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| SON NGUYEN |
| 1993 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO |
| 6 SPEED |
| WHITE/BLACK |
| OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. USA |
 EMAIL SON |
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| 9 photos |
| 2589 words |
| September 26th '04 |
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GENERAL:
Since I can remember, I have been an avid car enthusiast. Buying remote control cars, watching anything to do with cars on television and reading about them in any available periodicals such as Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Road & Track, just to name a few. I took in all available information from each magazine. Furthermore, I remembered track times, design characteristics, horsepower ratings, and the list goes on and on. I finally had the opportunity to purchase my first car after being hired on at a reputable communications company.
After checking the market value and what my budget allowed, I found a 1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo in Pearl Yellow. At that moment in time, I didn’t have sufficient finances to purchase a Toyota Supra Turbo (but that would change). I came across a periodical called Turbo Magazine at the local super market and was in awe. I read about modifying these imports to make them even quicker and faster than what they already were. I conducted a bit of research and found some information on modified Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbos. I followed the same direction outlined in various articles with modifications to my 300ZX Twin-Turbo. My intake, exhaust and boost controlled 300ZX Twin-Turbo netted 13.0 seconds at 106MPH in the ¼-mile. Being from Oklahoma, this ¼-mile time was pretty quick for 1996.
I sold the car 3-years later and picked up another low mileage Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo, although this time it was a 1991 version and in a Metallic Silver finish. I took the Nissan to Stage V with an intake, exhaust, Jim Wolf ECU, boost controller and pulley. These modifications took the car down the ¼-mile in 12.8 seconds at 108MPH, kind of slow for 1999 but still decent for Oklahoma standards. People around here kept getting faster and faster. A lot of the LS1 V8s were running some really quick times. I knew then I needed something faster and stronger.
I did some more research after seeing a friend buy a 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo, and decided that this was the car I needed. I had known about the Toyota Supra Turbo when I had my Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo, but no one around was modifying them in any serious manner; so, no decent times were being posted. Reading Turbo Magazine, Sport Compact Car and a few others, I found myself way behind on the times. Doing an internet search, I found www.mkiv.com and this site just overflowed with all kinds of useful information. I can’t believe I missed out on this unbelievable car!! Tuners were making 400-plus horsepower at the wheels with basic bolt-on stuff like I had done to the 300ZX Twin-Turbo. Supra Turbos were going through the ¼-mile traps at 115MPH, and higher, quite easily. I knew then I had a serious platform I could build on.
After six months of searching and one failed flight to look at a Supra Turbo in West Virginia, I just about gave up. I put a post on www.supraforums.com that I was in search of a very good condition low mileage Supra Turbo in the price range of $20,000 to $25,000. As my luck would have it, a guy posted he saw one for sale at a dealership in Lincoln, Nebraska. He did me a huge favor and drove out to the dealership and took me some photos of the car. From the photos, the car looked well kept and very clean. I spoke to the dealership and arranged to drive up there that weekend to pick up the car. Well as this story unfolds, you know I ended up purchasing the car and, in my driveway 16 hours later was a diamond-in-the-rough Supra Turbo.
My bank account was $21,700 thinner, but I had gained a 47,800mi 1993.5 Super White Turbo Supra. I found the Basic Performance Upgrade stage of the Supra Turbo very amusing. With these modifications in place, this sedate car turned into a tire-spinning monster. Just by the seat of the pants feel, I knew the Supra Turbo would totally dominate my 300ZX Twin-Turbo with the same upgrades. I honestly felt that going BPU with a few pluses would be plenty fine, but it wasn’t. I blew the stock turbos about five months after purchase and the power bug hit me hard. Now, the serious side of the 2JZGTE could be released. | ENGINE:
In the beginning, my BPU car consisted of a Steve Jarvis Max Air Intake System, Tanabe Downpipe, BLITZ NUR Spec R Exhaust, and the GReddy BCC. I then added the BLITZ Dual SBC Indiglo along with the GReddy 3-Row Front Mount Intercooler. This set up propelled the car down the ¼-mile in 12.6 seconds at 116MPH. Not too great with 255/40/17 320-tread wear tires spinning all through first and second gear. On Halloween Night, while boost breaking going home, I blew the second turbo.
With all the lessons learned from reading and internet searching, going single, turbo that is, was the way to go. I was looking for the best bang for the buck single set-up. Many single turbo set-ups were out there, but I decided on the GReddy T78 kit. The price was very competitive and it offered huge power gains. My only concern was it might be too much for everyday street driving. I will answer that concern later. I also went ahead and purchased an HKS VPC, Fields Hyper R SFC and Titan Motorsports 720cc Fuel System. I removed the factory turbos with the help of my friend Sang Choe, and installed the T78 kit by myself in about week’s time with a few hours of work each night. Sang Choe installed the HKS VPC and Fields Hyper R SFC for me while I finished up the T78 kit. To keep the turbo from surging and damaging itself, I had two GReddy Type S Blow Off Valves installed in the driver’s brake duct opening. A good friend named Chris Marlow welded the two flanges for me and a few other miscellaneous items. My intake system consists of a custom welded 4-inch elbow with a 12-inch K&N conical filter used for cleaning duties. I had to wait for my fuel system from Titan Motorsports due to it being one of the first ones out on the market. At the time of order, they were still in development and full production had not started yet.
