Jon Rood’s Custom 1984 Toyota Celica: An Off-Road Rally Car Transformation

Safari Vet Paves the Way

How many times have you seen a 3rd-gen Celica rolling on 27-inch MTs? Probably never. But by now you’ve probably learned to always expect the unexpected. That’s exactly what Jon Rood’s 1984 Toyota Celica named “Carlos” is: Unexpected, in the best way possible. Almost everything on the car has been modified, but, even more custom than not, the original frame of the car is still recognizable to those who know what to look for.

“Almost everything on the car has been modified, but, even more custom than not, the original frame of the car is still recognizable to those who know what to look for.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

Seeing a Celica rip up in the desert like you’ll see on these pages is certainly unexpected, too. “Toyota never meant the Celica to be an off-road toy, Safari car to play in the desert,” Jon tells us, never one to be held back by what things are supposed to be, “I’ve used the car for all of it.” He’s driven Carlos as a course closing car at more than a dozen rallies, taken 300- to 400-mile Safari runs through the Arizona desert, camped in the high country, and more. Even just driving around town to work, to local CnCs, grocery shopping, picking his kids up from school, it’s a “do-anything car that I built for me to enjoy.”

Perfection Takes Time… And Money

All customizing of the chassis, suspension, and body was done by Jon himself, in a two-car garage. When Jon began working on Carlos in 2009, he intended it to be a fast and cheap off-road toy, just a fun interim side project to work on between rally races. In the years that have passed, though, he’s made some major upgrades. “Not as cheap as it was originally,” he laughs, “but still very reasonable when all the labor was basically free.”

Roodwerks Engineering, Jon’s side business that fabricates and sells race parts, provided the funding he needed to get the build started. But once the build proved itself just as reliable as it was fun, they started volunteering for rallies.

“Once the build proved itself just as  reliable as it was fun, [Jon] started volunteering for rallies.”

Group B Rally Rigs

The Celica is a true ‘80s baby, inspired by the off-road ralliers of the era, whose Group B Safari Celicas paved the way for the race world we know today. Informed and inspired by Jon’s passion for the California Rally Series and rallying in the Southwest, the Celica is completely unique from the top down. Jon jokes that it’s also inspired by “too many video games like ‘Motor Storm.’”

“There is just something about an ‘80s rear-wheel car,” Jon reminisces. “You get the full driving experience, not just a point-and-go to some destination. It’s all sense, the sound of the engine, the slight vibration of the tires, the feeling of the slightly oversized leather steering wheel, the slightly soft grip of the shift knob, the smell of dust inside the car from all the adventures of the past…”

The odds you ever find a better-looking (or better-performing) ’84 Celica are slim to none. That’s thanks in part to that legendary Toyota reliability we all know and love, of course, but even more so to the work Jon’s put into it over the years. It’s going to take a while to talk about everything he’s done to the vehicle, so let’s get started.

Under the Hood

“Toyota’s workhorse for the ‘80s,” as Jon calls the 22RE 2.4L, powers the Celica, but Jon modified it to prevent failures and work perfectly for rally purposes. First is the addition of a camshaft RV grind, upping low-end torque. A Pacesetter header completes his custom 2 ¼-inch exhaust, which also features a race catalytic converter. An 18-inch glasspack muffler complements the rig’s looks with some ‘80s muscle sound.

Lots of expertise went into building the Celica. Combined with his own knowledge of building rally race cars, Jim Pierce of Advance Automotive in Torrance, California, provided the assist with many of this build’s internal elements. Race vets know exhaust system hangers are bound to break, so they chose to run the tailpipe right through the rear bumper. “If the hangers fail (and they have a few times),” Jon tells us, “the system would be caught by the bumper until I could stop and do something about it.” Pro Tip: Always carry stainless wire in your tool kit for this kind of repair.

Suspension Details

Of course, we’re going to see more than just a simple shock upgrade for this Celica. Starting with modified diffs from a 1984 Toyota Van, a 7.5-inch rear axle and brakes were given a 4.10:1 final drive with a Supra LSD clutch pack. Jon upgraded the brakes with disks and calipers from an ’84 Toyota Cressida, as well.

Using the stock front suspension as a starting point, Jon built a dropdown subframe that moves the Celica’s arm pivots down and inboard about 3 inches. This allowed for longer, custom A-arms, which pivot on heim joints that connect to circle track uniball joints.

About a year after Jon started the build, he added a set of Bilstein inverted monotube strut inserts, which were custom valved by Bilstein at the time. Jon converted the strut bodies to 2-1/2-inch coilovers with dual rate Eibach race springs and bolted the whole situation to the chassis with 2-inch strut top spacers and Rav4 strut tops. Since 2010, the front suspension has been rebuilt only once, with the help of Streetwise Motorsports.

“’There is just something about an 80’s rear wheel car.’”

Before we get to talking about the rear suspension, it’s also important to note the Celica’s custom rear seat delete, and lots of other chopping, which made room for all the customizations to come. While he was at it, Jon also took out the spare tire well and fitted that space for a 14-gallon gas tank. You know, casual. It’s not often we see a full rear seat delete mentioned as an afterthought, but that’s just how Jon rolls.

A custom 5-link suspension handles the rear axle, and Jon relocated the arms once again. While the lower rear arms remain in their stock location, the upper arm pockets were cut through the floor in place of the rear seat and tied into the 11-point cage.

