1st & 2nd Generation (1983–1986 & 1987-1991)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1983-1986 & 1987-1991.
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
third car's teh charm? need advice for my '85 Cam LE
Okay so its been a b*t*h of a month, my good car, well on its way to being a nice show and weekend race car, was totaled. i bought a Nissan Maxima for $600, the transmission went out.
I was out of money, so two weeks ago i went to the local salvage company, and bought this brown 1985 Toyota Camry LE sedan w/ auto for $150. she ran crap when i first got her, after a tune up she ran okay. I have a few questions hopefully you guys can answer, as i am new to Toyotas and cars this old.
One, power/engine/trans) MY BIGGEST CONCERN this thing is slower then my mother's Prius. are there any engine swaps that will bolt in? 3SGE? a newer version of this or some other engine from a different Camry? or has anybody ever done anything that effectively added power to the 2SELC? perhaps a custom fabricated turbo setup? or is it pointless, since she can't breath (SOHC=fail)? and how hard would it be to swap in a 5spd transmission in place of the auto?
Two, suspension) the springs are rusted out, and the shocks are shot, so i need to replace em. i plan to replace the shock/strut mounts while i am in there, and install larger poly sway bar bushings. unfortunately the only springs i could find are MOOG, does anybody know where i can get aftermarket springs that are stiffer then stock, for better cornering?
Three, looks) besides extensive rust repair and new paint, dark window tining, and wheels. i cant think of a whole lot to do that will make her look good, i havent found any body kits online, any carbon fiber hoods, anything at all really. a point in the right direction? also, will 18" wheels fit under the car (stock 13s yuck)? if not, whats the biggest wheels i can fit under her?
In answer to the bodykits, there is none, and as far as i know there is also no CF hood unless u go custom
EDIT: also forgot mention that im prety sure that 18s will not fit under there unless again some crazy custom work id done, but if some one wants to confirm??
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Long Live 2nd Gen!!
Last edited by Carlman(90 CS); 10-03-2007 at 09:52 PM.
Reason: forgot sum stuff
welcome to TN!
1st gens will always have a place in my heart, as i grew up around my grandpas's 85 LE, which is identical to yours
as far as tranny swap, a 5speed swap should be very straightforeward....just make sure u get a gen 1 camry tranny and itll bolt right up!
i dunno abou 18s....im know that 16's would for sure fit your car, and that should be enough to fill out those wheel wells...some old school mesh wheels would look awesome on a gen 1....
best of luck!
Why was the car consider salvage? It doesn't look that it had anything big that happen to it. For $150, I'd say it was worth every penny though. I must say the rust on the body is small, but it's just simply all over the place. These things usually rust out before they die.
I'm not exactly sure what can bolt up in this car though. Let me pull up some stuff I mention in another thread that is related to this.
I've been doing some digging in the Celica forums. I believe the Toyota Ceclica 1986 GT (USA) had the same/similar setup as the Gen1 Camry (2SE engine).
to Flak,
Currently I am running on 2SE engine, just wondering is that possible to just bolt on 3SGE without doing any change to engine mount?
Also, USDM 3SGE with JDM ECU, will this combination produce more power without change the piston?
For N/A + front wheel, 180hp is very tough, so 150hp will be totally enough for me, b cox I dont' drag~
last thing,
as you mention before, will 4age fit on my car too(just bolt on)?
they have different displacement, 4age is 1599cc, 3sge is 1998cc
mine 2se is 1995cc.
thx for your replys~
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlaK
That's a really good question that I don't have an answer to. I really don't know if the 2se would bolt on. I would like to think it would with that "s" in there. I'm not even sure who to ask on that number...anyone?
With the information that you currently have a "2se," I would assume that the 4a-ge would not bolt on. The reason I made a comment about the 4a-gze was that the 5th and 6th gen Celicas used a-series engines (5th = 4a-fe, 6th = 7a-fe), thus for ST owners, an easier swap is the 4a-gze due to the existing engine mounts.
I, personally, don't really want much more than 250 hp on my Celica. That's why I'm still throwing around ideas with my own swap. The 3s-gte would be the easiest, as I'm not looking to squeeze as much horse power as possible...but if I ever move out of Kansas, emissions might be a problem. The camry V-6 intruges me as it's 50-state legal, wieghs less than the 3s-gte, and provides lots of torque...and the thought of real dual exhaust on a Celica just strikes me as cool. Either way, I don't plan on more than 250 hp.
