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1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild and restoration

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Flyboy
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Sunday, February 24, 2019 4:06 PM (permalink)
5 (5)

1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild and restoration

Hi all,thought I'd post the results of my recent suspension rebuild.
Here's what I had done.
 
4 x Bilstein Black Series/Toyota OEM shock absorbers, 2x front top mounts, 2x rear top mounts, 2x 18mm front anti-roll bar polyurethane bushes, 4x shock tower bumpstops , 4x rubber dustproof gaiters +wheel alignment.
After living in Japan for 20 years,the last 6 in Toyota City I shipped my Black Rev 3 back here and have been slowly doing a full restoration of all the main components.
The results are outstanding and I urge anyone who has thought/dreamt about doing it to prioritise this over just about any other upgrade. It now feels and rides like you would imagine a 2018 MR2 would feel.The ride quality is excellent,much less road/interior noise and all round handling is now just superb.
 
Here's what else I have done:
 
*Full steering rack rebuild,new half shafts,bearings,re chromed main shaft,new boots etc.
 
*Full brake rebuild with all new discs,OEM pads,caliper service and handbrake cables and service.
 
*All 4 mag wheels repainted,alloy sanded and refinished with Auto clave baking and clearcoat.
 
*New O2 sensor,fuel filter,spark plugs,distributor cap,rotor arm,cleaned fuel injectors.
 
* Driver's seat side-bolsters replaced with FSA40 material,disassembled,restitched and serviced .New seam for base cushion. Both seats and floor mats steam cleaned and full interior vacuum and clean.Rear bumper and tail lights cut and polish to remove weathering.
 
I have owned this car since 2008,it's been incredibly reliable and I thought some here might be interested in what I've done.
Here's a couple of pics:
 
Regards,
FB

 
 
 
 
 
 
post edited by Flyboy - Sunday, March 03, 2019 9:32 AM

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#1


14 Replies Related Threads

    Falcon
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Sunday, February 24, 2019 10:36 PM (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    Congratulations !!  That really looks lovely.  No doubt they were a pretty car straight off the showroom floor.
    Brand new black Bilsteins would be perfect. What is "Rechromed and Relathed main shaft ?"
    You mention "Valve service " to do with the brake rebuild ? Was that the valving in the brake proportioning valve or something in the booster ?  And thanks for the photos.
    #2
    Flyboy
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Monday, February 25, 2019 3:18 AM (permalink)
    0
    Hi Falcon,apparently the surface of the main shaft was pitted and it had to be sent to Adelaide to be put on a lathe and then re chromed.
    The Valve service in the brake section should have read "Caliper service"....sorry my bad ,it was late last night when I was typing this up.
    Glad you liked the pics.
    Cheers
    FB

    "The problem with quotes you find on the Internet is that you can't be sure how accurate they are." - Abraham Lincoln
    #3

    Lumix
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Monday, February 25, 2019 3:51 AM (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    The car looks superb. Thank you for sharing.
    #4
    Flyboy
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Monday, February 25, 2019 6:39 AM (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    Thanks Lumix,the interior is pretty much in perfect condition which is a testament to the original build quality of the JDM cars.
    I have fitted a Momo "Race" steering wheel and a Carrozzeria MP3 player with many of the Toyota Live sound components such as the passenger seat rear sub woofer,so it sounds very nice.
    It also has an Apexi Power Induction Kit (fitted in Japan) and OEM LSD.
    Most of my day to day mechanical stuff is handled by Pete Drury -MR2WA Hillarys who is an incredible fountain of knowledge about MR2s and has a very cool selection of hard to obtain MR2 interior trim parts,memorabilia and at least a dozen MR2s, both Turbo and NA, at his home in various states of rebuild,storage etc.
    I highly recommend looking him up on the WA forums or calling him here in Perth if you need parts or advice.
    Super nice guy and very reasonable with his prices and advice.
    His forum handle is: twomr2's
     
    post edited by Flyboy - Sunday, March 03, 2019 9:34 AM

    "The problem with quotes you find on the Internet is that you can't be sure how accurate they are." - Abraham Lincoln
    #5
    twomr2`s
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Saturday, March 02, 2019 12:47 AM (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    ^all lies!
    thanks for the kind words mate,its always a pleasure when you bring the black beauty around,its got to be one of my favorite cars and im glad i can help you out with parts to keep functional and on the road for many years to come..
     
