Project Red American Beauty - UK Auto TT

[Sheefa]

Hi all

 

As some of you know, I decided after much deliberation to trade my old U.K. Spec Big Turbo Manual in for this lovely U.K. Spec Auto TT. The rationale for my decision was quite simple, I loved the thrill and excitement of a big single and my car was very reliable, but I didn’t really use it much due to family commitments and work and maintaining a high performance car does get very expensive. There was also the fear factor of something going wrong. Knowing a problem with the fully forged engine, turbo, fuels system could set me back thousands when I have many other commitments, the sensible choice was to sell up given the current premium prices. Don’t get me wrong I miss my old car so, so much, but alas here I am. In fact the thing I really miss is knowing I can destroy 99% of cars on the road driving my old Silver Beast. She was capable of 900bhp plus quite easily and I'm sure the new owner Lee will push her to the limits!

 

Originally I was going to take the full cash but after much discussion with the better half and Lee (former owner and now owner of my old silver beast) I decided to exchange with cash my way. Going from an 800bhp Supra to stock feels unbelievably slow let me tell you, BUT just look at that damn colour !! She is absolutely beautiful. The car is near stock at the moment but there are a number of things that need doing to return her to as best pure OEM as possible and in order to get her into a showroom state.^

 

The car is a UK 1994 Automatic TT with all the usual luxuries like Beige Leather Heated Seats, Cruise Control, Beige carpet, stronger turbos and larger injectors etc. She has covered 96,000 miles and is in very good condition. The car drives smoothly and pulls very well. The condition on the exterior is immaculate and inside too is very clean. I am now the 5th owner.^

 

So, why the thread title......? Well quite simple really I am returning this car into pure stock form and in forecourt condition ready for export to the USA next year when she hits 25 years young. I’m convinced prices will continue to rise for all examples, especially stock, and this car is a short term play for me. If all goes to plan and I sell up for a healthy price I will then either :

 

A) place my order for the new MKV Supra depending on spec and final reviews or;

B) build my own Single Turbo Manual from scratch, something I have always dreamed of doing.^

 

We’ll see how things progress over the next 6-12 months but for now I have a growing list of things to do and have already begun multiple part purchases. There are a number of Issues/Niggles I’ve noticed and am sorting over next few months:

 

*** All Interior dash panels have been flocked. It’s a great job and they do look nice but they’re not OEM so I’ll be replacing these accordingly. Ideally someone has a pre-facelift with original panels in good stock and they want to trade!

 

*** Red LEDs in all HVAC controls, clock, odometer, ignition barrel, drivers windows switch etc. Again ideally looking to swap with a member for stock green.

 

*** Moman Dials - really not a fan of these, in fact far too garish for me. Thankfully they are just overlays on top of the original dials with three wires into the ignition to source the lighting so they will be removed and all will be returned to OEM.

 

*** Engine bay needs a good clean and tidy. There are red Vacuum hoses in the bay which will all be replaced and all Red silicone and polished pipe work will also be removed from stock. I have all the stock parts that are in good condition too thankfully.^

 

*** Rear Quarter Glasses - unfortunately both rear quarters have oil contamination on them from storage and whilst I am removing it gradually through a lot of painstaking scraping, the rears will be replaced with brand new glass shortly. I ordered from TCB and am awaiting delivery. There was also some very slight overspray from the repaint which was niggling me so doing this is the right thing

 

*** Rocker cover gasket leak - small oil leak here which will be resolved with all new gaskets etc as part of the main underside restoration

 

*** Full underside restoration. The car was Waxoyl’d back in 2013 and the job was fine but there is some surface rust showing through so it needs a tidy. The wheel areas are completely clean and overall it’s just cosmetic and it was fully inspected by James at Performance@Hart on his ramps. However, it will be getting the FULL treatment with a total strip back, Dinitrol and Raptor protection.

