This is how my story goes. My name is Mike Kern and I live up in MA. I'm only 17 years old and I will be turning 18 in November. This is my second car because I totaled my first one in a snow storm. I'm scared as hell to drive in the snow ever since I lost control and hit a telephone pole. This is my first time ever working on a car this in-depth, and I thought it was going to be really hard to fix, but I took the challenge.
My first car was an Acura Legend. I loved the car for the way it drove. It was just very comfortable and there were a lot of features to the car. That's mainly because it was a luxury car back in the day. The suspension I didn't like because if I took an off ramp at 40mph, the car would nearly tip over because the suspension was that loose. It got up and going very fast, that's because it's a V6 and had 200hp.
My Acura Legend went from this:
To this:
I sold it to some guy for $550 or $500. Not bad I guess.
Then I saved up over a month or two and found this baby on Craigslist for $1500.
^Only upgrade I had in that picture was the aftermarket fogs.
I got the seller down to $1200 so I think it was a steal!
Originally, I was skeptical about getting it cause of the rust, but when I drove it, I knew she was a winner.
My dad didn't want me to get a coupe cause they are not great in the snow, but he could tell I really wanted it.
I had her for a few months, about 4 to 5 I'll say, and I didn't do any upgrades at all to her.
Then, one lovely day on my way to work, disaster struck...
At first, my mom and dad were telling me to scrap her, and I was like no.
I told them about this forum, and how there are so many useful resources, and that I know I can rebuild the front end of her.
So I did, whether they doubted I could do it or not.
It started off with the tear down, which was oh so very fun.
At one point I can say I had a reverse opening hood haha
After that I just kept tearing her down more and more.
Eventually, I got a new window installed and it was free cause insurance covered it.
Then I acquired this bad boy from a guy in Mansfield for $450!
Finally, the two Celicas meet face to semi face lol
I had originally gone to the junk yard to slowly get parts for my car. That is why the red radiator support is on.
Soon after I got the Silver Celica. I spent about $200 there so my total came to $650 for everything.
Slowly, but surely, the swap started progressing!
Just did some mocking up to make sure it was going to be ok.
I got a new exhaust and intake with the car as well!
^Installed
^Not installed yet.
Some pictures of me cutting out the radiator support on the Silver Celica.
Some pictures of me lining the radiator support up onto my car!
I bolted down the radiator support, on both of the sides by the fenders with two bolts and on both the middle legs with a good amount of bolts as well.
I started installing some more parts on the front end little by little.
I also replaced the fuse box cover because it had a decent size hole in it from the crash.
Here is how the front of the car is as of right now. I don't have any recent pictures, but I'll be getting some soon
In the picture the front bumper and hood are just mocked up, nothing is bolted down.
I have some goodies coming my way right now so I'll put them up as I receive them!
Right now I'm saving up for a paint job. I am hoping that will happen in late October or early November.
I'm looking to just get a Midnight Black, but Manny said he might be able to throw a small amount of Blue Pearl in it so it glistens in the sun
I'll keep you all updated!
What I'm so pumped for is that I just convinced my dad that a manual swap will probably cost less than getting tires for the 18" rims off my parts car. WIN!
So that will go down this spring as well as swap out the 5s from the parts car (126k) into my car (214k).
I would love to save for a 3s over the winter, but I think that just learning how to drive stick on an N/A car will be easier.
Once you learn, it's second nature. I'm never going back to Auto again. Manual is just too much damn fun. No worries, it's not too hard to get down.
Everyone says it's not that hard, and it really doesn't seem like it. I've started driving my auto like a manual, I up shift and down shift. I don't know it that's bad since it's and auto, but I could care less right now haha
Main thing is the clutch foot. The actual act of changing gears is the easiest part. Gotta get them smoooooth shifts makes her sound sexy! Haha. And I can't wait to follow the progress man!
that's going to be really fun to learn lol
i got some goodies coming my way, I'll post them up tomorroww
Complete story is up right now, will add more as it comes!
good stuff man, your dad is a super cool guy, i hope you bring him to EVERY meet from now on.
man i did not realize how much work you'd put into that car already. well done dude.... haha hopefully i can follow your work ethic and not get lazy on my car.
yeah i've put a lot of work into her so far, and a lot more will come in the future as well!
it's a slow process sometimes, but just make the best of it.
I know for a FACT that I'm never selling this car now! Not after all the work I've put into rebuilding the front end.
auto is boring as hell anyway! i drive it like it's a stick...just without the clutch, but I've been practicing the foot movement haha
Here is a little bit of an update.
I've decided that I'm going to wait till the spring to get my car painted!
I'm going to be saving up for the manual swap all winter as well as for some other goodies! (and the paint job of course)
Also, I will be getting a GT-4 Hood right now, no bumper though. Looking to create a Knight Rider look to it haha
To each his own my friend, to each his own!
but lovin the progress, i can't wait to see this keep gettin better and better
[=
It's going to keep on getting better and better!
Here's another part I received in the mail today!
If you can't tell, it's the green L.E.D.'s from superbrightleds.com. They look amazing!
I can't wait for the gauges from Mike (Novakx17) to come in! I'm going to have some fun with them haha
Pics will be up when they are done!
I got another present awhile ago that I haven't posted. I'll get pictures of that up tomorrow
I got LEDs from them and the one that lights up the tach area is a bit gimpy
In that picture, it's cell phone quality and I threw a blanket over it since there was still daylight, but at night when I went for a drive, I didn't notice any gimpy areas.
I'm gonna take it all out and see if it's plugged in right. If it is, I got a gimp bulb
I hope you didn't man! That wouldnt be good!
Update: Putting Side Skirts on today!
Also, receive rear splitters from dustin15brown.
I'm going to try and get them on within the week.
Pictures up later!
To start off, I have to say sorry for the bad quality of the cell phone pictures.
Here is what I put on my car about 2ish weeks ago now, they are CF riser blocks and they look amazing!
As for today, the side skirts that were originally on the parts car went on my car!
It's a bit of a hassle to get them on since you have to drill out the holes.
Overall, it came out good, but when I go to get my car painted (or maybe even before that), I need to patch up a few of the holes I drilled because they were the slightest bit off and that made all the difference when I was putting the skirts on.
