My New Celica Project Options

[rm240sx]

First off Id like to say Hi to everyone! Im a noob on here and to celicas. I bought this 95 celica stx to fix up for my wife, after she wrecked her xterra. I picked it up for $500 on clist. It definitely needs some work but I think it will turn out pretty nice when its all done. Hopefully shell like it!

Heres some of the things going for it and not...

Pros:
BBS wheels
newer tires
it runs
decent window tint
interior cleaned up pretty nice
speakers are good
came with a full sized spare and a donut

Cons:
Hood came unlatched and bent all up and destroyed windshield
front fenders dented
front bumper has bad pitting issue
paint faded
engine has oil leaks, coolant leaks, a misfire and a valve noise
Car was pretty trashed when I got it (I could see potential though! LOL)
Stereo is missing nobs
Half interior lights are out
drivers seat mismatched and ripped
Trunk full of water

Im sure I missed some...

Anyhow heres some pics of it a couple weeks ago when I brought it home and started cleaning it







It cleaned up pretty good. But It needs a lot of work!

So I started working on it bit by bit.

First off the engine..
I found out the crank and cam seal were completely shot and pouring oil. also the oil filter was loose! I replaced all those. Then I was able to run it and let it get warmed up. When I did that the upper coolant hose burst. Replaced that. Then it was running pretty good, til it started misfiring. Changed plugs, Valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals, and wireset. Now it does run good. The only issue is the slight valve tap noise it has. It seems like its one of the middle valves but I haven't pulled the head to check. For now im going to drive it like it is.

I started doing some body work too. I looked for a cheap replacement hood for it but had no luck so for now im fixing it. I fixed several dents in the hood. I still have two more to go. The fenders I popped back out, but they will need filler.

The interior is almost done for now. I detailed it really good. I removed all the old woodgrain trim stickons. I got a matching untorn drivers seat.

So far im at around $700 in this build. Ill try and keep posting as I go along.


So after looking at everyone elses nice rides on here its making me want to do a lot. So Im adding a list of things I want to do to celica..

Exterior:
Bodywork
Paint
Lip for the front
HID
18" wheels. something flush looking
2" lowering springs with new shocks

Interior:
SpreeLED purple kit

Engine:
Full exhaust
Maybe swap if the motor goes

This post has been edited by rm240sx: Feb 23, 2013 - 7:10 PM

[Legen-dary]

Well you don't necessarily need a booth, as long as you have room outside to build a temporary one. Seriously you can use a portable garage or some decent sized EZ-up type of tents and hang painters plastic down the sides to create walls. I painted my Evo in my garage and it turned out pretty good. It was a lot of work, but very worth it in the end. Anyways, if you're thinking about it you can always get one can of paint and practice on a fender or something, then see how you feel about it.

In the end the choice is yours and the plastidip will definitely be cheaper and less time-consuming due to far less prep and post painting work.