| TIM ROBARDS |
| 1994 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO |
| 6 SPEED |
| RED/TAN |
| COTO DE CAZA, CA. USA |
 EMAIL TIM |
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| 6 photos |
| 1461 words |
| August 26th '03 |
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GENERAL:
The previous owner of this car was my father Bill Robards who has been been a T04r member for over a year. Until recently he owned this car and the Electronic Blue SPE wide body both appearing on this site. Lucky for me, this car was given to me as a college graduation present in August 2003, thanks Dad!! I have had my eye on a Toyota Supra since the MKIV came out in 1993. I actually hoped that I would get one for my high school graduation, but my parents challenged me to finish college, then we could talk. As my brother and I got older, and our love for cars and performance grew stronger, we finally talked my father into getting a sports car. He originally was looking for an RX7, or maybe a NSX. I mentioned the Supra, but he had never driven one, nor done any research. After test-driving his first one, and looking at all the possible performance upgrades, he was hooked. He had found this car in San Diego in August 2001, and purchased it right away. To say the least, my brother and I were very excited. Even stock, the supra was the fastest car I had ever driven, I loved it. But at the same time I was encouraging my father to make it faster. My father had invested all of the money into the car, with the technical advise coming from my brother Brian and myself. This car means a lot to me because my father, my brother and I have had a great time building, and driving it, and have met a lot of great people on the way. Please keep in mind my father was responsible for all the upgrades, I was just lucky enough to be the driver at the track. |
ENGINE:
My Father purchased the car generally stock with exhaust, a boost gauge and turbo timer and approximately 60K miles. Our plan was to gradually bring the car to BPU+. While enjoying the increased performance from a down pipe and boost controller, we started to notice a significant loss of power. We were losing compression. After getting over the disappointment, we realized this may be a great opportunity to "justify" going single. When the problem was diagnosed as rings my first decision was over using the original block and building the bottom end or going with a new short block. My father opted for a new short block with a metal head gasket and ARP fasteners based upon the reputation of the stock internals of the Supra to handle far more horsepower than we were going to seek. We originally were targeting a small single capable of 475-525 rwhp with a quicker spool. As I started to research the options we began to wish for a little more. This was an opportunity to do it all at once. With significant $'s going towards the new block, etc. we decided to go with the T-78 over the TO4R based primarily on the economic value. So we had an idea of what to do, but no idea where to take it. We contacted a couple of performance shops, but ended up checking out SP Engineering after seeing a number of there cars featured in Turbo Magazine. After speaking with Alex and Chris, we were excited for them to do the work. I would recommend them to everyone. They do great work and are very friendly. As for the balance of the upgrades to fuel, ignition, electronics and clutch were based upon the recommendations of Alex and Chris @ SP Engineering. |
FUEL:
The fuel system combines Blitz 700 cc injectors with an HKS 680 cc fuel rail and in-tank fuel pump and Sard fuel regulator. I thought it curious that the sizes appeared different but was assured they were similar and compatible and the difference was only by the brand.
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ELECTRONICS:
With the HKS VPC being discontinued we inquired about the AEM system. With the newness of the product and the considerable dyno tuning rumored to be required I opted for the HKS F-Con S which was the replacement for the VPC. The initial tuning session had to be rescheduled until the unit could be "unlocked" by an HKS technician. The majority of the tuning is done by the F-Con. Unless an individual plans on performing fine tuning on their own the GCC could be eliminated. |
BRAKES/CHASSIS:
My brakes remain stock except for the rotors. I have added a front and rear strut bar. Brakes and suspension will be the next upgrades. |
WHEELS/TIRES:
I wanted something a little different and found my Racing Hart CP-O35R's through Parts-Trader @ SP Engineering. They had originally been on their Supra 7 project car. I replaced Nitto's with Yokohamas and found a big improvement in grip. Now that the horsepower has increased dramatically from BPU the tires consistently break loose even at the lower boost setting. I will be looking for increased traction from the next set.
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INTERIOR:
The interior and seats are stock. The gauges are mounted in the glove compartment and the upgraded sound system was custom mounted in place of the spare tire.
