Hey there all you AWD guys! I figured I'd post up, show you guys a little something I've been workin on.
Background:
I bought a 97 Celica GT years ago and loved the thing. Though, I was getting tired of how relatively slow it was. So, I sold it and bought an 04 STi. Great fun, loads of power, convinced me AWD was the way to go. Went through a full swapped RS and a few other cars/trucks and finally came back to a Celica, DarkSpyro.
I bought this car back in Jan 2013 to do a 3rd gen 3SGTE swap I've always wanted to do for my first Celica. I completed the swap in about a weeks time but still had that AWD thought from the subies I've had. So I decided I needed to go all out. AWD conversion it was.
Picture was taken pre-AWD swap
Drivetrain:
-3rd gen 3SGTE
-E154F Trans and Rear End from ST205
-Clutchmasters FX350
-PC Berk Downpipe
-GT4 Brakes
-17Gal RCi Fuel Cell
-Optima Red Top
Exterior:
-GT4 Hood
-GT4 Fenders
-GT4 Bumper
-Projectors
-OZ Crono HT 17x8
Interior:
-3 Gauge A Pillar Pod
-MTX-L Wideband A/F Gauge
-Autometer Phantom Boost Gauge
-Autometer Phantom Oil Pressure Gauge
For the conversion, I wanted to do something with a little more design than just welding in a big box for the front mounts of the subframe spanning the frame rails. And as an engineer, I made use of my mechanics of materials and statics classes and came up with something a little sexier. Photos below are during process.
Driveshaft mounts
Right side
Middle hoop (Plate was welded to the body after picture was taken) Don't mind the awful rusted subframe :roll:
Left side
And spare wheel well delete. I originally was going to put the fuel cell in my trunk and secure it to the floor. However, I'm thinking of dropping it down a few inches and building a cage under it to support the weight. I don't really want it inside the cab..
The rear mounts are just boxes and are being finished up on Monday.
This has been about an 8 month process. A lot of sitting though.
Background:
I bought a 97 Celica GT years ago and loved the thing. Though, I was getting tired of how relatively slow it was. So, I sold it and bought an 04 STi. Great fun, loads of power, convinced me AWD was the way to go. Went through a full swapped RS and a few other cars/trucks and finally came back to a Celica, DarkSpyro.
I bought this car back in Jan 2013 to do a 3rd gen 3SGTE swap I've always wanted to do for my first Celica. I completed the swap in about a weeks time but still had that AWD thought from the subies I've had. So I decided I needed to go all out. AWD conversion it was.
Picture was taken pre-AWD swap
Drivetrain:
-3rd gen 3SGTE
-E154F Trans and Rear End from ST205
-Clutchmasters FX350
-PC Berk Downpipe
-GT4 Brakes
-17Gal RCi Fuel Cell
-Optima Red Top
Exterior:
-GT4 Hood
-GT4 Fenders
-GT4 Bumper
-Projectors
-OZ Crono HT 17x8
Interior:
-3 Gauge A Pillar Pod
-MTX-L Wideband A/F Gauge
-Autometer Phantom Boost Gauge
-Autometer Phantom Oil Pressure Gauge
For the conversion, I wanted to do something with a little more design than just welding in a big box for the front mounts of the subframe spanning the frame rails. And as an engineer, I made use of my mechanics of materials and statics classes and came up with something a little sexier. Photos below are during process.
Driveshaft mounts
Right side
Middle hoop (Plate was welded to the body after picture was taken) Don't mind the awful rusted subframe :roll:
Left side
And spare wheel well delete. I originally was going to put the fuel cell in my trunk and secure it to the floor. However, I'm thinking of dropping it down a few inches and building a cage under it to support the weight. I don't really want it inside the cab..
The rear mounts are just boxes and are being finished up on Monday.
This has been about an 8 month process. A lot of sitting though.