ST204 Build - First Car / First Project / Race Car??? Options

[ErrohSync]

Hey Celica Bros! I found this site literally last night and wanted to jump on board, so here's my '95 Celica build! Picked this up a few months back of a guy who'd installed a GT4 wing, lowered the suspension a bit, resprayed her in factory Sea Spray and guttered a wheel ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ She's my first car but as a bit of an enthusiast and since she's fairly tidy I figured it could be fun to learn more by doing a build with her! My goals for the project are basically to come up with a really nice JDM style build that gets some interested approving glances at meets, looks tasteful on the road, and is fun both as a daily driver and to take on the occasional track day (nothing competitive just to compete against myself. Not winning any prizes in a NA FF!)

Market: AUDM
Year: 1995
Model: ST
Frame & Type(optional): 2 Door Liftback
Engine: Factory 2.2L 5s-FE
Transmission: S54 Edit: Thanks to Box for letting me know



Pre-face lift front end.



Wang looks way bigger in photos.



Especially from the back.



Especially from the back.



Mmmm, Right Hand Drive goodness



Fake, period correct alarm system on the right, the red switch I honestly don't know why it's there. The wiring is grounded but not actually connected to anything. N2O switch??



Switch panel is in pretty bad shape. Driver's side window doesn't always work without Super Nintendo-ing the plugs a bit.



Being a bit damaged but still functional and not too grott is kinda the theme with the interior at the moment.



Aftermarket muffler and exhaust tip. A bit rusty now that I'm looking at it but I want to replace it and go dual twin tips anyway, 300zx style!



There it is! The 2.2L 5S-FE! Not sure if Oil Filter is relocated but if it is then I think it's the only mod done to it.



And here's the money shot



Thought this was pretty great, nice Ingrish.



Couple of stickers on the rear window because I thought I was cool. Dunno if I'll keep these but I might do some tasteful decals once I'm mostly done with the exterior of the car. MCM Chopped Fingers is a must though!



Okay, I lied. This is the money shot $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

So that's her in her current state! In terms of mods, I'm currently committing to the basic Kouki headlight conversion, JDM Foglights, either Kouki tail lights or Toyota Curren tail lights (Leaning towards the latter, lemme know what you guys think!), SS3 Side Skirts, and maybe an aftermarket roof spoiler (Saw it on a GT4 once and it looked awesome with the main wing). Thinking of maybe doing a Red-top Beams swap later down the line (because I'm on my provisional license it's actually illegal for me to drive a Turbocharged or Supercharged vehicle without a permit in my state, so 3S-GTE or a 4A-GZE swap is totally not a thing I can do) if I can scrape up the cash for it. Mate of mine suggested putting a v6 from a Mitsubishi Magna (Kind of like a really beefy Mirage Sedan/wagon for those of you in the US), but a 3S-GE is probably simpler for someone just learning and easier in general anyway, plus it's not as cool as saying it's all Toyota! Other than that if anyone's got any mad suggestions please let me know!

This post has been edited by ErrohSync: Oct 25, 2017 - 10:53 PM

[cheela]

welcome! glad you found us on here. This is the perfect place for you to be. lots of write-ups and answers to most the questions you have. The celi looks really clean. you got a good one. door panels is an easy replace and I've never seen all the door/window buttons with the symbols rubbed off. wow! hahaha

seems like you're going for a build similar to mine. although I was unlucky and got stuck with the 1.8L 7afe, but I've had plenty of fun with it in the corners. !
for lights, you're gonna wanna go with the kouki lights for both front and back. The curren tail lights actually don't fit your model as they were made for coupes and not the liftback models. the beams is a great engine for what you're wanting. enough power to throw around and not be too bored. Although you could look into the 1mzfe or 3mzfe v6 swaps as well. Those have been done a number of times now and info is all there for you. and if you're feeling extra brave, you could go for the 2gr swap for awesome power.

[ErrohSync]

Haha, thanks for having me! Glad you mentioned the point about the Curren lights, I was kinda unsure regardless but that makes it easy for me! Engine swapping is a bit of a ways off from here, but it's good to know there's a few options on the table if getting an SS3 front cut proves to be too expensive/unavailable.

Also I actually had no idea the door buttons had icons on them

First up'll probably be the Kouki light conversion then!

[Bushmatic]

That very first picture is sexy

[Box]

You have a S54 transmission, provided it's the original or an original replacement anyway. Anyhow as far as swaps go you could do the 3S-GTE, BEAMS 3S-GE, or 1MZ/3MZ V6. 2GR can be done but is a lot more involved, A LOT. The BEAMS is a direct swap with only some basic wiring work that needs done, most seem to have no problem completing the swap in a weekend. Really would just depend on what you're wanting from the car. Though being your license prohibits you from forced induction it's down to BEAMS or 1MZ/3MZ really. The best thing you can do with the car regardless of the engine is upgrade the suspension and brakes as well as having some sticky summer tires. That and it probably could use new bushings throughout the suspension. A cheap and easy mod to look into would be the short shifter from a 7th gen, really helps the shifter feel significantly.

