3SGE Beams powered Celica, Her replacement has arrived Options

[S8S8]

I've had my Celica since 2005. It's a ZR model which was released in Australia with the 5SFE engine. The ZR came with a few nice little extras like the leather wheel and gear knob, airbag, ABS, cruise control etc. I wish it had the sunroof, but unfortunately the original owner was too tight to tick the option box!

My current plans are to build a car that I can enjoy on the weekends and take out to the occasional track day. I used to have an AE86 JDM Levin that I took to the track, so I'd really love to get back into that.

I toyed with the idea of selling it and buying a later model WRX or EVO, but I reckon for less than $10,000 I can build a car that might not be a rocket ship, but will definitely be good fun.

I'm not really into the visual side of things, so most of the work will be around making the car more fun and enjoyable to drive.

Current mods:

• 18" wheels
• Lowered springs

Planned mods:

• 3SGE Beams conversion (done)
• SS-II twin piston brakes (done)
• SS-II instrument cluster (done)
• SS-II leather steering wheel (done)
• JDM auto climate control (done)
• GT4 front end (done - but needs paint)
• GT4 rear strut brace (done)
• JDM tails (done)
• JDM projectors (done)
• Bigger exhaust to suit the Beams (done)
• BC Racing coilovers (done)
• Sportier front seats

Here's a couple of pics back when the wheels were new:









Looking forward to starting the Beams conversion and I'll probably be asking plenty of questions on here!

Cheers
Shane.

This post has been edited by S8S8: Jan 19, 2017 - 6:46 PM

[S8S8]

More progress!

After having a little difficulty pulling the Beams out of the clip I ended up dropping the engine out from underneath instead. It worked a treat, but I managed to smash one of the plastic plugs on the throttle body. Oops... I'll take a pic tomorrow during daylight. Hopefully the replacement plug isn't too expensive.

So anyway the engine is out and tomorrow I'll get started on the maintenance side of things, then it will be the turn of the 5SFE to come out from it's comfy home.

Getting back to those extra parts I ordered from Toyota, I called them yesterday to see if they were in yet (there should have arrived on Monday) and the guy said there was no record of my order! He didn't sound to helpful, but said he'd look into it and get back to me. I felt a little let down by my beloved Toyota, but just ten minutes later the guy called back and said he could have the parts for me tomorrow (today) and he'd give them to me for trade price. Thanks Toyota!

Okay now I have a couple of questions:

1. The Beams is currently still attached to the sub frame and sitting on my garage floor. My mate reckons we should use the same method to install it into my car, by just lifting the body up and over the engine, then just bolting the sub frame into place.

Is this the best option? Is there an easier way to pull the 5SFE out of my car, then detach the Beams from its sub frame and drop into my car? It seems like this is the way more people go with.

2. I read elsewhere on the forum that the correct clutch combo was a 3SGE pressure plate, 3SGE or 5SFE disk and 5SFE throw out bearing. I went to my local clutch guy and we looked at the part numbers, and he reckoned the complete kit for the 3SGE would work. Does that sound right? Well that's what I've got, so I guess we'll see if it works.

Thanks

This post has been edited by S8S8: Apr 1, 2011 - 3:57 AM