Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 22, 2017 - 3:49 PM

Hello, my name is Toua Vang, I currently live in MN and have always been a Toyota my whole life.
Some of you know this car from before as this was previously snapshotgt's Celica.

The story of acquiring the car:
After my 5GC GTS and my S/T 20V AE102G, I was in the market for something unique (that's Toyota) and rust free so that meant travelling out of MN.
Long story short, almost got a camry all-trac from the west coast or a 5gc from the east coast.
Ended up in south coast to get Colin's 1MZ 6GC. 18 hour drive home and my very first ticket (speeding); totally worth it.

First mod: 20mm/25mm spacers on the front/rear with the 7gc wheels. Nearly sits flush with the vehicle.



Other things I have done so far:
Audio system: A small sub and amp
New intake filter: Coned shaped K&N filter to replace the old cylindrical one.
Euro riser blocks: Reps from Teo, highly recommend his stuff.
Wheels and tires: Fixed my brother's curb-rash 5-Zigen FN01RC and new paint w/ some new Yokohama S Drives.

Posted by: Box Apr 22, 2017 - 7:31 PM

Welcome! I really liked that car, so much so that had it been closer I'd have bought it most likely.

Posted by: Wild202 Apr 22, 2017 - 11:34 PM

Very interesting.
How does the car travel with this engine?

Posted by: Smaay Apr 23, 2017 - 9:38 AM

im not familiar with this swap, did i help with it?

Posted by: Batman722 Apr 23, 2017 - 6:55 PM

no, not everything is about you Jeff.
As unbelievable as it seems, others have done a 1mz swap before you were around on the forum.

Nice to see Colin's car with a good owner, looking good "thumbsup:


here's some backround on Colin's story.

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=53507

and then

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=61666

Posted by: Bushmatic Apr 26, 2017 - 10:57 PM

This quote just made it into my signature

Really great car, looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 9, 2017 - 8:17 PM

It's not bad actually, pulls really good all things considered.
I have a video somewhere from last year, I'll see if I can find it.
But gotta love the low end torque, given that it lives most of it's life under 3000 rpm.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 9, 2017 - 9:04 PM

Sorry it's been a while, I thought to post up the next reply but then I figured I had to wait a bit for the thread to pop up first.

Anyhow, the new intake has been in since earlier this year (2017) around Feb. I didn't drive it but man was I too excited to put in the new one.
I also attempted to clean the old one and keep it just in case something goes wrong.

Next are the awesome Euro blocks from EndWorks! If you're looking for OEM alternatives I would highly recommend his stuff.
Although I had to do some extra fitting on one side of the blocks it turned out really nice. (The right side had one hole that didn't fit.
I ended just drilling the hole to make it fit better. Also got new stainless steel bolts and washers from Menards.)
Here's the arrival of them.


When I first bought the car I knew it had some trunk rust on the wings, so here I am checking out how bad it was.


I ended up sanding it down and bondo over it to cover up the metal. Originally I was going to repaint the spots and leave it but after trying out the blocks they actually cover up the area. So in addition to primer/paint/coat I added some black plasti-dip under it so (hopefully) water doesn't get to the new spot. Sadly I totally forgot to take pictures of the process. But here they are on and fitted and me after I took a step back....


Next update will be the wheel setup (hopefully I'll post tomorrow), I haven't gotten the new one's on yet since my right wheel bearing is going out so I'm going to replace both sides along with the torn boots. I remember Colin having issues with this since the axles setup is stretching the boots out too much, I'll have to see what I can do about it.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 9, 2017 - 9:06 PM

Ha ha thanks man, I know I didn't think I would go out so far to get it.
But given it's uniqueness and how clean it is (compared to a rusty Northern car) I had to get it.
It was this or a MR2; but I couldn't find any good MR2's during my search for the right price.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 9, 2017 - 9:11 PM

Holy crap I JUST realized my grammar mistake haha. Oh well, it probably does run in my blood so I'll just keep it so.

Posted by: Box May 10, 2017 - 5:19 PM

I love the Euro risers, always wanted a set for mine.

Posted by: block May 10, 2017 - 9:43 PM

We Minnesotans have great taste lol. We have this, 400hp 3sgte, k-swapped 6g, etc.

I seriously considered this car but it didn't fit my budget. Hope to see it roam the streets of MN!

Posted by: ricochet1490 May 11, 2017 - 8:42 PM

i was wondering what happened to this car. Looks really nice man

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 13, 2017 - 1:50 PM

Alright, wheel time! Jk, not yet. As stated earlier I found that my right wheel bearing is going out so I haven't had time to put the new wheels on.
The wheels are old school 5zigen FNO1RC 17x8 +35mm wrapped in Yokohama S-Drive (235/40/17).


Short story: These wheels have been in the family for over 5 years. It started out on a 7GC from my cousin to which my brother then bought it from him for his 6GC.

My brother actually still has the car, although it's now on it's 3rd brother haha. Sadly my 2nd brother who owned it rode them through winter a couple of times so a lot of rash and erosion. After getting to my 3rd brother, he decided to give me the wheels as I was looking for new wheels. I ended up taking it to the shop to fix them up and paint them (hyper silver). It was neat that the shop also balanced and fitted my new tires too! I don't have previous photos as my old phone died on me but I do have it when they're done!

Got me some new closed in lugs too! Muteki SR35.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 13, 2017 - 1:51 PM

Thanks man! I'm trying to keep it as clean as possible with adding a few mods. It's so hard to find cleaner 6gc's up in MN, especially a Baltic Blue one.

Posted by: JDUB May 13, 2017 - 8:40 PM

Hey that's my old celica (Topaz brown)! The guy bought it from me while I was stationed in Nebraska! Always loved snapshots v6, looking good man!

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 13, 2017 - 9:56 PM

Ha ha hey! Thanks bro. Yeah I remember when my brother and my cousin came and got it from you. Lol he definitely pioneered the whole "out of state" buying for my family, although I've definitely taken it the farthest travelling to both west and south coast (CA & TX).
It's kinda beat up now (sorry), but if money is right (or time eventually gives) plans are on the way to restore it (or at least get a 3sgte, the old 5sfe is already over 300k).

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 6, 2017 - 12:21 AM

Alright some update! It's been a while since the last update.

Got my wheels on! But I'm having new issues that I'll address in a bit.


I went in for a custom alignment from a guy up here in MN named Jeff (The Alignment Guy).


After the alignment, I started getting a huge road noise. Turned out to be my front driver rotor essentially grinding on my pads. So new pads and resurfaced rotors!

Next is wheel balancing (again). Steering wheels still shake so I'm taking the easier way out; cause if it's still shaking it might be the axle (PLZ NO).

I also went on a small amateur photography afternoon-evening by myself. Found an almost empty but very quiet Metro Transit parking lot.
Pictures soon...

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 20, 2017 - 10:34 PM

Sorry for super late update on the photo's. Not the best photos or edits; but it's a work in progress!
Got some VIDEOS too; but still trying to figure out how to add them. I might just end up putting them on youtube.







Shortly after this session I got a LOUD grinding sound from my left wheel bearing.
Turns out I didn't properly press in both sides, so I ended up getting some hubs from a 97 ST at the local junkyard.
Much rustier than the originals, but do they ride smoother. I'll re-do the original hubs whenever these go bad.

No major updates so far; but cosmetically I changed the side markers to a set of clear depo one's I had and returned the 3rd clear trunk light to red.
Did it so all the front light covers are clear and the rear is (mostly) red. Eventually I'll get some more Wolfie front clear turn signals again.
Added some 194 LED's to the license plates, door lights, and side markers.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 3, 2017 - 6:56 PM

Two videos up! Check out my youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaNchB0IDTG94Hj8p7lx7dQ

Posted by: ClevelandGaint Jul 27, 2017 - 3:27 PM

Looks clean still! Always like that swap. Any new additions coming soon for it?

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 28, 2017 - 1:00 AM

I bought some rear spats from the K-turbo 6gc in MN, but I still have to repaint them. Going to get some front spats as well from funked. Nothing else power wise, unless I find myself a supercharger or 2gr... Then we in business. But winter is coming up and I got have a beater... So I might go get a rusty Celica take the beating for my summer daily.

Posted by: cheela Aug 2, 2017 - 12:53 PM

celi's looking great. you're really making it your own. we gotta meet up some day and take some pics together.

