The Fruition of Obsession -- 310,000 mile makeover --

[GC89]

I guess that is the other flipside to the dilemma, and a sentiment I previously shared. At this point I can only afford to all out mod one platform to 'My Build Standards'. I questioned if for the amount of money I would end up putting into the supra for suspension, brakes, wheels, engine etc there was a platform that would be superior or out of the box closer to do what I want. Had to be rear wheel drive, aesthetically pleasing, and reasonable budget (New C7 stingray has my eye but out of play at this stage of life).

BMW M3 - higher initial cost for anything semi-recent + expenses to mod = building an E46 or an E90 and barely having $ to mod it
FRS - great styling and handling but 20K used + fair amount of money to add forced induction and I would still likely want to do suspension & brakes eventually.
Corvette - not a fan of anything older than a C6 and really the C7s are the first ones where I said wow that could be my it car.
Audi, Mercedes, Porsche - not much aside from their 100k models that really do it for me. (R8, SL65)
Mustang - Newer generations are nice but all too common. (same goes for Camaro, Challenger).
GTR - R35 is not in budget R34 and previous feel similar to the supra + the issue of import and RHD.

MKIV or NSX - two cars that I feel could very much replace my mkiii and still be happy with them. However finding a 6spd TT or swapping is costly as both cars are holding their value and becoming rare.

In the end the FR-S and BMW were both pulling me but if I put even half of their sticker price into the MKIII it would spin circles around them. And I really want a driver first and foremost, It will occasionally see both stip and roadcourse time but its not dedicated for either. I want a car I can have fun with on the street and daily drive to work on a nice day and hop in for a roadtrip with the wife or drive across the state to a meet. IMO the MKIII & IV are exceptional highway cars.

In the end I felt the MKIII was the best bang for the buck in my budget despite trying to talk myself out of it due to being discouraged with not having time for it. Plus I really do love the styling of the car. I don't doubt that something else is in my future, MKIV or NSX seem like front runners now but GTR- R35 or C7 Stingray may be in price in a few more years....... But I really think at the point where any of those cars + what I would want to do to them falls in budget then the $ I would get out of the MKIII is going to feel insignificant enough to just keep it as well.

Anyway that was how my experience with this process went, and I do believe it is a process/stage all car owners go through. I made up my mind about 6 months ago before I resumed building AKA spending money on the supra and after driving just about every car on the above list (well only riding in an NSX & R8 haha) I felt pretty darn validated which was a great feeling.

The MKIII or even MKIV isnt 'The One' for everyperson so the biggest thing is defining what you want without putting a specific model in your head and then looking at what fits. Also taking into account budgets and how that will change and how much of an effect selling the MKIII will even have down the road.


The M5 is a very nice and capable car but I am more drawn to the 3 and new 4 series. I also get the timeless vibe from BMW's although I do think the styling ages reasonable well, it doesn't stand out after time goes by. I considered a 5 for a driver but more because it offered a little more room for the family.

On a side note I would love to hear what else you are considering emiliorescigno?

 

[emiliorescigno]

On a side note I would love to hear what else you are considering emiliorescigno?

Maybe this isn't quite the right thread to discuss, but it can always be moved, so let me know if I'm stepping on anyone's toes.

Cars I'm considering are a Honda S2000, MR2 Spyder, Miata (any gen except the NC), and to a lesser extent, an AW11 MR2, FRS/BRZ, or CRX/Civic.

I've recently become quite involved in local autocross events, and occasional track day style events. I've driven the Supra at BIR (Brainerd International Raceway), and it was IMMEDIATELY apparent how heavy and out of place the Supra was. The brakes are outclassed, the car heaves around corners, and my temperature gauge started to climb on the third lap (requiring a cooldown lap). My summer DD silly car (a totally stock 1997 Del Sol Si) is consistently faster than my Supra at local autocross events. The Supra is a great cruiser, but a race car it is not.

Another aspect is the driver: After a relatively large number of events, I'm barely, and only sometimes, able to "max out" my Del Sol. I want to progress as a driver - and trying to wrangle a 3,600 pound turbocharged leather living room around the track is not a good way to do it.

Gosh, I should probably post this in my own build thread.

 

[GC89]

Right, I encourage off topic discussion in my build thread but I should keep in mind this is suprarx7nut's show - sorry for the de-rail.

You are correct the supra is not well suited for a track car and takes much dedication and $ to make it competitive. If that is what you are looking for and don't have another purpose for the supra more that is fitting for it then that is solid reason to get out of it.

