***“Even a quick glance to the beautiful repaint in 2B4 (Dark Blue Metallic) can tell you this car has been well loved and meticulously cared for.”***

The story behind this Supra intertwines with Jake thanks to a Toyota loving family and every teenager’s dream to own their first car. With a newly acquired drivers license and eagerness to hit the road it was in 2009 that Jake’s Dad had offered to buy a used Toyota with a budget of 1k. After spending weeks struggling in search of a good candidate the budget was then raised to 2k when he finally came across an 85 Celica Supra. Jake liked the fact the car was near identical to his father’s Celica and they both were white. When Jake showed the listing his Dad became excited as it turned out to be his dream car.

Jake’s Father ended up giving the 83 to Jake and bought the sportier model for himself negotiating from a $1,200 list price to $800. As the years went by his Dad’s health unfortunately began to decline until his passing in 2014. Jake was left with the 85 Celica Supra when he decided to restore the car and do a rebuild on the 5MGE. As usual, one thing led to another and he had the car repainted in the 2B4 (Dark Blue Metallic) color we see today.

In 2020 the thirst for more power needed quenching. When the decision had been narrowed down on a 2JZ-NAT build Jake went out in search of a heathy donor. Once located Jake was able to trade a 2008 Nissan Altima and transported the legendary engine to a storage unit where he began to tear down and prep the engine for rebuild.

Once the engine had been completely dismantled Jake was then able to carefully inspect for any damaged or vulnerable parts that may have been prone to failing. Anything that was found to not meet spec were swapped for new OEM replacements. Jake stuck to the tried and true stock rods, pistons, and main caps. Making sure to also upgrade to ARP main cap bolts for hood measure. As reassembly of the block progressed more upgrades were added. A DM Cometic 1.3mm MLS HG lay between the head and block. ARP head bolts as well as BC titanium springs and retainers along with a DM V2 digital CPS and billet timing belt idler were also added. Once the engine had been reassembled Jake began installation of bolt ons.

A NPBoosted FFIM paired with a set of I.D. 1050x injectors were chosen to bring the air/fuel mixture in. Supra Store King coil on plugs with NGK iridiums ignite the mixture in the combustion chamber. The brains behind this perfectly timed orchestra is a Megasquirt MS3 Pro. Of course the star of the show is a Garrett GT3582R bolted to a SupraVWorld log exhaust manifold pushing 20psi. Supporting the turbo is a Turbosmart FPR800, HKS Super Sequential BOV Sqv4, Gen V Hypergate45 wastegate, and a Mishimoto Z-line Intercooler with 2.5” piping. A Mishimoto radiator with dual electric fans was opted for to cool everything down.

Outside of the engine bay you can tell just as much detail and work had been gone into the restoration and overhaul of the Supra. The 2B4 repaint that had been done by Doug Clemens in 2021 took 10 days in disassembly, prep, painting, and reassembly of all the body panels. Often times these were 10-12 hour days but despite the hard work the results were worth it. Even the interior received attention with upgrades like genuine leather seats from Ridies and a full Kilmat sound treatment from the footwells and back to the rear bumper.

Jake had also made sure to thoroughly inspect the metal for any signs of rust and treat where needed. Luckily, no spots were ever found including the inside of the fuel tank where a Walbro 450lph Fuel Pump now resides. Underneath the fuel tank is a 3” exhaust with a Vibrant ultra quiet and evil energy muffler. Everything sits on Toyo Proxes (R1R 245/45ZR17) mounted to Rota Grids (17x9 +12).

In the future Jake has plans to pair a T56 to his 2JZ with a Ford 8.8 differential to really beef things up. Once the new 8.8 diff is installed he will also be converting the front 4 lugs to a 5 lug pattern to match the rear. With the stronger drivetrain set up Jake hopes to retune the engine to handle more juice and put out more hp without fear of blowing the old diff.

If you enjoyed this feature and you’re interested to see how the car continues to progress I would give Jake Johnson a follow.