Posted by: snapshotgt Aug 30, 2017 - 6:40 PM

Toua, I am glad to see the Celica went to such a good home! You've made great additions. I gotta say there is a special place in my heart for that car. Keep up the good work!!

Posted by: block Aug 30, 2017 - 8:18 PM

Saw you on White Bear Ave turning on to 694W a couple months back. Very nice Celica as we don't seem these on the road as much anymore. The only thing that kind of looked out of place was the "V6" but it's not my car

Posted by: TimeslideZ Sep 5, 2017 - 9:39 PM

Ha ha thanks man, definitely one day we will! But wait, let me get some spats on first haha. Maybe next year spring?



Ha ha thanks Colin! She will be continued to be treated the best I can provide. Maybe one day I'll bring it back down on a road trip! Who knows haha.



Ha ha yes, I barely see any other cleans ones on the streets of MN. He he I'm still debating if I want to take that sign off but we'll see. I always enjoy hearing people talk about that sign when they see my car.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Sep 5, 2017 - 10:28 PM

Long time no update.

Come some new clear turn signals from Wolfie so I got those installed!


Also visited the junkyard the other day, found a ST Limited model and I took the emblem for the mirror cover.

On the car, photo isn't the best.


On the side note, the mission for a daily (winter at least, year-round preferable) driver begins before snow and salt hits. Plus my right cv axle is clicking so I need to find a new ST185 axle. I want OEM but man is it kinda expensive, so maybe used OEM? Not sure if I trust any aftermarket one's so I might end up forking the money for a OEM one.
Also still waiting to see if Funked can still get me them front st202 TRD spats. Then come next year both front and rear spats will be painted and on! Thinking about upgrading the brakes to the Avalon dual piston as well, just for kicks.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 19, 2018 - 9:16 PM

It's been a while, and I finally took a big step in life. I've never done it before, and there's a lot of FIRSTS to ever occur; but I went out and financed my year-round daily.



Yep, 2013 Scion FR-S 10 Series. Now some will tell me I'm 1) dumb to daily it in the winter, 2) crazy to daily it in the winter, 3) it's not a practical daily, 4) [insert complain], or 5) all the above; I'd agree but I also I could care less. I'm convinced that if I'm spending this much on a new car, it's gotta be something I enjoy and can have fun with. Not to shoot down my other choices though: V6 RAV4, Matrix XRS, 4Runner; but if I there was a time to get a Sporty Car as a daily, it's now when my body can still take the harsher beatings and I don't need to tow anything.

Will it stay stock? Na, it's already got a Nvidia exhaust (which is too loud btw, gotta quiet it down). I have some basic upgrades in mind for it: springs, front lip, audio, taillights, intake, and rims. But other than that I feel like it'll be fun enough as is. I don't want to go crazy until it's paid off.

But what about my 6gc? IT IS NO MORE, sold it off to some guy in ND... Just kidding, it's still in the garage needing a passenger half-shaft replacement. I haven't been willing to change it out during winter cause MN is too damn cold when you don't have a heater and when there's no room in a one car garage.

What's next? Winter tires, cause damn I do need them. Going to get some 205/50/17 Bridgestone Blizzaks for the FR-S in a couple days. As for the Celica it'll be replacing the axle first, then shopping for a new set of wheels that can sit flush w/o thick spacers (the 5zigens are going to go on the FR-S as the new summer wheels).

Now only if spring can hurry up and bring warm weather...

Posted by: Box Feb 19, 2018 - 10:38 PM

For what it's worth I'd take a RWD car with LSD and winter/snow tires over a FWD car with an open diff and all seasons. So long as you have the proper tires and drive to the conditions you'll be ok.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 20, 2018 - 12:11 AM

Agreed, I've been taking it really slow atm since Discount Tire is out of stock on Blizzaks so I have to wait a couple days. The bad thing is it's supposed to snow all week except Wed. And it's my first car ever in RWD.

Posted by: Box Feb 20, 2018 - 12:31 AM

You can start off in second gear and that'll help in slippery conditions. That and when coming to a stop make sure to do a good job rev matching your downshifts or just coast down in whatever gear you're in until you're around idle speed then go to neutral before stopping. Biggest thing is being smooth with your inputs and not to upset the balance of the car, so also being gentle on releasing the clutch and getting the engine speed matched to the next gear helps. If it has all seasons on it you should be ok so long as there isn't any ice and it's not heavy snow.

Anyhow, I hear the BRZ/86/FR-S does really well with a tune to help with the torque dip and E85 helps even more. If I were getting a newer car through financing it'd probably be a certified used BRZ, great chassis and enough power to get by. That and it's plenty fine as a daily if you don't have kids.

Posted by: cheela Feb 20, 2018 - 9:52 AM

Hope you're doing ok with the ice we got up here. Once you get the winter tires you'll be fine until then, DRIFFFTTOOOO!!! hahaha enjoy the car but don't forget about the celi.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 20, 2018 - 6:58 PM

Yeah, I've been doing 2nd gear. I will say one of the few things I don't like is how short the gear ratios are: 4th gear, 30 mph, 2,000 rpm! But it's still saving me good gas I guess compared to my 6gc. Trying to rev match is interesting in this car. The clutch is so light and the pedal is so far up I tend to "rev" when I shift. Not overwhelmingly though, I'll have to adjust the pedal when it gets warmer and get used to it some more.

I was originally looking for a BRZ limited; but this one is close enough (doesn't have the heated leather seats; but it does have the nice GT86 HID lights) considering it's additional upgrades (like the Head Unit, fog lights, exhaust). Other BRZ at the price I got it for more roughly x2-x3 the miles so I'd figured the mileage would make up for the price.



Monday was a nightmare; but fortunately I was able to get my Blizzaks early. I can say night and day on winter tires man. Ha ha I seriously was drifting all around the small streets and highway.
And yes, I'm still planning to spend most of my money on the Celica. Now that I have this car I can do much more w/ the Celica knowing I don't have to put it all back together to drive on the weekdays.

Posted by: block Feb 20, 2018 - 8:20 PM

Ah, the FRS was a car I never missed. It was love at first sight and the divorce happened just like that lol. The 2nd gen Rav4 V6 would've been my choice out of the bunch. Buddy has Blizzacks on his 86 and still managed $5k worth of front end bumper damage LOL. Be careful bud! Cant wait til spring!

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 20, 2018 - 9:52 PM

Ha ha tbh the FRS wasn't my first choice. I did want the Rav4 v6 in particular that one day there would be an accident and I can salvage the 2gr to build into my 6gc. But then again I wouldn't want to have an accident either. Dang $5k! Whew yeah, that's what I'm afraid of; but anything can happen. Even in FWD cars or AWD. Indeed, come spring and tax season!

Posted by: Box Feb 21, 2018 - 12:55 AM

Un-studded snow tires still won't save you on ice like studded tires, regardless of the drive layout. For the longest time our ancestors only had RWD to traverse through the snow and most back then were open differential and tire technology doesn't hold a candle to what we have now, and they all managed for you to be here today.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 2, 2018 - 6:49 PM

I will say... It is truly night and day when you have one of the best winter tires on.
We just had a snow day of about 9 inches of snow and on average 3 inches on the road.
The FR-S EASILY gripped the road on them, stopping was so much better than say my mother's 2002 Camry w/ all seasons.

But now that winter's nearly over they might just be burning up (averaging 30-40F degrees lately).
However, I've been looking for a new job and my friend is trying to hook me up all the way in Huntsville, AL.
So I might be moving down there. No longer MN's 1MZ if that happens LOL.

Posted by: Box Mar 2, 2018 - 7:42 PM

Huntsville is one of the larger cities in the state, probably best known for the rocket center there. You don't have emissions or inspections to worry about here, so there's that. It also rarely snows and when it does the state shuts down.

Posted by: Smaay Mar 2, 2018 - 8:40 PM

get a COBB tuner and unlock the potential. it is very detuned from factory

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 7, 2018 - 2:46 AM

That's good to know, MN is the same w/ no emissions or inspections. Ha ha I remember when I lived in AR they had the same thing. I just find it amazing giving that up here 10 inches of snow with -10F degrees and we still gotta go to work.



