JoshuaM's '97 Celica ZR, The Final Chapter - Goodbye Options

[JoshuaM]

it sounds like youll be better off with the 7th gens. Since you will have to get tires for them, youll end up spending less than 600 total for the wheels and new tires.

(im biased, i dont like those caldina rims haha)

You don't like those rims!

I just read njccmd2002's progression thread, and now I am in completely in love with them! (and for the first time ever wish I had a black car so the would look that amazing!) Bit concerned about that offset though - dont want it to look sucked in, but don't want spacers either... Still stock suspension.

Everybody has their own opinion on wheels, personally I absolutely HATE black wheels, contrary to most people on this site.

Unfortunately whilst waiting to be emailed the Caldina rim pictures he sold them - just my luck, he has been parting out for a month and the day after I start enquiring he sells them -.-

I think I might either wait for the Caldina Rims, or at least wait to fin the 7th gen ones locally, rather than paying for shipping now.

[Tigawoods]

just use the 7th gen rims to hold you over for now

[Malek]

Man, that Celi is clean! I wouldn't throw out black rims on silver just yet..matte black on silver is teh sex!

But yeah, 7th gen until ya find the perfect set you like!

[SwissFerdi]

^ Formerly had that combination, nice indeed but the appeal to me was short-lived. I always liked the color combination, but unless the wheels are perfectly clean, it looks like dirty "normal" black.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Feb 24, 2013 - 12:54 PM

[JoshuaM]

just use the 7th gen rims to hold you over for now

I will probably end up doing that, but there aren't too many around and I don't want to rush into paying too much for them when I know they aren't going to be long term And confession, I am a great fan of the OEM look, so I don't mind sticking with what I have for a bit longer... They just are a little small (And my grandparents Camry has the same wheels!!! )

Man, that Celi is clean! I wouldn't throw out black rims on silver just yet..matte black on silver is teh sex!

But yeah, 7th gen until ya find the perfect set you like!

Thank you unfortunately the paint has a fair few minor blemishes up close, but take a few steps back and it looks mint

BUT... I'm not sure if I could ever live with myself getting black wheels... It's that bad

So I'll keep looking for both, with the end aim being the Caldina wheels Thank you everybody for your inputs

[JoshuaM]

They arrived



Now just need to wait for the rain to stop!

P.s. And should be getting a new phone (Nokia Lumia 820) this week so my mobile uploads won't be so terrible!

[JoshuaM]

All installed that has to be quite simply THE easiest mod you can do Just push, pull, twist and clip

Will get pics when it's daylight (and not raining) but everybody knows what they look like anyway

[JoshuaM]

Real news... NEW WHEELS!!!

Set of 4 16" 5 spoke alloys off a 2003 ZR Celica - including centre caps with very minimal gutter rash..... For $180 AUD



CAMBEEERRRRRRR!!!!!

2 of the tyres are completely shot, and two I will get a couple of thousand out of (if I want to). Planning to get some second hand tyres for the two shot ones on the front until I am sure I am happy with the look (and don't find any Caldina rims), before I'll get some proper dunlops or pirellie's or something.


I'm looking for some euro front splitters from the UK at the moment, and want to pick up some TRD rear splitters for the back. I find they follow the lines of the car much better than the ssiii ones, and look less stuck on.

I'm also negotiating with a couple of people in AUS about possibly getting some projectors and a front grill

P.s. they're currently hiding in my grandparents shed until I break the news to my dad (and get new tyres) - he still thinks I'm the perfect child with a completely stock car

[richee3]

Your dad has it pretty good if the worst thing he had to worry about is you changing the rims on your car.

[Timmyface]

LOL, the first thing i seen was the photo at a glance and went, wow, super stance. hahaha.
Nice pick up though dude, $180 was a steal

And have fun finding euro splitters, took me ages to find mine, than i sold them
And in the end, if you bought the car, you can do what you want. My dad is a highway patrol cop, and he/i know my car is defectable

[JoshuaM]

Your dad has it pretty good if the worst thing he had to worry about is you changing the rims on your car.

Haha, well I haven't told anybody about the gt-4 yet either.... But I do take your point

LOL, the first thing i seen was the photo at a glance and went, wow, super stance. hahaha.
Nice pick up though dude, $180 was a steal

And have fun finding euro splitters, took me ages to find mine, than i sold them
And in the end, if you bought the car, you can do what you want. My dad is a highway patrol cop, and he/i know my car is defectable

Yeah, I'm still on stock suspension, but that doesn't stop me from playing trick photography!

$180 was a good deal I think; there are a couple of sets on Gumtree in Melbourne and Sydney for $250 that have a bit better tyres, but rims not as good and I would have to pay shipping too. These ones were listed at $250 last night on Gumtree too but only about 35 min from home, but I still managed to bargain him down (I do that a lot - you have all been forewarned ).

I have joined Celica Club UK for that sole purpose they do come up there every now and again for about 30 pounds, but I have no idea how much after shipping and painting. I am certainly not expecting to find them overnight though (unfortunately ).

