1981 Celica... help? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

probeonpsi · 01-15-2007, 10:17 PM

hey, I just went and looked at a 1981 celica. just had a few questions.

cars in great shape, only rust is along the actualy door bottoms, underbody is mint no gas leaks everything works, needs a windshield, tune up and corner lights.

question is, what things should I pay special attention to? every car has their problem what is this cars problem?

and what motor swaps in? any efi motors? i can swap in a harness no problem just dont want to make custom mounts, driveshafts etc.

are suspension parts hard to find? preferbly lowering springs or coilovers, i'd like to do some autocrossing in this machine (thats mainly what im buying it for, that and the fact that they are super rare) i dont care that it wont be the best car for the job but I really like the old celicas.

thanks in advance for the input!

stepho · 01-16-2007, 01:58 AM

Is the '81 you are looking at the round RA43 type (1978-1981) or the wedge shaped RA64 type (1981-1985).
Us poor Aussies still get confused over the American model years

Both models have no particular vices.
Stuff common to most Japanese cars of the era are:
- rust in lower rear of the front fenders,
- rust in lower doors
- door hinges sagging or door hinge pin broken
- rust in lower section of the tailgate (liftback models only)

Stuff common to all old cars:
- worn suspension
- worn gearbox, diff, clutch
- smokey engine
- seals for glass areas.

It already has the 22R engine.
A newer version of the 22R with EFI (22R-E) fits with no drama - just needs an EFI fuel system and the harness.
The turbo 22R-TE fits but it's really a lower down grunt truck motor.
Some people like to put a 22R block with a 20R head to raise compression.
Drag guys seem to like that.
Plenty of people have done things like the 1G-GTE (rare in America), the heavy 7M-GTE, 3S-GE, turbo 3S-GTE, 4A-GZE and even the Lexus V8 but all require custom mounts.

Suspension parts are easy to get here in Australia,
You can get Whiteline suspension parts in the US from www.185performance.com

- Stepho
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...ho/celprod.htm

probeonpsi · 01-16-2007, 02:22 AM

its the series B celica, with the 4 front headlights that are square and its a lift back model i suppose (hatchback, no trunk)
its identicle to this one... same rims same colour same everything.

it has none of the rust spots you said just the bottoms of the doors.

what is the 22RE out of? and will I have to replace the fuel tank or will a EFI style pump bolt in? thanks in advance, you're a great help!

probeonpsi · 01-16-2007, 03:06 PM

I was doing some poking around, what does the 22rte come in in north america? do we even get it?

DCM · 01-16-2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

I was doing some poking around, what does the 22rte come in in north america? do we even get it?

It came in '86-'88 trucks and 4Runners. You could also just freshen up your 22R or a 22R"E" without the injection, put a lumpy cam in it and some side draft webers, with appropriate tuning to make it all work properly. Your 22R manifold will bolt onto any 22R/RE engine.

probeonpsi · 01-17-2007, 01:04 AM

I definitely want EFI, carb just doesn't make the power i'd be looking for and theres almost no tuning to do... I'm a turbo guy and blow through carb is not good.

any specific car that they came in? I'd imagine an SUV harness would be a lot bigger and bulkier than a car's...

thanks for the info though... my mind changes a lot... maybe i'd just randomly decide to get ambitious and do some individual carbs with 11:1 compression and a sick header lol.

DCM · 01-17-2007, 01:39 AM

I would think that the harness wouldn't be much different than any other 22RE, maybe you could put a megasquirt setup on it?

As far as power from a carbed 22R, the one I built for my '80 Corolla SR-5 (to replace the 3TC) would roast the tires into 4th gear.

stepho · 01-17-2007, 02:11 AM

The car you are looking at is an RA43.
It already has a 22R with carbs.

The 22R-E was on the wedge shaped model after it in GT-S form (22R with carbs before Aug 1982, 22R-E with EFI after Aug 1982).
The 22R-E also appeared on the pickup trucks and 4runners and similar (the turbo 22R-TE being on option on the same trucks, as DCM pointed out).
Can't remember if America got the '85 Corona but that also had the 22R-E here in Australia.
To the best of my knowledge, America was the only place to get the 22R-TE.
Celica stock engine options are here:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stepho/celprod.htm#cel43pr
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stepho/celprod.htm#cel64pr

For fuel tank and EFI pump details, Mitch goes into more detail here:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/.../message/43116
The RA43 has essential the same setup as the RA23 he is talking about (although a different shaped tank).

For a serious 22R-E, go to www.lcengineering.com
But they aren't cheap.

- Stepho

probeonpsi · 01-17-2007, 02:32 AM

I'm going to give that site a call when/if I decide to go for it.. think 180hp is possible out of a naturally aspirated 22r?

stepho · 01-17-2007, 07:33 PM

180HP is possible but it won't be very streetable.
I get 160HP from my 2000cc NA 18R-G twincam and it is on the very edge of what's acceptable for driving to work.
Mind you, it sure does help after a particularly gruelling day at work

You have an extra 400cc over me but the twincams get a lot of that back and my shorter stroke lets me rev to 8000rpm.

- Stepho

steevieg · 03-16-2007, 04:03 PM

hey stepho,

i dont know much, if anything, about cars but i have a question.

at the lcengineering website, it says they make stuff for 1985 and up.
would their stuff still fit on my '84 celica gt?

DCM · 03-17-2007, 03:38 AM

ANY 22R or 22RE will bolt directly onto your transmission, but the later EFI is completely different than your early EFI setup. 1985 is when the "22RE" was produced - it's not the earlier "22R-E" which is a fuel injected 22R found in Celicas, trucks and 4Runners 'til '84.

stepho · 03-18-2007, 10:02 PM

Like DCM said, any 22R will bolt in.
The rest is just a case of playing with wires, fuel lines, exhuast, etc.
The LCEngineering stuff will fit your car.
Since your RA43 didn't originally have EFI, it doesn't really matter whether you use the early or late version of the 22R-E - in both cases you have to do serious work to the wiring loom.
LCE can be a bit expensive but you can also source a lot of the stuff second hand in wrecking yards and the like.
This might help for comparing the various 22R versions.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...pho/eng20r.htm

- Stepho