Due to time constraints before the TX2K2 Supra Meet, I had CTC Motorsports of Dallas, Texas install the fuel system. It was through CTC that I meet three very good individuals who soon came to be good friends. Wayne Potts did the installation of the fuel system and Agustin Hidalgo and Arthur Armendariz completed installation of the RPS Stage III Clutch and Fidanza Light-Weight Flywheel, doing the 60K scheduled maintenance at the same time. Arthur Armendariz also custom welded an intercooler feed pipe similar to the GReddy 4-Row set-up. This piece is very smooth and a work of art. I have since become very good friends with Agustin Hidalgo and Arthur Armendariz. They do some of the best work anywhere!! Once we came back to Oklahoma, I found I had a boost leak at all 6 injector bungs. We took the lower manifold off and Nero Deliwala from Titan Motorsports sent out a lower manifold with injector bungs welded in. As soon as we changed out the lower manifold, we took the car to the dyno on a stock ECU and made 663 WHP STD and 616 Ft/Lbs of Torque STD. After about 8 months of usage, I had had enough of the T78. This turbo was very easily drivable everyday and by no means laggy or cumbersome to deal with. I just had a hunger for more power and searched for T88 34D turbo. After finding one, I traded a guy from Houston, Texas for his T88 34D. He had an automatic Supra Turbo on stock stall and didn’t like the T88 34D being so laggy with the automatic transmission.
With the trade done and swapped out, we went back to the dyno again. This time I had an upgraded GForce ECU with a 7800-rev limiter, added fuel and timing maps and removed both the speed and boost cut limiters. Again, with the help of Agustin Hidalgo and Arthur Armendariz we tuned the Supra to 718 WHP SAE and 593 Ft/Lbs of Torque SAE. At this point, everything was fine with the Supra until early this summer. My wastegate hose popped off causing a boost spike and leaned out the shortblock pretty well. I managed to melt pistons 6, 3 and score the wall on 5, necessitating a new round of upgrades. This latest round of upgrades consisted of a brand new short block and reworked head. I also ordered a new water pump, oil pump and all accompanying gaskets and products needed to do the change. The head was cleaned, and checked for any damage. Once deemed usable, the head received a mild port, 3-angle valve job, Crower Titanium Retainers, Crower Single Upgraded Valve Springs, and JUN 272 Cams. HKS Cam gears allow the fine-tuning of the cams to shift my power curve. With the ability to rev higher and with the large cams, I bumped up my rev limiter to 9000RPM through Chris Johnson of Performance Motorsports. At this point, I also had the exhaust header and downpipe ceramic coated to hold in some of the heat generated by the new engine. To expedite the exhaust gases a little faster, I have ordered the new GReddy Power Evolution II. Upon arrival, the exhaust will also be installed.
The current pictures have the BLITZ Nur R Spec Exhaust on the car. The valve covers and upper and lower intake manifold have also been coated in a polished look to help brighten up the engine bay. I felt no work was needed on the short block due to the astounding numbers being put down by so many stock short block 2JZGTE Supras. Finally, with the help of Agustin Hidalgo and Arthur Armendariz, we put the whole new engine back together and in the car. To monitor air fuel ratios, I installed a Techedge Wideband Kit to help keep everything flowing smoothly and safely for a long time to come. We have not made any numbers with the new set-up yet. I would like to go back and re-torque the head and check all the clearances with the cams before we start tuning the car. I will post an update as soon as the numbers and times are made. My future plans now call for some 850cc injectors and a cage for added safety.
