95 GT-Four Progress Thread Options

[azian_advanced]

I just flew in to Vancouver today and picked up a 1995 GT-Four that I imported myself. So now that I have a celica again, I decided I should have a progress thread since I never made one for my previous car.
It is a 1995 Celica in baltic blue (code 752) with the optional sunroof. That's about the only feature it came with from the factory.
Upon arrival, I was disappointed that the exporter did not show pictures of the worn and damaged areas of the car. The only damage noted was a dented rear hatch door and was in excellent mechanical condition.

First, I'll start with the pictures that the exporter had posted of the car.















optional factory seats. but obviously i went with the recaro's.
















here are some pics after i picked up the car and gave it a wash.












this is the mileage when i first picked up the car and drove to the nearest gas station a couple of kilometers away since the gas tanks are emptied when the car boards the ship.
i spent exactly $100 to fill! damn vancouver gas prices are high!








no idea why this is in the car. looks like a turbo timer diy that went bad...





driver-seat.. side bolster is beat to ****! i'm so disappoint!




but the passenger-side looks very good




it has LED map light installed





a couple of adhesive pads were left on the dash. not sure what it was for but i sure hope it can come off easily




this is the head-unit that the exporter agreed in installing.




i found this inside the shifter surround plastic. seems like a turbo-timer DIY install that went bad.





there's also this blitz boost controller which i think is a dummy since it doesn't light up or anything..





black spoiler... seriously?




here's that dented hatch door i mentioned.. hope it can be easily repaired.




small nick on the spoiler blocks




severely faded hood and vents





headlamp rubber seals are about to come off... typical 6gc problem.





and the rest are just random stickers and insignia











some goodies found in the glove compartment












I've spent most of the day driving around the city getting used to the RHD. it feels like learning how to drive all over again. shifting with the left takes some time to get used to. the turn signals are on the opposite side now and out of habit i'm turning the wipers on instead. after a few hours i've gotten used to most of it but downshifting in traffic while using the turn signals & changing lanes simultaneously is nearly impossible to do at first.

mechanically, the turbo spools up like it should but i'm really concerned about how much life it has left. nearly half of the foam in the hks mushroom air filter has already disintegrated, so there's literally no filtering at all! seems like the previous owner didn't care for it. also, when i picked up the car, it was on a gravel lot and the car was dusty. i really hope no sand was sucked in to the compressor and engine to cause long-term damage. i won't be driving through any gravel roads from here on out until i get back to winnipeg in 3 days.

you can really tell the difference between the gear ratios of the e154f & s54. i need to shift at a higher rpm so that the engine doesn't bog down on the next gear.. like the engine is begging to be revved! i'm still a softie when it comes to pushing the engine, looks like things are gonna be different from now on!
the shifter itself is notchy when downshifting to 3rd and 2nd or when trying to shift at higher than normal rpms so i'm guessing the synchros are starting to go?
i still haven't made any hard pulls since i'm still trying to get the hang of driving a RHD but I'll likely do a few once i get on the highway tomorrow. the drive through the mountains is gonna be fun.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 16, 2012 - 1:24 AM

[kurt95gt]

Looks like a good base to start on
Cant wait to see where you go with her

[azian_advanced]

i'll be heading out tomorrow morning to drive through the mountains and staying in Revelstoke, BC. should be a fun drive!

btw, to make this day even better, i got a call for a job offer today. i'll have to start making arrangements with moving to calgary once i'm back from this short vacation.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 16, 2012 - 1:29 AM

[JDUB]

Nice car man im sure its going to be super clean like ur old celi.

[Rusty]

a bit rough round the edges, but doesn't look too bad, glad to see you back in a 6GC

any chance of posting some scans of the features in that owners manual? (in a new thread)

[cheela]

nice pick up.

can't wait to see what you got planned.

[SwissFerdi]

Best possible situation. Wrecks 6gC, replaces with ST205. Best of luck with it.

As for the notchy shifting, drain the fluid and try something like Synchromesh? I've heard it cure odd shifter feelings before. And maybe an excellent upholsterer could redo both side cushions on that seat for you? They're effing beautiful, after all.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: May 16, 2012 - 8:24 AM

[Batman722]

Congrats Gerald !

[KAOS]

i'll be heading out tomorrow morning to drive through the mountains and staying in Revelstoke, BC. should be a fun drive!

btw, to make this day even better, i got a call for a job offer today. i'll have to start making arrangements with moving to calgary once i'm back from this short vacation.

This; I like - Congrats! How soon are you looking to move Gerald?

On your way back home you should stop through Calgary and meet some of the group.

This post has been edited by KAOS: May 16, 2012 - 10:21 AM

[RabidTRD]

Sick!

My favorite part is all the Japanese stickers lmao. I'd leave most on, just because it's cool to see. Too bad about the condition though.

