95 GT-Four Progress Thread Options

[azian_advanced]

I just flew in to Vancouver today and picked up a 1995 GT-Four that I imported myself. So now that I have a celica again, I decided I should have a progress thread since I never made one for my previous car.
It is a 1995 Celica in baltic blue (code 752) with the optional sunroof. That's about the only feature it came with from the factory.
Upon arrival, I was disappointed that the exporter did not show pictures of the worn and damaged areas of the car. The only damage noted was a dented rear hatch door and was in excellent mechanical condition.

First, I'll start with the pictures that the exporter had posted of the car.















optional factory seats. but obviously i went with the recaro's.
















here are some pics after i picked up the car and gave it a wash.












this is the mileage when i first picked up the car and drove to the nearest gas station a couple of kilometers away since the gas tanks are emptied when the car boards the ship.
i spent exactly $100 to fill! damn vancouver gas prices are high!








no idea why this is in the car. looks like a turbo timer diy that went bad...





driver-seat.. side bolster is beat to ****! i'm so disappoint!




but the passenger-side looks very good




it has LED map light installed





a couple of adhesive pads were left on the dash. not sure what it was for but i sure hope it can come off easily




this is the head-unit that the exporter agreed in installing.




i found this inside the shifter surround plastic. seems like a turbo-timer DIY install that went bad.





there's also this blitz boost controller which i think is a dummy since it doesn't light up or anything..





black spoiler... seriously?




here's that dented hatch door i mentioned.. hope it can be easily repaired.




small nick on the spoiler blocks




severely faded hood and vents





headlamp rubber seals are about to come off... typical 6gc problem.





and the rest are just random stickers and insignia











some goodies found in the glove compartment












I've spent most of the day driving around the city getting used to the RHD. it feels like learning how to drive all over again. shifting with the left takes some time to get used to. the turn signals are on the opposite side now and out of habit i'm turning the wipers on instead. after a few hours i've gotten used to most of it but downshifting in traffic while using the turn signals & changing lanes simultaneously is nearly impossible to do at first.

mechanically, the turbo spools up like it should but i'm really concerned about how much life it has left. nearly half of the foam in the hks mushroom air filter has already disintegrated, so there's literally no filtering at all! seems like the previous owner didn't care for it. also, when i picked up the car, it was on a gravel lot and the car was dusty. i really hope no sand was sucked in to the compressor and engine to cause long-term damage. i won't be driving through any gravel roads from here on out until i get back to winnipeg in 3 days.

you can really tell the difference between the gear ratios of the e154f & s54. i need to shift at a higher rpm so that the engine doesn't bog down on the next gear.. like the engine is begging to be revved! i'm still a softie when it comes to pushing the engine, looks like things are gonna be different from now on!
the shifter itself is notchy when downshifting to 3rd and 2nd or when trying to shift at higher than normal rpms so i'm guessing the synchros are starting to go?
i still haven't made any hard pulls since i'm still trying to get the hang of driving a RHD but I'll likely do a few once i get on the highway tomorrow. the drive through the mountains is gonna be fun.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 16, 2012 - 1:24 AM

[azian_advanced]

I'm currently parked at a mall in Kamloops. The 4 hour drive here from Vancouver got me 27.82 mpg including several hours of driving in the city. There is a slight issue with the car.. The engine tends to bog upon boost. Although it's intermittent and happens about 1/10 times. It bogs until I release the throttle a little. It's like there is a problem with the TPS or like it's running an AFM. Not really sure right now and I don't have the tools and time to diagnose it til I get home.

There are definitely a few things needs to addressed. The front brakes are squealing intermittently so I think the pads and rotors need to be replaced. I need a new foam insert for the air filter. I want to replace the tranny fluid with synchromesh as mentioned earlier. I want to get the blitz boost controller to work so I can play with it I'm putting in the old double-digit stereo that I kept from my old car. In fact, I'm gonna try to contact the person who bought my car from the salvage auction and get all my parts back including the leather seats, 8 speaker system, cruise control, heated seat elements, seat belts, skirts, rear splitters, springs, and rear end links. Then have the body work all fixed up and new paint. This will span over a few months though and take some time.

After all that, I want to start modding again! summer wheels & tires, slap on new winter tires on the existing Enkeis,
and powdercoat the calipers.

Once I'm in Calgary I can get JDM tails and projectors since non-DOT lighting isn't enforced.
I'll be arriving in Calgary late in the evening tomorrow to stay with close relatives then leavimy early the next day to hhopefully make it back before Saturday. If I had the time, I'd go to see some apartments in person but other than that I won't be able to attend any meets until the next time I'll be in which is probably sometime middle to late June.

One thing I wished the Recaros could do is recline backwards so I can lay down and rest from all this driving.