On the passenger side there is a gap near the fender because it didn't line up right, I drilled a little too high. In the rear, I drilled a little too low, but no gap
Same goes for the driver side on the rear, but the other mistake was in the middle. It doesn't look bad at all and the gaps aren't noticeable from far away.
I'm really starting to dig the whole black and silver look now. Probably because it cuts from silver to black in a pretty close proportional manner now.
If you look at the pictures, you will see what I mean. Also, I cannot forget about the other present that came for her today!
Rear Splitters! Woo!
The only problem that I am going to have while mounting them is drilling the wholes out in the fiberglass, drilling out the 2 snapped bolts under the bumper (driver side and passenger side) and that's where one of the mounts are for the splitters. Oh yeah, and the muffler is right underneath the passenger side bolt so that will need to come off as well, and on the drivers side, the bottom part of my quarter panel rusted out. There is about a inch and a half long hole now and its about an inch wide. I'm going to cut the panel off the parts car and get it welded onto mine. It's going to be a fun ride putting all those things on haha I just hope its doable!
After work, I'm going to take some pictures and try I'll see if I can get them up tonight!
looks niice i take it no 404 for you!
Looks good Mike.
JDM tails would really make it look better though
Good stuff, Mike I had no idea you were only 17 and you've only owned the car a few months. I assumed you were older and had the car a lot longer.
pipes: Nah sorry man, I need all the extra cash I can get right now.
Dustin: I'm definitely going to get a set of them soon!
richee3: Yeah I'm only 17 and I'm going to have a lot of memories with this car, I can say that for sure! In the few months I've had it, I've realized it's an amazing car and I might get another one in the future, after college though. For now, this is my project/ DD car though.
I want to get a 3s engine over the winter and swap it in, in the spring, but depending how the money is, I might just go completely rebuild the other 5s I have and turbo that instead. We'll see what happens though!
Alright so today I went to DQ with my girlfriend and as I was coming out, walking back to my car, I noticed something that I never noticed at all since I owned the car.
IT'S DROPPED IN THE FRONT!
Here are somethings that I think help to contribute to this find:
1. The parking space I pulled in was pretty much perfectly leveled.
2. The front of the car was angled to the left because that was how the parking space was setup so I had a nice view front to rear.
3. The side skirts I put on extended the look of the body in the middle of the car, and I could easily see the difference.
What this explains to me now:
NO WONDER WHY I HAVE A NEGATIVE CAMBER IN THE FRONT ON BOTH WHEELS!
like WTF, the previous owner never mentioned anything about it being lowered.
I'm happy, but pissed at the same time because I have to figure out how to adjust the camber on the front wheels so that they don't wear unevenly.
LAWL!! That's really funny man xD But good luck getting that camber ship shape!
Thanks! I just have to figure out how to do that now...
I've never touched any of that stuff before.
soooo today my steering wheel came in! Thanks Dimitri (Cyprus_GT)!
Here a crappy cell phone picture:
It'll be a while before it goes on because it needs some modding.
Sweeeet. I really wanted it, but the blue stitching didn't match my SSIII seats
I wanted it too! lol so I jumped on it cause it was either this or an aftermarket steering wheel.
The stitching is semi faded to white so it's a blueish white stitch now. I still have to get a part from him because it doesn't use a clock spring.
It actually has a metal tab/stick/pole that sticks out and makes contact with the ring on the back of the JDM wheel.
I'll have some fun trying to get it to work once it's shipped over.
Also, I'm thinking about relocating the buttons for the cruise control because the switch doesn't mount on the JDM wheel or I might just leave it off altogether.
I hate cruise control anyway. Thought my whole 10 hour drive from Fort Worth to Albuquerque I didn't use it once.
I don't hate it, but I'm not a fan of it. It's good to use when your screwing around with your friends and you're sticking your head out the sunroof, but other than that, no fun.
so today I got the piece I need from Manny (pressure2) to swap out my steering wheel!
How to/ progress pics will be up later!
Finished swapping out the steering wheels! took me about 2 to 3 hours to do it because I didn't realize it was so simple at first!
Finished Product:
Here's the link to the How To:
http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=76266&pid=879913&st=0&#entry879913
Looks awesome Mike , glad to see you got the steering wheel on there.
Nice wheel mate
cheers
p.s.
keep going....
Thanks you guys! My next project will be to make my own custom cruise control buttons, can't wait to get it started
wow that looks great!! nice job!
wow dude.. look alottt different since the meet lol. great job so far tho! very impressed.
and good idea in waiting to paint her in the spring. you dont want the NE winter to beat the snot out of the fresh paint! lol
a midnight black pearl would b sexy dude, do it up!
cant wait to see it all done at the next meet!
my car should b completely done by then as well
good luck dude keep it up!
thanks man! I'm not even sure if the paint job is going to happen in the spring or not lol
it all comes down to what happens over the winter, but well see!
and that was my other reason as well cause the NE winters are horrible! lol
I'm hoping to do a ton over the winter with her.
I do, however, want to get the skirts and rear splitters molded on before the winter or at least just the skirts.
do you have a thread for your car?
(i didn't look to see if you did haha)
yeah, so I'm getting another Celica within a week or so...
i feel like im becoming an addict lol
on a good note, it's a 5spd so you know what that means!
So i realized my car has been guzzling a quart or so of oil about every 2 to 3 months, maybe less? I don't have blue smoke and it doesn't smell like it is burning anything. Also, there is something leaking on the ground, but I found out that it is the tranny liquid cause it was a sparkly red, which was the color that of the stuff I put in. I'm wondering where it could be going then? If someone could help me out, I would appreciate it!
Is your valve seals and maybe piston rings. Same thing happens to me and plenty of other members. You're lucky, when I was driving 23 miles to and from work everyday, I'd go through a quart every 2 weeks. It's gotten better though.
well the good thing is that I'm putting the engine from my '97 in, but I'm thinking that I should get the valve seals and some other gaskets changed out before I drop it in. And actually it might be a lot less than 2 months cause I just remembered that my dad put another quart in last weekend. sh1t. ummmmmmmmmmm, so that was only like 3ish weeks before I first added some.
Yeah bro, it's already coming out, you might as well spend the extra money for a light rebuild. Gaskets, seals, water pump. I highly recommend it.
