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Yesterday I picked up some dynamic rims but won't be fitting them until I spray them and get some new tyres . I also managed to fill in some of the chips on my car ready for polishing tomorrow. I also gave my car a wash, it was filthly so I decided to give it a wash today to remove a lot of the dirt. Tomorrow I will wash it again, clay it and then hit it with the compound, polish and wax. Here are a few pics of the challenges I face. And one of it looking much better even after an initial wash. I also got out some ultimate compound followed by ultimate polish on my head lights as they were looking yellow and I'm really pleased with the result. Before: After: So yeah tomorrow I'm going to spend all day on my car (weather permitting) and try to really bring it back to life. Wish me luck

The final I need to revive my paint work. Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

I missed this last time, appologies! That is a major undertaking and deffo a labour of love! It came out looking good though. Just a quick update: Managed to fit this at the weekend: I know it doesn't improve the exterior but it has motivated me to really go full on at this project I also picked this up yesterday from the dealership in Derby, I was planning to sort the chips in my bonnet out tonight but the atrocious weather had other plans I'm making an order tonight from cleanmycar.co.uk which is going to be quite costly but worth it does anyone know of any discount codes I could use? I also picked this up this afternoon for £55 from Argos: I was a little skeptical at first but I found posts from a few forums on the net giving this fairly good reviews and the before and after pictures were impressive enough for me to give it a go. I have got one question though, I'm ordering some Maguiars 6" pads the yellow and black, does anybody know the diameter of the backing plate needed for them? Thanks

Yeah so do I! Its had a lot of work done to it too, shame it's a Cat D. I'd love to have the spare cash to spend thousands on my car like that. Update on my celica: I installed my new sony head unit last night, very pleased with it. Im not doing anything to it this weekend as I just finished my final exam at uni. As I've been in my office room for the past 8 weeks my mrs wants to spend some time together which is fair enough. Ive been researching compounds and polishes etc and hopefully will have everything I need for next week to get this show on the road. Its a long list but it'll be worth it. I've also sourced a set of the fondmetal rims and a new spoiler which I'm hoping to get next week although the rims will need a full refurb. It may take me a few weeks to get everything done as I promised we'd get a new bathroom after my exams, but it's in motion and will happen. Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

That looks so cool! you'd look a plonker if anyone with a real super car tried to race you though! Seeing that reminds me of this which I saw on Ebay the other day http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Modified-Customised-Replica-Show-Car-Project-OneOff-Rare-Modified-One-Off-/301947032037?hash=item464d7211e5:g:IoIAAOSw3mpXJ9lT . I can't make my mind up weather I like it or not, a lot of work has certainly gone into it and the guy selling it seems very passionate about the car.

Seen it mate, I think I'm gonna invest in a silverline one as they have a really good rep for a novice DA polisher sorry. I'm going to get some maguiars stuff in this/next weekend and give it a go. I think its going to be a full days job, the pictures I posted don't show how bad the oxidisation is under the windows. It's gonna be a long day . Yeah I'm going to give it a good once over and hopefully have it back to being something I can be proud of! Already got a replacement spoiler and wheels in the works.

Thanks man, I'll have a look at them. This whole detailing thing is quite new to me but I think it will be really rewarding in the end.

It does indeed! We'll see how it goes, I'll get the gear ordered this week. I've decided to do just that, you hit the nail right on the head plus I know roughly what it's had done to it. I prefer the 6 spoke alloys anyway, just going to keep an eye out for a nice pair, I want to spray them (I'm thinking white) before I fit them. I ultimately would love a set of the Wolfrace Asia Tec JDMs, but tbh I can't justify splashing that kind of money out when I need to do other things with the car too.

Yeah 100%, I did put the dynamic side skirts on myself which made a huge difference. T-sport seats are deffo on the list (As rare as they are) and some nice 17's I love these ones: But they seem to go for alot or they're cash on collection and 300 something miles away! I also like the T-sport alloys too and they seem to be a little more common. If I can bring the paintwork back to life then I think new shoes, spoiler and Eibachs will be on the shopping list to start off with. I'm sorry to hear that yours is on hold at the minute, it sounds like you've already made some good improvements to it though . My last exam ever is next Friday!! Cannot wait, so I think I will get a polisher, pads, compounds etc. and some chipex and just spend the whole weekend bringing her back to life and take it from there.

