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| MIKE CARLIN |
| 1998 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO |
| 3SP AUTO |
| QUICKSILVER/BLACK |
| CHICAGO, IL. USA |
 EMAIL MIKE |
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| 14 photos |
| 6489 words |
| October 16th '03 |
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INTRODUCTION:
Many words have been written regarding "stock block" rwhp numbers being posted by TO4R.COM members and others in the Supra community. Well, on September 24, 2003, Mike Carlin and his Quicksilver Garage Dynamics SP77 Supra settled all accounts, at least for the moment. In an astonishing display of stock block power and overall strength, Mike posted 980 all-turbo rwhp at a mind-boggling 36 psi! Congratulations, Mike! ...and remember what Satchel Paige said, "Don't look back. Someone might be gaining on you".
| GENERAL:
If I told you just three years ago I wasn’t into cars at all, you wouldn’t believe me. If I told you that just two years ago was the first time I’d ever heard of a MKIV, you wouldn’t believe me. Well it’s all the truth. It was back in 2000 when I had just graduated college and begun the happy pursuit of finding the right car for me. This would be a new car, my first, and it had to be perfect. From the first day I saw it in that February edition of Car and Driver, I wanted the Lexus IS300. I cut out the article of the IS300 and put it on my refrigerator and said to myself, “Mike, that car will be mine someday”. I was so sold that I would’ve walked into any dealership and bought it on the spot. I’ve always had a thing for rare cars and I vowed to never buy a car that was not unique or rare, and I knew the IS300 would be just that, since it was a brand new model at the time. In October, actually on Halloween day, I put down my down payment for a 2001 Black Onyx IS300.
The car was everything I had asked for. I immediately became victim of this newfound hobby, modifying cars. As I found more and more car forums, I was learning a lot and began to modify the car. The extent of my modifications were intake, exhaust, tint, and a couple of cosmetic items. At the time, the car was a real eye catcher. It was so nice looking, it even caught the eye of a fellow T04R club member who contacted me inviting me to come meet him and his friends.
In the spring of 2001, I received an email from a person who saw a few of my posts on a forum and thought it would be nice to meet up with him and some friends of similar cars to hang out. Of course, I jumped at the offer, obviously to feed my new addiction. Once there, I met a great bunch of guys that love cars more than anything, and share the same interests that I do. It was something that changed my life forever. The person was none other than Marcus Frost, who at the time owned a beautiful 1997 Black MKIV. This was the first MKIV I’d ever seen, and my heart stopped, my jaws dropped, I lost a few breaths. I truly believe it was that first ride in a BPU MKIV Supra that has corrupted me so, but I have no regrets.
I immediately wanted to feel like part of the group, so I set out to see what else I could do to my IS300. With the help of Marcus and a few other group members, I was on my way to meet Larry Prebis at Sound Performance. Immediately, Larry made me feel like we had been friends for a long time, and I felt comfortable with the shop. We planned a whole deal of semi-sponsorship and had hopes of making it a 600hp 4-door monster. The estimated cost was going to be roughly $12,000 to complete the project, and my jaws almost hit the floor. My dreams of having a beast died right then and there. I now know that $12,000 for a 600hp turbocharged car was pocket change compared to what a Supra cost to mod. I wanted to go this route because I knew the Supra was out of my price range, and insurance would kill me. But, I really did not do any research into this. The guys I was hanging out with came to be known as a group called SuperCarsChicago, and they had a HUGE influence on me. I truly believe if it were not for them, I would not own a Supra today. They made me realize that the Supra is what I always wanted, and it really took little to no convincing at all. I began to contemplate selling my 6-month-old brand new car for a Supra. It took two whole months from then to finally make the decision to sell my IS300. In September 2001 I did just that, selling the car (taking a huge loss) and deciding to begin the quest of finding the perfect MKIV.
