BillTheCat
Member
- :
- 2009 Mazdaspeed3 Sport
WARNING. LONG POST.
Not displacing the Mazdaspeed3 yet, but the Grey Ghost will soon have to take turns as my daily driver with the last car I will ever buy. I'll be hanging the "for sale" sign on the Speed3 perpetually until I find a buyer- probably 2-3 years down the road, I imagine. Much as I love it, I just don't need 2 cars.
Here's the scoop...
Ever since I was 13 years old & my Dad came within a millisecond of buying a 1985 Toyota Supra, but had to settle for a Celica GT-S, I have had a raging woody for Supras. (He had to skip the Supra because GEICO classified it as a Sportscar and refused to insure it- they were anal back then. It was only a 145-hp naturally aspirated straight 6, for cryin' out loud.)
I owned a 1990 Supra Turbo for a while, replaced several head gaskets & had a pro do a full engine rebuild on the 7M-GTE (turbo) powerplant, and it blew up again less than a year later. Ditched it like a bad girlfriend with the herps. Regretted it ever since.
For a few years I have been contemplating either buying a MKIV ('93-'98) Supra with the powerful & reliable 2JZ-GTE twin turbo engine, but they are ridiculously expensive. So I have been looking into buying a MKIII ('86.5-'92) and replacing the 7M-GTE with the 2JZ-GTE. Been doing a LOT of research, and decided that it might be wiser to go for a 1JZ-GTE, which was the forerunner of the famed 2JZ-GTE, but was never used for the U.S. market.
7M-GTE = 3.0 litre inline 6, single turbo, 232 hp stock
1JZ-GTE = 2.5 litre inline 6, twin turbo, 280 hp stock
2JZ-GTE = 3.0 litre inline 6, twin turbo, 320hp stock
The 1JZ-GTE was used in the MKIII Supra, but only in Japan & Australia. But the front end is the same, and the 1JZ-GTE motor mounts line up perfectly with the subframe on all MKIII Supras, regardless of their country of origin.
The 1JZ-GTE doesn't have the 1,400 hp potential of the 2JZ-GTE, but it'll handle 5-600hp before you have to start tearing down the engine to go with forged internals, etc. I doubt I'll ever want to go past 4-500hp, so I could save a good chunk of change by using the 1JZ-GTE- it's cheaper to acquire, and bolts up more easily into the MKIII frame, so less labor involved.
Well, as I searched for a nicely maintained MKIII Supra to begin my project, I found one already done that looks like a wiener. It's a 1992 Supra, originally a non-turbo. The previous owner had the 1JZ-GTE swap done, and done right- he not only swapped in the turbo gauge cluster, but the turbo 5-speed transmission, drive shaft & rear end.
This particular car is a little rare for 2 reasons. First, 1992 was a short production year, as Toyota shut the line down early to re-tool for the MKIV production run. Plus, 1992 was the only year that the MKIII was available in Teal, which is a gorgeous color on this car, IMHO. Nobody knows for sure how many teal MKIII's were actually made, but likely less than 3-400, total, as production estimates for the entire model year range from 1,400-2,100.
And I sent my deposit to a very helpful gent in Kentucky today. I'll be flying up & driving home over one of the next 2 weekends. Wheelbase & weight are nearly identical to the Mazdaspeed3. With the 1JZ-GTE engine, horsepower is also almost identical, comparing stock to stock. The 1JZ-GTE, however, should add 2-3mpg above the Mazdaspeed3. Go figure- add 2 cylinders, step back 17 years, and get better mileage without sacrificing power. Oh, and I switch from FWD to RWD.
The car was owned by this gentleman for several years, but he gifted it to his 20-something son for a while. The kid had a bit of the boy racer in him & added some gaudy carbon fiber bits, all of which have been removed & replaced with the original parts- which his Dad insisted be stored carefully in the garage. Thank gawd.
Known issues I will have to deal with:
1- Valve seals will need to be replaced, as the car will blow some blue smoke on start-up occasionally. Not horribly unusual for this engine.
2- Speedo reads about 10-15% slower than actual. Will get that corrected, probably 1st on the list, actually.
3- Paint, while shiny & all in the photos, is showing some age & will require a respray before too long.
4- Radio antenna stuck at half mast. I've replaced this unit before, no sweat.
So... pics...
Ignore the carbon fiber disaster between the windshield & front bumper...
Fresh leather in the interior. Score!
Got a fart can HKS Drager exhaust... will have to see how it sounds & decide if it can stay... I will not have my car screaming "riceboy!" from half a mile away... bad enough that it looks like a grapefruit launcher...
White gauge faces aren't for everyone, but I like them... the a-pillar pod, well, that may have to go eventually. Too ricey.
Nice clean install of the 1JZ. If I hadn't told you it didnt belong there, most of you would never notice, right?
List of new parts & ugrades...
New parts: All with less then 5,000 miles on them.
Clutch
Rear main seal
Rack and Pinion, tie rods
Recapped ECU
Spark Plugs
Valve Cover Gaskets
Exhaust
Shocks and Springs
Rear and Front Window Trim
Brake calipers with pads and rotors
Interior
Custom redone 2-tone leather seats
New Dash
White face gauges
Autometer boost gauge
Autometer AFR gauge w/ wideband O2 sensor
JDM rear carpet kit
Exterior
JDM Kouki tail lights
Front signal covers GB (Group Buy on supraforums.com)
Euro front signals
Rear & Front 2.5 emblem
Performance
HKS intake
HKS Drager Exhaust
HKS SSQV BOV
Greddy intercooler kit with hard pipes
Greddy Downpipe
Greddy FCD (Fuel Cut Defender)
Greddy Speed limiter
Greddy turbo timer
JIC Magic Strut bar
KOYO Radiator
Brembo slotted brake rotors
Not displacing the Mazdaspeed3 yet, but the Grey Ghost will soon have to take turns as my daily driver with the last car I will ever buy. I'll be hanging the "for sale" sign on the Speed3 perpetually until I find a buyer- probably 2-3 years down the road, I imagine. Much as I love it, I just don't need 2 cars.
