[debrucer1]

Several things accomplished today and a couple on the list from the previous post. I tried putting two washers on each of the bolts on the shock tower to give the Cusco brace some room. That was definitely too much as the nuts now only tighten about half way on the thread. I changed it to one each on each bolt and that's tolerable. It does give the clearance between the bar and the motors and also on the pipe attached to the 3000 pipe.

The speedometer cable was on the wrong side of the car when the drivetrain was installed and took a bit of effort, tucking and pulling, to get it on the right side and connecter. The original clips at two places aligned very well.

The radiator was in yesterday and the two little modifications required are noted. I mounted the dual fans to the radiator using tie-wraps. It's not permanent, but will give me the layout I need to run my oil filter / cooler relocation lines. I will have to come up with a better idea to secure them.

Drilled the holes for the Aeromotive FPM and mounted it. Attached the return line to the FPM and left the lower connection to be done. The feed has to be connected, too.

Connected a couple more wires, still have a few to figure out and connect. Seems there is a bit of a mess around the fuse box, and I will have to figure that out.

Worked on getting the hood to close correctly and still need to add some spaces or washers at the hinges to get it to lay flat. The four hood bumpers seem to get in the way and they seem to be different types, not 2 and 2 different, but 1 and 3 different. I checked once at the dealer and they were 8 bucks a piece. I should have gotten them as they are bound to be discontinued now. We'll see. I am also installing a polished stainless steel panel to cover the gap around the hood latch I think once I get the hood bumper stops right that this will fall into place.

Hard-pipes are absolutely not lining up. I'll have to Google more pictures to figure those things out.

Tried to fit the drive shaft and gave up. Posted in the forum for help and will try again soon. I think that is all for Thursday. Lunch was great and now it's time for a nap.

 

[te72]

Please tell me you're going to bring this car to Supras in Vegas once it's on the road and sorted out? I'd love to be able to see it up close. It's honestly inspiring to see such care put into a Mk3.

As for mounting the radiator fans, I simply made some brackets out of some aluminum sheet I had laying around, off cuts, if I recall. I'm not one to waste material, and in this case, it was easy to drill, file, and bend into the shape I needed. Was just 18ga aluminum, if I recall... a vise, hammer, sockets to form nice smooth bends... just typical garage built here, but they work well!

Hood alignment is one of those things that just takes a lot of tinkering, but I have no doubt you'll sort it out.

Hard pipes, it might not hurt to wet the inside of the couplers before attempting to put them onto the pipes. Even a bit of spit will do the trick, crude as that might sound. I've also heard of using WD40, as apparently it's slipper when wet, but acts as a type of adhesive once it dries, so the couplers stay on better. Either way, don't tighten any of them until you've got them all connected, and don't forget to put the clamps on first, that's not a fun thing to remedy after fighting to get a pipe on...

On the driveshaft, I'm guessing that you're using the stock two piece shaft? If so, I seem to recall the carrier bearing having just a bit of fore and aft play. Or... You know what? I bet you have the center bolted to the floor pan, don't you? Loosen that up, but don't let the bolts all the way out. Then the back end should have enough play to attach to the diff side of things.

 

[debrucer1]

Please tell me you're going to bring this car to Supras in Vegas once it's on the road and sorted out? I'd love to be able to see it up close. It's honestly inspiring to see such care put into a Mk3.

As for mounting the radiator fans, I simply made some brackets out of some aluminum sheet I had laying around, off cuts, if I recall. I'm not one to waste material, and in this case, it was easy to drill, file, and bend into the shape I needed. Was just 18ga aluminum, if I recall... a vise, hammer, sockets to form nice smooth bends... just typical garage built here, but they work well!

Hood alignment is one of those things that just takes a lot of tinkering, but I have no doubt you'll sort it out.

