Teh Official "Dude Where's My Forum?" Thread, Brought to you by the minds of Box, and her fiancée, Lorelei Options

[Bitter]

I'm trying to convince my friend (BRZ Ryan who comes out to the 6GC Starved Rock meets) to get a 6th gen instead of a 3G Eclipse (again). Told him a 1MZ swapped 6th gen would not only be reliable but overall a better car than the 3G Eclipse. He's an audio nut, already did enough research to find out they came with a 6speaker sound setup that he's lusting after now!

[Bitter]

So, I finally did it. I bought the porter cable polisher that's all the rage for newbs. But all I could afford right now was the polisher, I have some old foam bonnets that'll fit over the head it comes with and I'll use those for now till I can afford a proper backing plate and some pads for it. I'm so excited to really be able to put bad halograms into my paint so much faster now!

[Box]

I'm trying to convince my friend (BRZ Ryan who comes out to the 6GC Starved Rock meets) to get a 6th gen instead of a 3G Eclipse (again). Told him a 1MZ swapped 6th gen would not only be reliable but overall a better car than the 3G Eclipse. He's an audio nut, already did enough research to find out they came with a 6speaker sound setup that he's lusting after now!

I think most anything would be better than a DSM or Mitsubishi. Though an Eclipse GS-X would be tempting.

Box if I actually sold my 94 3rd Gen 3sgte with e153, I would be adding that firebird to the collection. I just don't have time to install the clutch from southbend

*magically makes time for you*

[narly_charley]

So, I finally did it. I bought the porter cable polisher that's all the rage for newbs. But all I could afford right now was the polisher, I have some old foam bonnets that'll fit over the head it comes with and I'll use those for now till I can afford a proper backing plate and some pads for it. I'm so excited to really be able to put bad halograms into my paint so much faster now!

Which one is that? I use my DeWalt rotary for everything. I actually bought it nearly brand new from my dad's friend for $75. I need to get some smaller backing plates though, to make getting into smaller areas easier. Buffing and polishing are fun, but really freakin' expensive. Compound/polish isn't cheap and multiple pads adds up fast.

https://www.autogeek.net/lc43175.html

[VavAlephVav]

I'm glad you're ok too Box
I"ve had my problems in the past too, which set me off on the quest i've been on for about 15 years now.
[/font]

I've been gone a while because the last couple of years really melted my old brain and then it cooled and recrystallized it into a newer, stronger form. Sort of..

I decided that trying to break into a completely new business as a recent graduate, like working for an automotive company, was not my best option. So i stayed with what i was already a pro at, Air Conditioning, and began to pursue opportunities with every company i could find. Just before graduation I was offered a job as a design engineer with a full service architecture firm, in Oklahoma City..


n-So he loaded up the Truck
a-and 'e moo-ved to O-K-C
Oklahoma that is,
Cheap Gasoline,
Bad Roads,

(*Banjo Solo)

[font="Arial"]

Well and i also rented a dolly and drug the Celica behind me. About 4 years she had served me as dependable daily transportation for a very reasonable amount of money. And I even drove it back and forth from KC to OKC about every other month for the first while i was there, always going back home on the weekends.

And its about 350 miles on I35 straight across the wastelands of Kansas. You guys know the Celica is not geared for highway gas mileage beyond but the speed limit is 75 and you're right at that point where the engine is just starting to make torque and all you have to do is squeeze the pedal little and you are doing 90.
Anyway..
About the 5th or 6th trip I made I checked the oil before I left and found it to be unusually dark for only having 1,500 miles on it. I was thinking of someone on the interwebs who had recently started a fight over whether or not you needed to change your oil every 3,000 miles, he said it was all an oil company conspiracy.. And insisted that these days they only recommend changing your oil every 10,000 miles. I pointed out that if you have a 20 year old Toyota, those recommendations do not apply to you.. And yet before i left for this trip I started to think that maybe there is something to this theory and decided to just go ahead and go on the road without changing the oil again.

It was on the way back, I got to about the Stillwater exit, about 45 miles from home, and i began to here a distinct tap tap tap. It sounded more like something loose in the motor bouncing around freely. I was thinking of how before i had the high tension wire get caught in the throttle spring and strip the insulation so that the spark jumping to the block created a tick tick tick noise. And so i pulled over at the Loves truck stop and popped the hood. What found was a big ball of magnetic metal shavings all over the dipstick. At that point I knew there was no hope for this motor and the only thing i could do was hope to reduce the price of my tow bill and so I hopped back in and fired her up and kept on driving, slowly. But the noise kept getting louder. I was really impressed by the way it behaved just like we learned about the failure mode of shaft mechanisms in school. It starts with a small crack, then the crack spreads and you begin to get deflection back and forth. When you examine the cross section of the shaft afterward you can see the tiny striation lines where it flexed back and forth over and over again until it finally failed with one big Pop.

She made that pop and coasted, dead over to the side of the road and belched 2 quarts of oil about 15 miles from home. Cost me about $150, of course i am on the side of the road before i learn that my insurance agent mistakenly didn't sign me up for roadside assistance..

