1987 A/T supra suggestions

[batmmannn]

Damn Dude,
What's with the scare tactics? If you want a new car go spend 40K. If you want a great dependable car then work on a Supra. I have 1500 or less invested in mine it sat for 7 years in a driveway, I paid a grand for it 7 years ago and let it sit in leaves, not even started for over 5 years. I put less than $500 in it in parts including the tires and I am all over the place driving it. It's awesome.

Don't know where you got your car, but mine is not rusted, and if it is rusted behind the fenders, who freaking cares? Nothing lasts forever and certainly you have no experience with earlier cars cause they rusted off their frames quicker than you could put 100k on them. These cars are platinum compared to earlier cars.

To read your post these newcomers would run for the hills or sell their project cars.

I think your post is unfair to Toyota and the MK3

You can still buy a low mileage garage kept near mint MK3 for about 6K. So why are you claiming you have spent so much time and money? You could have found a real fine no rust Turbo MK3 from CA for this price.

Your post makes little sense to me. If someone doesn't know how to do the brakes then read the manual, watch a youtube video or ask us here, but certainly don't throw up your hands and conclude you will leave a bolt loose then drive off a cliff, actually there is only one bolt you have to take out to change the brake pads anyway. My 7 year old child could do it.

Not slamming you, just don't think your post has a lot of validity or is at all fair to the durability or engineering inherent in every Toyota, especially the MK3.

If you are spending all this time and money on your MK3 it's cause you want to or choose to not because you have to.

The reason we are here is because we want to help each other not scare the begeezers out of people and make them think they will have an additional $5K into their car before they get it on the road after purchasing it. If you look around you'll quickly find that we are driving and fixing our cars for the cost of parts ourselves. That's the intent and magic of this forum!

Scott

[907mge]

No offense Scott, since you have put alot of effort in to your supra. But I don't think you've even broke the surface of the amount of money that can be sunk into an mk3. What is the purpose of driving a car with double wishbone suspension if the struts and bushing are worn out. Or a car that is capable of breaking a 120mph if it leaks oil and antifreeze in many places every time you treat it alittle hard. The point is you can't drive a old car like a new sports car and not expect to not put large amounts of money back into it. Sure you can drive it like you're grandma's buick and be fine for a long time but whats the fine in that.

And the rust thing is true but not for all. So unfair

[batmmannn]

Thats my point, sell your car and buy one already done for 6K or less. I drive mine hard, no leaks, no oil leaks. All I had to do was change the front crank seal and valve cover gaskets to stop my leaks. Granted mine is a non Turbo, but still if your car is so far gone unload it and find another.

My car has the same radiator hoses, all of them that it had on it 7 years ago. If they break I will replace them. I have red lined it, spit gravel, burned some runner and gotten dirty looks from people already. Last night I got cussed out at at a local convenience store for making a rocket entry into a parking lot.

My opinion is, if you want to make it like new then you are going to pay for it in time and money doing it yourself to an extreme or you can buy a western car with all the mods done for less than your time and money would be worth.

If it's a labor of love then you love playing with your car and making it exactly what you want, then the love makes it worth the money and time, though I can understand how a break down or blow up from a Turbos stress on an older car might make someone issue warnings or be regretful they took on the project.

I Like my Non Turbo cause it is basic good Toyota engineering and I know little to nothing about Turbos so I concede to you completely as I don't know the costs.

However, I will say this. I am having a replica 1966 Batmobile built in CA, It is being built on a stretched 85 C4 Corvette. I purchased the Corvette in CA because of the low rust issues.

If I wanted a nice Turbo MK3, I would look in CA or one of the dry states and pay the extra 4K.

Toyotaman on this forum has a 89 near MINT garaged MK3 N/A for 3K for sale. A beautiful car. No rust, no damage to speak of, a real sweet ride. I can't imagine there aren't beautiful Turbos out there for twice the price.

Now sure if you guys are building boost, horsepower, going beyond factory specs with after market parts, add ons, mixing components from different sources, recalibrating factory settings, your taking chances. It's a gamble is it not? If you are not following manufacturer specs and recommendations then you are in essence tossing the dice.

Thats not a reflection on the MK3 or Toyota as I see it. Cre has posted that there have been horror stories from people listening to bad advice when overbuilding beyond factory specs. To my thinking, this hobby or labor of love in getting the most out of your Turbo and being creative with it and pushing it to it's limits is where the money drain comes in.

It's like NASA tells us, "space travel" is expensive. Am I wrong?

[btwilson86]

So basically, ochowdero, make sure that the car you have is a solid platform before going for more power. Grandavi has some very good points in his post here about issues some owners of twenty-something year old cars have had, but as batmmannn has pointed out these are still Toyota's, and Toyota cars are overall solid, reliable vehicles. There's good engineering behind them.

So MY advice would be to take a good, in depth look at your car. Find out what you like and don't like about it. See what is in need of replacing, get prices for parts that you will likely need now or down the road. Give yourself a good idea of what you're working with, and build your plan off of that. You may find that your car is in great shape overall, or that you may want to keep it as is, enjoy it for what it is, and find another one for your project build.

