1975 Toyota Celica 40-Year Ownership SCCA Autocross Build Teacher

Alejandro Gonzalez

1975 Toyota Celica

Instagram: @speednturn_celica

Photographer: Marvin Recinos

Instagram: @mr2mivin

"Owning this Celica is now a 'Trifecta': I purchased the Celica in 1985—40 years of ownership. The car itself is a 1975—50 years of existence. I was born in 1965—60 years of life! So 40, 50, 60... it's a trifecta!" – Alejandro Gonzalez

The Middle School Teacher Who Never Stopped Building

I am a middle school science teacher with over 30 years of teaching 7th and 8th grade students. I was born and raised in East Los Angeles. I grew up experiencing the early days of 510s, 240Zs, Volkswagen Bugs, mini trucks, and lowriders cruising on Whittier Blvd and Hollywood Blvd in the late '70s and early '80s. I then completed my bachelor's degree at San Jose State University. I completed my Teaching Credential work in San Diego, where I started my first teaching position. Part of my current teaching now includes basic 3D printing and beginning laser cutting and engraving at my current school in the Inland Empire. I married my beautiful supportive wife. I raised three children who are now on their career paths—my eldest daughter has staked her claim to my Celica!

Tinker Toys, Hot Wheels, and a 1965 Chevy Nova

According to my mom, I was always taking things apart and putting them back together, so she got me Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Legos, and Hot Wheels—my building toys from the start.

If the hood of the family car was up in the driveway (1965 Chevy Nova), I was asking my dad what he was doing. He taught me basic tools and some basic car maintenance. He signed that Nova over to me after I got my first teaching position, and I have been caring for that car along with my Celica since then.

In the early '70s, pops slapped some big beefy raised white letter tires mounted on US slot mags to the family wagon (1970 Pontiac Tempest), and away we went on a summer trip to visit family in Mexico! With a 400ci engine, that wagon had umph!

After I got my license, pops bought a '75 Chevy Monza that I got to drive to school for a short time before I wrecked it, hitting a schoolmate's car in the school parking lot. It was minor, but I lost the privilege to drive that Monza because it raised the insurance rate.

Ajax Muffler Shop and the Space Age Bean Bandits

Automotive performance was learned during high school at my friend's dad's muffler shop, Ajax Mufflers in East Los Angeles. It's no longer there, but I learned a lot about car modifications from his dad. They modified and raced 4-cylinder model A engines and raced them at an event called the Antique Nationals at the now-gone OCIR drag strip. They were featured in HotRod Magazine February 1973, pg. 82: "Space Age Bean Bandits."

The yearly prep to race those dragsters was a big factor in my automotive learning!

Speed Racer, Grand Prix, and Le Mans

I hear so much about Fast and Furious—I even live in the city where they filmed the 18-wheeler heist scene close to the end of the movie and often drive that road—but the race car influence in my youth from movies were Grand Prix starring James Garner and Le Mans starring Steve McQueen. Not to mention Speed Racer, the original Japanese automotive anime cartoon on television that had me racing home after school to catch the next episode.

Yes, there is Initial D and Devil Z, and I know by today's standards, Speed Racer may be cheesy, but in the early '70s, when Speed Racer with his Mach 5 and Racer X in his Shooting Star were on TV, there was nothing more captivating than watching cool-looking fast cars racing with special features!

Learning Stick in a '73 Celica

Shifting gears is what I saw racers doing, so I had to learn how to do it myself. I learned to drive stick in a '73 Celica owned by my friend's dad. I drove that same Celica to my first rock concert at the Los Angeles Forum to see RUSH, my favorite rock band!

Then, while at SJSU—no car—I went on a double date with my then-girlfriend and her best friend and her boyfriend, who pulled up in the '75 Celica that I later purchased from him in 1985 for $500 with a blown head gasket. On a college budget, I knew I could fix it, and I did. I have been working on it since then with the help of my three shop manuals: Haynes, Clymer, and Chilton. No internet back then, but I will admit that new technology has helped a lot as the years have gone by!

SCCA Autocross and the First Build

My then-girlfriend's brother owned a '69 Datsun 510. He and his friend who also had a '70 Datsun 510 were already autocrossing in SCCA, and it didn't take much persuading to get me to join them with my newly acquired '75 Celica. This gave me reason and direction to modify my somewhat stock factory green Celica back in 1985.

