Richee3's Progress thread., Wilwood BBK installed. Options

[richee3]

You might be asking yourself, "Self, how does a person who just sold their Celica make a progress thread for a Celica?" The answer is easy: you go buy another Celica. So I picked up a '96 GT hatchback with a blown engine.

The story: My brother's friend got the car brand new in '97. It's a '96 model though... gotta wait until the end of the year so you can get a good deal on a car! So back in 1997, a slate gray Celica pulls into my driveway. I've never seen one before. My brother is always telling me about how fast the car is. Flash forward a few years and I find myself with a '96 ST sitting in my garage and I find out that my brother lied to me and that these cars aren't fast at all. So here I am, 3 Celicas and a Lexus IS 300 later, and I miss my Celica. I had my hopes up for a swap and a GT4 front end conversion. So what did I do? I called Marc tonight and asked him about his old Celica. I knew he never changed the oil and never even checked it. I knew he blew the engine up. Tranny is still good, body is still good. New brakes and tires. Even has good blades on the windshield wipers. So tonight I call him and ask if he still has the car and he said he'd let it go for $250. I was there in 30 minutes with a check in hand. The car I grew up watching, the Celica that made me love Celicas, is now mine. Forgive the bad pictures, since it was night before I got there to buy the car. Better pictures coming later.









Like I said, the motor is blown. Not a big deal since I am doing a swap anyway. It was lady driven at first, and ladies suck at driving (no offense, ladies.) So she cracked the skirts and had a body shop remove them. No big deal since I am putting TRD skirts on. The car needs paint. No big deal since I was painting it anyway. Needs a new head unit... You get the idea. That's literally the extent of things that are wrong with the car. Everything else is in good shape.

Plans for the car... I'm still undecided. It's definitely getting a 3S, whether it's a BEAMS or a 3rd gen -GTE.

So... here I am, 6gc. It was a long month without a Celica, but I'm back and I'm here to stay.

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Update: 5S-FE to BEAMS 3S-GE wiring explained with pictures:

• EA1 Plug: Pins 17 and 4 need to be bridged. Pin 17 needs power when pin 4 has it. Pin 17 is in the lower left corner, black w/red trace. Pin 4 is the big black wire at the top, center of the plug. Doing this gives the BEAMS spark. Pin 17 coming off of the EA1 plug can be snipped and covered up, left alone. (See picture 1.)
• EA1 Plug: Pins 2 and 12 need to be bridged. They are both ground wires, white w/black trace. (See picture 1.)
• Clutch start wire: Black w/yellow trace. This one is a bit tricky to explain. There are 3 vertical plugs next to the ECU. On the body side of the plugs, you have a white (19 pin) plug, light gray (13 pin) plug, and dark gray (17 pin) plug. The clutch start wire is pin 18 on the white plug. Move it to pin 17 on the dark gray plug. (Refer to picture 2.)
• If using your OEM tach and a tach adapter, you'll need to intercept the tach signal going from the ECU to the gauges. This comes from plug C, wire 27 on the ECU plugs. It's a gray wire. (Refer to picture 3.)
• Cruise control wiring: I have a 1998 USDM Celica. In my case, no wiring changes were necessary and my cruise control works perfectly. I believe that this is standard across the board of USDM Celicas, although some pre-98 models may still require changes. Further research from others is necessary.
• Airbag light: To get your airbag light to function properly, you run a wire from the EA1 plug to the light gray interior plug (either pin 4 or pin 5, I have read separate posts saying both and I chose not to do this step so I cannot confirm which pin it is.)

Picture 1. EA1 plug: At the top, pins 2 and 12 are bridged together. These are grounds. In the middle with the yellow butt connector, you can see pins 17 and 4 bridged together, red w/black trace and plain black wire. At the bottom of the picture, you can see the unused and covered wire that used to be pin 17.


Picture 2. Body plugs next to the ECU. Here you can see the clutch start wire in the bottom left corner, black w/yellow trace.


Picture 3. Plug C, wire 27. This is the tach signal wire that needs to be intercepted for a tach signal adapter.


This post has been edited by richee3: Aug 26, 2014 - 10:01 PM

[johnnehh]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SwissFerdi]

TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[2celicas2love]

i like that color, are you going to change it? 250$? what a steal! why didn't check the oil or change the oil??!

[richee3]

Thanks guys.