[Grandavi]

my response was based solely on what I was getting from the questions. It was NOT meant as a scare tactic.. it was meant as a reality check.
(and.. by the way.. my car is NOT far gone.. it is normal. I just have Supra envy when I see what some of the people here have done. I want a straight body, no rust, a tight drive train and a car I trust. I own it now.. but if I drive it as is.. I wont own it in another 3-5 years.. it will be too far gone for that)

Everyone gives me a thumbs up when I drive by and young people ESPECIALLY love the car! Warts and all!

However.. the reality is.. this is not a cheap car unless you want it to be. (and if you look on the roads.. how many do you actually see driving??)

Its a speed demon, thats why people want it, plus I personally think the body is sexy.. however.. its also almost 30 years old. I have 2 friends that are no longer with us due to high speed and failed components. I am just pointing out that if you are talking about "whacking" other cars (as the OP mentioned), make sure you do it smartly. Sure.. you can pep up the motor.. but dont ignore the fact that you need to look closely at your suspension/steering/brakes to ensure you dont end up wrapped around a car/pedestrian/tree. That, my friend, is reality.

Like I said.. dont rush into upgrades.. map it out.. get educated.. then do it or dont. But dont end up with hundreds or thousands of dollars sunk into a bucket of tin that in the end you cant afford to finish. Simply attempting to be sage about it.

Personally, I will dump 10-20k into my 88 without crying or whining. The car is worth it. I have had many new Hondas prior to this Supra, (mostly Accords and Odysseys) but I have NO car payments (it was fairly cheap to buy), I can upgrade as i get cash as long as I do the proper maintenance so that it doesn't degrade while I enjoy it, and my insurance is dirt cheap (6.00 per month for FULL insurance as a collectible providing I do not do more than 5k mileage per month, which I dont).

The car is worth it.. but not to everyone.

Oh, and in regards to buying one for 6k that is mint... umm.. I have been looking for almost a year. Maybe I am too fussy, but every car I see is far far from perfect. They look great in the pictures, then you feel around.. find the rust that is about to bubble through in 1-2 years or maybe a bit longer. Keep in mind.. I am in Canada and they use salt on the roads along with other chemicals which are deadly to the metal/paint. I am NOT in California.. lol
I have been so disappointed as I go to see the 6000.00 127,000 miler that has fiberglass repair done poorly on the fenders, 1/4" of bondo on the door skins and brackets, etc underneath that are disappearing. I would gladly pay 10-15k for a pristine Supra that was well done. I just cant find one.

So, no, I shouldn't scare our fellow Supra lovers, and I dont mean to, but I have went through the disappointment of buying the "car of my dreams" and ending up with the car that I was trying to avoid. If I had the time.. it would be a lot cheaper and a helluva lot more fun to tear it apart and do it myself.. but not all of us do. But I believe that anyone who thinks they can pick up a 3000.00 Supra and go whack around Mustangs, etc.. is treading a dangerous line. I am an old fart.. so I am just pointing it out.

If anyone thinks that my post is fear mongering.. by all means, remove it (and this one too if you like). I just try to put in my 2 cents where I can. I am FAR from a Supra expert.. but with everyone's help.. I keep getting closer.

*now that i think of it.. I should have kept my mouth shut and started a thread called.. "why would I recommend you really think hard on why you want your Supra" - although.. all the information is within the threads.

Look at my links in my sig.. that was made when I bought the car. Its all irrelevant now.. because I have learned that I personally can not build the car in that manner. I have to do it in 4 stages and each one will cost me a bit of coin. Now.. I will shut-up and let the OP get his information properly rather than having an old hound dog lecture.. lol. If you find a 90-92 pristine Supra Turbo Targa 5 speed.. let me know.. I will go pick it up.

[ochowdero]

my supra now is my project car lol
and not scared or anything, all have good points
just keep civil lol
forums are to give opinions and help right?
thats what were all doing

thanks guys, i want blue headlights dammit!!!

[Grandavi]

I saw a Supra with the flip up lights that had some kind of a kit with a blue light below the regular light (inside the light). Something to do with daytime running... but who would run with the lights flipped up in the daytime : )

[CanadianBak'inSupra]

you should cam it

if you havnt done anything yet i suggest you remove stock airbox, and feed air filter under right headlight, and set it up with a good air inductionfilter!
also a great idea for you to heat wrap your intake it gets warm!

you could always set yourself up with a good clutch and lieght weight flywheel if your planning on going 5speed!

and dont worry about your hg it will blow one day... nothin you can do to stop it
so ride it harder until you can put in the MHG

[CanadianBak'inSupra]

Originally Posted by batmmannn

Damn Dude,
What's with the scare tactics? If you want a new car go spend 40K. If you want a great dependable car then work on a Supra

your in a dream world if you want a dependable car more like go and DO spend 40k on a brand new car

your driving a 25 year old sports car, somthing WILL GO WRONG so do not be surprised when it does!!!

if you like to not be stranded on the highway i suggest replacing all your heater hoses!!!!
first week of driving my mk2 i blew a rad hose, someone i knew actually had one just the right size "i was lucky"

[Green7mgte]

those are called city lights.. they look cool at night too.