This is my
'everyday-car', which I use all year to and from work or any time I'm not comfortable
using my MR2...:-)
That, however, hasn't
stopped me from using money on modifications for it! I guess I'm not the kind of guy who
just buys a car and leaves well enough alone...
I bought it on october
5th 2001 from its female owner, and according to her there is only one previous owner in
Switzerland, where it was originally sold. It was imported to Norway in 1999. The only
original equipment was AC and stereo (radio/CD/tape), but I was just looking for AC
anyway, so.... Unfortunately the paint was in a horrible condition, but the price was
right so I bought it anyway. :-D
The car
is now sold, hopefully the new owner will enjoy it as much as I have.
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Modifications and parts
bought and installed (ordered by date):
- Nokia CARK-91 handsfree
for my Nokia 6310 cellphone (09/10/2001)
- Replaced broken antenna
with new (14/10/2001)
- Original owners manual in
danish (!), part # 009705, still it's better than the german one that came with the
car...:-) (17/10/2001)
- New tyres - Vredestein
Giugaro Sportrac 205/55/15, not my tyre of choice, but it's what the previous owner came
up with when I demanded new tyres... (17/10/2001)
- Not a mod in that respect,
but a very useful tool for doing the mods - workshop manual, engine
Toyota part # RM164E (10/11/2001)
- Installed wire mesh
-grille, bought from a local mailorder store...:-) (15/11/2001)
- Streetnav GPS-system from Pharos - attached to a Palm M515 or
an Ipaq coupled with SWI's Mapviewer
or TomTom's Route Planner this is a
fun and useful tool for trips (15/11/2001)
- New brake and clutch
pedals from mk7 Celica - Toyota part # 31321-53010 (15/11/2001)
- Clear side repeaters -
Toyota part # 81732-20220 with yellow bulbs - Toyota part # 90981-15012 (15/11/2001)
- Wired up the non-working
front fog lights (22/11/2001)
- Ramair CV-01 70mm
performance airfilter from Fensport. Now, this was fun! It was
a doodle to install, even included a hole for the airtemp.-meter, and the sound was great!
Any performance increase? Dunno, but I can finally hear the engine at high revs! Also
mounted a couple of extra intake pipes that go under the car to scoop up more fresh air. Update:
Click here to read about the effect of these pipes (22/11/2001)
- Defa alarm/immobiliser,
hopefully it'll help keeping the car mine... (16/01/2002)
- Changed the plugs since I
had no idea of when they were last changed. Platinum plugs from Toyota (16/01/2002)
- Exchanged the original
stereo for an Aiwa CDC-MP3R, RDS/CD/MP3 and a DIN-sized CD-console for storing up to 4
CDs, the latter has Toyota part # PZ437-90341.00 (17/02/2002)
- Complete respray in the
original color (23-25/02/2002)
- Lowering kit, Inter Alloy,
which lowered the car 30 mm (29/04/2002)
- Complete suspension
alignment, camber -1 deg. all around and some toe at the rear. Tested the new setup at a
local track the same day, and it made the car handle very well indeed, with a slight
tendency to oversteer, just the way I like it (30/04/2002)
- New rims, 8"x17"
TSW Fly with 35 mm offset, and tyres, Yokohama A539 215/40/17. I really wanted to go for
225/45/17, but was afraid that they'd rub and of the increased diameter; only slightly
below 5% (30/04/2002)
- Original tweeters from
Toyota, part # 86160-2B180, 86160-2B170, 67491-20330 and 67492-20330, mounted in the
doors (06/05/2002)
- Installed custom
plexiglass mount for Ipaq and Palm (23/05/2002)
- Fitted locknuts to the
wheels (23/05/2002)
- Resprayed windshield wiper
arms (myself!!! :-D) and fitted new Bosch wipers (26/05/2002)
- Respray of rear bumper -
some MORON!!! hit it while I was parked in the street...just 1.5 weeks after the complete
respray... Got the front 'splitters', Toyota part # 76851-20040 and 76852-20030, painted
at the same time (02/06/2002)
- Exchanged original tail
lights with a new pair from a '96 Japan-only special edition Celica. These have clear turn
signal glass and look quite different to the originals. Toyota part # 81561-2B240 and
81551-2B300. Note that these are not E-marked, and probably not legal in
most European countries, so keep those originals in a safe place...:-D (04/06/2002)
- Installed the front
'splitters'. Nice look, and not terribly low like the Toyota add-on spoiler (Toyota part #
PZ402-14440-AB) delivered in some countries (05/06/2002)
- Not a mod in that respect,
but a very useful tool for doing the mods - workshop manual, chassis,
Toyota part # RM380E (08/06/2002)
- Installation of EBC Green
Stuff pads in the front, EBC part # DP2874, and EBC brake fluid (307 deg. Celcius
boilingpoint) in preparation to this summers trip to the Nurburgrings Nordschleife
(13/06/2002)
- Changed the oil and
filter, this time for Mobil-1 5w-50, veeery thin... (20/06/2002)
- Modified the lower
compartment of the dash to incorporate 2 additional power outlets to accommodate the Ipaq
and the Palm (22/06/2002)
- Added a combination meter
- laptimer, in/out temperature, ice warning and voltage monitor. The outside temp.-sensor
is used for monitoring the intake temperature (22/06/2002)
- Installed a fire
extinguisher in front of the passenger seat - never know when you might need one...
