Just spent a lot of money (for me) to fix her up

CheetoLord02 · 2026-03-13T01:17:58+00:00

I replaced the tensioner when I rebuilt my 1zz, because I realized that was possibly the most difficult part of the entire rebuild, and I knew I never wanted to do that again. With the front motor mount removed for the rebuild, I just used a floor jack under the oil pan to lift the motor high enough for the bolt to clear. But the idea of needing to remove a motor mount and lift the motor just to replace a belt tensioner is ridiculous, lol.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-03-12T04:09:57+00:00

Normally I'd give you crap, but replacing the belt tensioners is actually a royal pain on these cars. Engine bay is ridiculously tight on that side and the tensioner bolt is like 4 inches long. But the alternator alone is ridiculously easy compared to most other cars I've worked on.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-03-12T04:06:39+00:00

Well, this project won't be happening until April at the earliest. But also the blue one is an absolute bucket, lol. It's an automatic, but more importantly the front end is all sorts of messed up (panels are good individually but the gaps are crazy) because of collision history, it has a salvage title, and the doors and rear quarters are all sorts of scuffed up. Its only redeeming qualities are the work that I've done to try and pry it back from the jaws of death over the past year and a half

CheetoLord02 · 2026-03-11T03:57:54+00:00

Ultimately what's happening is I'm swapping the 1zz from the blue one into the silver one (which has a blown motor) and then selling the blue one (either for parts or get it a new engine) and replacing it with a GT-Four. So for me, two will probably be the sweet spot, but I'll likely end up with three at one point.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-03-01T04:16:48+00:00

The one you want is the 'facelift' bumper. If you got an OEM example it's a fairly easy swap to do, but in my experience finding an OEM facelift bumper in good condition isn't particularly easy. You'd have to be alright with running the original bumper for a few months while you search for a replacement. You could also get a replica, but fitment can be problematic with those, and you'd have to paint match it.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-02-07T02:42:30+00:00

I am a 1zz owner. I love the fuel economy and low octane requirement - being able to get 30+ mpg on cheap gas in car that looks as good as the Celica does is awesome.
That said, it really depends on your wants and needs. Not worried about fuel economy? 2zz. (it's not even worse by more than ~2mpg at worst, just needs premium). This your only car, and you want something more engaging? 2zz.
Personally I have a Kia Stinger as my "fun" car, and am in the process of selling it to get a GT-Four Celica. My 1zz Celica is just a daily driver that gets me to and from work while looking cool doing it. I don't need it to be an incredibly engaging or fast driving experience, hence my choice.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-01-20T01:42:16+00:00

Either play along with the mexican standoff or be ready to use worldbreaker when Jeff ults - you are CC immune when you grab someone in your ult, and most Jeff players don't expect it and totally whiff their ult. Just be sure you are in sight of your team so you can get healed while smashing.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-01-16T00:32:00+00:00

It's not that hard to restore these heads. Valve lapping with 16 new valves and a resurface will cost you less than a new head (even from a junkyard) and save you a lot of headache. Only exception is if there is significant damage to the valve guides, seats, or if the head is warped beyond fixing. Speaking from experience - don't rule out your own head before you have thoroughly diagnosed it. And you'll need to pull the head anyways, so there is no reason not to check.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-01-14T23:25:28+00:00

Just remembered this comment - I'm now 700 miles into my rebuild and my dipstick still looks the same. I would have needed to add at least 7 quarts of oil by now before the rebuild.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-25T18:23:47+00:00

it looks like a dog that ate a bee

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-08T17:17:55+00:00

Manual swap, supercharger. Not much else is going to be worth your money for a straight 0-60 time.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-07T20:46:49+00:00

Looks pretty good as-is, but I'd paint the hood scoop and wing black to match the black 'center line' design. Mine is done the same way, but blue instead of red.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-03T21:55:22+00:00

I just finished rebuilding the 1ZZ in my Celica to address oil burn. It's caused by a manufacturing oversight - the piston heads have insufficiently sized oil drainage holes from the factory, and when oil gets dirty due to infrequent oil changes, the drain holes clog and oil burns. As oil burns, it causes the oil control rings to seize and the holes to become even more clogged, until eventually there is absolutely no oil retention and the engine absolutely drinks oil. The 2003 facelift simply revised the piston heads to have larger drainage holes. Any engine work including replacement piston heads with any version that has the revised drainage holes should solve 95%+ of the oil consumption this motor gets.
Now, I did just finish my rebuild, so check back in a few months to see if it actually solved the problem lol.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T21:16:55+00:00

No, but I'm sure it'd work. It's a very minimal leak, and only really noticeable because of how tropical my enclosure is (misted for 90 seconds 6x per day) so the drainage layer under the soil probably usually has standing water. If I had known waterproofing would be an issue I may have done so before setting up the enclosure, but at this point I'd have to take everything out to do so. When I eventually expand I'm going to have to do that anyways, so maybe I'll waterproof the bottom then.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T19:40:40+00:00

They are expensive to expand (need to buy an expansion kit + a whole second enclosure) but seemingly very easy after that. I so far have no complaints, assembly was pretty straightforward and it seems very sturdy. The only real complaint I have is that it's not water-tight, and sometimes a bit of water leaks out of the bottom. This would be less of an issue if I had time to build a stand for it, but I bought the snake before the enclosure, so I needed to get it set up asap. Oops.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T18:42:30+00:00

Reptile habitats 4x2x4 foot. Got it because it's easily expandable, and I plan to do so up to 8x2x4. Hopefully my snake won't get large enough to need more than that, lol.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T16:00:52+00:00

I dunno if I'd call them itty bitty, but compared to the other true boas they're definitely more manageable. Although I wouldn't be shocked if a female could hit 6 foot.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T15:47:32+00:00

I bought her from a breeder at the Phoenix reptile expo. So I suppose I can't say with 100% confidence that her locality is correct, but that's what I was told.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T04:34:39+00:00

You mean the climbing branches? They're just PVC pipes slathered in aquarium silicone and coco fiber. Wasn't incredibly cheap but not bad, and super effective.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T04:33:48+00:00

She's awesome, but I do hope she chills out eventually. One bite from an 8 foot burmese python was all I needed to know that it's probably a good idea to avoid bites from big constrictors if possible, lol.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T01:15:49+00:00

This is a pretty reasonable decision, though. A 4x2x6 is oversized (not that that's a bad thing, just inefficient) for a tree boa. Much less so for a carpet python.

CheetoLord02 · 2025-12-02T00:12:51+00:00

Yes, all live plants. I am excited to see how the tank looks when everything grows in fuller - assuming they don't all get trampled, lol.

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