Yeahh, I'm definitely doing the water pump as well as the T-belt and a light rebuild. I'd rather be safe than sorry after the swap
Great work you're doing!!!
Thank you both!
i hate curbs!
I was on my way to school and i was almost late so i went around a car and thought i had plenty of room in between the car and the curb...
but no, my back rim hit it, and the car jumped out a little. I got to school and took a look and it wasn't that bad, but i roughed up the lip on half of the rim and the tire had a small 1/8th inch slice in it. no seams showing, thank god. the rubber is still on where the slice it cause it didn't take the whole chunk off so I might just get some black silicone or glue, put it on, and make it look like normal.
Hopefully it's still structurally intact!
it didn't lose any pressure while i was in school (about 6 hours) and there's no hissing so it should be all set! haha
no more drifting in the dirt for me, or the snow in the winter i don't want to mess it up
JDM tails.
Thanks! haha I want to get a CF hood or mirrors so that they're not the only CF part on my car.
I can see out of it pretty well though lol
It's harder to see very far back into the distance, but when a car is up close I can actually see most of the car. Before I put them on it would usually cutout the headlights or the hood of a car. I've gotten use to them being on there now though!
so...yeah....
little bit of an update...
hmm, how do i say this?....
Going to look at another Celica tonight! Woo!
I heard yah on the the money issue
Updateeee! Just bought the 94 Celica off of BostonCelica! WOOO!
Manual swap will be going down in the spring
I would keep buying more parts, but I have to save right now for college and a paint job
So yeah! Will post some pictures of all 3 either tomorrow or Saturdayy
Nice! M/T swap will be sooo worth it.
heck yes it will be!
what was wrong with the silver celica? i dont understand why u pulled apart a perfectly good celica to fix a crashed celica?
I'll give you a list right now:
tranny was crap, when you drove you could barely go above 10mph and the rmp's were at about 4k
MAJOR exhaust leak!
interior was painted like 5 different colors
smelled horrible inside the car (musty or moldy smell)
rotors were grooved and pretty much shot
the spare wheel area in the trunk had a huge hole at one point and had putty filling it
a lot of rust under the car
it had a rejection sticker since 2006 (i think that says something)
and some other stuff as well
Updateee:
Parents are getting me JDM tails for my birthday
I knoww! haha
So yeah I'm 18 today, wooo!
Only bad thing is, my e brake semi locked on the driver's side...
have to fix that now
hell yeahh! haha
picking up tails from Dustin tomorrow? I f*cking hope so!
hehe, got my tails yesterdayyy
PICS !
I'm putting them on today after work!
Send me pics of your old rims! Do you have the tires on them already or do I need to buy some?
Haill yeah!!
Pictures
I'm glad someone else can now appreciate the benefits of having JDM tail lights (benefits include, but not limited to, confusion from Celica owners who know nothing about JDM, sexiness increased 10 fold, and pillowing pride at the awesomeness of them)
Lol enjoy!
looks great mike, had fun with you and your boys last night!
had fun with you, dustin, and steff as well!
as for the tails, im going to cut and tape up the wires for the extra two bulbs cause you can see them glowing a little at night lol
I think if you cut them, your blinkers may go super fast. Not quite sure though.
it's one of the driving lights so i wouldn't think so, but i could just throw some electrical tape around them and cover them that way haha
Yeahh you may be right lol. I just got the JDM harnesses for mine, so I didn't have to deal with it.
i have the jdm harness as well lol
do all the lights work fine? like when you have the driving lights on, do two light up and when you brake, do two light up?
well i mean i have the jdm harness but im not using it lol
i threw my usdm one on the jdm tails and i put the jdm harness in a usdm set and put them in my shed so the bulbs wouldn't get damaged haha
Switch NAO! Hahaha
lmaoo i mightt, but I have 3 sets of usdm harnesses so im mostlikely going to mod this one.
I'm going to do the orange piece delete on them over the winter.
I might add a green LED strip inside that housing when I do the delete and run it to a seperate switch so I can use it as a driving light. The same thing is going to happen with my highs and lows, I'm blacking them out on the inside and then putting a green LED strip in each and use them as driving lights
Oooh creative! I'm fine with the amber in mine for now, but once my car starts cleaning up, especially once I get new paint, I'll more than likely do the amber delete
yeahh i knoww lol i'm hoping it turns out good
looks good mike! keep up the good work bro!
So I've been putting everything into a Spread Sheet over the past month or so, that includes the parts car, parts I originally bought from the junkyard, steering wheel, rear splitters, tails, gauges LED, riser blocks, and the newest addition; the '94 celica. I spent a lot less than I actually thought I did. My total, so far, is about $1,200. I'm pretty shocked! lol It will go back down again once I part out the '94, but as for now that's my total.
Edit: No sh!t, haha I just realized that's how much I bought the car for in the first place lol
@Ted95: Thanks man!
my friend just told me today that im burning oil
and i have huge spots on my driveway
fml. i knew it was leaking a little before, but now it's really bad.
I'm guessing valve seals or i will have to get the cylinders re-honed and new piston rings.
Option A: Get it fixed.
Option B: Just keep throwing oil in and run that sh!t to the ground. Then swap in another 5s when I do the tranny swap.
Just go get a quote for the price for the fix, and see what the average price of a low mileage, used 5S is lol
well i have another 5s in my parts car with 124k on it lol
i just hope this one lasts me until the spring
Oh good! Well then you're set. You should take out that other 5S now and bore it, etc
i mean it still runs good, but I might get some new seals for it and then also do the timing belt, water pump, and etc so it will be all set when it goes it. I will have to swap over external parts to make it compatible with the obdi ecu
mike, just have steff set you up with timing belt side parts (she'll know what you need) and a rear main seal, pull the motor out of the other car, do those mantinence items, and install it. provided the parts are installed correctly, you should be go to go for another 100k lol.
Do you think I should do that stuff with the motor I have in right now? and save the other one I have or should I redo all that stuff on the extra one and swap that one in when I do the tranny swap?
Yeah, that would definitely be a good idea!
Should I get these? About 50 minutes left and I'm not sure, thoughts?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRD-Tundra-MR2-Celica-Soft-Seat-belt-Cover-Shoulder-pad-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cb2715f2cQQitemZ260691812140QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
I guess you can call this an update, but I just found out my friend has an engine hoist!
