Advice needed. Newbie looking to do a restoration right
 

In High School a friend had an '86.5 MkIII so I decided back then that I want one. Two decades later I'm ready. I have a trusted mechanic with whom I will be working on this. I currently have a '96 Camry he works on infrequently :-) and this guy knows Toyotas, though he told me he hasn't worked on that many Supras. This will be my 3rd Toyota, a Corolla having preceded the Camry.

The facts:

The look I want is the '92 Targa with the integrated spoiler. It must be standard transmission. While the non-turbo engine had plenty of performance for me, if I am not mistaken I have to get the Turbo model to get the integrated spoiler. This car will be a daily driver and my current employment requires that I drive about 100 miles a day. My time frame is "as long as I need." My budget is roughly unlimited in comparison to what this will cost (it is actually in the several thousand dollar range but I find it very hard to believe it will cost me that much to do this.)

As part of his repair business my mechanic also buys cars at auction, fixes them up and sells them. He goes to auctions all over the South East US to find cars.

I want to ask him to start looking for a MkIII for me. I plan to replace the engine/transmission if needed, brakes, other mechanical parts as required until I have what is essentially a "new" MkIII. The one part of the car I can't replace, however, is the body itself so I need to focus on getting the best platform with which to start.

This will not be a car purchased with an eye toward performance, in fact, if I do have to replace the engine I am thinking about putting a naturally aspirated one in instead of a turbo. Long term reliability is a major goal as I would like my 5 year old son to drive this car someday (if oil doesn't run out first. ;-)

I need to know a couple things before I start this:

Is the Targa top a problem?
Are there any areas of concern about the bodies themselves that knowledgable Supra owners know are common in the MkIII as it ages?
Is there anything else about which I need to be concerned before I start this process?
Any estimates on the cost of a decent platform given that I don't care about the condition of the engine/transmission?

Thanks for your help.

Is the Targa top a problem?
Are there any areas of concern about the bodies themselves that knowledgable Supra owners know are common in the MkIII as it ages?
Is there anything else about which I need to be concerned before I start this process?
Any estimates on the cost of a decent platform given that I don't care about the condition of the engine/transmission?


the targa top isnt a problem really the only issue is that when you take it off you get body flex because you loose that body strength but you can buy something called targa bars and all they are is just roll bars basically to keep the strength on the body and you can enjoy the sun at the same time.

mm i havent experienced any body issues just dont hit anything

engine wise i have seen 7mgtes for sale from japan with 30k to 50k miles on them for 700$ imported from japan. mine has 150k miles on it and its running like a champ.

Thanks. I figured it would have flex problems with the roof out; heck, even the 911 has problems with that. My concern was whether the car develops leaks or noises because of the removable roof section.

I've been trying to learn about this and had seen that I should be able to get an engine for under $1000, that is the reason I think that I should be about to do this whole project for $6-7000.

yo i'd make sure u get a car that you check the tags on it to make sure it has the 3.9 or the 3.7 rear end cause if ur driving many miles (highway or high speeds) everyday it will work the engine harder as well your fuel economy will go in the shitter, with gas prices today if u get one with a 4.3 rear end. i think the code for a 4.3 is a 28, but the easiest way to check is test driving and if your going 60 in top gear and turning around 2500 rpms.

the targas can develope leaks and the back hatches kinda have a problem with it too. check in the spare tire well and if its rusty then the back hatch either does or did at one point leak. i dont think tho that its a supra specific problem. more like a normal wearing out of the weather stripping thing.

Some Targa's leak, check the seals, take it through a car wash to be sure it doesn't leak.

All turbos came with the wing, some N/A's came with the wing as a dealer install.

All turbos have LSD, if it's a 92 like you're looking for most likely it's a 3.73, pre-89 came with a 3.90? and N/A's with the sports package for all years came with a 4.30.

Another thing, the 89-92 had the 3 piece spoiler/different front end/full face tail lights, so if you don't care about year that opens up your options on what you're buying.

I saw you didn't really care about turbo so you may or may not find an N/A with the wing on it. I have an N/A that I'll be installing the 3 piece wing on soon. Not for sale though!

To find a NICE rolling chassis look to spend 1-2k. One with dings/bad paint but no major damage, anywhere from free to 1k.

I THINK all the info above I gave is correct, I could be wrong on some of the LSD stuff as I'm just going by memory.

also the 89+'s side moldings are plastic. the -89's are metal and tend to rust and warp.

also the 7m engines are known to blow headgaskets due to underrated factory torquing (factory: about 50 lb/in, should be: 75-80lb/in).
http://http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/showthread.php?t=5873
http://http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/showthread.php?t=3296
a few other threads about buying supras