TA22 Toyota Celica - the a hedge find...
Discussion
Definitely needs more horn buttons - my OCD also doesn't like the fact they they are all orientated differently
Z cars are certainly very different and arguably a bit more purposeful in looks but I can certainly see their appeal. Someone I know locally used to own the car that was absolutely mint under the skin but had the rat look on the outside - a fantastic car very well executed. Was tempted to go that route with the Celica but I know I'd prefer it shiny all over.
I do plan on doing most of the work myself, rather enjoy getting my hands dirty welding and fabricating much as I'm doing with the other projects currently on the go:
That all said, I will probably leave the spraying to a professional, the one area that can make or break any restoration in my opinion.
Z cars are certainly very different and arguably a bit more purposeful in looks but I can certainly see their appeal. Someone I know locally used to own the car that was absolutely mint under the skin but had the rat look on the outside - a fantastic car very well executed. Was tempted to go that route with the Celica but I know I'd prefer it shiny all over.
I do plan on doing most of the work myself, rather enjoy getting my hands dirty welding and fabricating much as I'm doing with the other projects currently on the go:
That all said, I will probably leave the spraying to a professional, the one area that can make or break any restoration in my opinion.
Quick update from this weekend as managed to spend Saturday morning tinkering.
Was determined to see if there was life in the old girl so me and a mate started by methodically working round the engine bay checking wiring, fuel and cooling systems, replacing hose clips and cleaning up points and connections where corroded. Put a drop of oil in the top of the engine again before churning over by hand, then on the starter to see if it was still free and whether there was life in the plugs. With a healthy spark showing, a little petrol was put into the bores, the plugs were refitted and a little easy start was squirted into the carb intakes... the key was then turned...
The engine fired briefly on the second turn of the key so ascertaining that it might actually run, the carb float chambers were primed with some of Shells' finest and it was given another go, after a couple of turns and a spot of choke it fired into life, no nasty noises, no real drama, instead the engine ran pretty smoothly. It lives!
Next few jobs are therefore to flush the cooling system, change the oil and filter, flush the petrol remaining in the tank - the stuff that came out was actually very clean and seemingly healthy and then move on to the brake and clutch... which brings me to the frustrating bit....
After managing to bring the engine back to life, further inspection around the car revealed a few issues: the gaskets on the head will need to be changed as there are oil leaks into the spark plug bores and around the edges (not surprising after being left this long!). The main issue however is the clutch, seemingly the car was stored with the pedal depressed, meaning the clutch is now stuck in the off position, I suspect down to the spring plate failing, the slave cylinder is also seized. The latter I think I can rescue, the clutch will need replacement though.
The shopping list of parts has therefore begun:
- Full engine gasket set
- Carb gasket set
- 3 piece clutch
- Brake calipers
- Cooling hoses
- Water pump
- Clutch pipe
- Distributor cap and rotor arm
If anyone has any further pointers or spots any of the above on their travels I'd appreciate a heads up. Suggestions for sympathetic upgrades also gratefully received.
More soon...
Was determined to see if there was life in the old girl so me and a mate started by methodically working round the engine bay checking wiring, fuel and cooling systems, replacing hose clips and cleaning up points and connections where corroded. Put a drop of oil in the top of the engine again before churning over by hand, then on the starter to see if it was still free and whether there was life in the plugs. With a healthy spark showing, a little petrol was put into the bores, the plugs were refitted and a little easy start was squirted into the carb intakes... the key was then turned...
The engine fired briefly on the second turn of the key so ascertaining that it might actually run, the carb float chambers were primed with some of Shells' finest and it was given another go, after a couple of turns and a spot of choke it fired into life, no nasty noises, no real drama, instead the engine ran pretty smoothly. It lives!
Next few jobs are therefore to flush the cooling system, change the oil and filter, flush the petrol remaining in the tank - the stuff that came out was actually very clean and seemingly healthy and then move on to the brake and clutch... which brings me to the frustrating bit....
After managing to bring the engine back to life, further inspection around the car revealed a few issues: the gaskets on the head will need to be changed as there are oil leaks into the spark plug bores and around the edges (not surprising after being left this long!). The main issue however is the clutch, seemingly the car was stored with the pedal depressed, meaning the clutch is now stuck in the off position, I suspect down to the spring plate failing, the slave cylinder is also seized. The latter I think I can rescue, the clutch will need replacement though.