I am not sure about the color. It's the only Celica I have ever seen in that car. It's like a metallic slate gray color. I think Dustin's (Batman) car might be the same color. The car needs new paint anyway, so it will probably end up a pearl white or a metallic black. Yeah, it was a steal at $250. I'd be stupid not to buy it, even to just part it out. Like I said, all it needs is new paint and a new 5S-FE (What are they, like $500?)

[cheela]

welcome back, it's like you never left at all. hahahahah.

[Johnnyny]

nice

[Keiri]

I'm not saying welcome back Daniel because you never even left.

That's a great pick-up and you'll make it shine.

[richee3]

Lol I thought you guys might have forgotten who I was... But apparently not! I spent a good part of last night thinking about this car and what I am going to do with it. I've decided to drop another 5S in it for right now just to get the car running again and I'll get some body work done to it, make it look the way I want it. After all, I hardly ever go to the track and street racing isn't cool. So I might as well get great gas mileage, since the Lexus isn't doing that for me. Stay tuned. Major updates on this thread coming this weekend, hopefully.

[njccmd2002]

SWEET, i have been looking for a deal like this, and you just go ahead and buy one. That is a sweet color.

why not rebuild the engine? diy.

[Heindrik]

Lol I thought you guys might have forgotten who I was... But apparently not! I spent a good part of last night thinking about this car and what I am going to do with it. I've decided to drop another 5S in it for right now just to get the car running again and I'll get some body work done to it, make it look the way I want it. After all, I hardly ever go to the track and street racing isn't cool. So I might as well get great gas mileage, since the Lexus isn't doing that for me. Stay tuned. Major updates on this thread coming this weekend, hopefully.

I dont know if its hard to change it to a 3sge,

But i see them on Ebay sometimes, Its doesent have the turbo to maintain, it pulls great, very reliabel. Besides not many US has them, in Europa your models are also very rare . Im glad we got the engines they use in japan in Europa though, I always wondered why the heck they made US ones different

[njccmd2002]

^^^ BEams baby, no turbo, fun to drive..

but yeah, make a good desicion.

[Spider77]

Congrats...an IS and a new-ish project celica!

[hurley97]

Thanks guys.

I am not sure about the color. It's the only Celica I have ever seen in that car. It's like a metallic slate gray color. I think Dustin's (Batman) car might be the same color. The car needs new paint anyway, so it will probably end up a pearl white or a metallic black. Yeah, it was a steal at $250. I'd be stupid not to buy it, even to just part it out. Like I said, all it needs is new paint and a new 5S-FE (What are they, like $500?)

Dustin's car is actually a Chrysler color, similar but still very different in person.

The only 6gc I've seen in person in that color was Darin's, 6gcSTVT

It was very hard to capture the color in a picture but I think its fantastic and if you have one that's such a rare and beautiful color, just my $0.02, KEEP IT!!








This post has been edited by hurley97: Apr 6, 2010 - 6:20 PM

[richee3]

I may do that, NJCCMD. I have started looking into my options. Whatever gets the car rolling again cheapest is up first. Be it a new(er) 5S or rebuilding the one that is in it now... I just want the car moving again. After that comes body work, then the fun part of the build will begin... BEAMS or 3S-GTE. Whatever I find a good deal on first. But I definitely got a good deal on the car. All it needs are things I was going to replace/redo anyway.

If you are looking for a deal like this, I know of another one for sale for $580. I chose this one over the $580 Celica because I grew up watching this car pull in and out of my driveway and because it was a little bit cheaper.

Heindrik, it is not hard to change to a 3S-GE at all. However, as NJCCMD pointed out, I would be better off with a BEAMS or a 3S-GTE. The same amount of work is involved to swap, but I get more power.

Thanks, Spider! I think the IS will be parked and reserved as a weekend car after I get the Celica up and running again. It's funny, I will be parking the car that I am making payments on and driving the one that I owe nothing for.

That's exactly the color of this car, Hurley! Thanks for posting pictures up. 6gc's are pretty rare around here, so this is the only one in this color that I have ever seen. I thought Dustin's car was the same color, judging by pictures. But I haven't decided what to do with this car. It needs paint. The hood, bumper, and roof are all faded. The rest of the body is in good shape. No dents or rust, just needs new paint. I've got a while to decide whether to keep it the same color or change it. We'll see how well it grows on me.

[SwissFerdi]

Wow, that color is beautiful...from the picture, I thought it was more blue-ish. I agree with Stef, respray it to the original color.

[bloodMoney]

I KNEW IT!!!!!