Hard pipes, it might not hurt to wet the inside of the couplers before attempting to put them onto the pipes. Even a bit of spit will do the trick, crude as that might sound. I've also heard of using WD40, as apparently it's slipper when wet, but acts as a type of adhesive once it dries, so the couplers stay on better. Either way, don't tighten any of them until you've got them all connected, and don't forget to put the clamps on first, that's not a fun thing to remedy after fighting to get a pipe on...

On the driveshaft, I'm guessing that you're using the stock two piece shaft? If so, I seem to recall the carrier bearing having just a bit of fore and aft play. Or... You know what? I bet you have the center bolted to the floor pan, don't you? Loosen that up, but don't let the bolts all the way out. Then the back end should have enough play to attach to the diff side of things.

SIV has been a goal for years although not sure about the 10 hours of round trip driving. We will see. It’s not a show car though. I’m still an amateur.

I’m okay at bending metal and your idea for securing the fans is a good one.

I got the part number for the hood bumpers, and noticed there are two styles. They’ve got a funny little symbol next to them in the listing and I couldn’t find a definition for that. I’ll get four of whatever is available.

it’s a carbon fiber job, and it recently started not fitting properly on one side. After taking it off for the install, the washers I had used to align it got lost and not installed. I have hood pins I plan on using. It’s just take work to get it done.

The hard-pipes don’t just not go together easily but seem almost totally wrong. I’ve get two sets, plus I think I still have the original rubber pieces. Maybe I’ve got something backwards or I’m putting it in the wrong place. Not sure yet. It’s what I get for sourcing things myself vs. a DriftMotion kit, I guess. Some are the anodized aluminum over steel, and others are black powder coated. I’m guessing I just have the wrong pieces.

The driveshaft is an aluminum one-piece, and it’s not fitting in the tailshaft now that I have a new seal in place. It fit before with the old seal. I’ve got that part number looked up too and will buy another. This is a test fit for everything for exactly these reasons. It’s just going to be a pain sorting them out.

Thanks for the encouragement, feedback and suggestions. It’s all very helpful. I’m worn out tonight. I’ll probably visit my car tomorrow and try not to do much, then get back on it Saturday.

There’s still so much to be done. I don’t see how people get it so quickly. Crawling all over the engine today to get the speedo cable hooked up, I saw that second hose for the heater core from the back of the head. It’s going to be the bear I always heard it was. Hard to imagine a pleasant exercise

 

[te72]

Unless you're literally paid to build Supras for people, I'd say you're an amateur in this world. That makes two of us! Yet people seem to enjoy seeing my car up close all the same. Just seeing clean examples of these cars is a treat.

The funny symbol you mention in regards to the hood bumper, looking at the EPC, it would appear that there is a Type A and a Type B hood bumper:

Hood & Front Fender

One has a nut on the bottom end for adjustment, perhaps as a locking mechanism? I'm thinking that either one is going to thread into the unibody "horn" from the looks of things.

On the fitment issues, it is possible that parts may be mismatched, but it could be any number of things. Is the snout of the driveshaft tapered at all? I forget. I do seem to recall it being good practice, or perhaps even TSRM direction to grease up the lip seal lightly before putting the driveshaft in. Could be so tight of a fit that if the seal were dry, it might not all the shaft all the way in? Gosh, that sounds dirty, my apologies.

Another thought is that I saw you mention refreshing the subframes. I don't think they are adjustable at all, but... I could be mistaken.

I wouldn't worry about the pace my friend. I'm half your age, and it's taken me nearly as long, and my car is still in pieces too, and it doesn't look nearly as good. That said, I think it is in the book of Timothy, that we are to run our own race.

Also... yeah... that rear coolant hose is a pain. I'm pretty sure that hose is why I own angled and hose pliers, now that I think about it. One of the best investments I've ever made!

 

[signalpuke]

If you can source some cheap long needle nose pliers like that, but flat, either heat them up and bend them or have them pressed to put the bend in. Might save you some money.
Shop has them so when I need them I just grab them, but if I were working out of my garage on a budget, I'd just modify a set instead of buying new for a tool I'd use a couple of times.

