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1985 Toyota Supra Gets A Second Chance

5K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  ddddesigns 
#1 · (Edited)
Let me start off by saying this car is my dad's but i absolutely love it so have decided to write about it. He had a 1st gen supra in his prime years along with a 2nd gen which is how we ended up getting this beauty. When he started talking about the supra and showed me pictures i thought it was the coolest looking car and i was determined to find one and maybe convince him to buy it. I started looking everywhere for one, the classic car websites where they sell pristine ones all the way to a sketchy craigslist ad. I eventually gave up and then my dad showed me a car he saw on co part and he was going to try and get it. 1985 Supra with side collision from Jacksonville Florida. I didn't think we would actually get it... but he surprised me the next day and i lost my mind i was so happy! I think we got the car for under $2k but with body work and new windshield, it came out to about $4k.
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It was a rough car and had an ugly center console armrest (we fixed it).
Another bummer was that the car got a white coat of paint and it was clearly a cheap job. Whoever did it didn't prep the body too well and there are runs in the paint along with the fact they painted over the black trim over the fenders. Hopefully it'll be fixed with time.

The body molding on the side was some aftermarket trim and we are still on the search for OEM if anyone has any.

AC doesn't work at the moment but we actually found the car from before it was in an accident on an auction site where it said there was functioning AC, so our hopes are high we can get it working if we take a look at it.

There is a lot to be done to the car still, i have the headlight whiskers on order from amayama.com and hopefully they arrive, also ordered factory radio brackets so the aftermarket radio will fit right until we get the original radio (currently talking to someone about it!!). I haven't had luck with the Metra radio bracket that supposedly works with the supra, the bezel is too big and the cover with the cigarette lighter and A/C button wont fit right.

Also the Fuel gauge does not work and we found that out the hard way... my dad thought the pump was only filling it up halfway and we ended up spilling some gas on the fender and ground, that was a night to remember haha.

We also need to get all new dashboard vents as ours are broken. I tried JB welding one back together and hopefully I will be able to 3D-scan it and then print it.

We've done rear rotors, brake calipers and pads in the rear. For some reason the steering seems loose thought, the front right tire can be moved with our hands and it needs to be corrected. if anyone has any tips it would be greatly appreciated.

Other than that it is a pretty solid car. Not a lot of rust and its nice to see a smile on my Dads face whenever he gets in the drivers seat. When he gets in the passenger seat and lets me drive its a different story:D . I'm still learning stick.

This car needs some TLC but its road worthy and we have a blast with it, will upload more as we progress :)
 
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#6 ·
Looks familiar. Seems like I remember somebody asking for advice about that one a long time ago when it was on an auction site and everyone advising that it would cost more to fix than the car would be worth. Of course we do this hobby not because we are going to make money on it, but for the love of it. I'm glad to see its going to be rescued. I guess the salvage yard figured they needed $4,000 whole to match what they were going to profit on it by parting it out bit by bit. Another way to look at it is $1,000 for the car and $3,000 for ransom. ;)
 
#8 ·
Not that bad if a price if the body fix / paint was in the 2K range also.
Some get very lucky, some others have to buy their luck!
 
#9 ·
Nice! Way to save it. It looks like a really bad hit, but once you replace the bolt on door, whats left isn't so bad. Hopefully the rocker straightened out nice!

Welcome to the board! Not too many white 85s with blue interior, thats actually a fairly rare combo.
 
#11 ·
Chris, nice work and nice save!!

Thats whats is all about...Dad happy your happy !!
 
#13 ·
I am also glad to see that you and your Dad are not only bonding, but doing it with a MKII Supra.

The trim that goes between the fender flares and the body is available from KBox Engineering, who also carry a set of all the gaskets for the tail lights and side marker lights:

http://www.kbox.ca/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=439

Also check out Rock Auto.

I am replacing all side trim on my '84. I may have a couple of extra pieces, as well as a used set. Grandson is visiting this week, so no time for the car, but next week I will lay out all the parts that I plan to use and let you know what I can part with.

I am running a JVC aftermarket HD reciever/GPS unit. I did not use the bezel that came with the install kit from Crutchfield. Without it the receiver fits just inside the opening without having to do any trimming. Only problem is that it is about a half inch deeper than the original, and hits the servo for the auto A/C, so does not fit flush with the opening. It has black trim around the front, so looks OK. And yes, it does get somewhat in the way of opening the ash tray cover. I don't smoke, and only use the tray as a place to store the lock for my wheels, so I don't really care about that. The previous aftermarket unit I had installed had a big On/Off button on the bottom, and opening the ash tray would hit the button and turn it off. This one is on whenever the ignition is on, and so no problem.

Don't listen to those who say you should not spend more that the market value of the car. First, you are increasing the value as you make improvements. Second, at least to me, these cars are worth it. I have spent probably more that a car with 187,000 miles on it would be worth to most people, but I don't plan to sell it, so I don't care. I have had an all new interior done in leather, new carpet, a bare-metal re-spray, as well as having a few rust issues taken care of.

Good luck to you and your dad.

Bob
 

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#15 ·
Installed Factory Radio and OEM Headlight Whiskers

Got to install the OEM radio and headlight whiskers this weekend. The radio came in from a fellow forum member for $55 or around that. Very pleased, everything works on it. Blew a fuse installing somehow even with the car battery disconnected. :hahano:
Whiskers i found on amayama.com for $107 shipped, took about 2-3 weeks to arrive.
Overall it was a great weekend.


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#16 ·
Chris, nice work thanks for the update!!
 
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