I'm glad to see that you've decided to stay addicted Dan.

BTW: I've got a nice old 351 Windsor that we can throw into it

[richee3]

Turk- I couldn't get a good picture of the car since it was well past dark and the only light I had was a dim street light and the flash of my camera. The flash definitely made the car look more blue. Hurley did a great job of getting the color though. I may have to drive my IS to her so she can capture the Intensa Blue Pearl. It's a beautiful color, but I can't get it right in a picture.

Chris- I definitely couldn't stay away. I missed my Celica too much, and it's only been a month. 351 Windsor, eh..? I don't believe that's ever been done in a Celica! I'll be in Chicago ASAP!

Seriously though, my thoughts for the color of this car are between a pearl white, a metallic black, the color that it is now (seems to be a favorite in this thread, so it might just stay) or I've always been a fan of the Quiksilver Supras..



I've been looking at some 5S-FE's. Looks like I can get this car and get it running again for under $1,000. First things first, getting the car here and getting it cleaned up.

[GriffGirl]

I just saw a 6th gen in that color by my house the other day. It's a BEAUTIFUL color in person, I'd TOTALLY rock that color. It's a really great grayish blue metallic.

[richee3]

I just saw a 6th gen in that color by my house the other day. It's a BEAUTIFUL color in person, I'd TOTALLY rock that color. It's a really great grayish blue metallic.

Did you ever get those seat covers, Michelle? This car definitely needs seat covers, and I am curious how yours turned out.

And thanks.... We won't get into that though. It's a REALLY long story.

Anyway... Back on topic. Updates. I went and got the car yesterday and brought it home. I've just spent all day cleaning it out. So much dirt that it kept clogging the filter on my vacuum and it kept overheating. But after several hours of putting various things back together and swapping the console out with one from my parts car, I'm finally back inside to show you pictures of what I am working with.

For any gold diggers out there who might have parts that they want to sell... I will be needing both high beam headlights in the not-too-distant future... Probably a driver's side seat too. Not soon, but not far off either.







The goals:
- Buy car.
- Convince the parents that buying the car is a good idea.
- Get the car back on the road for as cheap as possible.
- Fix the interior up slightly- reupholster the seats, fix the fact that I don't have a radio. At all.
- Turn towards the exterior- TRD/404 skirts, SS-III front splitters, TRD rear splitters, wingless, repaint. You guys convinced me to keep this color. JDM headlights/taillights.
- Way on down the road, engine swap. BEAMS, 3S-GTE... who knows. Either/or.

[Zake]

that looks like the same color as my car. my window sticker says blue slate metallic/black. (if you were wondering)

[richee3]

that looks like the same color as my car. my window sticker says blue slate metallic/black. (if you were wondering)

That's what the previous owner told me when I picked the car up yesterday. Slate Blue, she said. Close enough. I've noticed that the car always turns out blue in my pictures but looks more gray in person.

[Ted95]

3ssssssss!!!!!! lol

[richee3]

I took the valve cover off to powdercoat it and promote the powdercoating that I am doing for 6gc, and I found a little something. These are the spark plug wires for cylinders #3 and 4. I think cylinder #3 might have had something going on...



I'm pulling this motor and scrapping it anyway, so it can be just as messed up as it wants.

[richee3]

After talking to bmj67, I have decided to try and rebuild this motor myself. He gave me some very helpful links and the service manual. And I can't possibly mess the motor up any worse than it already is, so I might as well try. I've never rebuilt an engine before except for a single cylinder lawnmower engine a few years ago, so any tips or advice will be helpful and much appreciated.

Or I might just sell the car/part it out. Who knows.

[Keiri]

Dan, I say take your time and rebuild the engine - you've got a great DD and if this project doesn't pan out you can part it later.

Looking forward to more updates and I wish you the best of luck.

[bloodMoney]

^^^^ Werd. Learn all you can about rebuilds from this, b/c you have another car that can be used as a DD.

[johnnehh]

If you part it out I will drive all the way out there and backhand you.

[richee3]

If you part it out I will drive all the way out there and backhand you.

So I can still sell it as a whole then?

[Keiri]

If you part it out I will drive all the way out there and backhand you.

So I can still sell it as a whole then?

If you sell the whole car...I'll give you what you paid for it at the least.

[SwissFerdi]

PART PART PART!

I mean, keep it.

If you do part it, I'LL have to backhand two people. John for attempting to backhand you, which he just can't do, and then I'd have to backhand you for selling it.

