Celicasaur's winter mod thread

[Celicasaur]

So I decided I might as well keep you guys updated on my car and keep a thread which should keep most of us busy until the summer, when a fair few of us hope to hit some big things, N/A.

I put my car into hibernation about a month ago, this was for a number of reasons. The main reason being that I didn’t want to run my untuned engine in the freezing cold winter over here in the UK. That and the fact that it’s forever raining or icey (especially lately) and I don’t want to risk understeering my car into a nasty crash, so I took the chance to give my car some downtime for some bits I needed to do anyway.

I have a list of things that I want my car to come back on the road with and I’ll be updating this thread over the next two months or so with pictures to show the transformation.

Here’s my winter list (in no particular order):
Axel-back exhaust Custom mandrel bent system :gap:
Custom 3” SRI (yep, I said SRI :o: ) Done :gap:
Injectors above 400cc 440cc injectors purchased :gap:
Brake upgrade of some sort EBC turbo grooved discs all over with Yellow Stuff pads - fitted :gap:
Suspension (ie struts and bushes) struts and bushes done, TRD blues and E/S control arm bushes - fitted :gap:
Ricey mods (footwell neons and some interior led spotlights :o: ) - probably wont bother now...
Re-wire all electrics and fuse everything (Only ‘mods’ like gauges and neons, etc etc)Done :gap:
Relocate battery and replace with teeny tiny race battery odyssey pc680 fitted :gap:
Fit rear spring spacers to help with traction on launches purchased...
New tyres all over - Goodyear Eagle F1’s six tyres purchased and four fitted to wheels :gap:
Refurb wheels (TE37 rims) Done!!! :gap:
Connect PFC to UEGO and find a secure place for the datalogit to live
Apexi ATS for my ‘free flow’ exhaust Yep, got it - 90mm variant :gap:
Weight reduction (lightweight battery, lexan hatch glass, remove air con) entire air-con system removed, boot stripped, light battery, lexan in my possesion :gap:
Fit nitrous system if Boosteds IM isn’t out by the time my car is due to return - wont do this now....
..and last but not least – car respray Done :gap:

From some recent threads, some of you may have seen the start I’ve had by way of getting hold of a nice Greddy Ti-C axel-back exhaust and a set of TRD Sportivo struts. Pictures of the installation etc will come tomorrow because I can’t find my camera :bang:

I’ve also got myself a set (lol, well quite a few :fawk:) of the very good Lotus Exige S injectors. They are made by Denso and can spit out 440cc of fuel, which is perfect for my set-up. Also in my possession are some nice Energy suspension control arm bushes (yep this’ll be a PITA to install), which should help with the steering feel around bends.

On the way very soon will be the Apexi ATS, which is very cool and useful for my set up...pics of it fitted should be with the next couple of weeks if all goes to plan.

Here’s how it looks at the moment...dormant, shall we say? :gap:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00763.jpg

Right, that’s enough. Get your subscriptions in, because this will be a long and good read for a lot of you :)

[silentchaos]

[QUOTE=Celicasaur;4554063]
Fit nitrous system if Boosteds IM isn

[Gravel]

Sounds pretty cool!

If you're planning on joining the sprint or doing trackdays etc, just make sure your exhaust isn't too loud - though how the track isn't the best place for loud cars, I'll never know :rolleyes:

[danGTS]

... and replace with teeny tiny race battery


I'd think twice about it. I had my part of issues most likely related to a race battery. It's ok for track days only though.

[dannysgtcel]

get the r888's all the way around

[adosdrummer]

instead of an exuast, get an e cutout... wont regret it.

[GSBoek]

With the setup that you I have to ask why the SRI. Don't get me wrong, I love my custom SRI and I have managed to run trouble free on the stock ECU with it, but with a PFC you should be able to take advantage of the Injen CAI, unless of course you are scared to hydrolock.

[Lex_2k]

boosted better be doin the IM up right would't want to blow the welds on the intake, not double clutchin like ya should.

sounds like so good plans, are you going to update this thread with pics as you go along?

You don't wanna have to rip apart the block with the mad scientist and replace the piston rings you could potentially fry lol

Anyway, sounds like a lot of good **** to come... I've got an SRI, grounding kit and some speakers to throw in at the weekend lol not exactly on the same scale as you but hey, its coming on.

Oh yeah, where did you get your wheels from? I was looking for a set of them for months before I gave up and bought my cheap ones lol

[Entranced]

If I can remember to do so, I'll take some pics of my datalogit resting position. Can't get any better IMO =)

[Celicasaur]

boosted better be doin the IM up right would't want to blow the welds on the intake, not double clutchin like ya should.

sounds like so good plans, are you going to update this thread with pics as you go along?

lol, even if i had a plastic IM i wouldnt have to worry about it exploding because the nitrous injectors I use wont leak and bring this problem to the fore ;)

yep, I'll simply update this thread as I go along, rather than make new threads with stuff related to what I'm planning to do :)

Sounds pretty cool!

If you're planning on joining the sprint or doing trackdays etc, just make sure your exhaust isn't too loud - though how the track isn't the best place for loud cars, I'll never know :rolleyes:

Hi Grav, yeah no, I've decided not to bother with track days or the sprint series. The main reason for this is the lack of lsd on the motor and my refusal to buy one :)

Just straight line dragging on the strip and plenty of naughtyness in the summer nights is what this car is for :)

I'd think twice about it. I had my part of issues most likely related to a race battery. It's ok for track days only though.

I plan to keep my main toyota battery in the car for day to day storage and small journeys etc, but I would quickly change the batteries on friday afternoons for the weekend, then replace with the stock battery on sunday...what do you think? I'd have thought it should be ok... :shrugs:

get the r888's all the way around

I considered it, but the Goodyear F1's or T1-R's would give me better all-round weather grip and safety. This is important as the weather can turn from dry and warm to wet and crap very quickly and I wouldn't want to have a very slick rear end...I'd rather I could just drive slowly to my destination and survive. I know what it's like having no rear grip in the wet...I found it pretty terrifying :o:

instead of an exuast, get an e cutout... wont regret it.

Thought about it for aaaaages, but then I discovered the ATS and it's perfect for what I want :)


With the setup that you I have to ask why the SRI. Don't get me wrong, I love my custom SRI and I have managed to run trouble free on the stock ECU with it, but with a PFC you should be able to take advantage of the Injen CAI, unless of course you are scared to hydrolock.

Basically, I want to use a very free-flow mesh type air filter. I've learnt the hard way that this simply doesnt work so well when mated to a cold air intake as far too much dirt and crap andeven water gets through and upsets my maf sensor. This filter inside the engine bay will be 'safer'. Sure I'll get slightly warmer air, but I'll run a cold air feed and cover the filter up as well.

The other reason I want an SRI is because I want a short, straight inlet pipe and also of 3" diameter. Worst case scenario I'll just have a 3" CAI made up. It will be a trade off between a very short and free flow intake and a long intake with a more traditional filter.

Oh yeah, where did you get your wheels from? I was looking for a set of them for months before I gave up and bought my cheap ones lol

Some bloke with a 450+whp gen 6 gt-four celica was parting out his car and I was one lucky mother f****r to have bought them off him because mine are a rare 16" x 8" fitment :fawk:

If I can remember to do so, I'll take some pics of my datalogit resting position. Can't get any better IMO =)

:wiggle:...................

Ok now back to the thread.

I can tick off the axel back exhaust I wanted. Here it is :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00790.jpg

You can see here the piping difference compared to the PPE mid-pipe...ahem...ahh well...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00791.jpg

Can somebody give me advice with taking off the rear strut?? I've been trying over the last few days but dammit, it wont come out!!

This damned thing keeps catching on the chasis and I try to yank it out from under the car

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00793.jpg

...and this damned thins keeps getting in the way when I try to straighten up the strut so that it can drop right out :bang:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00795.jpg

I've tried compressing the spring to get more clearance so I can pull the strut towards me, but alas, it's no good :(

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00792.jpg

It's just been hanging there....how the hell do any of you guys do it?? I'm considering dropping the rear control arm thing to work myself a better angle :shrugs:

Going back to my custom SRI idea, here's plan A. The battery is destined for the boot. I have space to lay the ecu flat over that area, to make space for an inlet pipe and filter. I'll need to cut out some plastic from the ecu box to free up the two harnesses so that it can lay flat. Cold air feed can come in from either where a CAI would do so, OR i'll just cut a small hole near the headlamp and run an airfeed...I'll work something out.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/a3.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/a4.jpg

Here's what I think it should look like

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/a2.jpg

What do you think?

Failing that, this is plan B. Mostly a straight pipe from the throttle body, but it has a 45 degree bend to angle the filter towards the headlight.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/b1.jpg

[danGTS]

I plan to keep my main toyota battery in the car for day to day storage and small journeys etc, but I would quickly change the batteries on friday afternoons for the weekend, then replace with the stock battery on sunday...what do you think? I'd have thought it should be ok... :shrugs:

Be my guess!!

I dunno. It's really easy and cheap weight saving. But then I blew my original alternator 6 or 7 times (rebuild under warranty after the first rebuild :/). The first one most likely being a consequence of the small battery which has smaller capacity. Making your alternator work harder. It's really not fun when it happens when your 250+ km away from home! It happened twice while I was that far. Now that everything seems reliable with a brand new alternator, I am not interested to look in that kind of optimization anymore. I enjoy the reliability a lot now! First year of driving without problem in a while even though the build! Now I can drive long distance without being worried (because I and Manny build it all taking our time and I know we did it right! :)).

Anyways, I wanted to share my experience so that people are aware of the possible consequences. You might be good with it or you might have similar issues. I think silvercelicagts00 also had electrical issues and he used a lightweight battery at the track.

[danGTS]

I see now why you want to relocate the battery. You might be able to have a pretty short intake. Not a bad idea! Make sure to dyno test the effectiveness of that one if you can! :) The hotter air my hurt you. But you might also get away with it and have a higher RPM peak torque. It involves a bit of work, hope it's all worth it ..

[fastcelicagt22]

Have somebody stand on rear brake while car is securely up in the air on jack stands and jump up and down lightly while you wiggle the rear strut out. Put the two wheels you take off under the car flat on each side for a fail safe in case the car comes down. 1 in a million but it could happen.

[deltaB]

I was able to use a long 2x4 to lever the lower control arm low enough to get the rear struts out. It was still a PITA.
Others have removed the bolts that attach the lower control arm to the body. That's what's in the book and sounds easier. I thought it might change the alignment which is why I avoided it. In hindsight, I don't think it would be a problem. Next time I'll just take the bolts out and save the aggravation.
dB

[Celicasaur]

Anyways, I wanted to share my experience so that people are aware of the possible consequences. You might be good with it or you might have similar issues. I think silvercelicagts00 also had electrical issues and he used a lightweight battery at the track.

Spooky...I only thought an alternator worked harder when it was required to charge a battery that was getting pounded by ICE with the engine switched off :confused:

I figured, if I use the smaller battery only on select days, I'd be ok, but after what you said about silvercelicagts00, you've given me second thoughts.

I'll still go lightweight on the battery, but maybe only half the stock weight and not one-third, like how I was hoping to try and sneak :o:

The hotter air my hurt you. But you might also get away with it and have a higher RPM peak torque. It involves a bit of work, hope it's all worth it ..

This is what I'm hoping to achieve, but more than anything I'm just hoping for improved throttle response (lol, not that it was even remotely sluggish before though :gap:)

The only dyno I will have though, will be the one 'before' it's dyno tuned and the one 'after' :(

Have somebody stand on rear brake while car is securely up in the air on jack stands and jump up and down lightly while you wiggle the rear strut out. Put the two wheels you take off under the car flat on each side for a fail safe in case the car comes down. 1 in a million but it could happen.

Tried that and had no luck :(

I was able to use a long 2x4 to lever the lower control arm low enough to get the rear struts out. It was still a PITA.
Others have removed the bolts that attach the lower control arm to the body. That's what's in the book and sounds easier. I thought it might change the alignment which is why I avoided it. In hindsight, I don't think it would be a problem. Next time I'll just take the bolts out and save the aggravation.
dB

Damn, looks like I'l have to do that then. Which side of the lower control arm did you take off (or would you take off, rather) ? The bolts right by where the sideskirts bolt on, or the long bolt + nut that's nearer the exhaust tip?

btw, when I shook the strut out of it's bracket that it's now fouling on, the control arm and everything just jumped up and is sitting a lot higher than before...how am I meant to get this down again to get everything back together again :confused: clearly seems like a two-person job, right?

[many]

Ricey mods (footwell neons and some interior led spotlights ):ugh:

Get a pry bar like this:
http://www.directbuildingproducts.co.uk/prodimage/ThumbPic/1153126788-pry%20bar%20set.jpg

Use the flat part to move the lip of the shock away from the neck ...the upper part of the strut bends....that's how I do it and I always get it without too much of a hassle...you don't need to much to get it out..I have installed about 20 sets of suspensions for these cars.
Take your time and look at it from under the car at the same time your prying.

[danGTS]

^^^ Listen to Many!

Spooky...I only thought an alternator worked harder when it was required to charge a battery that was getting pounded by ICE with the engine switched off :confused:

I figured, if I use the smaller battery only on select days, I'd be ok, but after what you said about silvercelicagts00, you've given me second thoughts.

I'll still go lightweight on the battery, but maybe only half the stock weight and not one-third, like how I was hoping to try and sneak :o:


The battery is still charged by the alternator. If it has low capacity like usual smaller batteries have, your alternator will work more often/harder charging your battery. Your battery, even though is not needed once the engine is running, is still involved in the circuit. That's how I see it. (I am an electronic engineer but this has nothing to do with my specialization or what I work on). I had issues with my alt the first time after a drag race night. But, I was driving with the 13 pounds battery daily.