Immediately following the sale of my IS300, I began the grueling task of finding that perfect MKIV. I began searching every internet site known to man for a Supra and, even back then, they were as rare as can be. From the little I knew about MKIVs, I did know that if you wanted to go fast down the ¼ mile, you needed an automatic. I figured that I just wanted a MKIV; it would not matter to me if it was automatic or manual, but the car would have to pass certain requirements. I wanted low miles, bone stock, a nice color, and, hopefully, something local. It was the third week of September, a Sunday, and I was at work checking autotrader for the new ads. I came across one that immediately caught my attention. It was a 1998, automatic, Quicksilver, low mileage, and LOCAL, for a very fair price. I did not know anything about the Quicksilver color until my friends told me how rare it was, and I’m all about the rare and exclusive. I immediately sent the guy a down payment and he was an unbelievable guy to deal with. He waited three weeks for me to obtain financing for the car, turning down several cash offers for the car, and even a few offers that added 2K to the price I paid. But, the guy insisted that I was the first one to put money down, and he would wait until the financing was completed.
Two weeks later, on exactly October 11, 2001 I was driving home a 1998 Quicksilver automatic Supra with 32K miles on the odometer. The grin on my face was from ear to ear. But the Supra, with the influence of my crazy friends, did not stay stock for long. I proceeded to buy a few things until she was in her full BPU state. She stayed that way until the big teardown of December 2002. I was happy with the car at BPU, since she made 406rwhp. Being BPU and an automatic, I knew I had a strong car. I then began the process of putting together the pieces of what I thought would be a dream Supra since most of you reading this know, it can NEVER be fast enough.
In late 2002, Marcus Frost, Chris T, Jason, and I decided to form a company and do what we love, work with cars. We opened Garage Dynamics (www.garagedynamics.com) to provide the Supra world and import world a place to get rare and exotic parts for their cars. With contacts in Japan and other parts of the world, we can acquire almost any part you desire. We also acquired a US-exclusive distributorship with Braid wheels in Spain. They specialize in custom hand-made three-piece wheels that are featured on my car. We are hoping with the release of my car, good things will develop for Garage Dynamics. | ENGINE:
It was December 2002 when I finally made the decision to start work on the Supra. I had a budget (HAHA, now that’s funny) and I knew what I wanted, exactly.
My plan was to have the car ready to take down to TX2K3 the last weekend in March. I figured it should not take more then three months to get everything done. After talking with Larry at Sound Performance, we determined that for the power I was looking at, my only option at that point in time was the SP400 transmission. For those not aware of this Supra wonder, it is a variant of the GM TH400 trans that is mounted right up into the Supra, making no frame or car modifications. The car was off to Larry to get the trans done first. In the meantime, I was set to find myself a stock 6sp LSD to make this car streetable, as the stock auto LSD gearing would be unbearable for my taste on the street. After 30+ phone calls to every shop known to man, MVP came to the rescue as they had just received a car that was swapping out the 6sp LSD for something else. If you’re not aware, you have a better chance of dating Britney Spears than finding a used 6sp LSD from a Supra. I made the 20-minute journey over to Curt Aigner at Elmhurst Toyota to pick up the stock parts I would need to make this transmission work, and I was set. With the trans installed and the 4K stall working, the stock twins got TORN UP. I think that might be the reason they were 75% blown when they were pulled out; man, that was fun driving. The trans was the most expensive single item I bought, but worth EVERY penny. It is the only item in the car I do NOT worry about, because I know it will be bulletproof.
With the trans working, I was off to ADFX racing in Rockford IL. I did not want a lot of the “off the shelf” items for my car, so I went to them to help me fabricate and install some of the more intricate pieces. I decided at this point to keep the bottom end stock, as many Supra owners do, since it has been known to take a lot of abuse, and a lot of power. We started with the FMIC. I obtained the Do-Luck front bumper and I knew there were no FMICs on the market that could fill up that opening. Since FMICs are one of ADFX’s specialties, this worked out nicely. They designed the intercooler around the bumper. As it turned out, it became the largest one they have ever done, and I will put money on it that it is the largest one on any Supra period. The core alone, without the end tanks, measures 18” high, 24” wide, and 4 ½” Deep.
