Frankenstein swap on my '87 GT

[Ramshursautorepair]

So I am the proud owner of a 1987 Celica GT liftback. This car sat in a dude's garage since 1997. I bought it from the guy and he is a master body technician. He did all the rust removal himself and did most of the metal work. There's still work to be done but I'm more then up for the challenge.

So I went up to my neighbor, who owns an '88 Celica GT-S coupe. I told him I wanted to buy the car and he said sure!

So now I have a '87 GT and an '88 GT-S.

The plan is to swap the GT-S engine/trans into my GT along with the rear disc brakes and fuel tank. (1/4 tank of fifteen year old gas means one nasty tank)

My main concerns are how easily the swap is going to be. I've done SIMILIAR jobs before but never on 4th gen celicas. Has anyone on here ever done this before? I'm hoping it will be a bolt in job without too much rewiring. Any input on the project is much appreciated! Thanks and I'll keep this thread updated on my progress.

[Bboywaste]

curious to see the outcome. post some pics

[Ramshursautorepair]

So I figured out that the wiring harnesses will need to be completely swapped. Looks like I have a winter project. Decided to go all out and paint the engine bay and undercoat the car as well. It's gonna be a fun one! I will post pics soon.

[Snowfork]

So let me get this straight.... You bought a GT then bought a GTS so you could put all the GTS stuff into the GT?

So you are ruining a far rarer GTS so that you can take car #2 and make car #1 into a car #2 clone instead of just selling the GT and keeping the GTS.

Not to flame, but this is stupid fucking idea unless the GTS is broken in half or the frame is rusted off.

[ConvertiGT]

Snowfork

Wow, I really thought the forum was to assist other members and not bash them or use vulgar language towards them... I could be wrong as I am not that old as a memeber here...but.........

[Snowfork]

I'm helpful, but I don't pull punches. I'll tell you when I think what you are doing is illogical.
I admit the language was a bit much.

[Ramshursautorepair]

It's all good. You're entitled to your opinion.

Truth is, the GT-S is rusty and very dented. Not to mention, I don't like the small trunk.
The GT is a liftgate, no rust at all. So I'm taking all the worth-while internals out of the rust heap and into the clean chassis. And vise versa GT parts put into the GT-S. It might seem like a waste to some people, but not me.

I get it a lot. People don't like what I do with old projects and if I hadn't bought them, would have gotten junked anyway. But I spent my hard earned money on these cars and sometimes ya just can't let other people tell ya no.

The GT-S will be driven with the GT innards. I'm big on reusing a good car.

[Snowfork]

Originally Posted by Ramshursautorepair

It's all good. You're entitled to your opinion.

Truth is, the GT-S is rusty and very dented. Not to mention, I don't like the small trunk.
The GT is a liftgate, no rust at all. So I'm taking all the worth-while internals out of the rust heap and into the clean chassis. And vise versa GT parts put into the GT-S. It might seem like a waste to some people, but not me.

I get it a lot. People don't like what I do with old projects and if I hadn't bought them, would have gotten junked anyway. But I spent my hard earned money on these cars and sometimes ya just can't let other people tell ya no.

The GT-S will be driven with the GT innards. I'm big on reusing a good car.

Oh you are using a coupe as the donor to make a pseudo GTS Liftback?
That is a reasonable proposition given the condition of the body on the GTS.

[Ramshursautorepair]

Originally Posted by Snowfork

Oh you are using a coupe as the donor to make a pseudo GTS Liftback?
That is a reasonable proposition given the condition of the body on the GTS.

Yes, precisely. I will get some pictures of the progress up soon.