Gen 3 Camry Project Car

[Token]

Hey peeps,

My lil bro has killed (and i mean absolutely killed) his gen 3 camry.

hers a brief list of the problems

- no dash lights

- immobilizer broken

- the radio is missing (there is a huge hole in the dash)

- one of the tail lights doesn't work

- leaking head gasket

- cracked radiator

- front struts soft (whats this mean? )

- coolant overflow bottle cracked

- oil filter cap broken

- belts oil contaminated

- L/H power steering boot split (whats this mean? )

Now we are considering fixing this car up, possibly putting a 3S-GTE engine into it ( a friend has sourced one for me, and as far as i know its complete with exhaust and transmission), giving it a bit of a spruce up ( interior and exterior ) and generally making it into a project car for a bit of fun without breaking the bank.

I have no experience in car modifications ( being a sports bike rider, heck i don't even know what some the problems listed above mean ) and would like some opinions on whether or not this is a good idea, on a rather tight budget. Also how reliable is the car likely to be after dropping the new engine in, how much should i expect to pay for the mods, and whats the likely resale value of this sort of car (i know kms and condition will come into it)?

Any opinions will be warmly welcomed

[Mr Kluger]

Hey peeps,

My lil bro has killed (and i mean absolutely killed) his gen 3 camry.

hers a brief list of the problems

- no dash lights

- immobilizer broken

- the radio is missing (there is a huge hole in the dash)

- one of the tail lights doesn't work

- leaking head gasket

- cracked radiator

- front struts soft (whats this mean? )

- coolant overflow bottle cracked

- oil filter cap broken

- belts oil contaminated

- L/H power steering boot split (whats this mean? )

Now we are considering fixing this car up, possibly putting a 3S-GTE engine into it ( a friend has sourced one for me, and as far as i know its complete with exhaust and transmission), giving it a bit of a spruce up ( interior and exterior ) and generally making it into a project car for a bit of fun without breaking the bank.

I have no experience in car modifications ( being a sports bike rider, heck i don't even know what some the problems listed above mean ) and would like some opinions on whether or not this is a good idea, on a rather tight budget. Also how reliable is the car likely to be after dropping the new engine in, how much should i expect to pay for the mods, and whats the likely resale value of this sort of car (i know kms and condition will come into it)?

Any opinions will be warmly welcomed

Dude... i think its dead....

any attempt to bring it back to life will cost $$$$ and dont expect to get muck back in terms of resale...

but as a hobby bomb... who knows what it could turn into... keep us posted on any developments... a few pics would be helpfull too

cheers, good luck with the project if you go a head with it...

[selyaT]

Money money money...

Remember it would have to be engineered to pass rego too

[dannywss]

i m not very good at these, but if smb can explain a bit, then would be REALLY great info.

Teaching by telling which are the worst problem and cost most?

In my opinion, should be :

cracked radiator

L/H power steering boot split

Leaking head gasket

I thought others can be replace easy?

Edited October 20, 2007 by dannywss

[Rolla Boy]

Sounds like an expensive exercise to me...

3SGTE would set you back a fair bit, then you'll need suspension and steering work, fix wiring/fuse/globe issues, cooling system overhaul and then everything else that you wanna do to the inside and outside to spruce it up...

[Token]

Thanks for the feedback guys...

sounds like it might not be worth it... ill go out and get some quotes from mechanics...

but how much roughly shld i be looking at just for the engine to be dropped in and wired?

[Rolla Boy]

Probably something close to $1000...

[Wixy]

my 2nd gen sv21 had a $1500 repair bill alone, and it was from the cheapest mechanic i found.

all that use to numerous engine leaks and powersteering leaks.

id say...use that money wisely

so NO would be my answer.

[94CamryCSI]

If you are gonna part it, can I buy ur window regulators?

[theDefiant1]

Keep the car, shoot your brother.

[BlindEyeSight]

Depends,

if ya got some good plans for it, and wanna make it into something unique (specially with the 3S-GTE) like a show car or something. then yeah might be a good base to work from.

otherwise as a daily driver.... no, your repair bills might be close to wat a newer well looked after camry would cost. Unless you can do a lot of the work your self

[$ANGELO$]

sound like an awsome project.. has it been done before?

if you have the $$ then go for it.

Edited November 20, 2007 by $ANGELO$

[Whip Cracker]

Well, considering you're swapping the engine... not worth repairing the old one mate. Radiator? Meh... new one around $250-300.

If you try and do this mostly by yourself, you'll save lots of money. When you chuck the 3SGTE in, you'll need a decent set of shocks and springs in the front AT LEAST because it's a much heavier engine. The tail light you can sort out yourself (if you're electronically minded, if not, Auto-Sparkie can help)... Dash? A new HU... ***** easy.

You're best off trying to find a well looked after Camma that already has lots of major mods done to it (resell value stays around the same, stock or not)... you're then best off transplanting a 3SGTE into that instead.

Hope this helps

[BlindEyeSight]

if ya do put it back to gether....wreckers can be your best friend

or

http://www.findapart.com.au/index.php