Jeebus' ST205 - Getting her up to standards, Give me insight please! Options

[Jeebus]

So I finally got my lug nut locked wheels off after buying a key that didn't fit, and now I've started working on my car to slowly get it up to par to pass the Out of Province safety inspection.

Preface:
For those of you who don't know, I live in British Columbia, and bought this car a couple months ago in Alberta, Canada. Now the safety inspections are a little slack in AB, thus a bunch of "illegal" mods. Any car that isn't bought in BC is subjected to an Out of Province safety inspection, and they've been cracking down on the inspection sites as of late.

First off, I'd like to point that with the help of these two tutorials (Batman772's tutorial on 6gc.net, and another tutorial on Celica-Club.co.uk), I was able to remove my bumper. I encountered zip-ties, rusty bolts, missing push screws, busted plastic fender linings, and front spats that are held on with double sided adhesive only, as the plastic fenders that they're supposed to screw into is broken. I broke a bit of the plastic lining screw holes myself, as the rusy bolt would rotate, but not unscrew.




Things I am currently working on before I get my safety inspection done:
[DONE] - making my horn functional (had to replace horn button and re-plug in horn wires)
[DONE] - Removing HID lights and replacing with conventional halogen bulbs.
- Replace JDM (non DOT stamped) lenses, with USDM ones.
- Installing DRL
- Replacing the cracked turbo intake hose (I accidentally cracked it when I properly fitted the intake filter to the intake hose, and am currently waiting for a SAMCO hose from the UK)

- Fill in 2 rock chips on the windshield
- Remove (illegally dark) tint from the driver and passenger front windows
- Possibly replace my almost balding winter tires that were included with the car

1. HID Lighting:

Now, let's identify what I just removed. They weren't very bright to say the least, and there's no brand identification mark on it whatsoever. I'd just like to know the quality of it. The owner said that they were 6k bulbs, and the ballast says 12v/35W on it, and the little transformer is 2300V.
Any ideas?


2. Replacing JDM Low-beam Housing with a USDM set

So, I purchased a set of USDM low-beam housings off of a '94 Celica ST, and got to the point where I was able to just bolt them onto my frame and put everything back together, but I ran into one problem.

The JDM housing has 2 extra bulbs in them!


The main bulb had the HID installed, to which I've bought replacement 9006 bulbs, but the second smaller light had a blue LED bulb on them.




From testing my light switch stock, it goes:
(0) - off
(1 click) - instrument lights, tail lights, and small bulb turns on
(2 clicks) - low beams turn on.

Push the stalk forward (or hold back), and the high beams come on, as long as I've turned the low beam switch to 1 click.

Then there's the additional dial on the stock, which is for my fog lights, and they turn on as long as my low beam switch on at 1 click.

So, is this smaller bulb the additional low beam H1 bulb that'd been replaced by the previous owner with a blue LED light?
What are my best options to replace this bulb with a more natural white LED?
Is this light my best opportunity to jump some wires so that they become the DRLs, or should I go with everyone else's solution of the fog lights as my DRLs?
I'm currently researching what my options are, and I've found that either getting a HAMSAR unit from Canadian Tire, or jimmy-rigging some wires to my fogs are what most people do.

Also, lastly, as you can see in the picture, the USDM lights do not have the 2nd hole for the smaller bulbs, thus making my small LED lights obsolete. Would it be best if I somehow transplanted the lens from the USDM (via heat gun) onto my JDM housing so that essentially I could have the low-beam headlight housing with 2 bulbs as well as DOT approved lenses?

Lots to write about, but this is my first car and I'm having a ****load of fun doing this on my own. The labour of love I'm putting into this car is worth it all, despite the semi-lemon that I bought, albeit it being a low price.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

This post has been edited by Jeebus: Sep 17, 2013 - 2:52 PM

[ILoveMySilly97]

The lil 194bulb in the lo beam housing is called the accent light. Since you're adding a DRL. Best bet would to make those accent lights your DRL lights.

The lil 194bulb in the lo beam housing is called the accent light. Since you're adding a DRL. Best bet would to make those accent lights your DRL lights.

Wait. Nvm that. You're replacing the projectors with the USDM Stock ones. The accent bulb didn't come stock on usdm models. It was most likely rewired/spliced along with the side markers or the turn blinkers. They shouldn't be required for your car to pass your inspection since I believe your guys celicas came with the same stock housing as the USDM.

This post has been edited by ILoveMySilly97: Aug 9, 2013 - 6:36 PM

[Jeebus]

Based on the housing I just took off, the JDM lights were not projectors, but regular halogens before the previous Canadian owner installed the HID kit in them. I believe projectors were only installed on '96 GT-Fours and after.

