1997 ST - The Bushmobile Options

[Bushmatic]

Just put some money down on a red 1997 Celica... I'll be bringing it home on a trailer this weekend, don't even have it yet. But I'll be updating this thread with little things that I do to it. For now, here are the pictures ripped directly from the Craigslist ad:











This post has been edited by Bushmatic: Jul 30, 2018 - 12:06 AM

[Bushmatic]

Spent a few hours looking at engine swap write-ups and other sources of "inspiration" for this car. Unfortunately, I don't have thousands of dollars to put toward a clip from Japan (I barely even have hundreds), so for now, I'll stick to fixing what I can and investing in some cheap winter wheels from Craigslist. From the brief test drive I did before buying, the car felt very underpowered (it's just the ST), which isn't a huge deal, since I loved the aesthetics of the car so much. Below is a list of small issues that aren't working or otherwise need to be addressed. Please chime in if you have any constructive input about any of them!

Tachometer
Needle doesn't move at all, at any time. After some google-fu, seems like the common point of failure in these tachs is the internal capacitors. I've already ordered a cheap set of 20 new ones from Amazon and plan to solder these in immediately. If that doesn't fix the issue, then I'll have to try something else. Anyone have a link to a write-up for the capacitor fix? Namely, taking the cluster out of the dash and taking it apart? I found a couple youtube videos, but for me, nothing beats a written step-by-step guide with plenty of pictures. There seems to be a link to some "master guide" going around in some online forums, but the link is dead, so I am lost. I probably just need to search a little harder on here.

Sunroof (moonroof?)
The motor whirs when the button is pressed, but nothing happens. It's like the motor isn't connected to the sunroof. The seller said something along the lines of, "maybe the sunroof broke at one point and the previous owner just dropped in a stationary one." Not sure how plausible this is, but how would I even find out if this is or is not the case? Never tore apart a sunroof before. Not the biggest issue to me because I would rarely use it anyway, but I enjoy having every little piece of my car in working condition. Would love to solve this problem without dropping the headliner if at all possible.

Squeaking pulley at startup
When starting the car, and sometimes briefly when driving, there is some loud pulley noise. Owner isn't exactly sure which pulley it is, but his theory is that it is due to water dripping onto the alternator pulley from the hood vent opening (it is an aftermarket carbon fiber hood; you can kind of tell from the photos). The engine runs fine and doesn't leak or stall or anything, but this would be a nice thing to fix before winter. Alternator and belt were recently replaced--can I replace just the alternator pulley? Anybody dealt with this issue successfully?

Drum brakes
I'm listing this as a problem because I hate drum brakes! The rear brakes are drum-style, and I would love to invest in a disc brake conversion. Found a few guides on here, but I don't believe they are exactly what I am looking for--they are more geared towards big brake upgrades, rather than the actual conversion from drum to disc brakes. Any guidance appreciated here.

Peeling paint and various bodywork
The paint is not adhering to the carbon fiber hood very well, and it is peeling pretty bad in spots. I'd like to strip the paint off completely, and just deal with the "ricer" look (and potentially re-paint it in the future) rather than a patchy hood. Have googled around for a good way to strip carbon fiber, and it seems like my best option is fiberglass paint remover, along with some wet sanding and new clearcoat. Also, there is a rust patch forming directly on the third brake light on the hatch lid, right above the Toyota emblem. I will likely take the car to a body shop and pay them to sand it down, fill it, paint it, do whatever.

Stereo system
Haven't listened to the radio yet, but I assume the stock sound system is less than stellar. I have a Boss subwoofer and amplifier in my garage that I may wire into this car, but first I would have to install an aftermarket head unit. I'll poke around the audio subforum and see what kind of options are available. I've seen lots of interior photos where the cassette deck is replaced by a new head unit, so I'm hopeful.

Styling
I think the car looks great as is, but I wouldn't mind picking up some body pieces on the cheap if I can find them. Namely the GT4 spoiler, I love how big and ridiculous it would be, especially on my 100 HP car. Also want some side skirts and a front lip to give some aggressiveness to the car. I've also looked, heavily, into the JDM exterior lights, but these are hella expensive. If I did these, I would probably only do the clear high beams. The JDM projector low beams are simply too expensive for my budget....but I really wouldn't mind finding a used set (hint). JDM taillights seem nicely priced, but the "effect" they would have on the overall appearance of the car would be minimal compared to some other items, so these are low on my list.

Wheels
As you can see, the car comes with some nice aftermarket wheels in mint condition. However, they really are NOT my style. I am willing to trade, if anyone has any they'd be willing to part with. These wheels are 17", and I would ideally replace them with 18's. My tastes lean more toward wheels with wider spokes and a more silver or even white finish. I also like mesh/retro BBS style ones. Basically, I like a cleaner, more OEM-inspired look. I don't mind repros, as long as they look good. At some point, maybe I'll make a new thread in the classifieds, who knows. But our bolt pattern is super common, so I doubt I'll have problems finding a new set.