Also, when you say it needs higher RPM's, the 5S-FE feels better at high ones too. I usually don't shift any lower than 4k RPM and when I'm really pushing it, it's almost redline lol. 164K miles and no issues with doing so.

[azian_advanced]

I'm currently parked at a mall in Kamloops. The 4 hour drive here from Vancouver got me 27.82 mpg including several hours of driving in the city. There is a slight issue with the car.. The engine tends to bog upon boost. Although it's intermittent and happens about 1/10 times. It bogs until I release the throttle a little. It's like there is a problem with the TPS or like it's running an AFM. Not really sure right now and I don't have the tools and time to diagnose it til I get home.

There are definitely a few things needs to addressed. The front brakes are squealing intermittently so I think the pads and rotors need to be replaced. I need a new foam insert for the air filter. I want to replace the tranny fluid with synchromesh as mentioned earlier. I want to get the blitz boost controller to work so I can play with it I'm putting in the old double-digit stereo that I kept from my old car. In fact, I'm gonna try to contact the person who bought my car from the salvage auction and get all my parts back including the leather seats, 8 speaker system, cruise control, heated seat elements, seat belts, skirts, rear splitters, springs, and rear end links. Then have the body work all fixed up and new paint. This will span over a few months though and take some time.

After all that, I want to start modding again! summer wheels & tires, slap on new winter tires on the existing Enkeis,
and powdercoat the calipers.

Once I'm in Calgary I can get JDM tails and projectors since non-DOT lighting isn't enforced.
I'll be arriving in Calgary late in the evening tomorrow to stay with close relatives then leavimy early the next day to hhopefully make it back before Saturday. If I had the time, I'd go to see some apartments in person but other than that I won't be able to attend any meets until the next time I'll be in which is probably sometime middle to late June.

One thing I wished the Recaros could do is recline backwards so I can lay down and rest from all this driving.

[kloudkicka]

Congrats Gerald, nice to see u gotta another celi, maybe come meet up and see my ride finally before u leave for calgary lol

[Box]

Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix! Odds are you can swap the backs of the seats, just move the passenger side to the driver side. Might be able to move the bottom cushion over too. Very nice all in all, jelly is an understatement.

[azian_advanced]

i was wrong, the recaros do recline. there's no lever, but there's a knob to adjust the angle of the back rest. i prefer the lever idea since it's faster & easier to recline.

i took pictures of the engine bay today after topping up the air pressure in the tires. i also took pictures along the way from vancouver to revelstoke.








loose rain guard tray




the air filter... or what's left of it.




after market horns.








timing belt replaced at 81,709 kms





hood stickers





another look at the faded hood




at Tim Horton's in Kamloops.. can't drive without my coffee.




some more pics taken along the way















/end of day 2 pictures

[Box]

Nice colour on that car. Liking the pics. This enchanted forest sounds interesting...

[malpaso]

Congratulations mate! Dunno why I had feeling it should be that red converted WRC you showed in another topic .

[SwissFerdi]

Aren't those...Chronos, something like that? They look like very light wheels. You still haven't really given us your impressions on gaining a turbo and two drive wheels, how does it feel in comparison to the GT-S?

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: May 17, 2012 - 9:13 AM

[azian_advanced]

it's difficult to tell the difference between awd and fwd unless i push the car harder (test for oversteer/understeer). the car does feel a bit heavier in 1st gear in the lower revs because of the awd, taller gearing, extra weight but once boost kicks in (even if it's just a little), the extra power shortens the length of time to stay in 1st so the addition of a turbo compensates for the taller gearing. it's also pleasing to hear the bypass valve go off when accelerating from a stop. i don't think i'll ever get sick of that i find high-chirping aftermarket BOV to be really annoying.

i was worried at first about the aftermarket exhaust, as i'm not a fan of loud exhausts (unless it's coming from a ferrari), but the car has a nice low, deep-tone to it which doesn't resonate inside the cabin like some of the other civics i've driven and it also can't be heard when cruising at 3000 rpms which is perfect for the highway.

the car is fitted with lowering springs of some sort. the ride is harsh and i can feel that some of the bushings are shot. the driver side door panel needs to be tightened as it doesn't make that new-car-door-closing noise. it just needs to have the upper clip along the window glass pressed in tighter.

the recaro's fit really snug around the thighs. i'm 5'10" & 220 lbs but i would say the seats are meant for 180 lbs and lower with the same height. the worn thigh bolster on the driver seat has its inner foam shifted around the metal inner-frame of the bolster so i can feel the metal just digging into my leg.

the 4-speakers are garbage. can't wait to change the speakers and head unit.

i'm really looking forward for the winter and see how well the AWD performs.

[KAOS]

Hahahah - the enchanted forest is creepy as hell. Definitely some odd goings on in there...

We passed it last year on the way to Vernon and coming from the Calgary side of the enchanted forest there is like some old abandoned shack with boarded up windows, etc and a sign that says, "Enchanted Forest" close to it...