The only dyno I will have though, will be the one 'before' it's dyno tuned and the one 'after' :(
C'mon, make an effort and swap it on a dyno. :evil: It's gonna be easy for you. Stock ecu would be good. PFC even better. Best scenario, you tune for both. Acceptable scenario and cheaper, just do a quick run with your cai once tuned with your short ram. Prove your not loosing anything in that scenario at the least. I'd go help you on the dyno but I am a bit far :/

[Entranced]

Once you get the strut asm. out, you can file down/grind down that lip to make them easier to install.

[deercelica]

I dont recommend Eagle F1's they are on my celica and I don't get very good traction with them. Decent, but not worth the cash.
Also treadwear is horrible.

[danGTS]

very good street tire = dunlop direzza sport Z1 star spec :evil:

[white02gt-s]

just disconnect stuff to move the hub out of the way to get the shock in and out. its the easiest way rather than fighting shiet. and for the inatke i say go plan b. plus if you have it right behind the head light if you go to the drag stip you could take out your head light and bam nice fresh cool air right into your intake :thumbup:

[white02gt-s]

sexyness (http://braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b2015_limited_edition/)

i dont care what anyone says that shiet right there is sick as fvck

[Celicasaur]

How about this one for the fronts, instead of the R888's? Dunlop Direzza (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-X-225-45-16-DUNLOP-DIREZZA-02G-TRACKDAY-RALLY-TYRES_W0QQitemZ360122456922QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_C ars_Tyres_RL?hash=item360122456922&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1299%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318)

I can't find the one Dan suggested for some reason :(

As for that Braille battery, that's toooo expensive for me.

[danGTS]

Sexyness because of the bling support!?? lol!

The Braille has a better spec than the one I had. Nice CCA. However, cranking was never a problem with my lightweight battery. A bit better capacity (in Ah). Not bad but the thing is (and that's the most important thing IMO), that one has still a way smaller reserve capacity than a stock battery. The alt. will work more in the end (for every day usage). Not to mention the price tag. Maybe the braille will work better than mine did due to slightly better spec but it's not sure!

I have a Odyssey PC680 ... in my closet.

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680series.htm

Lastly, maybe I was unlucky with mine. Who knows!? I would honestly luv to have that weight saved, it's the reason I bought it in the first place. But at the same time, reliability is very important! If you guys can find a reliable solution, I'd be happy!

EDIT : I check again and CCA look pretty close between Braille and Odyssey. In other word, Braille is a slightly better but very overprice Odyssey IMO.

[danGTS]

Here's also a holder for Odyssey's batteries :

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/fullsize/pc680billet.htm

[ikhaffaji]

Just like others have said in regards to the suspension, I just unbolt the camber arm and the endlinks from the hub and push the whole assembly down, then angle the strut towards the outside of the car and pull the sucker out. Works everytime for me.

[white02gt-s]

i just love the cf factor of the braille battery. sooo sexy lol. what is the weight on your odyssey?

[white02gt-s]

better? (http://braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b3121/) dunno what the stock aH is or even what aH is but this one is only 21 lbs and here are the specs.

Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 80F: 892

Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 32F: 742

Cold Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 0F: 550

Reserve Capacity: 1hr 15mins

Capacity (C/20 rate): 31 amp hr

dunno if thats good or even comparable to the stock one. got the specs for the stock battery dan?

[kortik]

I dont recommend Eagle F1's they are on my celica and I don't get very good traction with them. Decent, but not worth the cash.
Also treadwear is horrible.


Are you sure about that?
I bought a second sent of those Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3
and they lasted me 40K miles. I've done sever autox w/them plus agressive driving. They lasted a good amount I have 80Kmiles and second set.

I made sure I did my alignment right 0toe.
I would recomend these tires to anyone for street + wet/dry Seattle like roads

[danGTS]

better? (http://braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b3121/) dunno what the stock aH is or even what aH is but this one is only 21 lbs and here are the specs.

Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 80F: 892

Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 32F: 742

Cold Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 0F: 550

Reserve Capacity: 1hr 15mins

Capacity (C/20 rate): 31 amp hr

dunno if thats good or even comparable to the stock one. got the specs for the stock battery dan?

It looks better. Maybe enough !?? As for the stock batt spec, at least some parameters should be written on your battery.

On mine (not the toyota one), it's written 700 CCA compare to your 550 CCA. My Odyssey was rated at 525 but that's for 20 sec, not 30 sec like the regular CCA spec is supposed to be. It would be less for 30 sec. "Cold" cranking was already fine even with the Odyssey anyways. I know some regular batt even have 400-500 CCA as well so that must be fine. Unfortunately, this is not the parameter I am worried about and that's the only thing written on my batt. Maybe yours will give the capacity on it.

Capacity is what worries me. You can find online numbers which seem higher than what you posted. I have seen numbers around 2 hours. I don't wanna commit on that since I don't know what would be the true requirement. It depends of the alternator and the rest of the circuit. One thing for sure is that 1hr 15 min looks way better than the 25 minutes my Odyssey have. And also way better than the first braille you showed at 35 minutes. It sounds like a better compromise.

I personally ended up buying a regular acid battery but one like 5-6 pounds lighter than stock .. Simple and safe compromise!

One thing I'd like to know is the spec of honda batteries. I'd use that as a reference. They are way smaller than ours and must be lighter (check rsx for example).

http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/tech/0612_ht_2005_acura_rsx_type_s/photo_12.html

[Celicasaur]

I'm confused now :(

I like this one: Odyssey PC535 (http://www.batterymart.com/p-odyssey-pc535-battery.html)

copied and pasted stats:
13 Ah @ 10hr rate
200 CCA
535 Cranking Amps for 5 seconds
21 Minute Reserve Capacity

only 13lbs weight!!! that's almost a third of the stock battery weight :fawk:

FWIW, I'll start the car from my house (initial 'cold start') from my stock battery, then I'll switch the batteries over while the car is running, so I wont lose my power and stereo settings (lol, imagine the annoyance of having to re-initialise the PFC everytime I changed the battery lol) and then the battery would probably only be used for around 5-6 hours, tops, most of which would have the car running. Even if the car is not used for several hours, surely this would fire right up and enable me to get home, right?

What do you think?

I wanna order one pretty soon so I can get about making it fit and be interchangable with the oem battery.

[danGTS]

The pc535 has lower capacity than my PC680 which isn't even enough apparently. It is smaller and saves 1 or 2 pounds more.

I had no problem at all using the PC680 to start my car everyday. No problem there. It started all the time. It should be close to this too with the pc535 but I haven't tried it. The pc535 does have lower CCA so who knows! The battery itself most likely wont fail. The alt. might not hold its extra work though. But it might be ok for limited time use.

With the price difference with the 21 lbs Braille, I'd go for the Braille. Spec looks way better. Possibly ok for everyday use except subzero Celcius climate (but that's to be prooven).

The PFC is able to run directly and keeps your settings even though you disconnect the battery btw.

I'm confused now :(

I like this one: Odyssey PC535 (http://www.batterymart.com/p-odyssey-pc535-battery.html)

copied and pasted stats:
13 Ah @ 10hr rate
200 CCA
535 Cranking Amps for 5 seconds
21 Minute Reserve Capacity

only 13lbs weight!!! that's almost a third of the stock battery weight :fawk:

FWIW, I'll start the car from my house (initial 'cold start') from my stock battery, then I'll switch the batteries over while the car is running, so I wont lose my power and stereo settings (lol, imagine the annoyance of having to re-initialise the PFC everytime I changed the battery lol) and then the battery would probably only be used for around 5-6 hours, tops, most of which would have the car running. Even if the car is not used for several hours, surely this would fire right up and enable me to get home, right?

What do you think?

I wanna order one pretty soon so I can get about making it fit and be interchangable with the oem battery.

[white02gt-s]

plus braille makes a prodict that will back up your stuff so you dont have to reset everything if you switch the battery :thumbup:

[white02gt-s]

power protector (http://braillebattery.com/index.php/products/premium_power_protector/) check it out.

[Celicasaur]

Ok you guys are confusing me :(

Bear in mind I don't plan to use this battery everyday - just for the weekends... :wiggle: ???

On a different note, thanks to everyone for the advice on the rear strut, I ended up having to remove the control arm and omg WHY didn't I jsut do this in the first place as it took like, 10 minutes - tops. That's 10 minutes to remove control arm, remove strut with total ease, then bolt control arm back up.

Natrually I had trouble getting the spring off the strut as USA spec eibach springs do not fit onto euro spec struts (for reasons that I can't be bothered to explain rigtht now, but this thread (http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=283899)will explain it perfectly for you) so I had to use some ghetto methods to get the spring off.

Here you can see the strut hanging upside down, but the bottom coil is refusing to let go, lol
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00796.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00797.jpg

In the end I got the spring off (with the help of my legendary friend who drives a hunduh-B16A FTW, lol!!) and then after a few scraped nuckles, the spring was mated to the strut just fine - proof that TRD sportivo's (yeah I know they're among the worst struts around and that they will probably blow by the end of the summer) will fit with other springs. Not sure if this is a big deal to anyone here, but in the uk, for some reason everybody I've spoken to on the topic seems to think they'll only mate with the TRD sportivo springs...mieh, nevermind.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00798.jpg

One more strut to go and then I can move onto the control arm bushings!! :fawk:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00694.jpg

However, can anybody confirm if I've got the right number of parts, particularly the big fat ones? When I look at this thread (http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=180571&highlight=control+arm) from many, a long time ago, it looks like I'm going to be one fat bushing short, on either control arm...unless I chop them in two? :confused:

[danGTS]

Celicasaur, Everybody has its own thinking and its own experience. You have to make your own based on what people think. I would never run a pc680 or pc535 as a daily driver. I am very hesitant to do so for the strip too. Only way I would do it is after swapping my current 6 months old alternator with one used spare alternator I have (bought it recently for safety). I am scared to run into the same problems again. Destroying my spare 50$ alt. would not be a big sacrifice. Paying 500$ again for a new alternator would be very bad! Not to mention down time and problem of being stuck far from home. Think of youngxllos sad build. My alternator story is similar. lol! But, I like the spec of the 21 pounds Braille. That really makes me think seriously of having a lightweight battery (again). Since it's only a few bux more than the one you pointed and it weight only 7-8 pounds more with a much bigger reserve capacity, I'd suggest you that one without a doubt .. It can also possibly be driven during the whole summer which is great. But I think I have given enough time and cash for a lightweight battery. Time for you guys to try this one and let me know how it goes :evil:

If you want to go hardcore and use a 13-15 pounds battery, than do it. but you've been warned. I can't be sure you wont have the issues I've had driving only occasionally with it. Also maybe I can check if mine is still in good shape and sell it to you if you want! It was in very good condition when I removed it. I dunno about now but I can certainly charge it and test it.

power protector (http://braillebattery.com/index.php/products/premium_power_protector/) check it out.

Do you work for Braille! ?? lol!

[Celicasaur]

Hmmm....fair point there, Dan.

If you could have a look to see if that battery has any servicable life left, then yep, drop me a pm with a price please. If it's cheap enough to afford a 'mistake' (if that makes sense to anyone) then I'll most likely take it from you.

I need to hit the lower half of 13 second et's N/A!!

[danGTS]

Ok, I'll check it this week .. I wanted to know if it is ok still anyways ..

[many]

You have everything there for the control arm bushings!
One big and two small bushings for each side.
The small ones replace the smaller bushing that's in front of the car and come in two parts...the one in the rear come in one part.
I think your confusing the write up with the rack and pinion bushings that from the picture I see you don't have!

[Celicasaur]

:o: ^^^^

(thankyou many!!)

[danGTS]

Ok, I'll check it this week .. I wanted to know if it is ok still anyways ..

Nevermind, the batt is dead now!! Should have charge it regularly ..

[white02gt-s]

Do you work for Braille! ?? lol!

ha ha i so wish i got paid for this. just looking out for my fellow celica brethren. i just thought it was a cool product. so i thought id pass it on :thumbup:

[deltaB]

Congratulations on the strut/shock success.

I'm confused now :(

FWIW, I'll start the car from my house (initial 'cold start') from my stock battery, then I'll switch the batteries over while the car is running, so I wont lose my power and stereo settings What do you think?

Don't do that. Alternators really don't like running with the battery disconnected. I know you don't want to lose your settings, but it's not worth the risk.

As far as batteries go, the one in the MR2 finally died. I just ordered a Deka ETX18L for it. It's a relabled Deka called a "Big Crank". It's supposed to be 18 pounds. For comparison the original MR2 battery is 27.4 pounds and the replacement one in the Celica is 34.6 pounds. If you look on the .net, there is a braille-deka relationship. Some will say the braille is a relabled deka like the big-crank. The deka ETX18L is dimensionally the same as the braille 2618. Braille must test their batteries differently because the ETX18L is listed as 20AH at a 10A discharge rate and the 2618 is listed as 26AH at a 20hour discharge rate. 2Way would know more about that.
I'll use the light battery in the Celica for track weekends, but the motor will not be running when I swap it. Oh, and there are lighter ETX's and brailles if 18 pounds are too much.
http://spyderchat.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=53644&
dB

[blinding-gts]

Originally Posted by Celicasaur
I'm confused now

FWIW, I'll start the car from my house (initial 'cold start') from my stock battery, then I'll switch the batteries over while the car is running, so I wont lose my power and stereo settings What do you think?

Don't do that. Alternators really don't like running with the battery disconnected. I know you don't want to lose your settings, but it's not worth the risk.

x2 The battery acts as a suppressor for any voltage spikes that can come from the alternator. If the voltage manages to spike above 14.8V it could kill your car ECU, radio/etc. Not worth the risk.

[Celicasaur]

oooh wow, thanks for the heads up - i had no idea!

I guess what I'd do then is simply use a pos/neg wire to connect the DD battery to the race battery when the car is off. This way I don't have to worry about any settings gettig lost or worry about having to initialise the power fc all the time. How does that sound?

And DeltaB, what do you make of the Odyssey 535 battery for my application?

