CrossCudi's 95 AT200, New Paint Job Options

[CrossCudi]

Sorry guys i never really entroduced myself, just kinda walked in about 2 yrs ago lol !!
my name is martin, but known as *Cross =)

so lately ive been working on my celica and decided to share.

Red 95 celica 1.8st
Pretty much stock everything except:

Headers, some tinted windows, and a decent sound system.

Last week i was able to get my hands on some TC wheels for a very cheap price because they were filled with curb rashes, and only had 3 tires.
Over the weekend went to my local ACE Harware and bought some beauty supplies...

FOA: sorry for bad quality pics:

they were all like this:


and this:


since i dont have a garage to work, i carried them up to the roof and started working there !

i JB Weld all 4 rims and sanded them down...


after that process was done, the next day was finally the more fun day,
i primer n paint n clear..

*3 coats of primer:
if u look closely i didnt do the greatest job applying and sanding the jb weld
but i am 100% more happy with how they look now than b4.




and here they are after *3 coats of gold




im totally unexperience with this stuff, and if i can go back i would definitely prep alot better before painting.
sanding really makes a huge defferent but its such a B****!

i was very happy with this color, i wanted a bit darker but i can roll wit it.
the 3 tires are in fair conditions, i would say about 75% thread on there,
need to buy a fourth.

Also: Ordered me some Megans Coils which i should be recieving in the mail tomorrow..
can possibly do an unboxing video or just snap some pics to show u how they come and look.
i was reading up on the HOW TO: threads and was really tempted on installing these myself,.
Any recommendations would help..

This post has been edited by CrossCudi: Apr 7, 2014 - 2:04 PM

[Dennisthe10]

looks good for a DIY job, interested to see the pics when these are sitting on the car

[Keiri]

Cross that gold looks stellar! I think you did a great job for the amount of prep before primer and painting; can't wait to see them mounted.

[SwissFerdi]

I was gonna say, damn you only spent one day sanding. I sanded for 16 hours in total. The end result on yours looks nice though.

As for the coilover installation, read up and do it yourself, not much harm in it. Do not attempt without a breaker bar and PB blaster.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jun 10, 2013 - 5:18 PM

[Keiri]

Adding to Ferdi's advice I'd also look into having replacement rear endlinks on hand when the coilovers are installed; also, installing them yourself (the coilovers) should take less than a day with the proper tools and will be much cheaper than paying a shop.

[Syaoran]

All you really need are a couple sockets (12, 14 and 19?mm) and some ratcheting wrenches to install coilovers. 3 nuts on top of the struts on all 4 corners and 2 big bolts on each strut, the 1 nut for each endlink on the back and they're off. You don't have to remove the springs from the struts or anything so it isn't that complicated.

[RabidTRD]

If you wanted darker, you'd use a grey primer or a red primer before hand. You can also use a black primer for a more "bronze" look. (red will also make a copperish/bronze look) White makes it a "brilliant gold," which IMO looks better.

[CrossCudi]

thanks guys for the compliments

I was gonna say, damn you only spent one day sanding. I sanded for 16 hours in total. The end result on yours looks nice though.

As for the coilover installation, read up and do it yourself, not much harm in it. Do not attempt without a breaker bar and PB blaster.

OMG sanding took an entire day and i woke up with a horrible backache.. and yet it wasnt enough, having the proper grit really matters.

Adding to Ferdi's advice I'd also look into having replacement rear endlinks on hand when the coilovers are installed; also, installing them yourself (the coilovers) should take less than a day with the proper tools and will be much cheaper than paying a shop.

my links were replaced last summer, because i was told that this was the cause to my rattle sound over bumpy roads, and they werent. should i still get a set ?
what is a pb blaster, i did some googling but i still dont understand its purpose ? already did some searching, and know where to get it.

All you really need are a couple sockets (12, 14 and 19?mm) and some ratcheting wrenches to install coilovers. 3 nuts on top of the struts on all 4 corners and 2 big bolts on each strut, the 1 nut for each endlink on the back and they're off. You don't have to remove the springs from the struts or anything so it isn't that complicated.

doesnt sound to complicated, i will most likely take the car to my friends garage super early and work on it this weekend.

If you wanted darker, you'd use a grey primer or a red primer before hand. You can also use a black primer for a more "bronze" look. (red will also make a copperish/bronze look) White makes it a "brilliant gold," which IMO looks better.

yes your right, a darker primer would have gave me the darker color, now i know for next time .

