I keep going back in time! Finally found a mkiii--meet crimson tide

[KenHenderson]

Looks great, my OCD is kicking in haha I do believe your vacuum lines are backwards on the BVSV on the T-Stat Cover

Thanks for the heads-up. I, likely, would have never noticed. Will correct this but wondering if it makes a difference? I ask because the car drives so well as is. Would appreciate your input. Thanks for your kind words.

Ken.

 

[JDMMA70]

I honestly do not know the effects of reversing the vacuum lines. The 7M vacuum diagrams is burned into my brain so I just notice when something is out of place. I know it for the emission system though.

 

[jugodegolf]

Congrats on the win. Hard work does pay off. Oh, and I would never let Jeff drive my car. :biglaugh:

 

[KenHenderson]

Congrats on the win. Hard work does pay off. Oh, and I would never let Jeff drive my car. :biglaugh:

Thanks. This was the first time I've driven with Jeff. His driving style matches his personality. I'll leave it at that .

Ken.

 

[KenHenderson]

Jeff made this post on SF regarding his experience driving my car. I thought you guys might be interested in his driving impressions:

As Ken already mentioned a few posts above, I had the incredible pleasure of driving this MKIII for the uphill section of the scenic drive.

Many of you know that I've had a lot of MKIII's for a LONG time. I had my first one in 1999. Lower mileage, good condition MKIII's were much easier to find back then and I'm sad to say, they really weren't appreciated at the time.

Over the years one of the interesting tendencies of MKIII's I've observed is that by virtue of the age, mileage, and storage environment of a given MKIII makes each MKIII develop some unique tendencies. Each one is something of an orchestra of little things wrong that amalgamate into what it's like to drive *THAT* specific MKIII.

The crazy thing about Crimson Tide is that it had exactly one actual issue, and that was with clutch engagement and shifting - both of which would be cured immediately by replacing the Fidanza flywheel with an OEM flywheel, installing a new set of shifter bushings, and flushing the trans and filling it with Redline MT90.
Literally, that's it. That's the only issue it has. There's no squeaks, leaky targa, rattling interior pieces, strange looseness from sloppy subframe bushings, control arms, or ball joints. No soft and spongy turn-in from a leaky PS rack in oil-soaked old rack bushings attached to sloppy tie rods, no squishy brake pedal feel from a tired master cyl pushing on equally tired single piston calipers with McWTF flavors of brake pads.

There weren't any strange noises from the engine bay, either. A tight 7M-GTE like this one just purrs. There's no fan roar from a toasted fan clutch, no exhaust leaks, no rattling or sloppiness from all of the ways a 7M can get worn out and thrown haphazardly back together.

The first thing that impressed me once driving it was the brake package. The Wilwood 6pot front & 4pot rear system is light years ahead of the factory brakes. Combine that with the very tight front suspension, the excellent damping from the Tein Street Flex coilovers, and the sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, the car had a sharper and more precise turn-in with better feedback than I'd ever felt in a MKIII.
Even at speed with some undulating pavement on those mountain roads, there was no bumpsteer, no looseness, no need to correct. In the turn one could just hold the wheel at the needed steering angle and stay in it.

Honestly, the only trait in which the Crimson Tide showed her age was in the slightly sloppy chassis rigidity known to all MKIII targa owners, but in this case, she's so well put together and still so fresh that Crimson Tide drives better and with less flex than even the best of MKIII hardtops I've driven.
In all other regards, once Ken turns up the boost to ~13-14psi this car will be running and driving as one would expect from a much more modern car. It was really shocking because I found myself comparing the MKIII's build quality to much more contemporary models and the MKIII was coming out on top. But being a Supra guy, I might be *slightly* biased. :love:

Ken really scored big with Crimson Tide. It's so difficult to find a truly clean and well kept example of the breed, and this might as well be a time machine.
It's amazing to me that the fresh brake package and coilovers could transform a MKIII so completely from a squishy and compliant tendency we'd now associate with a 'GT' car, into a surprisingly sharp and capable honest-to-God sports car in the handling and stopping departments. Once the boost is turned up and the car is making ~300whp, it's going to be an even more fun car to drive, with the power to match the grip and brakes.
Yet all of it was done without compromising the comfort of riding in a MKIII.