Yes I heard this about these guys, especially the "torque dip" that appears mid-range. I thought about doing something small like that just to help it out; but still putting most of the money to the celica.

Posted by: Box Mar 7, 2018 - 9:27 PM

It's mostly due to the fact it usually turns into ice as soon as it hits the roads, that and we don't have the infrastructure in place to deal with it and I'd be surprised if 1% of the population here has winter tires. So the cost of shutting down the state for one day once in a blue moon is a lot less than the cost of maintaining infrastructure that may not see use but once every few years. I think the last time we had any notable snow was back in '93? when there was a freak blizzard.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 8, 2018 - 1:09 PM

That's what I'd figured, but I mean if I moved there that would be just fine with me too. Lol go DRIFFTTOOOO in the FRS w/ some summer tires haha. We'll see though, I haven't gotten anything back from my bud about a job. Been getting more luck up here instead.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 24, 2018 - 5:22 PM

FINALLY, it's warm enough (and I have enough will) to finally work on her. Got around to replacing the outer shaft of the passenger side. Was a lot easier than I thought.
Don't judge me; but you can see my old "band aid" for the axle before I found a car for winter. If I knew it was this easy I would've done it waayyyyyyyyy earlier; but I was also lazy.


Took the car for a spin, it feels much better! But I definitely gotta get used to all the noise and feel of the car again. It feels so different compared to the FR-S.
Seats don't hold as tight as the FR-S, feel like I'm sitting a lot higher, even though both cars sit pretty low.
BUTTTTT, man do I MISS the V6 torque he he. extra 50 lbs do make a difference, especially with the FR-S torque dip.

But I still need to replace the clutch master cylinder; forgot that the pedal kept sinking before I stored it for winter.

Next step is to get a new set of wheels, that way I can throw my 5zigens on the FR-S.
Been looking and it's difficult to find a wheel w/ the specs I want unless I wanna spend BIG.

Posted by: Box Mar 24, 2018 - 5:25 PM

Torque is life.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 15, 2018 - 10:22 PM

Well... That was awfully quick of me to suddenly just get a new set of wheels; I've been pondering about this for a while. But then tonight... Suddenly POOF! There goes $1500. Guess you'll have to wait until they arrive (or when this damn blizzard in the MIDDLE OF APRIL goes away).

Posted by: richee3 Apr 15, 2018 - 10:33 PM

Hopefully yours arrive faster than mine. I wish a blizzard was the only delay for me!

Posted by: cheela Apr 17, 2018 - 9:22 PM

you're gonna need a photoshoot soon.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 17, 2018 - 9:57 PM

Ha ha it was a pretty bad blizzard though; but that was before I ordered lol. Still gonna have to wait like 3 months before the snow actually disappears from MN.



He he I'll wait until yours is ready too, we can do it together! Lol

Posted by: cheela Apr 17, 2018 - 10:02 PM

definitely! I'm about to drop $1500+ for my swap parts too.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 22, 2018 - 10:37 PM

Dang.... But it's gonna be a beast when it's done. Cannot wait to see it!

I'm still debating what I want to do next with the car. Maybe continue going for looks until I give up and strip the car for track.

Mmmmm... trd front spats, treacle fenders, ss-4 conversion, bodywork and repaint... SO MUCH MONEYYYYYYYY

Posted by: cheela Apr 23, 2018 - 7:58 AM

hopefully before summer ends but it's a slow moving swap right now.

I mean that's all that's left to do for yours. You got performance and suspension upgrades already so not much left to do besides make it look good. lol

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 25, 2018 - 10:08 PM

Ahh well when you do let us know, ha ha fall is still a very nice time to do nice pictures.

Yeah that's what I was thinking too, maybe if anything some coilo-overs (or BAG IT) and refreshing some old stuff.
Cosmetic and body work take up a lot. Who knows, maybe I'll be like TonytheTiger and build a 800hp 1mz LOL.

Posted by: cheela Apr 26, 2018 - 8:00 AM

you should get the MN gang together and head down to the midwest meet. who's got their cars running anyways?

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 27, 2018 - 7:21 PM

Lol I don't even know if my car will be ready by then! I'll try but I haven't meet all the 6gc folks here, let alone know more than like 4 guys lolol.
Lauv and his K24 probably won't be running until fall. Tao and his buddies red 3s' always be fishing or hunting during the weekend.
I can probably get Joe and his white 5s, but idk if he fixed it yet. Then there's the random people I don't know about. But I'll try lol, if the date is still May 19th hahahaha

Posted by: block Apr 29, 2018 - 10:41 PM

Met Tao today. Doesn't sound like he's going to be out and about anytime soon. He's getting ready for fishing season lol.

Posted by: cheela Apr 30, 2018 - 10:02 AM

LOL figured as much. but it's fishing season all year round for guys like him. haha

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 30, 2018 - 9:03 PM

Yep, lol that's why it's so hard to meet up w/ him. Even during the weekdays it's super-last minute to the meets.
Hmmm I'll post up on the local Toyota forums, see if I can find other 6gc guys to bring down (if I even come to the meet lol).

Posted by: CoolZeen May 1, 2018 - 9:17 AM

you bETTER...!!

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 2, 2018 - 11:12 PM

Alright sent out to my local Toyota FB groups, we'll see if anyone's interested and able.

As for update if you haven't seen it on FB then there's not a lot... Just a master clutch cylinder replacement before I went out to a big meet opener...


And changing wheels...


TWICE!!! I finally got my new wheels in, Gram Lights 57CR in 17x9 +38mm.


Had them for a bit, wasn't sure which tires to get. But I ended up getting the new Dunlop Direzza Z3.
Here's all the wheels and tires fitted into my celica as I take it to a shop to mount them.


I got the front fitted, does poke out a very little bit; rubs over bigger bumps. Interestingly enough my driver side pokes up probably 1-2mm more than my passenger.
Might be the axles, or just the fenders lol. Anyhow though my rear DO NOT FIT ... With the 20mm spacers that is. So I'm planning to cut my studs to fit them.

Pictures will be up sometime soon, as I still have a few more things coming and maybe... Just maybe... Coilovers as well.

Posted by: Box May 3, 2018 - 12:34 AM

Get some open ended lug nuts that fits your studs and have them below where you're cutting, so then after cutting you take the lug nut off and it cleans up and straightens out the threads for you.

Posted by: block May 3, 2018 - 9:34 AM

17x9 +38 and it still pokes out. Makes me nervous to put mines on then 🤔 17x9 +32 🤔

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 3, 2018 - 4:53 PM

Yes sir, that's exactly what I did. I'm leaving the original studs one thread past the spacer length, hopefully it still doesn't interfere. Went out to buy a grinder and man... I have not used one of these in forever. Slow but sure.



Haha iirc Mike Thoma has a even deeper setup. 17x9 with 255 but I think he's like +17 front and +23 rear. Might be wrong though...

Posted by: block May 7, 2018 - 5:56 PM

Test fitted my wheels. Rears are close to flush, fronts might need a notch of - camber. Getting my tires this weekend so we will know more.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 7, 2018 - 11:14 PM

Nice bro, hopefully they fit. My front definitely rub right now so I need to camber it in more as well. Back fit but not flush, getting some spacers soon too to deal with that.

Ahh more parts to buy, more money to spend... I'm totally going overboard right now but oh well, my bank account can handle it. Hopefully if things all come together I might just make it out to the spring meet in time lol.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 8, 2018 - 8:31 PM

Finally got a heat gun, and borrowed my cousins fender roller equipment. HOPEFULLY it helps my rubbing problem w/ the new wheel setup.


Trying to roll up the front, or at least what I can get of it. Passenger side done so far, stopped caused I cracked the paint and was pissed at myself.
Also finally removed the v6 emblem from my trunk; but you can still see some of the adhesive residue. I'll wash that out later.


15mm spacers have been order and waiting for those to come in.

Posted by: Box May 8, 2018 - 9:14 PM

WD-40 or the like and some heat helps with getting leftover adhesive off, then wash clean and touch up with some wax afterwards.

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay May 9, 2018 - 10:08 PM

fronts poke with a +38 offset? Demmit... I'm looking at the same wheels for mine, too. You have pics of the front poking?