Here's the scoop...
Ever since I was 13 years old & my Dad came within a millisecond of buying a 1985 Toyota Supra, but had to settle for a Celica GT-S, I have had a raging woody for Supras. (He had to skip the Supra because GEICO classified it as a Sportscar and refused to insure it- they were anal back then. It was only a 145-hp naturally aspirated straight 6, for cryin' out loud.)
I owned a 1990 Supra Turbo for a while, replaced several head gaskets & had a pro do a full engine rebuild on the 7M-GTE (turbo) powerplant, and it blew up again less than a year later. Ditched it like a bad girlfriend with the herps. Regretted it ever since.
For a few years I have been contemplating either buying a MKIV ('93-'98) Supra with the powerful & reliable 2JZ-GTE twin turbo engine, but they are ridiculously expensive. So I have been looking into buying a MKIII ('86.5-'92) and replacing the 7M-GTE with the 2JZ-GTE. Been doing a LOT of research, and decided that it might be wiser to go for a 1JZ-GTE, which was the forerunner of the famed 2JZ-GTE, but was never used for the U.S. market.
7M-GTE = 3.0 litre inline 6, single turbo, 232 hp stock
1JZ-GTE = 2.5 litre inline 6, twin turbo, 280 hp stock
2JZ-GTE = 3.0 litre inline 6, twin turbo, 320hp stock
The 1JZ-GTE was used in the MKIII Supra, but only in Japan & Australia. But the front end is the same, and the 1JZ-GTE motor mounts line up perfectly with the subframe on all MKIII Supras, regardless of their country of origin.
The 1JZ-GTE doesn't have the 1,400 hp potential of the 2JZ-GTE, but it'll handle 5-600hp before you have to start tearing down the engine to go with forged internals, etc. I doubt I'll ever want to go past 4-500hp, so I could save a good chunk of change by using the 1JZ-GTE- it's cheaper to acquire, and bolts up more easily into the MKIII frame, so less labor involved.
Well, as I searched for a nicely maintained MKIII Supra to begin my project, I found one already done that looks like a wiener. It's a 1992 Supra, originally a non-turbo. The previous owner had the 1JZ-GTE swap done, and done right- he not only swapped in the turbo gauge cluster, but the turbo 5-speed transmission, drive shaft & rear end.
This particular car is a little rare for 2 reasons. First, 1992 was a short production year, as Toyota shut the line down early to re-tool for the MKIV production run. Plus, 1992 was the only year that the MKIII was available in Teal, which is a gorgeous color on this car, IMHO. Nobody knows for sure how many teal MKIII's were actually made, but likely less than 3-400, total, as production estimates for the entire model year range from 1,400-2,100.
And I sent my deposit to a very helpful gent in Kentucky today. I'll be flying up & driving home over one of the next 2 weekends. Wheelbase & weight are nearly identical to the Mazdaspeed3. With the 1JZ-GTE engine, horsepower is also almost identical, comparing stock to stock. The 1JZ-GTE, however, should add 2-3mpg above the Mazdaspeed3. Go figure- add 2 cylinders, step back 17 years, and get better mileage without sacrificing power. Oh, and I switch from FWD to RWD.
The car was owned by this gentleman for several years, but he gifted it to his 20-something son for a while. The kid had a bit of the boy racer in him & added some gaudy carbon fiber bits, all of which have been removed & replaced with the original parts- which his Dad insisted be stored carefully in the garage. Thank gawd.
Known issues I will have to deal with:
1- Valve seals will need to be replaced, as the car will blow some blue smoke on start-up occasionally. Not horribly unusual for this engine.
2- Speedo reads about 10-15% slower than actual. Will get that corrected, probably 1st on the list, actually.
3- Paint, while shiny & all in the photos, is showing some age & will require a respray before too long.
4- Radio antenna stuck at half mast. I've replaced this unit before, no sweat.
So... pics...
Ignore the carbon fiber disaster between the windshield & front bumper...
Fresh leather in the interior. Score!
Got a fart can HKS Drager exhaust... will have to see how it sounds & decide if it can stay... I will not have my car screaming "riceboy!" from half a mile away... bad enough that it looks like a grapefruit launcher...
White gauge faces aren't for everyone, but I like them... the a-pillar pod, well, that may have to go eventually. Too ricey.
Nice clean install of the 1JZ. If I hadn't told you it didnt belong there, most of you would never notice, right?
List of new parts & ugrades...
New parts: All with less then 5,000 miles on them.
Clutch
Rear main seal
Rack and Pinion, tie rods
Recapped ECU
Spark Plugs
Valve Cover Gaskets
Exhaust
Shocks and Springs
Rear and Front Window Trim
Brake calipers with pads and rotors
Interior
Custom redone 2-tone leather seats
New Dash
White face gauges
Autometer boost gauge
Autometer AFR gauge w/ wideband O2 sensor
JDM rear carpet kit
Exterior
JDM Kouki tail lights
Front signal covers GB (Group Buy on supraforums.com)
Euro front signals
Rear & Front 2.5 emblem
Performance
HKS intake
HKS Drager Exhaust
HKS SSQV BOV
Greddy intercooler kit with hard pipes
Greddy Downpipe
Greddy FCD (Fuel Cut Defender)
Greddy Speed limiter
Greddy turbo timer
JIC Magic Strut bar
KOYO Radiator
Brembo slotted brake rotors
