn't look to see if you did haha)

ya i feel ya .. and ya i have a thread on my 3s swap goin right now. its kinda on hold right now bc i need money but its close lol

[mkernz22]

I heard yah on the the money issue

Updateeee! Just bought the 94 Celica off of BostonCelica! WOOO!
Manual swap will be going down in the spring
I would keep buying more parts, but I have to save right now for college and a paint job

So yeah! Will post some pictures of all 3 either tomorrow or Saturdayy

[HectortheRican]

Nice! M/T swap will be sooo worth it.

[mkernz22]

heck yes it will be!

[delusionz]

what was wrong with the silver celica? i dont understand why u pulled apart a perfectly good celica to fix a crashed celica?

[mkernz22]

I'll give you a list right now:

tranny was crap, when you drove you could barely go above 10mph and the rmp's were at about 4k
MAJOR exhaust leak!
interior was painted like 5 different colors
smelled horrible inside the car (musty or moldy smell)
rotors were grooved and pretty much shot
the spare wheel area in the trunk had a huge hole at one point and had putty filling it
a lot of rust under the car
it had a rejection sticker since 2006 (i think that says something)
and some other stuff as well


Updateee:

Parents are getting me JDM tails for my birthday

[jcbass7]

Parents are getting me JDM tails for my birthday

NICE!

[HectortheRican]

Parents are getting me JDM tails for my birthday

NICE!

Agreed!! I'm gonna see what I can do about convincing my whole family to buy me a set of BC BR series coils for Christmas/birthday since they're so close together. Wish me luck!

[mkernz22]

I knoww! haha

So yeah I'm 18 today, wooo!

Only bad thing is, my e brake semi locked on the driver's side...
have to fix that now

[HectortheRican]

I knoww! haha

So yeah I'm 18 today, wooo!

Only bad thing is, my e brake semi locked on the driver's side...
have to fix that now

Happy birthday bro! Feels good, don't it?

[mkernz22]

hell yeahh! haha

[mkernz22]

picking up tails from Dustin tomorrow? I f*cking hope so!

[mkernz22]

hehe, got my tails yesterdayyy

[Batman722]

PICS !

[mkernz22]

I'm putting them on today after work!
Send me pics of your old rims! Do you have the tires on them already or do I need to buy some?

[HectortheRican]

Haill yeah!!

[mkernz22]

Pictures

Before:


After:


Side by Side:


Other pics:

Fixed my horn as well today cause one of them wasn't grounded right haha

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Nov 14, 2010 - 3:49 PM

[HectortheRican]

I'm glad someone else can now appreciate the benefits of having JDM tail lights (benefits include, but not limited to, confusion from Celica owners who know nothing about JDM, sexiness increased 10 fold, and pillowing pride at the awesomeness of them)

Lol enjoy!

[presure2]

looks great mike, had fun with you and your boys last night!

[mkernz22]

had fun with you, dustin, and steff as well!

as for the tails, im going to cut and tape up the wires for the extra two bulbs cause you can see them glowing a little at night lol

[HectortheRican]

I think if you cut them, your blinkers may go super fast. Not quite sure though.

[mkernz22]

it's one of the driving lights so i wouldn't think so, but i could just throw some electrical tape around them and cover them that way haha

[HectortheRican]

Yeahh you may be right lol. I just got the JDM harnesses for mine, so I didn't have to deal with it.

[mkernz22]

i have the jdm harness as well lol
do all the lights work fine? like when you have the driving lights on, do two light up and when you brake, do two light up?

[HectortheRican]

i have the jdm harness as well lol
do all the lights work fine? like when you have the driving lights on, do two light up and when you brake, do two light up?

If you have a JDM harness, you shouldn't have any extra lights. Just the two brake lights, the reverse light and the turn signal. And yeah, my two brake lights are on when I'm driving and they both light up more when I brake.

[mkernz22]

well i mean i have the jdm harness but im not using it lol
i threw my usdm one on the jdm tails and i put the jdm harness in a usdm set and put them in my shed so the bulbs wouldn't get damaged haha

[HectortheRican]

Switch NAO! Hahaha

[mkernz22]

lmaoo i mightt, but I have 3 sets of usdm harnesses so im mostlikely going to mod this one.
I'm going to do the orange piece delete on them over the winter.
I might add a green LED strip inside that housing when I do the delete and run it to a seperate switch so I can use it as a driving light. The same thing is going to happen with my highs and lows, I'm blacking them out on the inside and then putting a green LED strip in each and use them as driving lights

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Nov 15, 2010 - 9:42 AM

[HectortheRican]

Oooh creative! I'm fine with the amber in mine for now, but once my car starts cleaning up, especially once I get new paint, I'll more than likely do the amber delete

[mkernz22]

yeahh i knoww lol i'm hoping it turns out good


This post has been edited by mkernz22: Nov 15, 2010 - 10:40 AM

[Ted95]

looks good mike! keep up the good work bro!

[mkernz22]

So I've been putting everything into a Spread Sheet over the past month or so, that includes the parts car, parts I originally bought from the junkyard, steering wheel, rear splitters, tails, gauges LED, riser blocks, and the newest addition; the '94 celica. I spent a lot less than I actually thought I did. My total, so far, is about $1,200. I'm pretty shocked! lol It will go back down again once I part out the '94, but as for now that's my total.


Edit: No sh!t, haha I just realized that's how much I bought the car for in the first place lol

@Ted95: Thanks man!

This post has been edited by mkernz22: Nov 15, 2010 - 2:47 PM

[mkernz22]

my friend just told me today that im burning oil
and i have huge spots on my driveway
fml. i knew it was leaking a little before, but now it's really bad.
I'm guessing valve seals or i will have to get the cylinders re-honed and new piston rings.

Option A: Get it fixed.

Option B: Just keep throwing oil in and run that sh!t to the ground. Then swap in another 5s when I do the tranny swap.

[HectortheRican]

Just go get a quote for the price for the fix, and see what the average price of a low mileage, used 5S is lol

[mkernz22]

well i have another 5s in my parts car with 124k on it lol
i just hope this one lasts me until the spring

[HectortheRican]

Oh good! Well then you're set. You should take out that other 5S now and bore it, etc

[mkernz22]

i mean it still runs good, but I might get some new seals for it and then also do the timing belt, water pump, and etc so it will be all set when it goes it. I will have to swap over external parts to make it compatible with the obdi ecu

[presure2]

mike, just have steff set you up with timing belt side parts (she'll know what you need) and a rear main seal, pull the motor out of the other car, do those mantinence items, and install it. provided the parts are installed correctly, you should be go to go for another 100k lol.

[mkernz22]

Do you think I should do that stuff with the motor I have in right now? and save the other one I have or should I redo all that stuff on the extra one and swap that one in when I do the tranny swap?

[Ted95]

Do you think I should do that stuff with the motor I have in right now? and save the other one I have or should I redo all that stuff on the extra one and swap that one in when I do the tranny swap?

i would just do it to the other motor in the parts car. if you have another one just laying around just take it out and start cleaning it up, refresh parts and maybe some paint

could do a port/polish to the head too and make it a decent all motor 5s for what they r. idk just saying lol.

This post has been edited by Ted95: Nov 18, 2010 - 7:07 PM