Slow Motion MX73 Build

[BeaverSmashing]

Picked up this 87 Cressida a few months ago after parting with my LS turbo Civic Wagon project of 5+ years. in all honesty I was sad to see it go but had finally gotten bored of it. There will be a bit of catch up to do here to get this up to date as well.

Day one. So stock, only mod was a W58 Supra transmission and an Excessive Clutch Kit.




First things first, this car was a boat. It stopped like a boat, cornered like a boat, everything boat. So that had to change fast. Took a trip down to Portland OR to Excessive Manufacturing to pick up some BC Coilovers! Installation was fairly easy. Only had problems with a rear shock mount bolt rounding off so we just welded a wrench to it.



My friend cutting the old shock tubes off the hub.


Just before welding them in. Had also picked up these rare beauts! Enkie EK64 15x7 -7 offset.


My friends dad being a boss.


Going up!


And about how I have them setup for now. My fitment is very very mild. I think swapping the Federal 165/50s for some 195/50 will fill it out a bit better.


Much more to come!

[BeaverSmashing]

I installed some IS300 lug studs just for peace of mind. Weird brakes here. Full disc with shoes for the e-brake.


Close up of the Enkies. Really wish they were 8' wide.


Moved on to some interior things next. Replaced the very crispy parcel tray carpet and re-wrapped it.


Threw in a Kenwood in-dash, my Fosgate and some nice Kickers in the dash. Pain to replace!




Also picked up an oem replacement grill that was new! So pulled the old broken one out.


With the oem rep grill in. Some of my photos will be better. I do shoot some with a Nikon D40. Its not fancy, or new, and I'm quite an amateur, but I still enjoy photography.




New one in and freshening up the trim to match the new grill.

[BeaverSmashing]

I absolutely **** messy engine bays, so the tucking commenced. Fuse box and some easy wiring were first to be relocated. Also threw on some intake pieces I had and tucked all the HVAC system lines and wiring on the passenger side.




Then I had some goodies arrive. A package from Australia and some stuff from Grip Royal and NRG! Clear AUS corners and side markers!


Corners in and trim re-painted. Still have to get brave and cut the fenders for the lights.


What I had been waiting for for so long. The factory wheel is ugly and was falling apart.


Hub in. 120H for other Toyota owners if you wanted to know.


Wheel and release together.


Snug it up and bam!

[BeaverSmashing]

Luckily there was a gentleman down in Vancouver WA that was parting out an X7 with the same paint code. I was able to mobb down and grab a trunk lid and a door that were in very fair shape. My trunk was rusted and missing trim, and my driver side rear door was toast. Beyond what I would like to fix with hammering and filling.

Door and trunk had both fit in the car for the ride back! Lol.


And with the new door and trunk installed. I even got the rear power window switch working. The only unfortunate thing is there is no tint on those windows now but its not a big problem. Will just bug me until I have it tinted.


I work on this thing every weekend at a minimum so this thread is going to get pretty big! Cant wait to paint it once the weather warms up a bit and funds are in order. Also have another 5M to rebuild for now as the factory one is at 311k and smokes/leaks a quart a week, lol. I think from now on, all pictures will be from my Nikon. Galaxy S6 doesn't cut it.

[rice4life]

I've always liked how square x7's are. Does this one tell you happy birthday and play you a tune?


Would love to see the rear bumper tucked.


edit: here's some inspiration!

http://jzxproject.com/bbs/index.php?showtopic=3461&page=1

Great read, real roller coaster

https://www.tradecarview.com/used_car/japan%20car/toyota/cresta/17572035/

JDM'ness

[BeaverSmashing]

I haven't yet looking into that, lol. But I had heard about it.

Shaving the bumpers down is actually soon on my to-do list. I **** having park benches but the Aus market ones are costly to ship. So I figure if I shave along where they contour to the car top and bottom, and then cut a section out of each side where its flat I can plastic weld it back and keep the nice form fitting ends.

Basically shave it down and cut a section from here and weld back together.


Thanks for the links!

[BeaverSmashing]

Got bored and made a shitty delete plate for my Egr valve.


Not much progress at the moment so I'll just throw up some pics from this evening!

[BeaverSmashing]

Uno mas!

[BeaverSmashing]

Still learning and it seems that there are like eight different 1JZGTE engines. This, from what I've read is the better of the bunch, non vvti 1J.



I've read that the sumps can be swapped from any 1J or 2J because you need a front sump, and that you'll definitely need the ecu from it. Its okay to be an auto ecu and have a 5speed? Any input is appreciated. Especially wiring info. I have a lot to learn before I do this swap.

