77 liftback out of 20 year storage pics

[mrjuhasz]

Hey everyone, I'm Alex. I brought my first car in New Jersey for $100, it was a 1980 Celica. That was 11 years ago, since then I've been on the look out for a first generation Celica... I found it last week. This 1977 liftback was one owner until 1989 when he passed away; subsequently his wife put all of his belongings in storage included the car until she passed away in 2009. That where a friend of the family bought it and got the mechanics back into almost perfect shape. It runs like its brand new, no exaggeration. I've test drove over a dozen Celicas in the So Cal area over the last three years and this one, all be it an automatic, is in the best condition by leaps and bounds. The interior is spotless, minus a carpet, but thats gone because of a leak I found out about over the weekend. Even the dash looks like it came off the factory line. Now to where the problems lie... windshield, fat crack down the driver side which isn't so bad. The rust at the base of the windshield is. I don't know how deep it goes and am afraid to look. It rained over the weekend and my cab filled with about an inch and a half of water. I saw dripped from under the dashboard (windshield rust leak, probably) and from the back side windows where i can see the seals have worn away. There may be rust behind those windows that i don't know about. Anyway, She's a beauty. Let me know if anyone knows where to get a replacement panel for the front under the windshield. thanks enjoy!!

[Im jhun_hapi]

Good find. Clean looking. But the rust is bad especailly in front of the windshield. Good luck. Welcome.

Rocky

[ChristobalRocks]

Welcome!

[madds]

wow! nice liftback
dont worry about the rusts, it can be easily repaired!
good luck with the project!

[75CelicaGT]

Welcome

So the rust is that bad around the windshields as the rest of the car looks in such great shape.

Not sure if anyone makes replacement panels for in front of the windshield, but you may find a donor car that has that piece in better shape. Otherwise if you can find someone good at metalwork it can be fixed.

& GL with the project.
Pete

[mrjuhasz]

Thanks for the support. I was doing the math and to have someone cut and ship a donor panel then install and repair any imperfections from that panel.... i probably what I would pay for my guy here to do new metal work. Maybe I'm wrong.

[75CelicaGT]

If you don't have a local donor car, that you can cut the panel out of with an angle grinder & cutoff wheel or a sawzall. Then you are probably better of having the metal fabbed for you, at then you would know it is rust free.

[StingrayGT]

any interior picture?