The diamond in the rough. 1991 blue metallic turbo targa restoration

[ask92]

Finally tore into the 2jz a bit this weekend and glad I did. The head was machined just as the owner said, however the block doesn't look like it was cleaned AT ALL from the old headgasket.

After a few minutes with a razor and brake cleaner(amazing how much crap this took off)

Clean head:

Cams and caps were all clean:

I don't think they used enough FIPG.....

Then I stumbled upon this... This is the worst one as it has the scratch on it, however they all have this darkish discoloration so I will most likely replace them.

Just nabbed a set of ARP Head Studs for $75, along with some miscellaneous parts like the timing covers, and oil dipstick. The only major part I still need to get the engine into the car are the engine mount brackets.

 

[ask92]

Well after pulling the pistons out and measuring all the rings I started to inspect the cylinder walls..

Going to tear the block apart and have the cylinders honed and the deck skimmed by a machine shop. While I am doing all this I may install ARP rod bolts and TT pistons so I wont have to worry at all in the 500-600whp mark. In the mean time I am going to source a 7mgte r154 bellhousing and clutch so I can drive the car while I build the 2j.

 

[kakanator]

yee that black tt test fit is my rim lol.

 

[ask92]

Alright well time for some updates I suppose. After finding that the 2j was going to need to be rebuilt I decided to put the r154 onto the 7mgte so I could at least drive an enjoy the car over the summer.

So back up on the jackstands she goes:

And a few painful hours later:

Had an issue with the SS line leaking but got that all squared away:

Then I decided it was time to get rid of the shitty OEM brakes and upgraded to the Mercedess s500 Brembo calipers and r350 rotors:

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Still need to install SS brake lines, and repaint the calipers but I just wanted to get them on the car as the OEM brakes were pretty badly worn.

I have been driving the car the last 2 weeks now every day and its running very well. The turbo seals are definitely gone as whenever I engine brake I get a nice james bond smokescreen going. I also think my front wheel bearings may be bad as when I brake at high speeds(65mph+) I get a bad shaking and then the shaking continues after even with no brakes applied(rotors are obviously brand new). Here are some pictures from the last few weeks of the car:

Next recent plans for the car are to fix the high speed brake shaking, have the HKS superdragger muffler welded on, get the car aligned, new front tires, new turbo(ct26), and start to detail her for the first time in about 5 years!

 

[akito]

Mine hasn't been washed since 08'....I've had her running for the last 9 months but have been fixing all the little things I haven't had time to wash her yet
Nice progress tho! I need to get my rotors and slap those brakes on, did you use the Merc rotors so which rotor ring adapters did you use?

 

[ask92]

Well haven't updated this much since I picked up a new toy and I have been getting it into DD mode(lots of preventative maintenance) so the supra hasnt been getting much love, however she is running great so I haven't had to do much!

The new 335i:


The supra did get a nice new to us 4" intercooler:


Got a megan strut bar and NGK wires as well for $50 so I threw those on:


Then I went to SIV which of course reignited my love for the supra:


Also decided on what wheels I want to go with for my car:


After SIV I decided its time to take the car to the next level this coming year. Still deciding on what color I want to paint the car but it will def get a full repaint. The 2j is now fully torn down and ready to be machined, however I am going to keep upgrading the rest of the car until the 7m goes(Its already smoking slightly even with the new turbo) and #6 plug has oil on it so Idk wtf is going on. Going to go with BC coilovers, new suspension bushings and various interior/exterior upgrades in the next few months before I paint/swap. Various pictures from the last few months:




Stay tuned.

 

[GC89]

Nice, I have been considering a 335i or 335xi for a daily driver.

 

[ask92]

Nice, I have been considering a 335i or 335xi for a daily driver.

Yea its been great. I was looking for a car that could be practical and comfortable for daily driver use but still be able to put a huge smile on your face when you push it and this car does that absolutely flawlessly. There is definitely a disconnect compared to the supra with it being automatic and having traction control, but its still a very fun car.

 

[ask92]

Picked up some cooling system parts(Rad and res).


Gonna paint the reservoir black and then find some place to mount it!!

 

[ask92]

Installed a new front lip(rhino lip off ebay) and it looks factory!


Went out with norcal supras to a local charity event:



After that the faded targa pissed me off so much I painted it the next day with "color match" paint from automotive touchup... Not even close


Need to find something that's a little closer to the actual color of the paint. In the mean time I installed a map ecu 2 to allow me to up the boost a bit, and of course.. Shoot fire.



Still getting the car sorted out but she is definitely getting there.

 

[caballo]

Good job painting the targa. Maybe if you paint the rest of the top part of the car it will blend in with the rest of the paint.

 

[ask92]

Yea of course the paint came out very well for rattle can, and then it doesn't match...X.X

 

[caballo]

I have a 91 turbo same paint color as yours with a really faded top. I want to spray paint the top as well.

What brand of paint did you go with?

 

[ask92]

I have a 91 turbo same paint color as yours with a really faded top. I want to spray paint the top as well.

What brand of paint did you go with?

I went with automotivetouchup.com, however the color was way off so i would not reccomend them. I also got a paint pen from them that matched very very well. I emailed them to see what they say about the color not being even close to accurate.

I forgot to add I picked up a set of CP pistons for the 2j while its out... So I may be taking this build a bit higher in HP than I thought.


I picked up a AEM failsafe wideband gauge and put in the OEM boost gauge location:


Hydrodipped my radiator brackets and a bunch of other parts:


Managed to blow up a coupler at 14psi. Shes starting to finally make power!


Other misc picture:

 

[GC89]

You can dip just about anything..............http://www.hydrodip.com/

 

[ask92]

Can you explain a bit more about hydro dipping, is it only for metal parts and what finish choices do you have?

I got my kit from http://www.mydipkit.com/index.html . It is actually pretty easy, I only screwed one piece up because I cut the tape on the edges and the pattern expanded to the full size of the tub and made the pattern look weird. I did my b-pillar trim mainly(without clearcoat in the picture), fuse box cover, and radiator brackets. I plan to do much more when the 2j goes in.

 

[atlpd3147]

Nice build page.
I was wondering if you ever tried the arp head inserts to help solve your bhg issues?

 

[ask92]

Nice build page.
I was wondering if you ever tried the arp head inserts to help solve your bhg issues?

I have not tried them, but I don't think I've ever had an issue of the bolts loosening up when using the ARP washers. I have ARP headbolts in the 7mgte and have ARP headstuds for the 2jz.

Got some free time this weekend so I worked on my stupid brake sticking issue(Disassembled the ABS unit and cleaned the crap out of it)so hopefully that fixed the sticking issue I have. After going to the junkyard and grabbing eight 1zz coils for $55 I took an inventory on all the parts I have for the swap.


Still need:
Clutch(looking at the clutchmaster fx800)
ECU Master EMU
89-92 JZ Engine mount brackets
Downpipe/Wastegate dump
Turbo Oil Feed and Drain lines
CP Piston Rings
Main bearings
Rod Bearings

Next step will be to have the block bored for the new 86.5mm CP pistons and have the deck skimmed. Then I can start assembling the engine on the stand. The goal at this point is to have the engine in the car and running by August so I have a few months to troubleshoot before SIV 2016.

 

[madsupra88]

Nice build!
Love the color.

 

[kakanator]

damn sir the parts pile is sweet and how you liking the map ecu 2 I sent you did you install it yourself and what file did you upload the 550 lex?