And yes, I can because that's what I have to do to keep vanilla bear in line. End of story.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: May 2, 2010 - 12:46 PM

[richee3]

Alrighty, so after contemplating selling the car, I have decided to keep it. Game on. Here are my plans for it. Looking for input/comments.

-Pulling my blown 5S, sending the cams to Crower to get a regrind.
-Get the head ported/polished.
-I will be picking up a used 5S in the next couple of weeks, and put the P/P head and cams in that.
-Intake w/ custom made heat shield.
-Ebay header.
-All new exhaust. Still 2.5", going to get a new cat put in (save the earth and all that jazz), routed under axle, into a stock muffler. Not looking for huge performance gains. I just want something quiet.
-Exedy clutch, OEM replacement.

Overall, adding a few hp, but not a lot. Just going to pep it up a little bit. The motor I will be picking up will hold off long enough just to get a 3S for the car. Inputs, advice, suggestions all welcomed.

[pagii]

nice richee! haha im gonna start one up too just gotta figure out how to get pics from my camera to this mac lol

[SwissFerdi]

Good stuff R2.

[Keiri]

Now this is what I like to hear!

Good choice and way to stick with it.

[njccmd2002]

yeah man, its easy to pull out and put in an engine.

[richee3]

yeah man, its easy to pull out and put in an engine.

Gonna work on it tomorrow. Wiring harness is disconnected, throttle cables disconnected, small things here and there unplugged. Just a few more things to unplug and it should be good to go. Contemplating leaving the transmission on the car, but I'll probably just pull it out too.

[richee3]

Small progress, but progress nonetheless. Today I kicked the Lexus out of the garage and got the Celica in. Took off the hood, a few plastic bits and pieces, hooked up a comealong to pull the engine, disconnected a few hoses here and there, opened up the car and set a fan up to help it air out, and then got hung up with a few things. So I just quit working on it and pushed it back outside. It's pretty hot and humid, and I've got to go to work here in a few minutes. Plus I'm a quitter. I know exactly what the hangup is. I was just bored with taking plastic off and I got to the fuse box under the hood and I just stopped at that. I didn't really feel like getting under the car to disconnect all the shift linkages and take the axles out and everything today. It's pretty hot. But, since this is almost an update, I have to have a picture. Cell phone quality FTW!



Also discovered another new problem. One of the wheel studs is broken on the back right wheel. 1.) New parts FTW! and 2.) This is the same problem that started a chain reaction with my black Celica that finally resulted in me selling the car. So... I'm gonna rub this in my dad's face. And then he will NOT help me fix it like last time

Just a couple more pictures of a few things.

Pretty sure these are the original spark plugs that came in the car. They look nice and toasted. I was able to loosen the spark plug on cylinder #1 by hand.


Just so you guys know, it smells rotten inside this engine. Took the valve cover off, started to take the cams out, and every time I broke one of the bolts loose that hold the cams in, it released a smell of rotten... female genitals. It's pretty rank. Let this be a lesson to you n00bs out there. Always do your maintenance and change your oil, or else you'll get to deal with the same things I am right now.


This post has been edited by richee3: Jun 19, 2010 - 2:39 PM

[pagii]

"Took the valve cover off, started to take the cams out, and every time I broke one of the bolts loose that hold the cams in, it released a smell of rotten... female genitals' -richee3 hahaha favorite quote for the weekend lol dude at least your making progress i cant start till monday

[njccmd2002]

wow look at all that nastyness.

[Keiri]

Dan,

That looks filthy...and the description is wondrous. Haha.

Don't let the boredom stop you - just be persistent and have some good music going as you work.

[richee3]

Told you guys that maintenance wasn't at the top of the list for the previous owner... At any rate, a project car just isn't a good one unless you get dirty. This car is definitely getting me dirty.

I've always got a good playlist going when I work! I can't stand working without music. This project is back on hold for a little bit, since it'll be a week before I have an entire day off to work on it again. I'll probably have some help next time, so that'll keep me motivated as well. Hopefully next time I update this thread, it'll be with pictures of an empty engine bay.

[njccmd2002]

any news?

