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Red 2003 GT-S

20K views 188 replies 8 participants last post by  Ghost Dragon 
#1 ·
I've been a member for a couple years, for the most part just creeping on threads and buying/selling a couple things. I figured it was time to see what kind of feedback I can get on my car.

I bought it 3 years ago for $7500. It had 58,000 miles on it and I am the 3rd owner. The exterior of the car had a rust spot and some scratches, but the engine was in pristine condition. I have put on 48,000 miles since I got it and have never had the check engine light come on or needed to fix anything on it.

I don't have a picture of when I first got it, but it had the stock front bumper and black stock spoiler on it. I got a little too excited with modding and immediately bought a TRD spoiler and a Bomex front bumper for it.

In retrospect I wish I had waited and researched better what I wanted. Here is the first picture I ever took of the car after getting these installed.





Next I painted the wheels white since I really disliked the black that came with the car. I bought rim paint and spray painted them.





And here it is with the newly painted rims.



Later that year I got a hood scoop. I don't recall the brand anymore.



Here was the car after a fresh wax with the new hood scoop.



Next I bought some Megan EZ street racing coilovers. I lost the pictures for these. Shortly afterwards I bought a VIS invader carbon fiber hood from someone on this site. I also grew tired of the white rims (they really show dirt) and painted them silver.

Here is the first picture that I have of them together. I kept my car looking like this for probably 6 months.





Next up I wanted a better body kit since I currently had a Bomex front bumper, TRD rear bumper and some ugly side skirts.

After much research this time I went with a VIS Veilside style kit. The back bumper fit well, the side skirts were a lot of trouble and as you can see, I am not happy with how the front bumper matches up with the hood. I want to get it fixed if possible.

I also used 4m carbon fiber wrap on the mid blade of the spoiler.

Here is the car with the new kit. I also got the hood half painted while it was in the shop for the body kit.



Front doesn't match up well.


The side skirts were actually riveted into the body of the car. That was not cheap to pay to have the holes filled back in it.

Next I got new rims. I knew I wanted a 5 spoke, 18in silver rim but it was really hard to find anything under a couple thousand dollars until I came across Neoz 5006 18x8 Machined Black 5x100 with offset +35. They were $950 for all 4 rims and tires. The tires are 215/40/18.







I had to get new brake pads since the old one were worn down so I also threw in a pair of new slotted/drilled rotors.

Old:


New:




I put 25mm bolt on spacers on the rear wheels.




Here was how the old offset looked:


New offset:


I added Ichiba V1 10 mm spacers on the front wheels and got the rear fenders rolled since I was rubbing pretty bad over bumps. I wish I went with 15 mm for the front.

Sometime along the way I added the Seibon carbon fiber mirror covers and used 4m carbon fiber wrap on the gas tank.
My car is a daily driver so sometimes it does get looking like this...


Currently my car looks like this:






Things I still want to do:
Get the windows tinted. 35% all around?
Fix the gap in the front bumper/hood.
Get the side skirts put on tighter.
Refinish the carbon fiber part of the hood. Is there a way to do that cheaply?
Get an S2000 antenna? My power antenna broke. Not sure how to fix that though. The guides on here are vague. I just want to remove it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for improving the car? I would like to hear what you think.
 
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#2 ·
Interesting progression, it reminds me of some of the steps I went through a few years back.

Overall the progress is not looking bad. I have personally never liked the Veilside front and sides, but the rear is good. Definitely get the hood and front lined up and sides fitted better though if you keep the kit. I'd also get the tinting for sure.

About your front 10mm spacers, did you install the extended studs with those?

My suggestions for small stuff... lose the door edge strip or get it in clear, it just sticks out too much now. Polish up those fogging, dull headlights. Get some supra front side-markers (they look way better). Drop the car a bit lower.

My suggestions for bigger stuff... lose the Veilside kit and get something more flattering and better fitted. Upgrade to better quality rims with a better fitment so you don't need all those thick spacers/adapters. Lose that wrapped fuel door and get a proper smoked Toyota/JDM fuel door (if you can find one). Maybe throw on a Carbign Craft CF rear license plate garnish.

