Here are few pics of the engine compartment:

In addition to a pic of the engine from another angle, this pic shows some of the oxidation on the front driver’s fender (more on this later):

This pic shows a baseball bat being used as a hood prop. NIB OEM hood props were installed on the car as part of the deal I made with Patrick:

Before we get to some pics of the exterior of the car, you might be interested in knowing how the car was set up, and what kind of mods Patrick carried out, during his 10-years of ownership. Following is a list of the mods installed on the car. This list was also included in the Bill of Sale:

1. A complete set (including spare) of 1991 Toyota Supra Turbo Factory, OEM wheels;
2. Four (4) 5Zigen Pro Racer GN Wheels, with center caps, sized 18 x 8.5 +35, front; 18 x 9.5 + 42, rear, mounted on Falken FK 452 tires, sized 235/40Z R18 84Y, front; and, 265/35Z R18 95Y, rear;
3. New OEM Hardware on Exhaust Manifold and Tanabe Downpipe connections;
4. Slotted StopTech Brake Rotors, front and rear;
5. Porterfield RS Brake Pads, front and rear;
6. Drift Motion Stainless Steel Brake Lines, front and rear;
7. Beech Performance Master Cylinder Brace;
8. JDM JZA70 Amber Fog Lights;
9. JDM Smoked Blinker Covers;
10. Eibach Pro Coil Springs, front and rear;
11. Tokico Blue, TEMS-Compatible Shocks, front and rear;
12. Suspension Techniques Anti-Roll Bars, front and rear;
13. BIC Adjustable End Links, front and rear;
14. Hux Racing-installed Manual Boost Controller;
15. Upgraded Work Turbo, 46-Trim CT26 Turbocharger, including Garrett Compressor Wheel and Ceramic Coated Turbine Housing;
16. 935 Motorsports Stainless Steel Turbo Inlet;
17. Apexi Cold Air Intake;
18. Koyo Racing Aluminum Radiator
19. OEM JDM JZA70, Two-hole Lip Spoiler;
20. ACT XTSS Clutch with Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel;
21. Drift Motion Stainless Steel Clutch Line;
22. Arizona Performance Oil Pump Supply Kit;
23. Arizona Performance Turbo Feed/Drain Stainless Kit, with -4 Feed and -10 Drain
24. HKS 1.2 mm Bead-Type Metal Head Gasket;
25. Tanabe Downpipe (Jet-Hot Coated), with Beech Performance 3-inch Bend;
26. Tanabe High-Flow Catalytic Convertor;
27. Tanabe Stainless Steel Touring Medallion Exhaust; and,
28. New Hood Struts and New Hatch Struts (with hood struts to be installed prior to sale)

 

As Ken pointed out in his pictures the oxidation on the fender, and apparently all over much of the car

In addition to a pic of the engine from another angle, this pic shows some of the oxidation on the front driver’s fender (more on this later):

To what I would say is a complete respray of the car followed with a cut and buff to a mirror finish. It's better than a Supra that was just brought off the show room floor.

SIV2016 Scenic Cruise-113

I didn't think it was possible to bring back oxidized paint the way Helvidio Toj did with Ken's MKIII, I was floored when I saw the results. Even though the Supra was in prestine shape to begin with, it's still a gamble to purchase a Supra that might need paint correction or future repaint. You put all your chips on red Ken and the results speak for themselves! Awesome MKIII inside and out!

 

Patrick Nail purchased this car with 37k miles on the odometer. So, in ten-years of ownership, he put approximately 12k miles on the car. As you can tell from the pics and details above, it was not difficult to demonstrate that this was a 49.5k mile car up for sale. Even so, during our many text and email conversations, and as demonstrated by some of the photographs below, Patrick disclosed that the car’s paint contained more than a little oxidation. Having purchased the vehicle that way, he could only speculate that the car’s east coast upbringing was a considerable factor. As a result, there are some before and after pics of the car with Patrick, being a hobbyist detailer, working hard to show off the car to best effect:

OXIDATION:

Now, I have no experience in dealing with oxidation, as I have never had it on any vehicle I have ever owned. To complicate matters further, my lack of experience was compounded by the fact we were dealing with 25-year old single-stage paint. No clear coat meant overly aggressive oxidation removal efforts could prove to be fatal to the paint and my wallet.