[deltaB]

And DeltaB, what do you make of the Odyssey 535 battery for my application?
I didn't look at the odyssey's at all.
The picture at batterymart.com has the +/- terminals swapped from the OEM. That might help if you are going to lay the battery flat. It might make things more difficult if it is upright.

I skimmed through spyderchat. The popular ones are PC680 and PC545. There were no complaints about either's ability to start the car when fully charged. The PC545 is slightly smaller and the PC680 slightly larger than the PC535. There were some complaints about the PC545 going flat after a week in the car. With that I'd say PC680 even though you plan to swap it out. I know people have an occasional lazy streak.
dB

[danGTS]

deltaB, do you know of a Deka version of the 21 pounds Braille ?

[deltaB]

Yeah,
That's the ETX30L. 21.7lbs
80.95USD + shipping at batterymart/bigcrank.com

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0278.pdf
dB

[danGTS]

:thumbup:

I wonder why the CCA is rated so much lower on the Deka vs Braille. Different method of measurement as you pointed out ? Dimensions and weights are the same ..

[deltaB]

I really don't know.
Sombody over at VWVortex tested a ETX14 and got almost 400CA and a ETX20 and got 500CA. It probably wasn't "Cold" cranking amps though.
I don't have a tester.
I looked on the net and didn't see anyone try a Deka and Braille back-to-back. That would be the real test.

http://www.wingworldmag.com/archives/january2003/magazine/department/productreport.html

We are able to test each battery we pickup from the Deka warehouse to ensure the highest testing CCA out of either the 11.35 or 15 lb batteries. Currently testing as follows:

11.35 lb 369-409 CCA
15.00 lb 499-583 CCA
http://www.momentummotorparts.com/store/batteries.asp

dB

[zzt231 gr]

Celicasaur,how did you close the front badge holes?

[Celicasaur]

Celicasaur,how did you close the front badge holes?

It was a simple case of prying out the badge with a screwdriver and then using filler over the holes left behind (3 holes). I'd recommend doing this if you get a repspray on the bumper as you'd have a weird colour patch if you only paint a small amount to cover the holes...

Back on topic:

For those of you wondering, I've been trying hard to source a Deka EXT thingy for a good price that can be shipped to the UK as there are no UK suppliers of this product...When that arrives I'll decide on the housing for it.

Suspension has been sorted on all four corners with TRD shocks, so thankyou to all with their advice :)

In the meantime I've gotten a start on the respray. First up, the prep needs to be done (the boring, hard part...ahem...) so I got away on the front end of te car to begin with...lot's of spider cracks and chips from taking the bumper off nearly a hundred times and falling on the ground...here's the progress:

Before...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00801.jpg

Keyover...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00803.jpg

Getting more rigerous :gap:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00809.jpg

Smooth as hell, ready for primer...bumper wiped clean at this point
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00810.jpg

Primer base coat. Kinda makes me think, hmmm....yellow......:wiggle:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00812.jpg

Next task is to attempt sorting these dents :ugh:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00805.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00807.jpg

^^^ The next door neighbours panel fence came flying off under gale-force wind and attacked my car when the poor thing had a broken engine. Gonna try sorting that out next, before adding primer to the entire fron end in white :)

[zzt231 gr]

It was a simple case of prying out the badge with a screwdriver and then using filler over the holes left behind (3 holes). I'd recommend doing this if you get a repspray on the bumper as you'd have a weird colour patch if you only paint a small amount to cover the holes...What kind of filler?Is there a possibility for it to crack without a hit or with the high pressure washing gun?And are you painting your car all alone???I wish you good luck,my friend!!

[GTsRasta]

Can you please post up the pics/video of your gauges in the eyeglass hut thing? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

[Entranced]

I guess what I'd do then is simply use a pos/neg wire to connect the DD battery to the race battery when the car is off. This way I don't have to worry about any settings gettig lost or worry about having to initialise the power fc all the time. How does that sound?

Get a battery/radio saver. They are meant just for the purpose of keeping radio presets and such when putting a new battery in the car and plug right into the OBDII port. However, I think your origional intention was to use the bigger battery to start the car in the first place, which this wouldn't help you with :gap:

[Celicasaur]

Can you please post up the pics/video of your gauges in the eyeglass hut thing? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

I just spent 20 minutes trying to find a pic on my laptop and this is all I could find :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00454.jpg

Get a battery/radio saver. They are meant just for the purpose of keeping radio presets and such when putting a new battery in the car and plug right into the OBDII port. However, I think your origional intention was to use the bigger battery to start the car in the first place, which this wouldn't help you with :gap:

Ahhh, just to clarify...I was thinking to connect an extention of each pos/neg wire to the small battery while the main DD battery is still connected. Once the terminals have been connected to the small battery and the big battery, I would then remove the terminals from the big one...if that makes sense? lol

Nevermind though, I plan to get the.....I can't remember. I think the EX-12 Deka battery?

On a seperate note, updates to the thread coming by the weekend, but it's all bodywork/paint related :o: performance updates will come as soon as the body is looking pretty :gap:

[GTsRasta]

THANKS!

That's where I'm going to put my gauges for sure now! :)

See if you can find more or take more in the daylight!

[Celicasaur]

ahhh screw it, I might as well give you guys todays update :fawk:

I've been a bit quiet lately due to catching a nasty flu and snowy weather bringing us here in the UK to a standstill. After much, much prep and going over the same bits again and again to get just right, I finally got down to something exciting for a change and got around to giving two thirds of the car a few coats of primer. There's still more primer to be applied and some more fine tuning on some of the filled parts, but here's the latest news anyway. (I've decided to buy a new driverside wing instead of attempting a diy repair, so that's why it's not painted yet)

Before
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00855.jpg

After
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00862.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00874.jpg

Before
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00856.jpg

After
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00867.jpg

Before
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00861.jpg

After
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00863.jpg

Before
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00860.jpg

After
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00871.jpg

Before
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00868.jpg

After
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00872.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00870.jpg

When we get another good day of weather I'll get around to sorting a couple of imperfections and then do the hood, rear and roof.

Any suggestions on the colour I should go for? I have a pretty good idea in my mind what I plan to go with and it's pretty unorthordox, but I think it'll do well with the whole stealth-ish street ricer look :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00877.jpg

[Entranced]

Any suggestions on the colour I should go for? I have a pretty good idea in my mind what I plan to go with and it's pretty unorthordox, but I think it'll do well with the whole stealth-ish street ricer look

hot pink/black <3


nice body work dude! though it looks like your primer hit your tire :gap:
Keep it up!

[Entranced]

ooh, or hot pink and camo!

http://www.rallygrafix.com/images/gallery/Gumball_pink_05_big.jpg

for the "stealth" aspect of the rice!

[Celicasaur]

:rofl: noooooo pink or camo effect here!!!

btw i'm getting new tyres on all corners so that's why i didn't bother with covering the tyres up so much :)

[danGTS]

Celicasaur, did I tell you r a crazy dude to paint your car outside in your driveway ? :eek:

[youngxlos]

good work, i really hope you didnt get any prime on them Volks

[Entranced]

I just noticed you primered your cowl and wiper arms. :chuckles:

[many]

Holly overspray dude! Masking is a "bitch" but not literally.

[Celicasaur]

Celicasaur, did I tell you r a crazy dude to paint your car outside in your driveway ? :eek:

lol no you didn't but feel free to sir :thumbup:

To be fair, this is only the primer phase and mistakes (and by mistakes I mean dirt and flies! :o: ) can be easily rectified. For the main colour (and laquer if I don't go for matte black) I'll hire a tent to close off the surrounding area ;)

good work, i really hope you didnt get any prime on them Volks

Thankyou sir :)

Nah them Volks are still bronze and happy. They've just got dirt from sanding and crap. They are also going to get a makeover though...


I just noticed you primered your cowl and wiper arms. :chuckles:

I was meant to :fawk: The cowl had turned half white/grey because of Autogylm cat polish that had gotten onto it, so I'm gonna freshen that up as well and make it look new :)

Holly overspray dude! Masking is a "bitch" but not literally.

lol, don't worry there is no overspray at all. It might look like I oversprayed onto the hood, roof and rear, but I'm going to do them next time anyway so it's all going to be one fully primed car before painting a colour onto it :)

Still had no suggestions on colour though :(

My own inclination at the moment is to go for a smooth matte/satin black. My friends tell me to go for the white hunduh look, but that would be blasphemous because I'm a 2zz fanboy :o:

[blacktsport]

Matt Black FTMFW!!!

I loved the matt balck APR widebody kitted one that was on here (minus the need for speed logos obviously) Matt Black is hard as fook

Make it so

[Jesse IL]

Please God tell me you aren't going to paint the whole car yourself with rattlecans.

[Celicasaur]

Matt Black FTMFW!!!

I loved the matt balck APR widebody kitted one that was on here (minus the need for speed logos obviously) Matt Black is hard as fook

Make it so

I'm definately considering it...infact it was one of the reasons that promted the respray. I'll annouce nearer the time of actually ordering paint and the air gun/compressor, etc.

Please God tell me you aren't going to paint the whole car yourself with rattlecans.

Come on, don't be stupid... :rolleyes:

[h8eternal]

good work, i really hope you didnt get any prime on them Volks

or the car that was parked next to him at the time.

[Jesse IL]

Come on, don't be stupid... :rolleyes:
i don't know, considering virtually no masking, overspray on everything primer job, it seemed like a ghetto job was coming together...

[Celicasaur]

Jesse take a chill pill dude, it's only the primer stage. What's most important is that all the small dents get smoothed off and covered by the primer and the surface needs to be smooth for paint, which will be done with a bit more care. Like I said, the tyres are getting replaced anyway so I didn't bother masking them so much. And as for overspray - the whole car is going to be primered anyway, so that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, can we move on and stay on topic please.

Here's what santa dropped off today 10 months early :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00878.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00881.jpg

This is how it works....
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00879.jpg

Cool, huh?
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00880.jpg

This is the only way I can see it being somewhat practical to run a completely free flowing exhaust system and not die of the drone at low rpm. It opens up on full throttle (or near enough full throttle) and gives the effect of running without a silencer. Lovely :)

[danGTS]

Yeah, but let's tell it should give an effect close to running without a silencer. It is obviously not exactly like running no silencer. And someone needs to proof the minimal lost. I am willing to believe but need proofs. Actually, you must try it with and without on the dyno when you get it tune. :)

[Celicasaur]

Yeah, true that ^^^ I will do that onthe dyno when it's getting tuned. Hopefully it'll lose no more than a couple of hp when used without any silencer at all, but it should also hopefully gain more than what any sort of muffler based exhaust should be able to give.

Pretty nifty little gadget though :)

[danGTS]

Yeah, true that ^^^ I will do that onthe dyno when it's getting tuned. Hopefully it'll lose no more than a couple of hp when used without any silencer at all, but it should also hopefully gain more than what any sort of muffler based exhaust should be able to give.

Pretty nifty little gadget though :)

Nice! It'll takes a couple of minutes to test and will definitely help (me at the least). How is the spring ? Should be pretty easy to compress right? I also hope it does not rattle .. I am still considering making a custom fit of this to my exhaust or buying a n1 canister and have this fit bolt-on. Mine is 90 mm diameter (which fits) but I don't have enought muffler depth at that diameter, I have around 65 mm depth in the worst area (the tip is angle cut). The 90 mm diameter version of the ATS is 80 mm depth. I am not sure if I can grind much the inside of the tanabe race canister. If anyone has ever destroyed such an exhaust, let me know! It could be fit getho style with only a drilled hole though.

Just waiting for your results! :)

[Celicasaur]

Nice! It'll takes a couple of minutes to test and will definitely help (me at the least). How is the spring ? Should be pretty easy to compress right? I also hope it does not rattle .. I am still considering making a custom fit of this to my exhaust or buying a n1 canister and have this fit bolt-on. Mine is 90 mm diameter (which fits) but I don't have enought muffler depth at that diameter, I have around 65 mm depth in the worst area (the tip is angle cut). The 90 mm diameter version of the ATS is 80 mm depth. I am not sure if I can grind much the inside of the tanabe race canister. If anyone has ever destroyed such an exhaust, let me know! It could be fit getho style with only a drilled hole though.

Just waiting for your results! :)

Yeah the spring is pretty soft...well, I was expecting it to be a lot stiffer for some reason. I gets stiffer the more it's compressed (obviously, i guess) but I'm assuming that hard exhaust pulses wouldn't have a problem with it. It doesn't rattle...seems like a quality piece to me.

I was having the dialema with sizing and that's one of the reasons I sold my Greddy exhaust. The tip was too big for either of the ATS units to fit and I just didn't like the flange opening and the piping diameter. I was planning to go KYO for the axel-back, but now according to that new thread started by the other guy, even the KYO exhaust has 63mm piping...mind you, the ATS will fit that canister happily and the flange is 100 times better than the Greddy one. I think what I need to do is order a flange and the piping from PPE directly and have it welded up over here in the UK. The PPE mid-pipe size was....I dunno, I think 2.65" I.D. so I'll keep that nice piping size through my whole system and go custom.

Going back to your Tanabe idea, I think it would work if you had it welded on, but I don't think you would like the look of it being welded onto the outside. Also, if you welded it, you'd be stuck with it on all the time (not that it would be a bad thing if it works well :o: )

I think I'll get my exhaust piping and my 3" SRI intake tube ordered from PPE at some point in March. By then hopefully I'll be ready to have my car fully sprayed up and I'll just be working out how to do my gt-four celica front brake caliper conversion...

