I know this is kind of a car that is often overlooked, but I figured I should come here for some help and suggestions regarding it.

First of all this is the car, my 1986 Toyota Cressida. It is the MX73 chassis code. I acquired it from my grandparents, who were the original owners, and I currently daily drive it. It has 132k on the odometer, with a 5MGE I-6 motor paired up to an automatic transmission, but eventually I plan to swap in either a 1jz or a 1uz, along with a 5-speed manual transmission.
With that being said, I was going to look into different suspension options so I can eventually make this thing look pretty cool before I start doing motor work to it. When I do the suspension work, I also plan to add a skidplate, an exhaust and a LSD from a MKII Supra.
Now here are the products specifically for the MX73 chassis.
- There is the BC Racing setup, which is probably pretty good. I have heard nothing but good things about BC's coilovers on other cars. The general consensus is that they are not too expensive, but still have very good quality.
- Megan Racing also makes coilovers, but I've heard very mixed reviews regarding the quality of Megan's products. Most people I know have had problems with their Megan products.
- I don't know about this website (Techno Toy Tuning), but they seem to have a very legitimate selection of products for the MX73 chassis. I believe these are also known as T3 coilovers.
- Of course there are the masters of all things Cressida related, Serialnine.
Other options
- I have heard that S13 and/or S14 suspension works for these cars with some modification.
- When I asked another Cressida owner what method he had used, he said he had the T3 in the front/KYB shocks in the rear on his Cressida wagon, but the S13 suspension worked after some modification. The fronts were spun off the lower perch and welded it to the knuckle/strut tube. Also, holes had to be drilled in the front to accept s13 camber plates. The rears used a full s13 rear coilover, with the top hat for the rear welded to the frame and the damper ran through the existing hole for the rear shock. The lower portion of the coilover apparently slid in like normal.
- I know that s14 suspension does fit on mx83's, not sure about 73's.
- What other suspension setups could be compatible with a mx73? As in setups from another vehicle (for example, w124 benzes can use bmw e36 coilovers).
MORE QUESTIONS
- If I were to do a 5-lug swap, what changes would I have to make to the mx73 suspension? With a 5-lug, would it be smarter to get coilovers or a setup meant for an mx83, and would that even fit?
- I saw a 5-lug mx73 with S13 coilovers all around that had SerialNine tubes welded to MX83 spindles with SerialNine camber plates in the front. The rears had a perch for the springs to sit properly in, and the shock mounts were boxed and reinforced.
- With that being said, I just don't know if it's worth getting coilovers for a car that is currently four lug if a 5-lug conversion would require a replacement of many of these parts, or make some parts incompatible. Is the 5-lug conversion worth doing? What differences are there between 4-lug and 5-lug?
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to any responses and/or help.

First of all this is the car, my 1986 Toyota Cressida. It is the MX73 chassis code. I acquired it from my grandparents, who were the original owners, and I currently daily drive it. It has 132k on the odometer, with a 5MGE I-6 motor paired up to an automatic transmission, but eventually I plan to swap in either a 1jz or a 1uz, along with a 5-speed manual transmission.
With that being said, I was going to look into different suspension options so I can eventually make this thing look pretty cool before I start doing motor work to it. When I do the suspension work, I also plan to add a skidplate, an exhaust and a LSD from a MKII Supra.
Now here are the products specifically for the MX73 chassis.
- There is the BC Racing setup, which is probably pretty good. I have heard nothing but good things about BC's coilovers on other cars. The general consensus is that they are not too expensive, but still have very good quality.
- Megan Racing also makes coilovers, but I've heard very mixed reviews regarding the quality of Megan's products. Most people I know have had problems with their Megan products.
- I don't know about this website (Techno Toy Tuning), but they seem to have a very legitimate selection of products for the MX73 chassis. I believe these are also known as T3 coilovers.
- Of course there are the masters of all things Cressida related, Serialnine.
Other options
- I have heard that S13 and/or S14 suspension works for these cars with some modification.
- When I asked another Cressida owner what method he had used, he said he had the T3 in the front/KYB shocks in the rear on his Cressida wagon, but the S13 suspension worked after some modification. The fronts were spun off the lower perch and welded it to the knuckle/strut tube. Also, holes had to be drilled in the front to accept s13 camber plates. The rears used a full s13 rear coilover, with the top hat for the rear welded to the frame and the damper ran through the existing hole for the rear shock. The lower portion of the coilover apparently slid in like normal.
- I know that s14 suspension does fit on mx83's, not sure about 73's.
- What other suspension setups could be compatible with a mx73? As in setups from another vehicle (for example, w124 benzes can use bmw e36 coilovers).
MORE QUESTIONS
- If I were to do a 5-lug swap, what changes would I have to make to the mx73 suspension? With a 5-lug, would it be smarter to get coilovers or a setup meant for an mx83, and would that even fit?
- I saw a 5-lug mx73 with S13 coilovers all around that had SerialNine tubes welded to MX83 spindles with SerialNine camber plates in the front. The rears had a perch for the springs to sit properly in, and the shock mounts were boxed and reinforced.
- With that being said, I just don't know if it's worth getting coilovers for a car that is currently four lug if a 5-lug conversion would require a replacement of many of these parts, or make some parts incompatible. Is the 5-lug conversion worth doing? What differences are there between 4-lug and 5-lug?
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to any responses and/or help.
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