My First Celica, 42000 Miles!!! Options

[skull_kid]

Hey 6gc, this is my first post.
Love the site and the people on it, so I just had to finally get on this thing.

I've been a member since I first started looking for my Celica, which is also my first car, as I always dreamed it would be.

She's a 99 Celica GT hatchback with 40906 miles at the time of purchase.
Silver with black leather interior, alloy wheels, 5 speed.
Bone stock, one owner.

The car has been sitting for the better part of 12 years.

Since transporting her home, I've gotten a full 60k service and tune, and installed brand new JDM taillights.

The only major flaws in the interior is a missing cover for the pocket under the CD player and some cracked leather on the shoulder of the driver's seat.
Here she is:










So, do I win some sort of record for this find?

This post has been edited by skull_kid: Jun 19, 2011 - 6:25 PM

[jordisonjr]

looks pretty clean.
You may find the Wheel bearings will go shortly.
My celica was sitting for a while as well and I had to do them

This post has been edited by jordisonjr: Jun 8, 2011 - 9:05 PM

[skull_kid]

You know I have been getting some vibration when braking hard from speeds above 80mph. Could that be it?

This post has been edited by skull_kid: Jun 8, 2011 - 9:27 PM

[mgnt232]

omfg! EPIC WIN! 40,000 miles!? thats crazy man, good find!
and welcome to 6gc

[jordisonjr]

Hmmm I'm not too sure.
I've had quite a bit of experience with wheel baerings, and I've never had that, althought that could be another sign.
Although usually when the wheel bearing is going, you will hear almost a like whirring sound, that speeds up with the speed of the car/wheel rotation.
When they get really bad, sometimes you can almost feel it through the floor with your feet as you drive.

[4-eyed-freek]

if they go bad you can feel it at speed through the steering wheel.. it will vibrate, mine was bad so it made for a very shaky ride hahah

[mkernz22]

the braking vibration could just mean that your pads and rotors are heating up and that the rotor is semi warping, if you get drilled and slotted rotors, then you should be all set with the braking issue

[HaysoosKreesto]

It's amazing to see a ride so CLLLLLLLLLLLLEAN like this.

[cheela]

I'd take the front bra off if I were you. Haven't heard too good of things about them.

[jordisonjr]

x2 with taking off the bra.
Although the damage may already be done.

[skull_kid]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. And thanks mgnt, I already feel welcome here

Yeah, she is clean! Biggest problems were the water pump, belts, and a leaky valve cover gasket.
I looked far and wide, and with a little patience (3 months of constant searching) I came across this gem and 2 weeks later I was a on a plane.
I think the cover in the front has been on there for years... I had no idea it could do damage to the paint.

My rotors were inspected during the 60k tune up I had in March. Plus my wheels were rebalanced. Guess I'll have to keep looking into it. It's very mild vibration though.
I'd feel comfortable about upgrading the rotors myself (thanks for the tip mkernz!), but I'm not sure about messing around with the hub assembly just yet.

On that note, I was thinking of opening a new thread about automotive education.
I was curious about how you all gained your experience.

[alltrac]

By chance did this Celica come from Colorado?

[skull_kid]

Haha I admit nothing
Did you see an old posting somewhere?

Btw good to hear back from you.

[jordisonjr]

To be honest, everything i've ever learned about cars was either through this website, reading stuff online, talking to friends/ car enthusiasts, and just getting at the car and doing the work after reading about it.
I've never had any training whatsoever when it comes to cars, but I'd like to think I know a decent amount.
Experience gives you the best knowledge, and is the best way to learn

[delusionz]

You know I have been getting some vibration when braking hard from speeds above 80mph. Could that be it?

get a wheel alignment done, check your pads, rest should be sweet.

[alltrac]

Haha I admit nothing
Did you see an old posting somewhere?

Btw good to hear back from you.

While shopping for mine I saw a silver 99 a couple months ago on craigslist with around the same mileage.

[richee3]

First things first, welcome to the site! Second, I already respect you because you type with good grammar and proper punctuation. Kudos to you. Third, and most importantly, that's a great find on that Celica! We'll never be able to find another one like it.

[skull_kid]

It looks like I've got a lot more reading to do to get some experience, although I do have to be careful because this is my daily driver.
At least I don't have to drop a couple Gs on classes or something. Thanks for the encouragement jordisonjr.

