[Nigel86]

Hey, I just inherited an '84 Supra, and it's been sitting for over 20 years by my estimation. The interior is in good shape, it was never parted out or anything, but I want to do a full resto and eventually put a turbocharged 7mgte in it, thinking I want to run it up to about 400 whp.

I want to know where I should start, and what the first few steps should be, on getting it running after sitting so long. Obviously my dad wouldn't have let it sit unless it had something kinda expensive keeping it from running, but I have

no idea what it was. I know the fuel tank would have to be replaced, and likely the fuel line as well? Would the injectors be gummed up badly too? Just looking to see what I can do before hooking up a battery and trying to turn it over. Here's some pics to give an idea of where I'm at and what I'm dealing with.

She has never been suped up, all stock stuff, and ran great before being left to sit in the early 2000s.

 

[pdupler]

Welcome aboard. Thanks for the pics. Looks pretty rough after sitting outside for 20 years. Mechanically is not really your issue. We can help you get it going again, no problem We can help with a swap too. But you mentioned wanting to do a "full resto". Making it look good again is going to be the real challenge and probably the first thing you should assess before spending a dime on anything mechanical.

Start with a shop vac, a power washer, etc. and spend a month of weekends cleaning the hell out of it so that you can see in detail what you've got left to work with (plus it will make it just a heckuva lot more pleasant to work on). You can actually get some pretty good exploded parts diagrams online at amayama or megazip. I suggest to go through each diagram of interior and exterior trim and inventory those parts on your car. Make note what's missing and of the parts that are present, are they intact, can you reuse them as-is, do you think you can repair/refinish them to your satisfaction or do you need to hunt down a replacement. Hunting even a few parts will give you a sense of the depth of the challenge and help estimate the ultimate costs.

You also want to inspect every square inch of metal for corrosion. Member Suprafiend has made some great posts documenting factory/design flaws associated with common rust problem areas and how to fix it plus member 82_in_FL has a whole picture thread showing not only mad sheet metal skills but rust in places you'd never think to check. With moisture from the earth attacking from below and leaf litter sealing moisture into every crack and crevice from above for twenty years, it will no doubt need rust repairs. Metal can be cut, shaped and welded, but at likely $90/hour or more for such skilled labor which adds up fast.

My purpose is not to be discouraging, but rather to make sure you don't spend time and money that you will later wish you had back. Before you start prepping for an engine swap, I suggest you decide how you want to proceed with the rest of the project because "full resto" looks like its going to be a huge challenge. There's other ways to go from building a gutted race car, maybe a vintage racer theme or dressed up as a Long Beach Grand Prix tribute (cheapest/quickest), to just a #3 driver quality all the way to full-custom, pro-touring car (very expensive, but possibly quicker depending on the number of rare parts needed to restore its stock appearance). We like them all.

Once you have it cleaned up and your overall plan set, then go about getting it running. I'll let somebody else chime in with tips about cleaning the fuel system and recommissioning the mechanicals.