I mentioned earlier that Patrick occasionally detailed cars, as much for therapy and relaxation as anything. Patrick told me he would take a stab at the oxidation but would be very careful in doing so. One bright, sunny Saturday, Patrick spent the better part of eight hours working on the car’s paint and sent me the following pics to show the progress made. He also removed the tail light tint at my request to reveal tail light lenses in perfect condition:

 

With the car delivered and originally purchased in Massachusetts, IIRC, and because of the presence of oxidation and my questions, Patrick sent undercarriage photographs to demonstrate the car suffered from no rust issues whatsoever. A few of the representative pics are below:

COMPRESSION/LEAK DOWN TEST:
Before making plans to fly to Alabama to personally inspect the car, Patrick and I agreed that he would have a compression/leak down test conducted. If the test went well, we agreed I would send him a deposit on the car. Things had moved along quite nicely so Patrick traveled to the local Toyota dealer to have the test done. Unbelievably, the dealer wanted $525 to do the compression test but insisted the car was “too old” to do a leak down test—despite the motor having only 49k miles.

The shop that had done all the work on Patrick’s car, Hux Racing, was a 200-mile round-trip from Patrick’s home so we decided to go to a highly recommended local shop for the C/LD test. Patrick videotaped the process and, what do you know? Déjà vu all over again.……or so Patrick thought. Compression readings were as follows: #1 88 psi; #2 92 psi; #3 95 psi; #4 95 psi; #5 92 psi; and, #6 92 psi. Patrick was floored, as you might imagine, and took his boat out on the lake to collect his thoughts (and not commit suicide, I was hoping ).

The next day, I told Patrick I thought the tech’s gauge was faulty and that I was mildly encouraged the readings were pretty consistent despite being horribly low. MKIII 7M-GTE compression readings should be above 142 but, like the MKIV, a reading above 128 psi is within spec as long as the difference between cylinders does not exceed 14 psi.

There was nothing to do but to return to Hux Racing where, whatever the results turned out to be, we knew they would be accurate, even if they were not what we wanted. Eric Hux was confident the results would be perfect given his work on the motor, prior tests and the car’s 300 whp dyno reading at 9.5 psi. Sure enough, the results came back as follows: #1 171 psi; #2 170 psi; #3 172 psi; #4 171 psi; #5 172 psi and #6 173 psi. Leak down hovered between 6-7 percent. YES!! Time to go to Alabama.


ALABAMA TRIP:
Patrick picked me up at Birmingham International Airport and we drove to his parent’s home in Chelsea where the car was stored. Patrick left me to my devices for an hour or so while I inspected the car. Even though I knew the car as well as one could know a car from distance, I took my time inspecting the car and taking a bunch of cell phone pics, a few of which are shown below:

In anticipation of making a deal, I had contacted several vehicle transporters and settled on Exotic Car Transport of Orlando, FL. The folks there were easy to work with and were responsive to my various inquiries. Exotic Car agreed to put me on its schedule and, if I made a deal for the car, I was to call Exotic Car and it would activate the work order previously developed. I had flown to Alabama on June 28th, made the deal with Patrick and flown back to Cali on June 29th. Exotic Car Transport picked up my car on July 1st, as shown below:

 

CALIFORNIA ARRIVAL:
Exotic Car Transport arrived at my house at 3:00 p.m., on July 5th, exactly as was previously indicated to me. Here are a few pics of the big day:

RESTORATION
My attendance at SIV2016 had been a question mark for life reasons, but I knew that, if I was going to attend, I would do my best to get this car ready. Failing that, I would just bring one of my other cars and be happy with that. I sold my 1990 MKIII turbo in 1995, about a year after I purchased Blackie, so I have never attended a Vegas Supra meet in a MKIII. If all goes well, I intend to remedy that this year.