Once the intercooler was fabricated, it was time for the head work. With the car’s stock 6800 redline and a 4K stall, I knew I needed to raise the rev limiter; the right way to do this is by building up the head. We started by putting in Ferrea valves that were 1mm oversized, and then we added the Crower springs/retainers. The valves got a special radius valve job that is just a step above a 5-angle valve job. Then they proceeded to install the HKS 264 cams. Next up was the ARP head studs, a must for any high boosting car. The head work was a nightmare to say the least, as we were at the mercy of another shop. The head work, and install of the pieces for it, took roughly four weeks, which pushed the project back, far back enough that TX2K3 was out of reach.
With the head finished, we could now begin the fabrication of the intake manifold. With the head partly bolted up, the measuring began. I knew exactly how I wanted it, and provided pictures and drawings to ADFX to help fabricate it. Almost all the aftermarket intake manifolds for the supra still utilize the stock intake runners, which was not something I liked. I had ADFX fabricate custom runners that were port matched with the head work to provide maximum flow. They had a CNC-machined flange made to mount the manifold to the head. With that, it was not too difficult to fabricate, just very time consuming to make it right the first time. We mated a Mustang 90mm throttle body to the intake manifold and it was then complete.
With the major items out of the way, it was time to install the rest of my pieced together kit. I went with what I know WORKS, and what I thought were the best parts on the market. I purchased an HKS header, HKS GT Wastegate, and an HKS Racing Type II BOV. All this would be for one big-ass hair dryer, a 76mm PTE Turbo also known as the SP77. This turbo utilizes an S-trim with a new GT-series wheel for incredible spool and a LOT of top end power. ADFX custom fabricated a 3.5” downpipe with the wastegate routed back in, as I did not want my car to sound like a freight train running down my residential street. The coolers were then mounted into the car, all three of them, including a B&M Racing tranny cooler, custom oil cooler, and power steering cooler. The power steering and oil filter relocation kits were next, as they needed to be moved. With the intake manifold running right through my stock battery location, it was relocated to the trunk, and a custom battery box was made to house it.
As with all car projects, there were nightmares, and I had many. I obviously was unable to make it to the Texas meet (TX2K3) because it took three times longer then projected, and the event was important to me. One of the reasons it took so long was with everything bolted up to the car we turned the crank over by hand to make sure everything was good before we tightened everything up fully and, right then and there, a “SNAP”, “CRACK”, was heard. Uh oh’s filled the shop. My HKS 264 Exhaust camshaft broke clean in three places, mounted right in the head. That brought on another sleepless night after that event. A quick call to SP Engineering and they replaced it for us under warranty and sent us a 272 exhaust cam as a replacement. This actually worked out better for us (having the 272 exhaust cam), but, again, put us even further behind schedule. With the camshaft replaced, and everything mounted up, the car would not start. It would not crank over and this was almost to the point were I had had enough.
I sent the car over to Larry at Sound Performance to finish the job. Larry got the car in a not so pleasant state, as it had no front bumper (new Do-Luck not finished), the car not running, and a few things he immediately saw would be issues. Larry worked very hard, keeping me up to date on everything and working his Supra magic on my car. I now realize how lucky I am to have SP so close to me. I would have gladly shipped my car across the state if SP were there. After two grueling weeks on the car, Larry fixed all the issues, reworked some items, made some new lines for me, and made it just like he would his own car, and she started. She was ALIVE; I could hear the rumble in the background as I talked with him on the phone. Four months after this odyssey started, she was running again. Larry proceeded to finish the car 100% and get it prepared for the dyno... | FUEL:
The fuel system set-up was a fairly simple process. I went with a custom-made billet fuel rail. Mounted to it were six Delphi 96lb (1000cc) injectors. I went with the dual walbro 255-lph fuel pumps instead of the dual stock pumps like most people do. The fuel lines were upgraded to a –8 for the fuel and return lines, which should provide plenty of liquid at any given time. To keep the fuel in check, I went with an aeromotive fuel pressure regulator, with a chrome fuel pressure gauge mounted to it. This set-up seemed more than sufficient for the power numbers I was expecting. The fuel system wasn’t complete without the addition of an HKS DLI ignition amplifier. This ensures that I have the proper and sufficient spark for the mass amount of fuel the car is providing. To make sure I always have enough fuel around, I order my 116 leaded race gas by the drum, all 55 gallons of it. Yes it’s dangerous to have that in your garage, but I’m hardcore :) | ELECTRONICS:
