COB's '94 Supra Turbo

If you care to the dealership should be able to get you new connector and wires.

I've got enough Toyota parts laying around that I probably have what is needed, the sockets for the front signals are straight off my parts 4Runner.

Awesome progress James! SIV is just a month away! Hope to see you with either of your Supras there. Unfortunately neither of my Supras will be joining me this year but I'm still going for the festivities. SIV is an amazing time you never want to miss. This year should be the best yet! Lots of big names making their way out. Really looking forward to the drag strip action on Sunday.

I saw the photos and it looked like a great time. I was unable to attend, but now that both Supras are up and running, I'm planning for next time! Will you be taking the Supra out this upcoming SIV, or is it too early for you to know?

This build is too much. I just LOVE it! You're awesome man! May I ask how much you paid for the car when you bought it and how much you've put into it so far? Also, all the stuff you do to it at work: is that free, or do you have to pay? When you paint it, do you just have to pay for the paint or what's the deal? Sorry if this is too nosey, but I'm interested in doing stuff like this when I buy a house next year (apartments SUCK!).

I bought this car for $2,500. I nearly had a mental breakdown when it was official, never once heard of a MKIV for so little. Shortly after, sold the 19" Blitz wheels for $1000 cash plus trade for stock wheels, that brought that number down to $1,500. Add in the body panels, new tires, windshield, registration back fees, and misc parts, I'm at $5,000 just about. MKIV for MKIII money.

I never thought I would have the chance to own one of these. At the time we agreed on the price, I didn't even have a key, so I didn't think the car ran. My intention was to part it out.

So after the owner and I went to the Toyota dealer for a key to be cut, I still didn't know how many miles it had or whether or not it would start. The 63k figure felt too good to be true, but then again, the whole experience did. The owner could have gotten a LOT more for it. I'm far too attached now to consider parting it or even selling it.

As far as the labor at the shop, I volunteer there. My friend John (shop owner) allows me to use the lifts and his tools in exchange for the help I give him at the shop. It has been an excellent place for learning and being a volunteer/friend, I'm not obligated to be there daily.

The paint work will be done at my actual place of work, a Mercedes-Benz dealership. It's not easy to get a deal there, it has to be done under the table, cash only. I've been patiently waiting for my body guy to be free enough to handle the bondo removal/rivet hole welding (he's a really busy dude, but gives me a great labor price per hour). Once he's done, I'll talk to the prep guy to handle all the smoothing and finalizing. If all goes well there, I'll talk to the paint guy to get it in the spray booth. It's harder to get it done this way, but I won't have to pay the shop labor rate.


Right before I decided to get lazy about updating this thread, too... lol. I'll get on it. I've got something like 100 photos to upload.
 
Long time no update. This Supra is a great car and deserves lots of attention. It's only fair that the other projects that started before it are finished first. The 1989 Supra got all the glory in the last few months, but is now running and driving. The spotlight is shifting towards the MKIV.
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OEM hood prop, clip, and grommet installed.
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New OEM TT fan shroud. The bolt holes on the Fluidyne radiator don't line up very well for the A/C fan to be mounted properly, so that had to come out. It will go back on at a later date when the A/C is back to operable condition.
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Blitz BOV removed and replaced with factory BOV and factory charge pipe. This thing is just too silly and loud for driving on the street. Popo magnet.
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Removed the old plugs and installed a new set of NGK Iridium 2667 BKR7EIX. All misfire issues through the power band are gone. Also tightened down the valve covers also since there was some oil seepage. Here are the old plugs... pretty nasty.
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Toyotas
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Last time getting the headlights polished out, using Meguiar's compound.
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There is now Clear-Bra on the headlights to prevent further oxidation. It is holding up very well, no yellowing at all since this was done (going on 6 months)
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The stock radio was cool at first, but I've gotten over it aleady. The lack of iPod connectivity is inconvenient. The selection of music on the radio sucks most of the time, and I don't like wearing out the buttons changing presets constantly. Not even considering CD's.

Surprise, an Alpine CDA-9884. This is the same model radio in every vehicle I own. It is a great unit and usually cheap. I happened to get this one for an ultra cheap $30 shipped on eBay. It was $20 for a used iPod nano to store my music.
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I got pulled over and received a ticket for no front plate. The car didn't come with one, so there was no option other than ordering new plates. As far as the combination goes, 2JZ TT was available. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that now that it's on the car (it's pretty obvious, I could get a captain obvious plate frame). The black 1960's legacy plate idea is cool, but I'm second guessing if it's a good fit. This car is pretty ugly anyway, the chrome wheels don't help.


