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PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:49 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
After my current GT4 has failed its MOT due to bad rust (trust me its everywhere) I have been searching on and off for a new shell. As ever with me, I have more ideas than hot dinners with what to do with her...one minute its a full on rally rep, next its going to be a totally standard OEM car......and every option in between. God only knows what it will end up as...only time will tell

A month ago ish, HarrisonGT4 made me an offer I could not refuse on the purchase of his shell, which turned out to be a more or less complete car minus engine, gearbox and a few other minor bits n bobs. I managed to find a rental company that would rent me a flat back Transit type van with ramps and a winch and off I set to pick her up.

(With tht ecar on the transporter I kept looking in the rear view mirror and thinking "bugger me he's close".....forgetting it was the ST205 on the back :lol: :lol: :oops: )

DAY ONE

I got her home yesterday and tucked her up in the garage and gave her a good look over.

The car in the garage displacing my current ST205 from its home (poor thing)

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A few bits missing, front bumper, drivers side front wing, rear bumper a few interior dash panels (glove box) Mats are still inside and a double gauge holder on the a-pillar (might be up for sale soon if I decide against using it)

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An empty engine bay

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A slight dent in the cross member which will need sorting.

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Nothing much to see or do in the engine bay

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First job will be to strip everything down to the bare shell, remove the glass, remove interior etc. Make a dolly to put it onto.

My biggest job after that will be to either make or buy a rotisserie to enable the cleaning of the bottom of the shell.

Not many parts to source as between the two cars I have everything I'll need, maybe a new turbo but thats about it....oh and a roll cage of course...not one of the crappy bolt in but a proper weld in custom job.

Guess I'll need a few wire brushes, some taps and alot of patience....I recon at least 2 years bfore this car turns a wheel again :rofl:

effortsI'll detail everything I do on this thread from now on...the completion of the airbox build included.

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 6:24 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:06 am
Posts: 4743
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Car Model: ST205
Unusual for an ST205 to suffer badly from rust :? The new shell looks in good shape, clean and tidy ex-JDM, no ABS (and no moonroof?). Good basis for your build :)

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 8:41 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 2:33 pm
Posts: 401
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Car Model: ST185
buy or hire a water blaster and clean the shell now while it is still rolling. If you can get it on ramps, and clean the underside some, it will save a mile in the long run. Good luck with the project. I'm at 4 years and counting now ;)

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 3:10 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
DAY TWO

Well, day 2 brings mixed fortunes. Its had a front end knock at some point in its life, nothing too bad, a couple of dented cross members (now straight) also there are signs of a respray, yet to find out why, some on the roof so I.m hoping nothing too drastic to the main shell. still no signs of rust which is good.

should have taken before and after pics really, but I forgot.

This was dented to buggery from where I`d towed it onto the low loader with a chain, managed to get 99% of the dents out

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also at the back. this was crushed to hell for some reason, managed to beat it back into almost perfect shape

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Signs of some slight crash damage, managed to get it back into more or less perfect shape

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Not much achieved really other than getting to know the car, it sounds a bit daft but every car has a personality, its just getting to know what this cars is.

Gave the engine bay a good gunking and jet wash, didnt really remove much as there isnt much muck to remove, also a quick jet wash all around.

clean engine bay...well, clean ish

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Initial thoughts...this is going to take a while, I think even stripping it down is going to take a few months i think.

On the good side, the interior so far is in mint condition, even the carpet is in tip top shape.

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Generally everything is in good shape, hopefully further investigations wont reveal anything bad.

a few thoughts on what I`m going to do

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and a home made looking pillar pod that I`ll probably put up for sale at some point, doubt I`ll be using it

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 8:39 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
DAY THREE

Managed to do a bit today.....wire brushed some of the rusty bits and sprayed with rust eating undercoat. Removed some more bits. Did fond one or two disappointing things, one being the addition of some bolt holes through the lower cross member which I'll have to weld up, no biggy.
Also the engine mounting bot holes on the left side chassis member has been badly cross threaded so I will have to retap it...other than those its still looking like a good un....over all, very clean.

I think the electrical loom is shot...have drained about a litre of horrid looking water from the various electrical pathways.

The very front end pretty much stripped and rust sorted (still need to rust proof the insides of the chassis rails

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the drivers side inner wing is near perfect condition, virtually no rust at all...just the toublesome cross threaded engine mount point to re tap.

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still alot to remove from the bulkhead

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When I undid the home made (bolt through the subframe) power steering oil cooler mounting brackets.....nearly half a litre of rusty water drained out....gonna need some work....a few dents to sort out.

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:14 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
OK. a minor update........managed to get the sound deadening out, or at least I though I had, forgot about the stuff in the spare wheel well...doh!!!

Oh well, I'll tackle that another day.

All of the looms are now removed, plastics all gone....pretty much ready for fitting the roll cage now. Have the homologation papers to help me out, although the rules and regulations have changed since 1994/5. For a start, the papers recommend 1.5 & 1mm wall thickness tubing, which is now banned by the FIA so you cant get it anymore, so I have to opt for the currently recommended 2.5mm tubing (40mm OD for those interested) (Thanks as ever to Warner for the info and help...always appreciated mate)

The stripped out footwells. my only problem now is removing the seam sealer which I dont quite know how to do....a bit of research needed.

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from the front looking back

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nearly there

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excuse the hammer and the Budwieser....not my usual tools, well maybe not the hammer.

