aus jd's 1990 gt-4 celica

aus jd 2703

New member
ok i picked the car up the other day as an un running project car, the guy said he couldnt even get it to turn over, so i thought its seized so its gonna need a rebuild but the price was reasonable so though yeh ill give it ago
got the car home after 22 hours of driving in 2 days so very little sleep was had but its home. body wise the car is ruff
smashed right indicator broken carbon look alike lip on grill cracked front windscreen and smashed rear glass but the interior is decent apart from some switch holes and cracked dash board (just the padded vinyl)

i couldnt wait, so i started checking it out first i hooked up a battery and tried to turn her over nothing not even that starter solenoid kicking over. so pulled the starter out seemed good and it turned over, as im puttin it back in i notice a relay on the solenoid lead (blade type) thought that isnt right, so removed it put everything back together turned the key
:D it winds over so maybe that rebuild isnt needed.
next was oil, coolant, plugs and valve cover
oil was clean and fresh so that was good
coolant was although weak mix (alot of water) and a bit of rust from the block was clean
plug 1 had rust around it so first thought was its being submerged so its done for, but upon inspecting 2,3,4 they were all clean and untouched
so far so good
next i took the valve cover off, upon removal i was glad to see it all dripping with oil and no scoring of the cams or any dirt in there.
so far everything is looking good especially since i was expecting a complete rebuild.
i did snap a stud trying to remove the turbo(in progress) but other wise its going good (touch wood)
next up is turbo removal and checking and getting a leak down and compression test. depending on results i may start finally assembly and get it running.

future issues that need addressing:
clutch pedal goes to floor and doesnt come back
broken boot on right front cv joint
dint every were from hail damage

its a rough car but i see it as a chance to make it 'MY car' as im going to do some body work and a re spray so i might change the color to a dark candy green with a body kit but its all $$$ so time will tell, first step is get it on the road.
cheers, no questions from me but if there is anything i should check or suggestions please feel free, so far there forums have been a wealth of information and ive only had the car a week
 

syko says

Active member
my only suggestions are:

(1) no candy green
(2) no body kit

Otherwise it sounds like youre off to a great start! Any pictures by chance of how rough she is?
 

aus jd 2703

New member
why no kit or change color?
rough enough to make ya cringe, hail damage every where front right guard chip in wing and bonnet has some bent fins.
 

GT4RC

New member
aus jd 2703":5sy5vxj5 said:
why no kit or change color?
rough enough to make ya cringe, hail damage every where front right guard chip in wing and bonnet has some bent fins.

Because your car might get pointed at, followed by laughter.

search for anti-tuning, you will find a few candy green kitted cars in there.
 

syko says

Active member
I guess it is all personal preference. However, you WILL find that many of the alltrac.net members love their car as is with minor exterior modifications to the body. Of course less drag would be great and its solved by some options of a lip, but the best thing to actually do is to reduce drag under the car (literally).

As far as body kits, there are a few that are decent (but its still not my cup of tea). Its just that many MANY of the kits out there for any 5th gen Celica have so many angles it doesnt 'flow' with the car.

Regardless of what I said, in the end it IS your car, and only YOU can do what you want to do to it. I just think that the money could be spent elsewhere :wink: .

Anyhow, goodluck with all the body work and such, the damage does sound significant. :doh:
 

Hotrodhendrix

New member
+2 or 3 what ever number I am... Green and most body kits look "ricey". If you really look around and peace together your own kit you can make a really nice kit that updates the cars exterior.

I want pics. Sounds like a really good thread for before and after pics!
 

aus jd 2703

New member
ok i get what u guys are saying but im sick of white and black cause thats what every one uses so apart from a greay i have no options.
piks after this weekend
 

stealthedgt4

New member
well there is always black and red combo or like im doing a black and blue combo on my 165 but i get what they are saying no F&F crap and i have to agree with them but justlike my project thread says do it your way and that is the only way it will make you happy screw what makes others happy aslong as you are happy with your car
 

aus jd 2703

New member
ok to keep every one happy ill leave the color to two option grey or green enough said for now.
i got a couple questions and i want harshly truthful answers :D
can a 3sgte be turned into a 450hp daily driver if so how much?
i know broad question but ive been looking and doing rough calculations and 10 grand should cover it here is my break down:
turbo kit (ko racing) 3 k
forged rod and pistons 1k
ecu 2k ( might stretch for a motec m400 pro)
injectors fuel pump etc $600
clutch 2 grand (exceedy twin plate)
inter cooler front mount guessin 800
coils prob 400
miselaneous 500
tuning???
i live in aus so this is really a mission as gt4 dont get much respect but id like to change that.
i got a car and motor and should have 3k soon from sellin old car id collect everything else over 12 months maybe longer then pull it off the road and rebuilt motor
so pretty much is it possible, how far off is my price guess?
also with a killer motor and clutch what drive line gear (apart from brakes) need upgrading?
right now its all idea's ill run the car stock while i save then either sell it if im disapointed or go big, ive never drove a gt4 so im a bit anxious.