DING REMOVAL:
In order to do that, I had to get to work but fast. Those of you familiar with my “not a build” build will recognize my ding repair guy, Sean Elfsten, in the pics below:

When I told Sean I was going to have more paint correction done on the car, he told me that, likely as not, I would call him back out because not all of the dings would be readily apparent underneath the oxidation. Also, determining the depth of the dings was more difficult than what I could have anticipated. Sure enough, after three days and 31 hours of paint correction (more on this later), I spotted a few more dings that had been imperceptible during our first run at the car.

Later on, I had Sean come out for a third time to remove two or three dings that we, somehow, missed in the first two rounds. Given the size and depth of the dings, I don’t know how we missed them during the first two rounds, but we did. This last round dented my confidence a bit (pun intended) on my ability to spot dings no one else had noticed before. Must be old age, I guess.


WHEELS/TIRES:
Those of you that are observant will have noticed the center caps missing from the car in earlier pics. Patrick assured me he had all the center caps and would install them before I took delivery of the car (no center caps on wheels is a pet peeve of mine). Years ago, Patrick had purchased new tires for the car. Unfortunately, on the day he took possession, with the wheels mounted, all four wheels fell from the back of truck face down on the pavement. The pic below is representative of what all four wheels looked like when I took possession of the car:

Initially, I was all fired up to get new wheels for the car and chatted extensively with RikTT about this. Unfortunately, although there are MKIII wheel/tire fitment threads on SF and SM, they pale in comparison to the MKIV threads on SF started by RikTT (2009) and Steve Jarvis (2001), with expert co-management by SF member, RADRIDE. I spoke with a number of MKIII wheel experts, but received my best, and most reliable, information from BorHor and Nick Stonawski. I looked at several Work wheels and came close to pulling the trigger on a couple of sets.

After more thought, and because I was planning on installing a BBK, I decided to stick with the 5Zigens that came with the car and have them refinished. Down the road, this may change, but the 5Zigen wheels have grown on me. I like the fact that they are period correct for this car and they are fairly uncommon as wheels go.

 

No one sweats the details, pre-purchase, and immediately after, the way you do. Congratulations on a another gem for your garage.

 

PAINT CORRECTION:
While Patrick had done a good job of oxidation removal, it became apparent to me that more work was required in order to get the car’s paint in a condition I could be proud of. My garage has plenty of florescent lighting and I call it “The Graveyard”, because that’s where dings, scratches and the like go to die. That Graveyard moniker would be tested like never before because of my lack of experience in dealing with oxidation.

Enter Roger Reyes (REYESSUPRA). Roger introduced me to a friend (Helvidio Toj) who was responsible for all paint correction at a SoCali Mercedes Benz dealership for more than 20 years. After a short discussion, I agreed to use Helvidio and we set a date for him to come to my home.

The first day, Helvidio spent 10 full hours on the car. The second day, he spent 12 hours on the car, and the third day, he spent another 11 grueling hours on the car, all in 100+ degree heat (I kept him refreshed with food, liquids and fans to the best of my ability, but it was hard labor, no doubt). Later, I had him detail the interior of the car and do some minor clean-up work in the engine compartment. Following are some pics of the 31-hour paint correction process and detailing of the car’s interior:

This is not a great pic, but is the first thorough cleaning of the car after Helvidio had worked his magic. I hope to have better, more representative pics, in the near future:

WHEELS/TIRES—PART II:
After making the decision to retain the 5Zigen Pro Racer GN wheels, I knew I needed to have them refinished as part of this project. The key was deciding on what color which, ultimately, turned out to be Hyper Black. Interestingly, when the wheels were removed from the car, the stickers on the inside indicated the color was Hyper Black and the offsets, both front and rear, were +38 (rather than the +35 and +42 Patrick had relayed to me in his response to my questionnaire). The new Hyper Black color has more gun metal in it than the 5Zigen Hyper Black, but the colors can look virtually the same at certain angles in certain pics.

