There is a white liftback RT114 down at the Portland Observer newspaper in Portland Victoria. Its rusty and has the number plates RT2000 and has an 18RG engine at least. I saw it about a year ago and it looked pretty sad. It originally came from PNG and then Brisbane. I bought it from Dennis Oliver Toyota in the mid 1980's and sold it to this guy/girl in Portland for $7000 in 1984. It had tan interior and no airconditioning like my GT104 also no airconditioning but who cares you drive fast with the windows down. And listen to the exhaust and smell that super fuel pollution.

[Updated on: Wed, 08 September 2004 05:08]

[Updated on: Mon, 13 September 2004 22:53]

There are any number of modified celica LT 2000's fitted with imported Twin Cam 2T's 3T's 18RG engines, the conversions have been going on for 25 years since the 1st twin cams came into Australia. There is only 1 maybe 2 GT 2000 genuine and one RT104GT. If you modify the car too far from its original you have to ask for what purpose. if you want a fast car fit a 3TGTE to a second hand Celica..

I have a modified 280ZX with that type of set up and to drive it interstate is a pain in the ass. It twiches all overt the highway with its 225x50 series rubber and in the trenches on the Hume left by the semi's in the wet it aqua planes even with new tyres and it dangerous.




TO LOOK AT 104,000 genuine k's one owner books since sale in March 1979.

My advice if you want a driver car you can't keep it good. So I have a pristine 280ZX with 104,000 km and a 4000 km limit imposed by Shannons and a $10,000 insurance tag, BUT it has to stay in the shed as shopping trolleys, and other moronic events await it, so whats the point?







So I built a driver car for $800 to drive and enjoy and the other thing just sits in the shed making money??? Does it? Maybe. Not much point.



TO DRIVE Home brew Fairlady Z-t L20B-Turbo 2 litre engine 5 speed manual 3.5 rear end 2500 rpm equals 100 kph. Cost $800 plus paint job found in wreckers at Melton.


Your Celica according to Steve Baird is as near to original as it was ezxcept for the wheels. Our advice is leave it that way as if you stray too far from the original it wont be the same car. And remember the guys here giving advice would love to own it and rip out the engine and put in a turbo. But then with disc/drum brakes how does it stop so out goes the rear end and so the bastardisation would continue until any resemblance to the original car is long gone.
Even Steve says he wished he kept the GT104 and wished he bought yours from Weribee Toyota but instead he bought a SANDMAN PANEL VAN which is now a recycled Hyundai

Those T18 wheels you talk about are steel and genuine GT Wheels. Going 16 or 17 inch is again the fast and furious approach, looks good, pounds the crap out of the suspension designed for 175x70x14 tyres, the wheels you have now do the car justice and are from that era roughly..I dont know where you can find the original GT wheels if at all.


I have a collectors JDM Fairlady 280Zti with ANSEN wheels and one is damaged, I think the replacement price starts at about USD$1G..

I fished this car out of a river near Armidale last month, so low lifes stole and stripped it and then dropped it into the river so make sure you lock up your TOY.




Street value of 280Z Fairladies in japan range as high as 1.5 million Yen ($25,000) I saw a rusted out Austin Healey for $27000 at Bendigo and a GT lookalike Falcon for $35000 why would you bother?


I have some Datto projects on the go because there are no worthy Toyota projects. Everyone is busting to make these late TOYs go fast by adding turbos, whereas the gracious 280Z's are rusting away in sheds and paddocks for as little as $400 or in some cases freebies..

[Updated on: Wed, 15 September 2004 00:53]

Yeah I see from your photo that AMI put the plates in on your guards just like on mine, that confirms the cars history was ex factory Melbourne..I have identical plates in my guards..I never bothered to fill them in when I painted. 1/. cos its too hard, 2/. to keep it original 3/. to one day put the mirrors back on




Just waiting to hook up an old lady

[Updated on: Tue, 14 September 2004 21:23]

I think my GT fender bender mirrors and yours are same template as you have the identical blanking plates as I have blanking off my holes. In the 280ZX Datto the electric mirror controls are on the centre consolle facing the gear lever. On Toyotas they are normal near the left side of the steering wheel.
I will check my mirrors out and if they half way resemble the Celica one you can have them.
If you had electric mirrors there will be a polarised socket near the rubber gromet where the side light cable goes through and the cable s will run into the wiring loom back into the cab. I will check the wiring harness for you.

Do you have the wierd low level parking lights? I have this switch on the steering column that switches on four 5 watt pea lamps in front and rear for night clearance. The 280Z Fairlady has same thing but Aussie 280zx has it removed.


The Original Celica workshop books are available around the place. come in three volumes or four volums Motor group, Body Group Chassis Group and EFI they are green or white and cover 18RG P51 etc.

Steve Baird owned the Green Celica I think.

There also is a story that once upon a time there was a two door coupe RT114 in Sydney running GT gear.

I saw a 2000 GT in Alice in the 1976 rally it was identical to mine except two doors left hand drive and a 20R engine. I don't know if it had the P51 gearbox I have a photo somewhere..



I am not fussed about the P51 being taken out of mine or the LSD.
There was no noticeable driving difference and the P51 crunched in first from brand new so I ran auto transmission oil in both the gearbox and the diff which made it woprkeable in traffic.

You have me inspired now and once I clear the shed of this Fairlady Zed project I will roll the 104 out and kick start it. My roof lining has sagged down as the glue has gone crystalline but I see in the PPG shop this am you can buy spary on glue so I will empty a can of that into the roof area and smooth the roof lining back up.

I also have this neat gadget which you may have. The OK gadget??



Here is my VIN plate



So going by your old number plate which is a K series and mine being an L series the 104 came in at least a year after yours.
Which is unusual as I thought the CEO had both the cars and later bought his wife a Trueno GT.

Here is your VIN numbers translated

RA25-MQ-GG (note the second dash)
M=5 speed floor shift manual
Q=GT (no paired G, code format changed a little from your car)
After dash is trim level
G=JDM spec GT interior trim (U=US spec GT trim)
G=JDM spec GT exterior trim

[Updated on: Wed, 15 September 2004 00:40]

[Updated on: Wed, 15 September 2004 07:04]

I may be wrong but this looks like it.





Badge is as per what I remember.

Dont know why its SA rego unless it was sold over that way after the 1978 repco?? Anyone know.

[Updated on: Sun, 19 September 2004 00:36]

[Updated on: Mon, 20 September 2004 09:26]

The ZTi is 1978 RHD.
Pretty shit hot racing version 150 hp L28 efi engine circa 1978 around same time as the 280Z carbie model was running out.



Photo of what my Manhattan painted car looked like once..

while Toyota mucked around with twin cams Nismo just made big sixes, cars were tooo heavy for their own good.

my 81 is compliant. Just rolled it out as we had two warm days and i got the paint done. Now for the Corona.

BEFORE after dunking.



AFTER

My painting is getting better

[Updated on: Tue, 21 September 2004 11:54]