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:29 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:06 am
Posts: 4743
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Car Model: ST205
Insanity-74 wrote:
OK. a minor update........managed to get the sound deadening out, or at least I though I had, forgot about the stuff in the spare wheel well...doh!!!
How did you remove the sound deadening? Did you freeze it or just chip it out?

Insanity-74 wrote:
All of the looms are now removed, plastics all gone....pretty much ready for fitting the roll cage now. Have the homologation papers to help me out, although the rules and regulations have changed since 1994/5. For a start, the papers recommend 1.5 & 1mm wall thickness tubing, which is now banned by the FIA so you cant get it anymore, so I have to opt for the currently recommended 2.5mm tubing (40mm OD for those interested)
When I had my cage built I discovered the homologation for the original TTE ST205 cage was about to expire and it would not pass scrutineering, probably for the reasons you have described. My cage is also a bit simpler and thus lighter than the rally cage as mine will only be used for tarmac events. Are you using T45 or CDS tube?

Insanity-74 wrote:
...my only problem now is removing the seam sealer which I dont quite know how to do....a bit of research needed.
Meurz had a problem with the surviving seam sealer and paint when he tried to seam weld the shell on his ST185. All sorts of sputtering and noxious gases :lol: With my shell JEMS laboriously picked out all the sealer before welding. Alternatively you could dip the shell before seam welding using the service of someone like Surface Processing http://www.surfaceprocessing.co.uk/paint-stripping-toyota.html I will probably use them for the final prep of my shell prior to paint.

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 10:04 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
The sound deadening was easy, just used a big rubber mallet (so I didnt hit my hand too much) and a wide bladed cold chisel, it just breaks off in 2" ish chunks.

For the cage I'll probably be using CDS.

I was advised against dipping my shell by several sprayers and a car restorer. The problem being is that acid leaches between panels and cant be washed out so it eats the car from the inside out. I was recommended burning or not removing all the old paint at all as Toyotas painting process is very good and offers the best all over protection.

You also have to be careful with seam welding...theres a Ford article somewhere about their prep for rallies and what they did for seam welding, and what they did was minimal, only a bit in the engine bay and aroung the engine mounts, they found that seam welding too much had a bad effect on the handling. Its a really interesting read, I'll see if I can dig the article out.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 1:25 am 
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:06 am
Posts: 4743
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Car Model: ST205
Agree that acid dipping is not good but this is a more benign process than the old acid dips of years ago. They use a dlute inhibited HCl so that it just attacks the rust. They neutralise with alkali before doing the electrophoretic coating. I don't think the classic restorers would use something which would put the vehicle at risk. Some of them are worth millions! Still, if the shell is in good nick and you are not planning on changing the colour then a re-spray may be fine.

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 8:54 am 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
TrackToyFour wrote:
Agree that acid dipping is not good but this is a more benign process than the old acid dips of years ago. They use a dlute inhibited HCl so that it just attacks the rust. They neutralise with alkali before doing the electrophoretic coating. I don't think the classic restorers would use something which would put the vehicle at risk. Some of them are worth millions! Still, if the shell is in good nick and you are not planning on changing the colour then a re-spray may be fine.


I will be changing the colour to fiat tipo blue (as like my old ST205) but I wont be getting it completely stripped of paint, if it was rusty then it might be something I would consider, but so far I havnt come across any rust, not even around bolt holes. Things may be different underneath, not quite sure how to tackle the old stone guard stuff, weather to leave it on or remove it to see what its hiding.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 5:58 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
A bit more done today, managed to remove the tank.....with 20litres of fuel :thumbsup: which will be good for leaning stuff later on :clap:

The condition under the car looks good, still no signs of any major rust, in fact minor rust is minimal. No signs of any crash damage. Rough measurements indicate the car is still straight, but until it gets checked properly I cant be sure.

Sorry about the *bleep* photos.

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Slightly overwhelmed by petrol fumes so having a break for the rest of the night...the tank is outside airing out the remaining fumes for a week or two. Looks to be in good condition with the usual rust/dirt around the filler neck and pump/level covers.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:46 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
As the shell is now stripped down to a bare errrrrr shell.

The sound deadening has of course gone.

I'm not sure what to do with the seam sealer and the standard stone guard stuff.

Do I remove it all and start again.

Is it worth leaving the stone guard in place and just painting over it with some new stuff???

Same with the seam sealer, is it best to leave it?????

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:42 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:14 am
Posts: 3265
Location: Camberley, Surrey
Car Model: ST205
I would leave I think. Unlikely you will do a better job than Toyota.

I'd go over it with some extra stuff and leave the original in place, unless there is signs of rust.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 1:10 am 
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:06 am
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Location: Perth, Western Australia
Car Model: ST205
I'd agree with leaving as-is unless you are planning on seam welding the shell. If you are, then you'll definitely have to remove the seam sealer and paint. I would keep the stone guard material if the main use is going to be road driving.

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 7:40 pm 
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Group N

Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:29 am
Posts: 447
Location: Up North
Car Model: ST205
A little bit of work today. If there is one thing I hate to see on a car, its when the sill seams have been crushed by incorrectly jacking up the car here. Unless using the supplied Toyota jack dont use the sills to jack the car up.

I only managed to do one side today as Jo wants to do a bloomin tour of the UK showing off her engagement ring.....all this fuss over a metal ring with a rock on it.sheeesh :no:

Anyway, back to important matters...my sills.

The drivers side started off looking like this, a bit battered although the picture dosnt capture the knackerdness of it

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A bit of welding and filing and it finally looks like this

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(No filler was used in the filming of this sill :lol: )

The other side is worse, but will soon be looking like new

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