[Mkivfan28]

This is out there but have you thought of the color Imperial Jade Mica found on the MKIV Supra? I wonder how it would look on a Celica

[Entranced]

my buddy's evo.

http://www.newcelica.org/photopost/data/500/PICT00351.JPG

picture does no justice... but food for thought :gap:

[Celicasaur]

This is out there but have you thought of the color Imperial Jade Mica found on the MKIV Supra? I wonder how it would look on a Celica

Ahhh yeah no, I'm not so much a fan of green. Thanks for the suggestion though :)

my buddy's evo.

http://www.newcelica.org/photopost/data/500/PICT00351.JPG

picture does no justice... but food for thought :gap:

Is the Evo like this (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/397920090_e3f833195f_b.jpg)? I'm really liking the colour of that anthracite grey colour. Maybe a satin finish in that shade perhaps? :shrugs:

[GTsRasta]

Got more pics of those gauges? I'd like to see a lit up one.

[danGTS]

Celicasaur, for my setup, I think it could be bolted. Just drill another hole. Either it will be ugly or .. involve custom work. The way I see it, the cleaner would be to actually cut the ats and re-weld to make the depth shorter at around 65mm. Or, grind inside my exhaust (if that is even possible).

Are you sure of the PPE mid pipe size ? The slight bend that goes after the flex pipe is 2.5 OD.

[vegeta4ss]

did you do those front control arm bushings yet? if not take some pics when you do.

[Mkivfan28]

"Ahhh yeah no, I'm not so much a fan of green. Thanks for the suggestion though :)"

No problem, just putting it out there:wiggle:

[Entranced]

Is the Evo like this? I'm really liking the colour of that anthracite grey colour. Maybe a satin finish in that shade perhaps?

It's matte black. picture does it no justice as my camera sucks... but it's sooo sexy in person.

[Celicasaur]

Got more pics of those gauges? I'd like to see a lit up one.

sorry bro, the pic above was an old pic. I've taken the gauges out now (and mos tof my interior) so no new ones until I refit everything...sorry :(

Are you sure of the PPE mid pipe size ? The slight bend that goes after the flex pipe is 2.5 OD.

I could be wrong on this....next time I go under the car I'll measure it up and take pics :)

did you do those front control arm bushings yet? if not take some pics when you do.

Not yet...most likely after the respray is completed and I begin on the brakes...I'll be sure to take pics :)

It's matte black. picture does it no justice as my camera sucks... but it's sooo sexy in person.

Yeah no I know what you mean. Heck my car looks kinda nice and clean right now even in primer :o:

I'll be aiming for a satin black colour on my car though, something like this hopefully:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/satinf430.jpg

(just do a google image search under satin or matte black and you'll see this lovely F430 from different angles)

I kinda think matte black might be a bit too dull for me. Heck I'm going to really miss the clean/shiney 'new car' look, but alas it's 8 years old now, so why do something different I guess... :( :o:

I just hope it looks as good as I'm thinking it will and that I don't regret it.......all this prep work thus far has taken aaaaaages.

[Jesse IL]

Go with the white they have on the Lexus IS. Celicas look very good in white and that pearl white is amazing.

[Entranced]

:) satin/matte black sure is sexy. haha. if you wanna go white, go with the alpine white off of the BMW's :drool:

[Jesse IL]

Satin black is for ricers/followers/people with no creativity. In two years, you're going to realize it was a complete fad, just like Altezza taillights, and regret the decision to basically primer your car. Satin black was a cool idea...four years ago. Now all it says is, "Hey, I have no originality but think that this will make my car look purposeful/fast/evil!"

Think about it like white wheels. That was really cool ten years ago, but would anyone honestly put white wheels on their car today? You're always better off going with a timeless look IMHO. If everyone and their brother is jumping on an idea, it probably means that you should avoid it.

[lamboceliGTS]

I like the blue on the ISF.

Picures don't do it justice.

[Entranced]

I still think you should go for the camo. Look at how well it worked for this guy's Celi!

http://www.newcelica.org/photopost/data/505/atr.jpg

:puke:

[Jesse IL]

:laugh:

Hey, give that guy credit At least everything goes together and all the body panels line up. I've seen some way worse ricermobiles on the street with their awful eBay bodykits resplendent in their light blue or white gel coat primer.

[Motor]

Any updates?

[Celicasaur]

^^^ Yeah most likely next week though. At the moment the car is 98% primered and pretty much ready to paint, but I'm just waiting on Paul from PPE to get back to me with a price on an axel-back exhaust 'till I can post something more 'performance' orientated.

Also I'm ordering my tyre's tomorrow :fawk: I'm going for Goodyear Eagle F1's in 225/50/16...great choice, right guys?

[MyRomeo]

if its any help i was quoted 190 for a free flow mandrel bent 2.5in axle back from AAS in Newcastle, they have a superb reputation and a waiting list of 4-6 weeks :-)

[Celicasaur]

That's a superb price ^^^

But I need an exhaust for my car ready to bolt on, as it's off-road for another 8-10 weeks or so, maybe slightly longer. Oh and newcastle is miiiiiiiiiiiiiles away man, I'm from London!! :fawk:

Mieh, I also want to get one from PPE in the States as my midpipe is from them and is in a bizarre size that I can't find anywhere and I want it to be the same size through the entire system.

[Dammed]

I bought the PPE headers a while back, and man they look sweet, I'm going to make a custom exhaust with some friends to the summer. :)

Matte black has never in my opinion been cool to have, I like it a lot because it's look good, not because Joe Doe said so. And white compomotive rims on a red/black Lancia Delta looks sweet.

Matte black Celica:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/DamirMedic/Celicaen/Diverse/C4R-Celica-wallpaper1-774431.jpg

And the PPE headers if someone is interested:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/DamirMedic/Celicaen/Diverse/DSC00544.jpg

[MyRomeo]

Ron, that price was effectively for a 'bolt on' axle back just made to my spec, was going to use 2.5in pipe and a straight thru silencer that wont do much silencing :D

Still torn with the idea.

perhaps you could give them a ring see if they could produce an axle back without your car, they might know someone with a celica that they could 'borrow' for a template or you could ship them your current axle back?

I was most impressed with the price they quoted too, very cheap!

[Jesse IL]

I'm going for Goodyear Eagle F1's in 225/50/16...great choice, right guys?
I'd recommend the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's, if that's what you're talking about. Those tires get fantastic ratings and are a bit more affordable than other comparable tires. I've had both Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's on my car. The S-03's are an absolutely awful street tire (only good for the track) and the Michelins are really excellent. But the Michelin's are also the most expensive tire in the class and I'll be moving to GS-D3's for my next set of tires.

[kortik]

I have Eagle F1 GS-D3

on my 2zz matrix and I love it. alrady on the second set and they last also
plus in the rain they are excellent especially here in Seattle

[MyRomeo]

The GS-D2's were better IMO but are so hard to find now!

I went from them to toyot T1-R's and the toyo's were in a different league to the GS-D2's.

I'm now waiting the release of the R1-R toyos in the uk, they stand to be an amazing tyre

[Celicasaur]

Yeah that's the one, the GS-D3's..should be with me by next week at some point if all goes well.

For a long while I've wondered if getting Toyo R888's for the front wheels, would help me with getting more traction on a launch on the streets... :confused: I'd get them in 225/50/16 like the GS-D3's and I'm aware that they're far from ideal in the wet...but if the benefits of launching on dry tarmac in the night can make it worth it, I may get them (eventhough they're ridiculously expensive :hitit: )

[MyRomeo]

toyo advised me to NOT fit the R888's to my previous car for use on the road in case I get caught in a rain shower as they told me they are very poor in the wet. Hence I used the T1-R's as they at least offer wet grip too.

for the dry tho, yes, the R888's are unreal. Just plan your journeys and if theres a cloud about, stay in :rofl:

[danGTS]

I'd get a tire with lower threadwear than GS-D3 even though I've never tried this one. But that's just me. I have been trying to find a tire that delivers high grip on the dry while having a more reasonable threadwear (280-300). I haven't tried every tire but it does not seem possible (only tried t1-s and BFG KDWII on my car & I am pretty sure T1-R do the same). I'd shoot for 180-220 threadwear personally for a street tire. 140-180 if you are willing to sacrifice tire life a bit more.

Conclusion so far is that Direzza Z1 star spec is much much better than T1-S and BFG KDWII on the dry.

Wet grip is less important for me and is harder to evaluate (I always switch from one dead tire with not much groove to a having nice deep threads). But the Direzza are in similar category as KDW II and T1-S as for driving in the wet.

[kortik]

nice deka bat holder

[Celicasaur]

Right, so the car is fully prep'd for paint. The body is so smooth that if i pour water on it, i dont get any standing water drops and it looks like i've laquered the primer :gap:

I did a test run with a can of satin black on the front bumper and I was definately impressed and happy with it...I'm sure it'll be the colour to make me happy...pics of final prep before paint, coming...dunno, gimme till the weekend if the weather stays good.

From a performance stance, I've been speaking to Paul at PPE to make me something like this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/exhaust-layout.jpg

^^^ It'll be a pure kazuma style axel-back, which would depend entirely on my apexi silencer in order to make the car streetable. As you can see I've pretty much decided to ditch any resonator altogether, seeing as they do little anyway and crucially, I'm also looking to shed as much weight as possible off the car, so this should be ideal...it'll essentialy just be a mandrel bent pipe, just over a meter or so in length. There wasn't really a way to try to 'better' most axel-backs for our cars, but the only improvement that I could see was via having the last two bends as 45* bends, rather than 90*'s...what do we think about this?

I'm also going to get Paul to send me a straight 4" long, 3" diameter intake pipe.

Finally, I went ahead with the GS-D3's and they are sexy tyres :fawk: I just hope the grip real well for me in the coming months.

[GTsRasta]

THANKS!

That's where I'm going to put my gauges for sure now! :)

See if you can find more or take more in the daylight!

bump

x8926598324653246523895629769238476529874653289653 2496532975

:D

[danGTS]

Just a quick note on the ATS (again! :)). I will let people that tried kazuma style or str8 pipe with a silencer comment. I havn't myself.

Am I wrong to expect the ATS or any silencer to be less effective if not bolted right in a muffler ? I mean, one of the usage of the silencer is to reflect gases on the sound absorbing material inside a muffler. Without a muffler, i would expect the sound to go down with the silencer a bit but be significantly less efficient. I am not talking of plain sound level but on the silencer efficiency to reduce sound. I Could be wrong but this is just a thought. Better to know it now!

[kortik]

are you puting a resonator?
I dont think silencer will be enough.
you need to put a long muffler and resonator to quite it down

[MyRomeo]

I considered doing just that with the exhaust ron, decided not to tho as i use the car daily and suspect it willbe realllllly loud :D

GSD-3's are good all round tyre, GSD2 were better but discontinued :(

Ron, are PPE not in the states? im sure a local firm could knock what you want up easy enough, for example, I know AAS could do it if you made a drawing of the size/lengths/angles...

[Celicasaur]

bump

x8926598324653246523895629769238476529874653289653 2496532975

:D
see below

Got more pics of those gauges? I'd like to see a lit up one.

sorry bro, the pic above was an old pic. I've taken the gauges out now (and most of my interior) so no new ones until I refit everything...sorry :(


^^^ that and the fact that my friend is using my battery to keep it in working order while my car is sleeping :(

Just a quick note on the ATS (again! :)). I will let people that tried kazuma style or str8 pipe with a silencer comment. I havn't myself.

Am I wrong to expect the ATS or any silencer to be less effective if not bolted right in a muffler ? I mean, one of the usage of the silencer is to reflect gases on the sound absorbing material inside a muffler. Without a muffler, i would expect the sound to go down with the silencer a bit but be significantly less efficient. I am not talking of plain sound level but on the silencer efficiency to reduce sound. I Could be wrong but this is just a thought. Better to know it now!

I'm not sure if I understand that part about it being bolted right into a muffler...maybe this youtube clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8q1AKjDER8) will help.

But yeah it would most likely be more effective with a resonator of some sort in the piping. My reasoning for wanting the exahaust like this is is so that I can have the most flow from head, header, midpipe, axel-back BUT while being as light as possible.

FWIW I'll probably bolt on this exhaust for the weekends when I'm playing around, if the system ends up being too loud to drive around town. For long journeys I can always bolt up my stock axel-back.

are you puting a resonator?
I dont think silencer will be enough.
you need to put a long muffler and resonator to quite it down

I'll decide that further down the line if it becomes too crazy. I've got a magnaflow 4" diameter (yeah, i know 6" would have been wayyyy better) resonator under my bed that I could consider fitting to the mid-pipe if really needed.

[Celicasaur]

Ron, are PPE not in the states? im sure a local firm could knock what you want up easy enough, for example, I know AAS could do it if you made a drawing of the size/lengths/angles...

The thing is, the PPE midpipe I've got is a weird size that's a little over 2.5"I.D., so purely for the sake of being anal, I've decided to have them make it for me because they have the piping.

I also have the option of buying just the piping/bends/tip/flange off them, but I'm waiting on some more numbers to come through from them, before I decide. Likely to order this next month.

[h8eternal]

cant wait to see and hear clips of that exhaust with and without the apexi silencer.

does anybody (many) know if you have to remove or lower the engine cradle/subframe to get the control arms off for bushing install?

[Celicasaur]

cant wait to see and hear clips of that exhaust with and without the apexi silencer.

it'll probably sound something like this... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcW7ZP8Gnq0&feature=channel) although I kinda hope not, because that was so loud that you could feel the soundwaves in your chest and you could feel your ear-drums hurting :AF: that was when I unbolted the axel-back exhaust. I think it'll be a little less insane with the extra 270* of bent pipe to deflect the sound though (and the slight obstruction from the ATS even when fully opened)

does anybody (many) know if you have to remove or lower the engine cradle/subframe to get the control arms off for bushing install?

Nah, the control arm comes off without removing the cradle/subframe. I'll post pics when I'm doing that part (which will be when I'm fitting new brakes very soon)

:)

[danGTS]

Lower the sound with mendrel bends ?

