Hi all! I'm the original owner of my '89 MkIII turbo. I've been loving it for nearly half my life. I've always been one of those guys that believe the Toyota engineers got it right when they developed the MkIII so I've never had the impulse to modify my car. I have had to replace a few things--the stereo crapped out years ago, a visit to Vermont in an ice storm cost me a right rear tail light and a little body work and I was talked into a new engine after a couple of BHGs but that was before I knew anything about the torque issue. It's a great car and is still my daily driver and I cannot think of a comparable car on the market today that I'd rather own--in fact I can't think of a comparable car!
Sadly, time waits for no car and parts are beginning to be hard to find. Toyota no longer makes struts for the TEMS and if you believe the Tokico Illumina IIs will be back in stock by February 2015, you're in the minority. I lurked quite a while on this site looking for a suspension solution I could live with but once I decided I would have to give up on the Illuminas and therefore let go of the TEMS--and it was a wrench--I considered several options. I never really wanted to "lower" the car so initially I was going to go with KYBs and new OEM springs but then couldn't find the springs. More lurking and research brought me to Jonathan over at THMotorsports and he convinced me that coilovers were my best alternative and the Fortune Auto 500s wouldn't slam the car. (a couple of weeks ago I didn't even know what "slam" in this context meant!)
So with new suspension on the way, I thought I might as well take care of those tie rods that are a little loose and if I'm going to do that (and by that I mean "have that done"...) shouldn't I replace that 25 year old steering rack? Of course I should--it's already exposed and everything!
Finally (I hope) since I'm having all this done, it's long past time to do something about those wheels. You can see from the picture they are kind of mottled looking. It's the clear coat that is wearing away. I checked with Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists (AWRS) here in San Antonio and they want $600 to refinish the set. There's no damage on the wheels, just worn clear coat. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, and since I can no longer say there are not mods on the vehicle, I might as well look for some updated wheels that will go well with the new lower suspension--17 inchers instead of the OEM 16 inch. Jonathan suggested Enkei, but I didn't see anything that really grabbed me. I'm not really into the 5-spoke design and don't care much for black or machined rims. So I'm hoping for suggestions from the crowd!
Well this went on much longer than I intended. In the preview the photo is really small but is clickable for a larger image. I can't figure out how to make it big in the post. Maybe someone can clue me in...
Sadly, time waits for no car and parts are beginning to be hard to find. Toyota no longer makes struts for the TEMS and if you believe the Tokico Illumina IIs will be back in stock by February 2015, you're in the minority. I lurked quite a while on this site looking for a suspension solution I could live with but once I decided I would have to give up on the Illuminas and therefore let go of the TEMS--and it was a wrench--I considered several options. I never really wanted to "lower" the car so initially I was going to go with KYBs and new OEM springs but then couldn't find the springs. More lurking and research brought me to Jonathan over at THMotorsports and he convinced me that coilovers were my best alternative and the Fortune Auto 500s wouldn't slam the car. (a couple of weeks ago I didn't even know what "slam" in this context meant!)
So with new suspension on the way, I thought I might as well take care of those tie rods that are a little loose and if I'm going to do that (and by that I mean "have that done"...) shouldn't I replace that 25 year old steering rack? Of course I should--it's already exposed and everything!
Finally (I hope) since I'm having all this done, it's long past time to do something about those wheels. You can see from the picture they are kind of mottled looking. It's the clear coat that is wearing away. I checked with Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists (AWRS) here in San Antonio and they want $600 to refinish the set. There's no damage on the wheels, just worn clear coat. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, and since I can no longer say there are not mods on the vehicle, I might as well look for some updated wheels that will go well with the new lower suspension--17 inchers instead of the OEM 16 inch. Jonathan suggested Enkei, but I didn't see anything that really grabbed me. I'm not really into the 5-spoke design and don't care much for black or machined rims. So I'm hoping for suggestions from the crowd!
Well this went on much longer than I intended. In the preview the photo is really small but is clickable for a larger image. I can't figure out how to make it big in the post. Maybe someone can clue me in...