Author Topic: 1990 Celica GT-S - The Hellica [Now with Trip Report!] (Read 14587 times)

Cbxj · « **Reply #25 on:** March 12, 2016, 08:34:14 am »

Being an owner of a celica GT convertible, I fully approve of this project. And award 5 internet bonus points.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #26 on:** March 13, 2016, 10:00:36 pm »

Today we visited the Forest Lawn trailer park to collect a pair of cheap virtually brand new 13" tires for another team in the rally.

The owner of the tires spoke to us about how he got lead poisoning from breaking up a wooden pallet in front of his house. I failed to ask him where he got the pallet. Or the tires. He was nice though.

Also the steering lock misbehaved on my codriver and we had to play a game of two-man-jiggle-the-steering-wheel-while-inserting-the-key to make it work. Or as Rathburn calls it, Sunday night.

It all gave me a chance to try the Celica on a lot of surfaces. It has some bad tramlining, a worrying rpm-speed whine and at least one badly blown shock, but it has pretty good roadholding once you set it up for a corner. I find it sort of hard to believe that not everyone drives one of these because they're basically the ideal 'regular person' car.

Longlivetheride · « **Reply #27 on:** March 14, 2016, 10:01:12 pm »

We likely have some used Rally tires around too if you want more in 15inch

seat safety switch · « **Reply #28 on:** March 23, 2016, 08:11:25 am »

Not sure if those would be good on the highway, but the Civic keeps pulling at my shirt sleeve and tells me I have a spare set of 15s kicking around now and would I please dress them so they don't look so indecent.

Jory beat me to posting hawt parts pix because the n-1st bundle of RockAuto parts has finally arrived. Another set is shipping out today and sets my record for biggest single RockAuto order yet.

Pictured: brake hoses, clutch slave cylinder hose, front and rear endlinks, oil filters, distributor cap and rotor, Denso plugs, plug wires.

Not pictured: hatch struts, neochrome shift knob, air filter

Incoming: Gates timing kit, full set of struts and bumpstops, accessory belts

ultimatt · « **Reply #29 on:** March 23, 2016, 08:50:05 am »

Does this not put you over the $ limit?

RedndWhite · « **Reply #30 on:** March 23, 2016, 09:06:05 am »

Quote from: ultimatt on March 23, 2016, 08:50:05 am

Does this not put you over the $ limit?

Toyota parts are really cheap...

seat safety switch · « **Reply #31 on:** March 23, 2016, 09:06:37 am »

Quote from: ultimatt on March 23, 2016, 08:50:05 am

Does this not put you over the $ limit?

Yes, but certain things are exempt.

Going over the limit also just gives us penalty points, which we can eliminate by not breaking down and by doing ricer fly-bys on the RX7s.

Also most of the stuff I've bought has been on RockAuto warehouse clearout: those oil filters were $1.56, for instance, and the rear endlinks were $2.30 apiece. Sadly the KYBs are not

lynx440 · « **Reply #32 on:** March 24, 2016, 11:40:05 am »

Awsome project/plan.

It will always be Sell-ee-ka in my mind though.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #33 on:** March 27, 2016, 04:09:03 pm »

Went out to the ranch today and got a bunch of stuff done.

First, we did an oil change. I don't know what this thing on the very front of the Celica is, other than maybe this is how you can tell it's a boy Toyota vs. a girl Toyota.

Please spay or neuter your Celica. Thank you.

One of the main goals for today was to put new hatch struts on it. However, the old hatch struts had super rusty brackets holding them on that were mega gross. Out comes the angle grinder.

And the Tremclad. My focus isn't great in this shot, but just look at that big Alberta sky.

While we're at it, might as well spray paint the wiper arms too. Here comes the zinc chromate primer, which I am terrible at applying in the wind.

And the semi-gloss black.

Eh, good enough. Tremclad apparently takes longer than we gave it to harden.

Where's the rear wiper arm, you ask? Well I forgot to paint that

Back in the garage it's time to yank the plugs:

#1 is not looking too good there boys. 3/4 plug wires dismantled themselves as I removed them, which is probably my worst record yet.

While looking at the distributor, noticed that the bottom of it wasn't actually bolted in all the way, and the engine had been leaking oil through the bottom of the distributor presumably since the last time it was done. That's not good.

Replaced the distributor cap, distributor 'rotor', all four spark plugs and all four spark plug wires. Just look at all that race car red.

Then I had to go. But I am told in my absence the steering wheel was replaced with our junkyard unit.

Canuckrz · « **Reply #34 on:** March 27, 2016, 05:29:40 pm »

I'm surprisingly envious of this project.

jellynuts · « **Reply #35 on:** March 27, 2016, 08:16:28 pm »

Ranch?

GrantC · « **Reply #36 on:** March 27, 2016, 09:00:24 pm »

Quote from: jellynuts on March 27, 2016, 08:16:28 pm

Ranch?

They were out of Thousand Island.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #37 on:** March 27, 2016, 11:06:48 pm »

Quote from: Canuckrz on March 27, 2016, 05:29:40 pm

I'm surprisingly envious of this project.