[richee3]

Took another look at the fuse box.. It was incredibly easy. Can't believe I missed that the first time. Two plugs. All that remains now is to disconnect the shift linkage, a couple more hoses, and a the motor mounts, and that engine will be out. The exhaust cam is out and cleaned up, ready to be shipped to Crower, but the intake came is being a little more stubborn. I will hopefully be down there to pick up your engine in the next week, maybe two. I was thinking about it today and realized it would be pretty stupid of me to pull the engine out of the car, go pick up a new engine, and put it in later, so I'm going to try to be smart about this and pull my engine and drop yours in in the same day. Before I drop the new motor in, I'd like to get the batter officially relocated to the trunk. Just need to pick up some wiring and read up on that a little bit more.

[stephen_lee]

go dan!

we got swaps going around the same time

[Bigblock]

richee3---

I see you've been bitten & you can't shake the venom---

--- because...as we all know...THERE IS NO CURE!!!...

No doubt this is going to be another class Celica brought back to life!!

Best to ya!!!

[richee3]

Why have I taken the covers off of my seats? And why have I bought a bunch of 4 gauge power wire?? Could there be a real update coming soon???

[Johnnyny]

finally sheesh..

[Spider77]

You took off the cover so you can take out some crappy stock padding and install "memory foam" (developed by NASA you know) for a firmer, yet comforting ride?

[njccmd2002]

you bought leather and relocating the battery

[richee3]

^^ Close. Not leather. They're some of Vincent's seat covers. Bought them from upscaleauto. They'll be here soon and I'll be able to get the front seats finished up.

Relocating the battery is spot on though. Ran the wires yesterday while I was working on sound insulation. Got the car insulated with Frost King yesterday. I need one more roll to really finish everything up though. I didn't get to line the floor of the trunk and under the rear seats, and I'd like to do the moon roof. But while I had the interior apart, I ran the 4 gauge wire for the battery relocation. Today I finished it up, locked the battery down to keep it from going anywhere, and tomorrow I will build a custom box to go around the battery to make the trunk look tidier. Total cost of sound insulation: $47. Total cost of battery relocation: $46, but I'll need to buy some black fabric to cover my box, so call it $50.

Total cost of the project so far: $542. Up next is a radio, then it's on like Donkey Kong. Engine swap FTW. Progress will be pretty slow after I get a radio due to the cost of an engine, but there will be progress nonetheless.

[stephen_lee]

win

[benzo]

cool!

[richee3]

Here's a picture of my custom battery box. It's pretty close to the seat, as you can see, but it all fits and I can still get to my spare tire. Wires are neatly hidden between the box and the seat, and it's grounded to the seat bracket. There's a draw catch on the side of the box so the lid stays closed, and the strap hinges let me open the lid completely and have it fold flat against the box for easy access. Suggestions for anything I could/should do better are welcomed.

[johnnehh]

Looking good!

[stephen_lee]

very nice

[D-Man]

I'm likein it!! keep it commin!!

[richee3]

Front seats are reupholstered- interior is nearly wrapped up. All that's left to do is a new head unit, reupholster the rear seats, small sound system, shift boot and arm rest cover. And I am in a hurry to do exactly none of that. Progress is now on hold until I get a new engine. I'd rather have it running before I get a radio.

[stephen_lee]

SEXY!! do it yourself?

[rave2n]

Ah those seat covers, just did mine this weekend. Fun weren't they!? - Looks good though, my upper seat turned out about the same as yours, still 10x better than the OEM ones.

Only thing I dun like is when i jump in the car, i don't slide into place anymore, i got wiggle into it =P

Looking good overall

[richee3]

Got the front seats reupholstered. It wasn't very time consuming at all, but I already had the old covers off. I also found a useful tip. Some people say you can use zip ties to hold the new covers down, but I personally don't trust that method. Every auto upholstery shop in the world that does a good job will use pig rings, so I used pig rings. However, trying to hold the seat cover where it needs to be, nice and stretched, and trying to get the pig ring in place can be very tedious. So I used zip ties to hold the seat covers in place, set the pig rings, then cut the zip ties out. Pretty easy stuff. I will be putting seat heaters in later, so I'll work on correcting a couple of small issues then. But for right now, I'm content with them. Thanks again to upscaleauto for hooking me up.

More pictures of the seats.

BEFORE:


AFTER:



And a couple of better pictures of the battery box.




My camera is pretty much dead in the water, so sorry for the cell phone pics. I'm contemplating buying a new camera and designating it as a "swap expense." Gotta take pictures of everything I do.

Ah those seat covers, just did mine this weekend. Fun weren't they!? - Looks good though, my upper seat turned out about the same as yours, still 10x better than the OEM ones.