What have you got and how much do you want for them? I don't doubt it, I've seen it in the for sale section and it is a beaut! Like I said I don't know if I want to take loan out atm. Thanks for the pointer, I'll try and get a bit of practice first before I let loose on my celica. I do like my 140 and tbh it is quick enough for me, I've never found myself wishing it was quicker. I know what you mean, in reality I was hoping I could run it well over 100k which is why I splashed out on a low mileage one when I got it. I thought something like T-sport would be easier because it comes with a lot of what I want already. That being said, as you mentioned getting those upgrades won't cost me 4k and I won't get much for mine as it stands. Stuff like the alloys etc don't bother me, I'm pretty mechanically minded and can fix or fit most things and have experience with working on cars. The paint was my biggest worry as I didn't want to put a lot of money into it for it to still look faded and flat. I've watched a few youtube videos on swirl and oxidisation removal and I'm tempted to give it a go. If I can get the paint sorted out it will motivate me to put some real time into this car, especially now that I have a bit more time too.

Its never let me down, it has a full service history and tbh runs really well. That's why part of me wants to keep it. Sometimes its better to stick with what you know than what you don't. I've seen some nice T-sports for 4-5k and some GTs for more, depending on how much I could get for this I might be tempted. If I do decide to keep it, then I'll probably be heading your way with a bit of a shopping list. I know its terrible, I really want to! Do you think the paint can be restored to its former glory? That's the biggest hesitation I have about it.

My first car was a Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec. I loved this car, it was standing for 6 months before I got it and I nursed it back to health. Turned out to be a bit of a money pit after 100k though and after spending £800 keeping it on the road in 3 months. Then after someone swiped my rear end and dented some panels I decided to get something else: The car I had before my celica was a VW Lupo 1.4s. I was hoping to give this car the Euro look but I never got round to it due to money. It was a good little motor but gutless, I found that people always pulled out on me and cut me up etc because it was such a small car. When my insurance dropped a little I decided to take the plunge and get a celica.

I've seen your GT mate, very nice indeed! I'm not sure if I could afford it though tbh, if I was going to get a 190 I wasn't looking to take out a huge loan. It depends ultimately what kind of deal we could strike. That is the way I'm swaying, the main thing that makes me want to restore this is that it doesn't owe me a penny any more.

Hi All, I'm looking for some advice about what to do with my car situation. I bought my celica around three and a half years ago, its a lagoon blue Vvti and had 29,000 miles on the clock and was immaculate. I was so chuffed because I had wanted one of these cars for such a long time. Any way for the past three years I've been a bit too busy to give my car the care and attention it needs. I've been studying for a part-time degree, working all hours and in my spare time trying to sort my house out. Mechanically my car is sound and I have always kept it serviced and replaced anything that needs doing. Here's where I hope you all go easy on me, aesthetically my car is in a poor state. Over the past three years I have bumped my rear bumper, the lacquer on my spoiler peeled off, which resulted in it being removed (I've heard this is quite common), my rims are corroded to hell and a few are buckled (not sure if this was me or the previous owner, but they've always balanced out), my paint work is looking tired and has horrible swirl marks from a failed t-cut restore effort as you can see: The state of my car really saddens me as I know it's my fault and I love my car. It's been so reliable and tbh for the prices these cars go for, I don't think you can go wrong with them, they look smart and handle like a dream. My question is basically, is it worth putting money into this car to bring it back to its former glory? As I know that its got no issues mechanically and only done 56,000 miles! Or do I cut my losses and buy a lowish mileage T-sport (I wanted a 190 but couldn't afford to insure one at the time), start from scratch and make that into how I want my celica to be? I've been tempted to buy a rotary polisher and some expensive compound and cloths to rejuvenate the paint work and hopefully make it better which is my biggest worry. My main plans would be: - Restore the paint -New rims, I've always been a huge fan of the 17" 6-spoke alloys that came with some celicas or maybe T-sport alloys. - This was always a plan as I hate the 16" standard alloys that come with most vvti's - Eibach lowering springs - Second hand rear bumper (They tend to be cheaper than the cost of a respray) - A new spoiler (Again I've been quoted around £200 for a respray and they go cheaper on Ebay.) - T-sport leather seats - A nice double din head unit - A nice sounding exhaust system (Not too loud) So basically do you think the paint work is re storable or is it too far gone? Should I get a t-sport or should I keep this my current Vvti and make her great again? There is no question that I want to keep driving a Toyota Celica. I think keeping mine would be cheaper but I'm not sure. Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading, any advice is welcomed.