    also anyone in Perth with an mr2 is welcome to drop in and say hi,dont need an invite just show up in an mr2,pm me if you need the address.
    #6

    Carmikey
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Sunday, March 03, 2019 0:23 PM (permalink)
    +2 (2)


    Flyboy
    Most of my day to day mechanical stuff is handled by Pete Drury -MR2WA Hillarys who is an incredible fountain of knowledge about MR2s.
    Super nice guy and very reasonable with his prices and advice.
    His forum handle is: twomr2's
     


    Totally agree, Pete helped / recapped my gen 3 ECU, super nice guy, very helpful. Pity there aren't more people like him around. Sucks for me he's in WA 😣

    Sent from my SM-J320ZN using Tapatalk


    #7
    Nik_Lee
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Sunday, March 10, 2019 11:51 PM (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    Very nice GTS you have there, this will be a highly sort after car with the way you are looking after it.

    Current ride, 2010 TT RS
    Previous ride, 1994 JDM MR2 Turbo hardtop
    http://www.mr2australia.c..r2play/tm.aspx?m=105959
     
    #8
    Flyboy
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Friday, March 15, 2019 3:52 PM (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    Thanks Nik...PM sent.

    "The problem with quotes you find on the Internet is that you can't be sure how accurate they are." - Abraham Lincoln
    #9
    salem
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Thursday, June 27, 2019 7:49 AM (permalink)
    0
    I also have a 1994 JDM GT-S, not nearly as nice as the one at the top of this thread!, but I am also looking at replacing my shocks. The front end is noticeably clunky on bumps (I bought the car around 12 years ago and I am pretty sure it still has original front shocks and suspension - the rear I replaced with second hand ODM shocks about 10 years ago...).
     
    But I have no idea what part(s) I should be looking to source. My local mechanic is a JDM specialist but seems to not have many (any?) other MR2 clients so I kind of have to make sure I have what I want done in mind before I go there.
     
    Is this a fairly standard pack that can be found easily? How much would I be looking at (parts and labour, if people aren't precious about sharing that sort of thing) - 4 x Bilstein Black Series/Toyota OEM shock absorbers, 2x front top mounts, 2x rear top mounts, 2x 18mm front anti-roll bar polyurethane bushes, 4x shock tower bumpstops , 4x rubber dustproof gaiters

    Black 1994 SW20 turbo coupe - with GT4 3S-GTE engine swap
    #10
    Flyboy
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Monday, November 18, 2019 2:06 PM (permalink)
    0
    Damn,sorry I missed this post..been off the forum for a while ,working a lot.
    I sourced all the stuff from TCB auto parts in England.(see attached pic)
    They are awesome to deal with.
    A full rebuild like mine will cost you about $2.5K including parts and labour.
    Let me know if I can help with more info.
    FB

    "The problem with quotes you find on the Internet is that you can't be sure how accurate they are." - Abraham Lincoln
    #11
    salem
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Saturday, November 23, 2019 1:23 AM (permalink)
    0
    It's all good, thanks anyway. I've since had some coilovers installed my my local mechanic, which in the process uncovered a lot of worn out and dodgy stuff under there which is now hopefully all sorted. Now my new mechanic is on to fixing the mess my old mechanic made of the entire electrical/ECU/sensor setup.

    Black 1994 SW20 turbo coupe - with GT4 3S-GTE engine swap
    #12
    MG_MR2
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Saturday, November 23, 2019 4:22 AM (permalink)
    0
    Hey FB, just curious, given their in the UK, did you liaise via email and get it shipped? Or what was the process. Again, lovely car
    #13
    Flyboy
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Saturday, November 23, 2019 7:36 AM (permalink)
    0
    Hey mate...yup Paul from TCB is awesome.
    Their service is impeccable.
    Everything arrived in perfect condition and as advertised.
    He went to ALOT of trouble on my behalf..great guy...5 stars.
    ps. he has a wicked Celica GT4 with our engine in it making good HP.
    Ask him for a pic...I recommend you telephone him after initial email contact as a few minutes on the phone works wonders.

    "The problem with quotes you find on the Internet is that you can't be sure how accurate they are." - Abraham Lincoln
    #14
    MG_MR2
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    Re: 1994 JDM GT-S Rev 3 suspension rebuild Saturday, November 23, 2019 9:14 AM (permalink)
    0
    Great, thanks mate
    #15
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