Only thing I dun like is when i jump in the car, i don't slide into place anymore, i got wiggle into it =P

Looking good overall

Haha thanks. I already had the OEM seat covers off, so it wasn't too bad to put these on. Like I said, I learned after a few minutes to use the zip ties to hold the covers in place before putting the pig rings in. Made things go a LOT smoother. I still have to buy the rear seat covers and do those, but I'm not in any hurry. For what it's worth, I almost like having them different colors. It draws your attention away from the back seat, almost makes it like a shadow back there. So maybe my friends will get the hint and NOT want to ride in the back seat then complain about not having any room. I definitely agree that these seat covers have a lot more grip than the factory leather. I was pleasantly surprised. I think the top corners of the seats would fit better if I had '94-'95 seats. Seems like I've noticed those having larger upper corners. Or maybe it's the 'vert seats I'm thinking of. Either way, I got them in with fairly little issue, minus the headrests.

This post has been edited by richee3: Jul 20, 2010 - 5:13 PM

[97celiman]

Is it just me or do they seem really loose on the seats? like they need to shrink to fit right?

Also I have a padded armrest cover with the screws for sale that has vincents black on black cover already on...looks like you are going with white though

This post has been edited by 97celiman: Jul 18, 2010 - 8:58 PM

[richee3]

Couple of quick pictures. I'm torn between deleting the 3rd spoiler post as I had done on my old black car or going wingless altogether. I tried wingless for a day or two with my black car and just didn't like it at all. With this color, you can see how accentuated the rear of the hatch is, so I'm liking it a little bit more. What do you guys think?

Third spoiler post delete.


Wingless.


And as we all know by this point, the paint is in pretty rough shape. However, I cleaned up a few spots tonight and even polished a couple of spots to see how it turned out. Where the paint looks good, it's golden. Where the paint looks bad... Well, yeah, it's just really bad. There's no saving it. There's still hope though! The passenger side door is covered in scratches from something. A dog or something. They buff right out You can tell exactly where I worked on it and where I left it alone.



The grass growing up around the car suits it well, don't you think? Maybe I should put a new motor in this thing and start driving it so that I don't have a progress thread for a car that sits in a yard... The saving has begun for the new motor, and I'm just debating whether or not I should spend some cash on a Lotek A-pillar gauge pod and get the gauges in now or if I should just wait and do that after I get the motor. Seems easier to do it now, plus it makes it feel like I'm actually accomplishing something

Edit: Total project cost so far: $506.69, including the cost of the car.

This post has been edited by richee3: Jul 26, 2010 - 12:11 AM

[dustin15brown]

Just buy my 3s and call it a day

[Johnnyny]

wingless is gross imo

[richee3]

Just buy my 3s and call it a day

I may. Let me do some research on the 2nd gen swap. I'll have my decision by this weekend. I'm a couple hundred away from being able to afford your clip, and unlike my friend, I really am only a couple hundred away, pending the purchase of some JDM tails tomorrow. I could have the money in a month and a half. Would a 5x8 trailer hold the clip or would I need something bigger?

wingless is gross imo

I thought so too, for a long time. But it's grown on me. Manny and Jenn's car has me sold on a TRD wing, but I live in a very closed-minded area and big wings don't exactly go over well here, no matter how OEM and functional they are. For right now, I've got the spoiler back on the car and the third post is gone. Probably staying this way until I get some body work done to the car.

[Batman722]

good progress so far

go wingless for a while, it's a clean look IMO.

[dustin15brown]

i have no wing.... and it looks gooooooood

[stephen_lee]

IMO wingless doesn't look right. ive seen 94/94, 96+, and GT4 in person and i prefer gt4, but only if you have a faster celica. though i have not seen wingless in person, that i can remember.

if you were local id offer to spray your car, you only supply material. i want practice haha ive done smaller parts (fenders) and they look GREAT.

[epocsirhc]

I like this build alot. I might be getting a gt for a good deal(tranny is bad) and be going through alot of the same things that you are. I like the wingless look more than the spoiler. What type of battery are you running in that box?

[richee3]

I'm torn on the wingless. I hated it on my black car. I've seen a couple of cars on here where I liked it. Otherwise, I just feel like all the factory spoilers are either too small or too big. For right now, and until I get some body and suspension work done, it's going as the 3 post converted to a 2 post.

Stephen, for what it's worth, I could still save a ton of money by driving the car to Texas for a few days as opposed to having it sprayed here. I couldn't get it done here for less than $3,000. And even if I painted it myself it rattle cans, it can't turn out any worse than it is right now.