Ever since I can remember, I have been an electronics nut. I always do a lot of research and make sure I buy top-notch products. If its a new TV, computer or whatever, it doesn’t matter. I have to have the best. The same mentality went into the Supra. I started by using some already purchased items I had when the car was BPU. This included the Defi 60mm boost gauge (in PSI), Defi EGT gauge, Blitz SBC-ID boost controller, Paul Whiffen chrome gauge bezels, and Blitz DATT timer. Obviously, this was not enough, as I would need to control the functions of the car now, so I went ahead and bought an AEM (engine management system) for the car. This unit has proven itself to work very well with the MKIV, and the tech support has been good. With the AEM, I purchased a Kavlico 5-bar map sensor, and a GM IAT Sensor, to complete the speed density set-up. I opted for the proven FJO wideband 02 controller over the DIY techedge unit to make my life easier when tuning. The car was desperately needing a new stereo, and I left that untouched as well. I picked up a very hard to get Alpine IV900 DVD Stereo System which has a motorized in dash 7” widescreen with a state of the art display that has an astounding 1.5 million pixels. This unit also has a built-in DVD player, MP3 player, and enough inputs to hook up a complete theatre. With the new headwork, and new rev limiter, my stock tachometer would not be sufficient. I installed a TRD 10,000 rpm tach. I’m very satisfied with my purchases, as I feel they are the best I could have went with. | BRAKES/CHASSIS:
When building a street/drag car, suspension and brakes are very important. Since my car is an automatic, the best possible suspension I could go with was the stock suspension. It has been proven over time to be the best for the drag strip, but with the bodywork and tires, the car looked pretty bad on the stock height. Therefore, the car must be dropped. I contacted a few companies and talked with some professionals, and they all agreed there is only one route I should take: the HKS Hypermax II Drag coilover system. This was NOT in my initial budget and I never expected to pay so much for a suspension, but this was a must. This set-up enables me to drop my car as low as I want, allow me to have 30 damper settings and retain the STOCK spring rates in the coilover so the car can launch just as well as a stock set-up with just enough flex. The brakes are the one thing that still need to be upgraded on the car. I stayed with the stock pads, and stock calipers. I did upgrade the rotors and purchased Brembo slotted rotors and a set of stainless steel brake lines. I painted the brake calipers using two coats of hi-temp primer, four coats of hi-temp black engine enamel and two coats of clear coat. They came out fairly well. The TRD strut tower bar adds to the stability of the car around corners. Custom Cars Unlimited also installed custom brake rotor vents for the front rotors to make sure they stay cool at all times. | WHEELS/TIRES:
The wheels were one of the easiest decisions I made. Since our dealership with Braid, I decided on a set of Braid wheels that no one in the US has yet. I purchased a set of Braid three-piece Future Jarama Wheels in Chrome Shadow Finish. I have 18x10s in the front and 18x11s in the rear. Because the wheels are custom made, you can get any offset you desire, so I was assured they would fit without problem and clear the large stock calipers. The tires took some thought, and a lot of money. With the power I was putting down, hooking on the street would be an issue. I knew the new BFG Drag radials would be just fine, but they cannot be driven in the rain. Believe me, the car will not see rain, but just in case there is an unanticipated shower, I don’t want to be stranded some place because the drag radials are a death trap in water. I decided on BFG g-Force T/A KD 265/35R18s for the front and BFG g-Force T/A KD 295/35R18s in the rear. So far, I have hit 28psi on the street (not on purpose, trust me) and the tires have hooked very very well. The only time I get wheel spin is when they are cold after I just start the car. I highly recommend these tires. | INTERIOR:
The interior was very important to me as the car would participate in shows. The first order of business was to get rid of the stock seats for some more comfortable ones. The rear seats had to come out because of the roll cage, so this was an easy upgrade. I decided on the Sparco Milano seats, black with gray sides and, I must say, they match the car perfectly. Where the back seat was is now home to a custom-made box that fills up the area and uses OEM carpet to make the transition from trunk to back seat area look the same. Up next was the custom roll bar. The cage was another item that had to be built to my specs. I knew the car would end up being fast, and to run 9.99 and lower, I would need a full cage. I opted to NOT get the full cage at this point because it is, indeed, a street car, and I like my front speakers and dash too much to tear it apart at this point in time. The roll bar was designed around the targa top in the hatch, to make sure it fits like stock. I also had them install swing outs on the sides so it could be removed, not easily, but still possible. The cage is painted flat black to keep it out of the eyesight of would-be street racers. They do not need to know I have a cage. Next order was to arrange the layout of the dash. I had Custom Cars install the FJO display in the stock clock location where it would be most visible to me while driving. They also installed and flush mounted the Alpine stereo system, Blitz SBC-ID, Blitz Power Meter ID in the stock double din radio location. My Defi gauges remain on the driver’s side A-pillar where I like them for visibility reasons. The Defi link control unit and Blitz DATT timer were flush mounted under the radio where the old traction control used to be. Traction control? What’s that?