The shopping list of parts has therefore begun:
- Full engine gasket set
- Carb gasket set
- 3 piece clutch
- Brake calipers
- Cooling hoses
- Water pump
- Clutch pipe
- Distributor cap and rotor arm
If anyone has any further pointers or spots any of the above on their travels I'd appreciate a heads up. Suggestions for sympathetic upgrades also gratefully received.
More soon...
Edited by SPT28 on Monday 12th October 17:35
HughG said:
What condition are your seats on Sam? There's some on eBay in W Sussex from a ST apparently?
They are actually in pretty good nick all things considered, will need to be re-trimmed at some point but perfectly usable for now. Saw those seats listed, think he also has a few other bits for sale I may be tempted by but am trying to be good and only get the bits I know I need at present. Wombat3 said:
Best single/simple upgrade you can do to that engine is an electronic/contactless ignition kit. Not that expensive & it will smooth it out no end.
Oddly enough I was talking to the friend who helped me at the weekend about this. He's after one for his mini and I've also been looking at these kits for quite some time for my other projects but have yet to make my mind up as to which one to go for, there seems to be so much conflicting opinion as to which is better but at the end of the day I guess you get what you pay for. Wombat3 said:
Best single/simple upgrade you can do to that engine is an electronic/contactless ignition kit. Not that expensive & it will smooth it out no end.
Oddly enough I was talking to the friend who helped me at the weekend about this. He's after one for his mini and I've also been looking at these kits for quite some time for my other projects but have yet to make my mind up as to which one to go for, there seems to be so much conflicting opinion as to which is better but at the end of the day I guess you get what you pay for. There was always a big flat spot around 3.5-4K - until I fitted that thing. I'd do it tomorrow if it were me!
What carbs have you got? Is it on the original Solexes or something more interesting? I ended up with a pair of DHLA 40s but it would never idle properly. Webers would be a better bet I think,.....or throttle bodies
To keep the thread ticking along I thought I'd post up with a brief update as time seems to be disappearing rapidly. So what has happened since I got the engine running?
In short, not much! I've mostly been spending some time on my other projects while waiting for parts to appear from around the globe - patience is definitely needed when you have one of these. The rocker cover gasket did arrive so the cover has been off for tidying and a lick of paint before having the new seal fitted
No more oil leaking onto the plugs! Yes I realise it's a bit like arranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but figured I may as well make it look half decent while it was off and it gave me something to do in the eves. I've also managed to free up the clutch slave cylinder which had jammed solid, however am still waiting for a new three piece clutch to arrive. Hopefully by the end of next week...
Wombat, to answer your question it's on the original Mikuni Solex 40's. Not something I'm intending to muck around with too much at the moment while it appears to be starting/running well but perhaps in time once the major mechanicals and bodywork is sorted - throttle bodies would be nice. Also must get round to doing some reading on an electronic ignition kit...
Front wings off next, hopefully they aren't hiding too many issues...
In short, not much! I've mostly been spending some time on my other projects while waiting for parts to appear from around the globe - patience is definitely needed when you have one of these. The rocker cover gasket did arrive so the cover has been off for tidying and a lick of paint before having the new seal fitted
No more oil leaking onto the plugs! Yes I realise it's a bit like arranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but figured I may as well make it look half decent while it was off and it gave me something to do in the eves. I've also managed to free up the clutch slave cylinder which had jammed solid, however am still waiting for a new three piece clutch to arrive. Hopefully by the end of next week...
Wombat, to answer your question it's on the original Mikuni Solex 40's. Not something I'm intending to muck around with too much at the moment while it appears to be starting/running well but perhaps in time once the major mechanicals and bodywork is sorted - throttle bodies would be nice. Also must get round to doing some reading on an electronic ignition kit...
Front wings off next, hopefully they aren't hiding too many issues...
Edited by SPT28 on Thursday 26th November 16:47
SPT28 said:
To keep the thread ticking along I thought I'd post up with a brief update as time seems to be disappearing rapidly. So what has happened since I got the engine running?
In short, not much! I've mostly been spending some time on my other projects while waiting for parts to appear from around the globe - patience is definitely needed when you have one of these. The rocker cover gasket did arrive so the cover has been off for tidying and a lick of paint before having the new seal fitted
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No more oil leaking onto the plugs! Yes I realise it's a bit like arranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but figured I may as well make it look half decent while it was off and it gave me something to do in the eves. I've also managed to free up the clutch slave cylinder which had jammed solid, however am still waiting for a new three piece clutch to arrive. Hopefully by the end of next week...
Wombat, to answer your question it's on the original Mikuni Solex 40's. Not something I'm intending to muck around with too much at the moment while it appears to be starting/running well but perhaps in time once the major mechanicals and bodywork is sorted - throttle bodies would be nice. Also must get round to doing some reading on an electronic ignition kit...
