Need expert advice on finishing 94 Celica brake job Options

[Langing]

MAJOR MILESTONE:


Thanks to everyone who helped me understand what I was doing. It's been quite a trip, but (with luck) finally I think I have this job done.

Finished replacing all four wheel bearings (with HF hand tools; no press), both rotors, both drums, both front ball joints and tie rod ends, all brake shoes and pads, all rubber brake lines, brake hardware, sway bar links, rebuilt both front disc calipers, and replaced the passenger side engine mount. Fully tested the brake pedal and adjusted the hand brake. Had to pull a steering knuckle from a Celica in a junkyard to replace the right front because it had bent ears used for mounting the caliper bracket, which bent ears caused the bracket to cut into the rotor when I first got the front brakes installed (new rotor and pads made the -- hidden -- problem evident).

Maximum allowable run-out for my 1994 Celica 0.0020"
---------------------------------Right front run-out is 0.0004"
-----------------------------------Left front run-out is 0.0007"

Yesterday we took Betsy to get inspection and new registration, came back and washed and waxed her, so today my wife was able to drive Betsy to work the first time in three months!

If you didn't have this this info and just looked at Betsy, all you would notice is the wax!



Reading about other people's projects has turned me on to things I want to do to Betsy in the near future, but for now I have to give it a rest. I have learned so much my head is larger.

Now on to fix the "check engine" light on the 2000 Tacoma pickup. It's showing too much flow through the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system, an emissions system that is supposed to eliminate oxides of Nitrogen (gases called NOX) by routing some of the exhaust (burnt gas) through the intake, which cools the heat of combustion, and wastes gas in a trade-off that reduces acid rain.

This post has been edited by Langing: Jul 22, 2014 - 11:33 AM

[richee3]

Congrats! I'm sure you were more than ready to be finished with this job!

[Langing]

Congrats! I'm sure you were more than ready to be finished with this job!

You can say that again!

Still, since each step was a learning adventure, I felt a bit sad, for some reason, when this overly drawn out project finally completed. Starting out I just wanted to redo her brakes, but once I was into it, there were the wheel bearings, and then . . . Momentum was building when coming down the stretch but I had learned some stuff so I changed out one brother's front brake pads on his Honda Accord EX, and another brother's left front axle and both front shocks on his (gigantic) Suburban to show myself that I had, indeed, learned something.

Now I'm finished with my Betsy "wheels" project, but, there are so many things I see you guys doing to your Celicas that I feel I want to start another project on Betsy and maybe take Betsy to full restoration or beyond (no doubt something far short of that), cause I love driving her. I liked what njccmd2002 was doing to his suspension on the 96 he just sold, and now I am looking to buy a large sized compressor so I can sand blast. Since I don't know much about this kind of work, I don't know my limitations.

BTW: Is there a venue on here where I could post some pics of Betsy's dermatological "problems" and get a group of you experts to advise as to what I could do about them and then what needs to be added to make her body look "striking" so I don't feel like people think I am just driving an OLD CAR? This would sure help my wife. . . to see Betsy looking better than before after I've spent months working on her. All that work I did. . . Betsy drives smoother than ever, but there is NOTHING THAT SHOWS!!!

I need help figuring out where to start, advice that 'hopefully' comes without the word 'LOWER'. In the meantime, I've got to fix that EGR problem.

[Special_Edy]

6gcs definately look better an inch or two lower.
Some wheels and sideskirts would definately make it look sexier too.

[Langing]

6gcs definately look better an inch or two lower.
Some wheels and sideskirts would definately make it look sexier too.

How do I go about lowering it an inch or so, and what problems might I expect after she's been lowered? Like, will I still be able to get the floor jack under her, and will she scrape over "slow humps?" Or is there some tutorial article on this site?

Could you point me to a couple of "wheel" photos as examples you think might look good?

What are "side-skirts"? Where do I get them? Are they hard to add?

I'm still very new at doing this kind of work on my Celica. I'm pretty good down around the wheels at this point, especially caring for brakes and wheel bearings; no fear. But there's still a ton I don't know and want to learn; I very much appreciate your help.