To finish off the interior, safety is always first. So, I installed Simpson 4pt race harnesses with the quick cam lock feature. They worked out great. | EXTERIOR:
With the exterior, I spared no expense. I wanted the car to look like no other Supra out there; therefore, I would have to go with a custom body kit, or one pieced together to make the perfect kit, and that’s just what I did. I contacted fellow TO4R.com member Mani Jayasinghe from Drift Motorsports and he helped me find the pieces I was looking for. First up, the bumper. This was already chosen before the project started, as I knew the Do-Luck bumper was the best looking, and pretty exclusive for the MKIV. I then went with C-west side skirts, as I like how they flowed onto the car. The TRD Hood and TRD Type-S wing was next. Mani was able to get all these items for me, and in a timely matter. The last item I went with was the C-west rear skirts, and those were a late addition. I’m glad I decided on them, as the finished product looks amazing.
With all the pieces accounted for, there was only one place my car was going to get these pieces installed/painted, Custom Cars Unlimited in Lagrange Illinois. This shop specializes in bumper-to-bumper restoration of old cars, cars with sentimental value, muscle cars, exotic cars, and rare cars. Just walking in this place is like walking into a museum. From old/new Ferraris, muscle cars, to rare and exotic autos from the 20s. They were also somewhat familiar with Supras as Marcus Frost had some work done there. To sum them up in one word would be “INCREDIBLE”. The shop is utterly amazing. You could eat off any floor in the whole shop, even the paint booth. Obviously, when you buy aftermarket body pieces the molds are never ever perfect, but with 100s of hours of labor, and such fine attention to detail, the body pieces look like they came off the showroom floor. I knew the paint on my car would be extremely difficult to match up, especially with all the metallic. But with the use of BASF paints and supplies, they were able to match it up 100%. I have gotten so many compliments from people who think I had the whole car repainted, but I did not. Along with the body work, Custom Cars also rolled my fenders for the new wheels, Made custom brackets throughout the entire engine bay to mount everything in sight, installed and flush mounted the electronics in the dash, and polished up a lot of engine components. If the car had been somewhere else, I would be writing about a nightmare right about now, but I have NO complaints. | PERFORMANCE:
With my head spinning around in circles, as the car sits, not running, with many issues, I send the car over to Sound Performance and into the hands of Larry Prebis. Larry receives the car, and knows immediately he has issues. Not only is it hard to finish another shop’s work, but to find where they made mistakes and resolve them is even tougher. But we all know Larry, and he loves a good challenge, and he never backs down from one. Larry worked on my car extensively for two weeks straight, rerunning wires, making new lines, fixing any issues he saw and getting her ready to fire up. We had a major problem when the car arrived at Sound Performance. It would not turn over, and we found the #6 cylinder flooded with fuel. If she would have cranked over with that fuel in there, Kaboom, my motor would be gone. Larry found the 5-bar map sensor and IAT sensor were wired backwards and the car was dumping fuel everywhere. Once that issue was resolved, the car started, rough, but started.