Shortly after I purchased my brand new 1990 MKIII turbo 5MT targa, I purchased a set of OZ Racing wheels, with new tires. The OEM sawblades and Goodyear Gator Backs that came off the car had only a tad more than 2900 miles on them when they were removed. I made one half-hearted attempt to sell them, to no avail, and they have sat in my garages for the last 25-years. Once I removed the 5Zigens for refinishing, I needed another set of wheels and tires so I could move the car around as needed.

I decided to mount the sawblade/Goodyear combo once again but, first, I needed to see if the tires would hold air. I pumped them up to 40 psi and waited two weeks to see if they would retain air. The tires passed this test with flying colors, so on the car they went:

When the wheels were removed for refinishing, I noticed the year of manufacture for the Falken FK 452 tires was 2007. I decided to replace the Falkens with a set of my favorite high performance street tires, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. I wanted a beefier tire look than the Falkens provided, so I went up one size in front, from 235 mm to 245 mm, and two sizes in the rear, from 265 mm to 285 mm. I was mildly concerned about tire bulge, but I didn’t want to have to buy another set of tires when I finally purchased another set of wheels in my preferred sizes of 18 x 9 and 18 x 10.

My concern about tire bulge was allayed somewhat when RADRIDE posted on SF an explanation about why JDM wheels are, typically, wider than their American-made counterparts. You can find that explanation in posts numbered 144-147 in this thread: http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1018802-Tire-decision-888s/page6

 

I received my newly-refinished wheels already mounted on their new tires, so I was excited to get them back on the car. I was pleased to get the meaty look I was seeking, and this is how the car looked with the new combo with Eibach/Tokico suspension the car came with:

While, I had some mild engine management/fueling/boost control plans for the future (period-correct HKS VPC, Apexi S-AFC, Fields Harness, RC 550 injectors, MKIV Supra fuel pump, HKS EVC I and, maybe, an HKS Scramble Boost Controller), the car drives so well as is, I am in no hurry. Besides, it’s not like I had a lot of time to get things done.


SUSPENSION/BRAKES:
Even before I sent the wheels off for refinishing and ordered new tires, I had ordered the Arizona Performance BBK for the MKIII and the Tein Street Flex coilover suspension for the MA70.

The AZP BBK is anchored by the Wilwood Aero 6 6-piston caliper, with 14.25-inch slotted rotors up front, and the Wilwood FSLI 4 4-piston caliper out back, along with a 12.88-inch slotted rotor. Like all manufacturers, Wilwood has its sacred production protocols which are almost impossible to break. That said, Andy Zimmerle, of Arizona Performance, and Miguel Jimenez, of Wilwood and SIV fame, worked extremely hard to get me what I wanted. The first part of my order consisted of gloss black powder coating on the rear FLSI caliper. While gloss black powder coating was standard for the Aero 6 caliper up front, it was a custom order for the FLSI caliper out back. It gets worse.

I wanted the Wilwood script on the logos to match perfectly the exterior color of the car (Super Red; 3E5). After receiving detailed descriptions from Andy about the colors normally offered by Wilwood for its various kits, and how the production line would be impacted by my order, Miguel (Wilwood employee) was able to gain approval of my “custom” order and bird dog the order internally from start to finish.

After ordering the AZP BBK, I received the kit four weeks from the day I ordered it. To make matters even better, Andy Zimmerle had recently accepted a position with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. With family still in Arizona, Andy spent his weekends traveling back and forth between Pasadena and Mesa, Arizona. So, how cool is it to have a NASA engineer offer to personally deliver the brakes to my home on his way to Pasadena from Mesa? Very cool, indeed! Considering how heavy the boxes were, Andy saved me a considerable shipping expense as a result, dropping off the two very heavy boxes late one Sunday evening.

