RECONDITIONING MY DAD'S CELICA, Just inherited a lovely celica!! Options

[coneyre]

Hello Celica lovers,

I am proud to say I have just purchased my first celica. I bought it off my father. It has been in my family since my cousin brought it home from Japan in 1995 NEW so it holds a large amount of sentimental value.

Its a 1995 ST202 JAP import 3SFE.

It has seen better days as my dad didnt really take care of it but I love it so I am going to do the best I can to restore it.

I know its not the best celica and certainly not the most powerful (being a 3SFE) but its more than a car to me and I want to get the best performance out of it as possible.

I will post up pics as soon as possible. I havent done anything to it yet and I have some ideas but any advice you pro's have I am all ears and hope one day I will be a celica enthusist too.

[GEpower]

Offcourse you could change the engine to a very powerfull one, a 3S-G(T)E or something. But do you want to change te car that much?
I wouldn't do anything with the 3S-FE engine if I were you. And changing it is a big thing if the car is of such value to you, so you decide..

[coneyre]

Thanks for your reply man

Well I know changing the engine is a big job and I'm not a mechanic so I'm not sure. I do like the 3SGE Beams engine and would love to put one of them into it. I do want to keep the car as is but then again a new heart would just improve it and I'm sure my dad would love it.

Is it a big/expensive job changing the engine? How much would a 3sge beams engine cost?

[GEpower]

Check out ebay and stuff. A BEAMS engine (4th gen 3S-GE) is very nice, however, if looking at the power output, it's very expensive compared to a 3rd gen 3S-GE (the normal 3S-GE engine for the 6th gen celica), which has only 25hp less.
Most bang for your buck is putting in an 3S-GTE engine offcourse, with the turbo etc. But that costs even more to build, and to keep running! And a lot of power on the front wheels. I suggest you try to make the car as new (bodywork, slick details in lighting etc, some decent rims (not too big)) and see how much money you got left.

[Slick]

Welcome! Put up pics as soon as you can.

[coneyre]

Cool, well I think I'll stick with 3sge. I kinda wana stay away from from a turbo, with this car anyway. Im not looking for that much power, maybe 170/180bhp. It does need a new paint job and I would like to get some new rims (maybe 17's) for it so maybe I'll take care of that first then look at the engine. I'll post up pics by tomorrow.

[DEATH]

Welcome. I say you're engine is running so you have time to figure that one out. Just update the looks and the interior as needed and go from there.

[Jeunesse]

I totally agree with Death. Besides, correct me if I'm wrong, you have a more powerful engine than most guys here.

[DEATH]

I totally agree with Death. Besides, correct me if I'm wrong, you have a more powerful engine than most guys here.

actually IIRC it's somewhere between the output of the 5S-FE [Which is greater due to increased stroke while all other components are virtually the same] and the 7A-FE.

[Jeunesse]

oh did a quick research

quote from engineworld usa : 3SFE IS A REPLACEMENT FOR 5SFE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE DISPLACEMENT. 3SFE IS 2.0 & 5SFE IS 2.2.

so basically its 3sfe = 5sfe... but can you not just change the head to make it 3sge?

[tomazws]

pics please!

[coneyre]

I dont know alot about celicas or engines really in general but I am learning. From the research I've done I thought I had the least powerful celica in the 6gen range. It only outputs about 130bhp I think???????

It is a 3SFE and in the future I would like to upgrade to a 3SGE but do I have to change the whole engine or can I just replace the head??

The engine is running fine at the moment, great actually so I think im gonna consintrate on the styling first. I dont plan on "SUPING" it up. Im not into all that neon and flashy stickers. I like style but modest style. Im going to try and stay true to the celica style.

I will have pics up tomorrow but as I just bought the car I havnt done anything to it yet.

[richee3]

Welcome to the site! You're in the right place to learn everything you want to know about our cars. I can't wait to see pictures of your new car!

If the 3SFE is 130BHP, then it's not the least powerful Celica. There is an ST that has the 7AFE motor that if I recall correctly has 110BHP. Since your motor is running pretty strong, I'd just stay with that motor for now and get the car looking how you want it to while you decide what to do about the motor. The 3SGE, BEAMS or not, is a good motor and you can't go wrong with any of them.

[GEpower]

Stats about the 3S-FE:
http://www.toyotacelicaonline.com/3sfestats.htm
It has 115hp, but probably more torque. This might be countered by heavier drivetrain.

I think you could swap the head and ecu etc, for 3S-GE parts. But the internals might be weaker, not sure.


This post has been edited by GEpower: Dec 2, 2008 - 3:55 PM

[coneyre]

Ok I have decided to leave the engine swap for another day as it is a big job and quite expensive. So I am going to consintrate on the exterior styling. Here is what I have come up with so far:

-Full recondition and respary in original toyota black
-Complete brake upgrade, rotors, pads, calipers (Brembo or k-sport, not sure)
-Complete suspention upgrade, coilovers, springs (grond control, bc racing or A'PEXI and maybe some koni yellows??)
-Projector headlights, clear hight beams
-JDM front clear indicators, JDM side clear indicators
-ROTA or ultralite TA-KA rims with hancook tyres
-Not sure on body kit yet, something modest

This all amounts up to quite alot (respray-€1500, brakes-€1300, suspension €1000, lights-€800 etc) so I wont be starting it untill after christmas.

Thats the exterior anyway, thinkin about the interior. Anyone has any suggestions or ideas or think Im doing something wrong please let me know

[Jeunesse]

pics pics pics

[coneyre]

Ok guys pics are up on my profile, let me know what you think and any suggestions welcome

This post has been edited by coneyre: Dec 3, 2008 - 1:35 PM

[coneyre]

Here she is lads, I know she's not much at the moment but in time I'll have her looking great

This post has been edited by coneyre: Dec 3, 2008 - 1:59 PM

[richee3]

Looks good! Sounds like you've got a good plan going on. It's not all going to come together in one day, so be patient and focus on the end result. It'll be worth it

[BonzaiCelica]

by the way about saying how much you liked the 3sge beams. here on the bottom is the link where you can buy that engine, you also need maf sensor where you can find it on ebay or rpmgarage.com . Ya its more expensive than the 3sgte. but either you go turbo or n/a you choose. If you go turbo you just have to take care of your car a little more.

http://www.bestofjdm.com/JDM-ENGINE-3SGE-B...jdmtoyota13.htm