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 26, 2018 - 6:59 PM

Sorry bro I lied, at least it sees like it so far. After letting the wheel set it seems to be tucked in a bit.
But my driver side still does poke out more due to the hybrid axle; but I'm waiting on my coilovers before saying if it rubs or not.

Posted by: cheela Jun 6, 2018 - 8:04 AM

BUMP!

NEED UPDATED PICS ASAP!! LOL

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 8, 2018 - 2:06 AM

Sorry bro, gonna have to wait. Celica is on DD duty due to the FRS breaking down. I'll post pictures when I get the right fitment.

Been battling with the FRS this whole week, long story short the shift select lever pin broke so had to drop the transmission just to get to it.
Any recommendations on removing the broken pin is appreciated!


As for the Celica I got some BC (BR Series) coilovers. Wasn't the original idea but I was rubbing on the struts (i think) w/ the new wheels.
Here are the rear compared to my old setup (forgot to take pictures of the front; but it was a big difference in width).


Also got some H&R spacers (15mm) for the rear. Was going to take the hubs to a shop but w/ the right tools ended up doing it myself!


Got the rear running top camber bolts, maxed out at -1.75 (if that's the correct max, went of eibach camber bolt specs cause they look like them).


For the front I'm running close to 0 degrees camber; but all these numbers are guesses until I go in for an alignment.
Car was almost done and ready for alignment (no more rubbing or ugly gap); but the FRS broke so I had to raise the car up to DD and handle the nasty MN roads.
Once the FRS is done I'll lower it again and get some nice photos to show. Plus I'm also waiting on my wheel caps, they've been on a 4-week back order.

Posted by: cheela Jun 8, 2018 - 7:53 AM

****... that sucks. new car breaking down before the old car. .lol.
They don't make'm like they used to.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 11, 2018 - 8:57 PM

I know right? Whelps hopefully I can get it fixed soon. Since I drained the FRS tranny I now need new fluid.
Planning on getting some Redline MT90. Since shifting in the Celica has been a bit stiff Imma do a tranny flush too for it.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 23, 2018 - 9:12 PM

So I did a thing in the meantime b/c I wanted to see what it's like...


Why buy a lip when you can make one?


I'm probably going to run it until it rather falls off (most likely) or when I get an actual pre-face lip.
On the other hand I went to the junkyard and found these:


Got them off an Avalon; going to clean them and try them before I go further and powder coat.

Posted by: Box Jul 26, 2018 - 4:48 AM

This is what happens when you shift like a gorilla. You should be able to use a punch to get the broken pin out.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 26, 2018 - 12:13 PM

Ha ha I will admit I have done a bit of spirited driving with it, especially in the snow. I'm suspecting it broke before though, but the previous owner welded it in.
I ended up drilling it, which was easier than I expected; but overall probably $100 in parts for replacing a lot of things. But I'm glad I got it up and running again.

I finally got around to lowering the Celica the way I wanted. Coilovers are finally set in, garage-seal lip is holding; just frustrated that my center caps have been on back order since june.
But I got the car ready in time for a family meet.



Bonus image: my nephew's ST185 RC that he recently imported over.


Not sure what's next. More body work? Engine upgrade? We shall see... Probably should track it one of these days.

Posted by: cheela Jul 26, 2018 - 12:21 PM

Looking good! I miss driving mine. it's stuck in the garage behind 2 engines. hahaha.
That RC looks awesome!!

as for next mods, I say turbo or supercharge. !!!!

Posted by: richee3 Jul 26, 2018 - 12:27 PM

I keep wanting to order center caps for my Volks but I don’t want to wait as long for the caps as I did for the wheels, and they really put some “just because we can” prices on them.

Posted by: ricochet1490 Jul 26, 2018 - 12:27 PM

Still probably a top 5 car for me on here. Like it came from the factory that way. Keep on keeping it classy. Beautiful.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 26, 2018 - 12:55 PM

I was thinking that too; I recently joined the 1mz group on facebook and man the number of trd superchargers... But reading tonythetigers "words of wisdom" on the solaraguy forum, I may end up trying for turbo if I can.




Seriously! My blue one's came in (I ordered a pair of blue and a pair of red) fine; but holy crap the wait time from ft86 factory. We'll see if they "come in August." If I have to wait another month Imma ask for a refund and order elsewhere.




Thanks man!

Posted by: BonzaiCelica Jul 26, 2018 - 9:58 PM

astonishing!!!

Posted by: Box Jul 26, 2018 - 10:37 PM

Makes me feel like getting another 6th gen for some reason.

Posted by: cheela Jul 26, 2018 - 10:47 PM

KEEP POSTING MAN!! DID YOU SEE WHAT YOU JUST DID TO BOX??!!

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Jul 26, 2018 - 11:07 PM

do it, you b1tch.

Posted by: Box Jul 26, 2018 - 11:18 PM

Ha, the sixth gen will always have a special place in my heart. They're very nice looking and great cars, my only issue is the whole drive-train layout as I have no need for FWD here in the south where it hardly ever snows and if it does the whole state shuts down anyway. I am really trying to push my soon to be 16 year old brother into getting a sixth gen though. Though he has no real interest in cars and doesn't want to learn stick, but I think the sixth gen could sway him perhaps. It's the perfect first car in my opinion given how well rounded the Celica is as a car.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 27, 2018 - 12:52 AM

Oh man, scrambling for the B-class photos!!!


I'm running out of images... Quick move up the next Mid-West meet! Lol

Box I hope your brother would consider it. It's not terribly expensive either for insurance.
Might not have the power if it's a 5S but boy will that last you forever!

But there has definitely been a decline in automotive interest from the newer generation, especially w/ the whole electric and auto-pilot stuff.

Posted by: Box Jul 27, 2018 - 1:34 AM

His biggest concerns with the car is reliability and efficiency, looks and everything else being not much of a concern. The Celica is reliable and efficient, and in the price range he's working with I can't think of a better option that's as well rounded. The 5S and 7A is sufficient for a new driver, enough to get around and not get into trouble. I'm doing my best to try and push him towards one as I really do think it's the best car for him given the circumstances and criteria.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 28, 2018 - 12:03 AM

It definitely is reliable and efficient. I think the only concern I would have in the general sense of cars nearly half a century old is that... It's old, lol.
Parts are most likely worn out compared to newer cars. Still, parts are cheap for them and much easier to fix. I think if anything... Toyota lol.

But Box... And Cheela will agree w/ me. I know if YOU get another Celica I know it'll definitely boost your brother's motivation and trust in the Celica!!!

Posted by: Box Jul 29, 2018 - 4:40 AM

The other option being the tC and also why the seventh gen was included, being they are newer. Old cars can be reliable if well maintained and the mileage is on the lower side. Ideally find one under 150K miles on it. I've thought about trying to import a ST205 once they're legal, but I hate to know how much that'll cost depending on how much demand there is for them.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Aug 2, 2018 - 9:13 PM

Oh those aren't bad either! I'd personally go w/ the 7th gen if it's between that and the TC. I feel like at least in the 7GC the interior quality feels much better than the TC.
Yeah I don't even wanna know lol, they're probably still looking around the 15k-20k range.

Posted by: Box Aug 2, 2018 - 11:02 PM

7th gen better than the tC on interior, I dunno would have to see the tC but the 7th gen was a huge step down from the 6th gen personally. Should be able to find a nice enough 6th gen around here that's in his budget, hell I've even seen pretty decent 5th gens but ideally looking for as new a 6th gen as possible.

That's ok a Suzuki Cappuccino is at the top of my import list anyway.

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Aug 3, 2018 - 7:13 AM

The 1st gen tC interior is lacking and is very moot. At least to me anyways. 7th gen is slightly better, but other than that, meeeeehhhhhh to both of their interiors.

Cappuccino and AZ-1 are on my list. If I could get the 2015-ish Honda S600, I'd be happy with that, too.

Posted by: Box Aug 3, 2018 - 5:44 PM

It's like a modern Beat, yo!

#ThreadDerailled

Posted by: cheela Aug 6, 2018 - 8:38 AM

when has ANY 6gc thread been on track?

Posted by: Box Aug 7, 2018 - 1:04 AM

Hmmm, the ones by newbies asking for help tend to stay on topic. So there's that.

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Aug 7, 2018 - 7:09 AM

#SuperEuroBeatsIntensifies

Posted by: TimeslideZ Aug 9, 2018 - 9:33 PM

Lol getting it back on track.