Fox 2-inch reservoir off-road shocks give the Celica about 10 inches of travel in the rear. These also come up through the floor and tie into the back of the cage, where they’re sealed off by custom boots. Providing both additional protection and airflow, Jon mounted reservoir cans prominently along the rear cage legs. While the rear springs are still in their stock location, Jon needed ground clearance, so he raised both the length and rate.

Interior Upgrades

The interior of the Celica is fully outfitted for off-road racing. The steering rack’s new heim joint outer ends are located 3 inches higher than stock and bolt to the knuckles of the stock subframe in double shear mounts. “After working as Course Closing in 15 or 16 rallies plus thousands of other off-road adventures over the years, they still work as well as new, never bent,” Jon shares.

Fixed-back suspension-style PRP race seats lay the groundwork for all the tech on the dash. His Garmin 2797LM is mounted up with a RAM 1” ball system, but otherwise, his instruments are OEM. A dual-band HAM radio handles his comms, and a Yaesu FT-8900R Terratrip TerraPhone Amplifier swaps the HAM radio intercom outputs to the loudspeaker with the flip of a switch. To top it all off, an Odyssey PC925 12V race battery keeps everything powered up.

Exterior Mods

From front to back, Jon’s made changes to just about every inch of the Celica. First is the front-end conversion from pop-up to fixed 5×7-inch LED headlights. “That’s what throws most people off from instantly identifying it as a 3rd-gen Celica, especially when approaching it from the front,” Jon tells us. Tying the front bumper together is a grille swapped from a 1988 Mazda pickup, modified to fit the height of the Celica’s front end, with a custom lower valance to trim out custom front bumper tubes. The grille also adds custom corners, smooth on the driver’s side, and a mesh grille cools intake on the passenger side.

“From front to back, Jon’s made changes to just about every inch of the Celica.”

A couple of light bars finish out the exterior adds. Two 9-inch light bars provide low light, good for dust or fog on the front bumper. On the fenders, KC HiLites FE4 Safari lights give Jon all the lumens he needs for high-speed night driving.

A front skid plate gives a flat bottom to the drop subframe and protects the engine oil pan. Jon “Never found much need for more protection,” as “The rest of the body sits up high enough” that he’s confident everything is safe from scratches and dings.

Carlos Puts Passions Together

It’s Jon’s personal goal to explore “every single road Arizona has to offer, especially the dirt roads,” with Carlos the 1984 Celica. The team is always ready to head out on their next adventure. “When I can talk friends like Randy and Natasha into going out playing, I jump at the chance,” Jon says. All the work is well worth the reward: Armed with a killer suspension and careful engineering and fabrication, Jon and Carlos are out there enjoying the journey,  mostly with Jon enjoying the joy of being behind the wheel of such a sweet ride.

“Armed with a killer suspension and careful engineering and fabrication, Jon and Carlos are out there enjoying the journey…”

---

Jon’s Extras 

Below is a list of additional items Jon carries with him in Carlos.

• 3 ft shovel strapped to the cage (found on the car’s first off-road run, jumped in deep that day, 150 miles round trip with only road testing prior to that.)
• Bow saw, for branches and small down trees along trails
• Hatchet, same reason
• 20-ft tow rope
• Spare tire nestled into the cage where the back seat used to be, for good balance and out of the way
• 3-inch ratchet straps, two holding down the spare that double as super-slow hand winching ability
• Tool kit that has a full array of hand tools for any bolt on the car
• ARB tire plug kit
• 12V portable air compressor (Costco twin cylinder)
• Tred traction mats
• Tarp
• Random rope section
• Emergency medical kit, small
• Long lasting snacks, like granola bars (I should probably swap those out for fresh ones soon)
• 5 lbs. fire extinguisher
• Spare parts: Strut top, tie rod, 2 to 3 heims, oil and wate

UPGRADES

1984 Toyota Celica GT

Engine: 22RE 2.4L; Mild camshaft “RV” grind; Pacesetter header running into a custom 2-1/4-inch exhaust with a race catalytic converter and18-inch glasspack

Suspension: 1984 Toyota VAN differentials, 7.5-inch rear axle and brakes; 4.10:1 final drive with Supra clutch pack LSD. Front: Drop down subframe moves arm pivots down and inboard 3 inches; Longer custom A-arms that pivot on heim joints; Ball joint duty handled by circle track uniball joints; Brakes upgraded with ’84 Cressida disks and calipers. Bilstein inverted monotube strut inserts, custom valved by Bilstein Motorsports. Rear: Custom 5-link suspension, custom location for upper arm pockets; 10-inch travel Fox 2-inch reservoir off road shocks.

Wheels & Tires: Stock 14-inch P-Type Celica GT-S wheels, Supra rims, 14 X 7; Kumho Road Venture MT tires, 27×8.50 R14

Interior Accessories: PRP Fixed Back Suspension Style Race seats; Garmin 2797LM mounted with a RAM 1” ball system; Custom rear seat delete; Custom 11-point cage; Dual band HAM radio with 2-person headset intercom; Yaesu FT-8900R Terratrip TerraPhone Amplifier; Odyssey PC925 12V race battery

Exterior Accessories: Modified 1988 Mazda pickup grille; Custom lower valance, front bumper tubes, and grille corners; Led 5×7-inch headlights; Two 9-inch front bumper light bars; Fender mounted Safari KC HiLiTES FE4 light bar; Front skid plate; Front end conversion to fixed headlights

Additional Modifications: Custom built 14-gallon fuel cell in place of spare tire; Steering rack customization

---