 

[debrucer1]

Unless you're literally paid to build Supras for people, I'd say you're an amateur in this world. That makes two of us! Yet people seem to enjoy seeing my car up close all the same. Just seeing clean examples of these cars is a treat.

The funny symbol you mention in regards to the hood bumper, looking at the EPC, it would appear that there is a Type A and a Type B hood bumper:

Hood & Front Fender

One has a nut on the bottom end for adjustment, perhaps as a locking mechanism? I'm thinking that either one is going to thread into the unibody "horn" from the looks of things.

On the fitment issues, it is possible that parts may be mismatched, but it could be any number of things. Is the snout of the driveshaft tapered at all? I forget. I do seem to recall it being good practice, or perhaps even TSRM direction to grease up the lip seal lightly before putting the driveshaft in. Could be so tight of a fit that if the seal were dry, it might not all the shaft all the way in? Gosh, that sounds dirty, my apologies.

Another thought is that I saw you mention refreshing the subframes. I don't think they are adjustable at all, but... I could be mistaken.

I wouldn't worry about the pace my friend. I'm half your age, and it's taken me nearly as long, and my car is still in pieces too, and it doesn't look nearly as good. That said, I think it is in the book of Timothy, that we are to run our own race.

Also... yeah... that rear coolant hose is a pain. I'm pretty sure that hose is why I own angled and hose pliers, now that I think about it. One of the best investments I've ever made!

I saw the type A Type B note, but thought there would be more to it in the introduction pages. I have three of one, and one of the other... and they both have nuts, but the rubber is slightly different. I forgot to swing by the dealer this morning... prolly just as well, as I'm looking at my boxes of hoses. Back in the day, 15 or so years ago when I bought the new radiator (that isn't correct), I also bought a bunch of hoses.

Here's a picture of what I have left from that purchase. The one big one with the 90 degree bend was obviously supposed to be the top hose. The other 1 1/2" one was an attempt at the bottom hose. The part number says it's for a Toyota tractor of some model. It clearly does not fit my car

These were picked from the stock in this guy's barn, one-by-one matched with an old one I had with me. Few were perfect, they were the correct diameter and had an appropriate looking bend. At the time, 2006 +/-, the dealer quote for all hoses was something insane like $1400. I got off with a couple of hundred... and I have used many of them... this s just what's left.

So I still have to find a hose for the one we're talking about going to the heater core. I'm going to try and buy a new one, vs. making something I bought back then work. The space is just too confined.

Good info on the pliers to use, and below, another tip how to make one. I haven't looked in the tool box yet to see what I've got, but don't remember anything like these.

There is a slight taper, I'd call it a bevel, that goes about 1/8" then the shaft is straight. I greased that sucker up big time...made a real mess and did laundry when I got home. I will get another seal and check the fit, and if it fits off the car, will prolly just wait to install for the final fit. That saves the locking coating on the new bolts and I won't have to hit the bolts with Loctite blue. I don't expect much more of an issue with the shaft fitment though.

The sub-frames are about the only bushings I did not do. Sorry I didn't 'cuz it was so far apart back then, but, not done. I did notice while under the car that the braided brake lines I used had an issue. They are installed, but the brackets that were pre-installed on the lines did not allow the hoses to go through the OEM clips holding them in place. I used tie-wraps there, too. I plan on fixing those, just because

It's 10 AM here, and I've been here since 7:30. Haven't done a damn thing but look, think and take pictures, and respond to the posts here. Going to take the rest of the day off, find an air conditioner and a TV and have a couple of beers.

Thanks to everyone for reading and helping me out. I appreciate you all. Have a great day. I'll be back tomorrow

David

 

[debrucer1]

Got the driveshaft installed but can’t turn it by hand. Turned the rear wheel to get the four bolts installed. Installed the shifter and the tranny won’t shift. Was able to get it in 1st and 2nd, then back to neutral. It shifted on the stands before the install. Will address it when it’s out again. For now, this lets me mount the safely loop, and that’s what this test install is all about… mounting stuff.