I would make the supra the summer daily, and track the del-sol and or the wrx or replace the del-sol with one of the others on your list but thats just me.



I think we need some kind of an update to get us back on track suprarx7nut

 

[suprarx7nut]

No problem whatsoever from me on the derailment. It's a discussion spurred on by my recent sentiments so I think it's all very relevant to my Supra journey.

I think we're all on the same page. I've got plenty of time to figure it out because I'll need another $10k in cash before buying a good M5 (or similar) is an option. An NSX is the other potential for me. Entrance fee for those is probably even higher than the M5 though. I'm seeing early NSXs go for around $30k now - maybe low $20s for a neglected one.

Emilio: I owned a beat down AW11 and it was a blast. Mine was definitely not a comfortable highway car, but it would have been awesome for track stuff. It's basically an overgrown go kart and you can pick one up SUPER cheap. Mine was $500 and after putting about $1000 into it I had a great little beater. The speedo needle actually fell off the gauge while I was driving. Probably one of the funniest car moments of my life. The needle just fell right the fuck off, haha. If you want a track car I think a Miata or MR2 is an awesome choice. The MR2 gets the extra nod for being cheaper and mid-engine.

I'd also entertain the idea of a MKIV for a highway beast, but they're just too damn overpriced. A MKIV with a big exhaust and single turbo is also a bit cliche in my eyes. They all just blend together for me now. They're beautiful, powerful, reliable and awesome, but they're all so similar. I guess I just don't have the enthusiasm required to want to join that club, haha. They're probably a great investment though, if you can afford the $30-60k for a clean 6spd TT.

Back to the MK3 for a moment though:

This summer I'll be trying to register it as a Historic Vehicle which means no more emissions testing! At that point I'll want to get some dyno time and try some back to back runs with a test pipe vs my current cat. When I had my current cat fitted coming from a high flow metallic core cat, I felt an immediate drop in power and had to re-tune my boost controller. I'm guessing I lost maybe 10-20whp. It'd be really neat to do a test at a dyno and put some real numbers on paper to show the difference.

 

[emiliorescigno]

I would make the supra the summer daily, and track the del-sol and or the wrx or replace the del-sol with one of the others on your list but thats just me.

That's essentially the plan. Sell the Del Sol and replace it with a *real* sports car. The only bummer is that the Supra will be suckling away a lot of money while I save up to get that replacement. I could sell the Supra now and come very close to buying a really nice S2000 with cash.

edit: The WRX is an old rustbucket that doesn't even have a set of non-winter tires. That's not becoming a track car.

Emilio: I owned a beat down AW11 and it was a blast. Mine was definitely not a comfortable highway car, but it would have been awesome for track stuff. It's basically an overgrown go kart and you can pick one up SUPER cheap. Mine was $500 and after putting about $1000 into it I had a great little beater. The speedo needle actually fell off the gauge while I was driving. Probably one of the funniest car moments of my life. The needle just fell right the fuck off, haha. If you want a track car I think a Miata or MR2 is an awesome choice. The MR2 gets the extra nod for being cheaper and mid-engine.

I've driven well-beaten '86 MR2, as well as my friend's '89 Supercharged. Highlights are definitely the shifter and steering feel, but I'm more leaning towards something new. The goal isn't to make a dedicated track car, but rather a car that I can take to the track, enjoy without worry, and drive home. A 30 year old MR2, while awesome, isn't a perfect fit. An MR2 Spyder would be newer, more reliable (03+ at least), and is actually considerably lighter than the AW11.

I think we're all on the same page. I've got plenty of time to figure it out because I'll need another $10k in cash before buying a good M5 (or similar) is an option. An NSX is the other potential for me. Entrance fee for those is probably even higher than the M5 though. I'm seeing early NSXs go for around $30k now - maybe low $20s for a neglected one.

I'd also entertain the idea of a MKIV for a highway beast, but they're just too damn overpriced. A MKIV with a big exhaust and single turbo is also a bit cliche in my eyes. They all just blend together for me now. They're beautiful, powerful, reliable and awesome, but they're all so similar. I guess I just don't have the enthusiasm required to want to join that club, haha. They're probably a great investment though, if you can afford the $30-60k for a clean 6spd TT.