(Kidding. I could mess it up really bad.)

Epicsirhc, post up a progress thread when you get it! Although I'd love it if the car was running, I think I'm actually happier this way. Gives me time and money to work on the car, as opposed to having to put gas in it and pay for insurance. I can take my time and do whatever I like, and in any order. For the battery, it's a Neverstart. Sticker on the side says "Shipped June '08." It's as dead as it can be. I've only got power when I have it hooked up to a battery charger. No big deal, since I planned on getting an Optima when I buy the new motor anyway.

Edit: Total project cost so far, $722.69. Why the sudden jump from $506.69 to $722.69 with no update? You'll see.

This post has been edited by richee3: Jul 27, 2010 - 1:47 AM

[richee3]

Bump for a totally useless update!

Today, I went to the post office and picked up a JDM cardboard box!



It's at least a 450 RWHP cardboard box. It's from Japan.

Oh, and it had some JDM tails inside.




That's the third set of JDM tails I've bought for under $150 shipped. I could have bought a fourth pair but decided I didn't need to. I really should have spent this money getting the car running again, but I figured I'd save some money on the tails while I could.

Took a picture of the finish just so you guys get an idea of the condition/color of the paint. As I said, where the paint is bad, it's very bad but where it's good, it's good.

[stephen_lee]

[HectortheRican]

Dude WTF

LOLOLOLOL

OT: Looking good man, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

This post has been edited by HectortheRican: Aug 3, 2010 - 1:17 AM

[samir0189]

[richee3]

Lol nice sig, Samir

[richee3]

Just a teaser for you guys.



Yes, I used a Honda to get my Toyota in my garage. And it did the job quite well. I'm very fond of my topless orange Honda. I go on topless Honda cruises quite often.

Getting the proper tools ready:

Gotta have the truck to move the car.

The last picture of this motor in this car as it should be.


This is literally all of the oil that was in the oil pan.









This post has been edited by richee3: Aug 10, 2010 - 4:36 AM

[enderswift]

get this thing ready for the next meet man!

This post has been edited by enderswift: Aug 10, 2010 - 4:12 PM

[njccmd2002]

oh those greasy days!!!!

[richee3]

get this thing ready for the next meet man!

Lol working on it. It's just a matter of saving up and buying a 3S at this point.

oh those greasy days!!!!

Nothing beats a busted axle boot! I love being covered in axle grease.

For real though, the first serious update of this thread: The super blown 5S is out of the car.







Needs moar low.


This post has been edited by richee3: Aug 10, 2010 - 10:07 PM

[Keiri]

Quite the show sir.

You're making some really nice progress. How much longer until the 3S...rough estimate?

Keep up the good work.

[richee3]

Quite the show sir.

You're making some really nice progress. How much longer until the 3S...rough estimate?

Keep up the good work.

I'm hoping to buy it around Christmas or sometime after that. It probably won't happen though. I keep finding good deals on stuff and buying that instead. Like $141 for the JDM tails, just so I didn't have to pay $200 later. And I just bought bseaman's DCW gauge pod because I probably won't get a chance at another one. So unless I find a really good deal on a head unit, the engine is the next expense. $2,200, here I come.

[JuMPiiN]

What kind of head unit, i have a friend selling a nice double din right now for 275 AVH-P4000. Its pretty nice. I just bought his new one he didnt like for 300, AVIC-D3. And i have a friend who owns a audio shop so i can get a big discount on alot of other models and other audio things.

The one he's selling
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Pro...rs/AVH-P4000DVD

This post has been edited by JuMPiiN: Aug 11, 2010 - 12:10 AM

[97celiman]

dude. 60 shipped and mine is yours.

it's not the best but it does the job.

This post has been edited by 97celiman: Aug 11, 2010 - 1:33 AM

[Keiri]

Guys! Stop showing him those good deals...I want him to purchase that 3S-GTE and get this thing running.

Just kidding.

I like your goal Dan and hope you make it. I'm saving for an engine now too - I just have to encourage myself I can do a swap and then decide N/A or boosted.

This post has been edited by Keiri: Aug 11, 2010 - 9:24 AM

[stephen_lee]

are we swap racing? hahah

[PolliS_5S-FE]

its kinda good though not getting the engine in there for a while, gives you a chance to really get into cleaning and making sure everything thats a pain to get to with the motor in is workin mint. Hell, you could make that thing look brand new again!