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EXTERIOR:
A modified Bomex front lip and Stillen side skirts have been added. |
PERFORMANCE:
After the installation of a new short block with the turbo upgrade it was necessary to log some 1500 miles before the car could be tuned and tested. This seem to take forever. The first appointment to tune the car had to be rescheduled when the F-Con could not be unlocked. My father was eager to get the car tuned since I was visiting from out of state and we planned on testing the car at the drags the upcoming weekend. SP was able to accommodate us for a short initial tuning session which produced 583 rwhp @ 1.7 bar. It seems the Profec B will not allow the car to boost past the 1.7 bar. The Denso plugs were replace shortly before the last dyno-run of the day and we were on our way home. That night I encountered a modified C-5 Corvette which claimed to run in the low 12's. The Supra held it's own but was missing badly @ high rpm's and had to be kept on low boost. There was no time for more tuning so our day at the track was disappointing as I struggled with the learning curve on launching the car on street tires while missing after 5500 rpm's. We did post a trap speed of 124 mph but the times were not for posting.
Our return trip to the dyno started with new NGK 3330 plugs. Shawn and Jason @ SP were able to adjust the F-Con to reach 629.4 rwhp @ 1.7 bar - the max from the Profec B. At this time we were still missing at the high RPM’s. After doing some research, we found that the coil packs may need to be replaced. So we did, at it fixed the problem. This brings us to the meet in Vegas 2002. I ran the car several times, but had problems hooking up. My best time was a 12.3@ 126. After Talking to Ken H. in Vegas last October we decided to put on the Veilside exhaust. With the new exhaust we pulled 642.9 rwhp. The increase in horsepower occurred throughout the entire power curve. Our problem was that we still could only boost at 1.7 bar with the Profect B. So we purchased the HKS EVC Pro from Nills (T04r.com creator) and posted a 665.8 rwhp, 600.9 Torque @1.9 bar. Unfortunately we will need to replace the wastgate spring to hit 2.0 bar. These runs were done in 95-degree temperature, so in a cooler setting, and at 2.0 bar, I hope for closer to 700 rwhp. Keep in mind I am still runing stock cams, the F-Con S has proved to be very successful. Some may be wondering if I have run next to my fathers Wide Body Supra (700 rwhp). Well I have, but unfortunately we both have two different stories, if you want details, just ask either of us. I will say that since we finished the upgrades I’ve taken 2 Vipers, 2 Porches, 1 Saleen S351, and my father has taken a Ferrari 360 Modena. No losses yet, but I only fear other supra owners! |
EXTRA:
To be honest, I am happy with the power the car has. My plans are to do a custom roll cage, race seats, harnesses, big brake upgrade, and some Tein Coilovers. I also hope to run a better time at the track this year in Vegas. |
PARTS LIST:
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ENGINE:
Greddy T-78 kit
HKS Racing BOV
Greddy 3-row FMIC
Blitz downpipe
HKS Twin Power DLI
stock cams
NGK 3330
PWR radiator
Greddy exhaust
HKS 1.6mm metal head gasket
ARP head studs
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FUEL:
Blitz 700 cc injectors
HKS fuel rail
HKS in-tank fuel pump - 71gph @ 45 psi
Sard fuel regulator
Earls lines
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ELECTRONICS:
HKS F-Con S
HKS Graphic GCC
Greddy Profec B with Remote switch |
DRIVETRAIN:
Blitz Active Twin Disc Clutch |
BRAKES/CHASSIS:
Stock brakes with cross drilled rotors
Stock Suspension
Front and Rear strut bars |
WHEELS/TIRES:
Racing Hart CP-O35R's 9"X18", 10"X18"
Yokohama 245/40/ZR18, 285/35/ZR18 |
INTERIOR:
Greddy 60mm Boost Gauge
Greddy 60mm EGT Gauge
Greddy 60mm Electronic Fuel Pressure Gauge
HKS Turbo timer
Alpine CDA 7840 am/fm 6 pack CD player
Trunk mounted:
Punch 200/ix DSM
Punch 4080 DSM
12" Woofe |
EXTERIOR:
Bomex front lip
Stillen side skirts |