As for the ECU question, I don't know the technical portion, but based on the fact that every major performance shop would be making a copy of JDM ECU's if they would provide the horsepower of an actual JDM engine. In short, I suspect there are more differances than just the ECU in a JDM engine (emissions for one), so replacing your ECU probably won't add horsepower...it may not even work.
As for Henry's site, it's awesome. I'm looking into a similar suspension setup if I can't get my hands on the TRD adjustable struts.
so that's mean i can just put a 3s ge or 3s fe tranny on my 2 SE engine, without taking all those gears apart and f@@king rebuild it?
I talked to the mechanic who will do a tranny rebuild for me, but the parts are so hard to find, like my 2se tranny second gear. So I rather take apart my tranny and waste money, I can just put on other tranny(3sfe or 3sge) right?
just want to make sure
I really want to keep this car and fix everything.
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86 celica GT (2 SELC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deep
If you can get your hands on a 4th gen celi GTS tranny, then do it up. its got a taller final drive ratio so it'll help you out in acceleration, but your top speed and highway gas mileage will suffer.
From reading it, if the 2SE w/ tranny in the Gen4 1986 Celica is the same as the Camry Gen1, wouldn't that really mean that anything what the Celica can fit will work in the Camry due to the same orignal engine and what not?
The only question is if anything besides an 2SE engine will be a bolt in with the motor mounts. I'm guessing if there is a change in motor mounts for anything besides a 2SE on a Celica, it would fit the Gen1 Camry?
Talking about a Gen1 Camry and a Gen4 1986 GT Celica, I found a Celica GT running the 2SE in the junkers this pass week. It had everything except the distrubtor. Anything I should take from it and what not? The junk yard GT has 185K. It would be nice to take the engine and tranny out though as a nice backup for me if mines dies...only thing that 185K is a bit weary and I don't even know why a car like that is in the junker...could be a bad engine, tranny, or both. Not sure if the Celica 2SE tranny has different gearing for better accleration VS milage when compared to the other Gen1 Camry 2SE tranny.
Since I've been looking at specs at wikipedia, they all (1983~2001) use the A140E. I doubt the mounts are the same throughout all the years though.
As mention above, in theory a Gen4 1986 GT Celica which has the 2SE, a Gen1 Camry should be able to use the same if not similar mounts with what ever the Gen4 1986 GT Celica can swap in.
As much as I would love more power, the 2SE is a very relible engine requiring minimal maintance. Heck, my dad got rid of his Gen1 '86 when it had hard time starting, oil leak, and I guess heavy carbon build up as it would would having heavy pinging when going up hill or even on a flat surface. In the end, apparently somebody bought the car and is still using it till this day as I see it going around in this town.
Thats why I cannot get rid of my grandparent's Gen1 '85. Been so reliable and I'm going to get the title transfer to me finally
@carlman- yeah i didn't figure there were any body kits for it, i just was making sure i hadn't missed something in my google searches.
@CorCamrySE- glad to hear it. decent car, slow but decent, except its an auto i NEED a manual trans, its like its wired into my DNA. yeah i hadn't thought of old school wire style wheels, your right if i could find some in good condition that would look pretty bad ass.
@kingdom- the car is salvage simply because the owner was arrested (drugs, i think), the car was abandoned property and after 90 days the towing company takes possession and receives a salvage title. then they can sell it. and thanx for researching the swaps and turbo 2SE for me, i will continue to research it myself.
i just hope this car works, its been a sad month. i miss my Saturn .
so if i dont want to screw with a turbo powerplant, what is the best n/a swap option for simple bolt-in? Gen 3 Celica 3SGE? WILL the mounts line up? i would LOVE to swap in a JDM Gen 4 Celica 3SGE Beams engine, but i am wondering if the engine/ecu that is over a decade newer would conflict with the 85's electronics? would the gauges work with the newer ECU?
will the 3-series engines bolt on to and work with the A-series transmissions (i.e. the 5spd from a 2SELC Gen 1 Camry?) or would i need to get an e-series manual transmission and fabricate/modify the mounts?
didn't celicas go from being FR to FF? are fourth gen Celica FF? if thats the case couldn't i use the transmission from it?
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are there any engine swaps that will bolt in? 3SGE? a newer version of this or some other engine from a different Camry? or has anybody ever done anything that effectively added power to the 2SELC? perhaps a custom fabricated turbo setup? or is it pointless, since she can't breath (SOHC=fail)? and how hard would it be to swap in a 5spd transmission in place of the auto?
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