Need to do some rear brake pads since they're so old, any recommendations?
Mind as well fix up the Avalon calipers while I'm at it for the front.
Oh and I forgot, an alignment too. but I'm debating if I want to camber the front or not w/ a 5mm spacer or something...

Car needs buffing as well, scratches appearing again. I told myself I'd ceramic coat it once I paint it again but... That's not for a while.
Still gotta paint my rear spats and fix up the roof wing too while I'm at it. TOO MUCH TO DO, TOO LITTLE MONEY.

Posted by: block Aug 9, 2018 - 9:45 PM

That's why my Celica is just sitting lol. Well not the money issue but just no time.

Posted by: Box Aug 10, 2018 - 1:22 AM

If you're not doing anything crazy some daily driver quality Raybestos, Centric, or Akebono pads will be more than sufficient.

Posted by: cheela Aug 10, 2018 - 9:06 AM

Yup, I liked the Akebono pads when I had them on mine. Very good for DD. but one of my calipers froze up and ate the entire pad so I ended up switching out to EBC Greens.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Oct 15, 2018 - 8:04 PM

Alright last update for the car (probably for the year or something, idk I'm broke now lol).

Replaced my rear pads with some akebono pads, so no more noise. Almost decided to but some slotted rotors for all 4 but I'll wait.

My Red Volks Caps FINALLY came in AFTER 3 MONTHS!!! Took way more time than my wheels too, smh...
I got them installed on the driver side and installed the blue ones on the passenger side.

Went to one last (Toyota) meet before cold season so I got the car ready.
Didn't take any pics myself but my buddy got at least two pictures in.


Nothing else for now. Going to buy a tent to cover the car or some sort since my brother needs the garage to fix his Celica.

Posted by: Box Oct 15, 2018 - 8:35 PM

Looks great! I really like that Baltic Blue, it's a great colour for the car.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 22, 2019 - 7:01 PM

Nothing new (exactly), just had the first start this year now that it's averaging 40's during the day. Not worth the drive yet w/ snow on the ground.
Looking at budget this year will probably be pretty light. Probably get the push-start installed then maybe do some driver's mod (gotta use them D3 Direzzas).



And yes those are MR2 wheels (14") in the back. I got them free from my buddy but obviously got some 1" non-hub adapters for like $50 new.
Don't worry they're just so I have a set to have the car on over winter. BTW, the wheels DO NOT FIT the front; but the rear does even w/ the disc brakes (+ adapter).

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 25, 2019 - 8:53 PM

Well there hasn't been anything new on the car. Just got it ready for summer and went out to a couple meets.
Latest one so far is the MN Toyota one, where it was just me and this black 6gc (3sgte).



Got some noise coming from my left side when I'm nearly at a stop. It's the brakes but I'll replace it when I get my Avalon calipers painted and put on.
Other than that the battery has finally taken it's toll, 6 years living! I applaud BOSCH batteries lasting so long. Any recommendations?
Still gotta fix my exhaust leak, probably see if I can cut and do straight pipe as well.
Need to also get smaller spacers in the back so I'm not majorly cambered, then get an alignment so it doesn't shake so much.

Money money money, luckily I started a new job. Much better paying than before, just gotta get rid of some payments and then parts again!

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Jul 25, 2019 - 10:59 PM

Wal-mart battery. Warranty is pretty easy to deal with.

Posted by: Box Jul 25, 2019 - 11:54 PM

Go super JDM and order a Panasonic Blue battery.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Aug 12, 2019 - 11:26 PM

Went with the AGM Gold, let's see how long this one lasts!

On the other hand, I finally got the chance to take the car out on a long drive. Took it up to Duluth (2 hours north) for a wedding.
Got some photos in, unfortunately I'm too lazy to do some real editing so I just did some quick Windows Edit.



The weekend after I went to Iowa (2 hours south) for a family camping. A bit bittersweet going there as I maxed out at 120 mph around 5,600 rpm IIRC.
Car got REALLY dirty once I got on the dirt road. But a car is meant to be driven, so I embraced it.



Things may be on hold for now as my brother finally got my buddies 5SFE from his MR2 to swap into my brother's 6gc.
Still need to get my spacers; still need to get OEM strut bolts; still need to get my brakes painted...

Posted by: Box Aug 13, 2019 - 12:24 AM

Parks in a no parking zone, drives into a flooded field, then gets covered with dirt going down a gravel road. Poor car.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Oct 12, 2019 - 1:02 PM

It's been a while, have some little updates here and there.
Been working OT so money flow has been nice enough for me to get parts for the car.

First things first, what I was planning on doing:


Along the way before getting an alignment I decided to replace both my outer axles w/ some cheap Import Direct from Oreilys.
Given the spacers on the axle, the boots are bound to rip regardless. I have to look into seeing if I can reduce the length.

Back to the main thing though: basically a major rework on my wheel setup. I finally got around to getting 5mm spacers along w/ the standard and dots 1-3 bolts. Additional was a rear windshield wiper bolt clip, a paint pen, a TRD windshield banner, and a 7gc steering wheel.

Before the main thing, wiper clip! Definitely exposes how faded the rest of the wiper is. I forgot that for my front I'm missing one so I'll probably get that later too.


I knew my rear was pretty bad when it came to camber, and I wanted less w/o major rubbing of any sort.
All in all I traded in the 15mm spacers for 5mm so the wheel sits further inside. Keep the dot 3 crash bolts though for alignment.


It doesn't look bad but I actually had about -3 camber in the rear when I went in for the alignment.
Speaking of that, I did go into a buddies of mine and had my wheels aligned.
First time the car was on a lift under my possession, so I decided to check out underneath and also the CAT length.
Not bad overall, dirty but still clean enough for me to not worry about it (yet?).


We took about 6 hours doing the alignment b/c of (eventually finding out) the front axle spacer.
For the "spirited-driving" setup the idea was to get -2.0 front/-1.5 rear w/ little + toe. However based on my setup there were some issues:
- Even w/ the Dot 3 crash bolts in the rear, I was only able to achieve -1.3.
- With the fronts, b/c my right axle spacer is too thick, running anything less than -1 will bind the axles.
- Even w/ the Eibach crash bolts and the coilovers set to max, we were still only able to achieve -1.3.

So all in all I have 0 front/-1.3 rear w/ little + toe. The next things to do before another alignment are:
- Reduce the passenger axle size from 1" to 0.5" if possible. This should give it enough space so I can run -2.0.
- Replace the standard bolts with crash bolts for my lower strut bolts on both ends. Probably a dot 3 up front and dot 2 in the back.

Nice thing about the lift was I was able to easily measure the CAT length (12.5") which fits the LCE pipe I later installed (sorry no pictures).
The LCE pipe was only 2.25" in inlet/outlet size compared the the piping (2.5"); however w/ the play area on the bolt inserts I was able to make it work.

I know LCE has a 2.5" one but at 17.5" length. I didn't want to have to send it to a shop to do some cut and weld atm so I opted for the standard 12.5".
I still wanted to keep it a little quite but also free up the exhaust. I'd guess even w/ 0.25" less diameter the free-flowing of the test-pipe should be better flowing then w/ a 2.5" CAT (could be wrong though).

Original: https://youtu.be/0Y2ooOBYEIM, LCE test pipe: https://youtu.be/sH6oOxGEWFY

How does it sound compared to the CAT though? Sounds just a tad louder; but still pretty quiet nonetheless thanks to the SP2.
Not what I wanted exactly; but not so much louder which I'm pleased about. (Tried it "open," NOPE TOO LOUD.)

Looks-wise, the rear are definitely straighter, which helps w/ the wearing. As for the fronts, w/ the 0 camber it looks a bit like they're poking just a bit. But I'm okay with it, since I already have a higher height I left the car at so I can travel long distances.

Took it out for one last end meets before the salty season appears and I have to store my car:


Last but not least, there was a guy selling some AEM gauges nearby so I went ahead and bought them.
Boost (30-4406), Oil Temp (30-4402), Oil Pressure (30-4407), and A/F (30-4110). He luckily had all the wiring and gave me some free mounts; but I may not end up using them.

That's pretty much it for the year probably. The cold is settling in and the body work will probably be on hold until after.