| FUEL:
Fuel is supplied to the engine via a Titan Motorsports 720cc Fuel System. This fuel system consists of two factory in-tank pumps and -6AN lines accompanying the stock feed line. These two lines feed a dual-feed fuel rail connected to 720cc Denso injectors. Fuel pressure is regulated by an Aeromotive FPR and then fed back to the stock return line. | ELECTRONICS:
A GForce ECU with a 9000RPM Rev-Limiter, modified fuel and timing maps with both the speed and boost limiter removed, handles the engine management for my new set-up. An HKS VPC has been added to allow for the MAF to be removed and allows the engine to realize the larger CFM of air being forced into the engine by the speed density-type system. A Fields Hyper R SFC handles fine-tuning of the fuel settings. The Fields unit allows for 3 separate fuel maps along with the off function. A BLITZ Dual SBC Indiglo regulates boost, and a GReddy Turbo Timer allows the engine and turbo to idle down to a safe temperature. APEXi mechanical boost and electronic EGT gauges allow me to monitor what’s going on with the engine, and a Techedge Wideband O2 display lets me know what air/fuel ratio I am at to be keep the car running safe and smooth. | BRAKES/CHASSIS:
Currently, the stock braking system with Power Slot Rotors is on call to bring the Supra safely to a stop. Future upgrades will probably consist of an AP 6-Piston kit in front with slotted rotors in the rear. Eibach sport lowering springs have lowered the car 1.1 inches up front and 1.3 inches in the rear. KYB AGXs keep the bumps smoothed out and the car under control. The chassis has been stiffened with a Cusco Front Strut Bar and a Topspeed Rear Strut Bar. Once the 6-point cage is in, the chassis will be plenty stiff. | WHEELS/TIRES:
The Supra rolls around on the streets with 17x9.5 front and 17x11.5 rear CCW Wheels. To achieve a slightly different look, the centers were custom powder coated metallic black at Superior Finish. Street tires are 265/40/17 in front and 315/35/17 in rear Pirelli P7000 Super Sport. The Supra usually sees drag racing duties with CCW 16-inch skinny and drag set-up wheels and tires. | INTERIOR:
Stock black leather seats and carpet from the factory remain installed. A Panasonic CQ-DFX 8500 Head Unit plays the tunes through the factory speakers. Under the radio, is the HKS VPC, BLITZ Dual SBC Indiglo, GReddy Turbo Timer, and Fields Hyper R SFC custom mounted in the lower half of the double DIN opening. A Racing Sparco pedal set and custom leather treatment will be applied in the future. | EXTERIOR:
I plan on keeping the stock looking appearance with the Supra. The car has been without its spoiler since its inception. In the beginning, many asked if the car was a turbo or non-turbo version. I happily replied turbo. This played into my mind, as this would be a very good sleeper car to have and build up. Unfortunately, with Oklahoma being so small, many know about the car and its capabilities and, now, the sleeper role doesn’t apply any more. The only future upgrade I see here is possible color matching of the lower body panels. | PERFORMANCE:
So far, the Supra has spun the dyno to the tune of 718 SAE rear wheel horsepower and 593 SAE foot-pounds of torque. This was with the stock head and no cams. This run was made at 31psi of boost. The air/fuel ratio was kept at a constant 12:1. No NOS was used on these pulls. These numbers garnered a 10.44 second pass at 143 MPH down the 1/4mi. New numbers will be updated as soon as the new engine is dynoed and run down the track. | THANKS:
I would like to thank my parents, Sang Choe, Agustin Hidalgo, Arthur Armendariz, David Roy, Nemo Cockrell, Damon Reavis, Shawn Bostwick and lastly, but not least, my girlfriend Ann Nguyen. They have all been there helping me with the car and everything that came along with it. Thank you guys and girl a lot... couldn’t have done it without you. I am sure there are many that I did not mention, but believe me, I appreciate all the help you guys have put out. Another thank you goes to the TO4R.com site for allowing me the opportunity to have my car posted on their site. |
PARTS LIST:
| ENGINE:
GReddy T88 Kit
Stainless Steel Header Ceramic Coated
GReddy Type R Wastegate
GReddy Type S Blow Off Valve (2X)
GReddy 3-Row Front Mount Intercooler
GReddy Power Evolution Extreme II Exhaust
Custom 3-inch Intercooler Feed Pipe
Custom 4-inch Intake with 12-inch K&N Filter
HKS Cam Gears
NGK 3330 Gapped to .026
JUN 272 Cams
Crower Titanium Retainers and Single Upgraded Valve Springs
Mild Port and 3-Angle Valve Job on the Head | FUEL:
850cc Siemens Injectors
Titan Motorsports Fuel Rail
-6AN lines
Two OEM Pumps
Aeromotive FPR | ELECTRONICS:
HKS VPC
Fields Hyper R SFC
BLITZ Dual SBC Indiglo
GReddy Turbo Timer | DRIVETRAIN:
RPS Stage 3 Sprung Hub
Stock Weight Flywheel | BRAKES/CHASSIS:
Eibach Sport Lowering Springs
KYB AGX Shocks | WHEELS/TIRES:
CCW Wheels 17x9.5 (F) 17x11.5 (R)
Pirelli P7000 Super Sport 265/40/17 (F) 315/35/17 (R) | INTERIOR:
APEXi 30psi Boost Gauge
APEXi Peak/ Hold EGT Gauge
Custom-Mounted DIN Panel Electronics Cluster
Techedge Wide-Band O2 Sensor Kit |
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turbo: GReddy T88
pistons: oem
rods: oem
head: ported
cams: JUN 272
boost: 31psi
injectors: 850cc
pumps: oem x2
fmic: GReddy 3-row
clutch: RPS S3
nitrous:
rwhp: 813 (dynojet)
circa 956hp at the flywheel
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