This is the car my childhood heart lusted after like no other. Although there was a guy literally across the street who ran a rental business doing all 60's American vehicles, (i'm an Aussie) he had Cadillac's of all types, impalas, a couple of awesome 60's Novas, Mustangs and he did have a 30's roadster from memory that did run but not often. And of course being in Australia and a Holden guy he had the mandatory Torana XU-1 replica and Walkinshaw VL. BUT! All I was interested in was an old granny's pair of celicas up the road, she had a fast back and one of these. She loved them to bits and I still to this day lust after them.
I had a 1974 Celica that I bought with a oil burning 18R-C engine in 1983 for $1700 and then bought a very low mile JDM engine for $325 After replacing the clutch and installing the low mile engine I completely restored the interior and had the seats redone. Other than all the work I did at the start the ONLY mechanical issue I ever had with the car after 7 years of ownership was a broken wire to the alternator! Far and away the best car I ever owned. The only car that came close was to that Celica was another Celica, a '96 I owned for 13 years.
Man, it's so nice to see someone restore a first gen Celica. These things are getting to be really rare. In America, they used to be all over the place in the 80's and now I might see one about once a year. I always wanted one when I was a kid, but ended up getting another car that I always loved. A Datsun 280ZX.
Very nice. I used to have a '74 Celica fastback 1600ST, then bought a '77 Celica liftback 2000ST and finally a '78 liftback 2000 GT. Love these old Celicas. It's great to see one in such great condition. Well done!
It is a great looking car,kudos to you for keeping it pretty much stock. I loved the coupe version, like a mini mustang?,since seeing one in Malta a few years ago.
What is the engine in your Celica? My 18R-C had a two barrel Weber fitted to it to replace the stock single barrel. That Weber was the single best modification that ever could have gone on that engine. I constantly burned rubber in that car and shifting into second gear could get a nice quick squeal and a chirp going into third! Drove it like that all the time.
Great Job! We have a 1978 Toyota Celica in need of restoration. We would like to find a good home for the car, with someone who would enjoy fixing it up. Any ideas? We live in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. Thanks.
domanick gosser It would be nice to get some money for it, but mostly we just don't want it to be crushed. It would be wonderful if someone would like to restore it.