The hard-pipes for the intercooler are still proving to be difficult. It appears the the one off the 3000 pipe with the blow-off valve was upside down and backwards. Here’s how it fits best today.

It’s still not right and it hits the oil feed -AN fitting on top of the turbo, and it doesn’t align with the next pipe that come through the fender area. I took the MAF pipe and air filter off and played with the connector hoses with a little success.

I had previously messed with the clocking of the front housing on the turbo in order to make room for the lower pipe off the turbo. That needed to be done to make room for the oil feed -AN 90 degree fittings to clear the PS pump. Now I may have to clock the other side of the turbo to clear this hard-pipe. Sometimes we go around in circles.

Turns out the the one pipe I had coming off the IC was not for there. It is 1/2 of the tube from the bottom of the turbo to the other IC connection.

The pipe in the above picture along with another piece come from the turbo to the other IC connection.

This doesn’t solve all the routing issues. There’s still about 8” that I haven’t figured out yet. That and general alignment. I still don’t remember why I ended up with some shiny pipes and some black pipes. I guess if I end up welding them that I will have to do some powder coating again. Well, May have to even if I get them to fit.

Mounted the catalytic converter, and of course it doesn’t mate up to the cat-back system. I knew that. I previously installed the 2 inches of exhaust pipe I took out behind the cat, putting it ahead of the rear muffler. Turns out, due to my Kaminari rear skin that I should have put 6” in there. I’ve got the pipe and will do that soon. Then I’ll add a hanger or two to match up to the front portion of the exhaust.

The heater hose and transmission rear seal arrived today. Still waiting for the bottom radiator hose.

That’s about it for Saturday.

 

[debrucer1]

Got an alert on my phone last night that there was activity at my garage. Here’s the picture that came thru:

There’s not usually any issues in this neighborhood; but there was something going on Friday night. I tried to review the video footage unsuccessfully. Made me sleep a bit uneasy. No issues this morning.

AutoZone is trying hard to compete with Amazon. My $18 order came in overnight with a stated delivery charge of ten bucks, and a ten dollar credit to offset. Unfortunately, the hose was the question mark shaped heater hose and I already had one on the car . It was the one I took off years ago, but in good shape. I will keep it and use for the final installation. They don't list the other two, and checking the part numbers, only one of those appears available, the other is discontinued. I will still try the dealer. I've got one that looks close, but that area is so tight, I'd prefer not to be cutting one to fit.

The oil seal they sent for the R-154 tailshaft is not like the one I took out nor the one I replaced it with earlier this week. I will keep it, and also try the dealer. I've got to stop by and pick up my hood bumpers on Monday.

I have been having so much trouble figuring out hose and hard-pipe routing some of which I was confident that I understood when the engine was out. Now, it seems all different. Things under the upper intake don't appear at all the same as they did and there's one water line that looks more like a GE fitment than a GTE. It always scares me that I've put a water to oil or visa version... and that wouldn't be good, huh? lol

I hate that the car is outside, even under cover, it needs to be inside... so I've been gradually sorting out the garage to allow it to come back in... and I suspect I will put it up high on the stands, at least initially. I have a real nice clay mitt and a bottle of Chemical Guy's Clay Luber, so I went over the car today, and finished with Meguiar's ceramic coating... applied straight. Subsequent car washers you just spray on and rinse off. Paint is amazingly smooth today. Hurt to put the cover back on her

Still waiting for the bottom radiator hose to arrive, so I took inventory of my hose clamps. I have most of what I need to get the hoses I've identified back on...if I can only find the hoses.

That's it for today, Sunday. Going home to watch the F1 race. I hear it was raining in Hungary. Makes it fun

 

[3p141592654]

That's a lot of progress in a few weeks1 I have a suggestion, which you are free to ignore. Imagine your in an accident where the LH front fender gets a solid hit. That AFPR is going to go with the fender, and your engine will stay put. The result will be a disconnected hose and fuel pouring into your alternator and other places you don't want fuel. I suggest mounting the AFPR on the engine, like the OEMs always do.