 

*** The current suspension is Stock UK and whilst it’s comfortable it is a little floaty. Therefore I have purchased some nearly new Bilsteins and Eibach shocks to go on. I will then inspect the OEM suspension, refurb if needed and dry store for when I do come to sell and refit

 

Anyway, onto some much needed pictures! She has a massive history file and thankfully a number of things have been replaced with new over the 12+ years which I will detail on the next page.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Greg

 

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Sheefa (see edit history)

[Sheefa]

History of the Car:

 

Thankfully she has a very extensive service history and everything checks out perfectly. Quick summary as follows:

 

Full Toyota Service History from new in 1994 through to 2004 - All Stamped

2004 – 2010: Servicing by Japanese Specialist DS Automotive - Stamped with all invoices

2012 - 2015: Servicing and Respray by KDS Detailing - All invoiced

2016 - Servicing by Tim @ TB Developments

2018 Ongoing - Servicing by James @ Performance HART

 

James will be the reportable trader I will have carrying out the majority, if not all, of the work as necessary to get this vehicle in showroom condition.

 

The car was fully restored on the exterior back in 2013 with a Respray costing a fraction under £6k. Since then she has only covered a few thousand miles, with only 600 in the last 2 1/2 years! The paint is in immaculate condition. Full original thread on the Respray here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=294432

 

A number of critical parts have been replaced over the years too and I’ve gone through all the receipts/invoices/past slips and documented everything in the attached picture. Nice to know she benefits from new components like Shock Absorbers, Stock Airbox, SMIC, OEM Radiator, Lower Control Arms, Aircon Unit, Brake Calipers, Fuel Pump etc. Most of these parts have covered no more than 20k miles since fitment, many only a few thousand miles.

 

No doubt when the underside restoration is being undertaken then new parts will be needed but I am confident that the car is already in a very solid condition and it will not take much to get her up to a showroom finish inside, outside, mechanically and underneath.

 

Thanks

Greg

Edited October 22, 2018 by Sheefa (see edit history)

[Sheefa]

So, I decided last week as I was in Sussex with work to drive the Supra. All I can say is wow!! She covered 475 miles in all and didn't put a foot wrong. It was truly a joy to drive, so comfortable yet quick and effortless. I was grinning from ear to ear when I got home

 

Given I was in Sussex it would of been rude not to go and see Lee and the team at SRD, oh and go for a cheeky stock power run . I thought it would be nice to do a health check and see just how strong the girl was. Dynos do push cars to their limits and so I was a little apprehensive but had absolutely no reason to be. The girl did brilliantly.

 

On the first pass she made around 265bhp at the wheels on just over 8psi boost which was OK. It was then Lee noticed that when the old Boost Controller was removed the Stock Boost Solenoid that was capped off wasn't reconnected Quick 5 minute job to sort the Vacuum line and another run.....

 

She made 300 at the wheels at stock boost 11.47psi (0.8 bar) which is around 385 fly power give or take. The print out of 405 fly is a blip really. I was over the moon with this power output given it only has a Cat removed :-) See comparison graphs. She looked fabulous on the rollers too! Nice knowing I have a solid car

 

The drive back from SRD was much better. All credit to Lee and the team as always, what a fantastic Dyno setup too. I couldn't recommend highly enough.

 

Now she's back home after a good wash and I'll be detailing and sorting interior etc in the evenings this week.

 

Link to Dyno video:

 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Greg

 

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Sheefa (see edit history)

[Sheefa]

Saved for Updates

 

 

 

[PJJ]

Nice start to a thread there Greg, look forward to your updates mate.

[Sheefa]

Thanks buddy.

 

 

[Karl M N]

That’s bound to fetch some big money out in the US. Wish my UK spec interior held up as well as yours has.

[Scooter]

Do you think it'll go for much more than a J-spec RHD? What are you hoping for mid $30K's?

[Sheefa]

Interior is pretty good, some wear on the drivers bolster as usual but generally I would say good condition.