[ILoveMySilly97]

Based on the housing I just took off, the JDM lights were not projectors, but regular halogens before the previous Canadian owner installed the HID kit in them. I believe projectors were only installed on '96 GT-Fours and after.

Oh yea. Didn't look at the pics but yea. I think the Canadian or Aussie models came stock with accent bulbs. We have the USDM ones which doesn't have one. The JDM projectors which has accent. And the one you have. They're all factory like that though. I'm surprised those are DOT approved. Thought they would be.

[Jeebus]

Bought myself a Milwaukee digital heat gun at Home Depot the other day, and got crackin'!

Lens Transplant day 1:


The ultimate Goal: Transplant the glass from my USDM lenses onto my JDM casing, so that I can use the accent bulbs. Why? Because I need this"



10minutes of heating at 250F didn't quite get the sealant soft, so I cranked it to 950F for around 5 min, onto the glass, and I may have gone hotter for a couple minutes.


Repeat.
(Lens pattern notably different, amongst other areas, if you look closely at the center.


Top Housing = USDM / Bottom = JDM
For whatever reason, the JDM housing has a metal blocking disk where the tip of the halogen bulb ends up when plugged in. I tried just swapping them, but one had an extra slit in the casing, whereas the other one didn't, so I could not easily swap them without cutting the metal. I do not have the tools to cut sheet metal, so I ended up just bending the disk forward and backward until it broke off.


I swapped the glass, and tried heating up the glass only this time to avoid melting the plastic. I figured the glass would get hot enough to soften the sealant, and the glass fit no problem, but I think I may have a few too many millimeters of gap still in some areas where I didn't clamp together well, so some clips won't fit.

I was then called into work, so I only completed the one lens.

I'm going to try heating up my oven to 250F, and placing my now aborted USDM housing with the JDM glass (that'll blind oncoming traffic) in for 15mins and see how that works.

[Jeebus]

Day 2: using the oven.

Pre-heat oven to 250F. I used a baking tray because I didn't want direct heat from the bottom element straight onto the lens and housing.
What is this, a reverse EZ-Bake oven? I tested with my useless USDM housing first, to see how well the housing would hold up, and it worked fine, so I moved onto my 2 left lenses.


After 15 minutes in the oven, the glass came off quite easily with the help of a smaller flat-head screwdriver.
*Caution* Be careful how you place your housing on the table, as the plastic can get quite malleable at this point. I accidentally had it resting on one plastic tab as I was trying to remove the glass lens, and the tab bent quite easily. You can just bend it back to it's original position though.


Next up, the metal piece that surrounds the 9006 bulb inside the housing.
Left = USDM / Right = JDM


I just simply bent the centerpiece back and forward to remove it.


Last, just pop your glass back on, as the sealant should be quite soft still since the whole process of taking the glass off takes a few minutes, and pop the lights back into the oven one last time. I put the lights in glass side down so that the weight of the lens would push down and minimize the gap between the glass and the housing. I left the lights in for an additional 10 minutes, brought them out, made sure there was very minimal gap by squeezing the two pieces together, and put them outside for them to cool.

There you have it, my little mini mod.

On a side note, anyone want to buy a pair of USDM low beam housings with JDM glass on them?

[ILoveMySilly97]

So basically the reason why you did this mod was because you needed the DOT stamp? Couldn't you get away with not having the accent light because of the turn signals can be wired as DRL too.

[delusionz]

LOL @ accent lights. They are parking lamps. Low wattage low light but visible, so if you park on the side of the road at night someone doesn't hit you... Everywhere in the worlds got it, except America

[richee3]

Our parking lights illuminate the turn signals.

[mkernz22]

'Merica....FTF.

[Jeebus]

Update:

I've decided between two ideas.

1. Hamsar unit from Canadian Tire, and wire up the fog lights. But fog lights cost more to replace when they burn out.

2. Buy a DRL relay harness and LED lights (various types) off ebay for roughly the same price, if not a few dollars more than the Hamsar unit.

Here's what I'm thinking if I go option #2:

Splice them into my accent lights inside my low beams. The harness to the accent lights on both sides are a Green and White wire.


L-Shaped LED lights on the sides


L-Shaped LED lights on the bottom


L-Shaped LED lights on the top


Bar-Shaped LED lights in the grill


Or, my last option, is to buy the 12" or 24" flexible LED strips, which you can also cut apart every 3 lights to shorten, and conform them somewhere.

Thoughts?