Hopefully getting that Sunday afternoon, and then I'll hopefully be pulling the engine on Wednesday with my dad
Possible scrapping the car Wednesday as well.
Yeah that's what I plan on doing
I'm going to do a regular tune up on it over the winter
Almost forgot, I got the hoist from my friend today and I bought a 1000lbs engine stand at harbor freight, only $50!
Can't wait for Wednesday!
nicee mike thats sickk good scrore on the stand.
try lookin into some tune up things you can do to the 5s or N/A type motors u kno. you wont get a lot of power but somethin better then a reg 5s.
These came in today!
Yours are different than mine. The TRD in the Toyota Racing Development wasn't highlighted like that. Nice!!
That's why I got them haha
I was about to do a buy now with the all white lettering.
Then I saw the red highlighted ones and I was like yes!
Click, Click "Buy Now", Few more clicks, WIN!
Finally got some pictures of all 3 cars the other day haha
You guys only need one to get the point
i didnt realize you had 3 lol .. u drive the silver and black one right? then wats the story w the other black one?
do u still have the gas tank on the silver parts car too??
yeahh i have 3 lol
the middle one is actually blue and that's the one i'm taking the manual tranny out of in the spring.
I do have it, it's not in bad shape, but you will need to fix up the area where the nozzle goes into it cause it has a little bit of rust on it.
The car might be getting scrapped tomorrow, so let me know if you want it.
mission engine pull equaled success!
i have pictures, but im too lazy to post them right now lol
It only took my dad and I about 3 1/2 hours to pull it (our first time).
The driver's side axle wouldn't come out of the hub and it wouldn't come out of the tranny so we did it our own way.
Also, found out the reason why the tranny was f*cked up, you'll see in the pics once i post them.
Overall though, it was a great experience!
good work man, I don't see why you'd have problem with the axle up removal... a hammer works awesome . I had problem getting the axles out of my ST tranny and just left them on lifting the engine out... the pass side fell out evenually but the driver side stayed, and was still there until recently .
anyway good to hear you got it out!
Kevin
We were whacking at the axle, after we took the bolt off, for at least 15-20 minutes.
The bolt alone on the driver's side took about 30 minutes to get off.
Yeah, it was that stuck / rusted on there.
The passenger side was a breeze through!
BTW, I have the first piece that you were looking for, but I can't seem to find the other bracket.
yeah those nuts... need a major pbblaster soak... Im in the chat talk to me there
yeah they do lmao
Alright, so here's the scoop with some pictures, well a decent amount of pictures.
This is my first ever engine pull and the same goes for my dad.
Just a picture before everything was setup. We had to turn the car around, wasn't that hard because there wasn't anything in it, but we did push it back up the driveway with the blue car. It's not like anyone was going to be buying the rear bumper off it anyway haha
Don't have any pictures of it, but we jacked the car up and took the wheels off.
I had to run to the local auto parts store to get a 30mm socket because I never had a reason to have one before lol
While I was gone my dad took the bolts and nuts off the bottom of the control arms.
We then proceeded to take the nut off the axles. The passenger side came off very easily and the axle came out after a few bangs.
Then I unbolted the carrier bearing area, hit a flat head in between the two brackets and they just popped apart and the axle was out of the tranny.
The driver's side, well that's another story...
Basically, the nut was well rusted and stuck on there. We sprayed plenty of PB Blaster on it and it took us a while to get it off.
After, I'd say about, 30 minutes later and a slightly bend 1/2" ratchet, it was off, but we still had to overcome another problem.
The axle was rusted on as well, who would have figured? After 15 minutes of whacked and blasting it we gave up.
I gave Manny (Pressure2) a call to ask him how to get the axle out of the tranny.
He explained it to me, but my dad and I couldn't figure it out so that lead us to doing it our own way.
Pretty much we just cut the boot / rubber piece that was on there, and yanked part of the axle out.
It worked and it saved us a lot of time haha
After that we cut the exhaust right after the header ended because the nuts on it were stripping.
The guy in the picture is my dad.
Then we proceeded to disconnect all the hoses and junk so the engine would pull right out.
While we were starting to pull the engine we forgot about the shifter cable.
Since neither of us realized that there was a bracket that was mounted to the tranny holding the cable in place, we just took a saw to the cable and cut it lol
Once that was done we hooked up the chain to the engine brackets, or whatever you want to call them, and pulled it out.
After it was out, we stumbled upon the answer to why the automatic tranny was sh!t.
Must have spun or broke something in there lol
Then just a picture of my dad and I.
And here are just a few random pictures of different things.
And that's pretty much it haha
My first time really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!
Any one want anything before I junk it??? It's getting junked this Friday!
good work mike! looks like a good time. make sure u send me some pics b4 u junk it! lol
now time to start cleanin up the motor! i can help you with that too bro, i can help paint some of the parts for you in my garage, my dads got a paint bench and everythin u need to clean it up, let me kno broo!
I'm going to! lol
and that would be awesome man! I appreciate it!
bye, bye carrr.
yeahh haha
i still have a sh!t ton of more pictures to upload, just been lazyy
damn mike...the quarters look clean...should have cut them out!
quarter windows too!!
ahh well, there is always the next one!! haha...trust me...there WILL be a "next" one...dispite what you may think right now...there is ALWAYS another one...
wait a minute... are those rear disks?!
I'm kicking myself for not asking about the passenger side rear quarter panel...
My neighbors told me I should work at a chop shop lmao
And just a quick update, I got a pair of 6gc.net stickers in the mail today
Also, I just broke even on the silver car and junkyard parts that I had bought ($450 for the celica & $200 in parts from the junkyard.)
I'm pretty happy now
No worries, I did save the doors. I finally managed to give both away a couple of months ago. I didn't bother saving the wiring harness though. I still have interior bits of plastic and the dash that I can't bring myself to throw away but it was fun to part the car out. I wouldn't do it again, but it was fun.
The blue one that I have is going to be my last part out.
After college I am definitely going to get another one and make one my DD and the other my project car.
I'm going to be getting this bumper within a few weeks:
I'm looking to do something along the lines of that.
