Toyota Supra – Childhood Dream
Discussion
I have always wanted to own a Toyota Supra for as long as I can remember.
I think this stems from my father as he use to import cars from Japan, and while most of these were mundane commuter cars bought to make money, he also bought the occasional Japanese sports car ranging from Mitsubishi GTOs, Nissan Silvias, Toyota Supras and others I’m sure I’ve forgotten.
The speed and sound, as most were fitted with ludicrously loud exhausts and dump valves, was incredibly exciting to my young self.
One car that alluded him though was an A80 Supra – all the Supra’s he had bought were older models. The shape and styling originally drew me to the A80, and with more knowledge from research I was amazed at the huge tuning potential making the allure even greater.
I started searching for a car last summer, and with the sale of my BMW 3 Series nearing the end of the year I finally found myself in a position to buy one. The search took a number of months, with me discounting multiple cars. The problem I had was my budget only just stretched to the car I wanted – a stock-ish turbo manual car. I looked at an automatic car with the idea of later swapping out the automatic gearbox for a manual, but the car didn’t feel right and really I wanted a factory manual car.
Nothing was ticking my boxes until a Supra appeared on a FaceBook group I was a part of. It was in my least preferred colour – Alpine Silver – but everything else looked great. It hadn’t been extensively modified, and more importantly the bodywork was clean, rust-free and it hadn’t had any hideous body kits fitted.
I viewed the car the following weekend after arranging with the seller over the phone. It was exactly as he had described, and was a real credit to him. A deal was struck, and I had bought what was a dream car for me for a very long time! I was worried the car wouldn’t live up to my expectations but it was everything I had hoped it would be.
I think this stems from my father as he use to import cars from Japan, and while most of these were mundane commuter cars bought to make money, he also bought the occasional Japanese sports car ranging from Mitsubishi GTOs, Nissan Silvias, Toyota Supras and others I’m sure I’ve forgotten.
The speed and sound, as most were fitted with ludicrously loud exhausts and dump valves, was incredibly exciting to my young self.
One car that alluded him though was an A80 Supra – all the Supra’s he had bought were older models. The shape and styling originally drew me to the A80, and with more knowledge from research I was amazed at the huge tuning potential making the allure even greater.
I started searching for a car last summer, and with the sale of my BMW 3 Series nearing the end of the year I finally found myself in a position to buy one. The search took a number of months, with me discounting multiple cars. The problem I had was my budget only just stretched to the car I wanted – a stock-ish turbo manual car. I looked at an automatic car with the idea of later swapping out the automatic gearbox for a manual, but the car didn’t feel right and really I wanted a factory manual car.
Nothing was ticking my boxes until a Supra appeared on a FaceBook group I was a part of. It was in my least preferred colour – Alpine Silver – but everything else looked great. It hadn’t been extensively modified, and more importantly the bodywork was clean, rust-free and it hadn’t had any hideous body kits fitted.
I viewed the car the following weekend after arranging with the seller over the phone. It was exactly as he had described, and was a real credit to him. A deal was struck, and I had bought what was a dream car for me for a very long time! I was worried the car wouldn’t live up to my expectations but it was everything I had hoped it would be.
Edited by Bradley1500 on Wednesday 25th January 11:13
The car wasn’t standard despite looking so from the outside.
Power had been upgraded with the addition of: a Blitz Nur Spec Exhaust with a HKS Secondary Decat, HKS Hard Piping Kit, HKS SSQV, HKS Mushroom Filter, HKS Oil Cooler, and a HKS Remote Mounted Oil Filter.
The car came with a dyno print out of 302BHP and 311FT LBS, although the car had only been revved to 5500RPM due to a fuel cut so was likely making a little more power.
The car also had handling upgraded with: Tien Superstreet Coilovers, Front and Rear Strut Braces, and UK-Spec Big Brakes with DBA Discs, EBC Pads and Goodridge Braided Brake Hoses.
The car also came with a TRD Gauge Cluster, GReddy Boost Gauge and a Blitz Oil Temperature Gauge fitted. I was exceptionally pleased with the TRD Gauges as these are extremely rare and hard to find now.
The car had been laid up for a while, so before sale the previous owner had changed the oils and filters and rebuilt the brake calipers with new seals before putting the car through an MOT.
Despite the work he had done, the car wasn’t perfect and there were a number of problems that needed sorting. The main issues being an odd metallic clunk under heavy braking, a speedo which only worked intermittently, and a small power steering fluid leak.
The car was booked into a local garage to have these problems sorted and for a general health check. The clunk was diagnosed as a loose front sub frame. The front suspension was split and rebuilt as precaution while searching for the noise, and to make sure nothing else had been left loose. The speedo converter was faulty, so the solders were redone fixing the speedo problem. The power steering leak was an overfilled reservoir, so this was drained and refilled to the correct level.
