? please help on new potential project

[90supraturbo]

Hey guys,i haven't been around here for a good long time since i sold my 90 supra turbo.I have been dying to get back into supras since i was kinda forced to sell my old one(which i loved) 'cause of bills and work and all but now things are better and i am trying to get back in the game.I found a potential new project but i am a bit hesitatant.The supra is a 1989 was converted into 5 speed using a w58 tranny w/stage 4 act clutch.The guy rebuilt the 7mge engine with 2.0mm titan motor sport metal head gasket and arp studs,all fresh 7mge internals and seals,etc.He put on a 7mgte turbo stock kit with new ct26 turbo.The car is missing 3 things to get going again:
1.The turbo engine harness needs to be installed and the turbo ecu(which are both included with the sale)
2.The clutch lines are missing and need to be bought and put in
3.All vacuum hoses including turbo ones needs to be bought and installed.

That's pretty much it.The car looks good and the engine and engine bay are CLEAN!I can do all the work myself so the question for you guys is:

-How much time and money do you guys think need to be invested based on the info i gave?
-Is there anything else that you guys think would need to be done for it to run based on the conversion the guy did as i mentioned?(the whole 5speed conversion is done besides the clutch lines,i was more referring to the turbo stuff)

Thanks in advance for the help guy!
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[90supraturbo]

If anyone could help me i'd greatly appreciate it.I have 'till wednesday to make my decision on the car.

[bgrieger]

If it is that far along, I'm curious as to why the seller wants out now...if it was that easy to get going you'd think he would finish it and then sell...it would net him more money that way.

If he honestly got all the GTW swap parts correctly moved and this is it, I'd say an afternoon and $500 would more than cover it. If he muffed anything, or the engine turns out to be a lemon, it could cost plenty of cash.

[90supraturbo]

He is a student and working full time and says that he doesn't have the time or money to finish the job.He doesn't know too much about cars so the work was all done by his mechanic not him.It sounds like a really good deal so that's why i was hesitant but the car looks exactly like the pics.Here are some pics of the engine(notice all the vacuum hoses missing):



I need to get all the hoses.I'm trying to find a junkyard nearby that has a supra but honestly,i rather get them new.I just don't know what all the names of them would be individually to ask for them at the local parts store.Or should i go with silicone hoses ordered online?

[Jeeves]

The GE is also a higher compression engine, and lacks the oil squirters in the block that cool the pistons.

There's a slew of missing hoses. I see a bunch that are just disconnected (e.g. the Idle air hose). I see the throttle linkage disconnected. The connections to the accordian hose are no longer the stock fittings but rather white plastic fittings. Some of the elec. connections on the thermostat housing are broken. The O2 sensor is still the N/A one wire sensor (which I think might throw a code for heater circuit failure) in the GTE.

Can't see knock sensors (should be two there, not just one). There are no nuts on the bolts for the strut towers. Missing the fan shroud. I don't see a coil pack. Whole bunch of random misc. stuff.

[90supraturbo]

So Jeeves,based on what you see is it gonna take what bgrieger suggested or alot more?I just want to get it to a point where i can drive it easy for now to and from work.After it's running,i will replace all the misc stuff like the fan shroud,the correct o2 sensor,etc.I'm just curious on what it will take to get it up and running again 'cause i want it to be my DD.Here is the discription on his ad so you guys can get a better idea:

For sale is my 1989 Supra turbo. This car is an unfinished Project car

PRICE WAYYYYYY REDUCED 2500!!!!!!! IVE PUT MORE THAN ALMOST DOUBLE THAT INTO IT!


Rebuilt 7mge. 2.0mm titan motor sport Metal head gasket. Arp Studs. New valve cover seals. Freshened internals(new crank bearing etc). New ct26 turbo. New belts all around. 5speed swap.

New ACT stage 4 Heavy Duty Clutch. New clutch- Master and Slave Cylinder's.

New Rack & Pinion(aligned). 2 brand new Eagle GT tires in the front. Pillar with A/F gauge and Boost Gauge.