New plate bracket, complete with hardware...
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Had to remove the whole front bumper to put this on.
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While the headlights were off, I used some weatherstrip adhesive on the rubber trim. The edges of the rubber trim are no longer flopping around in the wind or sticking out. There's some white over spray on them from the previous owner, but that can be cleaned... worst case painted over with black paint.
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Functionality! My sports car has a TABLE!

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The opposite of the first day I owned this car, now it's jump starting the green 99 4Runner. The 99's battery had a cell go bad.

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Time for a new windshield. The old one was cracked in a lot of places. The rear view mirror was broken off the windshield badly enough to rip a whole chunk of glass out, with cracks up and down the whole left side.
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The dash has been in the sun most of its life, I use a windshield cover every day and I haven't seen anything get worse in the last year I've owned it. It's not all that bad, I could probably color in the foam showing on the edge of the defroster vents.

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Rear view mirror mount. It took me a while to chip the old glass and glue off. I never liked mirrors that glued to the windshield...

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Window adhesive

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Some cowl damage. That needs to come off, along with those wiper arms, for a bath in SEM trim black. Brand new Rain X Latitude wiper blades have been installed front and rear.

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When you install windshields for a living!

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The mirror has a big scratch across it, which sucks, but I can easily replace it whenever I find another one. Probably gonna get a new one from the dealer, along with the small black trim along the base. One torx screw is all it takes to remove.

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One thing that was really annoying was the front end light set up... whoever did this whole light swap thing did a terrible job finding the right sockets to use. The left side front signal was a small socket bulb that fit 194 and 921 bulbs.

921 bulb managed to keep the flasher from blinking fast, but a 194 was too small and would trigger fast blink. The bulb socket did not fit in the housing of the signal at all, unless jammed.

The right side front signal used a proper size socket that actually did fit into the signal housing. That side had a 7440 bulb, much larger than a 194 or 921.

Correct size shown on the left, incorrect shown on the right.

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Well, I've got a parts 4Runner sitting around with perfectly good front signal sockets. They happen to use 7440s, just like the Supra. A quick test and they fit great into the Supra housings. They also use a plug on the back of the socket for easy removal. BONUS, since I had no plug at all! So both sides of the Supra now have 4Runner signal sockets/pigtails.

Next, the front markers need sockets. Maybe the 4Runner can donate some sockets there, too.

4Runner style on left, Removed from Supra on right.
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A few minutes and a few connectors. The headlights pop out really easy and give you full access to the back of the signal housings. Much easier to crimp wires in that space than squeezing in below the light. The new turn signal wires are just the right length to reach the signal comfortably, not absurdly long like whatever genius wired in the wrong socket.

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sick thread..great work man! Love all those yotas I see!! haha

Thanks man! Lol yeah I might have a Toyota hoarding problem

Awesome car....I just sold my hardtop TT last spring.

Damn, that was a clean ride. May I ask why you chose to sell? Can't wait until mine looks half that clean.

Mannnnnn I wish you didn't have to get a front license plate

Stupid CA vehicle code!! "Vehicles registered in California must display valid license plates as evidence of current registration. Passenger vehicles display two license plates -- one plate on the front of the car and one plate on the back of the car."
 
Thanks man! Lol yeah I might have a Toyota hoarding problem



Damn, that was a clean ride. May I ask why you chose to sell? Can't wait until mine looks half that clean

I wanted a change. I had the Supra TT and a 300Z TT for 10 years and missed the rumble of a nice cammed "427" V8 so I sold both and bought a super clean ZO6 and sent it to Vengeance Racing for some enhancements lol.

 
Man I was wondering why This car wasn't getting upgrades! Turns out I somehow accidentally got unsubscribed. Glad to be resubbed. Supra is looking good man. Glad to see its getting some love.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
In my early CA years, I ran an early 80's Firebird without a plate in front. I had it about 18 years.
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2007 SE V6 Titanium
 
Those are low miles for a supra. Auto but still a great ride. What did you get it for if you don't mind me asking? I had a 97 twin turbo auto in sapphire pearl Mettalic when I was 20 years old. I miss that car. Your car cleaned up real nice!!! When are you installing a single turbo?
 
