steel reinforcement - Page 2

Metaphysico · 10-08-2010, 02:55 PM

Head gasket is going to cost a good bit, plus you are going to want to get it machined and get a metal head gasket and arp studs or bolts. The other thing is its harder to put a car together that you didnt take apart then it is to take one apart and repair yourself. Also a shop will take this into consideration and will charge you more for repairing it. Even though there is less work because some of the stuff is off, it is more work to figure out how everything goes back on when they didnt take it apart. Some places wont even touch it if its apart. And of course you could have other issues with the car, so in short if you can't do it yourself and don't want a car that is going to need a lot of care don't get it. Supras are great cars but they need work due to the age and mileage.

SRA · 10-14-2010, 02:23 PM

so i ended up getting the supra, and im currently looking at head gaskets i have come accross a few that im interested in but just recently i came across a felpro, has anybody heard anything good or bad about it?
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par.../N-iivy5Z8znn3
or should i just go with a hks?

Grandavi · 10-14-2010, 03:28 PM

I really dont want to answer that because its very involved. There are many threads discussing Head gastket replacement and although in my head its very simple, when I go to do it, I realise that its much more than a head gasket replacement. If you are just looking to redo the headgasket, I would go with OEM. If your planning on extra power, I would do a lot more planning. Totally depends on the engine and what you see in the engine bay, plus what your final plans are with the vehicle.

Going to work on upgrading the turbo, upping your boost, adding a 3" exhaust (highly recommended), replacing all the old rubber or whatever else it needs, doing the valve seals, etc.. etc... all this plus your budget are the factors. You really want to think this through solidly and do it once. If you are going with a thicker/metal headgasket, your going to have to be a bit more careful with the head/block prior to putting it in.

Its an excellent motor when its done properly, but you should start with what your final goal is (just get the damn thing running and daily driver or "lets get this puppy really moving...")

Plus, the valve cover gaskets are a bit of joy, so you should research those and perhaps do those slightly different as well. The weak point in the valve covers is the "screws" that hold them on. They need to be torqued correctly (ft/ins not lbs) and invariably leak into the galley when done incorrectly or not retightened. Some people have a lot of good suggestions regarding that. There is also a technique for sealing the spark plug galley to prevent oil from pooling in it if they do leak.

Not trying to scare ya or frustrate you, but if you do have the time, I would plan it all out first. Its not like a typical rebuild that I have done in the past. If you cant find the information, I can see if I can find all the links I have found in the past discussing the various areas of interest.

to me, the key is .. do it once.

SRA · 10-14-2010, 05:08 PM

you could not be more right, i do only want to do it once. i have worked on other motors mainly chevy's but the more i read about this engine the more i realize that its a whole different game. but what i have decided to do is to send the top end of the block to a michine shot so they can check the pistons and rod get hks gasket with the apr studs, and see where that takes me. but in the future i want to be pushing 400 plus horse power. so i thinkink im just going to do it once and right.

SRA · 10-14-2010, 05:14 PM

and granavi u have been extremely helpfuli can not thank u enough and i also plan on doing everything that u did with your clutch.

Grandavi · 10-14-2010, 06:25 PM

np, I am not a mechanic, just someone who loves the car enough to find out whats right and wrong (and hopefully spread the CORRECT information.. lol).

If you are sending it to a machine shop, make sure you get the measurement for how much they take off if they shave it (the exact measurement). Its critical for the compression because that will tell you the size of head gasket to use. You can get away with just lapping the block and the head (RTCS near me has a machine that does it perfectly), and then going with a OEM headgasket. That is supposed to be able to handle up to 12 psi boost without any issues. Its when you are shooting for highter than 400-450 HP that you want to go with the metal headgasket.

As I said before, knowing your power goals with the car is very critical at the stage you are in. Be patient and get all the information down pat, so you know exactly what your going to do prior to doing anything costly.

You should plan to get a 3" catback exhaust, possibly upgrade your turbo and if your going to shoot for higher HP goals, you will need to upgrade your injectors and depending on how high, also get a lexus AFM upgrade followed by a fuel pump upgrade. You dont really have to worry about the internals too much (pistons/crank/cam) unless your going to really get serious about the power. Getting 800-1000 HP out of the engine is possible but very costly.

For my car, I am going with a Walbro fuel pump, Lexus AFM, 550 cc injectors (stock are 440 cc and you wont get enough fuel at higher HP levels) and a 57 trim CT26 upgrade along with 3" catback exhaust. I may upgrade the intercooler, but that would be more for show than function, I believe the stock intercooler is sufficient for the upgrade I listed. I also have alread put in a larger radiator because I found that the car would overheat at speeds of over 150 KPH for over 3-4 minutes. (probably because the turbo is engaged at those speeds on my car currently.. it would shoot the heat into the red range). Then the other upgrades are just candy, already replaced 80% of the hoses on the car with new and will be hardpiping the rad just for show (not necessary, but pretty).

Then the body will get sideskirts, rear bumper addons and I am considering going with a 90 nose and taillight setup. I may also pop a 90 rear spoiler on it in place of the 88 one.

I plan on doing my car over 2-3 years so that I am not hit with a large $$ impact immediately. just saving up for each stage and then doing it. The body is the most expensive portion because in the end I will have about 10,000 into the body alone. Worth it to me, although if I was practical, I never would have walked this road.. lol.

