Hammerhead's 1988 Supra — 21 Years of History and a 2nd Beginning

[hammerhead]

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

 

[hammerhead]

Chapter 1 — The First 10,000 Miles: Sacramento to Belize (2005)​

Before getting into the restoration, I want to take you back to 2005 and the rather eventful journey that brought this Supra from California to Belize.

First stop was Oklahoma, and this was back when GPS navigation was still far from common. I was navigating with printed MapQuest directions, and it was my first time ever driving on US highways.

I was traveling alone in a turbocharged Supra, with a lot of open road ahead of me. Needless to say, I was enjoying myself!

I headed east via I-40, and somewhere along the way the Supra started overheating, giving me my first taste of what owning an older turbo Toyota could involve. I stopped for the night in Kingman, Arizona, and had a mechanic look at it. He replaced the thermostat, and the following morning I headed back out. I didn't get very far before being pulled over by a state trooper. I was doing close to 90 mph, but after a respectful conversation, he wrote me up for 76 instead. At least that's how I remember the numbers! I was grateful either way.

Back on the road, I spent quite a bit of time cruising alongside the big rigs. Some of the truckers seemed to enjoy trying to box me in, but the Supra was too nimble and when they had to open a gap to let other vehicles pass, that turbocharged straight-six made short work of getting me through.

I also remember spending several hours cruising alongside a Chrysler Crossfire at around 2AM. We'd occasionally trade bursts of acceleration, keeping each other entertained and awake. Some stretches of highway between 1 and 3 in the morning were almost completely deserted.

Looking back, I probably had a little too much fun with that car on the open road!

Eventually, I reached Oklahoma City, where I spent about a month with my cousin, who was also from Belize. Calling him my cousin doesn't quite do our relationship justice, though. He was more like a brother to me. OKC had plenty of underpasses, which were great for listening to the blow-off valve echo, and some entertaining loop-style highway exits. We found ways to enjoy the Supra there too.

After about a month, it was time to continue the journey.
I headed down to Austin, Texas, to visit a friend, then set off west along I-10 toward Anaheim, California, where my parents were attending a church conference. Unfortunately, that part of the journey took a sad turn.

About halfway to Anaheim, I received a phone call telling me that an extended family member's wife had been killed in a car accident back in Belize. My parents were flying home the following day. After hearing the news, we drove nonstop through the night, managing to take a few wrong exits along the way. We finally reached LAX at around 7 the next morning, just in time to see my parents for a few minutes before they went through security.

Afterward, I stayed for the conference.

Two of the people closest to me were also there, and they would be driving my parents' 1995 Mazda MPV back to Belize. Technically, Jacob and Leo were my uncles, but that doesn't really describe our relationship. Leo was actually younger than me and my best friend, while Jacob and I were also very close.

We eventually set out from Anaheim toward El Paso, Texas and that's when the Arizona heat really made itself known. The Supra still had its overheating tendencies, so I couldn't use the A/C. Opening the windows wasn't much better as the outside air felt like touching hot steel. I remember water bottles getting so hot inside the car that it felt like you could make coffee with them after about 45 minutes.

But we survived, and eventually reached El Paso where we crossed the border into Ciudad Juárez at night. Jacob and Leo were both Canadian citizens, while I was traveling on a Belizean passport. At the time, I was supposed to hand in my US entry slip when leaving, to show I hadn't overstayed my permit, but there was no exit checkpoint where I automatically handed it over so I found myself on the Mexican side with the paperwork still in my possession.

We discussed it and decided the sensible thing would be to drive back into the US and turn it in. Jacob volunteered to accompany me, while Leo stayed with the Mazda on the Juárez side. Back we went.

Before long, we found ourselves waiting in line to enter the United States. An immigration officer was walking down the line checking passports and credentials and that's when Jacob realized his passport was still in the MPV on the Mexican side. He tried explaining that we'd just crossed into Mexico, that we were only coming back to return my entry slip, and that his passport was in the vehicle with Leo, but the officer wasn't interested in the explanation. Once he established that Jacob didn't have his passport, we were escorted into detention.

Only later did we realize how suspicious the whole thing must have looked from their perspective.

We spent several hours there, answered some questions, and eventually an officer came back to tell us that our story had checked out. As he escorted us back to the Supra, we were expressing our gratitude. His response? "Oh, don't worry. We have bigger fish to worry about here."

And with that, we were finally on our way again.

Not long after crossing back into Mexico, I started noticing a strange thumping whenever I let off the accelerator. Remember, at this point I knew very little about automotive mechanics. The noise gradually became worse as the trip continued. We even stopped at a tire shop to have it checked, but they couldn't find anything wrong. Strangely enough, the Supra still drove beautifully under acceleration.

So we kept going.

The MPV wasn't exactly a performance vehicle, and whenever traffic was tight, I would sometimes use the Supra's acceleration to move into a gap and make room for the van to merge.

Eventually, we reached Saltillo. South of there came what I still remember as the highlight of the entire road trip: the mountain crossing. The roads were full of twisting curves, switchbacks, and beautiful stretches of mountain driving. Before heading into the mountains, I told Jacob and Leo, "See you on the other side!"

And off I went.

The Supra was an absolute blast through those mountains. I took some corners considerably faster than I should have, and there were moments when the rear tires were hanging on for dear life. Looking back now, I realize just how much I was relying on luck as well as the car's handling.

But that drive is still one of my strongest memories of the entire journey.

