My next vehicle

[BillTheCat]

Over the last few days, most of my Supra suspension refresh parts have arrived. Lots of goodies on the living room floor. (Temporarily) New Bilstein shocks for the rear (still waiting for the fronts), Eibach springs, inner & outer tie rod ends, P/S rack boots, F/R sway bar quick-release end links, F/R sway bar bushings (well, 3 out of 4, 1 shipped late). (He got lower ball joints last year, so those were already new.) And for good measure, I got new hood & trunk struts & bump stops.

[MINI_Marc]

Ballin'

[BillTheCat]

The front shocks finally arrived after a protracted e-mail & voice mail campaign.

Called Ralph yesterday & made arrangements to drop off Bullwinkle on Monday, May 7, after the Dragon.

[BillTheCat]

Just brought Bullwinkle home from D'Elegance after a couple of parts glitches got sorted out. The difference is night & day.

Previously, the blown shocks would compress with little effort and you could go make a sandwich while waiting for the rebound to complete. Now, the car's suspension is actually suspending the car instead of just taking up air space in the wheel wells. I was able to hit a few rough spots in the road & 2 known nasty RR Crossings at speed without any spine-jarring effects. I also cruised over the evil neighborhood speed hump at around 8-10mph instead of my previous "complete stop followed by a slow crawl" maneuver. Not only did I not bottom out or drag frame, nothing even scraped. I might try 15mph next time, just for grins.

Also, with the new tie rods, the steering is finally feeling precise & accurate. Sure, it's still that 70's-90s style of full-on power steering that provides almost no road feedback, but the car now goes exactly where I point it, with no delays or detours.

Made an apppointment @ Cars & Concepts in Tampa for a 4-wheel alignment on Friday @ 1pm. Today was a cruddy day for pics, so I'll take care of that on Friday, weather permitting.

Oh, and the 5Zigen wheels off the Mazda look awesome on the Supra. So glad I saved those. WINNING!!!

Next tasks, in order: A/C, Speedo fix (inaccurate by 15%), and exhaust overhaul. After that, the laundry list gets into relatively minor issues.

[BillTheCat]

Here are some photos. Please excuse the missing lug nuts. The nuts on the Supra were not the right kind for the 5Zigen wheels, so the mechanic cobbled together some spares to get me home. I received a new set from Discount Tire Direct today & they will be installed tomorrow after work, before I get the alignment done.

Before, 16" MKIV ('93-98) Supra wheels, Intrax dipshit style lowering springs, and blown shocks:


After, 18" 5Zigen FN01R-C (Hot Version) wheels, Eibach springs, and Bilstein shocks:



I wish I had taken ride height measurements beforehand. Hard to compare with different wheels & tires, but the front end looks about the same height. Rear is definitely sitting higher, which is a good thing in this case. Frankly, comparing the stance before & after, I think the "after" shot wins, hands down. Far more aggressive. Looked like a dog dragging its ass on the ground before, and now it looks like a big cat getting ready to pounce. (I may be biased)

Obligatory wheel well shots. Front:


And rear:


I like the way it sits right now. As long as the rear doesn't settle more than maybe 1/8"-1/4", I'll be pleased as punch.

[2phun]

Nice updated look. Very sharp.

[JBKone]

Indeed! Looks great, Bill!

[JDAWG]

Indeed! Looks great, Bill!

Agreed!

[MiniTure]

Nice combo with the Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs. great looking car you have there.

[BillTheCat]

Thank very much!

I haven't documented it here, but the car has been down & out since 1 August, 2014. I took it in for a valve job, and it turned into an engine rebuild once the head was pulled. VERY long, sad story short, I finally gave in & towed the car to a shop called Speed for Sale in Atlanta and they got the rebuild on track. I am actually in Atlanta (Alpharetta) right now, and will be picking it up driving it home later today. Now with a single turbo, fully rebuilt engine, 90% new fuel system, standalone ECU, Stage 3 clutch, tons of other goodies... and well over 400whp on a Mustang dyno (Roughly 450hwp equivalent on a Dynojet).