 

[3p141592654]

With regards to the 2 inches of exhaust issue. I had the same problem long ago, until I realized that I had the cat hanger backwards and upsidedown. Then my 2 inch problem magically disappeared. Its confusing because the hanger has two rods extending out for the rubber donut, but only one is used. Worth a check before you get out the welding equipment. Also note that in this picture my cat is upside down. 🙃

 

[Piratetip]

Well that is interesting, I'm not sure I've seen one with the single OEM hanger still present at the CAT.
Pretty cool.

I went a different route and welded a couple stainless hooks, hung from both sides with rubber donuts. Works well, holds it centered with little movement.
Also the 3" CAT has discolored, need to work on not dumping so much fuel through it at WOT.
That sucker is getting HOT!

 

[debrucer1]

That's a lot of progress in a few weeks1 I have a suggestion, which you are free to ignore. Imagine your in an accident where the LH front fender gets a solid hit. That AFPR is going to go with the fender, and your engine will stay put. The result will be a disconnected hose and fuel pouring into your alternator and other places you don't want fuel. I suggest mounting the AFPR on the engine, like the OEMs always do.

That will take some thought, but definitely a good suggestion. Honestly, it's feeling more and more like I will never get done. I've seen them on the shock tower, and I've seen them on the firewall. Apparently it doesn't matter which end of the fuel rail it goes on... obviously as long as you plumb everything accordingly. Thanks for the tip.

 

[debrucer1]

With regards to the 2 inches of exhaust issue. I had the same problem long ago, until I realized that I had the cat hanger backwards and upsidedown. Then my 2 inch problem magically disappeared. Its confusing because the hanger has two rods extending out for the rubber donut, but only one is used. Worth a check before you get out the welding equipment. Also note that in this picture my cat is upside down. 🙃

View attachment 262883

I already removed two inches from the pipe after the cat and added it back in before the rear muffler.

Not my best work, but I didn't burn it up


My cat does not have any mounting hooks...


The 2" that I added before the rear muffler wasn't enough because of the way the Kaminari bumper skin flares out. The OEM skin curves in. I should have put six inches in there, instead of two. I have bought a four foot section of stainless 3" tube and will cut the wrong piece out and put six inches back in there. As for the cat, perhaps I will do what @Piratetip says above that he had to do.

This is one of those jobs I have been waiting for the test install to do. Now that the car is high enough up in the air to get under easily, I will work it out. I did notice today that the cat doesn't fit next to the heat shield as I'm pretty sure the OEM cat did. I am debating getting the car back inside so I can quite worrying about it being so visible to the public. No telling what someone might try to steal with it up in the air and outside Cameras are great but it would still take me 15 minutes to get there. Not sure about the police... as to how long it would take them if I called 911 to report a theft in progress.

 

[debrucer1]

Here is what I ended up doing today on the exhaust. The cat has no mounting tabs, rods, wings... whatever they'd be called...



With the cat bolted to the downpipe this is how it fits:



This is how it matches the cat-back portion of the Blitz Nur...



I cut another section out of the front piece (behind the cat)... for a total of 3 inches removed...



I then added a total of six inches ahead of the rear muffler... including a flexible section, just in case I need a little bend (which from a test fit, I believe I will need). I previously stated I put the two inches in here, actually, I had put 6 inches in here, and now cut three out and added the flexible piece. Some of the cuts are reinforced with a smaller diameter stainless tube inside. At some places in the Blitz Nur, from the factory, the tube in 3" OD and at others it is 3" ID. So reinforcing wasn't possible at one place, I think it was.

I will weld it tomorrow or the next day... after one more test fit to make sure I got it right.

That's all for today, Monday, August 2nd, 2021.

I also figured out how to get a conventional internet setup here, vs. the WiFi Hot Spot I currently have. It's a commercial building and they've always wanted commercial prices. I talked them into a residential plan for $119 a month... and jumped at it. They've still got to do the install. Fingers crossed it goes well.