List of things for it:
-Paint black with car
-Green driving light LED's inside all the headlights
-2 or 4 fog lights in the lower grille area
-1 projector fog light in each circular cutout
-1 green LED driving light in the area connected to the circular cutout
-GT4 upper grille if it will fit as well as the TRD badge on the grille
-Not sure which turn signals will fit in there yet either
Awesome thread man!!!Teenage 6gc builders FTW!!
i'm hoping to get part-time limited over the winter so i'll atleast get 20 hours a week, but well see
holy sh!t dude haha
and update, just bought 2 of these stickers for $4.50 haha
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BUILT-NOT-BOUGHT-Decal-JDM-Leaf-Wakaba-Vinyl-Sticker-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem19befb4294QQitemZ110578320020QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
and just bought these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250718030926&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT
lol! ^
Hahaha
Just some recent pictures of me starting to tear down the engine.
Exhaust is off.
Getting ready to take the tranny off and then taking it off.
On the stand after a few days of hanging. (got the stand for about $55 at harbor freight)
After the intake manifold is off.
Lime green fuel injectors? Is that normal?^
Then after the valve cover is off. I couldn't get the color right with the flash being on, but it was a golden brown with a tad bit of sludge in there. Go figure for a car that has been sitting for over 4 years now.
The enemy.
That's basically it for updates on tearing apart the engine right now. I do have one question have do you get the section with the valves off?
I think I saw some bolts under the camshafts, it is those that have to come off?
Removing the head is pretty simple. Take your timing belt cover off, take the timing belt off, take your cam shafts out with a 10 mm socket (have fun..), then using this picture as a reference, here is where the head bolts are. You'll probably need a breaker bar. And hopefully you aren't using cheap sockets because these bolts will definitely win the fight if you are.
What the hell is that golden brown with a tad bit of sludge ? Old oil?
that... is some wicked rust man
So today I finally got the head off, wasn't as hard as I thought it would be
There was a little bit of oil on 2 or 3 of the valves:
The cylinders and pistons were in good shape as well!
Just a picture of the cams:
And then the engine:
I just have to get the crank pulley and flywheel off now
What fun that will be.
So do you guys think I should get the cylinders honed?
Yes, You should get it bored .020 over buy some 87.5mm CP pistons. Get a set of 5sfe Crower Rods and build that head up and see what a real 5sfe Turbo can do. muahahaahah
haha i would love to, but I'm saving up for a 3sgte during & after college! I'm not even sure if I want to semi rebuild this engine anymore
I might part it out because my engine is still good pretty good
aye jesuss lol
so i'm selling everything from it except the block and cams. it's not like like i need anything else since it needs to be converted anyway haha
Came up with final plans for the Celica before college.
1. Get the manual swap done.
2. Not rebuilding the '97 5s (waste of money)
3. Get a GT-4 Front Bumper (Paint it, but not installing it)
4. Paint the whole car a mid-night black with a little green pearl thrown in.
5. When the end of summer hits, build a small add-on garage to my house.
6. Right before I go to college, take her off the road and store here in the garage.
7. Buy Jetta or another Celica to use for college, no matter how close or far I am from my house.
During college:
1. Work on my baby during college.
2. Save up over college for a CF GT4 Hood, GT4 front clip w/ 3sgte engine and rear end clip.
Yes I said rear clip. The reason being is that I'm going to learn how to weld while I'm in college.
Then, I will buy both of the clips. I'm pretty much going to be cutting the car into 3 pieces, front, middle, and rear.
The only section I will keep is the middle. Then, I'll weld the front and rear clips onto the mid section, reassemble the whole car.
And wallah, you have yourself a RHD GT-4.
To be honest, I know some of you on here might post negative comments ranting on about crap.
Put it this way.
I want a Celica that has a 3sgte. I want it to be RHD and I want it to be AWD.
A rear clip would come with Rear Differential Sub frame, Gas tank, and I won't have to weld on mounting brackets or make my own gas tank.
This car is going to be my project car, and trust me, I know it's going to take a lot of time and money, but in the end I can be proud of what I created/ built.
*Just realized it'll be a waste of money to get a nice paint job in the spring, so I'll just get the stock black for right now.
And I'll just add an update section.
Bought Dustin's old wheels. I like them a lot!
I just need to get 2 new tires and clean them up a little bit and they'll be all set
And I bought a set of JDM headlights, the glass is cracked on both of them, but I'll have an extra set from the blue car.
They did come with PIAA bulbs, anyone want them for $50? lmao. justkidding. They're already in my car
I'll get some pictures up tomorrow
sounds like a fun project. i wish you luck and can't wait to see your idea come to life.
wow big list! def wanna see this man keep it up!
Where do you college kids get the money to spend on your celicas?
i think i have have like 5 dollars in my name right now...but thats what UTI does to you!
good luck on the build!
Nice plans man!! I wish I could've done more before college
I'm not looking to do much before college, pretty much just what is listed above.
Also, I've decided I'm going to hold off on the GT4 bumper cause what's the point of getting one now if I can get it with the clip? lol
I'll explain a brief thought on how to get the money to do this.
Right now, I have a job at a grocery store, $9.50 an hour and between 6-16 hours a week. In the summer, hopefully I can get a set 20 hours a week or more. Every summer, and break I have from college, I can go back and just put on to work and work. lol
On the side, I DJ birthday parties, school functions, and etc. I charge $50 an hour. The DJing is starting to pick up little by little. During college I'm looking to bring some of my stuff with me. Laptop, Controller, and then just get some small speakers and DJ while I'm in college to earn some extra cash. I'm going to get a job and split the money 50/25/25. 50% going to repaying college loans, 25% going into my savings account, and 25% going to my car. I'll split the money the same way from what I get for DJing. I'll also look to get a job on campus that requires only a day or two a week or something like that.
I know for a fact that this car won't be done until at least 4 years after I'm out of college. I plan on spending my time and patience on this car, and make it as nice as I can. When I was younger, I always wanted a project car as I got older and I've come to realize after I joined this forum, that this car can easily be my project car.
As for what car I'm going to get while I'm in college. I'm just going to get another Celica.
Preferably a 94-95 that is black and is a manual. I'll just look to do a spoiler delete on it, upgrade the stereo and speakers in it, header, exhaust, and just use it as my DD for college and after.