Front wings off next, hopefully they aren't hiding too many issues...
The Solexes were OK but prone to misbehaviour I think. I had a bad one that washed a bore just after a rebuild - necessitating another rebuild . Suggest pull the plugs & make sure they are all the same.In short, not much! I've mostly been spending some time on my other projects while waiting for parts to appear from around the globe - patience is definitely needed when you have one of these. The rocker cover gasket did arrive so the cover has been off for tidying and a lick of paint before having the new seal fitted
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No more oil leaking onto the plugs! Yes I realise it's a bit like arranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but figured I may as well make it look half decent while it was off and it gave me something to do in the eves. I've also managed to free up the clutch slave cylinder which had jammed solid, however am still waiting for a new three piece clutch to arrive. Hopefully by the end of next week...
Wombat, to answer your question it's on the original Mikuni Solex 40's. Not something I'm intending to muck around with too much at the moment while it appears to be starting/running well but perhaps in time once the major mechanicals and bodywork is sorted - throttle bodies would be nice. Also must get round to doing some reading on an electronic ignition kit...
Front wings off next, hopefully they aren't hiding too many issues...
Replaced mine with Dellortos which were a bit of a pig to set up & essentially would never idle properly. Needed stronger springs in the dizzy I think. when set to idle at the right level it then wouldn't come off the advance curve after the throttle was applied so it wouldn't come back down below 2K. In order to get it to come off the advance the idle had to be set so low that it would stall. I learned to live with it bur TB's and some modern programmable ignition would definitely be a better answer!
The box sections under the wings could be ugly but are easy enough to repair , ISTR they are not especially complex constructions.
After some brief success with the engine and while I wait for the clutch I thought I'd make some investigations on the bodywork front so took the front wings off... as to be expected there's good news and not so good news as a result - I'll let the pics do the talking:
The worst of it being the N/S front corner - not pretty!
Not completely unexpected from a car that's been sat for well over 20 years! Could be a lot worse though
The worst of it being the N/S front corner - not pretty!
Not completely unexpected from a car that's been sat for well over 20 years! Could be a lot worse though
Happy New Year all,
As the Christmas break finally supplied a bit of spare time, I managed to snatch a few hours here and there to get down to the garage to tinker with a few bits while I waited for parts to arrive. It also meant I could assess a few other bits ahead of getting the car a little closer to home for its mechanical and minor cosmetic surgery.
The new wings were offered up and look much better than what came off, I also plumbed up all the remaining hoses from when I took the rocker cover off - all looks much better... for now...
Next on the job list was to cycle the old fuel as although there wasn't a lot left in the tank it was bound to be pretty rough - hence the poor initial starting without any form of Easy Start intervention. I think the picture below clearly demonstrates the differences in fuel quality... even more so with the water bottle label! (casting no aspersions about the quality of Scottish mineral water of course!!). Some of the difference could be down to the assumption that it was probably leaded fuel left in the tank. Bottled varnish anyone?
Asides the above and tidying a few other things, the only other bit work was removing the decidedly worse for wear clutch pipe, hoping to get that made up over a few eves so it can be refitted along with the reconditioned slave cylinder.
Finally Santa, (ok UPS) turned up with a (very) belated xmas present - something I ordered back in October (my how time flies!)
At last we might finally move under our own power!
As the Christmas break finally supplied a bit of spare time, I managed to snatch a few hours here and there to get down to the garage to tinker with a few bits while I waited for parts to arrive. It also meant I could assess a few other bits ahead of getting the car a little closer to home for its mechanical and minor cosmetic surgery.
The new wings were offered up and look much better than what came off, I also plumbed up all the remaining hoses from when I took the rocker cover off - all looks much better... for now...
Next on the job list was to cycle the old fuel as although there wasn't a lot left in the tank it was bound to be pretty rough - hence the poor initial starting without any form of Easy Start intervention. I think the picture below clearly demonstrates the differences in fuel quality... even more so with the water bottle label! (casting no aspersions about the quality of Scottish mineral water of course!!). Some of the difference could be down to the assumption that it was probably leaded fuel left in the tank. Bottled varnish anyone?
Asides the above and tidying a few other things, the only other bit work was removing the decidedly worse for wear clutch pipe, hoping to get that made up over a few eves so it can be refitted along with the reconditioned slave cylinder.
Finally Santa, (ok UPS) turned up with a (very) belated xmas present - something I ordered back in October (my how time flies!)
At last we might finally move under our own power!
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