It'll be hard to restore a MKIII to that kind of standard, but once completed, it'll be worth the effort.

It was a real treat to drive such a fine Supra, Ken. Thank you again for the opportunity! :beer:

Ken.

 

[gtsfirefighter]

I was there and stared at this car a lot!! The song Jizz in my Pants kept running through my mind. Ken's car and several others made me ashamed I had to drive my very non supra Mercedes to Vegas. I would've won the distance award had I been able to drive mine dammit.

 

[Supraboostin]

wow,beautiful car!

 

[MK3pizzadriver]

Wow, mint down to the floor mats! Congrats man :drink1:

 

[suprarx7nut]

Awesome pics and as I said before, a true inspiration.

That exhaust looks great. It's one I'm considering for my new build and your car makes a great case for it.

 

[KenHenderson]

I was there and stared at this car a lot!! The song Jizz in my Pants kept running through my mind. Ken's car and several others made me ashamed I had to drive my very non supra Mercedes to Vegas. I would've won the distance award had I been able to drive mine dammit.

Thank you for the kind words. I believe there were more clean MKIIIs at SIV than in previous years. More cars as well and, given the builds that are going on, I expect this trend to continue.

wow,beautiful car!

Thank you, sir.

Wow, mint down to the floor mats! Congrats man :drink1:

The previous owner, Patrick Nail, deserves credit for preserving this car about as well as it can be done in his ten years of ownership. I intend to build upon his good work and ensure the car remains in the condition that has generated the complimentary remarks in this thread.

Awesome pics and as I said before, a true inspiration.

That exhaust looks great. It's one I'm considering for my new build and your car makes a great case for it.

Thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated.

I think the exhaust looks great as well. I live in Cali, so it attracts some attention. That said, it is QUIET from a Supra perspective, so I have had no issues from the noise pollution LEOs. The ones I have encountered just want to check out the car .

Ken.

 

[KenHenderson]

I've been collecting parts in an effort to finish up the car and complete the process of making her mine. I hope to have everything in hand before work begins. So far, I've picked up the following parts:

---HKS VPC and 550 cc EPROM
---HKS EVC I
---HKS Turbo Timer (to my knowledge, the first ever turbo timer developed by HKS; looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HKS-classic-vintage-turbo-timer-datsun-nissan-honda-
toyota-subaru-VW-/252486406473?hash=item3ac95cd149:g:lScAAOSwyLlXoVx9&vxp=mtr except it's BNIB
---Apexi SAFC
---Fields Harness
---MKIV Supra TT fuel pump
---C's Short Shifter and Marlin Crawler Shifter Socket
---A spare set of OEM valve covers
---HKS Turbo Timer Harness
---MKIII HID Kit
---OEM R-154 Transmission Mount
---Full Length Clutch Line
---7M Cylinder Head Center Cover/Gasket

I came within an eyelash of sourcing a BNIB HKS MA70 FMIC Kit in New Zealand of all places. I had an SF MKIV member, who resides in NZ, looking out for me, but a public holiday spoiled our timing/plans (was going to pay the BIN price), so I'm still on the lookout for an HKS or GReddy MA70 FMIC, two items that have long been discontinued. That won't stop me from continuing my search, though.

I need to source some MKIII-friendly 550 cc fuel injectors, an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, an HKS DLI and figure out what I want to do with respect to cleaning up my exhaust manifold/OEM heat shield. When this is done, I'll be ready to get everything done in one sitting and complete the makeover. In the meantime, I'm having fun driving her, although it must be said driving her requires almost as much vigilance as driving one of my MKIVs. I don't know what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect the attention the car garners every time out.

Ken.

 

[KenHenderson]

From my WTB thread: "As luck would have it, the NIB HKS MA70 FMIC kit I lost out on is, now, available, unfortunately as a result of the winning purchaser recently totaling his car. My New Zealand MKIV buddy has already taken steps to secure the kit on my behalf. Praise be!! Just waiting on the actual purchase price, plus shipping, and I should have it in my hands fairly soon. I LIKE where this is going."

Ken.

 

[KenHenderson]

Grey OEM Glove Box SORELY Needed!