Just for all of you to know:
The four years that I will be in college are going to be my research and save money stage. I've realized how important it is to research everything so I plan to put at least 4 years into that area so that when it comes time to start getting everything, I will know all the parts I will need and the specs for them. Especially the engine components in the 3sgte because I plan on building that into a 600hp or 700hp beast.
In the next 4 years you guys won't be seeing much from this thread, but I will be doing a lot of researching and asking a lot of questions.
Wow, just wow, but i wish you luck lol, thats going to take alot of time and money
thankss lol
and yes I know it is.
I know I could easily go out and buy a sports car that's already AWD and is about 300hp or more stock, upgrade it, and get to where this would be without as much modding. The only thing is that I'd rather build one than buy one.
Edit:
I'm thinking it would make more sense to not paint it and use that money towards another Celica, anyone else agree?
So today I've had nothing to do and at my co-op job I stumbled upon a site that has everything to build the block and head of a 3SGTE. I've been calculating the prices for what I would need to run a 800hp setup and I'm already starting to get a feel of what I'm in for. A setup with that much is going to cost me around 5 to 6 grand not including FMIC, lines, radiator, oil radiator, and a bunch of other crap that I still haven't looked into yet.
This is just the start. I'm doing to dedicate 4 years to save some money and do a lot of research. I wish myself luck cause I know I'm going to need a lot of it.
You gotta pay to play my friend. I know I have paid my dues, but I find ways to just come back for more.
Well today is the day.
I finally get some lessons on driving stick cause my grades are "where they should be" even though they were at that same spot over a month ago lol
It's going to suck for the next few months cause I will be learning to drive a manual, but have to drive an auto everyday until the spring...meh
Driving an auto like a manual is the way to be! No need to worry about the clutch lmao
I think I'm just getting old then because sometimes I'm just sick of shifting and like a comfortable safe luxourious car
so i got around to getting my first lesson today.
It wasn't that bad, I only stalled it once lol but other than that it wasn't that bad at all
You should practice on an incline. If you can master that. You don't have to worry about anything else.
ya the incline will def b ur test mike. if you can do that then you will b golden. and if you find urself nervous and in traffic on a hill and ur at a stop just pull ur ebrake up and slowly release it as you go. my uncle told me that but i never had to do it but it would work.
and i think im might pick up another celi myself for a DD/winter beater prob a auto tho so i ca relax sometimes lol i learned this weekend, manuel, plus 3 o'lock highway traffic, then 5 o'clock highway traffic sucks asss and i hate it haha .. but everything else 5spd is where its at haha
Well, im gonna beat a dead horse here and agree with the incline thing, your gonna roast your clutch a few times but after that everything else is a breeze.... and yeah traffic in a stick suuuuuhhhhks
Well the car I'm using to learn manual is the blue one I got from celicaboston. I'm only learning it in my neighborhood cause it's not legally registered (just throwing my plate on the rear) and driving it around lmao. My neighborhood is pretty big, and almost in the middle of no where, and it has a decent size incline in the back of it, it's not overly huge, but i think it would work for learning on an incline.
Being about the same situation wise I believe my two cents may be relevant here (:
I literally learned it after driving it in probably a week. Not saying I mastered it that fast but I could get around. My dad rode with me once to tell me what to do and after that it was all me. Chill, learn where the clutch unengages to pedal match (incorrect term) on hills and pretend it's a really slow racecar you'd hate to wreck. Which after 2 I bet you feel the same way I do lol
As for the hours thing on the last page I figured I'd get stuff done once I had a job. 29 hours last week with Sunday off... So I guess I don't get money AND time haha
Happy shifting amigo
Other than getting going, I'm perfectly fine with driving manual. I only got to do it for less than an hour cause a cop just happened to roll by in my neighborhood (there's been a ton a break-ins around the area) so they're on patrol more.
Up shifting and down shifting is easy enough, after a few more times I'm going to work on heel toeing while downshifting to make it smoother. I'm probably going to sit in the car tomorrow after school and just learn the pattern cause I shifted from 1st to 4th once and from 2nd to 5th, but it's no biggy. Just like anything else in life, it's a learning process
Heel-toe shifting is pointless unless you're autocrossing the car or something. Downshifting is easier than upshifting because you don't have to worry about the gas pedal. Just let out of the clutch a little bit slower and you're golden.
Ahh, I seeeeee
Just to give you guys some food for though of what's going on in the spring.
2 words x4 sentences in descending order:
Sequential lights.
Tranny swap.
JDM lights.
Paint job.
got my key in today from ebay, it looks really nice
Something that helped me learn stick was going on an extremely slight downhill incline and give the car no gas and just let the clutch out extremely slowly so you can feel exactly where the engage point is. Then start doing the same thing but giving it gas and letting the clutch out a little bit faster. Then just practice.
Manual is definitely the way to go. I've never had an auto, and until I lose function of my legs, won't have one unless its a truck towing my cars to the track, haha.
There is one basic problem with sequential tail lights. The idea seems cool until you take a good look at your tail lights. Mustangs have 3 red lights per side. A Celica has two red lights and an amber turn signal. So you're either going to be flashing different colored lights or else you're just turning one of your tail lights into a turn signal. Which means one light on, the other flashing. You can accomplish this far more easily by simply unplugging your bulbs in the back and using the wire for the turn signal in a brake light hole.
Do the tranny swap first!!!
Who said anything about the tail lights being sequential? Muhuhahaha
(but that would be a good idea)
And the tranny swap will probably be first anyway
It will be explained when it tis done, keeping it a secret for now
downshifting is bad for ya motor lol but its fun to do and it saved me from a couple of would be wrecks
Lol at all this auto shifting talk.
Down shifting is AMAZING! Compression braking ftw.
You don't have to rev match as long as you don't dump the clutch... Just let out of it a little more slowly when you downshift. Downshifting does put a little bit more wear on the engine, but your engine will outlast your brake pads. And how do you rev-match an AUTO? It does that for you...
when you down shift on an auto (like when I'm going to stop at a light) it will jerk the car a ton when you shift to a lower gear.
to rev match with an auto while you're down shifting to slow down, hit the brake as usual, but ever so slight get on the gas so it rev's the engine up higher, then shift down a gear until you get to first and then come to a complete stop.