Naturally, the next day, I had to take a quick peek at what I had purchased and this is what I saw:

At this point, I needed to decide who I would commission to install the coilover suspension and the BBK. I considered several well-known SoCali shops during this process though, unfortunately, MKIII expertise is no longer as prevalent as it once was for obvious reasons. After due consideration, I selected Kaizen Motorsports of La Habra, California after having detailed discussions regarding my desires and standards with its owner, Jose Valle, and two customers well known on SF, Mike Davis (MDSUPERSTAR) and Brent Huckaby (Rocketman R1000).

Truth be told, I had no concerns whatsoever about Jose’s experience, knowledge or expertise. His work and passion for our cars speaks for itself. My primary concern was the time it would take to complete the tasks I discussed with him (installation of BBK and coilovers), so Jose and I spent the better part of a Sunday afternoon discussing my need for a quick turnaround and reconciling our thoughts on this process. As with any well-laid plans, there is always a monkey in the wrench, but the delay encountered was handled in the best way possible.

Jose put the car on a lift out of harm’s way (and for inspection) as soon as I dropped her off:

During inspection, Jose discovered the ball joints were worn and should be replaced as part of the installation of the Tein coilovers. He sent me a couple vids of the creaky ball joints to confirm his finding. With the car not yet hitting 50,000 miles, we were both surprised by this. I came to understand that the causes for this can be age-related and mileage-related, one that he had seen before with cars that sat for inordinate periods of time (but, usually, with many more miles than this car).

Patrick Nail had put 12,000 miles in ten years on the car, so my best guess is that the car sat for longer than desired under the prior ownership. Interestingly, Jose’s analogy for this was “like standing on your feet all day” for days on end. Despite the low miles, the car is, in fact, 25-years old, so new OEM ball joints were ordered, received three days later and promptly installed along with the Tein suspension.

 

So, removing the OEM TEMS in the MKIII is no walk in the park. All of the forward panels in the rear hatch area are removed as part of this process. With these panels discontinued and no longer available, a mistake with one of them could not be undone. To this important task, Jose assigned his top assistant, who happens to be a neo-natal ICU nurse in real life.

Yes, you read that right. Jose’s girlfriend, a lady by the name of Leilani Tuano, is an incredibly intelligent and talented individual. Don’t believe me? Well, if her chosen profession is not evidence enough, check out the mil-spec harness in Mike Davis’ Casino Royale Supra. Yup, that is the handiwork of Leilani, as learned from the master himself. The night I picked up the car, Jose, Leilani and I had a long conversation about all things Supra and how Leilani came to do some of the best work ever on our beloved cars.

In response to my questions, she told me that, in a former life, the plumbing had gone bad in her home. With limited resources, Leilani wound up diagnosing and fixing the problem herself. The same thing happened with the front porch and the landscaping she designed and installed. All that, plus her neo-natal ICU nursing education, has produced one of the unlikeliest success stories in the Supra aftermarket. Here’s pic of Leilani doing work in the rear hatch area of my car, some depicting the panels removed and another of the harness now installed in Mike Davis’ car:

A moth that may have come down the assembly line:

Leilani’s incredible harnesses:

Patrick Nail had fairly recently upgraded the OEM brakes with StopTech slotted rotors, stainless steel brake lines and Porterfield R4 pads. While the car stopped well for a MKIII, Patrick mentioned, and I noticed right away, that multiple high speed braking events taxed the brakes beyond my comfort level. All my cars have Brembo, StopTech or Wilwood (Celica Supra) BBKs. I am used to excellent, repeatable stopping power from high speeds so, what seemed like excellent braking when I bought my new MKIII turbo in 1990 doesn’t seem so top shelf in 2016. Time for a BBK upgrade, front and rear.