ok back to the project at hand
ripped the rear interior out found the panel that goes under the rear window is cracked, please tell me this is the same panel as in the st184?
i know the panels behind the rear seat are different but everything forwards is the same is this right?
got a new rear hatch (cheaper than replacing the rear glass)
and removed some of the dash as im getting ready to remove the alarm system some idiot installed poorly, i also gotta replace the centre console forwards of the shifter as its got a crack and some one installed a post to lock the gear nob to so that car couldnt be stolen idiots
still no progress on removing the turbo and manifold

also does any one know how to wire a stereo'sdimmer in?
i got a pioneer head deck that has a lead called illumination any ideas how to wire this in?

hoping to have a good weekend and get the turbo out do a leak down and compression test and if all is good replace the timing belt and valve cover gasket and begin assembly to put it back on road, oh and install new rear hatch and interior.
cheers guys i know ive been slack on piks ill endevor to get some up asap
 

ST185pinjo

New member
There is a lot of money in building the engine(work it self) and tuning the ems. The two mentioned will possibly be around 2-3K.

Then you need to improve the cooling of the engine. Bigger radiator, external oilcooler etc.

- Cams
- Camgears
- Intake manifold
- APR headstuds at least.

1K is nothing getting to 450 hp.

good luck.

Look at some other project threads of high HP alltracs(tjdouble07 alltrac101), there is alot to read.
 

aus jd 2703

New member
ok ive got the turbo hanging by the mount thats is under neath and goes to the block (uses a 17mm spanner no room for a socket)
me and my dad gave it several goes last night but to no avail plan is to remove airconditioning that is infront of the radiator (radiator is already out) and then use a piece of tube to get some advantage any suggestions where to start removing the ac from?
also what is it? starting from the motor forwards it goes radiator some thing similar to radiator (assumed its to do with aircon as the aircon lines run into it) then infront of that a small oil cooler (trans mission or motor oil?)
any way its gotta go unless there is a better way?

secondly im ordering a gates racing timing belt as im unsure how long the belt thats on there has been on, is there anything else i should replace?
so far my order is looking like:
timing belt
power steering belt
spark plugs
air cleaner
oil
oil filter
coolant
what else?
cheers guys
 

pg

New member
Don't forget you will probably need gauges if you are smart...as well as wideband O2 sensor kit
These things will cost ya quite a bit.
Also cam gears..

If you gonna do it right and build up a fresh block/head there are all sorts of costs that go with it.
I'm shooting for similar power goals and I'm around 8-10k mark for my engine so far and I have been doing the work myself with a buddy.
although i'm not quite done yet.
 

aus jd 2703

New member
ok got the turbo out, getting it checked looking at the cast manifold im tempted to make a stainless one for eyecandy opinions?

also i was going to put a gate racing timing belt in what sought of power steering belts can i use? are any better than others?

fingers crossed ill find the time to do a compression test in the next fortnight.
then go from there.
also when i press the clutch down the peddle doesnt comback any idea's where to start? (i bought the car not running so have to diagnose with out the car running)
cheers guys im gonna test drive a few cars when i get this running (supra lancer evo maybe a silvia) and decide if i wanna put money into a killer celica or go for something else stll not sure
 

aus jd 2703

New member
im not nieve it know thats a big ask but im either going big like that or buying a silvia all depends how the celica handles.
450 hp is nothing to sneeze at.
im 19 and probably under estimating the size of the project but if we dont chase our dreams why are we living?
 

Meurz

New member
Very true, but daily driver means reliable, which means the best of the best only (incl. a new block), which means you should double or tripple the 10k you mentioned, all imo of course. My goal is to build a fat 4xx engine too, but it'll take a looong time before I've saved up for all parts and labour needed :(
 

aus jd 2703

New member
yeh if i continue on my 450 hp 'dream' id leave 2 years and 10g to get started probably let it go out to 20g maybe
im studying to be a mechanical engineer so if i can finish my course on time ill have heaps of cash in 3 years :D its a nice idea but im sure ill have a house by then and ill be in a worse position then i am now.
i probably shouldnt have mentioned my dream so early as it all depends on how the gt4 drives so thats priority 1 to get it running and if i like it do it up if i dont like it sell it and maybe break even.
 

aus jd 2703

New member
tada here u guys go... finally
 

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