BTW, this is just to get into the habit of shifting for when I get the manual swap done. I know I don't need to rev match it, but my car jerks more than a mofo
any updates for the new year
a small update, bought my "scanning lights"
this is going to be a little surprise haha
i was searching for the UK celica website on Bing and for whatever reason, this popped up in the search:
http://www.zazzle.com/6gc_net_keychain-146274108867647283
so i bought it
HMMMMMMMM... now isn't that quite an interesting find haha.
nice.
Griffgirl did heaps of merchandise a few years back, if you click on her name (or google her), you'll find theres also some T-shirts and hoodies
Any new pics btw?
I might look for some when I get a chance.
And no new pics right now, I might get some once it gets a little nicer out, but I'm going to get a whole photoshoot done by my friend after I get her painted
so i will give you guys a little sneak peak at what I have as a small upcoming project (hence why I want a grill )
Just to give some details about it, this project will not be finished until my car is painted.
Which will be around my April Vacation. I'm hoping to get the tranny swap done in March as well as another project
Only a select few will know about this one hahahaha
Am I right?
you'll have to wait an see my man haha
JUST GOT AN AWESOME DEAL ON POWER FOLDING MIRRORS!
Did you get the relay too? Price? Details. Now.
DAYUM!!!!!!!!
so i received this mysterious package in the mail today with my name on it....
What was lurking inside that package was MOAR! mysteriously smaller packages....
Inside that was...oh hey, it's just my JDM Power Folding Mirrors that I bought for $103 shipped.
R516 switch with the internal relay. All the wiring clips were included too.
(Don't mind the knife.)
So now, I have to get the Euro glass that has the built-in heating element and this mirror swap will be a success!
If anyone else needs the part numbers for the glass, well here it is:(got the numbers from azian_advanced)
Glass, Mirror
87931-2B800 RH
87961-2B800 LH
i ever tell you how much i hate you?
sweet deal broooo!
can you tell me the differnece between the internal and external switch, i haven't read up on these too much but i did contact him, hopefully he gets back to me soon.
the external relay just requires a little bit more wiring, but if you can source and r516 switch you'll be better off.
I got my st185 JDM power folding mirrors for $100 shipped
Edit: I should just say this is a metaphor for how I feel about my car. It didn't blow up so don't worry...
so i'm never installing fog lights, in the winter when it starts to get dark out, ever again. wayyy to fcuking cold and my hands are numb.
The job is done though, right?
So my dad put his foot down on me today. I can't buy anything else for my car until I get accepted into a college.
thats a shame, so why sell.
I'm not selling it, I put the thing up for the bumper cause I was going to sell it to get some money for a GT4 bumper, but it's not going to happen right now.
Hopefully I'll heard back from some of the colleges soon so I can get on with things
Easy solution: Apply to a local community college, even if you have absolutely no intentions of attending. Almost all community colleges are open enrollment, which is fancy talk for "We accept everybody." You'll be accepted in a week then you'll be free to carry on as you were, buying parts left and right. Then you can apply for whatever colleges you plan to attend later.
Well I already applied to the ones that I want to go to, so it's a waiting game now
I'm in quite a predicament.
There's a Black '94 5spd GT for sale in the local area with 102k on it for $2000.
Here's what I could do.
Buy it, since I have the cash in hand. Offer $1500 for it and go from there.
Part out my blue car (make a decent amount back on that, over $1000)
Part out my car (about $500 to $700 back) or sell it for $1000.
The good:
Lower Miles on the engine.
Won't need to repaint the car.
Don't need to worry about the tranny swap.
The front end will be perfectly lined up.
There won't be any rust spot in the rear quarter panel.
The doors will be lined up perfect.
The not so bad:
Need to swap over all the interior lights from my car.
Swap over the JDM Tails
Swap over the Riser Blocks
Swap the Power Folding Mirrors into the housing from my black car.
Swap over the Aftermarket Intake.
If I go this route, then possibly no GT4 front end.
I say do it. If you sell/part out your other two cars, and your estimates are accurate, you should be able to get most, if not all your money back, possibly even make a slight profit. Only thing I would do is transfer the post face bumper from your car to the one you might buy. Post face just looks soooo much better. Plus you're right, the "not so bad" things to do really aren't that bad lol
Well I might still go for the GT4 front end, so if I sell my post face then I'll be able to put that money toward the GT4 front end
The main thing it comes down to is talking to my dad about it. I'd have to part out the Blue Celica fast! because there's barely enough room in the driveway for 4 cars right now with all this snow. Once it's gone we could easily fit 6 haha
I wouldn't mind keeping my car as a winter beater, auto would be easier in the snow anyway. aghhh, idkkk.
go the easier way, if you have to make space, quick rent a 10 by 20 storage unit for one month untill you get the parts un need to sell they run about 70 bucks.
I rented a 5 x 10 and made my wife happy, had a lot of crap,
i suggest sell cheap to sell quick thats what im doing to the 1gc that i chopped....
you mean from one of those extra space storage places?
yup, sometimes they run specials like first month free. get all the crap u need to sell, then toss the rest for scrap
if you do end up getting the car, and parting out your other ones, im still in need of the passenger rear quarter panel.
or you could just get this:
http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/2113277256.html
look familiar to anyone?
btw massachusetts is selling 6gcs like crazy right now. just doing a quick scan of craigslist there were 3 or 4 with less than 80k miles. makes me wish i made more than $8.50 an hour and didnt go to school in LA...
but in all serious mike, that seems like a solution to almost all of your projects. if you can get your dad to go for it and other 6gc members to bite on the parts, it could work out to where you have a car that better fits your wants and maybe even some extra cash for school
Do you have a gt harness, i need a 97
I thought it over. can you say
FFFFFFFFFFF*CKKKKKKK ITTT!
since I want to, I'm doing a RHD swap in the spring (thanks to Manny) it's more logical to be taking the engine out in the first place than to have no reason at all.
second, i just don't feel like going the easy route around this. i'd rather learn as i progress with her and create her into what I want. what it comes down to is that i'd rather build something than buy it.
so basically it's a win, win situation even though im not getting a lower mileage car
It was on there tonight, so I'm assuming not.
he sold it to fate.
that ad is from 12/14/10, you know that?
hey mike did u go check out the black 94 celica? if its in good shape ur better off just selling your car or parting it out and swap the parts over to the new car. And you dont have to do a tranny swap. I was actually gonna call the guy and see if he takes $1400 for the car I kinda miss the celica.
