96 Celica 25th Anni. Edition ST #461, A was-to-be clunker's life restoration Options

[TiGZ461]

Hey guys,

Names Marvin, I've followed this forum for quite a while now made a couple friends in the chat room, but never really got into really posting on the boards (besides the FS section). But anyway, ummm, I'd like to thank this site for getting my Toyota craze back. Lol, if it wasn't for this site I wouldn't have my lovely car right now, and I'd probably still be up in Honda forums, not saying I don't go to them now but this is my main site now .

So about the car/ How I came about to owning it.

Well, this really all happened by mistake, a lovely one may I add. I was browsing thru Craigslist and Google like always. I was looking up parts for my moms Accord and on the other looking up car sites. Well while searching up parts, I came across a Supra site. And like many others, Supra was my first love in cars. I click on it, and I see this mutated Supra, and I'm just thinking "wth was this person thinking with this conversion?", lol little did I know it was the front end of a 6gc. Didn't like it at first but then I really started digging the all around look of it. About 2 day's of searching I found out it was a 6 generation Celica, so I tape that into Google and first site on top is 6gc.net. I stayed up like a good week straight all night long reading and researching all the stuff you guys do. I was seriously amazed at all the work put into these cars. It "inspired" me to go out and buy a car. I've never owned a car before, and all I do is read,talk,think ,sleep cars but never actually had one to call my own. So I said fcuk this, I'm getting a 6g.

And here's where the finding of my car begins.

So back to Craigslist.
I start searching for a Celica, and I have to say these car's are rare around here or noone want's to sell them because I would never see any for sale. Except that one day, I saw a posting of a 95 Celica 5 speed ST coupe with 180,000 miles for $800. I was souped and ready to go out and buy, so I call the guy up and tell him I'm going on Tuesday and I called on a Sunday. And he said yea sure come, I have noone else who has called and if they do I'll give you a call, so I said sure I'll be there Tuesday and more them likely I'm gonna end up buying. So Monday came along and I called him again to make sure he had it and he said yea, so Monday passed, and it was Tuesday. I woke up early as I could, got ready and called him up. "Hey man, I'm head out now", and he replied "dude, sorry but I sold the car yesterday, I didn't think you were still interested so I didn't call you back", I hung up. Pissed as hell, went back on Craigslist started searching, knocked out, woke up, and bam! A new 6g posted up for sale.









As you can see it was in a front end collision. Nothing too mayor, but alot of work ahead of me. It was a 25th Anni. Edition, with 160k on it, runs and drives, but needed work. So I drove out, 1hr and 20mins? I think that's how far it was. I show up I see it parked outside, I fell in love. The bright red paint job had me going insane I knew that was my car then and there. He told me the whole 9 yards on how it happened, and all of the info he could on the car. The body and interior was in great shape. But the damage to the front end left it needing this-

Parts needing to be replaced
-Bumper
-Hood
-Passenger Side Fender
-Radiator
-Ac Condenser
-Both fans
-Rad support
-Airbag's
-Windshield

He was asking $850 obo without the rims of course. I said I would give him, $450 but he said it wasn't going that low, and that he rather junk it or something since noone wants to buy and I offered so little(to me that was alot due to the damage). And I said ok, thanks anyway...my heart was pounding a billion times faster lol it scared me when he said that, I had gotten attached to car already. But I kept composure and he came around . He even did me the favor of dropping it off the next day.

Here are the pic's I took once I had it at my parking lot. (Sorry I forgot to take before the bag's were put on)











This post has been edited by TiGZ461: Aug 25, 2009 - 5:07 AM

[delusionz]

4A-GZE is the swap for the 7A as it all bolts up. 3S-GTE is the swap for the 5S.

(However you can get 5S engine mounts to make a 3S work in an ST)

With both swaps, if you want a nice fresh engine (and a late spec with highest available output) your best bet is to find a JDM importer.

Not sure about the US but in New Zealand there are engines with less than 100,000kms (60,000 miles) being imported all the time.

AE101 Toyota Levin (Or Trueno) GT-Z is the donor car you're looking for. Otherwise it's the prehistoric AW11 MR2 Supercharged.

[95CelicaST]

4A-GZE is the swap for the 7A as it all bolts up. 3S-GTE is the swap for the 5S.

(However you can get 5S engine mounts to make a 3S work in an ST)

With both swaps, if you want a nice fresh engine (and a late spec with highest available output) your best bet is to find a JDM importer.

Not sure about the US but in New Zealand there are engines with less than 100,000kms (60,000 miles) being imported all the time.

AE101 Toyota Levin (Or Trueno) GT-Z is the donor car you're looking for. Otherwise it's the prehistoric AW11 MR2 Supercharged.

Levins and Truenos were never brought to the US, so a GZE isn't as easy to find. Even the AW11 GZE is hard to come by.

And even though it "all bolts up" to the 7A, it isn't as easy as a 20V or any other A series motor. I remember asking my tuner (who specializes in the 4AG/AE86 platforms) about swapping a 4AGZE into my first Celica, because he was swapping one into an AE86 at the time. He told me to steer clear of the GZE's, because they're a nightmare to get running properly when you swap. He said your basically better off to buy one, throw a 4AG intake manifold on it and turbo it with a standalone.