[h8eternal]

it'll probably sound something like this... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcW7ZP8Gnq0&feature=channel) although I kinda hope not, because that was so loud that you could feel the soundwaves in your chest and you could feel your ear-drums hurting :AF: that was when I unbolted the axel-back exhaust. I think it'll be a little less insane with the extra 270* of bent pipe to deflect the sound though (and the slight obstruction from the ATS even when fully opened)



Nah, the control arm comes off without removing the cradle/subframe. I'll post pics when I'm doing that part (which will be when I'm fitting new brakes very soon)

:)

sweet im gonna have to order these and get them on for the summer.
kinda afraid to lower the subframe since i will be working with jacks and stands on the ground. although im assuming two of the 4 engine mounts would hold the engine secure.
your exhaust sounds like a kazuma only slightly raspier, im guessing you have no cat?

[ZaneMan]

sweet im gonna have to order these and get them on for the summer.
kinda afraid to lower the subframe since i will be working with jacks and stands on the ground. although im assuming two of the 4 engine mounts would hold the engine secure.

What bushings are you talking about, the prothane control arms ones? Dropping the subframe on jackstands is pretty simple you can just leave it atatched to the three bolts of the hubs and your good to go. The engine is also okay with just the passenger and tranny side mounts however you will need a jack on the oil pan to raise the engine back up when you synch up the front and back mounts.

[Celicasaur]

Lower the sound with mendrel bends ?

Kinda, yeah. Not because the bends are mandrel bent, but because any sort of sharp bend/obstruction will reduce the sound slightly. It'll still be hella loud though, but with this exhaust on the back, it'll be lower in volume compared to going unbolted.

sweet im gonna have to order these and get them on for the summer.
kinda afraid to lower the subframe since i will be working with jacks and stands on the ground. although im assuming two of the 4 engine mounts would hold the engine secure.
your exhaust sounds like a kazuma only slightly raspier, im guessing you have no cat?

Lower the subframe, huh? I thought you were only changing the control arm bushings like me? :confused:

And yeah, I'm without a cat (it seemed louder to me compared to when i went unbolted with boosteds header and no cat, on stock mid-pipe) and ppe wizardry.

[danGTS]

Kinda, yeah. Not because the bends are mandrel bent, but because any sort of sharp bend/obstruction will reduce the sound slightly. It'll still be hella loud though, but with this exhaust on the back, it'll be lower in volume compared to going unbolted.

I ran a crush bend str8 pipe when I used to track my car a lot. I don't think it reduced the sound at all compare to an unbolt setup to be honest. It was loud as hell! Mandrel bends would not do betta! But I haven't run a lot unbolted either..

I hope you expect your setup to be very noisy. The sad part is when u'll want to quiet it down with ur stock exhaust, you gonna loose a lot of topend..

[h8eternal]

Kinda, yeah. Not because the bends are mandrel bent, but because any sort of sharp bend/obstruction will reduce the sound slightly. It'll still be hella loud though, but with this exhaust on the back, it'll be lower in volume compared to going unbolted.



Lower the subframe, huh? I thought you were only changing the control arm bushings like me? :confused:

And yeah, I'm without a cat (it seemed louder to me compared to when i went unbolted with boosteds header and no cat, on stock mid-pipe) and ppe wizardry.

i was looking at manys write up
i want to do front lower control arm bushings and was confused about the subframe since he dropped his for his rack and pinion bushings aswell.
i may do the rack bushings aswell jut have to read up and see if its really worth the hassle. if not i will just wait till i get a swap bar and do them together.

[Celicasaur]

Mini update:

First coat of paint went on yesterday and it looks fantastic :hitit: I spent most of today doing some fine tuning to the bodywork so that a final coat can go on top and conclude this part of the project. Full pics to come by maybe saturday if I can get the compressor again, or defo early next week. So far I'm very happy with the colour choice and that slight sheen when the light hits the body is very cool in my riced out mind :o:

As soon as the painting is done, I can move onto some more 'performance' stuff, like fitting those control arm bushings and getting under the hood/chasis.

Oh, I'm about to buy new rotors all over...but not sure on what brake pads. I made a post in the suspension/brakes forum, but not many could help with opinions on YellowStuff pads :shrugs: a couple guys on the UK forum have told me that they're perfectly streetable, but I was just after more opinions, as this is my first brake upgrade I've ever done. I'm going to have slotted rotors FWIW.

Also, I'm just waiting to hear if/when PPE can source a local celica to make my exhaust for me. Also, they're going to be making my SRI (which is essentially just a short 3" tube with a maf bung on it) so that's something to look forward to very soon.

[danGTS]

How about stoptech stuff (stage 2) with hawk pads ?

[Celicasaur]

Ahhh I just did some googling and I'm put off by the exchange rate of buying from USA at the moment...Looks like I'll just make do with the EBC turbo grooved rotors and yellowstuff pads. I don't like the idea of stainless lines though, so I'll hang onto the oem rubber ones.

Right, I better get outside and do a rub down session on the roof before my paint arrives tomorrow or saturday :gap:

[danGTS]

What could you not like about SS lines ?

[Celicasaur]

Ahhh just that I've heard too many stories of splits in the lines over here (possibly due to all the road salt and crappy weather here, I dunno :confused: ) and in any case, I'll probably never track the car to justify stainless lines. I'll only do country road driving at best in my car, but no autocross etc.

[Vroom_Vroom]

you should just stick with OEM pads and rotors. Im not too sure about ebc yellow combo but you could risk squeeling, poor cold weather performance, and lots of brake dust if you upgrade. For a car thats rarely going to see the track its money spent better else where.

[GSBoek]

I was going to suggest this color, but I notice I'm late.

http://www.newcelica.org/photopost/data/500/thumbs/Pic_062.jpg


Looking forward to the pics.

[Vroom_Vroom]

Im not sure if you have decided on color choice yet, but heres my input. If you do decide to go with matte or satin black, ask the paint shop if they use some type of blurring emulsifying clearcoat. I see TONS of cheapo civics around here with the flat black theme that cheaped out on the paint, so when the car gets hit with pollen, bug guts, or anything that stains, it leaves marks all over the paint because there is no clear coat on it.

[MyRomeo]

Ron - brakes,

From past experiences I would suggest you avoid the EBC stuff, especially the pads.

I have had green and red stuff pads shatter under heavy use and the discs are just average IMO.

If it were my car (and this is what I plan for my car...) I would highly recommend Black diamond Combo disks (drilled and grooved) paired to some Ferodo DS2500 pads. They are pricey but my god they are outstanding.

Mind you, they take a few applications to warm up and can be noisier than stock but then again any drilled or grooved disc will be.

Thats my 2p on that anyway ;)

[Celicasaur]

Ahhhh I was hoping to have the whole car 120% finished this week, paint wise, but I can't get hold of the air gun and tent at the same time for a good couple weeks or so. Here's some snippets that I took today after washing it. Ignore the hood as I'm halfway between rubbing it down for next time. My fav is the last pic :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/70-respray-4.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/70-respray-2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/70-respray-3.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/70-respray-1.jpg

I like that one ^^^ :gap: when my rear lights are in and all the windows are clear of crap and tape, I'm sure it'll look lovely.


On a performance front, I've ordered EBC turbo grooved discs all over and I'll be using yellowstuff pads. MyRomeo, I know you suggested the Ferodo's, but for the price, I couldn't justify it for my needs :)

Also, PPE are trying to get hold of a local gt-s to build my exhaust on...if anyone has a couple hours to kill and would like to help out, out of generosity (spelt right?) then please get in touch :wiggle:

Hopefully next week I'll update with brakes fitting and you'll get to see just how dangerous my old discs were.

[T-Sport-Celica]

Your car looks great man! A friend of mine made my custom axle back exhaust with a 45* - 90* - 30* bend. So my exhaust in angled out a bit.

Here are some pics to give you an idea

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l119/Sammies83/Afbeelding005.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l119/Sammies83/Afbeelding006.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l119/Sammies83/Afbeelding003-1.jpg

good luck with your project :)

[h8eternal]

looks sexy in flat black

[blacktsport]

Looks very nice bud, very, very nice.... although i'm not happy that you didn't give me a sneaky peeky :(






still looks awesome so far though ;)

[MyRomeo]

price of the 2500's - now that I can understand, they are VERY pricey! good tho should you ever want to splash out ;)

Looking quite interesting in matt black, still just getting my head around how mad you are painting it yourself lol, either that or im just a woss!

[Celicasaur]

Thanks guys, I really like how it's all coming together (sorry blacktsport, i forgot to send early pics to you :o: ).

I think for the next job I'm going to start getting under the engine bay and get it ready for my nitrous install.

First up though, I've got a completely rounded off tensioner bolt and I'm guessing the only way to solve that problem is to take the tensioner off somehow and replace it...it's an annoying spanner in the works, but it's gotta be done... :bang:

Your car looks great man! A friend of mine made my custom axle back exhaust with a 45* - 90* - 30* bend. So my exhaust in angled out a bit.


Thanks man :)

That rear end looks lovely...I wish I coulda afforded the modena rear but prices here are too expensive for that one. Exhaust is a good look too! I was thinking about going angled, but seeing as I'm just using a pipe and tip for my exhaust, I figured it wouldnt look good at an angle unless I had a rice can, which looks cool, but adds a bit more weight. I like your set up though ;)

[T-Sport-Celica]

Thanks! It

[Celicasaur]

[QUOTE=T-Sport-Celica;4636375]Thanks! It

[Celicasaur]

So today my front brake discs arrived, but oddly, no pads, nor the rear discs :wtf: but I spoke to the company I bought them off and they said they were shipped on different days, so I'll get the rest next week :)

This is a totally pointless excercise because I'm going to take the brakes off again when I install the pads and bleed the lines properly (crucially I'll need to wire brush all of the crap off the hub) but I wanted to see how pretty the goldy/zinc coated finish would look behind my rims, TE37 FTW!! :headbang:

Ok, first, the old and the new together:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00934.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00935.jpg

The old disc...you see geographical landscapes here!!! :ugh:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00936.jpg

...here's the pad that went with it :eek:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00939.jpg

Right, something a bit more nicer to see :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00937.jpg

aaaand the last shot:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00940.jpg

If the weather is good tomorrow, I might get a start on fitting the E/S control arm bushes and maaaaaaaaybe get brave and tackle the belt tensioner :scared:

[EMSRacerCeli03]

looks great bro good luck hope the weather is good

[h8eternal]

looks good. post a review of those once you drive on them. im probably going to be getting the same setup. take pics of the rear ones for us. im curious if they are vented like the fronts.

[Celicasaur]

So the rain kinda did it's best to dampen my plans today and I only was able to take off one control arm (gearbox side). 5 bolts/nuts in total, here's one:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00943.jpg

Here's the other one (it's the one under the bolt on the top-right of the picture):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00942.jpg

And then there's these three pains in the ass nuts (well, two nuts, one bolt):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00941.jpg

Those bolts proved to be a bit of a problem for me because their angle meant that I had to pull on the breaker bar in a downwards motion...i found it pretty tough and ended up crashing my knuckle against the ground...painful at the time :wtc: but hey, they say it's not your until you've bleed because of it...mind you, I've lost of how many times my car has led me to bleed!! :marky:

Anyway, so I decided to use the jack to raise the control arm upwards, which would change the angle of how the nuts sit = I was able to pull back on the breaker bar at a clean 90* angle and get them nuts off :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00945.jpg

One word of advice/warning for anybody attempting this in future would be to be patient when removing the control arm, from where the oem bushing sits in pic #2. It looks as though it would come off easily if you could pull back in the opposite direction that it's facing, but the axle and hub get in your way (you'll probably need to attempt this to understand what I mean). The way I got around this was to use a pair of pliers and a blowtorch (in other words, a big hammer and a block of wood! :fawk:) and I got busy with the good old fashioned method. Eventually it came off and I have the control arm with me now in my bedroom.

During the week I'll take the other one off and attempt to get the oem bushings out somehow. I'm thinking to cook them with intense heat, then use a hammer and chissel, or something along those lines. Anybody got any suggstions?

From what I remember many saying a while back, he used a vice to press the new bushings in, so I'll most likely have to go to a local shop and have the new bushings pressed in, if that's the case. Not sure how to take the old ones out though, so if anyone can share a tip, I'd appreciate it.

[Motor]

You're a madman, Celicasaur. I'm looking forward to what happens next.

[Entranced]

Usually you use a hydraulic press for those kinds of things... it might be best to take it to a shop and have them do it if you don't have something like this. If you did figure out a way to do it, it'd be a fight and a half, i'm sure.

Make sure when you put the control arms back in, you tighten the bolts that hold it in place when the car is sitting on its wheels. This is so that your alignment angles don't get all out of whack and moreso that the bushings are not under load when the car is sitting. If you get what I mean by that....

[Celicasaur]

Yeah, I spoke to a friend with a press at his workshop and he said he'd take the old bushings out and put the new ones in...I'll give them to him this week and hopefully have them back by the weekend.

Going back to what you said about making sure the car is on it's wheels.....do you mean like, place the bolts in, semi tight while the car is off the ground, then tighten fully when the car is back on the ground, OR did you mean to start putting the bolts back in, when the car is on the ground? If the latter, I'm wondering how I'd find room to do that... :confused:

[GSBoek]

You'll need someone with a lift ramp for that. The car needs to be supporting it's own weight on the tires to work on the suspension.

[Celicasaur]

What if I don't use a lift ramp? :confused:

Because, I really wont be able to now, lol.

[Entranced]

if you have cinder blocks or something of that sort it'll work. Do the first option. put the bolts in and hand tighten or so. Just so that the control arms stay in position. then lower the car onto whatever (doesn't have to be the ground) and tighten the bolts fully. you can re-raise the car off whatever you put it down on then. If you have those drive on ramps, you can use them, blocks of wood, etc. just put the wheels on and lower the car onto something that will hold it's weight and not roll/slip off.

[Celicasaur]

Ahhhh thanks for the tip!!! I never knew about that.

I presume this is to make sure the control arms are sitting as tightly in their housings as possible?