Interior is almost mint with the Blue Clothe seats and blue dash. The Paint needs to be redone but the body is dent and ding free. Slight rust on the actual targa top it self.


This car was my project. Converted it from a Non turbo automatic into a Turbo 5speed. Everything is done minus 3 things to get the car on the road again.

1)Turbo Harness and ecu need to be installed (I have both will include in the sale of car)

2)PCV hoses for the engine (vacuum lines)

3)Clutch line needs to be ran
I will also include an 88 and 89 Turbo harness and ecu set. an 88 turbo dash.

I have no time or the extra money to complete the project with school and work full-time, my loss is your gain.
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I am actually picking it up for $2000 which i think is a great deal with all done to it and the condition of it.What you guys think?

Btw: He has a bunch of extra parts in the trunk as well as an extra head that he will be giving me with the sale.Maybe some of the missing parts are in the trunk.

[bgrieger]

I replied earlier based on your notes. Jeeves is right...after you have put up pics there is a giant mess of stuff not present that should be, and things done I wouldn’t have: I’m not saying they are wrong or wont work (like the bungs in the accordion hose), but they aren’t exactly right either. Like I said above, if this turns out to be a non starter, or he screwed up putting the engine together, or cheaped out some other way, this could be a disastrous money pit for you. I'd hate to see that happen.

To me, it looks like someone took on a project they were ill prepared to finish and he wants to dump it now. If you could reliably ensure all the parts are in the trunk and you have the aptitude to finish it, I'd say sure, for a project go for it. But you're not saving much, and take on a risk I personally wouldn't at that price.

It's not a great deal by any means unless the body work really is next to nothing, and the interior is perfect. Otherwise, you could purchase a clean running example for the same money as this guy is asking with a decent paint job and minor body work.

He really hasn't done jack squat to it other than to put together a basic supra turbo with the exception that it's a swap job of questionable quality, particularly because it's not complete. Personally, I would hold out for a clean running car...from the description you should be able to find one out there for 3-5k and at least you know what you have to start with. Of course, the NA/T is attractive if insurance is an issue for you, but otherwise there are usually plenty of well priced runners out there.

YMMV

[90supraturbo]

Ok guys,i see what you mean.I found this other potential project,it needs the head gasket replaced and that is it.I am picking it up for 1,500 Please give me your inputs:

MK3GTE Motor, Red body in great shape, Grey cloth interior in great shape, no burns or holes. Engine needs work. New performance parts: timing belt, fuel pump, radiator, radiator fans, cam shaft sensor, head gasket. Extra set of Michellin tires.
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I will post the pics later but i'll tell you now that the body is in great shape with nice red shiny paint and aftermarket rims.

[bgrieger]

so they replaced the gasket and it needs another? Kiss the timing belt goodbye too. Sounds like a better deal though, but know the engine needs to see a machine shop to do the gasket right. Can you find out how much has already been skimmed off the head and block? It will help you select the gasket you need.

[90supraturbo]

After endless searching,I finally found a good project for me at a great price.I bought a 1989 supra N/A body(targa top) with a 1992 7mgte swap.The guy was building it for drifting(which i told him it wasn't really a good car for that)so it has some goods and some bads.

Goods:
-TMS 1.4mm metal head gasket
-ARP head studs and bolts
-Walbro lph 255 fuel pump
-Hks knock off bov
-3" exhaust and muffler(love the sound)
-Godspeed aluminum radiator with 2 1250 cfm electric fans
-Greddy profec A electronic boost controller
-Short shifter
-Aftermarket gauges(oil press,temp,boost and a/f)
-Evo style aftermarket front bumper
-17x7 tsw rims with 215/45/17r tires
-New o2 sensor(turbo one)
-New starter
-A crap load of extra parts like:
Front fenders, headlight assembly with motors, front clear marker lights, stock rims with tires, valve covers, igniter, turbo cluster,4 or 5 ecus, stock fuel pump and sending unit, lexus maf(so he says,i need to check for sure) Lots of 16” tires(about 13)that he was gonna use to drift and other stuff

