Project fix the quirks/daily driver.

[northdakotakid]

Just a few days ago I obtained a 1987 N/A 5-Speed with 159,xxx miles on it. It is in overall good condition, but has a few issues. 1. The gas tank is leaking a little bit. 2. The speedometer is not working at all. 3. Random interior bits are missing/broken.
What I want to do right now is fix the above issues, clean the engine bay up (dirty as hell), put the wing on (not my choice, but the p/o put a turbo hatch on and the mounts are there), and get it licensed and insured!
Down the road, I want to throw some bolt-ons on, lower the car (rides like a truck!), and get new wheels, the sawblades are not my style. Well here are some pics, and throw out any advice on it if you have any!

 

[Supraboy87T]

Right on man. I have a 87 turbo that's white with burgundy interior that is also missing interior pieces. Looks good.

 

[IJ.]

advice: FIX the fuel leak before the BBQ and :cry:

A fuel leak even if small is like being a "little pregnant" sooner or later it's going to end in tears..

 

[Moy]

A fuel leak even if small is like being a "little pregnant" sooner or later it's going to end in tears..

Thanks for the new sig

 

[northdakotakid]

Yea, that is definatly the first item on the list. Fuel leak. I have found it is leaking from the fuel stem. Right where the fill cap enters the tank itself. Can anyone tell me exactly where the speedometer cable is in the engine bay?

 

[mkiiichip]

The speedo cable starts at the rear section of the transmission, then makes its way forward, behind the head, then through the firewall. Easier to find from underneath.

 

[northdakotakid]

alright thanks, luckily I have access to a hoist whenever I want to use it. So this week sometime I am going to lift it up. This car is in really good shape for a 1987 car. I am looking forward to diving into this project.

 

[honeydew]

I don't mean to hijack your thread but is it ok if I ask: Can that steering wheel he has be fitted with the 89+ steering wheel?

I have a tiny suggestion, when getting your interior parts, assuming you want to replace them, try to find used. I have found the fade from the burgundy is quite dramatic. If you replace with new, maybe replace symmetrically ie. both seat belt holders if only one is broken. Only if that sort of thing bothers you, just a thought.

Clean Hardtop, nice. Congrats on your purchase.

 

[supraguy@aol]

You mean- can the -89 wheel be replaced for an 89 wheel?
Yes. But to get the cruise control buttons to work, i think you need the 89 combination switches also, as well as at least one splice for on/off into
the dash switch harness.

 

[northdakotakid]

Hey thanks for the advice honeydew. I am lucky enough to have a 1987 Turbo (bad rod knock) that has the same burgundy interior that i will be using for parts. That is really nice, as I need a blower motor, random interior pieces, and the rear hatch trim.

 

[honeydew]

Hey thanks for the advice honeydew. I am lucky enough to have a 1987 Turbo (bad rod knock) that has the same burgundy interior that i will be using for parts. That is really nice, as I need a blower motor, random interior pieces, and the rear hatch trim.

Whoa! Holy Lord, that is awesome. Well, no worries then.

 

[northdakotakid]

I know its pretty nice! I also have another N/A Burgundy 1987 Supra that I am working on for my dad to drive. 3...well 2.5 supras in the stable! What I am thinking is...since the turbo is a parts car, I want to take out the motor, and spend as much time as needed building it. By the time I am done, I will hopefully have a nice GTE to put in my N/A. What do you think about that?

Worked on the Supra till 12:30 tonight. Didnt really do too much, threw it on the hoist, did an oil change, sprayed engine de-greaser everywhere (damn that thing is dirty underneath), and looked at my fuel tank. I have concluded that the filler hose is just getting old/leaky. So tomorrow I get the joy of trying to get the filler hose/spout off without breaking any bolts. Also tomorrow I will take my speedometer cable off and replace it with one from my parts car more than likely.

 

[northdakotakid]

Well got quite a bit done tonight in a short amount of time. I got to the shop at about 7 and put the car on the hoist. The goal for tonight was to figure out the fuel leak, and fix it. Well, I decided to completely pull the tank, and good thing I did. It was very rusty up top. I decided it was not in any shape to go back in the car, so I took it off the hoist, rolled it aside, and pushed the parts car in. I took that tank off, and it was in perfect condition! Gotta love having a parts car! So I put that one in. 1. Fix fuel leak....check. Then I decided while the parts car is on the hoist, to go ahead and take the speedometer cable off. I took the short section off first, and told myself I would yank the rest later. Well, I decided to just replace the short section, and the speedometer worked. So that solves that. 2. Fix speedometer...check. I also got it insured and licensed today. I now have a car to drive again!

Tomorrow I will go back to the shop and take the blower motor and maybe the A/C compressor out of the parts supra. I will also attempt to figure out why none of the interior accent lights work. Any suggestions there? The car runs great, I drove it back home from the shop. I need to rebalance the tires, thats for sure, as it shakes a little at speed.