So, I've discovered my OEM glove box, which fit perfectly, had a previously broken hinge. Today we broke the second hinge, but are gluing it back together if forced to continue to use it. I am looking for a grey glove box complete, with hinges intact and in EXCELLENT condition. The reason for this request is shown in the pic below:

That's a pic of my glove box in my 93.5 MKIV hardtop. I am taking a similar approach with Crimson Tide and will be installing my old school HKS gauges/controllers in the glove box; hence my need for a completely undamaged item in excellent condition. If you have something you feel is worthy of consideration, please contact me ASAP as the car is already under the knife. TIA,

Ken.

 

[BlackDevilSupra]

Ken, you can get any replacement glove box, and just unscrew the outer cover to replace with the cover of your older damage one. I'm assuming the original cover is in decent condition. This is on my '87 & '88. Not sure if the newer boxes changed.

 

[KenHenderson]

Ken, you can get any replacement glove box, and just unscrew the outer cover to replace with the cover of your older damage one. I'm assuming the original cover is in decent condition. This is on my '87 & '88. Not sure if the newer boxes changed.

Thanks, bud. If I understand correctly your comment above, that's what I am trying to do. That said, I am unclear as to whether there were changes to the OEM glove boxes on 89+ cars. Even if there were no changes, the two boxes looked at so far show minute cracks in the hinges that will surely break as mine did over time. Still trying to figure out a permanent solution, but I do appreciate the advice.

Ken.

 

[Kristian_Wraae]

I came within an eyelash of sourcing a BNIB HKS MA70 FMIC Kit in New Zealand of all places. I had an SF MKIV member, who resides in NZ, looking out for me, but a public holiday spoiled our timing/plans (was going to pay the BIN price), so I'm still on the lookout for an HKS or GReddy MA70 FMIC, two items that have long been discontinued. That won't stop me from continuing my search, though.

They come up fairly often on Japanese Yahoo auctions. I have one of each (HKS and Greddy). The HKS comes in different core thicknesses. I have the 4 inch version. I like it better than the Greddy and the Blitz since it fits much better.

So congratulations on securing the HKS kit.

 

[KenHenderson]

They come up fairly often on Japanese Yahoo auctions. I have one of each (HKS and Greddy). The HKS comes in different core thicknesses. I have the 4 inch version. I like it better than the Greddy and the Blitz since it fits much better.

So congratulations on securing the HKS kit.

Does the 4-inch thick FMIC fit without modification? Here's a pic of mine during inspection. I thought this was the only size available for the MA70 but, based upon your post above, I guess not.

I do not frequent the Japanese Yahoo auctions, so please let me know if you ever come across the HKS MA70 54-trim sport turbo upgrade (fits on OEM exhaust manifold). Acquiring one would complete my vision of the car from an HKS perspective. TIA,

Ken.

 

[GC89]

I almost bought one of those turbos a few months ago Ken but after looking at the specs in detail decided it would not support my goals. I will make sure to let you know if I see another one come up.

 

[KenHenderson]

I almost bought one of those turbos a few months ago Ken but after looking at the specs in detail decided it would not support my goals. I will make sure to let you know if I see another one come up.

Many thanks for this. My power goals are not overly ambitious. An acquaintance has one (has virtually the entire HKS catalog on a car he's owned for 21 years) and made 372 whp at 15 psi, IIRC. I'd be ecstatic with that result, as I'm just looking for a nice reliable cruiser that can get out of its own way. Thanks again.

Ken.

 

[Kristian_Wraae]

Does the 4-inch thick FMIC fit without modification? Here's a pic of mine during inspection. I thought this was the only size available for the MA70 but, based upon your post above, I guess not.

I do not frequent the Japanese Yahoo auctions, so please let me know if you ever come across the HKS MA70 54-trim sport turbo upgrade (fits on OEM exhaust manifold). Acquiring one would complete my vision of the car from an HKS perspective. TIA,

Ken.

Sorry, my mistake. I'm so used to JZ swapped mkIIIs. My kit is for the JZA70, not the MA70. So even more thumbs up for finding a HKS MA70 kit.

I'll look for a turbo. But if you want to look for yourself you can use www.rinkya.com and search the Yahoo auctions through that in English.