rider

The problem with trackers, the monitored kind, is they do tend to cost quite a bit to install and then have an annual subscription charge. I was told three years ago that most insurers require any car valued at more than £50k have a tracker fitted and operating. My Supra is agreed value covered for more than that so maybe that limit has been raised since I last discussed it with a broker/insurer. I personally wouldn't want to pay for a tracker to recover a car, if my Supra ever was stolen I'd prefer to not see it again and just receive the pay-out. I've had a stolen and recovered car in the past and with the changes to the car from before theft to after recovery I'd have strongly preferred if it had not been recovered.

There is always the buyers premium to add onto any price to arrive at the cost making the purchase price nearer to £18k. I wouldn't have gone with the SRD price guide myself but I would have expected a high mileage TT to still nudge closer to £20k before commission. There have been much lower mileage TT autos go for £25-£28k in the not too distant past and prices have slipped a little since then plus they were summer sales which does also make a difference. The auctioneers used are not what would be classed as first to mind classic car auctioneers so the audience would be limited over one of the many available higher profile options out there. So auctions do set the market price for iconic classic cars but there are several factors you can manipulate to get the best price. I'd put a lower than optimal price down to small shop window, a generally depressed car market condition and the seasonal timing of the sale. It's a price miss, but its not a massive miss. More a bargain than a steal.

That is a disappointing price. It'd be worth more than that in parts, the air box alone would be £250.

A few options on ebay.com https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2332490.m570.l1313&_nkw=87240-60140&_sacat=0

If you only plan on using the car in the dry then waxoil probably isn't really needed and it would hide away all the new paint which any onlookers or a future buyer would surely wow at, over say seeing yet another car with a black coated underside. There are other options that could well be worth having a look into seeing it is going to be an essentially dry use car. Some OEM's are fitting electronic rust modules to new cars as an aftermarket option so that could be a means to maintain the nice paint and where any rust then did happen by, that would be very apparent and could be nipped early. The jury is out on the impact of rust modules probably at least in part because they haven't been around for that long. It'd be an easy thing to fit neatly and it'd avoid the slopping around with waxoyl to contend with on yourself and your garage floor. It is something I'd consider on a full body respray shell.

Looking at the body, you might want to ask Lee if he has a plan when he rebuilt that white Supra from the ground up. It'd make sense if there was a written plan of action to tick off as you go along and no point toiling over that if SRD have a tried and proven one to hand. I can see you are going to have hours of fun ahead.

The floppy ball joint is usually a sign of some ball wear but I've had stiff ball joints that vibrate like hell. The only way to guarantee if a ball joint has too much wear is the use a pry bar and see/hear if it knocks as you lift and drop to rise and lower the joint pressure. Even if there is no sign of wear, a ball joint can still be no good. I've never rescued a ball joint by packing in more grease through a nipple or by injecting through the rubber boot. As for ball joints, Dorman manufacture a lot of different size ball joints though these days they are probably Chinese or Mexican third party produced rather than USA manufactured products. RockAuto distribute a good amount of Dorman products. Andy Ven offers a reasonably priced replacement service though. https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/dorman,ball+joint,10070

I'm interested in a wiper motor to have as a spare if its the front, not the rear.

On vintage cars, which the Supra now is, you hear/read this sometimes becoming an issue and it can be something simple like a worn ignition barrel. Maybe someone can give some tips on hotwiring the fuel and ignition circuits that would pinpoint if that is your problem. I could tell you how to hotwire an MGB but I've never tried it on a Supra.

Just wear white cotton gloves and don't drop the hammer.

Could well be that, seeing they moved three cars out of the way to get to yours. Maybe that is why the insurers are awaiting the police investigation result or closure.

It looks to be in good condition underside for not having anything done with that part. The lifting damage on the sills doesn't look bad at all and I'd expect to be able to straightened that out using some localised heat and a set of manly grips and clamps. Something probably best attempted with the carpet out, I wouldn't want those hollow fibres melting.

Did you buy this from their heritage division? What price and part number?

How was the car received by the general public at the NEC show?

I have a pre-facelift leather steering wheel (discontinued) for £1,200 that I refurbished and haven't got around to fitting on my own car. I put it down to being lazy. I have a set of OEM 17" wheels (discontinued) for £2,000 that I painted but haven't got around to adding rubber to them and putting onto my car. I know I'll get to it one day then they will be keepers. Both are cool, rare and essential for that premium OEM look. I did threads on this site for the steering wheel and road wheel refurbs so you can see the progress from starting point to the end result.