The health check showed up a notchy clutch pedal which was fixed with a cleaned and greased salve cylinder. An annoying rattle was cured by removing a broken plastic clip from behind one of the wheel centre caps. I was also advised on slight play in the rear wheel bearings, a small rattle from the prop shaft, and a weeping rear main oil seal – although none of these problems needed immediate attention.
The garage also checked all the fluids, corrected the tyre pressures, and took all four wheels off to clean the mating faces and torque them to the correct spec. This garage really does go above and beyond – if anyone is local, search for DM Automotive, they’re based in Chipperfield.
The rest of the car was given a clean bill of health, and they commented on how clean the car was and how easy everything was to remove. Considering the car had been in the country since 1999, and has never been undersealed while over here, it’s testament to the previous owners on how well they’ve cared for this car.
Power had been upgraded with the addition of: a Blitz Nur Spec Exhaust with a HKS Secondary Decat, HKS Hard Piping Kit, HKS SSQV, HKS Mushroom Filter, HKS Oil Cooler, and a HKS Remote Mounted Oil Filter.
The car came with a dyno print out of 302BHP and 311FT LBS, although the car had only been revved to 5500RPM due to a fuel cut so was likely making a little more power.
The car also had handling upgraded with: Tien Superstreet Coilovers, Front and Rear Strut Braces, and UK-Spec Big Brakes with DBA Discs, EBC Pads and Goodridge Braided Brake Hoses.
The car also came with a TRD Gauge Cluster, GReddy Boost Gauge and a Blitz Oil Temperature Gauge fitted. I was exceptionally pleased with the TRD Gauges as these are extremely rare and hard to find now.
The car had been laid up for a while, so before sale the previous owner had changed the oils and filters and rebuilt the brake calipers with new seals before putting the car through an MOT.
Despite the work he had done, the car wasn’t perfect and there were a number of problems that needed sorting. The main issues being an odd metallic clunk under heavy braking, a speedo which only worked intermittently, and a small power steering fluid leak.
The car was booked into a local garage to have these problems sorted and for a general health check. The clunk was diagnosed as a loose front sub frame. The front suspension was split and rebuilt as precaution while searching for the noise, and to make sure nothing else had been left loose. The speedo converter was faulty, so the solders were redone fixing the speedo problem. The power steering leak was an overfilled reservoir, so this was drained and refilled to the correct level.
The health check showed up a notchy clutch pedal which was fixed with a cleaned and greased salve cylinder. An annoying rattle was cured by removing a broken plastic clip from behind one of the wheel centre caps. I was also advised on slight play in the rear wheel bearings, a small rattle from the prop shaft, and a weeping rear main oil seal – although none of these problems needed immediate attention.
The garage also checked all the fluids, corrected the tyre pressures, and took all four wheels off to clean the mating faces and torque them to the correct spec. This garage really does go above and beyond – if anyone is local, search for DM Automotive, they’re based in Chipperfield.
The rest of the car was given a clean bill of health, and they commented on how clean the car was and how easy everything was to remove. Considering the car had been in the country since 1999, and has never been undersealed while over here, it’s testament to the previous owners on how well they’ve cared for this car.
Edited by Bradley1500 on Wednesday 25th January 11:13
The car was now running perfectly. I had two new tyres fitted and an alightment which transformed the drive. The car is so confidence inspiring, and gives you loads of feedback before it starts to slide.
The only problem was a fuel cut under load. The fuel cut is a factory safeguard built into the factory ECU to protect the engine if boost exceeds 14PSI. The trouble with tuned cars is they naturally want to boost past this level causing a fuel cut warning.
A solution to this problem is a fuel cut defender without having the expense of fitting and mapping a piggy-back or standalone ECU. The FCD wires into the factory ECU and sends a signal to override the factory fuel cut level – allowing for more boost.
I bought a HKS FCD along with the other necessary parts to run more boost on the standard turbos, this included: another decat, a restrictor ring (to stop overboost), a Walbro 255LPH fuel pump, and NGK Iridium spark plugs (one range colder than standard).
Fitting these transformed the car and made the best of the parts which had already been upgraded. These modifications are so popular with Supra owners there’s packages that supply all the parts needed for this upgrade called BPU (Basic Performance Upgrade). It unlocks the true potential of the standard car.
I haven’t had the car on a dyno yet, but cars with these parts fitted often produce 380-400BHP, which is a big improvement over the factory 276BHP.
This was my first proper drive after having the parts fitted: BPU Supra Tunnel Run
It was cold and damp out so there’s a lot of wheel spin before it gets going, but it should hopefully give you an idea of how well these cars go with some simple upgrades.
The only problem was a fuel cut under load. The fuel cut is a factory safeguard built into the factory ECU to protect the engine if boost exceeds 14PSI. The trouble with tuned cars is they naturally want to boost past this level causing a fuel cut warning.
A solution to this problem is a fuel cut defender without having the expense of fitting and mapping a piggy-back or standalone ECU. The FCD wires into the factory ECU and sends a signal to override the factory fuel cut level – allowing for more boost.
