Words: Tommy Parry
The boxy shape of '80s Japanese sports cars leaves an indelible mark on any young auto lover’s mind, and it’s a hard attraction to shake heading into middle age. Simple, effective, quintessentially '80s and lightweight, the ‘84 Toyota Celica has a lot to offer — especially when a robust motor and a massive turbocharger are introduced.
With plenty of hours dedicated to designing the perfect Celica, Damon had something along the lines of a Japanese Pro Tourer in mind. Big wheels, lots of power, flared bodywork and an aggressive statement were all part of the package, which we could refer to as Pro Tuning.
The first additions came in the form of 16x8” XXR 522 wheels. However, they wouldn’t remain on the car for long.
When moving on to the motor, Damon found the 22R engine had an unwanted window in the side of the block. Turning to a knowledgeable friend for assistance, he eventually came upon the deal of the decade. In exchange for the punctured motor, he received a 9" rear end housing with axles narrowed for a new motor: the TE72 4TGTE. The 2.0-liter twin-cam motor, in various guises, powered Toyota’s Group B and WRC cars in the mid-eighties. With Wiseco 87mm pistons, ARP hardware and a W58 gearbox, it was ready for big boost.
Part of the appeal of working with old Japanese cars is the accessibility and weight of the components. To swap to a race motor only required Damon to cut the RA brackets from the crossmember, clean them and install the RA motor mounts to the 3T engine brackets. Then, after bolting the cut crossmember brackets to the motor mounts, he installed the W58 transmission with the factory transmission mount. Not all that complicated considering the firepower resting comfortably in the engine bay.
On that note, Damon decided not to skimp where the turbocharger was concerned. A hefty Precision 6262 billet turbo would do the force-feeding and add a lot of glitz to the Spartan engine bay.
Up front, Damon added a custom short stroke coilover setup he built using QA-1 adjustable camber plates, 350-pound springs and Tercel 3.25" shorter stroke strut inserts.
With a new set of wheels and the suspension lowered as much as public road would allow, Damon had that athletic stance he wanted. From the sidelines, the simple Celica now commands attention like few mid-tier Japanese coupes can.