Supra build

[97sunvalier]

Hey StanceWorks its been a while. Some of you may remember my last build, the sunfire was pretty low and kind of wide but it needed all new bushings and bearings and after the ecu stopped working and i couldn't find one that would run it right i decided to get something new to build. I bought the Supra for stupid cheap a couple years ago with a rod knocking after I found it on craigslist, it was a solid car with no rust and a lot of potential. I rebuilt the engine with a new crank and bearings, rings, seals and gaskets and whatever else I saw that was needed while it was apart.
It pretty much looked like this when i got it

Drove it like that for a while and then dipped it black and got new wheels


Got more new wheels


Then I decided the wheels weren't nearly wide enough so started cutting stuff apart and making another set of wheels as normal people do. haha. I got a set of 10" wide ones banded and tacked together and then realized the rear wheels on my Supra can't be the same width as the rear wheels as my last front wheel drive car. So the 10's will be front wheels and why not go ridiculous in the rear, those will be 13" I haven't started on those yet but I have to get the wheels made so I can start on the body work to make them fit under the car there. There will be a lot of metal work to get everything to fit together I will keep this updated as i go. progress will hopefully be sort of fast, I'm feeling motivated to get things done
8" vs 10" vs stock fender.

Now that I have a build thread going I will try to remember to take my camera and not use my phone to take pics

[craig825]

Off to a good start! What part of West Virginia are you from? I lived in Parkersburg for 10 years and Morgantown for 4 years.

[97sunvalier]

Off to a good start! What part of West Virginia are you from? I lived in Parkersburg for 10 years and Morgantown for 4 years.

I'm originally from Calhoun County, there is nothing there. haha. but I have been in Huntington for a few years now.

Small update. I cut and rolled the metal for my rear wheels and I finally got a tank for my mig welder so I can start welding stuff soon. Hopefully there will be something worth posting about in the next few days

[97sunvalier]

Just a pic of one the 10" wheels for the front next to the 5" pieces for the rear wheels and a shot of how it fits together. Also the wheels will probably weigh as much as the car but I'm pretty sure the offset of the rear wheels will be somewhere in the -80's so it will totally be worth it

[97sunvalier]

For those of you who have ever driven a car with sealed beam headlights you will know they are horrible and also when they are flip ups they are huge and don't flow with the car at all. So anything I could do to the lights would make them better. Insert led's, custom brackets. and cut down headlight motor arms and rods. everything fits perfectly they close flat and open to the proper height. As and added bonus to this the car looks better and my nighttime visibility is so much better. I was worried about them being obnoxious and blinding people but everybody says they aren't bad (long exposure makes them look sort of bad)

[TWM Performance]

Oh wow, that looks awesome.

- Renato

[Robitussin]

That is going to be the most insane banded steelie i have ever seen.

[padraigmk3]

Some tips from one Supra owner to another:

Fitting -80 offset 13" wheels:

You're gonna have a bad time.

You'll need to add an overfender or flare, and then hammer or section the inside of the wheel arch. This is kind of a nightmare because of the metal support that connects to the strut tower.

You'll also need to run more camber, and the double wishbone setup on these make toe-in un-drivable unless you go all aftermarket arms and links.

Also, you didn't explicitly state wether you like to drive this car hard or not, but if you do then the MK3 likes a symmetrical wheel/tire setup. 13" -80 offset will make you understeer.

Widened steel wheels:
The targa top version of these cars routinely weigh 3,650 lbs+ so adding in some gigantic banded steel wheels is going to make stopping and accelerating this thing painful unless you upgrade the brakes. This looks like the GE version so upgrading to the stock GTE brakes is the minimum of what I would do.

"flip ups ... are huge and don't flow with the car at all."
I'd disagree 900% but that's a style preference so you do you


I love these cars when they're done wide & black and I like the direction you're going. I really hope this turns out as amazing as you're envisioning. Just be prepared to pay a lot for parts, these cars aren't cheap to maintain or modify drastically.

Good luck!!!

[97sunvalier]

Oh wow, that looks awesome.

- Renato

Thanks, hopefully it will look much better when I'm done with it

That is going to be the most insane banded steelie i have ever seen.

I figured it would be much cheaper to make my own wheels than it would be to order a custom set with ridiculous specs. haha

Some tips from one Supra owner to another:

Fitting -80 offset 13" wheels:

You're gonna have a bad time.

You'll need to add an overfender or flare, and then hammer or section the inside of the wheel arch. This is kind of a nightmare because of the metal support that connects to the strut tower.

You'll also need to run more camber, and the double wishbone setup on these make toe-in un-drivable unless you go all aftermarket arms and links.

Also, you didn't explicitly state wether you like to drive this car hard or not, but if you do then the MK3 likes a symmetrical wheel/tire setup. 13" -80 offset will make you understeer.

Widened steel wheels:
The targa top version of these cars routinely weigh 3,650 lbs+ so adding in some gigantic banded steel wheels is going to make stopping and accelerating this thing painful unless you upgrade the brakes. This looks like the GE version so upgrading to the stock GTE brakes is the minimum of what I would do.

"flip ups ... are huge and don't flow with the car at all."
I'd disagree 900% but that's a style preference so you do you


I love these cars when they're done wide & black and I like the direction you're going. I really hope this turns out as amazing as you're envisioning. Just be prepared to pay a lot for parts, these cars aren't cheap to maintain or modify drastically.

Good luck!!!

I watched your build from the beginning so I'm hoping this turns out as awesome as yours. I haven't decided what color I want to do, but it will either be a dark color or really bright and obnoxious, there can be no in the middle with a build like this.

I did get one front wheel welded up and got at tire mounted on it. I really need to round up some parts and make a cheetah tank. It took me 2 evenings after work to get that tire on the bead with some bicycle tubes. 225/45 on a 17x10. I need new tires but these will work for mock up and building the body around.

[delvin]

You are insane sir, the good kind tho

[97sunvalier]

You are insane sir, the good kind tho

Thanks, I think. haha I get ideas in my head sometimes and just have to do things to get them out.

I almost finished making a cheetah tank after work today I have about $60 in it. Got the 5 gallon tank at harbor freight, and the 1.25" valve and pipe at lowes. The tank had a perfect indent in the end to center the pipe in so I cut a hole and cut the end off the pipe and welded that together. I still need to do something with the end pipe to help direct the air into the tire but that will maybe be tomorrow's project depending on the weather.

[97sunvalier]

I finished my cheetah tank I just flattened the end of the pipe a little to help the air flow into the tire better. It works pretty good a 100psi blast got the tire up on the bead and 55psi in the tire seated both sides with no leaks. I also took the jack stand out of the back to see my ride height and how much work i will actually have to do to make them fit. It is actually pretty close and I might be able to just pull the front but if not I will cut and weld and make it work. and now for everyone's favorite part the pics of progress. haha

[storey618]

psht! you can totally roll your fender to fit that!

[97sunvalier]

psht! you can totally roll your fender to fit that!

In my mind it was going to be much harder to get everything to fit. The rear will probably be a bit more complicated.

I got the other front wheel welded up today and got a tire put on it. The cheetah tank makes mounting tires so much easier. Tomorrow I think I am going to start on the rear wheels. But it will be a while before I get them mounted I still have to order tires for them. i did some calculations and a 285/40/17 should give me about the same stretch as the front tires. If anyone has any good places to order tires or knows of a better size that would work let me know.

[97sunvalier]

Both front wheels are on the car with tires mounted. They still need balanced but I'll do that later when I do the rears and paint them. I also got one of the rears tacked together and mocked up on the car and the last one is cut apart and ready to be put together. I'm going to have a lot of work to do to make the rears fit.