Hi, I'm Aaron, I'm 24 and I've had a 1987 Toyota Cressida for about two and a half years now. I live in southern California and I've been taking a break from college during the pandemic to spend time on some personal projects, such as: the Cressida!
I've been reading celicasupra for several years now, since it has given me valuable insight into my 5MGE and the many mysteries that have awaited me in my 35-year-old car. I'm also a huge fan of the mkII supra itself, and I'm holding out for a nice one in the distant future when I'm better-off. As a two time pontiac firebird owner, I'm a sucker for pop-up headlights.
I'd post a picture of it, but with what the previous owners did to it (and which I've been working diligently to undo), it's kind of embarrassing. I'll do some before and after pictures after I get it squared away. If you're morbidly curious, though, here's a rundown of the state I got it in back in 2018:
I gotta say, it's a hoot to drive. A manual and a fun power-to-weight ratio are a blast, and it's my first car with a stick shift. I have some big plans for it in the future, after I get its issues figured out.
The car has never failed me, though, and when I first got it, I had to drive it 300 miles north to where I was going to college at the time, through LA, having only driven stick previously around a parking lot for practice. It actually went really well! I never stalled in traffic, no overheating, nothing. It is so close to running perfectly normally.
And that's why I'm finally here, because there are a few unique problems I still haven't been able to solve, and which I haven't really seen elsewhere on the site, so expect a thread or two on those pretty shortly.
I've been reading celicasupra for several years now, since it has given me valuable insight into my 5MGE and the many mysteries that have awaited me in my 35-year-old car. I'm also a huge fan of the mkII supra itself, and I'm holding out for a nice one in the distant future when I'm better-off. As a two time pontiac firebird owner, I'm a sucker for pop-up headlights.
I'd post a picture of it, but with what the previous owners did to it (and which I've been working diligently to undo), it's kind of embarrassing. I'll do some before and after pictures after I get it squared away. If you're morbidly curious, though, here's a rundown of the state I got it in back in 2018:
- lowered on cut springs, the thing would bottom out on any speed bump or if a driveway was steep enough
- rattlecan primer applied splotchily over the stock light blue paint
- hacked up the stock wheel wells to install plastic fender flares
- the PO and his friends each did a different corner, and it shows
- fender flares were attached with a combination of sprayed on plasti-dip around the edges, rivets, and wood (!) screws
- 1100W amp and giant subwoofer in the trunk which would drain the battery if left connected (with the fuse a good 7 feet away from the positive terminal)
- W58 manual swap (actually pretty well done, gotta hand it to them, the car's a hoot to drive)
- straight-piped it (in California!), making it loud to the point where starting it in the morning could be considered rude
- rear bumper delete
- most of the trim removed
- inner front door panel fabric removed
- front seats replaced with 240SX bucket seats (passenger side was only secured with one bolt and would wobble)
- all seatbelts except shoulder belts removed, automatic belts disabled completely
- some of the chrome painted black
- stock mirrors deleted and replaced with riveted black metal triangles, fender mirrors installed (which would be sweet, except any vibration at all makes them unusable)
- odometer got stuck just shy of 75,000 miles
I gotta say, it's a hoot to drive. A manual and a fun power-to-weight ratio are a blast, and it's my first car with a stick shift. I have some big plans for it in the future, after I get its issues figured out.
The car has never failed me, though, and when I first got it, I had to drive it 300 miles north to where I was going to college at the time, through LA, having only driven stick previously around a parking lot for practice. It actually went really well! I never stalled in traffic, no overheating, nothing. It is so close to running perfectly normally.
And that's why I'm finally here, because there are a few unique problems I still haven't been able to solve, and which I haven't really seen elsewhere on the site, so expect a thread or two on those pretty shortly.