Well I'd rather get the experience and do the tranny swap than buy it that way already. Also, the fact that I'm already pulling the engine out means that I'm going to be doing a RHD conversion. If you want it, go get it! haha
why would you want to do a rhd your going to have a problem going through the drive through. And its not a cool having cars coming at your side when your coming out of streets taking a left.
its the same thing when i take a right, just opposite lmao and i dont go through drive thru's anywayy
so apparently the muffler off my parts car is a POS. $13 on ebay. wtf? getting a new one.
Look into a flowmaster 60? i think it is, reminds me of a greddy sp2 and has a pretty good sound too it, im most likely getting one soon, kinda tired of the way the cannon style looks
ehh, it's not really my style. I'm looking into getting a cannon type one
so this is what i do when i get bored of not being able to buy anything for my car, but then i still buy something for my car because it was half off.
some of you think it is "rice" but i just do it because i love wiring stuff up and i enjoy it alot.
waiting until i get a gt4 bumper to do the front one, and it will look a lot better once the car is painted lol
still waiting to hear back from the colleges. my plan right now is to go to umass dartmouth for two years, and if I like it, i'll stay, but if i don't, i'll transfer to a different college.
*not doing the rhd drive swap. i just dont feel like jamming it into a week and change. still doing the manual swap for sure though!
Looks good!
And UMass Dartmouth is a solid school. I hope it all works out!
are you planning on dorming at Umass?? bc im there all the time bc my gf lives there
if i get into umass dartmouth, then yes i do plan on dorming there haha
btw, some updates on my car. just hit 220k today on my way to providence. then put on another 100 miles after that lol
still running good, i believe i just need to get some new seals for the oil pan, and something else because it still drips a little, but not a bunch.
well see how it is after the tranny swap during my spring vacation
so my PS wheel bearing is going. Every time I turn at slow speeds, I can hear a little clunking sound. sometimes when i take a turn (like going on the highway) i can feel it in the steering i'll get them replaced soon
play it safe and buy the hub assemby. trust me, i thought it was my wheel bearing but i took it all apart and it ended up being both. and i only had the bearing, it sucks!
how much is it going to cost for the hub and the bearings?
wait would it be my wheel bearing or ball joint? cause it only happens when i turn...
and it pulls to the right semi hard
So some good news and some bad news.
Good news:
It's neither the wheel bearing or ball joint that is the problem.
Bad news:
The boot on my axle ripped and there's no grease left in it which explains the popping sound.
Other good news:
I have another auto axle, but it doesn't have the carrier bracket so I'll need to get it swapped from one to the other
Luckily I go to a trade school with a press so I can get it done for free
I guess a bit of an update.
Not as much as I thought will going to be happening. My dad, being who he is, won't let me get a GT4 front end, though he said do what I want before I paint the car. It's just some BS. So just tranny swap in a few weeks, then I'll be making my own custom air vents/ grilles in the front bumper, and then getting her painted finally!
Oh, and I can't forget, the power folding mirror swap as well! and I think that should be it
He said you can't get a GT4 front end, eh? There's a solution to that... SS-4 front end!
That was the idea that i threw at him lol
the gt4 bumper, crash bar, & etc was too much for right now lol
once I'm in college / out of college and on my own, that's when all the fun will start to happen haha
I thought the same thing. My parents were the same way. Then I learned I could start compiling little parts that they'd never notice until finally they didn't care and let me do the big stuff. Just show them that you aren't messing the car up in any way whatsoever and that you're willing to work your a** off to buy the parts on your own without any help from them and eventually they'll let you.
Then my parents made me sell my car lol
i think the big reason behind it all is that he wants me to focus my money on college than on my car cause next year I'll be going to college. But what do I know? I'm still a kid and I wanna spend my money on my car before I get out into the real world haha
well i traded my side skirts for Pipes' skirts, i thought they were trd's but they're actually 404's. I could care less though, I like the look a lot better than the ones I had.
So I ordered a clutch yesterday. Cam (Ted95) recommended the F1 Racing Clutch Kit to me and that's what I got. $150 for the stage 2 version of it.
Why would you buy a stage 2 clutch for a gt?
How will stage 1 not last for how you plan to drive it? Lol.
Just out of curiosity also, why learn to drive stick with stage 2 clutch over OEM? Definitely doesn't make it any easier.
Stage 2 clutch? Better start working your left leg out. It's massive overkill for a stock GT. A stage 1 would last just as long and be much smoother for everyday driving, but at least you'll finally have the right transmission
Yeah, your going to burn out a stage 2 clutch alot faster than a normal clutch, high stage clutches are designed to just grab, not slip, your going to have some fun there
Wow, I didn't know 2 was pretty high up in the numbers since it's right after 1. Ted95 has the stage1 version of the clutch I bought and he says it's feels almost like the stock clutch. I'm going to take his car for a little spin today and see how the stage1 feels. I doubt the stage2 from the company I bought it from is going to be that bad, if the stage1 feels almost like the stock one. Least I wasn't a dumbass and didn't go with a stage4, now that would be overkill.
I agree that stage 1 isn't much different from oem, and stage 2 isn't super stiff or anything I just feel like perfecting stage 2 without ever perfecting oem will be kind of hard. The first time I ever tried a stage 2 clutch I stalled it, I'm not going to lie. And that was when I was like 17 and had been driving stick for 2+ years. Just how much different it was from oem caught me off guard, obviously I could drive it after because like I said I had been doing it a couple years already but even then it was still kind of difficult at the time. Obviously now I am used to stiffer clutches, but im just saying it took a lot of practice to get there.. Just remember, daily driving a stick is way different then being able to launch and drive up the road and back.
Yeahh I can understand exactly what you mean. The thing is is that the OEM clutch kit is probably about the same as what I got this stage2 clutch kit for ($150) and yes it might not be as easy to learn on, but I'm the kind of guy that is up for a challenge lol
Once it does burn out, I'll upgrade to a better well-known brand clutch. anddd yeahh about that whole launching part lol i go to this place with some friends every weekend, but i'll just leave it at that haha
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