6G Celicas Forums

Well I've taken on quite a few projects, but I thought I would post some pictures and a few details of what I've been putting time into lately. About a year ago, I had purchased a 96 Celica hatchback, and it has basically been sitting around collecting dust for awhile. I'm basically building it on the smallest budget possible to see how cheap I can build a decent looking Celica for. Since I have my Convertible as my main car, I am in no rush to build the hatchback, which allows me to sit and wait for the best deals to come along. So far, the damage on my wallet has been less than $1,000 to get it where it is today, and that INCLUDES the price of the car. Here are a few preview pics .













My two other projects hiding in the background.

i wanna see that RA Varis replics bumper

The RA is w/e right now haha. It doesn't give me any problems so I'm happy with it as is. If I do anything to it in the near future, it will most likely be coilovers and R&P steering. Maybe a some smiley bumpers and a 1jz swap down the road. It's just my back up car for now. As far as I know, I don't believe anybody makes a replica of the Varis Arising II front bumper. They make the Varis Extremor Replica for the GTfour .

EDIT: Also, I would like to add that the fitment of the bumper was amazing. Nothing needed to be shaved or heated. The only thing I had to do was drill a hole to screw the turnsignals into. Fit right on, everything lined up, and even the high beam rubber rings fit right onto the bumper, as well as the top weather stripping where it meets with the hood. Now I see why some bumpers cost way more than others, you get what you pay for . Oh, I also sprayed 3 layers of gray primer on it to "color match" it to the rest of the car haha.

This post has been edited by MaskedMan: Aug 28, 2009 - 8:32 PM

Aw doggy, that shiz looks tite.

That 1st gen looks lonely, I should drop by and give her a feelin' up hehehe.

Good job in acquiring the bumper..now you just gotta get that gangs jail bumper off that one dude =P

awesome, looking great on the budget build!

Buddy club rims and Varis bumper.

OO those are actually the Kosei K1 . They came with the car, so that helped keep the price of this build down a lot. Here's a quick mod list of what is on the car so far,

- Some sort of aftermarket header (came with the car, so I don't know the brand).
- Mismatched limited edition rear hatch in green (with the reflective emblems still attached).
- JDM tail lights.
- GT front strut bar.
- Sprint Springs.
- Super big muffler (also came with the car, but it makes me laugh so it stays for now).
- OEM sideskirts (since it's a limited edition, it also has all the emblems and stickers on the fenders).
- SS-III rear extention replicas (have the front too, but no use to me with the Varis bumper).
- The old limited edition floor mats that came with the car were trashed, so I picked up a complete set for $10 .

I'm trying to figure out what the perfect color to paint the car would be. Or I could just leave it grey primer forever haha.

Just incase anyone was wondering how the budget build started out as...


Some night time pics now, and something I thought was funny since I've never noticed it before haha.

This picture has not been edited. Can you spot what's wrong with my gauges?


Ok here's some quick pictures. Car needs a new battery, so I didn't really want to move it anywhere.





And this last one is for you Jon .

tastey jdm plates ftw!

damn!!tats one sweet car...........its got everything i dream of doin in mine

How far are you trying to go with this build?

Looks good so far!


This post has been edited by 96bluevert: Aug 29, 2009 - 4:16 AM

Thanks guys! Well plans are pretty much going with the flow of things with this one. There's really not much else left to do to it other than a paint job and some testing of different side skirts and rear extensions to see what flows better with the front bumper. In my opinion the front bumper is really aggressive and needs other parts to match it. I'm thinking 404 sides, TRD rear extentions and maybe a TRD spoiler and Varis roof spoiler combination? But only if I find them for a real good price, this is still a budget build .

Since engine mods other than intake and exhaust can be expensive, I'm trying not to build the motor much. I would be happy with just making the engine bay look clean by wire tucking and polishing of metals. Things that don't cost money .

Mainly, I wanted to give this car a 2nd chance at life. If anything, I would like it to be an inspiration to those who don't have much money to spend on their cars. I'm not trying to tell people how to spend their money, but just trying to give an example of what's possible even if you're a HS/College student, don't make a lot of money, or maybe you have a gf. I hear a lot of people who want a nice looking car, but feel they can never afford one. My goal is to bring this car from crashed condition to decent condition for under $2,000. Maybe then I can give some people hope.

nice progress. What are the specs on the Kosei's? and let me know if you are letting them go

nice derrick

This post has been edited by CelicaST_CALI: Mar 10, 2010 - 1:35 AM

lookin good keep it up!