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

[BonzaiCelica]

grr. I envy you right now. I'm having the same problem you had before, I can not line up the transmission properly so that I can mount it back onto the block of the engine!!!

[S8S8]

grr. I envy you right now. I'm having the same problem you had before, I can not line up the transmission properly so that I can mount it back onto the block of the engine!!!

Envious about the 3 spoke wheel? Yeah, that's one of the good things about getting the full clip, all the little goodies like the JDM steering wheel and dash parts. Mine has red stitching too, which is very nice.

With the gearbox, a mate and I spent an hour trying to get it on without any luck, then last night night I tried it on my own and it went straight on! I think we were just trying too hard, you need to relax and just let it slide on. Mine stopped around 10mm from the block, then I started threading the bolts in which pulled it all together.

Today was a day of major frustration! After getting the engine in place as per my previous post, I was talking to an ex-mechanic mate of mine who asked me a bunch of questions...

Did you do this?

Yes.

Did you do that?

Yes.

Did you slide the steering column back into the rack...?

Fu@#!

So I had to undo everything and drop the engine back down an inch or two so I could fix the steering. Talk about annoying! To make matters worse, after getting everything lined up so easily the first time, the second attempt was a nightmare. Very frustrating...

Anyway things are looking good now and I should be ready for the first engine start sometime tomorrow. There's still plenty to do, but I can definitely see light at the end of the tunnel.