89Camry

Good evening all,

Its been a while since I've had time to be on the forums, but hopefully I'll have a little more time going forward.

I've just purchased a new toy - a 1990 celica GT4. The suspension is a bit tired and I'm looking at options for upgrading.

As I've never owned one of these cars before, any advice on what suspension setup would be best would be greatly appreciated. Current the car has king low springs and some very dodgy shocks.

The plan for the car is a daily driver/weekender with some track work thrown in occasionally.

Many thanks in advance.

Greg

Hi all,

Most of you might know of me, though I haven't been active in the forums for a while. Between work and a growing family, time is a luxury I just don't have these days.

With that in mind, I am seriously considering selling my beloved turbo Gen2. I've put a link to an earlier post here. http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/35424-89-camry-3sgte/

it saddens me greatly to even be thinking this, as so much time, money and energy has gone into this car. Those who know it, and me, know that this is a decision I haven't come to lightly.

I am brutally aware that I am more than likely going to get a small fraction of what I have put into it back. That doesn't bother me. i would rather the car go to someone who would appreciate it like I have.

What I'm looking for is for any information as to what kind of asking price should I be putting on it to sell? Should I be looking at (god forbid) parting it out separately? That would a be a final option and one i really don't want to make.

A short list of what has gone into the car.

Gen1 3sgte - stripped down and rebuilt in June 2008. Probably around 10,000kms on the rebuilt engine.

New hi output alternator

850cc injectors.

E153 V6 camry manual gearbox.

rebuilt and hiflowed ct26 turbo - November 2011. Engine doing 197 kws at the front wheels on the dyno at 16 psi.

Aluminium AEM radiator.

Stinger EMS

HKS Electronic dual stage boost controller

Full leather interior.

Rear wheel disc brake conversion with Gold RDA rotors.

GT4 single piston front discs and calipers

Custom coilovers

Honestly, I think I've forgotten more about what I've put into the car than I can remember.

Thanks for all your help guys. and if anyone knows anyone who is interested, please let me know.

Cheers

Greg

Yes Jeffy it is the same car.

Hi all,

Just thought I'd do a little writeup of my car as it sits currently for those that are interested.

The car now looks pretty much like stock again. I got over the bodykit I had on it due to height and general wear and tear issues so I have gone back to a more sleeperish look.

I've just had the car in the shop for a few upgrades. The following are just a few

Hi flowed and rebuilt ct26 turbocharger

850cc injectors

2.5inch stainless dump pipe to 3 inch exhaust with megaflow cat.

On the hub dyno it is now putting out 197fwkw at 16psi boost. I've also had the BOV changed to a plumb back system so it is now very, very quiet.

All in all, its a lot of fun to drive and the acceleration is brilliant.

The only issue I have at the moment is some vibration in the steering wheel. My model didn't come with power steering, so I have a steering damper on the rack that supposedly absorbs vibrations. Unfortunately it isn't working so well after 20 odd years. I'm having a lot of trouble sourcing a replacement, so if anyone can help or suggest another option, I'd really appreciate. I can't fit power steering unfortunately.

Thanks all,

Greg

Greg

All weights are fine, as are the brakes....

hey guys,

Thanks for all the responses. As some of you know I'm not the most mechanically minded person, so I don't really know what will fit and what won't.

Unfortunately I've had to hold off on the upgrade as its been dragging on a while at the mechanic and I need the car back to drive. So sadly it will have to wait a bit.

Another annoying thing has arisen. I have been getting intermittent vibrations through my steering wheel that the mechanic has now told me isn't in the hub or alignment. so it must be in the steering system somewhere... apparently. Now I don't have power steering (crazy I know, but the car never came with it) so does anyone have any ideas where the vibration might be coming from at all?

I only seems to show up noticeably at higher speeds (80km/h plus). I don't know if it matters, but I do have very stiff coilover suspension on the car.

Recommendations for good mechanics in Brisbane Southside would be great as well.

Thanks again all.

Good evening all,

Its been a while,and currently my cam is in the workshop having some 'upgrades' done. Sadly she had been sitting broken for quite some time.

Currently I'm drawing some blanks that I'm hoping the some of the more mechanically minded members can help.

I currently have rear drum brakes and st165 Celica front brakes with slotted rotors. I'm upping the power of the car and was hoping to get into some larger/stronger brakes, but trying to find something that will fit is proving a challenge. I know a vsv21 V6 Gen 2 camry rear discs will fit, and I'm looking for bigger front brakes, if its possible or viable. I'm open to all options and opinions.

My thanks in advance,

Greg

Beautiful ride. Loving the turbo camrys!

Still haven't got the speedo working as the old speedo doesn't match up to the new electronic gearbox.