Since I can't see the interior or engine bay, I don't know what you did there and can't make suggestions. In any case, the car is coming along and these are just my opinions since you opened the field for this. :gap:
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the input Ghost Dragon, I have admired your car for a while now, easily top 3 on this site.

Yes I did install extended lugs with the front spacers. They came with the Ichiba V1 kit.

Yeah the door edge strip came with the car, I never bothered to do anything with it. I could probably just remove that. Hopefully it wont leave a sticky residue.

Are side markers hard to install? Would it require pulling off the front bumper in order to get to them?

I wish I could drop the car lower but I seem to rub in the back over large bumps even with the rolled fenders.

I do really like the back bumper and side skirts, do you recommend any fronts that would go well if I ditched the veilside one?

I like the idea of the Carbign craft license plate, maybe I'll see if I can get one of those.

I kinda wish I had a Kaminari spoiler like yours or a Veilside DC5 wing.

I do like my rims but do you have any suggestions? Im always up for ideas
 
#4 ·
First, thanks for the appreciation for my Celi, it's been a long road of mods and changes for her... and she still keeps improving. I am just about to mount my new TRIAL rear, very pleased on that one.

Good, I just wanted to make sure you weren't unsafely rolling around with like 2 threads of lug engagement. How long have you been on the new studs so far?

For the edge strip removal it should be no problem since they are not supposed to have any adhesive on them. If it feels stuck, it's probably just been on for a long time and is gunked up. You might lossen it up a bit with a heat gun if really necessary, but more importantly two words... goo gone.

On the sidemarkers, you don't absolutely have to remove the front, but it is easiest. I think Veilside fronts don't flex much like OEM, so it may be a real arm pincher. You could cut the wheels to the side unbolt the couple of bolts that hold the fender to the front and the front to the underpanel, then go in that way to unbolt the oem sidemarkers.

If you rub in the rear you could... camber the wheels in a bit, change the wheels (I suggest some here), change the spacers. But you should also confirm exactly where the rub is. Did you grind the rear notch also when you rolled? This is a common problem with Celis when fitted/dropped low. It may also be your rear bumper that has some material rubbing.

For the front you don't want any that sit too high and won't align with the sides, so avoid TRD for example. But Some nicer looking fronts that sit pretty low and might work with the sides include my favorites such as 03 with one of numerous lips, Trial (impossible to find), Kaminari, Varis extremor/arising, Tsunami with Honda lip to get it lower or even one of the Buddy Clubs.

The Carbign Craft garnish is still available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Carbign-Craf...qid=1468802063&sr=8-1&keywords=celica+carbign

Man, you are just a couple months too late, I just sold a DC5 wing to a guy in Canada. But if you go for a DC5 or Kami wing (especially with the cf blade option) prepare to shell out some $$$

For the rims there are many in similar style to yours that have better fitment from good manufacturers. If you want to stick with a similar 5-spoke design... a few examples are the Enkei Kojin, Rota RT5, SSR GTV01, and many others.

I can post up a couple shots of these kits/wheels etc. if it helps you out too.


I hope this helps. :cheers:
 
#5 ·
I've been on the new studs maybe a month now I would say? They fit in nice and tight and have given me no issues.

I think this weekend or next I will try and remove those edge strips and see how it turns out.

I guess I can find some guides to replacing side markers and see if it is something I think I can do.

I am not sure what is causing the rubbing, I didn't really look around for it but I assumed it was the rolled fender since it left a smudge on the wheel.

I think I am sold on the carbon fiber garnish, it looks really good. I will have to plan on getting that sometime.

I was also thinking about getting hood pins, do you think that would be a good look? Like the ones in the picture with the hood here: http://www.deftracing.com/vis_carbo...iber_hood_00_04_toyota_celica_2dr_invader.htm

Yeah if it doesn't take too much of your time that would be awesome if you could post up some shots/examples of front/rims/whatever.

While 5 spokes were my favorites, I did see some nice 6 spokes and some others. I am pretty open on rims, though I think a shade of silver is my favorite. Not a fan of black or bronze.

Thank you for all the input so far.
 
#10 ·
I am thinking about buying these sidemarkers.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-2005-T...SMD-LED-Bulbs-/301510602673?fits=Model:Celica

It looks like the come with a white bulb and clear markers.

