Demod Part 1

I finally had the time to send my Celica to my friend's workshop for the demodding process. It was a long process with many parts to be removed and replaced with stock parts. It took 6 hours from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and I was helping out too. All my mods were concentrated on the front end of the car and we began with the engine bay. The tower plate, engine oil cap, spark plug cover and short ram air filter are the first to be removed. Then, the difficult part. the 4 pot brakes and the anti roll bar were next. It was the most time consuming part of the whole process. Next to come off is the oil cooler, originally used for cooling my ATF. After the mechanical side mods are done, the electronic side is next. The combination of M7 EM-CON and the Camcon plus the Pivot Speed Meter caused a big wiring mess with wires spliced here and there, and connecting like a spider web. It took a lot of eye power to separate it one by one. Although most of the parts that I want to remove is removed, there are still some remaining small details that need to be taken care of. So, there will be a part 2.

Some of the mods such as the 4 pot brakes and anti roll bar were put in the Celica to increase handling and braking ability. Immediately after removing those and replaced with stock, I can totally feel the difference with and without those parts. The car's alignment is off and is not adjusted because of missing rims and when I was driving to my friend's workshop, I felt like I was at the gym because I have to fight to make the car go straight but I still feel in control. However when I remove the anti roll bar, the oversteer becomes more obvious and harder to step on the throttle most of the time. The original stock brakes feels like jelly or cake compare to the 4 pot. I had to downshift for engine braking instead of just relying on the brakes. I was really worry as the brakes only bite when I step the brake pedal hard giving me a sense of anxiety. Having the 4 pot brakes for 2 years made me forgot the horrible original brakes but now I am haunted by it.  I just hope the parts and the Celica can be sold quickly. So, far I have a few interest on my parts but it is too expensive for them.

Progress Check Part 2

Another week has gone by and it was time to go check up on the progress of the Celica. The things needed to be done last week seems done and these are this week's to-do-list. First up is my prized HKS Silent Hi-Power exhaust system. It consists of a box and muffler tip. What I really love about this exhaust is the power it gives and the low bassy sound that could be heard when driving slowly but a nice roar when at the high rpm. The muffler body receive quite a blow and is now dented. It is still usable but the airflow will be affected and might sound off. The solution here would be to replace the muffler although there is a need to cut it off because it would be hard and expensive to get another such muffler. It is sad to see it go like that.

 

Next up is the rare TRD Mechanical Sport bumper. At first I found a replacement but the stupid workshop did not buy the bumper because I had blue fog lights but the replacement comes with yellow fog lights. Now I could not find another one and this bumper will be send for repair if possible. 

Finally, the last and most troublesome part. The brake system is finally repaired but the suspension is the problem. The awesome but hard to find superstrut legs is crooked. In its current condition, the wheels will be touching the car wall. Usually, owners would change the whole set but I could not do that because it would be expensive and it is almost impossible to find one for superstrut. However, luckily I met up with friend who suggested a good solution to me. He have stock absorbers and proposed to me to replace the crooked part with his stock. It seems like the only way I have to repair and use back the same suspension.

 I really hope things will go smoothly and I can be reunited with Celica A.S.A.P.

Progress Check Part 1

This being my daily drive, every second the Celica stays in the workshop, every second there is an inconvenience. In addition I do miss driving my baby around. So, every week I will find some time of my busy schedule to visit the car. I am really not pleased with how the workshop is handling the repair work. Every time I visit there are little things done to the car and every single time the same excuse of not able to source parts is the reason for the delay is hurt. I know someone who have no difficulty to source parts. It is still possible to find brand new parts which is why I am not please with the slow progress. Below are some updates on parts that need replacement. 2 bad news is that the rim is not repairable and the rare front bumper that I found is sold to another Celica owner who happens to be a friend also involved in an accident. The reason is because the bumper comes with yellow foglights and my original is blue foglights. The workshop thought I would not settle for it but that is just stupid. It was by luck I came by one of those bumpers. This is what happen when idiots who dunno much about Celica is fixing my baby. My poor baby. 

TRD Parts

Being a Toyota car owner, it is very normal to want parts made by Toyota Racing Development (TRD), a company who makes racing parts for all Toyota cars. This is also similar to Honda owners who craves MUGEN parts and Subaru owners who wants STI parts. Due to very less parts was developed for the Celica and most of those is discontinued, there is not much part I could get my hands on.

Up till now, I only have 2 TRD parts that is originally from the highest production spec Celica, the TRD Sports M Celica. One is the yellow anti roll bar and the other one is a suspension tower plates. Now I have acquired another TRD parts that have been eluding me not only once. Retailing at RM400 new, I have always waited for a cheap used one to appear in the market. Many times there were one that appeared but got sold very fast.

When I saw one selling, I quickly contacted the merchant and bought it. It arrived last night and I quickly inspect the good. It was cleaned but filled with my scratches and does not really look to be in good condition. However, it is still a beauty in sight. The TRD engine oil cap looks great in my engine bay and I can finally say I own one more TRD part.

Busy week

It has been quiet in the mod area as I was busy with a lot of maintenance trips to get my car in top shape. However, in the sprit of modding, I did manage to squeeze in 2 mods which was great. The first one I did was installing a digital speed meter. Not only does it tell a more accurate speed than an analog meter, it also has the function of eliminating the Japanese speed cut of 180km/h.

At first I thought about removing the speed cut but I dun really get to that speed normally on the road so it would be a waste of money. However, when I found this really cheap one, I immediately wanted it. The one I bought is a very old Pivot Speed Meter/Limiter Cut which removes the speed cut, tells the fastest you driven during that drive and provide time attacks. According to the meter, my top speed is 199km/h but I could not reach that the 2nd time.

The 2nd mod would be installing my long bought much thicker TRD front anti roll bar which was bought months ago. Finally, I have found someone to install it. Along with my TRD M Sports suspension tower plate (recently bought), my handling has improved tremendously even after the realigning of rear tires and lousy tires that brought down my performance.

Suspension Tower Plates

Standard (black) & TRD (yellow) anti roll bars

It has been a long week with literally many trips to mechanics and it really took everything out of me and burned a big hole in my wallet. However, I'm happy with my mods.

Finally

After 2 months of waiting, my car number plate is finally out and that means I can now have my Celica.
I went to CF Import with my dad with all the documents needed to get my car. That day I drove the Celica home for the first time. I felt so happy and proud to say that I finally got a sports car and most important of all is that it is the car that I love.

When I first reached home, I parked it beside the Vios to compare them. It may sound silly but I'm just a happy guy. Haha. The second thing I did was get the camera and immediately had a simple photo shoot of the Celica. Here are the photos and the goodies that came with the car from Japan. I'm happy to be driving a very new Celica as my daily drive.

Front with Aero Bumper

Side with TRD skirt

Rear with TRD skirt and spoiler

Rays 18"

Tein Suspension

HKS Muffler

Interior 2 tone

Recaro Semi Bucket