RA64 Celica build

[corax]

I really like the fans! Near perfect fit for sure, and good work on the wing support!

Yeah, those fans move some serious amount of air (I don't think the high speed circuit has kicked on yet in traffic), but the gauge starts creeping up to the 3/4 mark before they start, so I just ordered the 180/195 dual temp switch to install instead. I may use the higher temp switch for my instrument cluster idiot light - maybe make it a 2 stage light where it glows dim and then gets brighter.

New project. I've never really considered any car "mine" until I cut some holes in the hood
Using the info I gathered here, I tried to keep the holes as far forward on the hood as possible. The very forward edge of the holes are about even with the back of the electric fan shrouds so they are well within the area of low pressure. I'm not too worried about a bit of water getting on the distributor, if it becomes a problem I can simply make a splash shield out of some thin lexan.


Now I'm just waiting for the paint on the exposed metal edges to dry before I can pop in the vents.
bonus points if anyone can guess which model gave up their hood vents for this.

*edit* here they are installed
I'm thinking they'll probably get pulled and given a bit of flat black so they don't stand out so much




I got the ones I used off fleabay for $10, or I might have tried to squeeze these on as well (rear hood vents from a 85-92 TransAm)


I was also looking for LeBaron Turbo (top, supposedly very heavy) or Lumina Z34 vents (bottom) while I was junkyarding . . .


. . . or older TransAm fender vents . . .


. . . then there's always the T-Bird Turbo coupe vents

[corax]

I decided to install the upper intake & bigger Cressida throttle body, and wait on the lower intake/teflon gasket until I get my injectors cleaned & balanced by Witch hunter. So it was a perfect opportunity to finally install the temp switch for my idiot light. I decided to go with a 210* switch that (nearly) fits perfectly in the blocked off hole below the temp gauge sensor. A master list of temperature switches showing how they activate, at what temp, & the thread pitch can be found on the Wells site


I say "nearly" fits perfect because, while it threads in fine, the second shoulder from the tip bottoms out on the casting. The solution is to open up the casting flange at the bottom of the threaded hole with a 1/2" drill bit. The shoulder on the temp switch is exactly .500" so a bit of file work may be necessary to give it a bit more clearance if you don't drill it just right. Oh yeah, my skinny Craftsman drill rested up against the manifold and helped me drill it straight, a thicker drill might make the bit go in on an angle - be careful of the threads. (whoever did whatever to this engine must have used a gallon of red RTV - it is EVERYWHERE)


Installed (blurry one)


I cut down and re-threaded (5mmx0.8 die) the adjustable linkage off a 5M Cressida to give me a bit more length than the original 22RE linkage. This way the angle of the throttle plate when I crack it open off idle won't move quite as fast as it would if the linkage pivot was further counter-clockwise (trying to eliminate some of the jerkiness in traffic). The link lever itself was already drilled & trimmed down in this pic.


I also fitted a 2.75"-3" 90* silicone elbow that I found on fleabay for $20ish. It fit just right with the smaller end on the throttle body and is solid enough that I haven't even bothered to brace or support the AFM yet.


In the pic above you can also see the blue temp sensor hose adapter that I ended up using for the electric fan switch - it didn't work as well as I would have liked mounted in the thermostat housing.

I also got rid of all the shifter slop with this little wonder from w58bushings.com (also should work in other "W" series transmissions). Now it "clicks" into gear every time I shift

FWIW, I found it MUCH easier to cut out the rubber part of the shift rail bushing with the shifter housing removed - working through the hole for the shift seat was a pain

[corax]

bit of an update. The belly pan skid does it job nicely


haven't had to use the pull point yet



steel braided brake lines make me smile - added bonus: the GTS IRS kit comes with a hose that's not needed on the solid axle Celica, but fits the clutch slave cylinder perfectly


got around to installing the port matched lower intake & Witch Hunter reconditioned blue top 23250-34030 injectors. World of difference in how the car idles now, before it was pretty rough at idles and had partial misfires from 1k-2k RPM under light to medium throttle. When I started it, I actually though it might have stalled because it was so smooth. These increased fuel flow from 186cc to 216cc, so I adjusted the AFM to tune it a bit


port matched a later ('91 up?) 22RE "straight" style intake. the purpose of these air dams (not on the earlier castings) in front of the individual runners intrigues me a bit + there's no slight bend after the throttle body like the earlier upper intake


also got rid of the linkages and switched to having the cable pull directly on the throttle body (instead of on a bell crank which moves a linkage which pulls the throttle body as you can see in the previous post)


got tired of the lack of head room so I pulled out the sunroof and cut off the lip which remained


flanged a piece of roof, which I removed from a junkyard car with a hammer and sharp chisel, using my newest HF purchase
Flange tool from HF, that will make the filler piece fit perfectly flush


this also shaved ~50lbs off the car. Mark Levinson premium Lexus speaker magnets to hold the panel in place


tacked just before Bondo


The next project (of many) is to put the 3 yr old DieHard Platinum battery I found on the used battery pile at work (which tested perfect after a nice 6hr charge cycle) into the trunk which should shift me to slightly better than 45% of the weight in the rear

[Seanz0rz]

Is that skid plate high density polyethylene?

[corax]

Is that skid plate high density polyethylene?

ULTRA high density PE
only cost a few bucks at tapplastics.com, and I picked it up at one of the local stores

[Seanz0rz]

ohhhhhhhh! ULTRA!!! fancy!

I was thinking about doing that for my belly of the truck, since it doesn't see a lot of rocks.

[corax]

I used 1/2" thick with a 3/4 metal lip on the top side for support. The bottom/ horizontal piece is supported on the sides and uses nut clips so I can take it off for oil changes better - it also slides forward into a pocket, of sorts, so the leading edge can't possibly bite into the ground or get torn back.



these are the clips that I used on the bottom piece, can't think of the proper name at the moment

[CJM]

Speed nuts

[corax]

That's what they're called - just wasn't coming to me.

Mostly finished the roof, I might sand it a bit more at some later date and possibly paint it all one color (I'm thinking silver to keep interior temps down). This should help me pick up at least 10 seconds at the next rallycross :sarcasm:


Now I just need to bend up the main hoop for a roll bar & burn on a pair of back stays before installing a set of Corbeau retractable 4 point (actually it's a 3 point since that denotes the number of attachments, but 4 straps across my body) and finally installing the seat I got for free many moons ago.

[CJM]

I seriously am jealous just how cool this car is by now.