Patrick and Andy Zimmerle, of Arizona Performance, had had prior discussions regarding the AZP 6-pot/4-pot BBK and had concluded there would be no clearance issues with the 18-inch 5Zigen Pro Racer GN wheels on the car. Their determination, I believe, came from a Wilwood 6-pot caliper clearing another 5Zigen wheel on Andy’s personal car with no issues. After looking at the wheels once they were removed for refinishing, I agreed with their conclusion, as did Roger Reyes. Events would prove us wrong, however.

I received a text and pics from Jose, informing me of a clearance problem in the front. It wasn’t a major, build-stopping problem, but any clearance issue is significant no matter how you cut it. Here’s one of the pics Jose sent me showing what we were up against:

When I saw pics of the Wilwood calipers on Andy’s car, I immediately noticed the 6-pot caliper on his car was dimensionally smaller than the calipers on my car. Time marches on, however, and the Aero 6 6-pot caliper is Wilwood’s latest and greatest. The Aero 6 also makes improvements to previous 6-pot caliper offerings from Wilwood. As a consequence, apparently, the caliper’s physical dimensions were increased.

Another factor contributing to the clearance issue was wheel taper. At the inside edge of the wheel, visually, it does not appear clearance would be an issue and that is, in fact, the case. This is like counting your blessings too soon, however, because the wheel tapers inward, creating a clearance problem I did not anticipate. Jose and Andy consulted with one another throughout this process. As a result, a neat, tidy and structurally-sound solution was devised as shown by the pics below:

Now, it must be said that the wheel taper presented challenges to machining the bracket that Jose overcame by spending all day, and most of the evening, installing and removing brake components to ensure proper clearance and removal of as little material as absolutely necessary to accomplish our goal (with Andy’s engineering input), while accounting for the wheel taper that created the problem in the first place. This was really a top notch example of perseverance, craftsmanship and a perfectionist’s attention to detail that, ultimately, led me to Kaizen Motorports in the first place.

More challenges awaited us in connection with installation of the rear brakes, but we knew about these things in advance as part of AZP’s detailed instructions. Usually, when a Wilwood BBK is installed on a MKIII, the OEM dust shields are removed entirely, or bent out the way. At my request, Jose modified the shields fairly extensively, but not so much that their basic function could not be realized:

 

The semi-circular portion of the hub to the immediate right of the bracket is removed as part of the installation:

Almost there:

Done:

I picked up the car from Kaizen Motorsports on September 7, 2016. While there, I asked Jose if he had any recommendations for a performance alignment/corner balancing job, since West End Alignment and Evasive Motorsports, my usual go-to shops were booked solid to forever, it seemed. Jose mentioned a company by the name of Chewerks in the City of Industry.

As luck would have it, I knew the owner, Robert Choo, former editor-in-chief of Turbo magazine and himself an acclaimed suspension guru and race car builder. I called Robert the next day and made an appointment for September 12, 2016. In addition to the alignment and corner balancing, I also wanted to tweak the ride height, but not so much that rolling/trimming the fenders/panels would be necessary.

As most of you know, OEM alignment specs are virtually impossible to meet once a MKIII has been lowered. This did not concern me though, because I was not after OEM specs. After discussing with Robert my primary use of the car, we settled on specifications that will enable the car to turn and rotate better without ruining tires in the process. Here is Robert doing his thing:

After Robert Choo worked his magic, these were the results accomplished with the car’s new suspension set-up. I am very pleased with how everything turned out and how my goals were met without the need for body massaging.


ALIGNMENT/CORNER BALANCE RESULTS:

 

A FEW FINISHED PICS

If you’ve read this far, and even if you haven’t, you already know that Henderson can’t take pics. Keeping in mind that this is a build thread, as opposed to a beauty thread in the Members Rides section, you would still be right. That said, here are a few pics of the finished product. I plan to get a real photographer to take some good pics in the future but, for now, I hope this thread, and the pics contained in it, will work for you until the better pics come along:

WHY CRIMSON TIDE?