My mechanic sourced the gearbox for me. I couldn't give you and exact price as it was all quoted with new transaxles and a few other things. Sourcing the box wasn't hard, just finding an inner transaxle was a bit of a mission.

Happy to meet up on day velzor and show you the car.

Heres a few of mine....

Thanks to Tangcla for the great shoot last night. Shame about the weather though!

Yeah mate, it was a bit of a trial, but i've got a 99 Camry E153 V6 box in it plus new transaxles. Speedo isn't working at the moment as the new box is electronic and the old speedo was mechanical. its annoying, but the gear changes are pretty much a short shift now as the mechanic had to manually adjust all the linkages to make sure the gears selected properly.

It is great having her back on the road now and hopefully I replaced pretty much all the weak parts now.

I'm assuming me being in the list twice is an oversight ELEGNT?

Hey guys,

Can I slot into one of the empty spots here for Saturday night. GCCL told me some had come up. Thought I would jump in if I can!

1. Silvabullit - Kombi

2. ELEGNT - Aurion

3. SupaTouring - TRD Aurion

4. SecaBoy - TRD Aurion

5. DJKOR - Aurion

6.

7. Evo7 - Corolla

8. 89Camry - turbo camry

9. GCCL - turbo camry

Most Gen2 camry's are a 5 x 100 stud pattern. Mine is a 89 Camry and it is that.

I think you may have a lot of trouble fitting 19's......

Does anyone know if the E153 V6 gearbox, diff & front transaxle will fit into an 89 model camry? Thats the main concern i'm having at the moment. It certainly does seem the most straight forward answer to my problem

Thanks for all the input guys. I really appreciate it!

Hey all,

I've put this in the camry section as my car is a camry but i'm open to any information people may have. My 89 camry has 3sgte in it and today the front tranaxle busted/broke and left me on the side of the road with gearbox oil pouring out and needing a tow home. On closer inspection the transaxle is pretty much split in two and one side is hanging out of the gearbox.

Can anyone suggest a stronger gearbox/axle combination that will better be able to handle the power transfer from the engine to the wheels? I've heard a few different stories but any tried and tested combinations would be much help. Any estimated costs would be great as well.

Thanks

Your car is anything you want to make it. Just because its 'only a camry' doesn't change that. With that said though, I would do the following

16 or 17in rims

lowered springs & better shock absorbers

Good head unit & speakers (front splits & 6x9's if you dont have a sub).

This should give the car a nice low stance and make it a very comfortable cruiser.

Half the fun of modifying is the DIY mods you can do. Grab the car manual and that should help you learn how to take off all the bits and pieces to paint, replace etc. I was never mechanically minded either, but that never stopped me.

And as Whipcracker said, you'll never get back what you spend on mods, but thats not the point. I've spent more than I can remember on my car, and i'd never sell it for half that if i tried. But i'll never sell it period because its something I love working on too much.

Just don't listen to people who say 'don't bother, its only a camry'.

Good luck & have fun.

just wondering 89camry, how much as your sv21 done? (mileage?)

rare to see a delicious modded sv21 like yours around these days. it was also my first car so i get emotionally attached to them hehe

Just shy of 400,000 kms :)

Hey all,

Just a quick video my mate took the other day of some acceleration after getting the car back and some pics of the updated interior.

Cheers

Nice Choice. I'm a big fan of the multi spoke wheels.

I've got 17 x 7's on my car, and they're not illegal to the best of my knowledge, but I am in Qld.

Hope it goes well for you this time!

www.tempetyres.com.au

This is where i bought the wheels on my car from. 17in chrome & tyre package for 1600 + postage. And its important that you look at this as a learning experience. My first mistake cost me almost double yours with a bodykit that was 'apparently' for the Gen 2 camry. So don't lose heart, modding Gen 2's are a lot of fun, and you will find you have to do a lot of modifying of parts yourself to make them fit the car, which is half the fun.

Finding a bolt on kit for the Gen 2 that looks good is virtually impossible. Custom isn't as expensive as you'd think, just make sure you shop around first and go to somewhere that specialises in fitting bodykits.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I've spent quite a while working on my Gen 2 :)

Hey all,

Just a quick update. Had the coilovers & HKS EVC boost controller and turbo timer put on. The car has done 175kw and the front wheels a 16psi but thats with a turbo that isn't running at 100% efficiency. When I get round to upgrading the turbo in the future it should do 200kw without too many dramas.

Cheers

Awesome pics mate. Well done :)

Was a great day out for sure. Thanks for the great pics of my car too :)

The front speakers in the dash are 4" and generally a really crappy speaker. Not sure about the rear, mine didnt' come stock with them.