Props to my main man richee for the shout out. I do love a clean celi, and I love a clean post.
I know she's special, and I will do my best to take care of 'er.

deluzionz & mkernz22, or anyone else, I did have the alignment done a couple months back, but you've caught my interest in the brakes.
I can't afford a whole TRD brake kit, and I don't think I need a big brake kit anyway from what I've read in the forums.

Instead, would it be reasonable, and cheaper, for me to find slotted rotors and slap some TRD calipers on them (you know the sweet red ones)?

[opie_7afe]

id find some nice rotors for your stock system,(i heard slotted rotors slice a thin thin layer off of brake pads to keep the glazing down,and can shorten pad life a little), as far as calipers i wouldnt worry about them right now unless of course one is sticking or piston is leaking, however you can buy some gt-four front brakes(need slight modifications) and put those on and be basicly the same as the trd's without the paint and price tag(your calipers can be painted!), but one good/bad thing about getting gt-four brake calipers is this...you have to upgrade your wheels at the same time..why? because factory gt wheels wont clear the calipers..they also run about 500usd for the fronts...good luck! and welcome to the site

This post has been edited by opie_7afe: Jun 14, 2011 - 2:43 PM

[celicaST]

Haha I admit nothing
Did you see an old posting somewhere?

Btw good to hear back from you.

While shopping for mine I saw a silver 99 a couple months ago on craigslist with around the same mileage.

ya i saw the same listing. im sure its the same one, probably not to many 40k 99 silver gts rolling around any more, plus i see mountains in the background. glad an enthusiast picked it up

[skull_kid]

I really did feel like this car was special, so I couldn't imagine anyone else driving it.

I installed Spree's LED kit last weekend. It looks amazing. Maybe I'll post a few installation tips and pics later on for people like me who've never done any interior work before.

I've been doing a lot of research around the forum, and I have decided the best way to upgrade a 5sfe with the least amount of cash is to go ahead and put in a short ram intake and new header. I found this listing:

http://www.ssautochrome.com/level.itml/icOid/1430

Check out the MR2 header towards the bottom of the page.
It's the only aftermarket one I could find that explicitly says it will fit the Celica's 5sfe.
I'd be interested to know from you guys if this header is legit.
It looks bolt-on. If I had a friend help me out, do you think we could pull this off?

Will these upgrades actually result in wHP?

[richee3]

It'll fit, but there are cheaper ones on Ebay. You'll see maybe 1-2 hp out of that header... maybe. Some say the butt dyno can feel the difference, others say they never notice it. For the minimal gains, you'd be better off saving money and buying the Ebay special.

[mkernz22]

They aren't on ebay anymore lol I've been searching for a whileeee

[RabidTRD]

They are... they are just hard to find.

http://m2-performance.amazonwebstore.com/B.../B002FCC4YG.htm

There ya go. Megan Racing (M2) header.

[skull_kid]

Thanks everyone!

Rabid, the one you found, it's the same one just cheaper, right? That's awesome! But, they're out of stock...

I appreciate you all being patient with my questions, which are probably obvious to most people here.

Speaking of which, I have a question about putting in the header and short ram intake. If I do both of those, will I do any damage to the engine by driving around without upgrading my exhaust as well? I intend to do it, but not right away. I'll probably have a professional do the exhaust, but I am still researching which one to put in.

Is it possible to put in a performance exhaust system that I can use with both the 5sfe and the 3sgte, in case I want to swap a few years down the road?

Also if anyone wants to answer my previous brake question, I'd love to hear it.

[skull_kid]

My new tailgate came out of the shop today!








I found this about a month ago on a wrecked Celica in a salvage yard.
It was black and had all the trim, so I got it repainted and repaired, and I'll be able to wax it in a couple weeks.

I'll have to swap out the wiper motor but that's about it.

When I'm ready, I'll be able to use this hatch with the riser blocks.
Until then, I'm very happy with my 3 post wing

About my brakes and header questions, I guess I'll have more luck if I start a new thread for that.

[RabidTRD]

It won't damage your engine to just do a SRAI or a header. If you want an exhaust that can be used 3SGTE or 5SFE, get a 2.25" or a 2.50" exhaust. Make sure it has a flange up near the front or a way to be modified when you do the engine swap. The chassis is the same for both models, so exhaust routing will be the same.

[CoolZeen]

x2 with taking off the bra.
Although the damage may already be done.

its good for that , to style(use) it, covering damage or scratches until it gets repair.

[bloodMoney]

Zeen, this thread is 8 years old....

[Box]

Holy flashbacks.

[CoolZeen]

Zeen, this thread is 8 years old....

i know! I like to be messing around with the old arks .to see what i can unravel or provoke.