I wanted a change. I had the Supra TT and a 300Z TT for 10 years and missed the rumble of a nice cammed "427" V8 so I sold both and bought a super clean ZO6 and sent it to Vengeance Racing for some enhancements lol.

That's a clean ride! Wow, you had both even? I'll bet that Corvette's a beast, what kind of power does it have?

Man I was wondering why This car wasn't getting upgrades! Turns out I somehow accidentally got unsubscribed. Glad to be resubbed. Supra is looking good man. Glad to see its getting some love.

Thanks dude. It being two different colors sure beats being neglected.

The lack of updates could just be me not doing anything to it! lol. Hard to drive a car that has such low miles, every mile counts. Plenty of cars to distribute miles between.


Awesome revival man. Are you on SF by chance ?
Hey, thanks! Yes, I'm JamesRR3 on SF. Been a member since 07, ironically didn't become an owner until 2014.

Sub'd. Soooooo good!!
Some good updates coming soon! Thanks!

In my early CA years, I ran an early 80's Firebird without a plate in front. I had it about 18 years.
I believe, when the car is ready for paint, I'm going to have the holes filled in. There's a discreet mount available that I want to use, it's called the SNS57. Removable and sturdy, no paint contact required! Just a little pricey at $80.

Those are low miles for a supra. Auto but still a great ride. What did you get it for if you don't mind me asking? I had a 97 twin turbo auto in sapphire pearl Mettalic when I was 20 years old. I miss that car. Your car cleaned up real nice!!! When are you installing a single turbo?
There was no craigslist listing or anything, this was one of my neighbors cars. He bought a new FR-S and left the Supra sitting, looked like it was just taking up space. He and I talked about it and due to the extensive work required to get this thing back up to new, he was so generous as to give me the car for $2,500. I think he really just wanted to see it get restored instead of sitting for another 4 years.

I can't describe the feeling, I really didn't think it ran. Made the deal before it started and saw the miles it had. Once we got the key and jumped it, saw the miles, etc, I was floored. Couldn't believe it. Checked all the carfax and autocheck stuff I could get my hands on, not one odometer discrepancy. The motor is on original timing belt, etc, very clean all around aside from the crap that got through the carbon fiber hood while it sat.

Sold the 19" blitz wheels for $1,000 a month or so after. I've been driving the car since with only basic maintenance and it runs tremendously well. Turbos spool up without a hint of issue. Since then, only one issue has noticeably developed, and that's leaking valve stem seals. On startup, I get a puff of blue smoke. Doesn't smoke during WOT. New stem seals are coming soon along with a few other upgrades. No way I'm taking out the cams and springs only to put the stock ones back in.

After that, finish manual swap, then time for a turbo :)
 
A lot is in store for the 94 Supra. Right now, I'm in a phase of parts collecting, but in due time, there will be a decently large update.


The manual swap was going to be next, but of course the valve stem seals were becoming an issue. The swap will have to wait, because a manual transmission will do no good without a properly running motor.

I would sure love to have a V160 6-speed, but those transmissions are going for more than I can afford. Instead, the Supra will have the next best thing, a rebuilt marlin-crawler R154 5-speed transmission. If you keep up with my 89 Supra build, you'd have seen how the R154 just went through a complete rebuild, so this is familiar territory. This R154 will get the full Marlin Crawler treatment - billet shift forks, HD bearing retainer, and chromoly thrust washer. New bearings and synchros will come from driftmotion.

MARLIN CRAWLER THRUST WASHER $79
MARLIN CRAWLER BILLET NEW STYLE SHIFT FORKS $129 EA X 3 $387
MARLIN CRAWLER HD BEARING RETAINER $59
R154 REBUILD KIT (BEARINGS/SYNCHROS) $239 DRIFTMOTION
$764 TOTAL

A craigslist ad came up under a search for "R154" that wasn't for some JDM parts dealer. It was some SC300 owner who wrecked his car before he could swap out the automatic. He had an R154 and some brand new swap parts. He paid full price for the parts which were mostly all new and in the box. $2,200 is what he wanted. He was going to throw in a new retainer gasket and grommet, because he's a nice guy.

I get there to see the transmission and he's got it standing up face down on the bell housing. We make a deal at $2,100 and he loads the transmission into my truck the same way, face down on the bell housing. I thought this was odd and decided to tip the transmission over a bit. I take a look and the input shaft tip is entirely broken off. The price suddenly went down to $1,640. Hombre from Santa Ana with a job in Irvine became a jerk because I didn't want to pay full price for his broken transmission.

