Swamp's Supra - 'Barn find' Mk4 aero top content
Discussion
Welcome to my thread 
A little about me, I'm a big fan of Toyota's JZ family of engines, the inline 6 pots made by Yamaha and power some of my favourite cars. Bought my first Soarer in the late 90's when I saw a car I've never seen before languishing in a car lot in Norwich. That led to a bit of an obsession and me owning 8 twin turbo Soarers, similar number of twin turbo Aristo's (Jap market GS300s for those who dont know) and getting into the Supra market at just about the right time. So you could say I have a bit of brand loyalty, and a good amount of knowledge on the JZ engine.
Apologies as there will be a few posts and words/pics while I catch up, ad probably a good amount of Supra jargon so if you want to ask any questions please do
Onto the car - The barn find thing is a bit of a misnomer, its a car I've known of since 2006 and belongs to an ex RAF mate of mine, but it disappeared and I kind of forgot about it. But earlier this year I got a call from Sean, my mate, now living in Dubai. He asked if I want his Supra. As its a) a factory twin turbo b) and aero or targa top and c) 6 speed converted puts it right at the top of a lot of Supra owners wanted lists. So I said yes.
Problem was I already had my dream Supra, a late model twin turbo auto. A car I never planned to ever sell, but I couldn't afford both so, my black '98 went up for sale. and it sold. in 3 days, and went to Greece!
A little about me, I'm a big fan of Toyota's JZ family of engines, the inline 6 pots made by Yamaha and power some of my favourite cars. Bought my first Soarer in the late 90's when I saw a car I've never seen before languishing in a car lot in Norwich. That led to a bit of an obsession and me owning 8 twin turbo Soarers, similar number of twin turbo Aristo's (Jap market GS300s for those who dont know) and getting into the Supra market at just about the right time. So you could say I have a bit of brand loyalty, and a good amount of knowledge on the JZ engine.
Apologies as there will be a few posts and words/pics while I catch up, ad probably a good amount of Supra jargon so if you want to ask any questions please do
Onto the car - The barn find thing is a bit of a misnomer, its a car I've known of since 2006 and belongs to an ex RAF mate of mine, but it disappeared and I kind of forgot about it. But earlier this year I got a call from Sean, my mate, now living in Dubai. He asked if I want his Supra. As its a) a factory twin turbo b) and aero or targa top and c) 6 speed converted puts it right at the top of a lot of Supra owners wanted lists. So I said yes.
Problem was I already had my dream Supra, a late model twin turbo auto. A car I never planned to ever sell, but I couldn't afford both so, my black '98 went up for sale. and it sold. in 3 days, and went to Greece!
I had reservations about a car that had been sat for 11 years, what condition would it be in? Would it be a rusty mess, be beyond economical repair?
I needn't have worried. I also knew that the engine had blown up (extremely rare but more on that later) and it was basically in kit form, but I had nothing but time and the longer I have it, the more desirable it becomes
So off it went, back to my unit in Lincoln, lovingly dubbed JDMHQ
I needn't have worried. I also knew that the engine had blown up (extremely rare but more on that later) and it was basically in kit form, but I had nothing but time and the longer I have it, the more desirable it becomes
So off it went, back to my unit in Lincoln, lovingly dubbed JDMHQ
Problem with Supra ownership nowadays is the scene tax. Parts, even the most rudimentary are so vastly overpriced its ridiculous.
Luckily this car was built before the tax took hold so I have things like the bonnet scoop (only on UK spec cars but in demand) glass headlights (now up to a grand a pair) a 'big case' rear diff (people charge two and a half grand for those) and the Getrag 6 speed box (some clowns have advertised them for 6 grand) so it's a car loaded with desirable parts.
But most important to me was it was untouched body wise. Unmolested, no s
tty body kits, no ugly spoilers, no coil overs etc etc, I love the purity of a stock body Supra.
Underneath was always going to be an area of concern, but luckily old Sean had been at it with the underseal, Ive seen wrse condition 3 year old cars, let alone 26 year ones.All the rust you can see is very light surface stuff
Luckily this car was built before the tax took hold so I have things like the bonnet scoop (only on UK spec cars but in demand) glass headlights (now up to a grand a pair) a 'big case' rear diff (people charge two and a half grand for those) and the Getrag 6 speed box (some clowns have advertised them for 6 grand) so it's a car loaded with desirable parts.
But most important to me was it was untouched body wise. Unmolested, no s
tty body kits, no ugly spoilers, no coil overs etc etc, I love the purity of a stock body Supra.Underneath was always going to be an area of concern, but luckily old Sean had been at it with the underseal, Ive seen wrse condition 3 year old cars, let alone 26 year ones.All the rust you can see is very light surface stuff
Edited by swampy442 on Friday 13th December 22:22
grudas said:
love it! looking forward to the updates.
I always wanted a supra, big time.. red with, manual either 5 or 6spd but the way the prices have gone down it is a bit of a dream car.
I've always said red cars are awesome! So rare to find a red Supra but they look much the better for itI always wanted a supra, big time.. red with, manual either 5 or 6spd but the way the prices have gone down it is a bit of a dream car.