Btw, I didn't install the steering wheel. The stitching needs rework, so I'll probably do that first. But it did give me a chance to see the wiring.

Found out that the cruise control wiring is different (compared it to my brothers 6gc, same year); so I'll have to look at that some more.
Removed the cruise control switch though, which is nice to not have it there although I gave up my horn lol.

Posted by: Box Oct 12, 2019 - 4:17 PM

Boost gauge eh, trying to tell us something?

Posted by: TimeslideZ Oct 13, 2019 - 1:39 PM

He he... Maybe... I'm not sure yet lol, but I'd figured I'd buy it with the rest "just in case."

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jan 7, 2020 - 2:28 PM

Started stockpiling parts to install once spring comes:
Gauges (previous post)
Bought the Runabout Weighted Shift Knob from Superklasse. Went for the red stitched for a more OEM look.
Also bought Bill Dana's 986 caliper bracket and A4 rotor adapter.

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Jan 7, 2020 - 7:31 PM

you can probably downsize all of those gauges down to 1 (maybe 2) if you use the BTI Gauges CAN gauge depending on if you decide to go standalone or not. I say that even though I'm running 3 gauges on my set-up (Boost, BTI CAN gauge, and AEM wideband). lol

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jan 8, 2020 - 8:14 PM

Ha ha the plan wasn't to go standalone since I'm not sure where I'll be going w/ any power upgrades yet.
Do you have integrated pillar mounts like this?


I want to see if you could possibly "plastic weld" a gauge pillar mount onto the OEM one but I'd figured it probably will not look as good.
But this one here from ortizcustompods is so expensive... $219!

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Jan 8, 2020 - 11:27 PM

I'm not a huge fan of the boy-racer look of the a-pillar gauge pods, so I ditched the one that came with my car in favor of an older DCW gauge pod that sits on the dash over the AC vents.

I think $219 is fair for the gauge pod assuming it's an OEM pillar cover and then he put in the work to seamlessly add a triple gauge pod to it. Would save me the trouble of doing it myself if I were to go with the pillar pods cuz even with those, I wasn't a fan huge fans of the universal ones that bolt right in the pillar cover. Looked tacky.

Posted by: snapshotgt Mar 5, 2020 - 2:21 PM

Years later and I still enjoy coming back to check on the status of the car -- keep up the good work!

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 20, 2020 - 11:39 AM

Colin! I'm glad you still come around now and then to check out the car.

Quarantine update: I'm still having to work so no time to the car. But that's okay b/c it's still pretty cold still in MN.
Nothing done to the car yet, however I did finally pick up some 986 calipers for the front:



Debating if I should try it out first w/ the 7gc rotors before trying the audi b6 rotor + adapter as well as what color to paint them.

Also bought a bunch of lighting over the winter. Went led for all the small interior/exterior lighting; but retained HID for the front lights.
All 6k lighting intensity; so hoping they all turn out the same since I wanted unified. Except the fog, might get the yellow tint for those.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Apr 10, 2020 - 10:37 PM

Hope everyone is doing well despite the pandemic. Luckily I was deemed essential so I'm still working, but remotely now which is actually quite nice.

Anyhow... new update: lighting overhaul (in progress).

Bought a bunch of LED's for the interior and exterior. only thing I left HID was the headlights. Unfortunately I didn't buy some of the correct bulbs so ordering some more along with other parts but that's going to take some time.
Probably the most difficult interior to get to was the climate control; but thanks to the awesome article here it was pretty easy to get to. Only replaced some since I wasn't sure if I'd like the original idea of all white.

Had to bring in a folding table cause my hobby table is setup for remote work atm.


Only replaced 4 LED's (2 shown), tbh they're probably way too bright but I'm going to drive the car for a week or two to see if I like it.
Still debating if I would want to go all white or just replace the original color bulb's w/ a brighter LED one of the same color.


Also got a few pieces from others: dcw triple pod, abs aluminum panel, dcw prototype gauge cluster housing.
Picture of the triple pod w/ the gauges i got last year. Please... ignore the dirty garage shelf lol.


My buddy is going to re-machine a new abs aluminum panel as well as my worn aluminum panel since they're all scratched up or dented. With new one's I also ordered some hood struts so my new panel won't get damaged.
Other parts include misc parts I needed for the 986 caliper conversion. I bought 3 blank discs, one to try the drilling process myself and as a spare in the event I mess up.
Just went w/ some EBC green pads, and thought I mind as well replace my rears as well.

Last but not least over winter I got the KS oem weighted shift knob. I recently decided to also purchase the ebrake and shift boot to match (red stitching).
Now I just need to find the updated oem 3 spoke wheel with red stitching....

Issues found during lighting overhaul:
- I don't have a cigarette lighter light, I think it was removed during the swap. Going to check w/ my brother's car to see if I can hook one up or steal his lol.
- I wasn't originally looking into this but I finally fixed the wiring for my heater seats. Few broken connections on the driver side and wrong pin connection on the passenger.
This was annoying me since my switch for the driver side wasn't working (lighting up) so I got annoyed and was trying to figure out why that was. Kinda scary since I know nothing about what brand and the wiring for the heat pads.
Great I got it working, sad that well... These pads are over 10 years old so they're not working efficiently, I'll have to invest in new pads if I want that feature.

What's next (hopefully lol):
- Finish lighting overhaul i.e. climate control, ignition/cigarette lighter lights, rear taillight LED conversion, fog/hazard switches, and then HID low/high/fog lights
- Sand down the dcw prototype cluster and get it painted to a glossy black, then replace that along w/ converting the gauge cluster lights to LED
- Get new abs and radiator panel machined
- Get an oil sandwich adapter so I can start hooking up my gauges (makes it easier that is), probably also relocate my knock sensor too so I'm not losing power b/c of timing.
- Drill the rotor so I can try out the caliper conversion. If that holds well then send all the calipers off to get them painted (debating on color atm).

Future stuff (that I really need to get to):
- Get my rear spats sanded and painted
- Get my roof spoiler fixed/sanded and painted
- Stop spending so much money on cosmetics and get an LSD for the transmission (I'm already near $2k spending, so I don't know if I want to spend another $1.5k for it just yet...)

Gotta say though with all of what's going and and me spending so much on the car (~ $2k w/ all the above or at the end of it lol) despite it probably not being the best decision, I'm very happy to be able to finally be doing stuff like this.
Not doing any major performance upgrades (yet); but I've always dreamed of spending money on the car when I was younger and broke lol. Feeling pretty good now that I just turned 25 and is this far. Who knows, maybe I'll just sell this and my FRS and get a 997.2 .
Jk ha ha, that's still out of my price range, maybe the new corolla wagon? 2.0l supra when it comes out?

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 25, 2020 - 5:10 PM

Hey it's back up! Lol some more updates to be had, but minor.

Got my CC lighting done, along w/ the SuperKlasse weighted knob/boot (still gotta sow it on to the metal plate thing though).
However the lighting behind the buttons are amber due to the burnt scaring over time, so need to figure that out (it looks kinda ugly at night).
Spontaneously bought the roof slab of poly and another one (needs fitting still) and I gotta say it looks good. Much more subtle.


Full HID conversion in the front, however all three emit different range even though they all should be 6k (same brand w/ same adapter and etc.)
Had to do some wiring work on the fog lights as the back end has the cup covers. Next part is probably to do some yellow tinting on the light(s).


Last but not least got my buddy to machine out the panels. Radiator one is pretty good; but we figured we can extend it outward the headlights and further into the bumper some more.
As for the other panel, I figured out that these panels don't fit as well since our AC lines interfere with it. However testing out it might be fine to leave it on top as is.
My buddy and I are still working on a few minor changes so more rev's coming. Plan is to have it as a latched panel that can rotate outward for easy access to the stuff underneath.

Posted by: cheela May 25, 2020 - 11:24 PM

looking good man! when are you gonna supercharge that thing?!

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 26, 2020 - 8:11 AM

Lol whenever I can actually find one (a good one that is)! I almost got one a while back but it was just a tad bit out of my budget.

Now that I have some money though nothing's showing up. Maybe I'll just be like Alenor and go 2GR instead...

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay May 29, 2020 - 12:10 AM

is there a 3000k bulb for the fogs? would be more practical than tinting the fogs.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 29, 2020 - 8:56 AM

There is; but I do also like the yellow tint in general. I might do all of them; but we'll see. Going to try half the lights and see if I like it.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 29, 2020 - 4:01 PM

Lighting update! I finally got around to re-lighting the gauge cluster. At first the idea was to do LED strips for the main display so it's brighter.
However upon swapping out the three 194's w/ the LED variants I have I might conclude that it's bright enough. I may still try out the LED strip on my spare cluster to see how it looks.

Note there are ~ 12 type-74 bulbs (9 standard, +1 for CRUISE, +1 for ABS, +1 for O/D aka overdrive for AT cars). And so I noticed that my gauge cluster is from an A/T.
Don't recall if this is the original cluster or not though, I do have a spare one that doesn't have the cut outs for CRUISE, ABS, and O/D.

Also noticed that I don't have the bulb for the CHECK ENGINE light. That scared me for a bit but going back to the original thread I think I know why they removed it.
IIRC this is b/c the car currently has CEL codes due to the swap. I may add it in just in case; but we'll see as I hate seeing the check-engine light on all the time.
Plus that light won't tell me much anyways if it's on all the time. Better just to check w/ the hidden OBDII stuff.

Since I had the DCW cluster as well I went ahead with re-sanding and fixing the crack on the cluster.
But I still need to primer and paint the cluster (high gloss black). For now enjoy some of the "rough draft" photos of test fitment.




Last thing is to remove the hue color so the outline is white instead of tan/green. Also I remember someone having red needles... Hmmm that would be nice to have he he he...

Posted by: BonzaiCelica May 29, 2020 - 4:27 PM

i may have the red oem needles if you want me to look. lucky you. the beams gauge clusters doesnt illuminate very bright because its orange backdrop color.

Posted by: TimeslideZ May 31, 2020 - 9:25 AM

Dude if you do I wouldn't mind man. Lmk the cost and I'll pay you lol

Posted by: BonzaiCelica Jun 2, 2020 - 1:46 PM

i have the rpm n speedo cluster needles. don't know wtf happened to the water n gas needles. im actually needing to buy a st202 beams gauge cluster. cause i only need the rpm assembly from it. but don't want to pay a ridiculous amount for it.

i'll see if i misplaced the needles somewhere

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 3, 2020 - 12:33 PM

Lol it's all good if you cannot find it. Given the amount of time and w/ a spare cluster I may end up trying to paint them myself. Plus ended up getting some aftermarket cluster faces so need to wait on that anyhow.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jun 23, 2020 - 7:19 PM

Got the glow gauge faces since I liked the daytime look. Not so fond of the nighttime as I originally wanted white lightning; but I wasn't going to pay like $430 for that when these were only $30.
I left the three 194 bulbs in the back white cause I couldn't find a greenish/blue color like the gauges and the RGB led's were too long. Last but not least the needles were painted fluorescent orange ON TOP of the original white paint.





I didn't remove the original; but instead double sided tape the new one's over the old one. Didn't want to glue it nor remove the needles cause it would mess up the e153 calibration so left it.
Also routed it wires by cutting a small hole in the back protector film (open space). Here's how it gauges look close up.




It was so hard to take a daytime photo due to the reflection so I did the best I could at the time. Overall there's a few things I will re-do (bezel paint/filler, new clear plastic, needle repaint) in the future but it's good enough for now.
However my fuel tank light won't go off (after filing) so going to drive the car until empty and try again. Also my airbag light is on for some reason so I need to check out why (it was on/off long before; but now it slightly glows even when the car is off).




Last but not least, QUAIFE BABY. I was lucky to find someone selling a blue gear ring in good condition (at a hefty price) so I went ahead and ordered the LSD. This probably won't go on for a while though as the shop I want to take it to is busy.
It'll be the best time to also cut my passenger spacer down so I can run negative camber (it was binding before), swap to MT-90 transmission fluid, and setup for the 986 caliper work (and maybe the GT4 rear) before getting another alignment.


Other things in the work: getting the 2.5" LCE pipe and going to have it cut down to 12.5" to match the OEM CAT length. Will also have the bung installed there for the AFR plug (yes it's further back but I didn't want to take out the whole custom y-pipe).
Once that gets done then I'll be installing the AFR w/ the Oil Temp + Pressure. Will probably change out the VDO volt gauge to an AEM one to match the rest of the gauges as well (digital + VDO green is off from instrument cluster).

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 24, 2020 - 12:16 PM

Finally got the wiring and hardware installed for the DCW pod + gauges.
- LCE testpipe cut down to match 12.5" and bung installed (decent welding by shop, wish it was better). Realized I already had one on the pipe but it was rusted so good thing I made a new one.
- Mishimoto universal sandwich plate. Image looks like it'll leak but I haven't had any issues after running it for a day; but time will tell.
- DCW triple pod. Not sure if it's warped or my dash but it wasn't "perfect" fit, as some parts stick but other locations needed extra layering. But not noticeable from driver/passenger perspective.
- I was originally going to have the wire go through the clock location; but ended up just going on top of the center cover and squeezing it in.
- Ignore the missing buttons, looking for new ones and all most are discontinued so the journey begins to search for new ones. It's going to be a long term search.



Small meet tomorrow, then probably set-up getting my LSD/Axle-work done.
In the meantime wanting to also upgrade my audio w/ a double-din and full speakers/sub upgrade.
Porsche brakes will probably start next year.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Aug 22, 2020 - 9:54 AM

Minor update: axles problems again! Had a meet a while back and as I was heading home I suddenly heard a huge clunk before my axle sounded like it was binding.
Thought it was the passenger side (cause I had the most issue w/ that side), turned out it was the driver side. Apparently the bolts came loose.


Bought new washer plates, axles, and 75 mm bolts (standard is like 50). Btw, that is a 15 mm axle spacer. Got that replaced and then literally a week later I was driving when my axle would "lock" up and turn right.
Quite scary when you're on the highway and going 75 mph. Turns out my right axle was bad. Ripped hole and missing 1-2 ball bearings. So getting that replaced and probably going to try w/o the spacer on that side.

Posted by: Bitter Aug 22, 2020 - 10:27 AM

Loctite 272 those bolts my man, should help prevent them from backing out in the future.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Sep 7, 2020 - 6:36 PM

Yep, just did that. I'm guessing the previous shop who did my axles didn't do that and it eventually loosened over time.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Sep 7, 2020 - 6:53 PM

Finally got my axle stuff resolved for now. Had to get a new passenger inner axle stub. Luckily my buddy had one since he obtained a lsd e153 + axles.
Changed out my transmission oil to Mt-90 and finally found the reason why my whole bottom left side was all greased out.

Turns out there was actually a hole in the transmission case (3mm x 2mm) from the axle backing plate scratching upon it when it first broke.
I didn't even see it cause it was so small; but it starts to leak when you get near full filling the transmission oil.
Hopefully the JB Weld Steel Stick stuff lasts (works for now). Just finally glad to get the car back on the road after a month of constant problems.



The shop that's going to do my lsd install is stacked until winter so unfortunately I'll have to wait until end of year/next year to get it installed.
On the other hand since they're taking out the transmission I decided I mind as well "upgrade" the clutch and flywheel.
Clutch is just a Stage 1, reviews seem to show that the combo is a pretty good one.

Hoping the car can last until after Oct 3-4 for a rally that I joined from a local podcast group I listen to. (https://overcrestproductions.com/rally2020)
Probably see if I can get some photos while cruising and stuff.

Anyone know of someone selling the supercharger kit? LOL

Posted by: TimeslideZ Oct 7, 2020 - 7:58 PM

Recently joined a Rally hosted by a local automotive enthusiast podcast (Overcrest Productions). It was amazing! Didn't know the roads we were on existed so close to home in the WI area.
Highly recommend coming next year, as there were some people outside of the states (IL and PA afaik) that joined in as well. Probably 80 cars? Few imports, some non-porsche euros, and the rest were porsche's lol.

I didn't take a photo of my car so I took one from IG.


First day group that I ran with, it was a blast eventually being 3rd and following some old school Porsche through the corners.


Second day group, a stock M3 and 991.2. Unfortunately the second day had higher speed roads so I was last and struggled to keep up with them during acceleration.
The M3 peeled back to MN near the end so I finished at the end point with the 911.2 only. Awesome guy, glad to make a new friend during the rally.