 

Anything around £25,000 would be a bonus. I will need to spend about £2k getting up to a totally showroom standard but that’s just the underside.

 

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by Sheefa (see edit history)

[Marcus GTE]

Nice car and write up. Looks like it’ll be well cared for

[blythmrk]

Are you returning the oem lip to black?

Looks good I do like red on a Uk car

[Sheefa]

Are you returning the oem lip to black?

Looks good I do like red on a Uk car[emoji106]

Yes Mark. I have the original Black Lip too so will swap over once it's all cleaned up and I crack on with the underside restoration over Winter.

Nice car and write up. Looks like it’ll be well cared for

Thanks Marcus, it sure will! Plenty of Greg love in a non-explicit way !

 

 

[Hemanhead]

I'm sure the yanks won't give a flying feck about that being UK spec mate, end of the day it's RHD, I'd keep it over here or Europe.

[Sheefa]

If they don't then they don't mate! Nothing to lose. Problem with my old one is I refused to get it resprayed given it was a UK car and if I did end up keeping this then it would be sacrilege to tamper with it so it would have to go!

 

 

[Kendo11]

Nkce write up and good thread. I applaud you for doing so openly what most of us are thinking haha

 

 

[ARPUS]

It looks like a great car Greg.

I considered buying it when club member Mr. U had it for sale, but something in the back of my mind said .... don't.

I ended up buying exactly the same car, that I'd sold and immediately regretted selling, 18 months previously.

It's also a Red UK spec auto and I've recently spent a lot of money on it and will post the restoration story with photos soon.

Steve ( ARPUS )

[drew 007]

Looks a good starting point Greg, all the best with it buddy.

[Marcus GTE]

I actually missed the part about exporting to the US. Excited to see how you get on.

 

Have you looked into what requirements if any need to be met with regards to modifications? Ie is it like some countries like Norway where it has to be how it left the factory etc? (hence why you’re returning it to OEM)

 

Also a thought that crossed my mind with the whole USA 25 year rule; does that include California?, because I know their emissions requirements are quite strict. Reason for asking is because the UK Spec has an egr on it (reason for the hood scoop)to meet European emissions that were stricter than Japan at the time (I believe)

 

Point being would a UK/ EURO spec model be eligible in California also? A place where there is a huge USmarket.

[blythmrk]

I actually think we may end up exporting back to Japan!, they are RHD as we well know. Prices there are higher than here atm especially for good examples.

[SupraTRD_MK4]

Beautiful car mate. Really a fresh looking car. Should put it away in storage at a Toyota Museum lol.

[Style]

Looks to be in amazing condition mate. Looking forward to seeing how this one progresses

[Sheefa]

Thanks guys must appreciated. She is lovely.

 

I've not looked into the full details of exporting if I'm honest but it's something I will explore further over winter. If prices are stale then I'll keep her and cherish for years.

 

Updated to follow soon.

 

 

[Sheefa]

So met a former Supra owner called Chris near Reading to pick up these lovely stock 17” alloys with centre caps. They are in good all round condition with just some kerbing around the edges and at £150 a bargain really. They will need a full strip back and respray so I sent them to my local guy who does an excellent job of powder coating so that’ll be another £160.

 

 

They’ll be mint by the time they’re done in a few weeks running some newish classic rubber at the rears ! Managed to bag these beauties off eBay which are in excellent condition. I’ll keep the Arrowspeed front tyres for now until I can find a similar Michelin set.

 

Plan is to run my current set of 17”s which are absolutely mint and have a spare set on the shelf in pristine condition for shows etc.

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by Sheefa (see edit history)

[Sheefa]

QUICK UPDATE:

 

Car will be up for sale and ready in the next two weeks. I haven't had the chance to complete the work as unfortunately Littlenum (James @ Performance@Hart) has been stacked out but parts have been purchased and I'm willing to either have sorted or b) sell at reduced price with parts.

 

Thread to follow.