Well, if you must know, it’s not only because I found the car in Alabama. I also was born in Alabama, but I am not a University of Alabama Crimson Tide fan. That said, the car is red, the same color as my beloved 1990. I name all my cars, and I like the way Crimson Tide rolls off the tongue. So, born in Alabama, found the car in Alabama and the car is Super Red in color, all good enough reasons for me.

Peace,

Ken.

 

Gorgeous car, Ken! That condition is above and beyond, one of the cleanest MK3's.

Roll Tide!

 

Thanks, 220. IIRC, you're a 'Bama resident, right? The car is super clean.

Car is stunning Ken! Now you just need a 2000GT!

Many thanks, Tuan. I won't mind if you drop about $1.1 million on me for that 2000GT . Actually, Guilly sent me a pic of a REALLY nice replica of one that would lend itself very well to a 2jZ-GTE.

Beautiful and Extremely Rare

Ho'omaika'i 'ana!
(Congratulations)

I wouldn't have known what it meant without your interpretation, but I knew it would sound melodic whatever it meant. Thanks for the kind words.

Your MKIII is definitely stunningly beautiful :drool:.

Thanks, scoop. I wasn't sure one like this existed and there can't be many more left in this condition.....at least not for sale.

Great find Ken!

Wishing you well on Black Betty, Clint. Hoping you can wrap up your project real soon. Looking forward to meeting you for the first time, I think, next week.

Wow, great read

Thanks, bud. Much appreciated.

Ken.

 

Car is stunning Ken! Now you just need a 2000GT!

 

Beautiful and Extremely Rare

Ho'omaika'i 'ana!
(Congratulations)

 

Your MKIII is definitely stunningly beautiful :drool:.

 

Great find Ken!

 

I'm so happy for you, brother! I didn't think MKIII's could be found in this condition, the car is exceptional and the usual Henderson OCD treatment makes it even more so.

Well done, Ken.

 

My brother, glad the car meets with your approval. As said, I had pretty much given up the chase. This was actually very similar to other situations I experienced in life, usually work related, where backing off netted me the result I wanted in the first place.

We haven't talked in a minute, and I didn't see your name on the list of registrants. Am I going to see you next week?

Ken,

You take OCD to another level, in the best way possible. I cannot wait to see your latest hardtop next week and am certain there will be no disappointments whatsoever! What a great surprise for SIV 2016! :bigthumb:

You know, my friend. Without us realizing it at first, it's become kind of a tradition that Henderson has a Vegas meet surprise for Theodore. Glad you like it. I'm not sure whether the OCDness is a gift or a curse, but I have to say I'm liking the end result. See you in a few, my brother.

Steve,

Couldn't agree more. From start to finish, the attention to detail Ken provides to his Supra's is above everything.

Ken,

Congratulations on finding such a clean Supra! Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of a MKIII, but what a great example and a story to boot!

Morning coffee + This thread = Winning!

Alex,

Great words, and I thank you for them. Supras have gradually taken over my car-guy DNA over the years; not completely, but damn close! There's room in my mind for others, but not much!

Happy for you, Ken. As I read your write-up, I found myself missing my '89 show car. Hadn't felt that in many years. Looking forward to seeing you in Vegas next week - OK, and the car too ;-)

John,

Inspiration and fond memories. That's what we do. I noticed your RSP thread when I logged on to catch up with this thread. I'll be heading over there soon. Can't wait to see you, and the car too , next week.

LOVE the car!!!! Awesome and congrats! I knew it would turn out great, you are making me want to step up my MKIII game!

But in the future could you be a little more descriptive in your build threads? LOL, just kidding, I love reading your very detailed build threads! Can't wait to see it in Vegas!