I think an NSX and MKIV are going nowhere but up in price. In a way, they really make more sense as an "investment" in a more unique platform than they do as actual performance machines. As people in our generation age (and get more money), demand for our childhood dream cars is going nowhere but up into the stratosphere. On an actual performance standpoint, I feel that something like a C6 (maybe a Z06?) is the bargain of the century. A C6 is faster, newer, and better in pretty much every objective measure, in addition to being the same price, or less. Their big downside is how common they are; sort of like a Miata vs. MR2. Very competent, but totally unoriginal.

Back to the MK3 for a moment though:

This summer I'll be trying to register it as a Historic Vehicle which means no more emissions testing! At that point I'll want to get some dyno time and try some back to back runs with a test pipe vs my current cat. When I had my current cat fitted coming from a high flow metallic core cat, I felt an immediate drop in power and had to re-tune my boost controller. I'm guessing I lost maybe 10-20whp. It'd be really neat to do a test at a dyno and put some real numbers on paper to show the difference.

Comments like this make me love MN. No emissions testing. Ever. Cars rust out and die so fast around here, there's no real reason to try to force old vehicles off the road.

 

[Backlash2032]

I feel that something like a C6 (maybe a Z06?) is the bargain of the century. A C6 is faster, newer, and better in pretty much every objective measure, in addition to being the same price, or less. Their big downside is how common they are; sort of like a Miata vs. MR2. Very competent, but totally unoriginal.

Take this from a guy who went from a mk3 Supra to a C6... Best.. decision.. of my life. Reliability, performance, fuel economy, its ALL there. And they aren't exactly expensive anymore. I picked up my 2006 3LT 6sp LS2 car for 18k after I traded in the Supra. Made a couple of double payments and I'm paying $230 a month... To me, way more bang for your buck than an FRS! And insurance also (unbelieveably) is stupid cheap too. I'm 20 years old and am paying $100/month for full coverage. Probably something to do with all those mid life crisis 'Vettes rolling around! Statistics are shockingly working well in my favor here...

 

[suprarx7nut]

Update from my end: The Supra hasn't been driven in a while. I got the driver's door pretty well refurb'd. The glass doesn't rattle nearly as much and it sounds much more solid when closed. I need to adjust the glass height because there was a slight wind noise along the window top during my test drive.

The dynamat addition and felt pad cleaning made the biggest differences. I'd recommend it to any mk3 owner.

Take this from a guy who went from a mk3 Supra to a C6... Best.. decision.. of my life. Reliability, performance, fuel economy, its ALL there. And they aren't exactly expensive anymore. I picked up my 2006 3LT 6sp LS2 car for 18k after I traded in the Supra. Made a couple of double payments and I'm paying $230 a month... To me, way more bang for your buck than an FRS! And insurance also (unbelieveably) is stupid cheap too. I'm 20 years old and am paying $100/month for full coverage. Probably something to do with all those mid life crisis 'Vettes rolling around! Statistics are shockingly working well in my favor here...

I'll have to check out the C6 as well. I love the styling, but the interiors always ruined it for me in the older vettes. They always felt like a Silverado or something. Cheap, generic GM stuff everywhere.

How does the interior on the C6's compare? Do they hold up well? How "plastic-y" does it feel?

 

[xCxHxRxIxSx]

Hey guys, was just reading through the last couple pages and I've gone through similar feelings about my supra. I almost sold mine a little while back when I chose to go back to school and change careers but I couldn't do it. Thing is I've been a car guy all my life, I even became a licensed tech and have had the opportunity to drive and work on just about everything out there. So naturally before I was going to list the Supra up for sale, I had to satisfy my inner car needs by coming up with a suitable future replacement to work towards. Almost two years later though, I've yet to come up with one that would satisfy what I want out of a weekend car.

I actually worked at a Corvette restoration shop for a few years and for a lot of people it makes sense to go that route. They're reliable, have great looks and performance, a 1000x the aftermarket support of the Supra and newer models are turn key, but for me that's taking the easy way out. They're all to common and the C6 interior btw is only a minor facelift over the C5.

GC89 said it well that you have to define what you want. For me the Supra is one of those great looking cars that has the performance potential to satisfy almost any enthusiast and you can really make it your own. You just don't see them everyday and when you do each one is unique and so many are built performance rather than bought like most of the mustangs and bmws we see everyday.

Great build btw and best of luck in which ever direction you decide to take

 

[suprarx7nut]

Summer 2016 Update:

I've decided to take on a bunch of projects on the car. I'll be keeping it a while.

-New carpets and floor mats and steering wheel are up next. Pending timing I might also strip the interior and sound deaden the hell out of it.
-New wheel bearings are needed up front.
-Brakes could probably use a refresh - looking at cryo-treated slotted options.
-It's now registered as a collector. I'll be switching to a high-flow cat again and will measure power difference on a dyno.
-If the Kaminari spoiler makes it into reproduction I'll buy that (unless it's priced above $1500 or something insane) and paint the car.
-New tires will be needed after this summer

I'm trying to get a company started to bring in some side-income and I know the MK3 (and it's market needs) better than anything else. I might as well keep it while I fab up some components!

1. I made a 3D printed switch panel insert to use standard mini rocker switches. This is done and works beautifully. Pics to follow!
2. I am prototyping a voltmeter that will go in the windshield washer button area of the center console.
3. I'm pursuing a drop in replacement option for LED lit needles. Need to work with a board maker to get a thin board made up.
4. I'm also looking to make an insert for the gauge cluster to allow aftermarket units to fit in easily and cleanly.

I updated the first post to include Amazon links. I've started buying most my car stuff via Amazon lately. I never would have guessed that a few years ago...

 

[emiliorescigno]

2. I am prototyping a voltmeter that will go in the windshield washer button area of the center console.

I saw the picture of this on facebook posted by you via YotaMD. Looks like a really slick item. If you're taking any sort of requests, a digital wideband display in the same location would be AMAZING. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I saw the picture of this on facebook posted by you via YotaMD. Looks like a really slick item. If you're taking any sort of requests, a digital wideband display in the same location would be AMAZING. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

I like that idea. The zeitronics is the smallest afr display I've seen and it's too large for the headlight washer button area. I do think, however, there's potential for that sort of display somewhere. I'll keep it in mind!

FYI, I meant headlight washer, not windshield washer.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[suprarx7nut]

Update:

The journey for this car with me will be coming to an end soon! I'm switching over to a 91 Hardtop Turbo chassis and will be focusing my efforts on that car using the funds from the sale of the 90.

I replaced the lower ball joints on both sides and both front wheel bearings. That made a big improvement in the ride and eliminated some annoying bearing noise. I also threw on some new (albeit basic) rotors.

I'll probably start the selling process on here and SF, then onto facebook/craigs and possibly eBay. I'd prefer to keep it in the "forum" community, but we'll see how it goes. Before I post it up I'll try to get into a dyno and see what kind of power she's actually putting down. My guess is low 300's to the wheels around 12 psi, but who knows. With the current "regular" cat i know it's a bit restricted.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I sold this car last year (2016). In preparation I polished the hell out of it. It's something I should have done years prior because it turned the lackluster, faded paint into a really nice-looking sheen with only a few hours of work with the right tools.

Here's a video showing a bunch of time-lapse video of the process. It's far more satisfying watching this in 64x speed than it was doing it in real time!

[video=youtube_share;4cZBgt8p5n4]https://youtu.be/4cZBgt8p5n4[/video]

 

[plaaya69]

Nice job on that paint polish.

 

[te72]

Andy, it really is amazing what a random orbital can do. My car's previous owner decided to spray paint the car flat black... in a dusty field... on a windy day. Needless to say, it looked like poo. Megan has a lot more patience than I do, and was able to clean the car up quite a bit. Many parts of it, you could see nearly mirror like paint by the time she was done.

We ended up plasti dipping the car for a change of pace, and while it's a nice short term solution, I dunno how long it will hold up. Eventually it's gonna get painted, so all the cosmetics we've done were just for fun.

Your 90 turned out pretty nice in the end.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Nice job on that paint polish.

Andy, it really is amazing what a random orbital can do. My car's previous owner decided to spray paint the car flat black... in a dusty field... on a windy day. Needless to say, it looked like poo. Megan has a lot more patience than I do, and was able to clean the car up quite a bit. Many parts of it, you could see nearly mirror like paint by the time she was done.

We ended up plasti dipping the car for a change of pace, and while it's a nice short term solution, I dunno how long it will hold up. Eventually it's gonna get painted, so all the cosmetics we've done were just for fun.

Your 90 turned out pretty nice in the end.

Yeah, thanks! It did turn out pretty well. I wish I had done it sooner. I had that thing for 9 years with lackluster paint. All I needed was a $100 polisher, some pads and a few hours to make it really shine. I got it all pretty about a month before selling it. The bumpers and hatch were still eyesores but it was a fantastic 20 footer!

That's a big part of why I'm attacking the exterior right off the bat with my 91. At the very least I want to enjoy looking at a great exterior without shitty bumpers or faded roof/hatch.