Either way, I'll take your advice and carry it out when I re-assemble :thumbup:

[Entranced]

If you let the suspension hang and you tighten the bolts, when you lower the car the bushings will be twisted. That is not good :gap: So, by tightening them when the car is supporting it's own weight, the bushing sets it's resting position there instead and doesn't twist.

and no problem :) not many people know about that minor detail that makes the world of difference.

[Celicasaur]

Ok this blows.

I just got a call from my friend at the workshop and he said that in trying to get out the oem bushes (the big fat ones), they were on so tight that they snapped his machine and broke it :AF:

Eventually he got them out, but the bushes I've got are too small to fit snug. They're too loose :bang::bang::bang: Is this a USDM vs Euro/JDM issue like with lowering springs?? The smaller bushings couldn't be taken out :(

I'm gonna see him later tonight and get some pics of everything to help explain the problem.

Bit upset now, because I took out two perfectly good oem bushings and now I have to find a solution to the smaller aftermarket bushings :(

[Entranced]

Did you buy them from mwr? I'd give them a call and see what they say or if they can find you the right parts for you.

[T3HKMAN]

A side question, are you sticking with flat black? That Shizz looks mean..... still want your injectors trying to come up with the funds.

[Mabbs]

mate if you have the energy suspension hyper flex system bushes you have to leave the outer metal shell in the wishbone and just take the rubber and the inner sleeve out

[Celicasaur]

mate if you have the energy suspension hyper flex system bushes you have to leave the outer metal shell in the wishbone and just take the rubber and the inner sleeve out

Yes that's the one. I assume you have these on your car then? I just picked up the control arms half an hour ago and I can see what my friend was saying about them looking like the wrong fitment:

See the big one hanging down...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00948.jpg

That inner relief makes it fit loose inside the arm...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00949.jpg

But going by what mabbs is saying, the outer metal from the stock piece here...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00950.jpg

...needs to fit on the inside of the new bushing (and I'll have to slam that metal sleeve in also)

Right, mabbs, people....how am I meant to get this outer shell off the oem piece then??? Cook the oem bush with a blowtorch to expand it off? :shrugs:

I'm a little happier now, as it seems all is not lost with this thing. Keep up with the advice guys, I need all your help :)



A side question, are you sticking with flat black? That Shizz looks mean..... still want your injectors trying to come up with the funds.

Just for you, here's a couple more snaps after a little bit more work on the body and test fitting my '03 lights :gap: (as for the injectors make it quick - only one set left till May :gap:)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/27032009046.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/27032009044.jpg

[Celicasaur]

Double post :o:

:owned:

[Entranced]

double post FTW.


that looks nasty... but you need to hurry up and get some tint and smoke your tails. still undecided if the bronze wheels should stay or not too :gap:

you can try tossing the OE bushings in the oven for a bit to see if that will ease them in coming out. then put the aftermarket bushings in the freezer too! haha hope it works out for you man

[Celicasaur]

:owned: I amended the double post :o:

Thanks man, yeah no, I thought about changing the wheel colour, but I can't bring myself to doing it...the bronze colour is signature of the famous te37 rim. I'll just spruce them up and make them look like new again, then leave them be :)

Bushings...hmmm...oven..... I might try that!

[many]

Yes you need to reuse the outer metal ring!
No oven...just get a proper press to push them out...I have done 3 cars like that...some will need to be cleaned up a bit with a rotary wire brush(the ones you can attach to a drill), at this stage you can burn the rubber left on the metal with a propane torche...it will be easier to remove that way.

[HanBaal]

hey Rana!

was watching your pics and i see you got your new TRD shocks! They look just like mine but i have to ask you if they say Bilstein anywhere too?

I believe TRD outsourced them to different manufacturers during the years so i wanted to know if yours are also bilstein and, if so, if you like them compared to whatever you had. I have to say they felt really stiff at the begining but after 5k miles or so they got much more comfortable without loosing their quality. More like they gradually absorb the impact now, being softer at the begining of the 'impact' at a pothole for example and gradually stiffing which feels great. Give some feedback here later on.

Another question. I'm in the process of buying a set of bronze TE37s too! I'm more inclined to 16" due to lower price, weight, tires' price and better performance. But i've always found the stock 16s to be somewhat small and the 17s to be the most adequate size for looks, even though the TE37s design is perfect for lower diameters imo. Multispokes on the other hand look weird in anything less than 18s... so yours are 16" or 17"?

btw, my pfc finally got liberated by customs so im going to install it next weekend along with the injectors i bought from you! =D

cumps

[Celicasaur]

Maaaaaaaaaaan, this sucks. Been on the phone all morning to various local garages and nobody knows where I can find a machine to get the old rubber out. I may go to the toyota dealer to ask if they sell the metal by itself. Either that, or I'll drill the old rubber out and clean off the excess :shrugs:

Hanbaal, yeah no, mine are the Tokico ones. Haven't driven with them yet, but the car feels really 'soft' when i push down on it...I'm sure mine are going to be too crappy for me. Don't be surprised if you see a for sale thread in the summer called "trd sportivo struts for sale" lol

My TE37's are 16 x 8...I wouldn't have it any other way tbh. They're really very light, even with tyres on them. It's really hard to find the 8" wide one liek mine, but if you get the 7" one, it'll mean a lighter weight for you y0 :gap: !!!

Right, I'm gonna get crazy with those bushes now.... :wiggle:

[h8eternal]

use fire
a small torch should be able to burn the old rubber away
then you can just clean around the arm and sleeve.

[Entranced]

good luck man! be sure to let us know what your final solution for this is! i'd put my vote in for using a dremel on low speed to cut it out.

You can try asking Justin to see if he has any input on this. He's probably got an idea or two.

[Celicasaur]

lol, ok so my ghetto technique failed quite miserably. many speaks the truth - a press MUST be used for this. Even my hunduh friend told me to set it alight and watch it get pwned, but that didn't work for me and I used so many household flammable liquids that the garden stank horribly or burnt rubber and barely anything came off. Then once again, I get hurt (like last week when removing the control arm :o: ) and my idea to drill through the rubber didn't work...i was holding the bush by a screwdriver stabbed in and I had an 8mm drill bit ploughing through slowly...all of a sudden, the drill got jammed with the rubber and then I loosened my grip on the screwdriver and um...yeah...it spun round uber quickly and gave me a crack on my knuckle :owned:

Anyway, so I went to the local tyre shop and they were able to help (reluctantly, lol)

They used a 2 tonne press to push out the old rubber (and with ease, y0!!! ) and then set it alight with a blowtorch to fry the last remains of the rubber on the inside of the ring, before they scraped the last of the crap away with a wire brush.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/06042009063.jpg

This is the last of the pressing phase. This was the inner ring/cylinder/shaft thing , which the bolt goes through on the actual car.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/06042009064.jpg

Ok, so now here they are :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00953.jpg

Pity about a mistake that the new apprentice mechanic made though :wtc: I hope/don't think it will affect anything noticable though (well i hope not anyway!):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00955.jpg

And here's the inner oem rubbers' sorry ass...lol....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00956.jpg

pwned!!!! ^^^ that's for hurting my hand again!!! :bang:

Part of me is wondering how much I can be bothered to fit the smaller bushes on the other end of the control arm, because they feel as firm as the E/S ones. If anyone nice would like them and is will to pay the shipping, I may just give them away for free. many, what are your thoughts on this? It looks like a real pita to take the bushes out. I wanna fit my brakes already :fawk:

[Entranced]

hahaha! glad to see you finally got them out with the press after all. it's always a PITA... but it's really one of the few ways to do it.

[many]

Ok now you need to go back at that shop:chuckles:....and have them press it in the control arm.
As long as you are there have them get the smaller one out....your almost there ...don't cheap out now....and a good tip at the mechanics always does wonders the next time you go back (not 1$ give them a 20$ or in your case 1.00 USD = 0.679284 GBP ...20.00 USD = 13.5837 GBP )
The smaller one is the most important and gets the most side load ....so stiffer is better.

The smaller ones needs to be cleaned and the rubber removed...but you can install it without the press.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00955.jpg
I don't think it's that bad ...but have the bad part installed on top (like on the picture)

[Celicasaur]

Maaaaan, I like the D.I.Y. mods. This is becoming a machine-shop-only mod :chuckles:

Cool, I'll have a word with them 2mrw and see if they can sort out the smaller ones.

I knew I shoulda just gotten all of it done, there and then... DOH! Thanks many, keep an eye on this part as I may screw it up still.

Entranced, are you going to get these bushings btw? They better be good!! According to many's review (he fitted steering rack bushing and control arms) it's really good.

[h8eternal]

so the fire did nothing to the bushings?
im going to have to re think my install in that case.
has anyone been able to do this mod on their own with little outside help?

[lamboceliGTS]

That flat black is looking great. Too bad you can't paint my car while your at it.

[Celicasaur]

h8eternal, Well, the fire helped singe the crusty parts after the main blob was pushed out. Infact the rubber crumbled off quite nicely with the fire, but my method of letting it burn right over the kitchen gas cooker for 20 minutes, didn't do anything except soften the rubber.

lamboceli, cheers man ;)

[vegeta4ss]

i have had these bushings in my parts bin since 2003! :gap:

looks like i will be finding a spare set of control arms before I do this mod (there is 3 diff ones for 00-05 though).

Sorry to hear about your frustrations Rana, at least the steering rack ones are much easier.

[blacktsport]

Yikes! There's another mod i won't bother doing now :o

Ron, you are like my guinea pig modding mate ;) one day i'm going to let you loose on my car and you can mod the sh*t outta it for me so i never have to get my hands dirty again lol

Good stuff so far dude, loving the colour and i can't believe you beat me to a set of 03+ tails too :thumbup:

[Celicasaur]

Vegas, to be honest man, if you went took the arms to a workshop, you'd easily be able to get this done in one day off work if you worked on it yourself and took the arms off then put them back. It's not that hard, it's just that I 'made' it hard by trying to do it all myself. If I were to do it again, I reckon I could have the arms taken out in an hour, drive to shop and have bushing work sorted (at the expense of like...

[blacktsport]

:mad: I hate you!
lol, you know if you need to offload either set...

[vegeta4ss]

[QUOTE=Celicasaur;4651356]Vegas, to be honest man, if you went took the arms to a workshop, you'd easily be able to get this done in one day off work if you worked on it yourself and took the arms off then put them back. It's not that hard, it's just that I 'made' it hard by trying to do it all myself. If I were to do it again, I reckon I could have the arms taken out in an hour, drive to shop and have bushing work sorted (at the expense of like...

[Entranced]

Entranced, are you going to get these bushings btw? They better be good!! According to many's review (he fitted steering rack bushing and control arms) it's really good.

I've never heard anything about these bushings until this thread actually :gap: So I'll wait a few more months til you go back to driving your car again to see the results on it! :fawk:

haha. But i'm not sure.... I just picked myself up a beater last week that's getting my attention at the moment. (pristine 95 civic that snapped a timing belt. bought it for 150 expecting to put a motor in it, but it started and ran fine once I threw a new fuel pump, wires, plugs, and a t-belt and tensioner on it :fawk: $300 for a beater ain't bad, eh?) But once that's on the road i'll have all the time in the world for the Celica <3

Do let me know how those bushings work out for you! I would expect they do help some on the bumpy roads, but in the same way stiffer springs would... so I'm not sure if it's a worthwhile mod yet. the Motor Mount inserts have my attention currently.. that and smaay's kit :love:

Do let me know what you think :)

oh.. and steering rack bushings?! I think your taking this whole modding thing a bit too far now! :gap:

[Celicasaur]

Riiiightio, so today I decided to start tackling an annoying maintenance issue (I'll have a performance mod in this post - I promise :gap: ). My belt tensioner bolt has been rounded off for some time now and it's so bad that not even a crowbar can help me to lossen the tension and get the belt off. my waterpump has also been forever leaking since the rebuild and to attempt sealing it properly, I need to take off the belt. Heck as part of my weight reduction plan I need to take off the a/c compressor and yep, i need to take off that belt! I figured I'd do this now while the car is on downtime.

I searched and found lots of good tips, namely from slider and the legendary GSB. To take the tensioner off the engine without taking the engine out is possible, but a little fiddly. The front engine mount needs to be loosened (take the bolt out) and the passenger one needs to come off so you can access the main long bolt. It's a slow process as you have to use a hand spanner and make do with qtr turns the whole way.

Engine mount taken right off the car:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00964.jpg

Motor jacked up with a block from the sump:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00975.jpg

You want the motor jacked purely so that this bolt doesnt foul on the chasis. It's a very long bolt, so you'll need jack the block up over those...brake lines? I can't remember as I'm half asleep now :o: (bolt in the middle of the pic to clear the line on the left of the pic):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00966.jpg

Like I said...it's long! It's still a bit of a squeeze to get out, but it's doable if you're patient:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00968.jpg

You can then loosen the top bolt that holds the piston to the block, then shake the unit and belt loose:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00967.jpg

I bought a 1zz tensioner for cheap, thinking I might be able to get away with replacing the piston from my 2zz one...it's clearly smaller...pwned :(
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00970.jpg


I spent a bit of time removing the alternator which was caked in horrible amounts of thick black gunk...engine degreaser and wire brush FTW :headbang:

Before the cleaning, I decided to get on with the performance modding side and get on with weight reduction...

Before:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00977.jpg

After:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00978.jpg

Next up to go will be the a/c lines and the condensor. Weight reduction and less parasitic drag FTMFW :headbang: y0!!! Should be good for around 15-17lbs of weight off. Paired with my light battery coming, this will be almost like running without the passenger seat in the car :thumbup: should see some more power to the wheels also I hope.

Finally to conclude the day, I went back to the garage as many suggested and got them to fit the rest of the bushings to the control arm. I'm now hyperflexed baby!! :headbang:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/DSC00979.jpg

If the weather is good tomorrow I'll fit the control arms, sort out the waterpump and use threadlock on all the bolts to seal that sucker up! Get rid of the rest of the a/c system and......I think that's about it for now. I'll fit the brakes next week after the easter weekend and then get on the phone to PPE about my exhaust and intake as I haven't heard from them in 2 weeks or so...

