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Ran into a member today and he suggested I join up so here is my ride for your enjoyment!
The Story:
I spent several months searching for a new project car. I knew I want something you don't see every day and these days this is hard to find. After some research and 6 months of scouting this is what I picked up.
1975 Toyota Celica ST w/manual transmission. All original except for 15 year old paint and only 65k original miles. Only rust on the car is on the front metal under spoiler, small spot on the hood, a few small spots on the rocker panels, and a dime sized spot next to one of the rear quarter windows. Floor boards, trunk, all panels, and engine bay are all rust free which is very hard to find. Interior needed work like seats and center console but I had plan on switching it all over to black anyway. Drove over 7 hrs to pick this up.
I did realize after getting it home it was a bit smaller than expected but after some new seats that sit a bit lower and scoot back a few inches more I didn't feel so big and uncomfortable in the car (Weight loss will help that also) HAHA
Here are pics when it was purchased
First thing I did was to clean up the front and rear end. I started by stripping everything off the car the gave all the parts a good bath hile scuffing it all with a scouring pad to help the paint adhere better.
Then I proceeded to paint all of the pieces. I chose a Satin Black self priming made by VHT because for a spray can it has a good spray pattern and has never let me down in the past. After that everything was reassembled and reinstalled.
Next thing I did was fix the seats so that I could fit better in the car. Being I am 6'2" and not bony this was a must!
Pulled these seats out of a wrecked 02 Celica. They were very stained so I cleaned them up first.
Before
After
Then, doing it the right way, all new studs were welded into the floor allowing the seat to be positioned farther back and retain the oem rails.
Here is the finished install
I also took a little time to clean up the engine bay.
I decided to go ahead and get all of the suspension done before I took on the engine.
The first order consisted of the following parts:
T3 Front AE86 Coilovers
T3 Front Camber Plates
T3 Lateral / Panhard Bar
T3 Rear 4 Links
T3 Front Tension Rods
T3 Roll Center Adjuster
T3 Front Lower Controll Arms
New OEM AE86 hubs, bearings, and Caliper brackets
Wilwood AE86 Big Brake Kit
Rota RBR 16x8 +10 wheels
BFGoodrich KDW 215/40-16
Here is a pic after just the wheels were installed. 4x4 Status
Here are some suspension parts as they came in.
Before installing the suspension I had TruShine come out and do a full detail on the car. After 15 hours of wet-sanding and polishing here is the result.
Here is a mock up shot of the front suspension.
I then worked on the interior a bit. Getting everything black.
Also recovered the dash and rear deck in some retro looking plaid. Carpet has now been removed but the new can not be put in until after the new engine due to shifter relocation.
Prior to IA I fixed a rusted spot on the hood and instead of having it painted I wrapped it in matte black.
After all the suspension was installed a good local photographer Johnny K had a little photo shoot
Recently I have done a few small things like install a strut bar
and installed new door mirrors
I also thought the car seemed still a bit high so I dropped her another inch and rolled the fenders. This is how she sits as of 9/16/11.....
I am keeping the engine plain and simple with a fully tucked and shaved Stock SR20DET. All the Nissan lettering will definitely be removed. No mods to internals or turbo will be made. Want to keep stock electronics and maintain stock reliability.
Stock engine put down 66whp on Carma's dyno. This car only weighs 1900lbs so 250ish whp will be plenty.
The Story:
I spent several months searching for a new project car. I knew I want something you don't see every day and these days this is hard to find. After some research and 6 months of scouting this is what I picked up.
1975 Toyota Celica ST w/manual transmission. All original except for 15 year old paint and only 65k original miles. Only rust on the car is on the front metal under spoiler, small spot on the hood, a few small spots on the rocker panels, and a dime sized spot next to one of the rear quarter windows. Floor boards, trunk, all panels, and engine bay are all rust free which is very hard to find. Interior needed work like seats and center console but I had plan on switching it all over to black anyway. Drove over 7 hrs to pick this up.
I did realize after getting it home it was a bit smaller than expected but after some new seats that sit a bit lower and scoot back a few inches more I didn't feel so big and uncomfortable in the car (Weight loss will help that also) HAHA
Here are pics when it was purchased
First thing I did was to clean up the front and rear end. I started by stripping everything off the car the gave all the parts a good bath hile scuffing it all with a scouring pad to help the paint adhere better.
Then I proceeded to paint all of the pieces. I chose a Satin Black self priming made by VHT because for a spray can it has a good spray pattern and has never let me down in the past. After that everything was reassembled and reinstalled.
Next thing I did was fix the seats so that I could fit better in the car. Being I am 6'2" and not bony this was a must!
Pulled these seats out of a wrecked 02 Celica. They were very stained so I cleaned them up first.
Before
After
Then, doing it the right way, all new studs were welded into the floor allowing the seat to be positioned farther back and retain the oem rails.
Here is the finished install
I also took a little time to clean up the engine bay.
I decided to go ahead and get all of the suspension done before I took on the engine.
The first order consisted of the following parts:
T3 Front AE86 Coilovers
T3 Front Camber Plates
T3 Lateral / Panhard Bar
T3 Rear 4 Links
T3 Front Tension Rods
T3 Roll Center Adjuster
T3 Front Lower Controll Arms
New OEM AE86 hubs, bearings, and Caliper brackets
Wilwood AE86 Big Brake Kit
Rota RBR 16x8 +10 wheels
BFGoodrich KDW 215/40-16
Here is a pic after just the wheels were installed. 4x4 Status
Here are some suspension parts as they came in.
Before installing the suspension I had TruShine come out and do a full detail on the car. After 15 hours of wet-sanding and polishing here is the result.
Here is a mock up shot of the front suspension.
I then worked on the interior a bit. Getting everything black.
Also recovered the dash and rear deck in some retro looking plaid. Carpet has now been removed but the new can not be put in until after the new engine due to shifter relocation.
Prior to IA I fixed a rusted spot on the hood and instead of having it painted I wrapped it in matte black.
After all the suspension was installed a good local photographer Johnny K had a little photo shoot
Recently I have done a few small things like install a strut bar
and installed new door mirrors
I also thought the car seemed still a bit high so I dropped her another inch and rolled the fenders. This is how she sits as of 9/16/11.....
I am keeping the engine plain and simple with a fully tucked and shaved Stock SR20DET. All the Nissan lettering will definitely be removed. No mods to internals or turbo will be made. Want to keep stock electronics and maintain stock reliability.
Stock engine put down 66whp on Carma's dyno. This car only weighs 1900lbs so 250ish whp will be plenty.
Photo:Konky Photography
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