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]

Project update

Time for a project update and pics.

Beams engine



The engine is in and has been back on the road for about a week now. There were no major dramas with the instal, just frustrating little things along the way.

I swapped over the entire front end, including the engine, gearbox, axles, brakes, power steering rack, subframe, radiator, as well as the engine and front chasis looms.

Maintenance including replacing the clutch, waterpump, thermostat, oil filter and driveshaft seal. The engine and gearbox oil were both replaced.

The finishing touch was a new 2.25 inch exhaust with a high flow cat and straight through muffler.

SS-II brakes

The SS-II came with the same size rotors, but with twin piston calipers. The swap was basically bolt-on, but I had to use the brake hoses from the SS-II as the standard ones were too short. I also had to change one of the brake lines as the thread was stripped. It would have been much easier if I'd have done this whilst the engine was still out!

The new brakes don't feel any different on the street, but hopefully on the track they'll give a little something extra.

Auto climate control

This was one of the most painful jobs of the whole project. It wasn't difficult since everything just bolted in, but I had to strip the interior completely bare since the auto climate control uses different boxes to the standard Celica air con. This also meant changing both interior looms as well as the front chasis loom which included another sensor. Stripping the interior down to the firewall is an awful job to do!

I haven't had the gas recharged yet, so I can't confirm whether the air will work, but I can't forsee any problems. The system is working fine on the heater side (which is great since it's almost winter here in Australia) and the temperate changes with the temperate knob, as it should do.

Interior



Changes to the interior include the auto climate control, SS-II white face guage cluster and three spoke leather wheel. The airbag had gone off, but I ordered a new center on ebay which bolted straight in, and I'm happy to report that I had no issues with the airbag light. Because I'm using a 6th gen three spoke wheel and centre I didn't have to adapt any of the wiring or plugs like we have to with 7th gen wheels.

I also had a 7th gen short shift kit to go in, but I've since found that the JDM and Aussie Celicas use a slightly different setup to the USDM models, so I can't use the kit unfortauntely. The shift in this car isn't that long anyway, so I'm not too bothered.

Exterior



During the engine conversion I also ordered some JDM tails which make a nice improvment to the back. I also got rid of the badges which I'd been wanting to do for years.

I also picked up a GT4 bonnet and front bumper, but these will be sitting in the shed for a while until I'm ready to have them painted and fitted.

Updated car specs

• 1994 Celica ZR
• 3SGE Beams VVT-i
• 2.25" exhaust
• SS-II twin piston calipers
• Lowered sports springs
• 18" rims with 225/40/18 tyres
• Auto climate control
• Leather 3 spoke wheel
• SS-II white face guages
• JDM tail lights

Future plans

• GT4 front end (have the parts, just need paint)
• Coilovers (probably BC Racing)
• Front & rear strut braces
• Rear sway bar
• New front seats (racing buckets)

And that will probably be it. The only other mod I can imagine down the track is a 3SGTE conversion if I feel the need for more power.

Here's a few more pics, which thankfully are from a proper camera for the first time rather than the crap iPhone camera!