It started with a Weber 32/36 downdraft carb after I fixed the blown head gasket on the stock 20R engine. SCCA DSP class allowed mainly bolt-on mods, so I then saved and added a single Weber DCOE 44mm side draft with a Cannon manifold and long-tube PaceSetter headers. I worked a morning loading shift at UPS, then did my day job to save money for my new wheels and tires. Cragar 13x8 reverse offset Street Super Trick wheels and BFGoodrich 235/50/13 T/A Radials with raised white letters, purchased at the now-gone but very well-known automotive store called "The Super Shops."

I added a Bosch high-output coil and upgraded the stock distributor by removing the points to install an Allison optical trigger wheel with the LED light block. Basic first upgrades I learned from my friends at Ajax Muffler shop: make it breathe better!

These mods made the engine fun but also led to me blowing the number 3 rod out the side of the block! This began the second of three engine builds over the next 40 years.

The Second Build: 22R Block + 20R Head

By this time, the late '80s, I had purchased the TRD Performance Binder. It recommended combining the early 22R block to the 20R head, so off to the local junkyard to find a good compression block. I pulled a 22R block out of an '81 Toyota truck and matched it to my original 20R head.

I purchased a brand-new 44mm Mikuni PHH carb kit that included two carbs, manifold, and linkage in a sealed direct-from-Mikuni box! A new TRD 280-degree cam was added as well as a new Mallory distributor, coil, and control box. This combination really made tracking it fun!

Flat black rattle can primer now covered the green. Racing in SCCA had me driving the Celica from San Jose to local events as well as Sacramento for regional ones. Not to mention seasonal drives down the I-5 back home for the holidays.

The Third Build and Dodger Blue

By the mid-'90s, my career path moved me to San Diego, and I decided to rebuild the engine again. This time, I had the block bored over, the head match-ported both intake and exhaust, larger valves with dual springs and titanium retainers.

In the late '90s, I did the body work to mold in my ToySport flares, the rare 3-piece rear spoiler, and front air dam, all to add the Dodger Blue paint it currently still shows in. Childhood friend Richard Reta, with his painting expertise, completed that task.

Then life enters the picture: I met my wife, we had kids, we rented then bought a house. Racing and car stuff was put on hold, but through all that, my wife was supportive about keeping the car because she knew I would teach my kids tools and mechanics through my Celica, which I did, just like my dad!

The Return to Shows: 2018 and Beyond

A friend told me about the All Toyota Fest in Long Beach, so I went as a spectator in 2015. I debuted my Celica at that show in 2018 after adding new tires and a better cooling system from a Koyo radiator, electric fan, and a custom fan shroud I made using a large cookie sheet from Smart and Final! Another fab learned from my muffler shop friends during my high school days.

Excitement continued. I registered for the JCCS event for 2020, then COVID hit, and my Celica was on their online event. I have yet to show my Celica at that one. My Celica currently attends local car events but needs more attention if I decide to get her back on the track. There are now more third-party vendors with engine and suspension upgrades that were not readily available back then, so I will see what my kids may want to do with the Celica and me.

Period-Correct Philosophy

Since the beginning of my ownership of this Celica, my goal has always been to build it to a period-correct reflection of what was available in aftermarket products for it back in the '70s and '80s. The baby Tornado mirrors, the Solex door and trunk locks, the whip antenna, the wide blacked-out sun strip on the front windshield, a 4-panel rearview Wink mirror, SuperTrapp exhaust tip, the Hurst shifter and "T" handle—these are what I remember being popular back then.

I sometimes get questioned about the raised white letters on my tires or why not add the "smiley" bumpers, but in my eyes, it looks aggressive! I deleted all emblems but one: the Celica dragon badge on the grill. This creates the curiosity of the viewer to ask, "What kind of car is that?" or even the dreaded, "Is that a Datsun?"

The goal of my build since the beginning has been to retain the look of what the U.S. market had available for customizing a Celica of that era, that way it could look more like the '60s muscle cars that the Japanese designers modeled the Celica after.

The Trifecta

Owning this Celica is now a "Trifecta"—that's what I called it during the 2025 show season.