And I find that hilarious about your dad I can just imagine him cringing every time you leaving the house with your 3mm *exageration* of ground clearance

And we are yet to cross paths officially on here, but I have stalked your build thread many times - I have loved many aspects of your design and at many points it has been by far my favorite pre-face. (However as noted above I have an irrational hatred of black rims, and although you pulled it off very well I still loved it more before you went black, and you had the euro splitters on - there is one photo I have in mind at that stage that is simply stunning). You should expect a lengthy reply on your thread at some point when I have the spare time, both about the build and the awesome photography!

[JoshuaM]

Another very minor update; new shift boot. eBay job for about $11 including shipping from UK. Fitment is reasonable, but not perfect. In any case, looks much neater than the worn out original.



I'd like to give bigger updates but I need to find people to buy it off first! (Without paying fortunes on international shipping on inflated eBay prices ).

[JoshuaM]

Well I was going to wait to wash and get good pics with my SLR, but mid-semester exams + cold means that might be a little while so here it is;



They look nice However I still jump every-time I walk outside because i'm not expecting to see them, and it looks weird after being so used to the stock wheels I'll still keep half an eye out for the Caldina wheels, but these are nice and the ride on the 16's is quite reasonable.

I mayyy have bought a second set of these same wheels (no centre caps though) during the week I got them for $75!!! The guy didn't know what he had, they were a gift for an old Camry that he had that he never put on, I lowballed him $75 expecting a huge counter-offer and he jumped on it! So that worked out cheaper than a set of 2 second-hand tyres

It is quite sad really that these tyres have much better grip than my old ones; which were brand new when I bought the car ~12,000kms ago, however they were fitted by the dealer and are pretty much the cheapest chinese **** you can get (Insert whatever derogatory 4 letter word you like ). The tyres i'm running on the fronts on the 16's (Hero Milanza brand) have plenty of tread but are showing a small amount of crazing and small cracks in the tread and have gone a bit hard, and the ones on the back are in better shape but only just above the tread indicator (Kumho), yet these have many times better dry and wet weather traction then my old set!!! I will keep these on for a few weeks to make sure I am happy to keep these rims before i go out and spend big money on proper tyres

Bit of a scary experience last night, we had a huge storm come over and since we don't have a carport I jumped in my car and headed off to the local undercover shopping centre (They can't lock it - win ), however the storm hit hard about half way there and I ended up driving the rest of the way by memory - visability was 0 with the wind and rain, the street lights were cutting in and out and the traffic lights were all down. It was so bad that I couldn't see white traffic islands in the middle of the road, even when I was right next to them. Luckily got there safely and waited out the storm. When i returned home there was a tree across the driveway about where my car was parked before, so a good move even if I left my run a little late.

I'm now just really hanging out for a set of euro front splitters and TRD rear splitters

[JoshuaM]

I came accross a couple of old images that I didn't ever have a chance to upload too;

This is one when I went out on a drive to fetch a new camera lens and I wanted to try it out on the way home:



And this one is on a Brisbane Celica Club cruise from last year:



And I remembered that I didn't upload any photos of my new subwoofer. I am very happy with it, and it is a great option if you want that full range from your audio setup without sacrificing the practicality of the lift back celicas.

(Excuse the mess )





It is very durable too, I had no concerns about chucking a full set of wheels on it and driving a considerable distance

Due to eBay canceling my bid on me for unforeseen technical reasons I missed out on the TRD rear splitters I really wanted... But I have a shopper trawling through Japanese listings for me, and in discussions with a couple of private sellers, so there should be a few JDM goodies coming my way shortly ;D

P.S. for splitters and *spoiler alert* mirrors I am looking at some are being advertised in Europe / UK as Lucerne Silver, is there different silver mixes for our generation Celica in different regions?

[SwissFerdi]

Lucerne is alpine, I suppose, but the only factory color I know of is Alpine Silver. It is also, coincidentally, my city of birth.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Mar 31, 2013 - 4:14 PM

[JoshuaM]

Lucerne is alpine, I suppose, but the only factory color I know of is Alpine Silver. It is also, coincidentally, my city of birth.

Haha, so that's why you like it so much

But that is good, I don't want to pay a lot extra for getting silver ones that don't need painting only to find they are a completely different shade

[JoshuaM]

Guess what time it is…. PHOTO TIME!!!

I was down on the sunny Gold Coast today, so I cleaned the car and took some photos to show off my new wheels!

Since nobody is going to read what I write here with the photos below I guess I’ll just link now and talk later…















I want to finally enter a Celica of the month competition… Please help me choose!  OR, tell me to go home and take better pictures / get more JDM parts first

The mod bug will bite. Beware.

Ohhh… OUCH! MAKE IT STAHHHPPPP! Yeah, I go to buy one or two tiny little things and here I am buying almost everything I have ever dreamt of…. Love prices ordering direct from Japan

The sad thing is that with my new wheels and a couple of good, regular cleans I have fallen back in love with it just the way it is anyway BUT… who can say no to JDM goodies.

[CelicaZR]

I hope you got some jdm projectors on order

[JoshuaM]

I hope you got some jdm projectors on order

Mayyyyyybe

[Rusty]

looks tidy/clean well done