[Entranced]

less parasitic drag

There's only parasitic drag when the AC is on. and if it is on, it kicks off under WOT :gap:

[Celicasaur]

True, but there's still the fact that the belt has to rub against the pulley. The a/c pulley has teeth :gap:

[Entranced]

the teeth run parallel with the movement of the belt on the pulley. and the pulley has bearings :thumbup:

[Celicasaur]

Ok, now you've lost me. I thought toothed pulleys cause drag and the smooth ones don't cause so much. Eventhough the a/c has a clutch, the belt still has to rub against it... :shrugs:

[Entranced]

If it did, it would be so minimal it wouldn't make a difference. It's more of the item the pully is turning. i.e. the water pump's losses are via the impeller and coolant, alternator via the brushes causing that magnetic field that resists movement. Besides the belt sliding down into the groves of the pully, there is very little to no friction on the pully. Take a beam style torque wrench and attach it to the pully now that it's off. You can turn it to check the turning torque of the pully. it should be 0 in.lbs with the clutch disengaged. It acts as an idler.

[GSBoek]

As much as I'd like to remove my A/C copressor, I can't live without the luxury of air conditioning in this hot climate. The little bit of parasitic loss when the A/C is off isn't noticeable. The biggest saving is weight reduction. On the Celica every 15 pounds reduction is like a 1 hp gain. The parasitic loss from the belt on the A/C puley might equal just 1 chickenpower.

[Celicasaur]

lool, 1 chickenpower!!

Cool...wel...either way...for an out an out car like what I'm aiming for mine...it's one of things that will help in helping me reaching my goals. :)

[blacktsport]

Ron you are one crazy sumbitch

i just took a dump that weighed more than the AC! no way i'd be stripping that out what with our incredible hot 2 day summers :D lol

[Entranced]

1 chickenpower

i just took a dump that weighed more than the AC!


:rofl::rofl::rofl::chuckles:

[Celicasaur]

i just took a dump that weighed more than the AC! no way i'd be stripping that out what with our incredible hot 2 day summers :D lol

That must be the Honda of all dumps then, because the A/C unit is half the weight of the battery!! On a more serious note though, yeah our summers here SUCK and I only really drive this thing at night, so it's not a big thing for me. I usually open the moonroof anyway to hear the sound of the engine :gap:

[GSBoek]

I've devoted part of my sig to the mighty chickenpower. :laugh:

[Celicasaur]

:marky:





:o:

[GSBoek]

BTW OT: I haven't seen any chocolates. I think they got eaten somewhere along the way between the UK and here. :laugh:

[Entranced]

hahahaha too funny.

[many]

I've devoted part of my sig to the mighty chickenpower.

:chuckles:

[Entranced]

how do you convert to this.. chickenpower?

1 chickenpower = .001 hp? :chuckles:

[GSBoek]

Saur here might get mad and send me laxative chocolates :chuckles: but you can't convert straight up from hp to chp without taking the A/C into the equation. So it would be something like:

chp = hp*(cdA/C∞)*Vbelt


:D

[Entranced]

oh okay. cp = hp*(cdA/C∞)*vbelt :thumbup:

gotcha

[Entranced]

I think all the calculations scared away 'saur! Either that or he's busy making a 'spring mod' thread. :chuckles:

[GSBoek]

We're just pulling your leg man. :)

[Celicasaur]

lol, nah nothing of the sort guys, I know you were messing around ;)

I've just been doing some 'boring' bits that I figured nobody would want to know about (cleaning gunk from the under the block, using my power drill to bring back the metallic look to my calipers and alternator, etc etc). The a/c condensor is out now and I'm just waiting on my friend to bring a tool over to cut the a/c line as it comes close to where the battery usually sits. Can't find an 'easy' way to get rid of the now 'hanging' a/c lines without chopping them off. I could leave them on....but I very much doubt the a/c will ever be used again.

I'll update with pics in a couple days or so when I get to fitting my brakes all over.

[GSBoek]

Chop and weld but leave enough pipe for a join if you change your mind in the future.

[Entranced]

pshhh, don't be lazy. Remove the Evaporator already!

[GSBoek]

Between the condensor, compressor, piped and evaporator you'd get some decent weight reduction.

[Celicasaur]

Yeah um guys....this evaporator...it's inside the dash isn't it?

Hmm...looks like I'll be inside the car today then :D

Gonna start working on it in a sec. I'll come back here when I've made a complete mess and ruined my car :gap:

[Entranced]

:D that a boy! You said you didn't have anything interesting to do... next thing ya know -- out comes the dash! hahaha, love it! gl bro! Just put some e-tape or w/e over the holes in the firewall and airbox and you should be good to go :thumbup:

[zzt231 gr]

Αny news,Rana?

[Celicasaur]

Lots of news coming this week...some good and one thing potentially very very bad :(

Gotta work on a friends car tomorrow and on monday, so I'll hopefully update on tuesday or wednesday.

On a postive note, if I work hard this week I could maybe have my car ready to come back on the road by the start of the next week :D

[zzt231 gr]

and one thing potentially very very bad
:ugh:

[Entranced]

if I work hard this week I could maybe have my car ready to come back on the road by the start of the next week .

:blah::bs:

:chuckles:

[Celicasaur]

Right, ok, I wont beat around the bush...I'll start with the 'bad' news or the news that I simply don't understand as it doesnt make much sense...

So on that last update when I was removing the belt tensioner and doing the polishing, I thought it would be a good time to tackle the never ending saga I seemed to have with my waterpump (this thread (http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=281614) from last year gives an insight into it)

I removed the pump, gave it a thorough clean, cleaned the surface of the timing chain cover and then proceeded to drain the coolant from the one way valve behind the engine (it's just near the head ports of the exhaust manifold). Anyway, so I then applied engine gasket sealant to the already fresh rubber gasket for the water pump and then I even coated the outside edges of the waterpump so that nothing could get out, once the engine was running....but to my absolutely bemusement, the next morning I found coolant had somehow leaked out of the side of the block or somewhere and it had dripped onto the water pump, down onto the sump and then trickled down to the ground :eek:

look out for the shiney purply line going downwards (btw, any 'white' that you see it just my liquid gasket thing - nothing to worry about):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/18042009136.jpg

this one was taken just under the car to get another angle...again, focus on the purple:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/18042009138.jpg

and this one...look at the floor to the left...pinky coolant patch :bang:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/18042009137.jpg

Weirdly enough though, it wasn't leaking from the water pump at all. The leak seems to be coming from the gap between the timing chain cover and the block. I asked a mechanic or two and they said it's my head gasket...that can't be the case, because there's no symptoms of any head gasket related issues. Car was fine before I took it off-road. The I thought, oh crap, what if my sleeves have dropped........I remember youngxlos, vamis or deercelica (was one of them three, im sure) had a dropped sleeves problem and they removed the rocker cover to find coolant all over the place...so I was brave and took it off, only to see (thankfully!) this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/29042009158.jpg

Just come healthy piper cams and nice bore washed oil...lovely :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/29042009162.jpg

Now somebody please answer me this...if I drained all the coolant from the TOP of the engine...how in the hell could the coolant have gotten upstream from the radiator (I haven't drained the rad yet) and then leaked like that...it's stopped leaking now, but it did so over the course of about a week or so. I can understand if I turned the engine over, but it hasn't ran since december...weird!

Also, how in the hell do I cure this problem??? One way is to buy a 5 litre coolant tub from Toyota every month and top up as nessesary, but I'd like to have a 'normal' behaving engine...any ideas? :confused:

Anyway, mooooooooving on....

I decided to take off the IM and smooth off the cast iron section of the flange (largely because I'm bored :o:), but I have no pics of that for the moment...they'll come soon. I did notice a horrible amount of gunk and almost 'seaweed' like dirt inside the IM, so I'll be using an oil catch tank soon and no more mesh type air filter for me.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/29042009157.jpg

I finally also got my brakes and fitted all of them all over, woohoo!!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/02052009182.jpg

They're the EBC turbo grooved discs...man, I love that zinc coating...wish it would stay forever :( but yeah, I also went with yellowstuff pads all over. A nice fresh blob of oem brake fluid completed the job. Oh this pic is for somebody earlier on in the thread who wanted to see if the rear discs were vented...they're not...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/02052009183.jpg

Ok, so then I ordered my tyres...yeah ok, I got a bit carried away and ordered two spare tyres 'just in case' :o: (I'm expecting lots of hard launches and racing this summer :gap: ) ....as you can see from the sexy tread, I went with Goodyear Eagle F1's all over (GS-D3's). I changed my mind abour 6 or 7 times...man, tyre selection is so difficult. I'm pretty sure I made the right choice. These are awesome come rain or shine and that's just what I need in this country.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/08052009190.jpg

Treadwear is less than 300 also :gap:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/08052009191.jpg

But.....to further enhance traction and maximise my new tyres ability, I decided to enlist the help of this stuff...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/08052009192.jpg

The real serious of you guys might be familiar with it. Basically, it's a magical liquid that penetrates the rubber from the surface and softens the compound down...it lasts for several months. 5-6 coats generally bring the softness down by 15 points on a durometer. I gave the rear tyres 8 coats and the front tyres 10 coats, as I'll be yamming lots of power through those front wheels.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/08052009193.jpg

It's easy to apply...just pour some into a container. Dab a brush into it, then coat your tyres one by one. Takes about 15 minutes to do one tyre and you'll need to let the tyres chill OUTSIDE the house for 5 days. The smell is intoxicating and will give you headaches for days (ask me how I know :o:)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/08052009194.jpg

But yeah, easy peasy. I got my rear tyres fitted today and I refurbed the back wheels also. The pretty 'bronze/gold' was starting to look a bit pale and white, so I gave the tyres the Celicasaur treatment and with a fresh set of Rays lug nuts, it all makes for a pretty sexy picture to conclude this post... ;)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11052009201.jpg

(yes that IS a lot of camber! It'll be sorted when I get the car alligned next month ;) )

[lamboceliGTS]

Looks like some great parts!!!

[Entranced]

look out for the shiney purply line going downwards (btw, any 'white' that you see it just my liquid gasket thing - nothing to worry about)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/18042009138.jpg


uhm... that white "gasket" stuff that you used... It looks like you got a little excited there. Did you buy that from an auto-parts store, or did you concauct it yourself... cause idk if that stuff makes a good seal or not. :puke:

:gap:

[Celicasaur]

:rofl: I bought it from a store!!!! Yeah no, I was messy and it got everywhere, but crucially, the seal between pump and cover is bang on, I'm sure of it :)

[many]

Rana,
Did you change the water pump to a brand new unite?
If yes, there's a bolt that need a bit of trimming as the new casting is slightly different from the old one.
Take a look at this bolt:
http://www.vignando.com/albums/Many/untitled_001.sized.jpg
It does look higher then usual, if I remember correctly that's the one that needs grinding.

[Celicasaur]

Hi Many :) yeah this is an '03+ water pump and I bought it new...however...it comes with the two gold bolts and they are indeed a shorter length than the original grey ones. That small gap that looks apparent is just a bit of liquid formed to look like a teeny shadow. It's a weird one...it definately wasn't leaking out from the pump aread itself, it had leaked onto the pump...I wonder if it wasn't the pump all along?

One thing that may be an idea....maybe the side engine cover wasn't torqued up properly. I remember my engine builder telling me off when I went to pick up the car because apparently they weren't 100% finished and admittedly they needed to go around the entire engine bay and tighten a lot of the nuts/bolts to finalise the build before giving the car back to me. I'll give that a go today and see if I can get any movement out of the bolts. I kinda hope they will tighten further and give me some peace of mind.

[Celicasaur]

Small update y0! :headbang:

Turns out that my IM-TB wasn't portmatched, so I ever so slightly increased the opening of the IM where the TB meets it and it now looks lovely - they are flush with one another... :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009216.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009217.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009213.jpg

(of course, at the end of this, I thoroughly cleaned and degreased the inside of the IM to get rid of any filings, dust and general traces of herpies - it's nice and clean inside and free from the horrid gunk that was in there before :) )

...and then I smoothed out the flange ports of the IM where they conect to the head. According to some Corrolla (spelt right?) owners, smoothing off the rough cast area is worth a few hp...if anything it might amount to all of 1hp due to smooter airflow, but what the hell, I thought might as well do it while the car is on down-time.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009214-2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009215-2.jpg

Then as always, I seem to come up against a problem. Tried putting my alternator back onto the engine, then wondered why a bolt wouldn't go through the top of it to hold it steady...turns out the original bolt had snapped off inside without me knowing :o: :owned:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009221.jpg

Looks like I'll be getting to grips with my screw extractor soon then, lol

Ahh and here's a nice image to end the update on...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009218.jpg

Ok one more, just for Entranced :love:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/21052009219.jpg

With a bit of luck, next week I'll have the evaporator out the dash (yes, I still haven't done it yet :o: ) and the entire engine bay will be cleaned to rice approved standards and my nitrous will be fitted...but knowing the British weather and my lazy ass....gimme a fortnight for the next update :gap:

[GSBoek]

Did you ever check the timing cover for hairline cracks around the area where the coolant is leaking? Also are you sure that the shorter bolt isn't still contacting the block face? It only threads into the timing cover. If it's torqued down too much and contacts the block face it will push the timing cover back out a little. Usually if it does that you will crack the cover when you torque down the alternator.

Failing that, are both the waterpump-to-timing cover O-ring and the timing cover-to-block face gaskets new?