I purchased the Celica in 1985—40 years of ownership. The car itself is a 1975—50 years of existence. I was born in 1965—60 years of life! So 40, 50, 60... it's a trifecta!

The first-gen Celica is gaining popularity and value because drivers and builders are starting to recognize the Celica's sporty lines, and who can blame them? Look at any Celica, stock or built, and you can't deny the sportiness incorporated by the Japanese designers who got their influence from the American muscle cars of the late '60s. The front looks like a Camaro, the back looks like a Mustang, even the gas cap looks like the Dodge Charger of that era.

It never fails: when I take her out to fuel up or head out to a show, the thumbs up or head nod of approval or the verbal "Cool Car" gives me a sense of pride that I can now share with my kids—namely my eldest daughter, who has staked her claim to it, and with good reason. She remembers riding in her car seat buckled in the back seat of our Celica and tells her brothers how she remembers the sound of the exhaust when I would pull up in the driveway.

What's it like owning this Celica, you ask? It's the best $500 I used to buy it back in 1985. Now it's a family heirloom!

Complete Build Specifications

Engine - Three Builds, One Original Head

The engine has gone through three different engine builds but still retains the original 20R head that came with this Celica. Mods on the head include match-porting on intake and exhaust, larger valves, TRD 280-degree cam (10.5 lift), 44mm dual Mikuni PHH side-draft carbs. Modified and polished valve cover, PaceSetter long-tube ceramic-coated headers, straight pipe to 18" stainless steel SuperTrapp exhaust tip. Ignition is all Mallory HyFire2 components that include the distributor, coil, and the control box with 8.5mm plug wires. Optima Blue Top battery. Also has a Koyo radiator with 14" Flex-a-Lite electric fan on a hand-made-by-me fan shroud. In front of that sits a DeRale oil cooler connected to a sandwich plate between the block and the K&N oil filter.

The block is mainly stock with a 1.5mm overbore with a few LC Engineering components that include their underdrive timing pulley kit, water block-off plates, fuel pressure gauge, and plug wire loom bridge.

Transmission

Stock W50 5-speed with aftermarket heavy-duty clutch and pressure plate. Flywheel is new but stock.

Interior

Aftermarket racing seats with four-point racing belts. Shifting comes from a Hurst "T" handle with matching Hurst stick mounted on a CubeSpeed short shifter kit. Bosch 3-gauge cluster, OMP steering wheel, race grip pedals, 4-panel Wink mirror, and I made that radio delete plate displaying the TRD insignia.

Exterior

Dodger Blue PPG single-stage paint (with no gloss coat) custom-mixed to match the blue on my 1988 World Series Dodger baseball cap. Molded-in ToySport fiberglass fender flares, 3-piece rear spoiler, front air dam with 4-inch rubber skirt, baby Tornado mirrors, a short whip antenna, and Solex barrel tube locks for both doors and trunk.

Suspension

KYB gas shocks at four corners, Addco sway bars front and back, Dobi lowering springs front and back, sitting on 13x8 reverse offset Cragar SST (Street Super Trick) wheels mounted to Formula Vitour 215/50/13 raised white letter tires.

Brakes

Still stock but recently rebuilt.

Who Did the Work?

I'm a backyard mechanic and a DIY kind of guy. The majority of the work to modify my Celica was done by me—I say roughly 80% of it. 20% is the tasks I couldn't do, mainly machine shop kind of work like the block boring or cylinder head porting or laying down the paint.

The paint was shot by my friend Richard Reta in San Diego. We are childhood friends and are still well connected. I did the body work, molding in the flares and 3-piece rear spoiler by riveting, then fiberglassing and smoothing in with body filler. I shot the primer. I converted the interior from factory cream and beige to all black, starting with the cracked dash by adding a dash cap care of Joji Luz at ToyGarage. I gutted the interior and replaced the carpet, fixed the headliner, replaced all the door panels and kick panels. Attaching the seat mounting brackets was a PITA, but well worth it once I installed the racing seats.