[rice4life]

JZ sumps are interchangeable, had a buddy with an aristo 1jzgte vvti swapped x8 cressy. It was maaaad stock(cops out here like to check your engine bay for engine swaps and shit so he kept stock aristo parts to make it look oem) it got like 30mpg highway. From what I've heard the vvti's get better mpg, make more torque, newer, parts aren't as plentiful, single turbo(depending on from which car you get from.

It all depends what you're looking for. I would personally go for a 7mgte if you're looking for around 450rwhp. Parts are plentiful, you can get a donor car for the price of a 1jzgte in rough shape, r154 comes with the mk3 supra turbos, all have LSD's, you don't have to worry about mixing and matching parts if you get a donor car, after an MHG they can hold plenty of power, 500cc more than the 1jz, and the list can go on and on. A bit older, but parts are plentiful.

[FunfGang]

Loving this so far! That colors is sweet and love those Enkies.

Only critique would be ditch the pos Grip Royal wheel and grab something vintage japanese for less than you paid for that. IMO

[BeaverSmashing]

I'm looking to keep the 1J stock for quite some time. I've read that 1Js from the states are harder to find and I definitely can't afford to have a half cut shipped over. Thought about 7m but headgasket problems are keeping me away from that route. I've founda few 1J for about 1600 shipped with ecu and and harness which doesn't seem bad.

I'm just curious as to why some are like 3k? I guess if they came with the R series trans that could raise the price but I already have a healthy W58 in the car now. I've also read that the non vvti have stronger connecting rods but I'll need to do more searching on that.

X8 wiring is far easier from what I've seen. Almost plug and play, and that won't be the case at all for me.

Funfgang, have you had a bad experience with Grip Royal wheels? I only paid $130 and it feels very solid. Much. Etter than a shitty floppy NRG, lol.

[BeaverSmashing]

Got the drill and dremel out. Decided to start putting holes in my car, lol.

Got my starting hole drilled and then proceeded to use my dremel to widen and shape it for the side markers.


Cut the slot for the top locating tab and lined it up level, then drilled the holes. I know it isn't beautiful, but it fits and stays snugly in place.


Tight like a tiger.


Close enough to factory location for me!

[rice4life]

The japanese engines have almost no history, and you pretty much buy sight unseen(aside from pictures from after they have been cleaned up on the outside from the engine seller). You don't know what's wrong with the engines, and if they come with a warranty(usually 90 days from purchase) by the time you have it installed into the car it would be too late.

The 7m's head gasket "issue" is not a design flaw, but they didn't torque the head bolts down enough from the factory on every 7m engine(7mge/gte). If you install an oem 7mgte hg and torque it down properly, you won't have any problems. There are also plenty of MHG's on the market for cheap. Just make sure to get the job done properly and deck it if needed. Like I said earlier, the 7mgte came with the r154, and if you get a parts car you will have a LSD to swap into the car and bigger brakes that can be swapped.

I'm just a 7m guy, the stock ct26 can easily push 280rwhp on an average dyno with minumal mods(tbe, intake, boost controller, 550's, lexus afm, afc). The ct26 rebuilt to 57 trim can easily put down around 350rwhp whilst maintaining stock characteristics. It's also really cheap to do a 57 trim ct26.


The 1jz vvti vs non vvti debate can go on for ages. The VVTI's rods are "stronger", but no one has really stress tested them; only a few dyno sheets of engines in questionable condition are what most people base the comparison on when it's stock block vs stock block. The VVTI rods are lighter weight and a bit thinner for less rotating mass and a more rev happy engine. I haven't seen a material comparison between the two, but the non vvti rods could be made of a different material to compensate for the thinner rods. IMO VVTI>Non VVTI in a DD. Honestly it's not a huge difference between the two, so don't let it be the deciding factor when choosing which engine you want.

[BeaverSmashing]

Damn! It looks like I'm talking to the right guy right now! I really appreciate the info man. Unless I did some digging around and asked 1J swapped bros about who they went through and how reputable certain importers are then I would agree. Hondas were too easy. Call up HMO and get a legit 50k miles swap. Had a great little single cam v from them.

I've very much considered a 7m. They're super cheap and the wiring is going to be much easier. Are the factory 7MGTE hard to find? I know they are less common than a 7MGE obviously but I'm not sure about how scarce they are and if its really worth it to find a factory GTE. First things would be a forward facing IM because I despise the over the valve cover design. Until I learn much more it would stay pretty much stock besides that and having it rebuilt and arp studs.

The 3rd gen Supras were 7M correct? I've got the trans covered and I have my eyes on a diff at the moment. If I can find a block that needs rebuilt that would be perfect. I have another 5MGE I was going to rebuild for now because the one in the car is the OG motor with 313k and burns/leaks a quart every week lol. I dont even change the oil, I just keep adding it and change the filter once a month!