(25/06/2002)
- Changed the gasket for the
oil drain plug, seems the old one couldn't cope with the thin Mobil-1 oil... (25/06/2002)
- Did
a test of the two additional intake tubes I have in my setup. Prerequisits:
- Original intake in place, blowing cold air as intended from the factory
- Stock airbox and filter removed and replaced with Ram-Air filter
- Temp.-sensor placed directly in front of the air filter
The test was performed in the evening on a cloudy day with no sun (i.e. no chance of
hotspots). Drove the car a set distance to and fro, constant 80-85 km/h. The results were
as follows:
Starttemp. with additional intake tubing: 58 deg.
Lowest temp. measured: 32.3 deg.
Starttemp. without additional intake tubing: 51 deg.
Lowest temp. measured: 38.1 deg.
Conclusion: The tubes do their work as intended, 18% colder air is actually far more than
anticipated (25/06/2002)
- Purchased and installed
ornament for footboard, special order from Japan. It's a moulding made of aluminum, with
'Celica' imprinted - very nice! Toyota part # 67917-20220. I also bought new plastic footboards made especially for these ornaments, so I
wouldn't have to mess with the originals. Toyota part # 67913-20230-C0 (right) and
67914-20190-C0 (left) (26/08/2002)
- Changed the oil and
filter, - Mobil-1 5w-50 (15/02/2003)
- Rear skirt installed - nice! Toyota part # PZ402-14460-AB (20/03/2003)
- Professional detailing (04/04/2003)
- Right front splitter was damaged this
winter, had to be resprayed and remounted (09/04/2003)
- Modified the surroundings of the intake,
installed an insulating mat between the engine and the airfilter. This helped enormously
on the intake temp, which is now exactly the same as the outside temperature (while
driving) (08/06/2003)
- MTEC SuperWhite bulbs for the headlights
installed (05/07/2003)
- Changed the rear pads,
which had started to squeal. And changed to winter tyres...:-( (25/10/2003)
- Complete undercoating (anti-rust)
treatment (10/12/2003)
- 4-point street legal
harness, Luke Motorsport LMS, in preparation for easters' visit to the
Nürburgring (29/02/2004)
   
- Changed the oil and filter, - Mobil-1 5w-50 (01/04/2004)
- Went for a trip to the
Nürburgring, 23 laps! See videos here
and pictures here
(12/04/2004)
- Sold the car...now an
Elise awaits...:-D (28/04/2004)
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After having owned an MR2 since 1994, and enjoyed the many (MANY!) sites and forums on the
Internet specifically for this car, it was a shock looking for the same for the Celica.
While there are a few sites around, they're mostly concerned about the really old ones, or
the latest (7th gen.) Celica. To top it off, in the forums I see references to MR2-sites
for this and MR2-sites for that - are Celica-owners really that technically challenged? In
all fairness, there are a few sites worth reading, and they're specified below.
This webpage is mostly
here because I like to keep track of the things I do with my cars, and since I've got a
terrible memory, this is one way of doing it. And if I can help others with their Celica's
at the same time, well then that's great...:-D
Anyway, I enjoy driving
the Celica, and modifying it, and while it's harder to find solutions on the Internet than
for the MR2, it's fun trying!
The summer of 2002 I
visited Nürburgrings Nordschleife
for the third year in a row, first time with the Celica. It performed very well indeed,
and I set a new personal best with a laptime of 09:45:00. |