10-14-2010, 03:28 PM	#13
Grandavi walbro fp Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 410	I really dont want to answer that because its very involved. There are many threads discussing Head gastket replacement and although in my head its very simple, when I go to do it, I realise that its much more than a head gasket replacement. If you are just looking to redo the headgasket, I would go with OEM. If your planning on extra power, I would do a lot more planning. Totally depends on the engine and what you see in the engine bay, plus what your final plans are with the vehicle. Going to work on upgrading the turbo, upping your boost, adding a 3" exhaust (highly recommended), replacing all the old rubber or whatever else it needs, doing the valve seals, etc.. etc... all this plus your budget are the factors. You really want to think this through solidly and do it once. If you are going with a thicker/metal headgasket, your going to have to be a bit more careful with the head/block prior to putting it in. Its an excellent motor when its done properly, but you should start with what your final goal is (just get the damn thing running and daily driver or "lets get this puppy really moving...") Plus, the valve cover gaskets are a bit of joy, so you should research those and perhaps do those slightly different as well. The weak point in the valve covers is the "screws" that hold them on. They need to be torqued correctly (ft/ins not lbs) and invariably leak into the galley when done incorrectly or not retightened. Some people have a lot of good suggestions regarding that. There is also a technique for sealing the spark plug galley to prevent oil from pooling in it if they do leak. Not trying to scare ya or frustrate you, but if you do have the time, I would plan it all out first. Its not like a typical rebuild that I have done in the past. If you cant find the information, I can see if I can find all the links I have found in the past discussing the various areas of interest. to me, the key is .. do it once. __________________ My Links: What I am doing... http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/...part-list.html My questions http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/...w-answers.html

10-14-2010, 05:08 PM	#14
SRA Stock Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: FL Posts: 7	you could not be more right, i do only want to do it once. i have worked on other motors mainly chevy's but the more i read about this engine the more i realize that its a whole different game. but what i have decided to do is to send the top end of the block to a michine shot so they can check the pistons and rod get hks gasket with the apr studs, and see where that takes me. but in the future i want to be pushing 400 plus horse power. so i thinkink im just going to do it once and right. Last edited by SRA; 10-14-2010 at 05:11 PM.

10-14-2010, 06:25 PM	#16
Grandavi walbro fp Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 410	np, I am not a mechanic, just someone who loves the car enough to find out whats right and wrong (and hopefully spread the CORRECT information.. lol). If you are sending it to a machine shop, make sure you get the measurement for how much they take off if they shave it (the exact measurement). Its critical for the compression because that will tell you the size of head gasket to use. You can get away with just lapping the block and the head (RTCS near me has a machine that does it perfectly), and then going with a OEM headgasket. That is supposed to be able to handle up to 12 psi boost without any issues. Its when you are shooting for highter than 400-450 HP that you want to go with the metal headgasket. As I said before, knowing your power goals with the car is very critical at the stage you are in. Be patient and get all the information down pat, so you know exactly what your going to do prior to doing anything costly. You should plan to get a 3" catback exhaust, possibly upgrade your turbo and if your going to shoot for higher HP goals, you will need to upgrade your injectors and depending on how high, also get a lexus AFM upgrade followed by a fuel pump upgrade. You dont really have to worry about the internals too much (pistons/crank/cam) unless your going to really get serious about the power. Getting 800-1000 HP out of the engine is possible but very costly. For my car, I am going with a Walbro fuel pump, Lexus AFM, 550 cc injectors (stock are 440 cc and you wont get enough fuel at higher HP levels) and a 57 trim CT26 upgrade along with 3" catback exhaust. I may upgrade the intercooler, but that would be more for show than function, I believe the stock intercooler is sufficient for the upgrade I listed. I also have alread put in a larger radiator because I found that the car would overheat at speeds of over 150 KPH for over 3-4 minutes. (probably because the turbo is engaged at those speeds on my car currently.. it would shoot the heat into the red range). Then the other upgrades are just candy, already replaced 80% of the hoses on the car with new and will be hardpiping the rad just for show (not necessary, but pretty). Then the body will get sideskirts, rear bumper addons and I am considering going with a 90 nose and taillight setup. I may also pop a 90 rear spoiler on it in place of the 88 one. I plan on doing my car over 2-3 years so that I am not hit with a large $$ impact immediately. just saving up for each stage and then doing it. The body is the most expensive portion because in the end I will have about 10,000 into the body alone. Worth it to me, although if I was practical, I never would have walked this road.. lol. __________________ My Links: What I am doing... http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/...part-list.html My questions http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/...w-answers.html

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10-08-2010, 02:55 PM	#11
Metaphysico Stock Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Georgia Posts: 27	Head gasket is going to cost a good bit, plus you are going to want to get it machined and get a metal head gasket and arp studs or bolts. The other thing is its harder to put a car together that you didnt take apart then it is to take one apart and repair yourself. Also a shop will take this into consideration and will charge you more for repairing it. Even though there is less work because some of the stuff is off, it is more work to figure out how everything goes back on when they didnt take it apart. Some places wont even touch it if its apart. And of course you could have other issues with the car, so in short if you can't do it yourself and don't want a car that is going to need a lot of care don't get it. Supras are great cars but they need work due to the age and mileage.

10-14-2010, 02:23 PM	#12
SRA Stock Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: FL Posts: 7	so i ended up getting the supra, and im currently looking at head gaskets i have come accross a few that im interested in but just recently i came across a felpro, has anybody heard anything good or bad about it? http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par.../N-iivy5Z8znn3 or should i just go with a hks?

10-14-2010, 05:14 PM	#15
SRA Stock Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: FL Posts: 7	and granavi u have been extremely helpfuli can not thank u enough and i also plan on doing everything that u did with your clutch.