[Keiri]

If your links were replaced last year then no, don't get another set - the ones you have shouldn't be hard to remove and put back on. Usually, when people do automotive work it's on old, rusty bolts/nuts that haven't been moved/touched in years so they use PB blaster to lubricate and loosen the rusty metal making it easier to be wrenched off. A can of PB blaster is a must have when working on an older car.

[CrossCudi]

If your links were replaced last year then no, don't get another set - the ones you have shouldn't be hard to remove and put back on. Usually, when people do automotive work it's on old, rusty bolts/nuts that haven't been moved/touched in years so they use PB blaster to lubricate and loosen the rusty metal making it easier to be wrenched off. A can of PB blaster is a must have when working on an older car.

Thanks a lot, I will definitely get a can today!

As I mention before, I need a 4th tire. The current size are 215/45/17
I wanted a more beefy look coming from the back, almost as if it was a rear wheel drive car.
Would it be bad if I ran 225 in the rear and 215 in the front ?

[CrossCudi]

uuuuuuurgh im soo upset....

so I go to FedEx today to pick up my Megans ! =]


when I get home, im so anxious to open the box to only get surprised by the wrong coilovers

I didn't order the EZ model, I ordered these

http://www.redlinemotive.com/part-number/m...r-cdk-tce94.asp ..

now im trying to reach RedlineMotive and no answer..

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[CrossCudi]

update on rims*

rear 225/45
front 215/45

here is a before and after shot without the suspension in yet.

Before...



Now...

[CrossCudi]

a very exciting update



finally got the right coils in the mail over the weekend and quickly brought out my tools.

I MUST SAY, THANK U SOOO MUCH ON THE PB BLASTER IDEA !
i would have never got the hub off, that thing was soooooo tight ! but i managed
with a rachet and a 5 feet extension metal pole came off like butter.

and this is how i sit now with no adjustment to the coils, stock manufacturer presets.
i must say, these thing make such a HUGE difference in ride..

as u will see in the below pic, now that im a bit lowered, my sunken is much noticeable
and rear were set with some neg camber which made it worst....
i will probably will leave it like this until i find out where i would want to go

i dont know if to go with new rims or some spacing...

[The_enD]

Looking good, man. Especially, if you get rid of that sunken in look.
Would like to hear your input about them after few weeks of driving.

[Syaoran]

Space them out. You'll need larger spacers on the rear than in the front obviously, but it'll make the wheels look a LOT neater on there.

I think 25mm will be enough in the front ones, and 30mm on the back ones will do the trick. You need to make that rear camber a little bit more positive though.

Just for reference, from what I could gather you need 8" wide wheels on the front with +25 offset for them to be near flush, and 9" with the same offset for the rear.

Your wheels are 7" wide +45 offset, so with a 25mm spacer it would be like having a 8" wide wheel with 45 offset (still 20mm away from being fully flush)

on the rear with a 30mm spacer it'd be like having a 8" wide wheel with 40 offset, so they'd be a little bit more outside than the fronts, but the fronts will look much more flush than the rears.

I wouldn't run a gigantic spacer such as 45 or 50mm though.

In your case maybe getting 15mm fronts and 30mm rears will make it look a bit more flush and not seem like the fronts are way more flush compared to the rears.

This post has been edited by Syaoran: Jul 2, 2013 - 10:37 PM

[SwissFerdi]

Don't know if it matters for your driving style but on a FWD car, having a smaller width front tire increases tendency to understeer. Otherwise, looks good.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jul 3, 2013 - 7:50 AM

[CrossCudi]

thanks, im looking into spacers now, just brought out a MM ruler and looks like front 20mm and rear 30mm.
i would go 35 rear but there not rolled, (*have no idea how to do this) and my tires on the rear are far from stretched

to be honest, as a daily driver with highways and your avg traffic, turns are pretty awesome. well now they are due to upgrade on suspension
but i can imagine how much better a wider tire and rim would feel.. uuurgh *Decisions*..

[kurt95gt]

Looking good
Love the goal scion rims thought about doing that myself

[SwissFerdi]

but i can imagine how much better a wider tire and rim would feel.. uuurgh *Decisions*..

It's not about the width of the tire, necessarily, it's that a staggered setup (meaning narrower front tire than rear) tends to make FWD cars understeer, reportedly. But if it works well for you then...

[CrossCudi]

I can finally post this UPDATE

So after a small lil struggle with my projectors and having fuse blown due to
some interference of an extra piece of loose welding they are finally in and disco'ing away




PS. Not too fonder with the black rubber being loose on fitment..