I bought a HKS FCD along with the other necessary parts to run more boost on the standard turbos, this included: another decat, a restrictor ring (to stop overboost), a Walbro 255LPH fuel pump, and NGK Iridium spark plugs (one range colder than standard).
Fitting these transformed the car and made the best of the parts which had already been upgraded. These modifications are so popular with Supra owners there’s packages that supply all the parts needed for this upgrade called BPU (Basic Performance Upgrade). It unlocks the true potential of the standard car.
I haven’t had the car on a dyno yet, but cars with these parts fitted often produce 380-400BHP, which is a big improvement over the factory 276BHP.
This was my first proper drive after having the parts fitted: BPU Supra Tunnel Run
It was cold and damp out so there’s a lot of wheel spin before it gets going, but it should hopefully give you an idea of how well these cars go with some simple upgrades.
Edited by Bradley1500 on Wednesday 25th January 11:13
I ran the car like this for a while but recently it has started to develop more problems.
The idle control valve plays up when the car is warm. This has been taken apart and cleaned already, which sorted the problem for a week or two, but it has started idling low or cutting out completely again. The price for a replacement from Toyota is £600(!), so hopefully cleaning it again will cure the problem.
The speedo converter has stopped working again. This time I think I’ll fit a replacement rather than resoldering the joints.
The power upgrade has showed up a weak clutch. It slips slightly as the second turbo comes on song. This will get upgraded to a Spec Stage 2+ clutch once I’ve put some money aside for one.
The biggest and most recent issue is boost dropping on the change over to the second turbo. The sequential setup is known to be problematic and having checked any obvious problems it could have been, it’s looking to be either the EGCV actuator which can seize causing the problem I have; or a blown second turbo which I hope isn’t the case!
The car is booked into the garage at the end of this week, so hopefully I’ll have the problem diagnosed and fixed soon. I miss driving the car!
The idle control valve plays up when the car is warm. This has been taken apart and cleaned already, which sorted the problem for a week or two, but it has started idling low or cutting out completely again. The price for a replacement from Toyota is £600(!), so hopefully cleaning it again will cure the problem.
The speedo converter has stopped working again. This time I think I’ll fit a replacement rather than resoldering the joints.
The power upgrade has showed up a weak clutch. It slips slightly as the second turbo comes on song. This will get upgraded to a Spec Stage 2+ clutch once I’ve put some money aside for one.
The biggest and most recent issue is boost dropping on the change over to the second turbo. The sequential setup is known to be problematic and having checked any obvious problems it could have been, it’s looking to be either the EGCV actuator which can seize causing the problem I have; or a blown second turbo which I hope isn’t the case!
The car is booked into the garage at the end of this week, so hopefully I’ll have the problem diagnosed and fixed soon. I miss driving the car!
Edited by Bradley1500 on Wednesday 25th January 11:13
CypherP said:
Funnily enough, I did a scout of Autotrader for one just this morning! Your example is a lovely one. Have wanted to scratch this itch for years. I'll have one some day.
Thanks for the kind comments. It is definitely a scratch worth itching, as I said in my opening post I was worried I had built the car up too much wanting one for so long, but it didn’t disappoint.Ahbefive said:
Looks lovely with the bigger pics but still need lots more.
Are those UK spec headlights?
I’ll upload more pictures with my next update. There’s some pictures on my Instagram @Bradley1500, although they’re not that interesting!Are those UK spec headlights?
The headlights are plastic Japanese specification. The car was imported at four years old in 1999, but has since had fitted a number of UK-spec items such as the bigger brakes.
B-e-a-utiful. I was always a little underwhelmed by the stock wheels on 90's Japanese coupes like this and the 33 Skyline. Any plans to change them? Love the power and handling upgrades and genuinely think these are one of the few decades-old Asian imports that have stood the test of time.
Bradley1500 said:
The idle control valve plays up when the car is warm. This has been taken apart and cleaned already, which sorted the problem for a week or two, but it has started idling low or cutting out completely again. The price for a replacement from Toyota is £600(!), so hopefully cleaning it again will cure the problem.
Given Toyota's fondness of using common components across their range it may be worth looking at other models that may run essentially the same valve. It seems a mad amount of money for what is a valve that does nothing particularly special compared to other engines.Also check for vacuum line/boost hose splits. You'll really need to give them a good going over with your hands to spot a split.
Dream car indeed. I have a list. This is number 4 in my top 5 list.
Whether it's as I've grown older or my fondness for this era of japanese cars, the stock wheels on cars like this kinda do it for me. Maybe its because aftermarket is more common and a welcome change. Who knows. As said, more pictures.
Whether it's as I've grown older or my fondness for this era of japanese cars, the stock wheels on cars like this kinda do it for me. Maybe its because aftermarket is more common and a welcome change. Who knows. As said, more pictures.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff