:help: RA40 Newbie :help:

[Quozie]

Hey guy's,

Just picked myself up a RA40 Celica with the standard R18 Motor, Runs well and body is tidy . I need a passenger door window and a speedo cable (centre) and am finding them hard to get . Parts aren't as easy to get as I thought. any one have a contact that can help near the Sunshine Fraser Coast area?

Also has anyone got any body kits available. I have searched and it looks like this model is the only one that doesn't have one. I found a pic on an o'seas site that had a front supa spoiler but that's it. any suggestions photo's ect would be gr8. Thanks Q.

[Hiro]

The A4x Celica series is probably the most unloved in Australia, for several reasons. Firstly, the series A hatchbacks (big round headlights) looked like cockroaches, and were about as fast. The series B headlights really fixed things up, but there still wasn't much in the guts department, and it was still a pretty bland model styling-wise. Still, I quite like them, and was actually looking at the one that I'm pretty sure you've just bought from eBay ;) Mostly likely source of original performance parts would be from an MA41 Supra, but they're rare as hens teeth in Australia. Heaps of stuff out there for the 18R though, but bodykits etc would probably have to be custom.

Best bet would be to do it up stock, maybe with some tough mags and lowered slightly, but make sure to keep it old-school. Bling does NOT suit an RA40

[Quozie]

Hey Hiro, If the one you saw was sold to the same nick and on the GC. You would be right. I'm pretty sure the motor has done the once around as it only has 5 units, plus the caver has a remanufacture sticker on it. It hoots along wuite well though, ended up getting a permit and drove it back to Hervey Bay. Opens up well. The model you quoted, are you suggesting getting body parts or motor parts from. Also do you know if the Gen 1 windows are the same as Gen 2. Thanks for the reply, came back quicker than I thought it would

[Hiro]

pretty sure Gen1/2 (or series A/B, whichever way you look at it) are essentially identical apart from front headlights and bumper bars, so windows etc should be fine. As for getting bodykits of an MA41 Supra, I personally wouldn't, as it'd be a much better option fixing up the MA41 in the first place, and they're rare as all hell anyway.

A good place to enquire about this kind of Celica, and the 18R engine (and the 18RG) in general is on Toymods, but be wary that the signup is quite intrusive, and there's a good chance you won't get accepted (at least on the first go)

[PeterH]

It may interest you to know that the RA40 Celica liftback was the only model to be designed by Toyota California with the coupe be derived from the lftback by Toyota Japan. I guess that's why the RA 40 seems to have so much more room inside the cabin, especially the width, and the liftback area is also huge c.f. other model Celicas. I know, because I raised a family and have umteen opportunities to compare it with subsequent Celicas at the annual motor show. Sure its gutless, but it's smooth and quiet and has done a fantastic job hauling us around since we bought it new in Feb 81. I agree that the round headlight model didn't look as good as the B model (which I've got) - I had one of the early ones for a year before trading it on the B model which by 81 came with TST (Toyota Suspension Tuning) and other equipment which were extras on the A model. I've still got it. By the way, I made the big mistake of installing an exchange Veem engine which lasted barely 20,000 k's before the valves went and so did the warranty. Watch them! I ended up with another recon head and had hardened seats added so now I run it on Preium 95 octanne unleaded no problems.