[Celicasaur]

Yeah no, there's no cracks on the timing chain cover...I had a good look (I think you mentionned it to me 9 months ago also :) ) and there was nothing to be found. I guess I'll learn more about it when the motor is running. The o-ring for the water pump is indeed new (and I also gave it a nice coating of liquid gasket to set and form an even tighter seal - I don't think it leaks from the pump at all now, esp with the weird occurance on the last update) and the timign chain gasket is/was new...I had a new toyota gasket set for the entire engine used for the build last year.

[Entranced]

Ok one more, just for Entranced

:wave:

I was hoping to see the entire dash ripped appart to take out that evaporator :gap:


hurry up and get this thing back on the road, it's not winter anymore!!

[Celicasaur]

:wave:

I was hoping to see the entire dash ripped appart to take out that evaporator :gap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/27052009248.jpg

:gap: just did it today. Quite fiddly, but on the whole very straightforward. I took pictures to make a guide, but then when I looked at them I figured they'd be mostly useless for you guys as you're all left-hand drive.

One question though guys...the thermistor...do i have to leave that connected? If yes, do I just leave it hanging somewhere safe because it used to live connected to the evaporator, but now... :shrugs: I think i'll be ok to leave it unconnected and remove it also, but until the legendary GSB confirms it for me... :gap:


hurry up and get this thing back on the road, it's not winter anymore!!

Indeed sir. My target was a June comeback and indeed it's bang on schedule. I'm just waiting on a belt tensioner from Lowredcruzer and fitting my lexan hatch glass then I'm good to go :headbang: (oh and my PPE intake and exhauast a couple other minor things :o: I promise, ready in June though :gap:)

[Entranced]

now thats what i'm talkin about! :D

thermistor

Thermistor? you mean evap temp sensor-- the thing that prevents it from freezing up? yeah, you don't need it. rip it out and tie the connector back somewhere :gap:

lexan hatch? :AF:


+ RHD ftl :thumbdown haha

but good to see your still on schedule :)

[Celicasaur]

Thermistor? you mean evap temp sensor-- the thing that prevents it from freezing up? yeah, you don't need it. rip it out and tie the connector back somewhere :gap:

That's what it's called in the workshop manual :confused:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/thermistor-diagram.jpg


lexan hatch? :AF:

My bad, I meant hatch window :o:

[Entranced]

haha, yeah. you have a cf trunk too? weigh them and see how much it shaves off the OE setup

[Celicasaur]

Sadly not man...a CF trunk over here works out to be just toooo expensive :(

Hopefully tomorrow I'll post up the weight of the evaporator and bits that go with it. It's not much though, but better to think of it as the whole A/C package for weight reduction :shrugs:

[Celicasaur]

Mini update:

Turns out that the entire A/C system weighs a mere 20lbs (bang on 20lbs!)....that's all!!! That comprises of A/C unit, condensor, evaporator and all lines.

However, it's all part of a package - this weight reduction I'm doing. I also weighed the back seats after I removed them and the weight loss was more significant...30lbs.

Also took out my trunk trays with the junk inside them and that amounted to 25lbs.

Lightweight battery weighs 15lbs against the stock 30+ lbs, so there's 15lbs of weight lost there also.

Removed jack - 8 lbs
Removed rear window washer motor - 2-3lbs

So far I'll be ~100lbs lighter. I'm hoping that with my lexan hatch, that'll push me just over 120lbs lighter and I'll be able to claim 1 tenth extra in the qtr, maybe more woohoo. Also I'll get my exhaust made up later in the month and I'll be able to save another 20lbs in difference over the stock axel back system.

FYI I wont be removing any of the interior plastics as that would make the car horrid and I still like it sexy :o:

[Entranced]

Turns out that the entire A/C system weighs a mere 20lbs (bang on 20lbs!)....that's all!!! That comprises of A/C unit, condensor, evaporator and all lines.

and compressor??! :AF:

[Celicasaur]

and compressor??! :AF:

Yeah, that's what I meant by the 'A/C unit' - the compressor...crazy huh? I was hoping it would be more esp for all the hassle to take it all out. But mind you, with the total weight loss I'm pretty happy with how it'll work out. 140lbs off the car is like a medium passenger's weight, so I'm happy :)

[GSBoek]

Every 15 lbs you can remove is about equal to gaining a horsepower, so the total weight reduction would feel like gaining 9, but throw in a factor and it should be like a 6 hp gain.

On a sidenote, went to the track yesterday to watch some of the street legal cars racing. There was this guy I know that has a gutted '88 Toyota Starlet with a 4A-GTE redtop motor: He's running consistent 11.7 times (11.715, 11.711, 11.708) with just 247 whp.

[lamboceliGTS]

Yea weight can play a huge role.

I mean Lotus has the same engine as the GTS but it weighs nothing. That's their philosphy, horsepower by lower weight.

[Celicasaur]

Woah 11.7's???! I'd be delighted with consistent low 12's on nitrous!

Time for some ricer math :gap:

A wikipedia search tells me that an Exige weighs 2016lbs and does 0-100 in 12.9 seconds. Stock GT-S is 2580lbs and......ahhh forget it, this is pointless as there's no comparision :o:

But yeah, weightloss + N/A + F/I power ftw. Seeing as it's not my daily driver anymore (and never will be) I could go the whole 9 yards and completely gut the car out, but that would compeltely make it horrid inside and ruin it. I think I've got just the right balance with my weight loss plan.

Updates to come maybe this week when the lexan window is fitted :) (urgh, I'm well into the part now where there's no going back :ugh: )

[Celicasaur]

Thought I'd give a small update, seeing as the car is all but done :gap:

I bought this lovely gauge pod from a guy that goes by the username flatline16... he advertised on the uk owners forum and I jumped at the chance as I needed a place for my gauges to sleep :D

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009288.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009289.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009290.jpg

I'm really pleased with the fitment, but some other guy who bought one at the same time as me said that his doesnt fit so well, so that's sad for him I guess :( I'll paint it soon, but I need to file down the surface so that the gauges either point forward or to the driverside, because it was made in the usa and tailored to LHD cars.

Other than that, my PPE 3" SRI intake came through this morning. Here it is, kinda where it will go...in place of the stock pipe of course ;)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009291.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009294.jpg

Here's something weird...I lined the intake over the inlet of the stock pipe and this one is only a couple mm bigger in diameter on either side...I was expecting it to be a few mm bigger on either side :shrugs: but you can see here stamped on the pipe itself, it really is 3", so makes me wonder how big is the oem pipe and are the aftermarket intakes smaller!? :confused:

(written faintly, center of pic)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009295.jpg

Aaaaand here's my rather bizarre flange for my exhaust that'll get welded together on the 22nd of this month...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009298.jpg

Looks like it would make a nice exhaust tip if I had it facing out this way, lol

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/11062009299.jpg

But I guess I'll need a big fat doughnut gasket to create a good seal...ahh well, at least hopefully the days of exhaust hissing leaks will be gone....I hope :eek:

I started the engine the other day and forgotten how much like a bike it sounds :gap: All I've got left to do is:

1) fit nitrous system
2) fit lexan rear window
3) finish painting the bodywork

Then on the 22nd is inspection day and exhaust welding day (by then I'll have bought a nice rice can for my set up that'll house my Apexi ATS happily :) )

And then after that, it's party time baby!! :gap: (well, sort of...need to book at date with a tuner in july then......ahem...)

ciao :)

[celica_2nr]

how much did you pay for the 3" sri?

[blacktsport]

Cool Beans dude ;)

Be great to have the car back on the road won't it?! I was hating not having my car for one week, go knows how you must feel :o

The intake may not look much bigger O.D. but the rubber pipe is much thicker so the I.D. is proportionally larger ;)

[Celicasaur]

how much did you pay for the 3" sri?

Only $100 + shipping, but that doesn't include a rubber coupler nor a trumpet filter that I'll need to use this. Could have done with the maf being a little closer to the left like in the pic I sent them:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/intake-piping.jpg

But mieh, I'm sure it'll be alright.

The intake may not look much bigger O.D. but the rubber pipe is much thicker so the I.D. is proportionally larger ;)

No no, I was comparing I.D.'s, not O.D.'s which is why it seemed weird...

[celica_2nr]

im gonna have to hit them up.

[celica_2nr]

im not sure if that will fit with my intake manifold. ill have to measure it.

[Thomas]

Just finished reading your topic and was wondering why you haven't posted here the last month.

Did you exchange the rear bushings as well? And what is the news about the air intake?

[Entranced]

uhm... WTF is that thing where your battery is supposed to be?! :AF:

I kinda like it... ECU holder?

[MyRomeo]

Ron im guessing you got some silicone sleeve also for the 3inch intake, if not give me a shout, i think ive got about 6 inch of blue silicone sleeve, 76mm ID


Oh and your IM, it is completely different inside to the corolla's :| we get the runners and engine flange bit as one unit wheras yours looks like the runenrs are welded to it? also the plenum on ours has posts in it where bolts run thru it, yours doesnt :) subtle differences I guess

[Celicasaur]

Just finished reading your topic and was wondering why you haven't posted here the last month.

Did you exchange the rear bushings as well? And what is the news about the air intake?

Yeah, I was days away from my car's legal inspection appointment and it all went wrong. I had to re-torque my head studs and when I put it back together, I made a mistake on not setting the chain tensioner tight enough, so when I started the engine there was piston/valve contact albeit at idle. I have since sorted the timing (did that ages ago) and although the car runs fine and doesn't make any worrying sounds, I'm just going to wait a couple months till I can get some new valves fitted because I've heard one horror story too many of supertech valves breaking off after a bit of piston contact. Really pissed and upset about this, but I guess it's better to be a bit more patient and drive the car safely, rather than be worried about it breaking :(

When you say rear bushings, which ones do you mean?

With regard to the intake, it runs fine on the stock ecu on my car, although I don't reccomend that anybody fits a 3" intake for prolonged use on the stock ecu. I have hit lift and driven it fairly hard-ish and there hasn't been anything obviously wrong like a misfire or drop in performance. However, it's worth noting that I've got 440cc injectors fitted also, so it's running really rich anyway, which can kinda cancel out some lean running that you may get with this intake on the stock injectors and ecu. Throttle response is very sharp and the car generally felt pretty quick (even with the 1 chickenpower i got from removing the A/C :fawk: ). I love how the steering is also pin sharp - I assume that's from the control arm bushings and I love having loadssss of grip in doing hard turns...should be fun to drive once I get the valves sorted and ecu tuned :)

uhm... WTF is that thing where your battery is supposed to be?! :AF:

I kinda like it... ECU holder?

:chuckles: yeah it looks cool. I was going to route the battery to the trunk for better weight distribution, but that polished cover is very pretty, so I thought I'd keep the whole polished theme going :gap: It's my PC680 battery inside it's cover.

My ECU sits further forward and held by a little bracket :chuckles:

Ron im guessing you got some silicone sleeve also for the 3inch intake, if not give me a shout, i think ive got about 6 inch of blue silicone sleeve, 76mm ID

Ahhh thanks for the offer man, but I've got some :)

[blacktsport]

Good work Ron, sorry to hear about the setback it was a real pi$$er bud. Hope you get this project back-on-track real soon and i'm looking forward to getting a meet-up sorted when we can, hell, we could even invite Bhav in his Datsun 350zzzzzzzeeeeeeee

:D lol

[Thomas]

When you say rear bushings, which ones do you mean?


I mean the bushings from the rear control arms (think that what you call it)

[Celicasaur]

we could even invite Bhav in his Datsun 350zzzzzzzeeeeeeee


I just came home from an evening with him and the Z. He jsut bought it today. it's soooooo sexy. it's almost as sexy as my celica, believe it or not :gap:

we'll defo meet up when we're both powered up and we can play with him together :)

I mean the bushings from the rear control arms (think that what you call it)

oh them, yeah i did them ages ago...i think on page 4? I really reccommend them as a mod. super super sharp steering feel and response (if you like that sort of thing :) )

[Thomas]

oh them, yeah i did them ages ago...i think on page 4? I really reccommend them as a mod. super super sharp steering feel and response (if you like that sort of thing :) )

All I see on page 4 are the front control arm bushings. Do you have pics of the install of the rear control arm bushings as well?

I have a spare pair of rear control arms which I want to galvanize. In order to do that I need to get rid of the rubber bushes.

Which bushes of the rear control arms on this photo (my spare set) did you replace?
http://i26.tinypic.com/1z68mqe.jpg

[Celicasaur]

Oh riggggght, I see ^^^ :thumbup: When you said 'rear', you really meant rear!

Yeah no, I didn't change those ones. To get them fitted, you'll need to take the arms and bushings to a local garage and have them press-in the new bushings after they remove the old ones. You can't do this at home sadly...I tried...very hard, lol.

[zzt231 gr]

I wish you to get back to the streets soon,my friend!

[Entranced]

(even with the 1 chickenpower i got from removing the A/C ).

:rofl::rofl::rofl:


and I like the battery tray thing, looks sweet! makes me want to make a custom bracket to hold my PFC in place better.

[Celicasaur]

I wish you to get back to the streets soon,my friend!

Thanks man, me too! It hurts, hanging out with ricers, but not truly being one because I'm not driving my own rice burner :(

:rofl::rofl::rofl:


and I like the battery tray thing, looks sweet! makes me want to make a custom bracket to hold my PFC in place better.

:chuckles:

I'll post a pic of my engine bay at some point this week for you, to see how mine is positioned :)

In the meantime, you can make do with this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/Frontendcompleted4.jpg

^^^ not bad for a diy ghetto job, done on my driveway and a cost of approx

[Mido]

Looks Excellent Rana! Mashalla! i hope it's ready when i pop by Heathrow.

[Entranced]

you need BAT's overlay's ASAP!!


and what wing is that??!

[celica_2nr]

did you use a spray gun to paint it? that looks really good for a diy.

[Thomas]

and what wing is that??!

That's the standard Euro wing!
(see also my sig;))

[celica_2nr]

That's the standard Euro wing!
yup thats their oem spoiler

[GSBoek]

Not bad, not bad at all. I see the chickenpower thing stuck. :chuckles: