Motors My Celica GT-Four Build Thread! - And Then There Were 4 (Update 25/08/20)

Sweeeet mate, a 3S-GTE? Are you going to strip down and rebuild to stock spec or you going to put in forged pistons and rods in etc? (aren't the stock GT4 3S-GTE cranks good for 600bhp?)

Doing yourself step by step or strip down and get a shop to do the internals?

 

Hello bit-tech. Remember me? Still warm, the blood that courses through my veins.

Just dropped by to see how everyone is, and share my latest acquisition and update on this very, very long-term project.



You may have seen a couple of posts last year after I bought my red Celica GT-Four. I need to post some updates on that, as a lot has been done to it since and I have even more planned. But that’s not what I'm here to talk about today.

The bigger news is that I bought another one. Actually, I bought another two. Technically it’s only 1.5 but who’s counting? One is damage repairable, and one has no engine or gearbox. Can you see where this is going?





The crashed red car is just a donor for now, but a very solid ’95 shell with absolutely zero rust. I have every intention of repairing and doing something with it in the future, but for now I’m just robbing bits off it for the other two. I bought it off a friend and member of the owner’s club earlier this year, mainly for the low mileage engine and drivetrain.

The black ’94 car is quite rough around the edges, but definitely not beyond saving and another very solid, rust free car. I rescued it from a barn in Wolves a couple of weeks ago, where it had been sitting abandoned for about 4 years. I have already begun the process of stripping down the front end in preparation for a major tidy up, and will be transplanting the driveline from the crashed car into this.

 

Ah man, I love these cars, I need to stop dreaming and start buying!

 

Do it! I can't recommend them highly enough! In my opinion there's nothing like them. From looks to handling and performance, there is something really special about these cars. The red one is running at 320bhp on 15psi of boost at the moment, and will be undergoing a major suspension upgrade this winter to keep it even more glued to the road.

 

Got a few financial loose ends to tie up this year, Mrs is far too supportive of my spending on things like this.

That red one is dreamy.

 

This is a thread I shouldn't follow... (but likely will)

This is something I'd really like to do, not specifically a celica (although I have always had a soft spot for them!) your car is a stunner

I'm just lacking the expertise, space & money..... all I have is the enthusiasm!

 

I'm dropping in on you all again to share another bit of news. This is becoming quite an addiction now, I've bought another one! This is another 1994 ST205 GT-Four in Sea Spray Pearl, which is quite a rare colour that Toyota only offered in '94 and '95.

It's seen better days; the story with this one is that its previous owner crashed it the week before he was due to go to Australia to work for a couple of years. I think his plan was to come home at some stage and fix it, but he has been over there ever since, so he signed the car over to one of his friends to sell, and I drove about 4 hours both ways to buy it.

This has always been the "holy grail" colour of ST205 for me. As much as I've fallen for the Renaissance Red, this colour looks incredible when it's polished up and in direct sunlight. The photo below was taken on a cloudy day, and the car hasn't been washed or polished in about 5 years, so it definitely looks lackluster at the moment. But give me a few months with it and I'll have it gleaming again!

SSP ST205 by Unicorn posted 25 Aug 2020 at 02:20

I will do my best to start posting updates on all of the cars. Here's a really quick update on them all:

#1 Red - Has just passed its MOT after a long delay due to the pandemic. Should have been back on the road at the start of May having had a major amount of mechanical work done last autumn and winter, but then the world got turned on its head.

#2 Red - Has been completely stripped back to a bare shell and is now sitting in the corner on a body dolly, waiting to be sent off to the body shop to be repaired. Pushed repairing this back due to the pandemic and other commitments.

#3 Black - The front end and engine bay have been completely stripped in preparation for its respray. I had to install a rear subframe and suspension arms to make it easier to move around. It's 95% ready to go to the body shop, I just have to remove the glass, the rear bumper and some trim. The arrival of #4 has pushed this back as well.

#4 Blue - Awaiting arrival of this, it's still in storage with the previous owner. I've stockpiled all of the parts I think I'll need to repair the accident damage and get it MOT tested ASAP, as that's required before I can register it in Northern Ireland. Once it's tested and registered I would like to thoroughly under seal and drive it for a few months before parking it to start a major tidy up, although that will depend on how harsh a winter it is.

 

Yes, for those keeping count, that makes 4!

I edited the post above with a bit more description etc. ^

 

I thought you had vanished! Like your namesake. Uh, I am loving the build but I'm spoiled by Binky and Sarah-n-Tuned. That is, can we get some youtube porn? Pretty please.

 

Eff me, he's still alive!

How's my old i7 920 + mobo going?

 

Man I love these cars

 

Well I suppose I did for a while, but I'm always lurking. I would love to produce some YouTube content, but I'm not sure that I would be up to the task... I am a perfectionist and my motto is "do it properly or don't do it at all". Definitely still on the cards, but don't hold your breath!

I have spent a considerable amount of time and money improving my workshop in preparation for getting stuck into these new projects during lockdown, and shot some time lapse footage of the changes.

Still just about above ground! I had a huge spill/near miss in April during Lockdown whilst working on my own at the workshop; fell down a flight of stairs with my hands full and no hands free to break my fall. I got off lightly with lots of bruises, a severely broken foot (heel bone) and absolutely obliterated achilles tendon. It's been 4 months and it's still not fully healed (no pun intended!).

Hadn't even remembered that one of my motherboards and CPUs came from you, that's going back a long, long time. Which one was that, I've had so many X58 machines over the years! I think all but one rig in my entire folding farm was based on the X58 platform. Off the top of my head, I had an ASUS P6T Deluxe, a Gigabyte UD3R, an EVGA X58 Classified, a Classified 3 and a Rampage III Gene.

 

So this morning, I was sat listening to the radio while flicking through this thread and a person came on saying that had some Celica GT and it hadn't run in xx years, but fired it up for the first time "live", then driving home I saw one in silver.

 

Hah, yes we heard about this in the owners groups. Apparently it was someone called John who has been rebuilding a GT4 for the past 3 years and was starting it for the first time live on Radio 1. Brave man!

 

That's not a no. *Makes squeee noises in the minor key*

You know, broken bones and a blown tendon doesn't sound minor to me at all. I Hope you heal fast. It's better than the alternative for sure.

 

Since you are so keen, I'll share this just for you! It's probably 11+ minutes of boredom for most, but I did time lapse removing most of the interior from the damaged car last year. This is the one that's destined to be repaired and become my track car. Removal of the dashboard and all that sits behind it is a PITA on a GT-Four. There is a definite knack to it, which I didn't have whilst I was stripping this one. The wiring harness is attached to the back of the dashboard, so the trick is to unplug it from the junction boxes in each foot well and remove it with the dash panel. The heater matrix, AC chiller and fan unit are all very securely connected together and there's a specific "order of operations" which you have to follow to get them out. I was learning all of this as I went along when this video was shot, but I've dismantled a couple more since and can now do it in a few hours instead of a few nights.

It's healing ok but I won't be running marathons any time soon. On the advice of my physiotherapist, I've started to go for short, easy walks each morning to loosen it up and begin to build some strength again. I do also need the exercise after being housebound and not able to train for 4 months!