Have a great day now.

 

[Snipe_sas]

Thanks for the kind words. I know I look a lot at what others have done... even if I don't follow in their footsteps. It's all part of my process. Glad they help you in some small way. They help me, too, to remember what I've done. Not sure how much powder coating I need to be doing now. I got rid of my blasting cabinet prolly two years ago and it wasn't just a standard Harbor Freight box... it had all the available modifications and was never worth what it cost me. Good old rattle cans do a pretty good job. I will look at the Eastwood lights if I decide that I have to be doing that again. With the car out of the garage space, I tend to start other projects, too. Between hard-pipes and exhaust, I think I will be practicing my TIG welding skills. I have a Blitz Nur cat-back exhaust, and it doesn't fit right. The Kaminari rear bumper skin flares out, where the OEM skin tucks in. This makes the car longer and the exhaust sits too far under the bumper. Also, and I've already made these welds, there are two cats on Supras, as near as I can tell, a 49-state version and the California version. There's a 1 1/2" to 2" difference in their lengths, making the first pipe in the cat back too long (I have the longer of the two CATs). I did enjoy the few things I powder coated though. It is a fun process. Thanks for suggesting Eastwood to me.

You just solved a mystery of why the cat-back in mine was the wrong length. I bought it off an owner who blew up his 7M, so I knew it fit. I replaced the flange and a short section on it with a spare flange and attached section I had already and went to install it. I have a factory rear cat, so mine was too short! I did not have his cat to check, so it's been a bit of a mystery to me. Until now. That is why in my thread's photos of my pipe there are 2 welds about 2" apart. A little more than 2" apart if I remember correctly (probably to make up for sawcuts' widths). I'd much rather have two welds than an unsolved mystery. Although, those are fun too. I too, am glad that I check out other build threads.

Thank you, and sweet car.

 

[debrucer1]

You just solved a mystery of why the cat-back in mine was the wrong length. I bought it off an owner who blew up his 7M, so I knew it fit. I replaced the flange and a short section on it with a spare flange and attached section I had already and went to install it. I have a factory rear cat, so mine was too short! I did not have his cat to check, so it's been a bit of a mystery to me. Until now. That is why in my thread's photos of my pipe there are 2 welds about 2" apart. A little more than 2" apart if I remember correctly (probably to make up for sawcuts' widths). I'd much rather have two welds than an unsolved mystery. Although, those are fun too. I too, am glad that I check out other build threads.

Thank you, and sweet car.

As I understand it, there is a “California” cat and a “49 state” cat, and the difference is about 2 1/2 inches. Thanks for validating that it’s not just me .

 

[3p141592654]

The GE has its own "California" cat which happens to be the GTE cat.

There is no "California" cat for the GTE. The GTE of all states use the same one.

The 86-88 cats all superseded to these numbers as well.

 

[debrucer1]

The GE has its own "California" cat which happens to be the GTE cat.

There is no "California" cat for the GTE. The GTE of all states use the same one.

The 86-88 cats all superseded to these numbers as well.

View attachment 262950

That's what I get for using after-market parts, I guess. At any rate, it's in now.

Still no hanger... will address that later. I need to get the rear muffler test fitted and will weld it tomorrow. Thanks for the information.

The front muffler and pipe are in as well... forget to show the picture... here it is...

 

[3p141592654]

Nice. Yours looks like an aftermarket cat? I will measure mine (I know it is OEM) and we can compare the dimensions. Would also be good to get the dimensions on a GE cat. Maybe Doug can provide that.

 

[debrucer1]

Nice. Yours looks like an aftermarket cat? I will measure mine (I know it is OEM) and we can compare the dimensions. Would also be good to get the dimensions on a GE cat. Maybe Doug can provide that.

In the end it doesn't make much difference... there's no way in hell it will legally pass California SMOG

It's on and I will still look for some universal hangers to replace the bungee cords holding things together right now.