All my brothers are in this thread! It's all your fault. Over the years, this guy has got me pumped up over hundreds of cars, whispering (and shouting), "Hey look at this!" "We need more garage space." "One of us needs to move closer to the other so we can go in together on vehicle storage space." "Maybe we can work out a deal if we go in on a 50/50 basis and....". You name it, and I can tell you, this guy has suggested it. It was his black '91 MKIII turbo that told me clean cars were still out there. It was just going to take a (long) while. See you next week, my friend.


Ken.

 

Ken,

You take OCD to another level, in the best way possible. I cannot wait to see your latest hardtop next week and am certain there will be no disappointments whatsoever! What a great surprise for SIV 2016! :bigthumb:

 

Ken,

You take OCD to another level, in the best way possible.

Steve,

Couldn't agree more. From start to finish, the attention to detail Ken provides to his Supra's is above everything.

Ken,

Congratulations on finding such a clean Supra! Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of a MKIII, but what a great example and a story to boot!

Morning coffee + This thread = Winning!

 

Wow, great read

 

Read so carefully I had to log-in again to post. Masterful find/buy/build thread Ken, superbly-done!

 

Thank you for the compliments. I'm pleased you think so highly of this thread. Thanks again.

Ken,

I am so glad to see you in a MK III. The ownership has split for the third gen. You have the owners who care for their cars and do everything right, and then you have the budget supra owner. And now, we have a new third level of owner, Ken.

Having been a 7M owner in the past, I am certain you are familiar, but be certain to never let it get low on oil, 1/2qt can lead to rod knock.

Look forward to seeing future pictures of this car in your stable!

Raven,

Thank you for the kind words and for the advice. My '90 car was brand new when I purchased her. I put 52k miles on her before selling her. I never had any issues, so I have had to educate myself as to how the cars evolved over the years, and what kind of long-term use issues became prevalent. I appreciate your advice about the oil level and, no matter how basic the information is, you can always send it my way to bolster my MKIII continuing education credits .

Nice work Ken......

Now you need to work on finding/building a garage for all the toys...

DP

Doug,

This is SO true. I'm actively looking for space that will accommodate four of my cars, maybe five in a pinch, with spare parts storage as well. Not easy.

Looks great Ken

Thanks, Miguel. Looking forward to seeing your new paint job and everything that comes with it.

amazing write up and im loving the crimson tide! RollTide!

Many thanks for your kind words. It's always a labor of love with our cars. Crimson Tide is no exception.

First off : War Eagle!
That said, may this Tide roll every weekend! (the other - not so much!)

Not surprised at the write-up detail - we now expect that from you, Ken.
I did chuckle at this phrase:
"so Jose and I spent the better part of a Sunday afternoon discussing my need for a quick turnaround"
Sounds like someone else I know!

Well, if it must be said, I'm a fan of the once great ,and hopefully great again in the near future, USC Trojans. Long ways to go, unfortunately, what with the continued negative interaction with law enforcement.

But, back to the fun stuff. You need to make SIV a bucket list item. I know you're in Mississippi, but we have guys coming from the east coast, Europe and The Netherlands, so you have no excuse!


Ken.

 

Happy for you, Ken. As I read your write-up, I found myself missing my '89 show car. Hadn't felt that in many years. Looking forward to seeing you in Vegas next week - OK, and the car too ;-)

 

LOVE the car!!!! Awesome and congrats! I knew it would turn out great, you are making me want to step up my MKIII game!

But in the future could you be a little more descriptive in your build threads? LOL, just kidding, I love reading your very detailed build threads! Can't wait to see it in Vegas!

 

Ken,

I am so glad to see you in a MK III. The ownership has split for the third gen. You have the owners who care for their cars and do everything right, and then you have the budget supra owner. And now, we have a new third level of owner, Ken.

Having been a 7M owner in the past, I am certain you are familiar, but be certain to never let it get low on oil, 1/2qt can lead to rod knock.

Look forward to seeing future pictures of this car in your stable!

 

Nice work Ken......

Now you need to work on finding/building a garage for all the toys...

DP

 

Looks great Ken

 

amazing write up and im loving the crimson tide! RollTide!