[bloodMoney]

Welcome!

FWIW: Your engine is completely stock. That is the OEM location for the oil filter. Relocation kits move the filter away from the exhaust manifold.

I hope you stick with this car, and do it up the way you want. There is virtually no aftermarket for the engine, but the chassis responds well to coilovers, sway bars, endlinks, and strut tower bars.

Most of the active users have been here for many years, and had multiple 6gens, so ask all the questions! (and use the search function, of course)

[ErrohSync]

Thanks for all the welcoming words! (Especially you Bushmatic )

Took her a few suburbs over to see her cousin and do some mods the other day in time for a meet, She's the silver DC4 Integra!



Ended up mainly just cleaning her and putting on a pod filter. Haven't done the piping yet cause I wanted to think it out a bit more. Might just go for a Ram intake cause it's not reaaalllyy gonna make any power regardless. Sounds awesome though!

Also ordered some bits and pieces from Ebay. Might look at getting some Kouki tails soon

[Box]

I would still try and do a true cold air intake so then you're not reducing performance. The factory air box actually sucks air from the fender well if I recall correctly and the filter is more than big enough to flow the CFM needed, so it actually does better than a short ram that'd be sucking in hot ambient air from the engine bay.

This post has been edited by Box: Oct 30, 2017 - 4:45 PM

[Smaay]

well the first thing i see is the steering wheel is on the wrong side.


start with the basics, exhaust and intake

[ErrohSync]

well the first thing i see is the steering wheel is on the wrong side.

I think you mean the correct, true JDM side

[jordisonjr]

Welcome. Curren tail lights won't fit this car, you'll need to go with the JDM/Kouki tails. Curren's only fit on a coupe and you have a hatch back. Nice looking car!

[ErrohSync]

Welcome. Curren tail lights won't fit this car, you'll need to go with the JDM/Kouki tails. Curren's only fit on a coupe and you have a hatch back. Nice looking car!

Thanks dude! And Cheela already mentioned the point about them not fitting, wasn't 100% sure which to look more into and that actually helped make my decision

[jordisonjr]

Whoops, i didn't even notice that in his post.

[ErrohSync]

No worries dude! Glad you guys let me know otherwise I'd have bought them and been sorely disappointed!

[ErrohSync]

Found some time to go to my local wrecker's yesterday. Found some nice bits and bobs to replace damaged interior panels, namely the driver's side door card and the main dashboard panel (the old one has been cut into to install the head unit even though it was totally unnecessary). Also found an indicator stalk with a factory fog light switch which is nice to have later when I work out wiring up foggies. Speaking of which, the car I pulled the switch out of only had one fog light and it was under a seat, so I left it. If I go back I'll look for the other one and buy both but otherwise I might as well just get a set off Ebay or go aftermarket.



Took the parts home and gave them a good clean



Featuring my dog lol

Also went for a drive up a mountain range with some friends today. The views were stunning and I got some nice photos of my car! Couldn't really get the views in the background though due to the way the lookouts we went to were designed so that was a shame, but was still a good photo op!





I got there last and the only parking spaces left were handicapped, I promised I'd move if someone needed them though!





Check engine... Yep, still there.





Had a bit of an issue after we went to the second lookout though, because it was a hot day and I'd been...pushing the car a little bit hard on the uphill...the coolant actually started to boil over, resulting in a nasty looking red patch underneath the car.



We let her cool down, topped her up with oil, and refilled the reservoir with bottled water I'd conveniently bought because no one had any coolant. I'm going to drain the fluids again tomorrow and put in a fresh bottle of coolant since I actually had no idea how long the old stuff had been sitting in there.





Anyway, she's fine now, I just need to be careful as it gets really hot here in summer. I'll install the interior pieces and post pictures in the next few days. Thanks everyone!

[Bushmatic]

That paint looks great, love that color. I forgot that it's summer down there in upside down land, meanwhile I'm bracing myself for winter There's a really good guide here for wiring up your fog lights (including using aftermarket fogs with the OEM switch that you got) although the photos are all messed up from photobucket.

What's going on with your right side marker?

[Box]

Would replace the radiator cap for good measure.

[ErrohSync]

What's going on with your right side marker?

The clip that holds it in has degraded over time so it pops out occasionally. I ordered new clear ones this morning to replace it anyway so it's no biggie, just gotta make sure no one notices until they arrive ;P

Would replace the radiator cap for good measure.

It was just bubbling out of the overflow, not the radiator itself. No biggie!

This post has been edited by ErrohSync: Nov 5, 2017 - 9:40 AM