71' celica s/t restoration

[JimiRain]

After some thought i have decided to restore my 71' celica. I began working on it on Tuesday. After 19 years of sitting the tires still held air. I found several holes in the engine block, the interior was moldy and there was a mouse in the transmission. After 3 days of work i tore out all the moldy interior components and pulled the engine and transmission.

I have located a Toyota 20r and a much larger Ford 340. I need help deciding if i should go with the control of the 20r or the power of the 340.

[eurohazard]

That's awesome! I helped my step brother (years ago) drop a 20R into a 1973 Celica (same really). There wasn't enough room for an air cleaner, so he just ran it without one. Hey, we were like 16/17! lol

But it sure would be a heck of a lot easier than a V8 conversion. I'd rather have a built 20R in a car like that. Great car BTW.

[stepho]

The paint is obviously no good and the tops of the guards (fenders) obviously need repair.
Considering it's been sitting in snow, how much rust does it have underneath in the sills and the chassis rails?

Carpet is easy to get from aftermarket auto carpet shops.
Interior panels are had to get but can be custom made.
Exterior panels (eg the guards) are hard to find but I know a few guys with wrecks.
The missing rear window is also hard to find except from wrecks.

The 20R is an easy fit.
It came in the RA22 (what Americans call a '75 model).
It bolts up directly but since it is a taller block it has troubles clearing the bonnet (hood) - hence the air cleaner problem.
You can alter the crossmember, the mounts, the air cleaner or the bonnet to gain clearance.
Toyota altered the crossmember, the mounts and added a power bulge to the bonnet to put the 20R into the RA22.
Since the Celica looks a little like a Mustang, you might think of putting in a Ford shaker scoop - although the shaker assembly would need extensive mods to suit the carburettor being off centre.

Be careful about putting in a V8 unless you take care of the following:
- change in weight distribution (front heavy cars do not corner well)
- physical space
- space for the exhaust manifolds (usually custom made for $$$)
- sump and cross member spacing
- upgrading brakes, gearbox and diff to handle the power
- custom engine mounts, custom gearbox mounts

I'm not very familiar with the Ford 340 but I do know that the Lexus V8 (which is physically quite small) requires firewall surgery to fit.
A few people have done the Lexus V8 with excellent results but it is not trivial, nor cheap to get it right.
Some people have tried it the V6 from the Tacoma.
A bit more space to play with but also quite a hard project.

I'd stick to the 20R or 22R because it is easy and gives good power in a lightweight Celica.

- Stepho

[JimiRain]

The chassis rails are rusty, but nothing too serious. I guess ill go with the 20R
now that i see how much the 340 would cost me to install.

[PhantomS]

Originally Posted by stepho

The 20R is an easy fit.
It came in the RA22 (what Americans call a '75 model).
It bolts up directly but since it is a taller block it has troubles clearing the bonnet (hood) - hence the air cleaner problem.
You can alter the crossmember, the mounts, the air cleaner or the bonnet to gain clearance.
Toyota altered the crossmember, the mounts and added a power bulge to the bonnet to put the 20R into the RA22.

Yup, sounds right - I used to own a '75 ST w/ the 20R, was wondering what the problem might've been retro-fitting it to an older 1st gen....but, yeah, the obvious difference was the bulged hood, for starters. Good post and info, stepho I have since graduated to a '92 GT convertible

[JimiRain]

I located a 22R for cheaper than the 20R. How hard will it be to install a 22R in this Celica?

[stepho]

22R fits in exactly the same way as the 20R.
Same problems.
In fact, owners of the '75 RA22 often upgrade to the bigger capacity 22R because these engiens are so similar.

- Stepho

[fredk]

be sure the timing chain is ok

[uibalnme]

Wow, that's going to be sweet when you finish it! I've got a '73 sitting in my garage. It's missing some front end body parts. I wish there was a salvage yard near me that had some gen1 celicas. I really want to fix her up.

[DCM]

X2 on the 22R. It's a direct bolt-in replacement for a 20R. Try to find a W58 transmission out of an RAxx Celica and you'll be laughing. You will need to make a crossmember for the transmission though.
What is the 22R you've located out of? What year/model of vehicle?

[ricohman]

I hate to tell you but Ford never made a 340.
Dodge did though. You may have a Dodge but its definately not a Ford if its a 340.
Neat project though. I like the older Japaneses cars and I am restoring a 72 Datsun 510.
I am in Regina. If I see any early Celica parts I will let you know. Keep an eye out in MJ for 510 parts!

[73GTV]

You know that each engine cross member has it own specific height and angle. If you are installing a 22R series from a newer Celica take the cross member that came with that car. This why you do not have the air cleaner issues you spoke of. I spent 10 Years in Japan and was around during the Celica performance days. The T series as well as the 18R-B where included in different models and it was common knowledge that if you pulled a specific engine that the cross member and transmission cross members from the donor car went with you. The only issue you would have dealt with wiring harness and connection points which was another item that would come with you. Most wiring was plug and play due to a general common main wiring harness within the chassis. with the change from T-series to R series the starters where on different sides. Now what are you doing with that 18R-C block?

[JimiRain]

I bought after it had already been removed from the truck it was in so i don't have the crossmember. The block on the 18R-C is full of holes so its getting thrown out.

[73GTV]

Before you throw out that Motor, Remove the Engine Mount brackets and absorbers both Right and Left because they will fix the original Cross member height for that engine. I don't remember if they both use the same Oil Pan if so save the Oil Pan and Pump from the 18RC. That should limit your clearance problem. Holes in Block, Save that front cover incase a 18RG comes along.

[73GTV]

Are these Holes from the Freeze Plugs?