DannyScene said:
Following this, an aerotop supra has been my dream car for the last 16years, sadly with the explosion of price I'll likely never get into one
I know right? The market is just insane. I kid you not when I bought an NA auto hard top for a grand 4 years ago. Aero tops have always been rare so I'm glad I got in at the right time.
rufusgti said:
When I was a lad in West Wales we used to go into the hills and eat mushrooms then wander back into town. This would have been circa '97 I think. I had never seen a Supra, as sportscars didn't show up in the sticks all that often. I remember feeling very giggly and spaced so sat down on a bench outside the spa shop. Just then a woman in a silver Supra drove past very slowly and pulled up just down the road. Presumably because a) the shrooms and b) the fact those supras were like nothing else on the road at the time, I genuinely fully believed a spaceship had come and landed in our town. I was truly mesmerized by the car. Whenever I see one now I always think "spaceship".
I remember seeing one when they first came out in an underground car park in Norwich, looked so different to anything else in there, really stood out. Bright red it was.
Toyota 2JZs have the reputation of being pretty much unbreakable, you can run 700 on a stock, unopened engine, thats until you run out of fuel. If you've never seen an engine with detonation damage, here you go.
Cylinders 1 and 6 have had it, with some nice bore damage on cylinder 1, I think the block is scrap but I've yet to have it assessed
Cylinders 1 and 6 have had it, with some nice bore damage on cylinder 1, I think the block is scrap but I've yet to have it assessed
And the cause of this damage? a piece of hose. While stripping the fuel system out, one piece of hose felt particularly soft, turns out there was a piece of non fuel safe hose in the line pre pump. So the hose broke down and collapsed, clogged the pump and starved the engine of fuel. Boost - fuel = detonation. An expensive lesson to learn.
But luckily, I have this lying about 
Low mileage engine, HKS T51 turbo, Brian Crower cams, refreshed with new bearings, new oil pump, new seals and gaskets. I'm only going for a reasonable 600hp, so it will be relatively unstressed and not thrashed that often...
Also got a Link G4 Extreme plus in ECU for the control side of it.
Low mileage engine, HKS T51 turbo, Brian Crower cams, refreshed with new bearings, new oil pump, new seals and gaskets. I'm only going for a reasonable 600hp, so it will be relatively unstressed and not thrashed that often...
Also got a Link G4 Extreme plus in ECU for the control side of it.
And blip blappity bloop, just like that it was in the car! Slapped on the back is a Getrag 6 speed V160 gearbox, so this combination makes its a very desirable car indeed.
And thats right up to date. I've powered the car up, almost everything works, but it doesn't turn over. I suspect the starter motor is shot but that requires further invest.
Jobs to do - Run in new, uprated fuel lines, test the fuel system then I'm pretty much ready to start up.
And then the real work begins....
And thats right up to date. I've powered the car up, almost everything works, but it doesn't turn over. I suspect the starter motor is shot but that requires further invest.
Jobs to do - Run in new, uprated fuel lines, test the fuel system then I'm pretty much ready to start up.
And then the real work begins....
So having 2 weeks off over, no kids etc meant lots of garage time, the 5 second video shows the culmination of that work. Might not look like a lot bit it was lol.
https://flic.kr/p/2i9NZVA
Turns out the person before me must have used an ECU that didn't see the auto box loom, the Link, being a direct plug in, sees all the looms so the car thought the auto box was still in Drive, inhibiting the start signal. That and for a reason I cant fathom, a wire to the start solenoid was cut and heat shrinked back. I've up to this point, checked all the earths, fitted more, changed the starter motor (which is a bit of a pain in the ass) then unwrapped all the tied back gearbox wiring only to find the neutral start bypass wasn't done.
Winner. So, onward!
https://flic.kr/p/2i9NZVA
Turns out the person before me must have used an ECU that didn't see the auto box loom, the Link, being a direct plug in, sees all the looms so the car thought the auto box was still in Drive, inhibiting the start signal. That and for a reason I cant fathom, a wire to the start solenoid was cut and heat shrinked back. I've up to this point, checked all the earths, fitted more, changed the starter motor (which is a bit of a pain in the ass) then unwrapped all the tied back gearbox wiring only to find the neutral start bypass wasn't done.
Winner. So, onward!
Edited by swampy442 on Wednesday 8th January 16:48
Spent the rest of the holiday running in fuel lines, sorting the tank out so now have a very healthy 50psi of static fuel pressure.
Also have voltages at all the important places, it turns over, so once I get access to the ECU can start setting things up ready for first start!!
Thinks I need at this point - Exhaust system and engine oil cooler pipework
Also have voltages at all the important places, it turns over, so once I get access to the ECU can start setting things up ready for first start!!
Thinks I need at this point - Exhaust system and engine oil cooler pipework
Mr Tidy said:
Fantastic car OP. 
I've always loved these since I got a passenger ride in one around a damp Brands Hatch at a track day back in the 90s.
Just gutted they have always been above my budget, and look like continuing to climb!
But I'm looking forward to your updates.
Thanks very much I've always loved these since I got a passenger ride in one around a damp Brands Hatch at a track day back in the 90s.
Just gutted they have always been above my budget, and look like continuing to climb!
But I'm looking forward to your updates.
The market is ridiculous, the spares market even more so, I sold my immaculate stock car early last year, and now the same car is probably 3-4 grand more now! People charging 800 quid for wheels they'd skip 5 years ago etc.But yes I'll keep updating as I go
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