[njccmd2002]

you like being covered in grease? thats scary. Well good luck with the swap, its fun when you DIY, i love driving my vert.

Sadly the beams is coming out soon for maintenance....

oh and do you want a toms lip?

[richee3]

Lol I have no extra money, guys. Not buying anything until after I get the motor. I did, however, pick something up a few days ago.

What could it be?


It's JDM BUBBLE WRAP!!!!!


So... What happens if I take this JDM bubble wrap and combine with my JDM cardboard box? There's an explosion of JDM... It's like JDM forced induction.


Here's a videos of it in action!!!! 814 RWHP. Clicky.













































. . . Or maybe it was a DCW gauge pod wrapped in bubble wrap.



Holes have been drilled in the firewall, so now the 4 gauge battery wire and all wires for the gauges are run properly. No pictures of that because a hole in a firewall is a pretty boring thing.

This post has been edited by richee3: Aug 17, 2010 - 3:11 PM

[rave2n]

Go go progress!

I personally hate axel grease...it just gets everywhere. Specially when a boot is blown and you drive it for a bit...such a pain to clean up.

[enderswift]

those dcw's sure look awesome, way better than pillar pods imo.

keep us updated!

[richee3]

My apologies for the delay, but I'm finally able to pick this thread back up. First things first, progress died down due to employment. First, work slowed down a lot. Then I lost a job and was sent out looking for another. When I got another job, profit margins were low. When my bank account finally started to bounce back, a bunch of stupid crap got in the way. Samir and Ferdi know what I'm talking about. I finally got that all arranged and went unemployed for another month. But finally, as of today, I can say that I've got another job. I fully expect to have the car running or at least close to it within two months. Body work finished by the end of summer.

Now, for the progress I've silently made without updating this thread. I gave the JDM tails and TRD splitters to the girlfriend for Christmas. Merry Christmas, Brigette. I've decided to stay naturally aspirated, so I sold the DCW gauge pod to bloodMoney. I've cleaned the engine bay some more, did a little more cleaning on the interior of the car, and added more sound insulation. Also, for those of you who don't go in chat often, I've decided which engine I will be buying and swapping. I've not told many people what it is, but it'll be the first one swapped in a 6th gen. I'll update again when I have the motor.

Special thanks go out to Turnip for going out of his way to give me some information that will help me out a lot with my swap, and Samir for sending me some parts. Thanks guys

[chacha]

would you kindly post a pic of the places you drilled on the top of the dash and how you're mounting them on pls

This post has been edited by chacha: Feb 3, 2011 - 11:02 PM

[bloodMoney]

I think that I've decided to go a different route as well Daniel. Needing to keep OBDII presents a problem when swapping to any 3s.....

But I need to get a job first.

[richee3]

[Success21]

I think that I've decided to go a different route as well Daniel. Needing to keep OBDII presents a problem when swapping to any 3s.....

But I need to get a job first.

I do not know what the rules are where you live but in mass. after 15years you only need to pass a safety check and no emissions.

[SwissFerdi]

Good luck as always pal.

[Stambo]

YESSSS

[bloodMoney]

I do not know what the rules are where you live but in mass. after 15years you only need to pass a safety check and no emissions.

In IL, if the car is 96 and newer, you must get the car tested every 3 years. They don't do visual checks though, they just plug in the OBD port to make sure there are no error codes.

[richee3]

I ordered the clutch last Tuesday and I finally got the motivation to actually unload the motor from the bed of my truck today. I have already looked it over, but I felt like taking some pictures to show you guys where I stand on this swap.

Factory header FTW.


Cut alternator plug... Lame.


Can't check my oil? Denied!


Melted plug- looks like I'll be trying to find a new one. Right after I figure out what this plug is even for.


The throttle body seriously needs to be cleaned.


Slight oil leak- I'm debating whether I want to buy a new gasket or just let it leak.




JDM GLOVE!!!


For the melted plug, I'm going to go shopping in a junkyard soon to see if I can't steal one from a Camry or something. Right now, the biggest problem that I see is that my engine did not come with the section of the fuse box that I had to take out when I pulled my 5S out, and I already got rid of my 5S. I also can't find where on the wiring harness that the fusebox would even come from. I just really need to pull everything apart and get a good look at it. I have the money to order all the parts I need, but for some reason, I don't feel like spending it. So I'm either going to force myself to buy everything I need or just wait a few weeks and spread my expenses out.