Bads:
-Back seats,carpet and rear panels where all removed
-All A/C stuff was removed for weight reduction
-Headlights stay on(i have to remove relay)
-Instrument Cluster lights don't turn on
-Oil press,temp and boost gauge in cluster don't work(That's why he installed the aftermarket ones)
-Rear shocks are bouncy
-The tranny has a grinding like noise when driving(He says it's the throw out bearing but i'm not sure.The tranny shifts fine but maybe 3 or 4 times since i've own it, it has spit 1st or 2nd out when putting it in gear.Not while driving but rather when i'm gonna put it in gear to take off.Maybe it's related to the tranny noise or the short shifter,dunno)
-Needs paint(Body is good,only a small nickel size rust on hood.The car is 2 tone 'cause of parts he swapped from another shell)
-The radiator is leaking a bit and i have to add water every day ('till i get it fixed)

That should be it i think.The car runs great.When i first got it,it was breaking up under boost and shutting off sometimes when put back in neutral while stopping for a light or something but i changed the spark plugs and it all went away.She hasn't shut off anymore and boost just fine.I might feel a slight hesitation every now and then but not really noticeable.I still think it's running rich though 'cause it smells like it is.Oh and he also changed the location of the stock fuel filter to the engine bay using a 300zx reloaded fuel filter.The interior is in great shape(besides what was taken out)No cracks on dash or tears on seats.The power windows,locks,mirrors,seats and steering all work.
Here are some pics of the car:






The reason why there are zipties on the bov is 'cause it looks like they used epoxy or some kind of silicone to attach it,lame lol.I will take it to get welded.

^^I have the center piece for the steering wheel.The bottom metal panel is as followed:
-The first black button is a push button start
-The first toggle switch next to that is to cut power on and off to that button so that you don't accidentally push the button while driving and mess up the starter
-The middle toggle switch is for the lights on the gauges(Why didn't he route it through the parking lights...i dunno,lol)
-The far right toggle switch is to turn on and off the walbro fuel pump
I don't like all the green stuff he painted under the hood so i will eventually change it.I started with the intake pipe and added the center cover:


So guys,after all you've seen and read what do you think?Oh and i bought the car as you see it with all the extra parts for only $1,250.It is currently my daily driver/project.

[Jeeves]

For a daily? Well... It certainly is stealable...

And you missed the zipties that he's using as radiator mounts. Those are *awesome*.
Fuel filter IN the engine bay? Clever. That's not a GTE norm.
Does it have a fan (you listed 'em, but I don't see 'em)? I'm not seeing one and it also looks like he's got the coolant overflow blocked off?! O_o

[90supraturbo]

Originally Posted by Jeeves

For a daily? Well... It certainly is stealable...

And you missed the zipties that he's using as radiator mounts. Those are *awesome*.
Fuel filter IN the engine bay? Clever. That's not a GTE norm.
Does it have a fan (you listed 'em, but I don't see 'em)? I'm not seeing one and it also looks like he's got the coolant overflow blocked off?! O_o

I plan to put an aftermarket alarm and hidden ecu kill switch.Besides,supras are not really popular where i live.I do have the radiator mounts but i haven't gotten around to putting them on(Haven't had a day off).As i said,it has 2 1250cfm fans that are mounted on the radiator itself,here is a pic:

And here is a pic of the back on how it's mounted:

As far as the overflow...he did remove it and blocked it off but i plan to install another one.

[bgrieger]

Looks like you have some work ahead of you to get it perfect, but it's certainly a better start than the other one. Not sure why he relocated the fuel filter, but you might need to change it once every 20 or so years...perhaps he planned on doing it more than needed (there is no change interval at all...some reports say they are a PITA to change just because they aren't supposed to be changed...).

[90supraturbo]

Well now that i continue to drive it i noticed that it back fires every now and then(in between shifts)and i still believe it's running rich 'cause i can smell it.Any ideas?It also feels as if it's holding back a bit when i am boosting.Where should the oil press be at idle and while driving?(Normal i mean)Also, what is the normal operating temp and after what point is it considered too high or not normal?

[90supraturbo]

Has anyone have any ideas as far as my previous post?