I'm surprised too.

Canuckrz · « **Reply #38 on:** March 28, 2016, 10:43:23 pm »

Quote from: seat safety switch on March 27, 2016, 11:06:48 pm

I'm surprised too.

Surprised that I'm surprised, or surprised about the car.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #39 on:** March 29, 2016, 06:46:48 am »

Quote from: Canuckrz on March 28, 2016, 10:43:23 pm

Surprised that I'm surprised, or surprised about the car.

The former. Toyondo builds one hell of a car.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #40 on:** March 30, 2016, 01:45:30 pm »

The steering wheel has indeed been replaced.

RedBimmer93 · « **Reply #41 on:** March 31, 2016, 12:19:54 am »

That is more rally!!

Flying_Finn · « **Reply #42 on:** March 31, 2016, 12:30:57 am »

www.trailofthegnu.ca this weekend?

seat safety switch · « **Reply #43 on:** March 31, 2016, 06:48:25 am »

Quote from: Flying_Finn on March 31, 2016, 12:30:57 am

www.trailofthegnu.ca this weekend?

Like last year I totally forgot about it until the last minute so unfortunately not. Next year I swear.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #44 on:** April 03, 2016, 08:22:24 pm »

We threw some work at it this weekend instead of TSDing. And after looking at the work we did that was probably a wise choice.

Let's start with...

Struts

Both fronts really blown. Stupid Toyota design requires you to remove the front brake lines to remove the struts (like an early Impreza) so it will get sliced up for ease of future maintenance.

The front housings are retained and you just change out the cartridge. The old cartridges were so blown in the fronts that their dented housings sat in a soup of disgusting smelling oil, upon which the wiper seals floated.

Some persuasion is needed to yank the inserts.

The housings are pretty rotten so they are getting wire wheeled down and POR15'd, then we will put new spring isolators and other parts on them. Tophats are $53 a corner so we're going to try and reuse the ones we have with a fabricated foam isolator.

Brakes
Had to dismantle them as part of doing this job, so found out that the insurance inspection from last week was accurate and the front pads have below 3mm of meat. Holy itshay were they dangerously low. Slide pins are super dry and maybe at one point in the last two decades had antiseize on them because they're coloured a dusty white.

Waiting on new rotors and pads to replace those, will drop in new front brake lines as part of the job.

Surprises
The insurance inspection claimed that the "shock oil" was everywhere under the car and had ruined the front brake line. Horse itshay. What had actually happened is that the front passenger side axle was so blown it was basically acting as a rotary vane pump to spray moly grease as effectively as possible within the engine bay.

So that adds two axles to the job, since the drivers' side axle is leaking a non-negligible amount of grease past the crimps.

Bonus
I painted the rear wiper because the RX7s on the rally need something nice to look at.

Used Duplicolor adhesion promoter, self-etch primer (which is getting pricey as) and trim paint.

Also the no-name Chinese tires on it are advertised as being good at launching your seat out of the car, letting you hear things, detaching from the car and sprouting skis, and catching on fire. Thanks China!

GrantC · « **Reply #45 on:** April 03, 2016, 08:58:34 pm »

Those are the weirdest tire pictographs I've seen in a long time...

seat safety switch · « **Reply #46 on:** April 10, 2016, 04:42:42 pm »

Previously on Switch: We confronted a broken passenger side CV.

Here's how you replace the passenger side CV on a 90-93 Celica.

First, replace the oil pressure switch on the front of the engine.

Next, move onto the bench. While the 90-93 Celica has no aftermarket options for front coil spring isolators, you can get lucky and find out that one from an 87 Camry fits.

Next, set up your electrolytic bath to clean up the coil spring you removed from that corner when removing the strut. Don't bother cleaning it, the electrolytic solution is washing soda anyway.

In you go! Watch the rust fly.

Then put in the passenger side CV. It is essential that you spend an hour dicking around trying to figure out how to get the carrier bearing bracket undone from the axle, and also read various crackpot opinions about removing non-existent circlips from the carrier bearing.

Also tear the old CV in half while removing it, splashing moly grease all over the area you are working and then filling the garage floor and your shirt/hat/pants with bright red gear oil.

Ding! Electrolyte is done. Remove the spring and scuff it with a red scotchbrite pad:

Hit it with etch primer:

Spray it with whatever colour coat you had lying around the shop:

Next week on Switch: maybe put in the drivers' side front CV?

ultimatt · « **Reply #47 on:** April 10, 2016, 05:01:02 pm »

You guys are insane.

GrantC · « **Reply #48 on:** April 10, 2016, 05:29:09 pm »

Quote from: ultimatt on April 10, 2016, 05:01:02 pm

You guys are insane.

Yea, scuff & paint is already over the top levels of effort.

DIY electrolysis is just showing off & doing it for the sake of doing it.

Stehle · « **Reply #49 on:** April 10, 2016, 07:05:54 pm »

Quote from: GrantC on April 10, 2016, 05:29:09 pm

DIY electrolysis is just showing off & doing it for the sake of doing it.

I don't know... It really seems to beat sanding it..