Larry continued to battle with the car and she finally hit the dyno for some baseline tuning. Three days on the dyno and hours of tuning and she was ALIVE. Originally, Larry asked me how far he should push the car, and I told him to use his best judgment, as I could not afford to rebuild the motor now. I told him that if he could get 800rwhp out of her, I would cry, since I knew with drive train loss through an auto that is VERY hard to accomplish. I get a instant message through AIM from Larry and he tells me “you got 525rwhp”, and I reply “WHAT!” He then says at 12psi. I could have killed him, but I was impressed. About an hour later I get another IM and Larry says, “she made 72X rwhp at 28psi, but I can’t boost higher because the wastagate spring is too soft and won’t let me”. So, off comes the downpipe and wastegate for a stiffer spring to turn the boost up. That dyno # was at only 13 degrees of timing, too, and there was still some fine tuning in there to get more out of it. The wastegate is put back on and she’s ready for the dyno again. A few hours later I get another IM from Larry. "She’s all done, I can pick her up". I said, “what was the final number”, Larry replies “guess?” I say 750? Nope, higher he says. 775? Higher. 799? (Figuring it would be my luck to just barely hit 800) NOPE! Higher. At this point I thought he was BS’ing me. I said 825, nope. 850? Almost he says. ALMOST! Stop fucking with me Larry, that’s not funny. He says “I’m dead serious, 844rwhp at 33psi with timing VERY conservative at 15 degrees, with 2 guys in the trunk since the tires were spinning on the dyno”. I almost lost it, my heart stopped, and I was in shock. Everything I had worked for paid off right there. All the sleepless nights, everything was all worth it. Without Sound Performance, I believe my car would not be running today. They are such a huge asset to the Supra community, and I’ve very lucky to have them local to me.
It was roughly six months since I had been able to drive my car and I could not wait for the day to come to just haul ass down the road. The only thing I remembered was cruising in my then BPU+ car and being able to handle my own on the roads. Not much could touch me then, and I never grew tired of the driving experience. My car had been at Custom Cars Unlimited for five weeks, and many summer days had long since past. It grew quite tiresome. I was getting that so-called “itch” to go fast. Just when I was almost at rock bottom, I received a call from Custom Cars and was told my car would be completed and ready to take home on Wednesday July 9. Since my schedule was so hectic, I would have to wait until that following Saturday to once again drive my car.
Saturday morning arrived and she was waiting for me all waxed and ready to go. I was like a kid in a candy store. I hopped right in and started her up, and the rumble is something I will never forget. It was a new car, 100 times different then I had remembered, and I LOVED IT. Just pulling the car out of the parking lot felt so different, with the car lowered, body kit, 4K stall. It was something I would have to get used to quickly. On the way home, cruising down a nice empty road, I gave her a little gas. WHAM, it hit like a rocket as the backend swung out and started spinning. Whoa, 21psi felt great. I couldn’t imagine 30+ psi. The feeling was unbelievable; it is a drug you cannot get enough of. I can’t say enough great things about the HKS Racing BOV. It sounds like it’s inside the cabin of the car, literally. With every pound of boost, the BOV screams a wavy note that can be heard blocks away, a definite attention getter to say the least.