Also, another question about the spoiler.
In the picture below I believe this is something slightly different tha nthe DC5 wing.

http://designercars.net/biler/Toyota-model-269.jpg

I do think it looks kind of like one of these spoilers. The base seems different though.

http://jmautosports.com/megan-racing/megan-racing-spoiler-carbon-fiber-mrtype/cfsmr55/i-128247.aspx

http://jmautosports.com/apr-performance/apr-adjustable-wings-gtc200-series/as105951/i-84160.aspx
 
#18 ·
I am thinking about buying these sidemarkers.
Its up to you, but those clear ebay side markers usually end up looking cheap, and they are likely to stick out way too much on a 3PO car.


Also, another question about the spoiler.
In the picture below I believe this is something slightly different tha nthe DC5 wing.
This is very different from the DC5, not even close really. It is closer to an APR, but I doubt it is real APR. My recommendation is to go for the APR one you linked to since they are a good company with quality CF products.



I don't know if it was mentioned yet or not, but this is what you need to fix the bumper to hood issue.

I pushes the center of the bumper up into position, even the OE bumper will lay flat in that spot without out it.

Most aftermarket bumpers will not work with most OEM parts without modification. Also, I believe Veilside uses FGR for their parts and not urethane so the parts tend to be very stiff with little flex. Too much focused force in one area can cause odd bulging and possible cracking over time from the consistent shocks from driving. Trust me, I have modified many body parts for a lot of cars.
 
#11 ·
#13 ·
Don't even need to take the bumper off, it just slips under the edge of it and is held by a plastic clip. May be easier to just order both from the local dealer.
 
#14 ·
I'll have to check my bumper but it seems to be held on fast from the top. I don't think I could slide anything under it. I'll try to get a picture right now.

What do you mean by order both? In the diagram on ebay it looks like it is just one piece?
 
#15 ·
The thing and the clip that holds it, since it's unlikely you have the clip too.
 
#23 ·
#27 ·
I took my car to a shop today and they said there was no room to be able to move the bumper out so that it aligns with the hood.

I guess I am stuck with it how it is.
I think I will put the black tubing/stripping between the hood and bumper to fill it up.

Does anyone know what that is called?

I found things like all purpose car weather stripping but it doesnt look quite right.
 
#29 ·
I think I will put the black tubing/stripping between the hood and bumper to fill it up. Does anyone know what that is called?
I found things like all purpose car weather stripping but it doesnt look quite right.

Are you looking for something like part #8 on this diagram? If so, this is the OEM front bumper hood seal strip part #53395E



It comes from toyota with a peel off sticky layer that adheres well, and costs around $15.00 depending on where you buy it.

If you want anything bigger to fill the gap, just McGuyver it with Home Depot supplies.
 
#30 ·
Also, if I were you, I'd take the car to a different shop for a consultation... I don't buy their dismissal of the issue. :eslap:

I think they just didn't want to do the extra work it would take to build up and reshape the problem area. I have done this kind of modification before.
 
#31 ·
Yes that is exactly what I was talking about, thank you for finding that seal. I ordered one.

From what the shop told me, there was no room to pull the bumper out and refasten it again. I don't think they even thought about building up or reshaping the area.

Yeah I should look for another opinion, its the biggest eyesore to me. Hopefully the seal will make it look better in the mean time, I wanted one anyway.
 
#32 ·
No problem, I have replaced/ordered so many oem parts over the years that I just know far too much about them by now. I actually ordered 3 of these seals a few years back, so I could run them up the sides of the inner fenders to close the gaps on the sides of the hood too, it looks a lot cleaner than stock imo. It also looks great with cf hoods.

On the hood/front issue... I guarantee there is a way to do it, but most shops just lack the skills or don't want to be bothered with the effort of custom body sculpting etc. Too bad we aren't closer or I would just fab it up for you myself.
 
#33 ·
Show/tell me more about the side gap stuff? I want to seal the gap around the headlights.
 
#34 ·
Sure, this method should work great around the headlights too. Just buy several of the seals I mentioned above (not sure how many you might need for headlights, but 3 to 4 might work). Basically, they are just oem rubber seal strips with a flat edge with adhesive on it and a few small holes where clips would be mounted on the front bumper. You simply cut them to desired length and peel off the cover strip and stick em on where you want them. Simple.
 
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