"Come to my version of Enchanted forest kiddies..."



This post has been edited by KAOS: May 17, 2012 - 11:52 AM

[kurt95gt]

Ok something no one has thought or cared to ask
how many times have you caught yourself getting in on the left side instead of the right

Get in set down "hey where did the wheel go.......crap wrong sides"

[jordisonjr]

Damn i want a 205..

[WALKER]

Congrats Gerald! Welcome to the club!

[Box]

Everybody needs a ST205.

[azian_advanced]

Ok something no one has thought or cared to ask
how many times have you caught yourself getting in on the left side instead of the right

Get in set down "hey where did the wheel go.......crap wrong sides"

it's happened a couple of times already actually.. and i laugh at myself everytime it happens


just another update, when i pulled over at a rest stop earlier today, i was looking and admiring the 3SGTE and checked the oil level. then i found a few wires coming out of the engine harness grommet on the firewall. one was for the boost gauge, another wire connected to the ignition pin on the diagnostics port, but there was another wire connected to some sort of relay.








so i went to look under the passenger-side foot well and followed the wires. as curious as i was, i pulled the carpet back to find a few toys hiding beneath:




score!

turns out the reason the boost controller wasn't working was because the module wasn't wired in and the relay on the firewall is actually some sort of VSV for it (i think).
i'll see if the other two (HKS fuel cut defencer & Greddy speed limiter cut controller) are working when i get back to winnipeg.

also, when i picked up the car, i checked the oil level and the oil on the dipstick was so clean it seems like the previous owner did an oil change before getting rid of it. it was so clear it was hard to tell what the actual oil level was on the dipstick. and after doing 1000 kms, the oil is still just as clean as it was before. i was expecting it to be a little brown or something but nope... still clear. i'm still puzzled why the VSV for the boost controller isn't hooked up and i'm guessing the previous owner blew the old engine and swapped in a newer one.

i also took a few pics today of the scenery.... enjoy.


Rogers Pass, B.C.






Lake Louise, AB




I'm currently in Banff taking a break and heading out shortly.

[Box]

I really love that second picture. Score on all the cool stuff you're finding.

[KAOS]

You wanna swing by tonight and talk shop!?

LMK. I'll hook you up with an addy.

I doubt you will - I bet you're beat from the trip so far. Long trips make me tired.

[FORGMANN]

Need to get that Recaro matching back seat..i have one in both Celicas

I find bolster wear is a problem with Recaros suggest rotating seats.
You can order real Recaro material to fix seat

I am 6'5" , 250 and pushing 40 but my old bum loves the seats.
I know what you mean about tight squeeze. Once get sorted take on
twistes and seats will feel amazing ..

Cruise control will be interesting as ST205 is not set up for it at all.
I dont even see it listed in EPC ...

Congrats on purchase. Welcome back..

[njccmd2002]

nice welcome back, you cant have my mats!!!!

[elvasoshexai]

really nice to see so many more GT4s now! i've seen 2 around the GTA... it's been barely 2 weeks after selling my celi and i'm already missing the 6gc... sooo tempted to get a gt4 for a next car... was already looking at jdm importer sites... too bad nobody imports lhd ones from europe. also can't wait for my trip in the summer through the rockies/banff, it looks sweet! first time heading out there and i've been living in ontario all my life hah.

[azian_advanced]

You wanna swing by tonight and talk shop!?

LMK. I'll hook you up with an addy.

I doubt you will - I bet you're beat from the trip so far. Long trips make me tired.

i had already planned to see my relatives in Calgary for the night. they will be letting me stay with them when i arrive in calgary for several weeks until i get my first couple of paycheques and find my own apartment. i'd like to try to go to the ogopogo meet but i don't know for sure at this time, but i'll have a better idea once i start the new job.

Need to get that Recaro matching back seat..i have one in both Celicas

I find bolster wear is a problem with Recaros suggest rotating seats.
You can order real Recaro material to fix seat

I am 6'5" , 250 and pushing 40 but my old bum loves the seats.
I know what you mean about tight squeeze. Once get sorted take on
twistes and seats will feel amazing ..

Cruise control will be interesting as ST205 is not set up for it at all.
I dont even see it listed in EPC ...

Congrats on purchase. Welcome back..

i finished swapping the seats over. it's too bad oem seats aren't setup like the recaros where you can just unbolt the seats from the seat rails and easily swap them. i wanted to do this on my leather seats since the side bolster on the driver seat was worn. while i had the seats out i did a full vacuuming job and found miscellaneous japanese coins, gundam (anime) cards, some receipts from who-knows-where, and an unused, still-wrapped chewing gum (no i wasn't gonna see what japanese gum tasted like )

the seats hug really well, i just wished it wasn't so hard to get in and out of.

nice welcome back, you cant have my mats!!!!

lol i don't think they'll fit anyway. you'd expect there to be some in japan or something since they usually get all the accessories and we get none. i might have to look for rhd 5gc/7gc rubber mats, or anything from a rhd with similar sub-flooring just to keep the snow and dirt from going on the carpets.

really nice to see so many more GT4s now! i've seen 2 around the GTA... it's been barely 2 weeks after selling my celi and i'm already missing the 6gc... sooo tempted to get a gt4 for a next car... was already looking at jdm importer sites... too bad nobody imports lhd ones from europe. also can't wait for my trip in the summer through the rockies/banff, it looks sweet! first time heading out there and i've been living in ontario all my life hah.

if you are going to travel out west in more than 3 months time, you might as well buy a gt-four from japan, or any jdm car if you don't mind the RHD. it's not difficult to do, you just need to know the process. i saved money not having to order from an importer. i only spent about $5.5k on mine all in! not that importers charge a decent coin for their work, but i was also lucky to have the exporter upgrade me to the next available gt-four due to their incompetence. normally you would find this car advertise for $7k if already landed considering the condition, features, and mileage. having the car on the trip made it very convenient to be able to get around and see places as i really hate having to take taxi's and public transportation when i'm travelling. the problem is making the long drive back to the GTA and not have cruise control.

i made the trip out west for the first time in 2009. if you're going to be with at least 8 people you definitely should try going whitewater rafting. they have excursion packages in banff but it takes place in B.C. about 1.5 hrs from Banff. it's not as dangerous as it sounds but you do have to sign a waiver in case of accidental death or whatnot but to put it into perspective, our guide was saying he was able to do most of the 22km ride by himself since he had a raft full of skinny japanese women who really couldn't paddle even if their lives depended on it lol.




----

getting back to the car, i checked the wiring on the fuel-cut defencer, speed limiter cut controller, and boost controller. they were all wired for power & ground but it seems the last owner didn't know how to wire the rest. i looked for the online manuals for these devices and figured out how to get fuel-cut defencer and boost controller working but i couldn't find out where the green & white wires connect to for the speed limiter cut controller. i'm not planning to take the car to max it out on the highway (i'm too chicken to do it anyway..), or setting the boost at dangerous levels, but would just like to know that they're set up properly since they're already in the car anyway.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 21, 2012 - 8:08 AM

[KAOS]

You wanna swing by tonight and talk shop!?

LMK. I'll hook you up with an addy.

I doubt you will - I bet you're beat from the trip so far. Long trips make me tired.

i had already planned to see my relatives in Calgary for the night. they will be letting me stay with them when i arrive in calgary for several weeks until i get my first couple of paycheques and find my own apartment. i'd like to try to go to the ogopogo meet but i don't know for sure at this time, but i'll have a better idea once i start the new job.

Most companies are pretty understanding if you say something like, "I already have plans for these days (in your case; August 9 & 10th ) and won't be available for work"
As long as you don't go crazy on the holidays within your first month of work, you should be alright.

[dudeofchaos]

Does the sticker on the timing belt cover mean it has to be changed at 100,000km or it has to be changed every 100,000km? I guess a timing belt has to last longer than 20,000km or so?

This post has been edited by dudeofchaos: May 22, 2012 - 1:08 PM

[jordisonjr]

Pretty sure timing belts are done every 80 000km

[KAOS]

Pretty sure timing belts are done every 80 000km

... in a perfect world maybe.

I know that when I did my timing belt on the 5SFE it had never been done... and was already at ~220,000 KMs.

... not condoning that or anything, but they are build to last.

[jordisonjr]

Sorry meant to say Recommended every 80 000, but thats just what I've heard.
220 000 thats insane haha.
I wouldn't want to take that risk.

[KAOS]

I wouldn't want to take that risk.

I didn't either. The ****-tard that sold me the car told me it had been recently done. But I could tell it was the original factory belt and the belt literally SHATTERED on me.

[WALKER]

Does the sticker on the timing belt cover mean it has to be changed at 100,000km or it has to be changed every 100,000km? I guess a timing belt has to last longer than 20,000km or so?

The sticker on the ST205 Timing Belt Cover is the recommended interval of 100,000 km to change it. The hand written portion of 81707 is when it would have been changed. All ST205's have the 100,000 km sticker on them.

[KAOS]

Does the sticker on the timing belt cover mean it has to be changed at 100,000km or it has to be changed every 100,000km? I guess a timing belt has to last longer than 20,000km or so?

All ST205's have the 100,000 km sticker on them.

And all 3SGE's too.

[ricochet1490]

my beams says 100,000k....

[dudeofchaos]

Does the sticker on the timing belt cover mean it has to be changed at 100,000km or it has to be changed every 100,000km? I guess a timing belt has to last longer than 20,000km or so?

The sticker on the ST205 Timing Belt Cover is the recommended interval of 100,000 km to change it. The hand written portion of 81707 is when it would have been changed. All ST205's have the 100,000 km sticker on them.

Well my 5sfe and 3sgte had the same sticker that's why I was asking. I thought it would've been too much of a coincidence for both to be done at this same exact mileage haha.

[azian_advanced]

i took off the front wheels to inspect the brakes since they're making intermittent squealing noises when braking at low speeds. i suspected the brake pads to be thin.

after removing the front wheels, i was greeted with a nice green color on the struts.



TRD coilovers!

how many other surprises will i find on this car!? there were no details from the exporter about any aftermarket parts installed but it seems i've found a real gem. i was wondering why the wheel gap seemed to be a little narrow and the ride to be a little harsh but i just thought that it was on some sort of lowering springs. maybe the exporter had no idea what they had?

it's currently lowered to about 60% should i go lower? seems pretty low already.






does anyone know if the 1 means soft and 4 means hard? or is it the other way around?


based on this pic, do the brake pads need replacing? the creaking/squealing noise that i'm hearing is either coming from the pads or the caliper pistons. i really hope it's the pads..





i also have a green front drive axle! wtf?





and a drive joy oil filter.. meh



This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 24, 2012 - 12:29 AM

[ricochet1490]

pads look like they have life... but squealing can come from the contact point between the metal part of the pad and the piston itself... may invest in some anti-squealers for the backs of those pads to quiet them up.

[Tigawoods]

maybe tein started making fwd axles! lol

[richee3]

At first, seeing the faded hood and turbo timer and now discovering all the hidden goodies.... I think someone is beginning to love his new car.

[KAOS]

At first, seeing the faded hood and turbo timer and now discovering all the hidden goodies.... I think someone is beginning to love his new car.

Couldn't have been given to a better guy either... he'll take good care of it.

[dudeofchaos]

Maybe it just needs to be cleaned. Sometimes just a small bit of metal could've gone somewhere in the caliper or around the pads somewhere which makes this noise. Take the pads out and clean everything off and put them back on making sure everything is fine.
I would like to know if 1 is the softest and 4 the stiffest too. I've always wondered, maybe I'd change mine to a softer level for an everyday ride.

This post has been edited by dudeofchaos: May 24, 2012 - 5:19 PM

[Rusty]

nice score on the coilovers, just go for a drive on 1, then switch it over to 4. my guess that 1 would be the softest

[richee3]

I'm curious to know about the coilover settings as well, and find out how you feel about them. Are you still feeling any bogging like you mentioned on page 1?

[azian_advanced]

ok i did some searching on gt4oc and they mention that 1=softest & 4=hardest. when i got my car they were all set to 2 but then i changed them to 1 now and there is a difference but barely even noticeable. i was glad that the coilover damper settings can be changed for the rear without having to remove the rear hatch panels.

i also went to a local tuning shop and ordered an HKS replacement foam air filter. unfortunately they were out of the 200mm-diameter ones and only had 150mm in stock. since it would take a week to order and i didn't want to risk not having a filter, i bought the 150-mm filter insert and put an order in for a gray 200mm filter.




i think the bogging issue i'm having is spark related since it's intermittent. since it's been raining a lot it hasn't been happening much lately. it must be the cold because it happens more frequently on warmer/drier days. i did a search and someone had exactly the same symptoms as i (ie. intermittent bogging on high engine load during boost) and turned out to be spark plug wires. so i will be putting in an order for oem wires, cap, and rotor soon but will have to hold for a couple of weeks once i move out. since i'll be changing the wires, i went ahead and pre-ordered a set of IK22 spark plugs from the same tuning shop as i was told they were the best out there and aren't even available in regular stores. i know the stock st205 uses bkr6e plugs or whatever which can be found anywhere but i took the guy's word for it since they do performance tuning in-house. it also turns out that IK22's are the same as the TRD plugs.


since all cars in Canada are required to have daytime running lights (drl) i went and picked up a DRL kit. it cost $40 and wiring was pretty straight forward. but instead of having the headlamps as my DRLs, i wired them up to my foglamps.



i installed the drl module right where the abs was supposed to be.

today, i had a day off and rewind a couple of days back, i found where my old car was. it was sitting in a wrecker yard for the past few months. so today, i went there first thing in the morning. it was a sad sight to see the car just sitting on the side skirts and ss-iii rear splitters.. wheels, suspension, hubs, all gone.





the interior was pretty much completely intact except for the door panels. the driver side door panel was completely ripped off. i'm guessing somebody saw the JL 8" subs and didn't want to waste time figuring out how the door panel comes off. so yea the subs are gone but i was able to pull out the mids and tweeters as well as the speaker grills for all the speakers. the passenger-side panel was removed properly and was just sitting outside, just my luck since my driver-side (rhd) panel is a little loose and shakes when i shut the door.

the car was basically sitting in the middle of a puddle since it had rained a lot for the past few days. in order to remove the speakers without having to sit on broken glass all over the interior of the car, i used what was left of the driver-side door panel and the rear parcel tray as a platform to avoid getting wet. it hurt having to use interior panels as stepping stones to get around the car.

in addition to the speakers and grills, i also took the heated seat kit, my interior 110V heater wires, my alarm/starter module with temperature sensor and shock sensor (i forgot to get the friggin antenna!!), a window regulator/motor, and my bluetooth input stereo adapter that was neatly tucked away behind the oem stereo.




when i got home i immediately got to work and started doing the 8-speaker conversion. i'll let the pics speak for themselves.















this last picture is with the original (cloth) door panel but i just pulled off the cloth and made it match the driver-side leather panel.
what's nice about the 4-speaker system is that all the wires are already there for the tweeters.. just plug n play!
once i get 8" subs again, i will also be running proper cross-overs and amplifiers for the sound system. but for now, all 3 speakers are wired together which sounds better than just the 4 speakers but still sounds pretty bad. those 6.5" stock speakers are just about to crack.


next on the list was to wire up the heated seats. to do this i basically did the same thing as i did before. remove the chair, insert heating elements, run wire from under chair through the centre console and up to the window vent where i installed the heated seat switch then wired it up to a good power source and ground.







the heated seats work great. even better in the recaros since the cloth material is a lot thinner than the leather (padded) covers. oh it's gonna be a good winter

but that's not all i also wired up my two interior heaters. i had this set up in my old car and it rocked. sure it uses a ****load of electricity and ended up getting wasted for the most part, but when you're paying $500+ for parking for 2 terms, i'm gonna take advantage of it. i know they're a bit overkill but it's nice to walk into your car in the winter and it's already warmed up. i just need to put a timer in. the wires for the heaters run under the passenger side carpet and towards & through the firewall. at the front, there's a 110V plug ready to plug in. btw, this is only phase 1 of my winter-prep, i have an in-line water heater/pump that i've been wanting to put in as well as an inline lower rad hose heater.





and here is something i put in the car. it's an actual flare that came off an old minivan that we used to own.



This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 29, 2012 - 2:15 AM

[Goonter]

noice. Welcome to the club. theres some good parts on that car. Good stuff. and congrats. Question.. didnt your car come with a jdm flare? they all usually do. Annnd were teh sideskirts on your old car still intact or smashed cause its been sitting on it?

[glenn]

About the brakes, it can be some non standard "high performance" pads, they usally make a lot of squealing sounds.. the yellowish dust looks like they are not standard anyway.

What kind of DRL kit did u use ? ..Here in sweden we also need to use lights daytime, but it doesnt need to be automatic, however its very easy to forget about it when you are used to cars with automatic DRL (as most cars sold in sweden have)

[SwissFerdi]

I really like that flare, I dig the utilitarian way that you mounted it in the foot well. Anyway, sad to see your car like that - I'd cry and punch something in the face in that situation. Why did you not remove all the parts at time of parting with the car? Sweet GT-4 still too, looks like she's in good hands...

[KAOS]

Gerald; what shape is the driverside projector housing in on your old red one??

[azian_advanced]

noice. Welcome to the club. theres some good parts on that car. Good stuff. and congrats. Question.. didnt your car come with a jdm flare? they all usually do. Annnd were teh sideskirts on your old car still intact or smashed cause its been sitting on it?

did yours come with it? i always thought the jdm flares were removed as they are hazardous materials.. anyway i remember playing with one of the flares when i went camping as a kit. it makes a nice 2ft flame just need to make sure you don't wear expensive clothing when you light one up
the skirts and splitters are bent but are probably repairable. the problem is getting under the car to undo the locking tabs & screws. you'd need to jack up the car to get to it but i didn't want to take any chances since there have been many deaths with cars falling on people at junk yards.

About the brakes, it can be some non standard "high performance" pads, they usally make a lot of squealing sounds.. the yellowish dust looks like they are not standard anyway.

What kind of DRL kit did u use ? ..Here in sweden we also need to use lights daytime, but it doesnt need to be automatic, however its very easy to forget about it when you are used to cars with automatic DRL (as most cars sold in sweden have)

i figured that the pads were high performance type pads since they were yellow. i'm gonna switch back to regular supra TT on the next set.
this is the kit that i went with. it cost $40 + tax.



you have to wire up to a constant 12V (battery), ignition, ground, then your headlight of choice (for me it's the fogs), and optional parking lights, and optional high beams if you want the DRLs to shut off when the high beams are triggered.

I really like that flare, I dig the utilitarian way that you mounted it in the foot well. Anyway, sad to see your car like that - I'd cry and punch something in the face in that situation. Why did you not remove all the parts at time of parting with the car? Sweet GT-4 still too, looks like she's in good hands...

jdm cars have their flares in that location. since it has everything but the flare, i decided to put one in.
i was not able to remove the parts because after the accident, the car wasn't driveable. the insurance company allows you to come back for the car to retrieve any loose items but anything secured to the vehicle cannot be removed but instead holds value in the insurance write-off amount. unfortunately i wasn't able to bid on it at the salvage auctions to buy it back as a parts car and sell the parts.

Gerald; what shape is the driverside projector housing in on your old red one??

i checked the lamps and they're all damaged. but the driver side high and low beam lenses are still good. the internals of the projector is also in good shape.

[KAOS]

Gerald; what shape is the driverside projector housing in on your old red one??

i checked the lamps and they're all damaged. but the driver side high and low beam lenses are still good. the internals of the projector is also in good shape.

The biggest thing for me is the tabs of the projector. I don't want/need anything else, just the outer shell that holds everything. Unless the driverside is in really good shape, then I might snag the entire thing off you.

Are you going back to get the command start antenna? Would you mind grabbing the DS projector for me at the same time? (just need the driverside low, provided all tabs are in usable condition)

Thanks man! I appreciate it!

This post has been edited by KAOS: May 29, 2012 - 1:53 PM

[jordisonjr]

They also lifted up the car with the lift directly on the skirts.
I was there the day they took out the motor and rest of the suspension to try and get a couple of parts, and saw that they had lifted it up directly on the sirts, so they're probably pretty damaged, and as Gerald said, dangerous to get off.

Gerald: They took off all the suspension parts in the shop, if you ask the guys working there (Im sure you have) they may still have some of it sitting around inside.

[azian_advanced]

all the lamps have at least one broken tab. i know the driverside high beam still has at least one good tab but i was not able to see the condition bottom tabs of the driver-side because the bumper was still on. the projector might have its two bottom tabs intact but wasn't able to check to confirm.

i wanted to get the ST205 TEIN springs back but didn't know i'm already rolling on TRD coilovers so i have no need for them. but to whoever wants them, it has new KYB GR2 struts all around too. the racingbeat end links are still on the car and waould've been an easy grab but they're really rusted. also, the rear leather seats are in mint condition, the passenger was mint before the accident but now has a 2-inch scratch on the bottom, center hood grill, hood vents, hood spoiler, one HID module, center stereo surround panel, shift boot, gauge cluster, dash, premium stereo and both amplifiers, leather 4-spoke steering wheel (no center), ABS front and rear hubs (with poly trailing arm bushigs for the rears), and many more... for any locals who are interested.

i wanted to take the cruise control but there is no place to put the actuator since the hks intake pipe is in the way.

there are still a lot of parts available. i told the owner if he is willing let go of the parts for less than his asking price, that i will recommend some of my friends to come get some parts off of it themselves.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 29, 2012 - 2:46 PM

[Goonter]

noice. Welcome to the club. theres some good parts on that car. Good stuff. and congrats. Question.. didnt your car come with a jdm flare? they all usually do. Annnd were teh sideskirts on your old car still intact or smashed cause its been sitting on it?

did yours come with it? i always thought the jdm flares were removed as they are hazardous materials.. anyway i remember playing with one of the flares when i went camping as a kit. it makes a nice 2ft flame just need to make sure you don't wear expensive clothing when you light one up
the skirts and splitters are bent but are probably repairable. the problem is getting under the car to undo the locking tabs & screws. you'd need to jack up the car to get to it but i didn't want to take any chances since there have been many deaths with cars falling on people at junk yards.

Yeah all the ones i know that are here came with it, although i think denley's was expired. I thought yours came with it and replaced it with that one. and thanks for telling me about the skirts. Been looking for TRD deals but a little hard to come by.

[SwissFerdi]

How much does the yard want for end links?

[jordisonjr]

Did he say he had all the parts in the shop? Or wherever they store them?

[RabidTRD]

I really like that flare, I dig the utilitarian way that you mounted it in the foot well. Anyway, sad to see your car like that - I'd cry and punch something in the face in that situation. Why did you not remove all the parts at time of parting with the car? Sweet GT-4 still too, looks like she's in good hands...

That's actually a factory mount. All true JDM cars come with flare mounts in the kick panel. Honda, Nissan, Toyota, they've all got it! It's pretty cool! Something I wish I had for my Celica haha.

[UndaGrwnD]

Good progress, nice mods done so far....goodluck!

[azian_advanced]

How much does the yard want for end links?

i didn't ask but probably $10-$15 i would imagine.

Did he say he had all the parts in the shop? Or wherever they store them?

i saw my engine sitting in a lot with a bunch of other engines outside. i haven't asked about the suspension but there's a good chance they're still there since i think i'm the 2nd person to get to the car.

[azian_advanced]

just an update..

yesterday,i did an oil change and put in a TRD oil filter that I had from a little while back. I still have 2 spare TRD filters for the upcoming changes. i also replaced the smaller (temporary) yellow HKS filter sponge for a gray one that I had ordered last week.




my order for the Iridium IK22 plugs also came in. but man, changing plugs on a st205 isn't as easy as you have to remove the intercooler to gain access to it.

so while I had the intercooler out, and while i have a stack of reflective insulation (kinda like a metallic bubble-wrap ) sitting as scrap, so i thought why not insulate the intercooler? so then i traced out the intercooler and cut outs for the inlets/outlets/mounting brackets and taped the sucker on with some reflective automotive tape. here are the finished pics.








i was contemplating on wrapping the top side of the intercooler and envelope the whole thing in that shiny bubble-wrap, would look a bit more rallly-ish but i dunno.. at least i wouldn't have to pull out the intercooler to do it if i decided to.


today, i spent all day running errands & packing the car with all of my belongings. there is barely any space left anywhere! i'm leaving for Calgary early and heading to a new apartment. i'm gonna miss my garage





This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Jun 6, 2012 - 10:50 PM

[ricochet1490]

at least the 205 stiff suspension can handle all of that. I"ve had mine so full of crap, Tv's you name it, that the rear suspension looked squashed. That looks like it's holding up well to the weight!

[Anoroc]

my order for the Iridium IK22 plugs also came in. but man, changing plugs on a st205 isn't as easy as you have to remove the intercooler to gain access to it.

I made the same mistake of thinking that! You don't actually have to take it off, but its good you made use of it :3

[KAOS]

I'm gonna miss my garage

Don't worry man - there are plenty here that are available to you if/when you need them.

[malpaso]

Keep going mate! Only what I would change (if I were you) is that intake filter. HKS is not good for street cars at all. It's filter capability is really poor. I recommend Apexi http://www.nengun.com/apexi/power-intake.

[azian_advanced]

my order for the Iridium IK22 plugs also came in. but man, changing plugs on a st205 isn't as easy as you have to remove the intercooler to gain access to it.

I made the same mistake of thinking that! You don't actually have to take it off, but its good you made use of it :3

really? i don't see how else you can access the plugs without removing the intercooler.

btw, replacing the plugs seems to have fixed the hesitation issue at WOT. when i pulled out the cords, there was a pool of oil sitting in each spark plug tube. looks like i'll have to replace some gaskets to replace the leak. the oil or the plugs themselves must have been the source of the problem. i'm gonna test it out again later today just to make sure. if it's fixed, i wanna hook up the vacuum lines for the boost controller and get it working.

I'm gonna miss my garage

Don't worry man - there are plenty here that are available to you if/when you need them.

thanks man the car ran really well all the way here so hopefully i don't run into any serious issues that would require a garage. my uncle here in Calgary has a garage but it's so empty that i kinda feel sorry for it.. lol

Keep going mate! Only what I would change (if I were you) is that intake filter. HKS is not good for street cars at all. It's filter capability is really poor. I recommend Apexi http://www.nengun.com/apexi/power-intake.

thanks martin I hate the HKS filter too but it will have to do for now. i looked at the intake filter comparison on supraforums and showed Apex'i being the best with minimal pressure loss. i'm going to switch over once i see that the HKS foam insert starts to show signs of degradation.

when i took out the intercooler, there was all these small black bits from the air filter foam stuck in the intercooler fins at the inlet. so while i had it out, i added gasoline in the intercooler and i ziptied rubber gloves around the inlet and outlet sealing the intercooler. i also added boiling water into the water lines to help heat and loosen the grime that was stuck. i gave it a couple of minutes of hard shakes, and emptied the gasoline. all i saw was black grime pouring out. i repeated the process about 3 times and got rid of most of the left over HKS muck. so DON'T GO WITH FOAM AIR FILTERS ON FORCED INDUCTION! i'm just glad it didn't mess up the turbo.

[delusionz]

my order for the Iridium IK22 plugs also came in. but man, changing plugs on a st205 isn't as easy as you have to remove the intercooler to gain access to it.

I made the same mistake of thinking that! You don't actually have to take it off, but its good you made use of it :3

really? i don't see how else you can access the plugs without removing the intercooler.

yeah you can fold it over without removing the water lines, the hoses don't look too comfortable in bending like that though.

[delusionz]

in 5 mins max i just undo the joiner clamps on the throttle body and turbo (just the lower one is fine), 3 bolts holding the IC down, lift/jiggle up from turbo, slide out of throttle body joiner then fold over to the side

i'm looking at replacing those lines with dash fittings in the future anyway

[Edser]

I love the surprises you find when you pick up your fresh import. I bought a '95 Integra some years ago, and found a load of cassettes in the glove box. I had a listen to them and they contained really wierd Japanese music and some freaky cover versions. It was hilarious! I can imagine the previous owner driving around listening to it thinking how great he must look.