The remainder of the trip went without any major incident, and eventually we arrived home in Belize. By the time everything was said and done, the car had accumulated roughly 10,000 miles since I bought it in Sacramento.

But remember that strange thumping noise that started shortly after we crossed back into Mexico?

Well, it didn't go away.

I continued driving the Supra around Belize for several months, with that thumping still occurring whenever I let off the accelerator. Eventually, a mechanic friend of mine discovered the problem.

The driveshaft bolts were loose. In fact, one of them had already fallen out completely!

That's when something occurred to me. Remember our little adventure with US Immigration at the border? Jacob and I had been detained for several hours, with the Supra out of our sight. I'd never actually seen anyone inspecting or working on the car, but now I couldn't help wondering whether US Customs had taken the opportunity to search it, possibly disconnecting the driveshaft in the process and failing to torque the bolts properly afterward.

I had no way of knowing for certain, but the timing certainly made me suspicious. Whatever caused those bolts to loosen, the frightening part was what happened afterward. I'd driven all the way through Mexico, including that spirited mountain crossing, and then continued driving around Belize for months with my driveshaft gradually working itself loose. Thinking back on that now is pretty sobering.

And the funny thing is, I really should have connected the dots much sooner. But at that point, I simply didn't know enough about cars.

Little did I know how much that was about to change.

That was my introduction to life with this Supra. The adventures certainly didn't end when we reached Belize—and neither did the mechanical problems!

But those are stories for the next chapter.

 

[hammerhead]

Chapter 2 — The Supramania Years (2005–2016)​

So, after that rather eventful journey, the Supra was finally home in Belize.

When I bought the car, it was already fairly heavily modified. According to the previous owner, it was also already on its second engine.

Some of the modifications it came with included an HKS Super Power Flow intake, HKS PFC F-CON fuel computer, HKS Dragger exhaust, 3-inch downpipe and custom exhaust, HKS SSQ blow-off valve, Walbro fuel pump, Eibach lowering springs, Fluidyne radiator, dual Flex-a-lite electric fans, Hella headlight conversion, and the carbon-fiber hood. Quite a package for someone who knew relatively little about working on cars!

Unfortunately, the mechanical education started pretty quickly.

Not long after getting the Supra home, still in 2005, I ended up rebuilding the engine. I don't remember all the circumstances anymore, but I believe it was related to the overheating issues I'd experienced during the trip. That first rebuild included an HKS 1.2mm beaded metal head gasket and ARP hardware.

From there, the Supra became my daily driver for several years, with all the enjoyment—and headaches—that come with owning a modified Mk3. There were countless repairs, troubleshooting sessions, and upgrades along the way. Over time, I added things like PTE 550cc injectors, a Lexus AFM, PLX wideband system, HKS EVC III boost controller, swapped the HKS intake for an Apexi, and installed an aftermarket front-mount intercooler with hard piping.

Of course, not everything went according to plan. Not sure if anyone will remember my blown 7M at 19 psi on the stock CT26 thread on here back in 2007. That was one of the more expensive lessons! After that I literally drove home, parked the car, and bought me a 1995 Accord to drive for about a year before making an impulsive decision to sell the reliable Accord and use the money to rebuild the 7M again.

That led to a much more serious engine build, including JE forged pistons from Titan Motorsports with 9:1 compression, JE rings, Eagle H-beam rods, ARP hardware, and another HKS metal head gasket. I also upgraded to a 57-trim CT26 turbo and added a divorced downpipe, giving the 7M a little more breathing room. Later additions included MAFT Pro and an adjustable fuel-pressure regulator.

Through all of this, Supramania was an incredible resource. A lot of my questions, struggles, and rebuild adventures are actually still documented here on the forum. Looking back at those old threads now is pretty entertaining. I've already rediscovered quite a few things I'd completely forgotten!

The Supra played a huge role in developing my interest in automotive mechanics, and much of what I learned came from working through the problems this car threw at me.

There were plenty of other repairs and modifications over those eleven years, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some important details. I'll probably revisit some of that history as I dig through old photographs and forum posts.

Eventually, in November 2016, I made the decision to sell the car, but ten years later, things took an unexpected turn.

And that's where the next chapter begins...

 

[hammerhead]

October 2026 pre-purchase inspection:

 

[hammerhead]

Chapter 3 — The Return (October 2026)​

And that brings us to the present!

On October 23, 2026, almost exactly ten years after selling her, I officially bought my old Supra back.

As you can see from the inspection pictures above, she's going to need a LOT of work. But I'm excited about the project, and I'm looking forward to bringing her back to her former glory—and hopefully considerably beyond!

The plan is a fairly comprehensive restoration., resulting in a reliable, comfortable street car with some serious performance potential.

On the drivetrain side, the car came with a 2JZ-GE VVT-i and the original R154 transmission, and the current plan is to build a forged, turbocharged 2JZ. There's also a possibility I may be able to recover the original built 7M-GTE from my first ownership, which could make that decision a little more interesting!

I'm not setting any deadlines for this project. There's a tremendous amount of work ahead, and I'll be tackling it in stages as time and resources allow. The car is still at the previous owner's garage, but hopefully I'll have her at my own shop before too long. Once she's there, I can start documenting the process properly. I'll do my best to keep this thread updated with pictures, progress, challenges, and whatever surprises we encounter along the way. There may be periods when progress is slow, but I intend to see this one through.

It's been a long time since I was active here, and I'm looking forward to sharing the journey with the Supra community again.