Thread Title: Hammerhead's 1988 Supra — 21 Years of History and a Second Beginning
Well, I never thought I'd be starting another build thread for this car!
Some of the old-timers here might remember me. I joined Supramania back in 2005, shortly after purchasing my 1988 Supra Turbo in Sacramento, California.
That purchase turned into quite an adventure. Before the car even reached its new home in Belize, we'd accumulated roughly 10,000 miles traveling across the United States and down through Mexico.
But that was only the beginning.
Over the next eleven years, the Supra became a huge part of my life. There were modifications, endless troubleshooting sessions, several engine rebuilds, some spectacular failures, and plenty of lessons learned along the way.
A lot of those adventures are still documented right here on Supramania.
In fact, this car is largely responsible for getting me interested in automotive mechanics. What started as learning to work on my own Supra eventually led me into the automotive repair industry, and today I own a small automotive repair shop here in Belize.
I eventually sold the Supra on November 12, 2016.
Fast forward almost exactly ten years, to October 2026, and I had the opportunity to buy back the very same car!
I couldn't pass it up.
Unfortunately, she's seen much better days. There's substantial bodywork ahead, the interior needs attention, and the car has been through a V8 conversion since my ownership.
But several familiar pieces have survived, including the Borbet wheels, carbon-fiber hood, and the same Sparco steering wheel that was in the car when I first bought it.
My goal is to bring her back as a complete, comfortable, reliable, and considerably more powerful street car. There's already a 2JZ-GE VVT-i and R154 in the picture, although the possibility of recovering my original built 7M-GTE could make the engine decision interesting.
This is going to be a long-term restoration, and I figured there's no better place to document it than the forum where so much of the original story unfolded.
Before getting into the current condition and restoration plans, I'd like to revisit some of the car's history, starting with the rather eventful road trip from Sacramento to Belize.
Then I'll share what happened over the following eleven years, how the car eventually found its way back to me, and what we're starting with today.
After that, this thread will follow the restoration as it progresses.
First, here are a few pictures of how the Supra looked after I originally brought her home to Belize in 2005.
Here's to round two!
— hammerhead
Well, I never thought I'd be starting another build thread for this car!
Some of the old-timers here might remember me. I joined Supramania back in 2005, shortly after purchasing my 1988 Supra Turbo in Sacramento, California.
That purchase turned into quite an adventure. Before the car even reached its new home in Belize, we'd accumulated roughly 10,000 miles traveling across the United States and down through Mexico.
But that was only the beginning.
Over the next eleven years, the Supra became a huge part of my life. There were modifications, endless troubleshooting sessions, several engine rebuilds, some spectacular failures, and plenty of lessons learned along the way.
A lot of those adventures are still documented right here on Supramania.
In fact, this car is largely responsible for getting me interested in automotive mechanics. What started as learning to work on my own Supra eventually led me into the automotive repair industry, and today I own a small automotive repair shop here in Belize.
I eventually sold the Supra on November 12, 2016.
Fast forward almost exactly ten years, to October 2026, and I had the opportunity to buy back the very same car!
I couldn't pass it up.
Unfortunately, she's seen much better days. There's substantial bodywork ahead, the interior needs attention, and the car has been through a V8 conversion since my ownership.
But several familiar pieces have survived, including the Borbet wheels, carbon-fiber hood, and the same Sparco steering wheel that was in the car when I first bought it.
My goal is to bring her back as a complete, comfortable, reliable, and considerably more powerful street car. There's already a 2JZ-GE VVT-i and R154 in the picture, although the possibility of recovering my original built 7M-GTE could make the engine decision interesting.
This is going to be a long-term restoration, and I figured there's no better place to document it than the forum where so much of the original story unfolded.
Before getting into the current condition and restoration plans, I'd like to revisit some of the car's history, starting with the rather eventful road trip from Sacramento to Belize.
Then I'll share what happened over the following eleven years, how the car eventually found its way back to me, and what we're starting with today.
After that, this thread will follow the restoration as it progresses.
First, here are a few pictures of how the Supra looked after I originally brought her home to Belize in 2005.
Here's to round two!
— hammerhead