shopping list

[diego]

hello everyone,
I bought a 1988 supra mk3 7mge a couple of months ago, i have a full service history,before being sold and the last owner was an old that wasnt into driving fast, i havent driven the car, well appart from the test drive and the drive home, the engine is quite healthy it has low miles, the brake lines were changed before being sold. So now that ive saved up enough money, im ready to start y project.
1st thing i want to do is change the head gasket.
could you guys please, give me a shopping list of what i need to buy for this ? i have a regular set of tools including a torque wrench. what do you think about the hks gasket ? what do you think about overhaul gasket kits ? im also quite confused i know i need to get head bolts, but do i need head studs will i need to remove the crankcase for this ? will i need to remove the engine? i really do not want to take the engine out.
2nd Since the head is coming out , i want to get the head polished and ground by a race shop. my father says if im taking off the head i should do the valves and camshafts. you guys have a shopping list for that ???

well thanks alot i know that im new, and if im out of place for asking these kind of questions please let me know =) but thank you in advance, i really cannot wait to start buying all these parts and to give my supra a nice tune up and get it on the street !!!!

 

[diego]

ohhh yeahh does anyone know if there is a hose kit for the 7mge ? or if i can buy a hose kit for the 7mgte???

 

[89nasupra]

If i were you i would tear it down first then make a list of what you need from there. My self personally I'm running a Felpro head gasket on 12psi but that is me. I have always ran Felpro with no problems but other people here will say other wise. Take your time and do it right and all should be fine. Don't cut any corners trying to save a buck or two.

 

[Grandavi]

Are you talking about the cooling/oil hoses (external) or just the vacuum hoses?
If vacuum hoses, there are kits but after buying one I would avoid it. Just go to your auto store with (I believe there are only 3 sizes) hose dimensions and lengths figured out and buy your own. You will save yourself money because the kits are more generic (at least the one I bought). Good quality hose, but you have to trim to fit.
If your talking about rad hoses, and the various larger ones, I personally would replace them 1 by 1 using your own personal color scheme (once you know the sizes, its easy to do). Just make sure you never replace a hose with one that is weaker.
I believe there are kits available though at some of the approved web sites in this forum. Remember to take into account any brokerage fees if you dont have your own broker.

 

[diego]

Thanks ! i will look into felpro. i haven't taken out the head yet as i want to check the compression of each cylinder first, that way i know if i need new rings or not. When you changed your head gasket, did you get new head bolts ? do i need to change the head studs ?

 

[89nasupra]

I changed mine because they were factory so yes change them. I use ARP bolts not the studs. I don't ever plan on make enough power to need studs. Just follow the instructions on the head bolts to the tee. The factory torque spec goes out the window when you up grade to ARP bolts. As for hose kits, like stated above the easiest thing is to go to the local parts house and get a few feet of each size. The hose is fairly cheap.

 

[diego]

i want to replace all the hoses, im going to look for the rad hoses. thanks for the tip! what are brokage fees ?

 

[89nasupra]

I think that is something extra they charge when you order stuff from out of the country but I could be wrong.

 

[diego]

ohh okay thanks =) im not really looking into running big power, i just want a clean reliable car that packs some nice stock power, but i want to get this right, i want my engine to live for a long time and not risk blowing my gasket, The saddest part is that i have only driven the car once! its kind of frustrating but i guess thats what projects are all about !

 

[89nasupra]

I was in the same situation when I got mine, drove it home and it sat for a year while I fixed the head gasket and other things. Drove it for about 8 months then got rod knock. Sat for another year for the GTE swap and has been running for about 10 months now.

 

[Grandavi]

Edited to remove this.. lol.. I was assuming you had a turbo.. reread your original post.. shutting up now.. lol.

Just a question, are you shooting for a turbo? or keeping the car NA (naturally aspirated)?

The NA engine (7MGE) has its limits naturally... just thought I would point out that you dont get 450 HP out of a NA (at least not that I have ever heard). I dont own a 7MGE, so cant remark on it first hand. If its NA, I believe you just want to make it a solid build. Not spicy... but.. I will let the NA experts advise you there.. lol.


and brokerage is the fees tacked on when going cross border. I only know about the UPS experiences I have had (crooks!). 83.00 hose kit cost me 68.00 brokerage fees. I almost shot the guy when he told me I owed him that much to get the shipment. Just find out prior to ordering anything internationally/crossborder (taxes, brokerage fees, etc..)

 

[diego]

ouchh that is expensive, i have close relatives in the states, so whatever i cannot find here in belgium, i will get it sent to my adress in the us or canada , and then shipped into belgium. Im not looking for big power yet, and especially not from this particular supra, i want a very solid build, to be able to handle a few track days, but id like to say that im keeping this one ice, the kind of car me and my dad can enjoy for a long time. and maybe one day will find its place in a museum =) Regulations are crazy in belgium, you cant change anything to your car, well you at least need to make it look stock... So as my first project, i am restoring one of my childhood favorites, and making it a stiff and reliable daily driver. Next will be a mk4 2jzgte ????? there is something about supras.... i posted a few pictures on my introduction !!! what websites do you recommend to buy parts from ?

 

[89nasupra]

I recommend buying parts from supramania.com!!!!!!

 

[diego]

i might sound stupid but how do i do that ?

 

[89nasupra]

LOL just check the parts for sale threads, you might luck out and find someone selling parts in your neck of the woods.

 

[diego]

hahaahahah okay cool i will do so !