77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Please introduce yourself and Celica or ride(s).
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jwalkington
Posts: 91
Joined: August 4th, 2014, 7:46 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL

77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by jwalkington »

Hey everyone, I'm Josh from Huntsville, AL. I'm 24 years old and am a HVAC Mechanic. I work on commercial and industrial heating and air conditioning equipment.

First off I have a 1977 RA24 Celica GT with the 20r and 5 speed transmission. . This car has had only one owner before me. My grandma bought this car new off the lot in 1977. This car was a daily driver for a long time until it became a car she drove every once in a while. In 2012 it got a major oil leak and was parked where it sat under a tree for two years. Now, I have always liked the car and my grandma wanted it out of her yard so I told her I would take it home. This car has a little rust now but looked real good on the exterior just two years ago. The interior is in the worst shape and needs totally redone. I was planning on just fixing the oil leak and getting it running and driving so it is not just sitting for now. This is going to be a project over several years and I don't want to let the car sit while I am doing most of the work to it. My plans for this car change the more I learn about these cars lol. But right now I am definitely going to get rid of those USDM bumpers and put some smileys on. I want to fix the interior to mostly stock and I was thinking that after I get the car to look and feel like I want then I would start worrying about what I want to do with the engine. Will post pictures when I have time. Image
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CelicaJerrie
Posts: 144
Joined: April 20th, 2011, 12:53 pm
Location: northern Atlanta, Georgia USA

Re: 77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by CelicaJerrie »

Welcome Josh!

Nice car. Never have seen a hood scoop on a Celica, but it looks good.

Good luck!
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jwalkington
Posts: 91
Joined: August 4th, 2014, 7:46 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: 77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by jwalkington »

Yeah I'm not sure if I like it or not.. probably end up taking it off.

I am looking to make this car a weekend driver. I'm not looking to make this a race car, but I would like enough power to be able to drift at low speeds out just get sideways real easy. How much horsepower would I need for that and would it be practical to do it with the 20r?
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75CelicaGT
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Joined: March 24th, 2008, 5:36 am
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Re: 77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by 75CelicaGT »

Grats on getting the car... good to see you kept it in the family.

The hood scoop, I'd loose it personally, but that's me.

Yeah a 20R can make more than enough HP for that.

:cheers:
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jwalkington
Posts: 91
Joined: August 4th, 2014, 7:46 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: 77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by jwalkington »

I will take it off eventually when I get the time. Yeah I was happy that I could keep it in the family I think its cool that no one had owned this car besides us. I think I would just like to upgrade the 20r. My wants change all the time as I look at other builds but I'm really not trying to make a race car. . Just something that had enough power to do donuts burn outs and low speed drift. This is pretty light car so I think the 20r could do it. Pls I really like the look of the dual side drafts. This is unusual for me tho because I have always been a v8 guy so this is all new to me lol.
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75CelicaGT
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Re: 77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by 75CelicaGT »

jwalkington wrote:I will take it off eventually when I get the time. Yeah I was happy that I could keep it in the family I think its cool that no one had owned this car besides us. I think I would just like to upgrade the 20r. My wants change all the time as I look at other builds but I'm really not trying to make a race car. . Just something that had enough power to do donuts burn outs and low speed drift. This is pretty light car so I think the 20r could do it. Pls I really like the look of the dual side drafts. This is unusual for me tho because I have always been a v8 guy so this is all new to me lol.
I totally understand... I keep dreaming about doing one of these major engine swaps... Beams or 1UZ, but in reality I'll probably keep it simple, and at the most do a 20R/22R Hybrid.
jwalkington
Posts: 91
Joined: August 4th, 2014, 7:46 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: 77' RA24 Celica GT from Huntsville, AL

Post by jwalkington »

I am the same way. I think a v8 in the car would be so much fun but that is too much work for me at the moment. I will keep it simple for now. Maybe in the future when I have a full shop I will do a swap guess it depends on how happy I am with it at the time.
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