[Jeebus]

I went ahead and bought this a few minutes ago for my DRL solution:
eBay item

I based this purchase due to these thoughts after 20minutes of eBay searching:
- the unit has proper plugs to attach to my accent lights, instead of just black and red wires. (I'm not sure whether/where I can buy the plugs themselves with a quick trip to Canadian Tire or wherever)
- the unit does not turn on based on engine vibrations like some other models on eBay say do
- the unit will turn off as soon as I turn on the low-beams, if I connect it properly
- it's not an overseas seller (Asia, excluding Japan).

My only question, which I'll have to figure out when I get the unit is with the extra wires.
2x steering lamp wire
1x width lamp wire

I don't want to assume yet, but the steering lamp wires are to be connected to the positive wires of each low-beam light. As for the Width Lamp wire..... I have no clue. Width lamp = to the high-beam?

[Jeebus]

Listen, I'm new to the car world here. I'm a parking lot mechanic with no mechanical knowledge. Now I know we're all friends here, so please give me a break when I ask these questions.

So, I finally got my Samco induction hose and my rain deflector (thanks 97lestyousay!), and I put them in today. Now, naturally, my next project is waiting for my DRL module to come in the mail, but I've always had in mind that I'll have to get the suspension checked out sooner or later (fig 8's and what not). Now, the car has been in my garage on jack stands for the past 2 months, and my shocks were exposed, and I thought nothing of them. I figured they were stock. But while I was changing my intake hose today, I noticed this:


ADJUSTABLE SUSPENSION!?!?

So, now I'm curious. I took pics of my suspension, and tried to see if there were any identification marks printed on them to no avail. Can anyone guess? (Also, I don't know the basics between coilovers/springs/struts). On a good note, the CV boots look new-ish.

Edit: Did a little research, found THIS LINK ON CELICAHOBBY.COM, which means I have coilovers, yes?

Left side:


Right side:


ANNNND, three more pics:

I found this hose coiled around the reserve bottle, but not sure whether it's an essential part that I should be hooking up or not:


Took a pic of my turbine after I took off the intake hose. Looks like the turbine isn't damaged, so that's good news. Hopefully the innards are fine as well:


And lastly, for today, two items that attach to the air intake after the filter. The larger rubber hose is starting to split, so I may need to either clamp that down, replace it, or cut it a bit shorter and re-attach it if it reaches. the 2nd piece that attaches is barely held on by adhesive, and is connected by wires to what looks like a plastic tip. I'm guessing that it's the air temperature sensor for the air that flows in from the filter to the turbo? I'm not going to bother to permanently re-attach these two parts since I'm still waiting on my Apexi Power Intake.



Any help? You guys are the best!

This post has been edited by Jeebus: Sep 17, 2013 - 3:26 PM

[Malek]

Those coilovers are by company called Tein. Here's a link to what you have Fensport. And the purpose of the coil you found wrapped up is so that it can be fed inside the cabin giving you the ability to adjust the damping on the fly. Cool feature for sure.

The torn hose is basically a breather. It's not that big of a deal if it is ripped. If it makes you feel better, by all means, replace/fix/wrap it with tape and clamp. And you got the intake temp sensor.

I snagged up one of those rain deflectors too

Keep up the good work!

[CelicaB]

hate to disagree with anyone, but those tein coilovers are not what he has installed on his car, it looks like an adjustable strut in a stock st205 housing painted green, you can see the stock looking lower spring perch in the pictures.

You do want to fix that hose as you'll be sucking in unmetered (not such a big deal on the 3rd gen) and unfiltered air, which leads me too:

That turbo has sucked in a lot of dirt based on the polished leading edge and the "sandblasting" of the blades about 1mm from the leading edge. I don't think you'll have any immediate problems with the turbo, but it would be a good thing to keep an eye on.

an extreme case if you just let it go:

[Malek]

You have me interested on that suspension ^^ I didn't know GT4s came with adj. SS stock..swapped internals?

I didn't pay close enough attention. Saw green and assumed my bad!

Also, on that hose..I've seen people replace it with a mini air filter and block off the hole on the intake. Mine was ripped like yours. I electrical taped it and clamped it.

[BonzaiCelica]

Umm both are incorrect they are trd adjustsble shocks!

[Rusty]

See my TRD thread

They are 4 stage dampening force adjustable only, no height or camber etc
F 1764/696N
R 1245/490N
(yes I know I've put the wrong numbers on that thread for GT4 rear)

[dudeofchaos]

^ Anybody knows which setting is the stiffest between 1 and 4?

[richee3]

1 is the hardest.