I'd keep hold of the clock and sell it as NOS at some point and retain a non butchered dash. There are quite a few clock repair videos online where dry or cracked solder joints are often the issue so an easy fix. If my clock stopped working, I have a spare but I'd also just melt all the solder joints on the failed one to check if the easy fix worked.

No one keeps a car for over 10 years unless its a good car. You should consider pushing it through a classic car auction where you can set a reserve that you are happy with and avoid the stress of dealing with the general public some of whom will just be having a day out.

With the vent I'm not convinced the foam backing is a good idea. When I took my underside apart the foam backing was sopping wet and a bit of a rust area as a consequence. If I planned on using my car in the wet then I'd have replaced it with a rubber seal or rubber sealant.

Should be the star exhibit at the NEC in November. It'd be worth considering some side stands to tilt the car with some underside lighting so punters could get a look at the underside as that is where 30 year old Supra's tend to vary these days. There is usually lots of offers to buy the cars off the display stand but any offers probably wouldn't get close to covering the rebuild costs you have incurred. Its a labour of love and to hell with the expense.

If its heading to Liverpool its probably already stripped or sitting in a container ready to ship. I'm sorry, I have nothing good to say about FJ. Bunch of crooks. I was only insured with them 2 days and that was 2 very expensive days. When my car was stolen insurance companies were more helpful, it was in the 1990's. I sent off a letter to the insurer about the car that was then missing about how it'd taken me ages to find one that good and what I felt it was worth. Their assessor agreed with my valuation and the insurance paid up within a week of the required month wait period to see if it was recovered. I really do doubt that the former 1 month wait is now SOP to 6 months. From the AA insurance website "Most insurers will wait for 30 days before paying out on a stolen car claim". Aegon have a terrible reputation so good luck, on Trustpilot 40% of reviews are 1 star. If you could give no starts then they would probably be no star ratings. I now only go with insurers that get top reviews which is usually more expensive but less hassle if you need to claim. If you are not on an agreed value policy then prepare yourself to be bitterly disappointed with a shitty settlement offer so that anything better becomes a bonus. There is always the ombudsman that you can refer companies to if the service is poor and settlement offer particularly bad. Make sure you keep copies of all for sale ads on PH and the likes and record any sale prices achieved for Mk4 Supra's at the various auctions around the UK. This will be all useful backing to argue your case with the insurer or to the ombudsman. I have used ombudsman services twice and both times I got what I wanted plus compensation and interest for being dicked around but these were both backed by a compelling case file put together by me. If you don't have time or inclination to do the groundwork, to gather the information, then its probably not something that will get you very far. I'm a litigious bastard against unscrupulous opposition so its something that comes easy to me.

toyodiy is a live site.

It may be worth adding info on the spec of the build, that way if parts start to appear on certain platforms then that could lead somewhere. Any serial numbers you have, for the engine etc. Unless its recovered quickly its probably going to get stripped for parts. I've had two cars stolen in 40 years, one was recovered within 2 days parked up (because a resident complained to the council it was in their space) and the other was never seen or heard of again. With the one that was never recovered I saw it being driven off and walked quickly over to the police station within 5 minutes of it going. They weren't interested in putting out a call to patrols on a theft that had just occurred. They really are that useless. With the one that was recovered, I wish it hadn't been as they barrelled the car and broke the steering lock so I then had different keys for the ignition. You do need to check with your insurer that they won't look to push any claim onto the garages insurers. I have a mechanic matey who has a traders insurance policy and had him check for him driving or storing my car. Answer came back market value which on we buy any car is £225 for a TT6 Supra. I now won't leave my car overnight with any third party or let them drive it other than doing a MOT brake test because insurance cover could be a nightmare issue with third party insurers involved. Hopefully you have a sympathetic insurer if it does come down to a claim for damage or total loss on the vehicle.

I've used Yam6 for parts and never had a problem. Its always useful to those who work on their cars to know where is the go to place as the traditional outlet forum favourites like Toyota Oxford and TCB fade away.

There are some options reserved for paid up members.

Denso have discontinued the A80 condenser so the only option is to prise one out from someone's garage shelf with a very generous offer or buy a Koyorad one but that requires you recycle the mounting brackets from an old condenser to mount on the car. So, if you don't have an old condenser to hand you are a bit screwed. The OEM Denso one used to be available through retailers for £40. Those were the days. Whifbitz push out the Koyorad condenser for £460 + delivery.