It was unexpected but my co-pilot wanted to shoot some videos so he free-handed recording during the second day.
Got two videos, one with the M3 and 911 going faster than usual and the other w/ just he 911 casually strolling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK2PX3ANF0I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68E0ZLnxmUY

NEED MORE POWER!!! At least in those high speed areas to keep up with them other cars that have over 100hp than me.
Nothing else left I think for this year, just waiting for the shop to open up to eventually do my clutch+flywheel+lsd and perhaps some other things.

Posted by: BonzaiCelica Oct 8, 2020 - 4:54 PM

ah great to hear. that cool putting your car to the test to see its weaknesses. how the engine. being that all the torque n power is down low.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jan 22, 2022 - 2:52 PM

Whoa it's back online! Prayers be answered; miracles be made. Quite a bit has happened since the last update.

TLDR: Car isn't moving, engine is out, transmission also, and it's too cold here to do anything.

Long story: turns out trying to rush many things all at once was not a good idea.
- There was another rally in Utah under the same podcast that I planned to go.
- Also planned to have the following installed in 2 months: Mishimoto radiator, OBX headers, Quaife LSD, SouthBend S1 clutch, Fidanza flywheel.
- Pretty simple right? Until it wasn't lol.


I will preface and say this is the first time I've ever pulled a motor on one of my own cars, so it was cool learning the whole process.





Removal process wasn't terrible; but it was a hassle trying to angle the engine+trans out.
I ended up replacing a lot of the gaskets as well as removing the EGR since it was rusted to the rear piece.
Quick visit to the junkyard to take the block off plate and some 10k ohm resister to trick the system and you're all good.



Problems arose though as I had found out the OBX headers do not fit the car with the current setup that I have.
Currently the gap between the subframe to engine is too low AND the headers sit too low to where it interferes with my steering rack.
During that time I also accidently cut my power-steering lines from the rear mount.



Amongst the prepping I replaced a couple other things: new tie rods (out + inner), higher spec fluids, rubber gaskets, etc etc.
At the end when I got my transmission back it was 2 days before driving to Utah. I had reverted pretty much everything except the EGR mod.
Car started up fine; but couldn't get into gear. Couldn't figure out what it was so we eventually cancelled the Rally trip and called it there.
I was so disheartened; but I told myself it was my mistake to go down this path so late into the game. I was only able to do so since my brother got a new house with room.
However I did end up going to CO (as it was planned to be there a couple days before the Rally) and spent the time there with my co-driver.
After coming back I sent the transmission back to the shop and had them look it over. Essentially I'm paying a little over $1000 to rebuild about 70% or so of the transmission.


In the meantime even though I lost motivation I was partly relieved that I didn't go since it might've been terrible to go in such a rush.
Took my time and replaced my VDO volt gauge for an AEM one just to match the others. Also finally got around to installing the 986 front calipers (w/o the A4 rotors).
Having them on for now to test it out and if nothing is wrong I'll have the calipers painted another day.



So yeah, that's where it sits right now. Car is still over at my brothers as I wait for parts to come in so the shop can replace a bunch of transmission parts.
Oh yeah, I also told myself since the motors out right now, it's probably the best time to stuff to the motor. So I got lucky and bought myself the supercharger for the 1MZ.
Full kit including the EBC controller. I want to try to keep the OEM ECU as long as possible. Also ended up getting 2MZ intake/3MZ exhaust cams too.
Gonna get the brown supra injectors to help out and probably some sort of FPR to help out w/ the fuel and a walbro fuel pump.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jan 22, 2022 - 3:38 PM

Oh... and I sold my FRS and eventually bought another Celica: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=99254
Alright which other celica veteran is selling their car? Gotta get one with a 3SGTE and then a 2GR, then lastly a K-series.
Then I'll have the ultimate celica swap collection.

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Feb 1, 2022 - 2:38 AM

I've got a piggyback ECU for sale if you need to help out.

Posted by: enderswift Feb 1, 2022 - 11:47 AM

Did you check your flywheel step height before send out the transmission for a rebuild? Should have a .020 step on it

an improperly machined flywheel wont let the clutch disengage and thus, wont go into gear. This is a trap I've seen at least 10 ppl on here fall into

learned all this from very painful experience...

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 1, 2022 - 3:55 PM

I didn't, I was under the impression that the new Fidanza flywheel matched the stock step height (as indicated on Fidanza's FAQ).

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 1, 2022 - 4:42 PM

which piggyback do you have? originally if i could i probably would want to keep the oem as long as possible but who knows what might happen. getting into diy tuning sounds tedious, dangerous, and a good learning process.

Posted by: NgoFcukinWay Feb 1, 2022 - 5:42 PM

i have the ECUMasters DET3 with the built-in 4-bar map sensor. Ran it on my supra for the last 4 years before I went standalone with their EMU Black cuz I wanted to run flex fuel.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Feb 22, 2022 - 10:53 AM

Sorry man never got back, I'll have to pass on that offer (for now?). Trying to research and very little amount of people used the DET3 with the 1MZ that I saw.
I ended up going a different route with URD/SS FTC since I'm not doing too much to the car atm.

Posted by: ricochet1490 Jul 9, 2023 - 8:32 AM

Have you ever thought about selling this car? Lol

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 10, 2023 - 9:37 PM

Haha perhaps one day when I "complete" the car but for now that that's not the case.

She currently has been sitting like this for a while now.


I kinda got distracted since I last worked on her and suddenly I'm married now haha.

But I'm about to start on her again, I have been busy since then stocking parts.
- TRD Supercharger
- 2MZ/3MZ cams
- Shimless buckets
- AFR 1:1 pressure
- Jspeed 3-point strut rear
- Beatrush 3-point strut front
- Beatrush strut rear-mount
- HID ballast/bulb conversion so I can run both low and high on the outer headlights
- CPE Intake (rare 1mz intake)

Not sure if I'll get to installing everything as I had hoped but if my brother allows another year I should get the stuff on.
I just don't feel right to not finish the build.

Posted by: BonzaiCelica Jul 12, 2023 - 11:15 AM

my fav 1mz swapped 6th gen celica. get it dun!!!

on second thought i see you using the cusco front strut bar. It looks like its the st205 version (taller clearance version). that fits on with stock oem hood? i say this because you say your going with the beatrush 3 point in the future....

wow amazing they actually made an aftermarket intake manifold for 1mz. they dont even have that ish for the 3sge beams redtop.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 17, 2023 - 1:43 PM

It is indeed the st205 version. Collin had it installed when he had the car. He did actually cut into the hood to make it fit. So it shouldn't be an issue for me right now... Until I get a different hood. Am thinking about a CF hood though just to help with heat temps.

Yeah the intake was actually well tested by CPE with their own black-box computer. Not as good as getting a sacfii; but I also got it cause it does look better and is a rare piece hehe.

Posted by: BonzaiCelica Jul 19, 2023 - 12:45 AM

higher temps even with an alloy 1mz??. I saw the video by driving 4 answers regarding alloy vs iron blocks. each have the pros and cons. I see

i get excited for builds like these because there are only a handfu on the web. THE ST205 builds arent as exciting to see as 10 years ago

Posted by: TimeslideZ Jul 20, 2023 - 10:55 AM

oh well it's not that hot on the daily operating temp. but i know the problem w/ the supercharger is the eventual heat soak (after hard driving) so having a vented hood should help out with it. Plus I also have a small dent on the hood due to the battery holder being a little too tall. Still need to re-locate that as well one of these days the the rear.

speaking of heat, i also ordered parts for the A/C system minus the lines for both the daily and this car. $1300 give and take for oem + whatever there wasn't oem for. man denso compressor at $340.... so expensive.

Posted by: TimeslideZ Mar 24, 2024 - 12:02 PM

Sadly... I just keep acquiring more parts w/o actually doing something to it haha.
- THIS YEAR IS THE YEAR THAT IT SHALL LIVE AGAIN... I hope

Other acquired parts for the car:
- AE90 master brake cylinder (since the 205 strut bar hits oem braker cylinder)
- GT4 calipers
- Better armrest
- Metal door sills
- RECARO SR2 F/R seats
- OEM window visor
- All from Derek N (except the AE90, rockauto ftw)



- (The other set of oem visor and trd strut bar will go to the daily)