Repairs like the window regulators, door and trunk locks, new ignition key barrel on the steering wheel (the key would fly out during hard left turns while autocrossing)—all done by me. One custom item I am proud of is my one-of-a-kind hood prop. Finding the right gas strut and making the hardware was not easy, but the results are not only aesthetically pleasing but also very functional—now being able to lift the hood with one finger. I already mentioned the cookie sheet fan shroud I made. The small details of various blue anodized accessories in the engine compartment along with many stainless steel nuts and bolts I added to make it eye-appealing.

I am often asked, "Who tunes your carbs?" I do it myself, the best I can, using synchronizing tools, book knowledge, and verbal conversations with Taka at Kyusha House. I kindly ask you to visit my Instagram account to see many of these modifications.

Future Plans

Should I put her back on the track? Do or don't, these plans will still happen as funding allows! I am working on modifying another valve cover to add an oil catch can. I have a new T3 mini brake booster I need to add, but that will happen when I install the '79 Celica/Supra rear end that came out of a wrecked Corolla drift car. It has a Kaaz LSD, Weir hardened axles, and AE86-modified brake calipers and discs.

I wanted a roll cage during my racing days but never got around to it, so that's on the list as well. I did purchase a fiberglass trunk from Joji Luz at ToyGarage to upgrade the center part of my 3-piece rear spoiler, so that needs to be worked on also. I've considered white racing stripes to match what was often seen on both Camaros and Mustangs in various racing circuits of the late '60s. I'll decide that after it's digitally rendered on some software to see what options are best for the Celica's hood, roof, and trunk lines.

I'm learning how to use a 3D scanner, not only to teach my students but also to create a new "one-off" front spoiler with the help of my younger brother, who is a design engineer at the Honda Design Facility in Torrance. Among many design credits for the company, he participated in Mattel's Hot Wheels "Designers Challenge" competition, and Mattel selected his design idea from the many entries at Honda in 2008, and that car design was made into a 1/64-scale Hot Wheels car called the Honda Racer.

Shout Outs

My wife, who didn't make me sell this Celica to buy our house! Mom, now 93 years young, for encouraging my tinkering nature through buying me building toys at the secondhand store, especially Hot Wheels tracks and cars! My dad, RIP during COVID, for his cool-looking cars and showing me basic tools and mechanics, but mostly for showing me what we say in Spanish: "Sí se puede"—it can be done. Improvise when in a jam! My younger brother for his accomplishments at Honda R&D that started with some sketches of my Celica!

The Mancillas family who owned Ajax Muffler Shop in East Los Angeles—thanks for expanding my automotive knowledge and exposing me to vintage automotive performance and modifications. The Reta brothers, who I'm still connected with since our childhood days in ELA. Richard for the Dodger Blue paint job and all your family reunions, and Ruben for the lowrider adventures in the early '90s, the Low Rider Magazine mini truck radical bed dancer champion '91, '92, '93.

To the many students I have educated in the past 33 years: Adelante Con Ganas! Forward with grit, as my dad would tell me. Don't think you can—know that you can accomplish what you put your mind to! I may be an old teacher now, but you all have kept my heart and mind young.

• @1st_gen_celicas for connecting me with other Celica owners and including me in your endeavors to expand the Celica community.
• @mr2mivin for seeing something special in my Celica enough to encourage me to pursue this opportunity.
• @offdamrkt, the active business guy recreating parts for our vintage cars, both Toyotas and Datsuns.
• @mytoygarage, Joji Luz, the vintage Toyota guru.
• @ra20jdm Green Goblin, you're an old-schooler like me, so sharing stories of those days is always a good laugh!
• @banzai1202, watching your Celica evolve is a testament to dedication, and the same can be said for your R35.
• @kyushahousetaka, your Mikuni know-how is unmatched! Thanks for the conversations to expand my knowledge on these awesome carburetors.
• @localcarscene, thanks Justin for hosting your events for so many years now. Showing my Celica there has connected me with other like-minded enthusiasts.
• @carsncoffeeriverside, your Daikoku events have introduced my Celica to a younger, up-and-coming car culture.
• @toyota_owners, All Toyota Fest was the best avenue to debut my Celica in 2018, returned in 2025, and hopefully again in the future. I wish I had known of your event sooner.

Dream Car

1980 Lotus Esprit Turbo (James Bond movie car in 1981 "For Your Eyes Only")

Who wouldn't want a James Bond car?!

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