FS: 97 celica convertible 3S-GTE turbo $3500n OBO, FS: 97 celica convertible for sale Options

[IllIllIll]

My 97 Celica GT convertible is for sale. This car has 95136 miles on the body & even less on the JDM turbo engine. 5-speed transmission. Imported 3S-GTE engine from Japanese Toyota Caldina ST215. This engine is factory rated at 256hp. I have owned this car since about 2007 or 2008, so I know that the car hasn't been abused.

The engine only had 56,000km on it when purchased (about 35k miles). Currently has only about 40k miles. I inspected the engine before installation & was impressed by how clean it was internally, no gunk build up, cylinders had good crosshatching visible, no wear I could see. Flushed the cooling system & there was no oil or gunk build up there either. The oil pan didn't have any metal particles or gunk buildup either. No evidence of any leaks either. I checked the turbo manifold didn't have any cracks & the turbo had no play. All 4 cylinders had good compression. I have used synthetic oil since I've owned the car.
When I drove it the turbo spooled good & accelerated quickly. The engine never overheated, and the exhaust sounded good.

The car should start & drive with new gas & new battery, but I wouldn't trust the tires to drive far.
I'm located Near Little Rock AR.

It has been sitting unfinished for years. Most of the new parts were replaced during or around the time of the swap. I have a load of upgrades, & "new" parts. They are a few years old, but not many miles on any of them.
4th gen 3S-GTE engine turbo engine from 2001 Toyota Caldina GT-T ST-215
Front mount intercooler with aluminum intercooler piping
Toyota JDM glass projector headlights
Toyota Curren factory tinted tail lights
Tinted turn signals in the bumper & fenders
Aluminum radiator w/ aftermarket dual electric fans
Oil cooler
Oil pressure gage
Temp gage
Boost gage
Air/Fuel gage with a wide band O2 sensor that hasn't been used/installed yet
Lowering springs
Light weight aluminum flywheel & ACT clutch about 15-20k miles ago.
Short throw shifter
Battery relocated to box in the trunk
Lowering springs & shocks about 25k miles ago
17" Wheels from 1st gen Scion TC in excellent condition no curb rash
Custom 3" exhaust, from turbo back, high flow cat, straight through resonator, dual exit muffler
Convertible top about 10-12 years ago still in decent condition
Aftermarket stereo & speakers
Upper & lower radiator hoses & hose from hell were all replaced during the swap
New motor mounts & vacuum hoses
New belts
Probably some other stuff I'm forgetting it's been a long time.
Replaced the power steering pump about 20k miles ago.

I powder coated most of the brackets & heat shields on the engine so they wouldn't rust. I used high temp ceramic paint on the turbo manifold, & exhaust so it wouldn't rust. Used high temp header wrap around the turbo & down pipe to keep the heat under control.

When I did the clutch job I flushed the entire system, & used new fluid, same with the brake system when I replaced all the brake pads & front rotors. Flushed the coolant system, & changed the gear oil in the transmission. So all that maintenance had been done. It's been years but not many miles since this was done.


The clear coat on the front fenders & hood is failing. I assume it had been repainted sometime before I bought it, because all the other body panels are fine. It's a southern car that wasn't driven in snow in the last 16 years. Car is rust free. A couple of scratches & dents, but other wise a straight body. The leather seats aren't so nice anymore, especially the drivers seat. I bought a set of cloth seats, but never got around to replacing them. The beige carpet is old & dirty & stained.

I haven't driven the car in 2 years so the battery is dead & the gas has gone bad. This hasn't been my daily driver since about 2010. So not many miles on anything really except the tires.I never got the tachometer to work after the swap, because of this the cruise control & A/C don't work, because they all need the tach signal to function.Tachometer, cruise, & A/C systems all worked prior to the swap.I did all the work myself. I have a complete wiring diagram I did that details every wire I changed, so no spending weeks troubleshooting the wiring.


The tires are 10+ years old & pretty bald. I didn't drive it much because the A/C didn't work & with my job & family I didn't have time, or energy to work on the Celica.

I am now in a wheelchair, so I'm never going to be able to fix it or drive it again.

If anyone is interested you can see some my posts on here about the car. I've been here for years so you know I'm a legit seller.

Included with the car are the repair manuals & all the extra parts I have. I have the toyota wiring manual for this car, & the PrimeMR2 manual for the engine engine, as well as a regular Hayes repair manual.

In my attic I have the bigger Celica GT4 front brakes, that I never got around to installing.I have the 2wd 5-speed that came with the turbo engine, but the C/V axles were different than what I had so it didn't get used. They are not the same as the gen 5 Celica Alltrac or MR2 axles, because I bought a pair. So I'm not 100% sure what it came from. It has a cover were the center differential can be bolted to make it awd. I don't know how to identify it other than that.

I also have the rear subframe, rear diff, C/V axles, hubs, rotors, & calipers from a GT4 Celica. I originally planed to make it AWD. Missing the center diff & driveshaft. These parts are in my attic which I can no longer access because I'm in a wheelchair.

I also have a pair of pristine door panels, & a new carpet & factory floor mats.

I forgot how to post images so this might not work. I'm using ImgBB for hosting pics since photo bucket charges now. It's hard for me to move around to get better pics, but I will try for interested buyers. I can not ship the car, & I accept cash only. People have already tried to rip me off. I'm also going to post this car over on the MR2 forum. The pics show up on my Craigslist ad but not on here I don't know why.
[url]https://littlerock.craigslist.org/cto/d/austin-1997-celica-convertible-price/7921066547.html[url]
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This post has been edited by IllIllIll: Yesterday, 10:04 AM