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First Supra

3815 Views 43 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Camsdad66, 
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Hi all,
For better or worse, I have purchased my first Supra. (I'm 55 years old). A buddy and I drove from Louisiana up to Michigan this past weekend to get her.

The Bad:
RUST! And a good bit of it! What did I expect buying a car from up north??
Not running....supposedly just the igniter.

The Good:
Got it cheap!
Original 5MGE engine is supposedly freshly rebuilt. (Saw some Permatex that may confirm that)
New-ish BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires.
Car seems to be mostly original and complete.

I'm in for a LOT of work, but up for the challenge! Gonna need a donor car for some good metal to repair the rust.

Please wish me luck (or condolences)!!


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pdupler said:
I once helped one of our members take a Florida rust-bucket with under 40K miles to transfer all of the low-mileage bits to a 270K mile slice of Texas toast and then got it repainted. I still see badly sun-baked mk2s on the local craigslist once in a while and unless you have a donor with all the plastic, rubber and vinyl bits, they're not worth messing with. It'd be easier to just buy one of those sun-baked southern mk2s and transfer all the northern bits to it than to cut and weld every little spot of rust. You gotta buy a donor car anyway.
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Thanks for the honesty! I know I'm in for a lot of work one way or the other. But I'm not scared. If I can get the car 70% better than it is now, it's a victory in my eyes. Some may disagree. I understand, we all have varying degrees of what is and isn't possible. I appreciate the input from everyone, and please keep it coming! I plan on documenting this debacle for y'all to see and maybe think....."This poor bastard"!!!

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Zoe said:
I have lots of respect for people who save cars (or things) of which many people think they are not worth saving. And always remember: A nice car is one that you like!
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Thanks for the words of encouragement, Zoe! I usually see all my restoration projects with rose colored glasses (or just blind)! Hoping i can save this car!

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Appreciate your insight, pdupler! I feel a little better about my purchase now. And you're correct, with most restorations of anything, you're usually lucky if you break even. I've just always loved these cars, and glad to finally own one, even if it needs a lot of love. Looking forward to getting started on it!

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RedP85 said:
With the enthusiasm and humour you seems to have, I have no doubt it will look very nice in no time !
Good luck in your project!

(Most Canadian car are even worst than that to start with a restoration)
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Thanks! I appreciate the kind words! It will be a lot of work, but looking forward to it.

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Appreciate the heads up, 82supra. But I have an '83. Arent they different?

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'82supra said:
I believe they are different. I was just going by the photo. Check the part number on the ignitor before purchase. BTW, a spare is always handy, especially in a pinch. Plus they're getting harder to find.
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I've been posting in Tech Talk area lately, but just a quick update.....Installed igniter and coil I bought on Ebay for $35 and now getting good spark. But car still won't run. Suspecting fuel issues. Got a test gauge set coming, gonna check fuel pressure and go from there!

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Figured I would update here since it's been a while. Got the car running (not perfectly yet). But I did take a few little joy rides up and down my road. What a thrill to drive a Supra again!! Looking forward to getting all the bugs worked out. And there are plenty! Was so happy I gave her a bath after!


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RedP85 said:
If it wasn't from the red door striking the eyes, the exterior serms decent overall!
Was it a dead igniter that prevenred to run ?
Tell us what was done to have it back running!
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Yes, I did replace the igniter on the advice of the previous owner. (I still have my doubts if the old one was bad). Also polished up a lot of bad grounds, and such. Basically wiring issues. And, sadly, she looks much better in the photos. Sporting a lot of rust on the underside. Hoping to find a donor body to cut patch panels from, or I'm gonna have to get real good at metal fab work! At any rate, I think nearly all if these cars deserve to be saves, they're not easy to find!

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Hi all,
Haven't posted here in quite a while. The latest on my project is....bought a 2nd car for parts, but most likely it will become "the car", as it has very little rust. So....I will be faced with the gigantic task of doing bodywork and paint on the 2nd car, then cleaning up,, painting and transferring most everything over from the first car. Am I out of my mind?? Probably........I think I need a beer!!! Here's a few photos of the 2nd car.


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dannoxyz said:
Cool, you're officially hoarder now!!! :)

I've always liked front-end of '84+ cars anyway.
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Ha ha....Thanks! Yeah, I like the slight changes on the 84 as well. If (and when)I see this through the end result will probably be a hybrid of '83 and '85, as I like certain things about each. But that's a long way off for now!

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I truly appreciate the advice guys. Though I'm 55, and have done my share of car "projects" I am a Celica Supra rookie of sorts. But I have learned like a baby does these last few months, soaking in all the knowledge I can. I can't wait to start this journey and hopefully see it through to fruition! Gonna be a bit of work for sure!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! HOPE ITS BETTER THAN THE LAST!

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SilverMk2 said:
I see that a car that is in almost ready to paint condition. Not too many parts to remove for prep.
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Right! That's definitely the "glass half full" way of looking at it!! Once the car is painted, it's gonna be cool to see it start taking shape. Between the 2 cars, I have a lot of parts to choose from. Should be able to make one good car out of two.

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RedP85 said:
Naked!
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Pretty much! Lol. Not much meat left to pick off the bones.

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Spook said:
looking forward to your progress!
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Thanks! So am I!!! Lol. I saw your new "baby" also, congrats! The wife and I are headed to Hawaii (Honolulu) in February for vacation. Guessing if you are military that's where you are stationed?

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Nice! There's definitely worse places to be!!

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Well.....nothing earth shattering to report, but I did get the 2nd car and its parts home this past weekend. One more baby step.


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Zoe said:
Every little step helps to keep a project alive. When it's sitting for a year or so with nothing at all being worked on, that's then projects die.
(ask me how I came to that conclusion...)
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Agreed, Zoe! May I ask, did you ever complete your project??

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Whitey482 said:
And you officially have MSS multiple supra syndrome! I heard that from @PB and @pdupler. Anyway, good luck with the massive transfer of parts and the build!

I still have those A/C parts set aside when you're ready to make a trip to Dallas.
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Thanks! And, hell yeah I'll be coming up there to visit as soon as I can! Let me know what kind of beer you drink!

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Thanks so much for the info, and the vote of confidence, Bob! I definitely have a long road ahead! My first challenge is getting my workspace ready, I have an older barn that needs some attention before I can fully dive in to this restoration (insanity)!


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