I made it about 4 days of walking and riding the bus and then i called an Uber and said, "Take me to this car dealership up here."
I was going to get a 2013 Regal. You know that knew body style is real nice, it looks tough. But something the dealer did made me walk away from it and i went over to another dealer and picked up a 2014 Corolla. It's so much roomier than the old Corollas and with a tailwind the CVT makes 40 mpg at 80 mph running the AC.
And it has Electric steering and a Timing Chain! (*Dance)
And i later went back and read the Consumer Reports on all the problems the Regal has. I made the right choice


So the Celica is still sitting here in the parking lot and I have a garage now. But just a month ago i was ready to call the scrap yard to come and get it and I was gonna go down and get me a new BRZ I went down and drove it and was so much more impressed with the Subaru model than the Toyota. But that idea lasted about a week and then i came back to Earth and realized i wasn't going to spend $500 a month on a toy that is 3,500 rpm at 70 mph even in 6th gear..

So now I have decided to rebuild the Celica. I'd like to get practice with my first motor by going to the Upickit and get a 5sfe to rebuild for $250. Then I can drive the Celica again sooner. I was hoping to do the little things that may help it preform better and yet still be able to call it stock when i go to the autocross. But the truth is you cant do much that's going to hang with that damn Ford Fiesta (*Shakes Fist). In fact as soon as you change the cam you are sitting in modified class with only 160hp.

But i wanted to get practice and make my learning mistakes on the 5s. For the next one I already own a 4age with C52 from my '89 AE92. It's only 1.6L but there are so much more racing and aftermarket parts for this motor and transmission (Quaife sells a 6-speed sequential kit ). And you can get 200 hp N/A or 300hp Turbo from this thing at a lighter weight.

Yet right now on Ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/94-99-Toyota-Celic...ksid=m570.l1313
You can get a 3SGTE from an ST205 with the transmission for $1,600 - says 'more than 10 available' ,
Maybe i can just sell the 4A.

Or a 4th gen Caldina 3S for $1,300 and just bolt it to the S54,

I could just get a 3sge for only $800 and build it for a nice N/A, even just building it for 200 hp with a nice 11:1 N/A sound would be good for me to be content. I'm not trying to be the fastest Celica out there.

But I'd still rather build my old Celica than anything else. Except maybe a 2nd gen MR2, but i bet the motor is not as easy to get out of that thing..

[Box]

Thanks.

Hmmm, I say go 4th gen 3S-GTE or BEAMS with the S54 for ease of swapping and cost. Though throwing in another 5S as is or with a mild refresh would definitely be the easiest and cheapest.

[VavAlephVav]

The more i add things up,
If you go and get a 200K+ mile 5s from a self-serve salvage place you can count doing a full rebuild and at least $1,000 by the time its all said and done. And if you want to put the cams in it that is another $1,000 and you are still at maybe 160hp.

However, I can get a 3rd gen from an ST205 for $1,300, with only 50-60K miles on it and just drop it in and leave it stock. And my local SCCA club will let me run that as "stock" in the class the GT4 belongs to (GS). So i only go up one PAX modifier level. We have such a small club that we run a class called Tuner which incorporates HS, GS, STF, STX so i can still race against the the Fiesta Muahahaa

I think the time has come to just do the 3S swap.

[Box]

Doooooo itttttt. Don't forget a LSD though so you can actually put it all down, and especially in something like autocross.

[Bitter]

Anyone want a 97 Paseo in green? 118K miles, runs, drives, needs a gas tank and rear brakes, $200. Would need to be trailered due to rear brakes.

[SwissFerdi]

Rear brakes as in, now I got no brakes, or just iffy? If just questionable, I'd pull a Box and say grow some balls and drive it home.

[Bitter]

https://imgur.com/gallery/y7LyO0L You make the call.

[Box]

If you were nearby that'd be perfect for my brother that's turning 16 next month, of course after it's been gone through and refreshed/rebuilt where needed.

[Box]

Well assuming it's an automatic anyway, otherwise it'd be perfect for me.

Seriously why are you always in Illinois.

[Bitter]

And it's gone. To the junk yard.

[Box]

Seriously? Well damn... I told my brother about it and he was going to ask his dad about going and getting it since he has a truck and trailer. Oh well...

Now he's all pouty...

[Bitter]

Haha, I don't think he would have wanted it once he saw it.

I noticed it was burning oil pretty good, maybe seals, maybe guides, maybe worse. Engine light on, dunno why, EGR blocked completely is common on those, like spend hours augering out the passage through the head. And the headlights were cross eyed. And the hood closed but not entirely on both sides. And the passenger side had a lot of bondo. And who knows how rusted out the brake and fuel lines were under the car. And the front bumper was all warped up from some front end accident.

I mean if you want it that bad, you can call the junkyard it went to and ask about buying it from them...

http://recycler.car-part.com/Witovet/

This post has been edited by Bitter: Aug 3, 2018 - 7:16 PM

[Box]

Ahh ok, well when you said it ran and drove with 118K miles on it I had imaged something decent. That's ok like I told him need to really get the license first anyway before really worrying about it, that and it'd have cost more in fuel to get it than the cost of the car.

[Bitter]

You can find a better car down there, I guarantee. https://bham.craigslist.org/cto/d/honda-acc...6645435449.html

[Box]

Well yeah no doubt, but the fact it was $200 didn't hurt. Ha, rather get a Cappuccino though that is kinda nifty I suppose.

[Bitter]

Only one junkyard would even take it and they gave us $100 and a free tow, everyone else would only give a free tow or wanted $50 to come and get it or didn't even want to bother with it.