MK3 Newb.... A few ?'s

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

Hey alls...

I recently picked up an 87' NA Targa that had been sitting for quite some time....

After a few hours w/ a cheap buffer, this is what my $500 got me...

The car sat for 8yrs... 6 of which where under a lean-to. After draining & flushing the fuel tank, replacing the pump and filter... the car fired right up. Replaced the radiator (upper tank cracked/dryrotted) and hoses... flushed brake system and changed oil... so far so good...

Onto my questions

This is a project car... and considering what ive got in it so far.... I sure as hell dont plan on getting rid of it too soon. The car is an NA atx... runs great (could def. use a good tune-up though) and maintains good oil pressure ( running 5w30... ~10psi hot idle, 40+psi over 2500rpm)

1st... I'm wanting to drop its stance by 1.5-2" without going coilovers (dont want to drop $1k+ on coilovers when I only paid $500 for the car) suggestions for best spring/strut combo?

2nd... I'm strongly considering boost... due to lack of aftermarket parts available for building a strong NA motor.... so how can this be accomplished without running gte electronics? (shooting for 300-400whp) I know the car is running the stock hg w/ 121k miles on it... so I know head studs and a hg upgrade is a must for handling boost... but other then that... how can I get away with not swapping in the gte or its electronics? I know a lot of people (on other applications) running msd boost retard ign. boxes.... could this work for the goals I have? what about fuel..? the car will only be ran on 93 (very easy to get here)

Any suggestions for improvements will be appreciated... and once i figure out how i want to do things.... a build thread will be started...

Anyways... I have searched a bit and havnt turned up any solid information... perhaps I overlooked a thread or two... but anyways... thanks for any info.
-AcId-

 

[bishop40k]

Wow, nice car for $500, and welcome another owner from Indiana. Where abouts are you from?

 

[PCguylovesSupra]

Very nice. Price a steal. Always happy to see another NA.

Only way to get the HP you want is go turbo. The highest HP with an NA is from 215 - 250 hp. However you would probably have to rebuild. For about the same cost, buy a 1jgte or 2jgte and then get it the way you want. Good luck.

 

[SuperNova]

Very nice. Good find for $500.

But for the power you want, the easiest option is an engine swap. 7M-GTE (+ MHG and ARP's), 1JZ-GTE, or 2JZ-GTE. 2JZ being the most expensive ofcourse.

 

[rtrdpenguin]

Wow, I wish mine looked that good for $500! The best spring and strut combo IMO is the bilstein shocks and RS-R race springs. However, you're looking at close to cheaper coilover prices with that combo =\ Turbo is the way to go if you want more power, but make sure the engine's up to it

 

[Moy]

cheapest shock/spring combo you'll find is eibach springs and tokico hp shocks (also referred to as tokico 'blues'). that'll run minimum 400. you re-use the top shock mounts and the rubber bump stops from the stock shocks

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

I'm a few miles outside of evansville....

so boost is the way to go... i suppose i'll just put a little money back here and there and when i start to have issues with this motor... swap in the gte or other factory turbo motor... considering the current state of this motor... its got a lot of life left in it imo...

as for the cheaper struts/springs... will there be much gain in the handling department? ive ran eibach springs/struts/sways before on other projects with a great outcome.... btw pcguy... what are you running as far as susp. goes? I like the overall stance

i may go on and build an exhaust system for the car that would also be up to boost... 2.5 or 3" all mandrel bent... just stop short of the manifold so when I swap in the new motor... all i'd have to do is fab up a dp and hook everything up...

what are the benefits/downfalls of the different motors? ive heard a lot of good things about the gte... a lot of bad too (mainly coming from guys who are strictly for the 2jz swap....) so what would be the best/most reliable motor for making 300+whp..? im sure once i reach that goal... i'll wanna shoot for 500+.. :icon_evil

anyways... thanks for the info and comments
-AcId-

 

[PCguylovesSupra]

I'm a few miles outside of evansville....

so boost is the way to go... i suppose i'll just put a little money back here and there and when i start to have issues with this motor... swap in the gte or other factory turbo motor... considering the current state of this motor... its got a lot of life left in it imo...

as for the cheaper struts/springs... will there be much gain in the handling department? ive ran eibach springs/struts/sways before on other projects with a great outcome.... btw pcguy... what are you running as far as susp. goes? I like the overall stance

i may go on and build an exhaust system for the car that would also be up to boost... 2.5 or 3" all mandrel bent... just stop short of the manifold so when I swap in the new motor... all i'd have to do is fab up a dp and hook everything up...

what are the benefits/downfalls of the different motors? ive heard a lot of good things about the gte... a lot of bad too (mainly coming from guys who are strictly for the 2jz swap....) so what would be the best/most reliable motor for making 300+whp..? im sure once i reach that goal... i'll wanna shoot for 500+.. :icon_evil

anyways... thanks for the info and comments
-AcId-

Had done back in 2000, KYB struts and springs. Cornering is like on rails, however bumps jar the kidneys a bit. Lowered front 1.5" from stock and rear 1" from stock.

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

hmm... im thinking eibach pro springs (which would give me the 1.5/1.0 drop)... either kyb or tokico shocks (gotta do a bit of research on that...) then a decent set of 17 x 9's in a 35mm offset... wrapped in 255/40/r17's...

think that would work well?

anyways... if someone could point me in the right direction of a motor... i'd be set to start planning everything out.

thanks again guys
-AcId-

 

[SupraFreak13]

For your exhaust, I wouldn't go any smaller than 3".

What motor you choose for the swap will probably depend mostly on your budget and your mechanics skills. I would think the 7MGTE would be the cheapest since it bolts right up, followed by the 1JZ, which bolts up but could cost more to buy and be more labor intensive. If you do the 7MGTE swap, install head studs and a metal gasket to avoid any BHG problems.

If I were you I would get a 1JZ supra front clip so it will come with everything you need, including pedals for a 5 speed conversion:icon_bigg

Either motor could make 300+WHP reliably.

The 2JZ would always be nice but more expensive to get the motor.

 

[HitmansEVO]

Have a look at your injector o-rings. I've seen them dry rot on cars that have been sitting for a long time. They may be good to go, but its worth a look.

 

[IndyMK3]

hey nice to see another indiana supra owner... :icon_bigg check the regional form for info on INDY2k9 .....

yea you will hit 300 hp and ull just want more and more and more....

all the swaps have their downfalls and most people are biased...

 

[Dr Chill]

500 bucks .... Nice find .... Think of it this way ... You got the car for a great deal , any $$$ you dump into it is money well spent . even if you put 2500 into swapping a 7mgte.
You still come out smelling like a rose ...
again ...... Nice find

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

I havnt seen any fuel leaks or smelled any fuel in the engine bay at any time... but i'll keep an eye on the injector o-rings... thanks for the heads up.

the gte swap is probably what i'll shoot for... start planning everything out...

within a few weeks... im gonna drop all the 8+yr old routine maintence items (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, etc...) which might give me a noticeable gain in how the car currently drives...

anyways... i'll start up a build thread within a few months as things progress.

thanks alls
-AcId-

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

Here are the plans as of yet...

I'm not spending ANY money on the current motor

Planning out a 1jzgtte swap.. located the motor from a company called Osaka JDM Motors which ive heard a few others on here have used and considering. I dont thinkg it'll be too difficult to pull off...

only question... will the auto tranny behind the 1jz fit the mk3 or will I need to use my current tranny (id like to stay atx oddly enough)

thanks alls
-AcId-

 

[bishop40k]

Should be the same tranny, IIRC, A340E. Have you checked to see if you have a LSD rear end?

Honestly, I'd drive the thing around until you have sourced all the parts for your swap, and as long as you can get the right wiring harness and everything, you should be able to complete the swap in a weekend or two. But wait til after Indy2K9 to make any real plans with the car, that way you can see/hear/watch cars with all kinds of swaps and decide which you like the best, some of the drivers may let you ride with them or even drive their cars for a little bit to help with the decision making.

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

sounds like a plan

thanks for the help guys
-AcId-