That night, I decided to take her for a cruise and maybe catch a few people off guard. I was at a nice steady 55mph when I hear a loud rumble come roaring up next to me. Rolling up on me was an early 90s Mustang notchback that had about 4 gauges, including a huge tach, and the sound of the blower could not be mistaken. I looked down at my boost controller. She was set at 24psi or so, and I thought, let’s try my street boost on him first, and then next shut him down quick. We were pacing each other and he waited for me to take the hit (bad idea; really bad). I jumped two cars on him, and continued to pull and pull like a runaway train until I was a good six cars ahead or so. We came up to a light and his words were exactly, “My car is fucking fast. Your car is fucking INSANE”. We continued down the road but he didn’t want to play anymore. I guess that was good for both of us, since we would’ve just been wasting gas. Until this point, the power of the car had not gotten to me yet. But, right there, I new I had something special, something so powerful. Whenever someone asks me what it is like to drive a 1200hp car compared to its former BPU stages, I just can’t answer. There is no comparison. It’s a totally different car. Everyone with a Supra owes it to themselves to someday upgrade to a single turbo. It’s a feeling and a rush in itself that cannot be matched. I have never known anyone to not love their car even more after going Single turbo; the feeling is just that great. | THANKS:
GarageDynamics (Marcus, Chris, and Jason) – (847) 470-8204
Custom Cars Unlimited (Dino & Pete) – (708) 354-7888
Sound Performance (Larry & Gary) – (630) 893-5002
MVP Motorsports (Dusty) – (817) 439-4888
Elmhurst Toyota (Curt) – (630) 279-2265
ADFX Racing (Lateef) – (815) 877-0400
Drift-Motorsports – (Mani J.)
BASF Paints
TO4R.Com
| EXTRA:
The 980rwhp Dyno:
Well, for those of you that don’t know, there have been some "discussions" about who actually has the record for most HP on a stock block motor. Since we all decided it would not be fair to use crank HP as a measuring point, since drivetrain losses can never accurately be measured, I set out to try again and to see what my SP77 turbo would do.
Off to Sound Performance (SP) I went, with the car’s keys in one hand, and a large broom in the other (for pieces of rods and pistons and stuff, you know). The car (now equipped with a lockup torque converter) was strapped to the dyno. We tried the car out on some lower boost and, at 25psi with the converter locked, the car would not dyno in 3rd gear because of massive compressor surge, so Larry decided to dyno in 2nd gear and see if that would work, and work it did. We made 870rwhp @ 25psi and I looked over at Larry and he asked how much? As he sat in my car viewing the datalogs, I replied, 870rwhp. He shouts, “That's not right!” I knew we were in for big things then. I stood there in agony and listened to my car on the dyno making numerous runs….waiting for the fatal POP. So we turn it up to max boost on the boost controller to see what she would do.
Larry slowly brings the car up to the proper RPM to let it all ride. As he hit it, and the turbo was screaming like a wild hyena in the night, I was almost in shock. I had never watched my car being dyno’ed before, and the sounds were frightening to my wallet. At 8K RPM, the car backfires as we hit the rev limiter and I actually thought the motor was gone, Larry just laughed and said, “that was the rev limiter” with his infamous smirk on his face. This run, which would be the last ‘cause the sounds of a 1000hp car on a dyno turned my face white, produced 980rwhp at peak boost of 36psi with 746 ft/lbs of torque. I was ecstatic and told Larry to shut her off. We were done. Larry was dumbfounded as to how the hell the car made so much power and, to satisfy his needs, he strapped another car on the dyno that was already dynoed at another shop, and that car put out the same numbers as at the other shop. So we knew the dyno was working just fine.
All in all, I did not set out to break any records, and this was not my intention when I built this car. But now that we have, it could not of worked out any better. But, as you all know, with Supras, the project is never over. Before this year is up, the car will be strapped back on the dyno and we will try to break the unheard of record of 1000rwhp on a stock block, no nitrous, on an automatic. Wish me luck.
