When I look at my AE86 now, I wonder if it isn’t almost something called “done”. Of course there is always more than can be done, but as the car currently serves little purpose for me, it seems somewhat meaningless. For my own pleasure, I’d like to add a little bit to the engine, but that’s simple. The Celica on the other hand… I’m not sure.
Recent weather has been horrendous, and the Celica has been amazing. I’ll acknowledge that anything with a decent AWD drivetrain would be amazing, and there are certainly things that make the Celica LESS amazing than alternatives, but I’m becoming more practical. The Celica is what’s in my garage. I’m thinking about modifying it… A LOT.
First on the list would be the suspension. A. It’s not stiff enough. B. While the rear geometry is very good, the front is very bad, and it doesn’t have enough travel. It will be a little complicated to figure out, but shouldn’t be too expensive. Ride height will come down, but only slightly… like the AE86, I think this car will love some shorter rubber. Second would be simplifying the car. I don’t like electric stuff and power options. Bye Bye AC. Bye Bye Power Windows. Bye Bye Power Mirrors. Bye Bye Power Steering… And to do that I’ll probably use an AW11 rack. A LHD AW11 rack… and finally make the whole car LHD.
It’s not that I mind driving RHD in a LHD world, it’s more that I mind telling people I drive a RHD car in a LHD world. Doing all this will probably demand a parts car… but ST18X Celica’s are abundant and cheap. Maybe I’ll drivetrain swap a Canadian car… that would give me lots of time to properly prep and reinforce a chassis, or fit a Camry front end… Onevia, Camica. Or buy a Camry and fit the Celica front end. Celry, Celiry, Celery.