He texted me a few days later saying he got the retainer gasket and grommet, then returned them. His reason: "it seemed like you didn't want them anymore." **** that guy. Just happens to be I've got the original retainer gasket from the R154 that went into the MK3.

R154 transmission with broken input shaft
1JZ Bell housing
1JZ flywheel
R154 clutch kit, new in box, good for 500whp+
Driveshaft
R154 shifter extension for MK4 Supra

R154 transmission:
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Shifter extension housing for MKIV supra.
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1JZ-GTE bell housing to mate the 2JZ to R154
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Driftmotion's Stage 2 clutch kit + 1JZ-GTE OEM flywheel. Might go lightweight on the flywheel instead. All brand new parts.
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I can't stress enough how much I LOVE this car.

The power steering has been non-functional since I bought it. Been driving it manual steer. Once I had attempted to fill the system, it pissed right back out. Decided to take a closer look at the PS cooler when I found what was leaking - the rubber line from the pump was cracked. It was such an easy fix that I felt silly for not fixing it sooner.

Pulled the battery out for some space and replaced the hose with a 3/8 power steering hose from autozone. The guy at the counter gave me two feet (I needed about 1ft) and then couldn't figure out how to charge me. He said screw it and gave it to me for free. Score!

Also decided it was about time to put the side panels on. Sure, the car doesn't look all too great even with them on, but it was tiring seeing the naked brake duct. Ordered a new set of clips for them, should be here with the rest of the valve stem seal parts.
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Goodies!

SpeedForSale Boost Cut Controller Device for MKIV Supra
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Norgren R07-100-RNEA 1-50PSI Pressure regulator (Manual boost controller, same as the Turbonetics kits)

Norgren bracket kit

Two 1/8 NPT vacuum fittings

5/32" Silicone vacuum hose

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Autometer 2614 Mechanical boost gauge

Innovate MTX-L Wideband

Lotek Double Gauge Pod holder for A-pillar - satin black
Not very happy with the pod holder pictured so I ordered a new one.
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Gates Racing timing belt T215RB
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AISIN water pump WPT038
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PowerHouse Racing billet timing belt idler pulley bracket. This is necessary due to the new GSC S1 camshafts having high enough lift to make the 2JZ-GTE an interference engine. This eliminates the weak link in the timing belt setup - the cheap cast aluminum idler pulley bracket.
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The following are ordered and expected to arrive very shortly.

GSC S1 7030S1 camshafts
Brian Crower BC0300S Valve Spring and chromoly steel retainer kit
(I highly recommend Real Street Performance in Florida for their kind support and generous discounts!)

TRD Front Strut Brace

16620-46070 Serpentine Belt Tensioner for 2JZ-GTE w/ manual trans
13540-46030 NTN Timing Belt Tensioner for 2JZ-GTE
13505-46041 KOYO Idler Pulley

90913-02088 Valve Stem Seal, Exhaust x12
90913-02090 Valve Stem Seal, Intake x12

90311-40020 Camshaft Seals x2
11213-46020 Valve Cover Gasket RH
11214-46011 Valve Cover Gasket LH

12263-46010 Center PCV Hose
12264-46010 Center PCV Hose
12262-46020 PCV Hose, RH
12261-46031 PCV Hose, LH
12204-46020 PCV Valve
90480-18001 PCV Grommet

Hood Catch Hooks (safety thing) + 4 bolts
Hoses for factory bypass valve
 
Install starts today. The rest of the parts are in. TRD strut tower bar coming today.


GSC S1 7030S1 camshafts
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Brian Crower BC0300S Valve Springs
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Chromoly steel retainer kit
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16620-46070 Serpentine Belt Tensioner for 2JZ-GTE w/ manual trans
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13540-46030 NTN Timing Belt Tensioner for 2JZ-GTE
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13505-46041 KOYO Idler Pulley
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90913-02088 Valve Stem Seal, Exhaust x12
90913-02090 Valve Stem Seal, Intake x12
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90311-40020 Camshaft Seals x2
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11213-46020 Valve Cover Gasket RH
11214-46011 Valve Cover Gasket LH
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12263-46010 Center PCV Hose
12264-46010 Center PCV Hose
12262-46020 PCV Hose, RH
12261-46031 PCV Hose, LH
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12204-46020 PCV Valve
90480-18001 PCV Grommet
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Hoses for factory bypass valve
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Hood Catch Hooks (safety thing) + 4 bolts
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