The 10.1 Pass in a Show Car:
A couple days before the track day, I was as nervous as I could be. I got to the track, slapped on the slicks and skinnies, and I was ready to roll. I was set with the nitrous activated, ready to launch like a bat out of hell. I roll into the water box, do a nice long burnout, and proceed to line up at the tree. The nerves were rushing through my body, as this was the first time out with my car and all this power. Lights start to go; I sit there, brake boosting my turbo, and let the nitrous kick in. BAM, tires hook and I was gone. The car began a little wobbly at first, but then the car went straight like an arrow. I could hear the announcer yelling in the background “10.1 at 138mph”. The whole crowd went nuts, and the announcer was ecstatic, as he was yelling “this is a street car folks, I saw him drive this car in here”. It was a great feeling and an unbelievable rush. The Supra has to be one of the easiest cars to control down the ¼ mile, it was just floating down the track. The flock of people around my car felt priceless, and the compliments from 60+ yr old die-hard domestic owners were memorable. |
PARTS LIST:
| ENGINE:
SP77 S-Trim Turbo with .81 A/R – Polished
Stock Block
ADFX Ported Head with Ferrea 1mm Oversized Valves
ADFX Radius Valve Job
Crower Valve Springs & Retainers
ARP Cylinder Head Studs
Accufab 90mm Throttle Body
HKS Header (Jet Hot Coated)
HKS GT Wastegate
HKS Racing BOV Type II
HKS Twin Power Type DLI Ignition Amplifier
HKS Ti Exhaust
HKS 264 Intake Camshaft
HKS 272 Exhaust Camshaft
ADFX Racing FMIC - Polished
ADFX Ported Intake Manifold - Polished
ADFX 3.5" Downpipe
ADFX Race Aluminum Radiator – Polished
ADFX 3” Intake pipe with K&N Filter – Polished
ADFX Battery Box Mounted in Trunk
ADFX Coolant Overflow Tank - Polished
ADFX Radiator Cover - Polished
ADFX Polished Oil Catch Can
ADFX Oil Filter Relocation
ADFX Painted Spark Plug Cover
ADFX Polished Exhaust Housing Shield
NGK 3330 Plugs
Unorthodox Racing Lightened Underdrive Pulley Set
Unorthodox Racing Polished Cam gears
B&M Oil Cooler
Power Steering Cooler
Power Steering Relocation Kit
Relocated Optima Battery to Trunk
TRD Oil Filler Cap
SPAL Electric Fan
Polished Valve Covers
NOS – 100 Dry Shot | FUEL:
Delphi 1000cc Injectors
ADFX Racing Billet Fuel Rail
-8 Feed & Return lines
Dual Walbro Fuel Pumps
Aeromotive Fuel Pressure Regulator
Chrome Fuel Pressure Gauge | ELECTRONICS:
AEM EMS (Engine Management System)
Blitz SBC-ID Ver.II Boost Controller
Blitz Power Meter ID Ver.II
Blitz DATT Turbo Timer
Valentine One Radar/Laser Detector with Concealed Display Unit
FJO Wideband 02 | DRIVETRAIN:
SP400 3sp Automatic Transmission w/Lockup
3500 Stall
B&M Racing Tranny Cooler (2)
SP Driveshaft
Toyota 6MT Differential | BRAKES/CHASSIS:
HKS Hypermax Damper II Drag Coilovers
TRD strut tower brace (front)
Brembo slotted front rotors
NA Supra rear rotors
Goodridge stainless steel brake lines
stock calipers & brake pads
custom air ducts for front rotor ventilation | WHEELS/TIRES:
Braid 3-Piece Future Jarama Wheels – Chrome Shadow Finish
18 X 10 Front, 18 X 11 Rear
BFG g-Force T/A KD 265/35R18 Front
BFG g-Force T/A KD 295/35R18 Rear | INTERIOR:
Defi Link Control System
Defi 60mm Boost Gauge
Defi 60mm EGT Gauge
TRD 10,000 RPM Tachometer
Paul Whiffen Chrome Gauge Bezels
LoTek Dual A pillar
Sparco Milano Seats
Custom Roll Bar (6pt.) W/swing outs
FJO Wideband 02 Display Unit
Simpson Race harnesses
Alpine IV900 DVD Radio | EXTERIOR:
Do-Luck Type II Front Bumper
C-West Side Skirts
C-West Rear Side Skirts
TRD Vented Hood W/Custom Chrome Grills
TRD Type-S Wing
Philips 4200 High Intensity Discharge (HID) Headlamps
Custom Ferrari Tow Hook Welded to Frame
20% 3M Tint |
|
turbo: SP77
pistons: oem
rods: oem
head: oem
cams: HKS mix
boost: 36psi
injectors: 1000cc
pumps: Walbro x2
fmic: ADFX
clutch: 3500 stall
nitrous:
rwhp: 980 (dynojet)
circa 1152hp at the flywheel
|
