RA64 Celica build

[corax]

I took it to work last weekend to start on getting it road ready. Here's the list so far:
- rear diff fluid change
- transmission fluid change
- flush engine oil & changed twice
- flush cooling system and fill with Red Long Life Coolant
- new brass battery terminals
- NGK G Power Platinum spark plugs and NGK wires
- brake fluid flush (looked like apple cider)
- new Bosch wiper blades
- throttle body cleaned
- cleaned rear drums & lubed contact points
- lightly resurfaced the front rotors & lubed caliper slide pins
- "fix" the passenger door latch so it won't unlock when closing the door without holding the handle up
- major engine degrease (the pressure washer at work is good enough that it also started taking the flat black off the JY hood)
I also found out the oil pan is so dented up that it takes 1 quart less than it should to fill & the drain plug is about 3" higher than the bottom of the pan so I can't get all the oil out (already have an idea for a guard to prevent that in the future).

One of the last things I checked before I had to leave was ignition timing. This is where it got weird as it seemed to drive decent otherwise. The distributor was set to fully advanced and the timing light showed it to have 45 degrees advance at idle (with the check connector jumped). I didn't even know an engine could run with that much advance at idle. When I tried to set it to 5 degrees it would run like dog poo and I couldn't get the idle speed to come up with the idle air screw on the throttle body. Also at 5 degrees the distributor was near the end of its range (fully retarded in the bolt slot). I think I have it figured out though, it seems the outer ring of the pulley has slipped relative to the crank which is why the timing seems so far off.

Between last weekend and today I picked up most of my junkyard list (still need seats). Next weekend's list when I tow dolly it back to the shop again goes something like this:
- oil pan & pickup
- cut and weld in a new radiator core support
- new radiator that I scored from the JY (has a lifetime warrant sticker on it )
- crank pulley
- valve cover gasket & pcv valve (to replace the giant mound of red RTV the PO made around the PCV)
- exhaust gasket after I thread repair one of the holes for a missing exhaust stud

And I also have a spare metal moonroof panel which will get welded in when I eventually remove the moonroof. For that I'm thinking many very small tack welds to prevent warping the mostly flat roof with fiberglass strand body filler to seal it up and keep water out of the interior. I still need to figure out what to do for roof bracing since there are none - the moon roof itself is the roof bracing. Right now my best idea is double wide shelf track with the open end facing up (for safety) with one piece running straight down the middle and another running side-to-side behind the front seats. My thought is to use bare metal shelf track, bent it to contour and tack weld it to the perimeter roof frame. Whatever I use for bracing will also get bonded or glued to the roof panel.

[Obi..]

*Bracing vs. punching 4 holes and doing an inner-outer-exo-cage? Not saying entirely exo-ing it, but you could always go through the far roof corners and rock the upper bars on the outside. Maybe I'm over-thinking here.

[corax]

The bracing is to keep a large span of otherwise unsupported sheet metal from vibrating and offer a little bit of support. The roof itself is a perimeter frame design with nothing inside the edges due to the considerable structure of the moonroof (which is glued to the roof panel & bolted to the sides).

After a bit of searching it turns out that all I have to do is find a MkII Supra or 3rd gen Celica without a sunroof. I can unbolt the bracing from there and swap it right in. I might also try measuring an old Cressida or similar next time I make a JY run and see what I can adapt. For now, I have plenty to keep me occupied otherwise. BTW, I measured it & taking the moonroof out will gain me just over 1" of headroom.

[Obi..]

Got it. FWIW I fixed the wording errors on my post above, stupid auto-correct went haywire.

Go for the headroom if you need it. I'll see if I can find a pic of the autocross cage design I had in mind. It was made to exceed their specs and even met the rally and NHRA rulebook(s).

[strykersd]

- "fix" the passenger door latch so it won't unlock when closing the door without holding the handle up

Great idea! I'll have to try that on my 4runner!

[corax]

- "fix" the passenger door latch so it won't unlock when closing the door without holding the handle up

Great idea! I'll have to try that on my 4runner!

It'll work, the latch may not look exactly the same, but I did that mod to my 4runner when I first got it and to my pickup before that. Once you have it apart, trip the latch as if you're closing the door with it locked and then unlocked and you should see what you need to do.

[corax]

Still working on it, and after spending 2 hours sitting at the DMV yesterday it's finally street legal

I had some trouble setting ignition timing. It didn't make sense that it would idle nicely when my timing light showed it to be at 45 degrees BTDC. This is what I found, the crank pulley (and timing marks) weren't really accurate anymore. I got a new (used) crank pulley, filled the wallowed-out keyway with JBWeld, used a dial indicator on cyl 1 to find true TDC and slid the pulley on. I turned the pulley till the tdc mark lined up and zipped the bolt down with my impact.


I could have also done it this way (1.5" vacuum drop will put it right at 5 degrees BTDC):

Many racers and engine tuners have opted for state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment but have forgotten one of the simplest, as well as one of the most accurate tuning tools...... the vacuum gauge.

Vacuum Gauge Connection
Connect the gauge to a "manifold" vacuum source, NOT "ported" vacuum, that rises as RPM increases. Start by first warming the engine and note the idle vacuum reading. Normal vacuum at idle should be 19-21 inches for a six cylinder, or 15-18 inches on a low compression engine.

Ignition Timing
Slacken the distributor clamp bolt, and with the engine still at idle, advance or retard the ignition until the highest steady vacuum reading is obtained. Then retard the timing until the vacuum gauge reading drops slightly, approximately one half to one inch. In some cases, you may need to retard the timing up to two inches to prevent pre-igniton (pinging).

I also fixed this problem . . .


. . . by cutting and bolting in a new section that I got at the junkyard


the list is still growing, I fixed or replaced
- fixed the pop up headlights so they actually pop up
- radiator
- leaky exhaust manifold gasket
- cleaned the 2 tubes of dried RTV off the valve cover & PCV valve
- valve cover gasket
- valve lash adjust (spec=.008"Int & .010"Exh, but it ranged from .015"-.003")
- new rear axle/wheel bearing makes it sooo much quieter at highway speed
- oil pan (the drain plug was level with the "full" mark on the dipstick)


The front end still has a lot of "ocean motion" going into turns. So next up are shocks, tie rods and alignment. Oh, I also picked up a set of matching wheels just need to find some used tires to go on them. 2 weeks till the last rallycross of the season . . .

[DHC6twinotter]

Looking good, Kieth! Lots of good tips and info in this thread. Thanks!

[YotaFun]

Awesome progress Keith, looks like your getting all the work done at your shop, must be slow lol

[corax]

Awesome progress Keith, looks like your getting all the work done at your shop, must be slow lol

Actually, it's been getting done on Saturdays and evenings. Last month I was flat rating at 177% productivity . . . waiting for the bottom to fall out after summer