3SGE Beams powered Celica, Her replacement has arrived Options

[S8S8]

I've had my Celica since 2005. It's a ZR model which was released in Australia with the 5SFE engine. The ZR came with a few nice little extras like the leather wheel and gear knob, airbag, ABS, cruise control etc. I wish it had the sunroof, but unfortunately the original owner was too tight to tick the option box!

My current plans are to build a car that I can enjoy on the weekends and take out to the occasional track day. I used to have an AE86 JDM Levin that I took to the track, so I'd really love to get back into that.

I toyed with the idea of selling it and buying a later model WRX or EVO, but I reckon for less than $10,000 I can build a car that might not be a rocket ship, but will definitely be good fun.

I'm not really into the visual side of things, so most of the work will be around making the car more fun and enjoyable to drive.

Current mods:

• 18" wheels
• Lowered springs

Planned mods:

• 3SGE Beams conversion (done)
• SS-II twin piston brakes (done)
• SS-II instrument cluster (done)
• SS-II leather steering wheel (done)
• JDM auto climate control (done)
• GT4 front end (done - but needs paint)
• GT4 rear strut brace (done)
• JDM tails (done)
• JDM projectors (done)
• Bigger exhaust to suit the Beams (done)
• BC Racing coilovers (done)
• Sportier front seats

Here's a couple of pics back when the wheels were new:









Looking forward to starting the Beams conversion and I'll probably be asking plenty of questions on here!

Cheers
Shane.

This post has been edited by S8S8: Jan 19, 2017 - 6:46 PM

[S8S8]

More questions...

1. Removing the gearbox. As you can see in my last pic, the engine and gearbox are still attached to the sub frame. I'm taking the gearbox off to replace the clutch, and so far I've removed all of the bolts that go from the box to the block but I'm unsure about what happens with the axles. I assume I have to remove the axle from the front of the engine in order to remove the box? Are there any other tips to removing the box? Some guidance here would be appreciated.

2. Removing the crank pulley bolt. I've Googled and found plenty of different methods, but most of them relate to having the engine still in the car and being able to put the car in gear. With my engine and box sitting on the floor and in neutral, are there any tips or tricks to getting the bolt loosened?

Any help with these two questions would be very much appreciated.