Hello everyone! I joined the forum quite a long time ago and figured it was about time I made a thread about a car. As you can probably tell by my user name my main passion is Honda but my love for cars extends to just about all Japanese cars. About a year and a half ago I came across an ad for a $600 Cressida I just had to look into. The car was about an hour from my house so I went and checked out the car expecting it to be crap. I got there and it basically needed a wash and a few other minor things. It is a 1991 Cressida which I suppose counts for Nostalgic. I have basically only done a tune up and put some new rear shocks on. I have the front inserts to put in too but just have to make time to do so. OK! Enough babbling and on to a few pics

These are from the day I brought it home











After some minor work including switching to some electric fans.







I have a lot of plans for this car but its going to be a slow project as I have a lot going on in my life right now. I hope to have some updates soon.

that's a relatively clean looking x8. what are your plans for it?

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Well there are lots of things Id like to do but I will most likely keep the car pretty simple for financial and time reasons. I do at least a 7MGTE and 5 speed swap but thats about it. I want it to stay a comfortable highway car so a low, stiff suspension wont work, especially for my soon to be wife.

Lowering springs from a MkIII Supra will work with your car. They did with mine. It will give you about a 1 inch drop all the way around and you can still run the stock stuff. They don't stiffen up the ride too much either. Good to see I am not the only one with a peeling clear coat Yours looks like a good start. Interior looks very nice!

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1976 RA29 project car, now a driver!!!!!
1985 MX72 soon to be...
1985 Celica GT, driving the wheels off
1991 MX83 soon to be 7MGTE

honestly man, i'd just leave it stock if i had to worry about carting a family around. the suspension on those things is so cushy it soaks up bad road conditions and speed bumps easily at 60mph.

when it does die on you due to blown head gasket or spun bearing resist the temptation to pay someone to fix it. you will easily drop $1000 plus to have the head gasket fixed, and depending on the level of work and parts used it could very likely happen again sooner than you'd think.

if you hear rod knock just park it and plan on pulling the engine and scrapping it.

you could go 7MGTE, but why would you? they're getting harder to find and they're too expensive for such a problematic engine. you're basically trusting that the seller took good care of it and hopefully replaced the hg the correct way at some point.

you could get an NA 2J and call it done. you could probably find a 1JZ for a good deal. i did. if you get a big tax return you could even get an aristo motorset. or find a 1uz, there are more options for parts making it less of a headache than it used to be.

by the way, i have shit Megans plus T3 RCA's and otherwise stock suspension and my gf had no problem riding with me. she complained more about the fumes from the open DP entering the cabin than she did about ride quality. she laughed at me when i got stuck pulling into our driveway, but i solved that problem: we're moving into a new house with a flatter driveway.

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Well I do all my own work so thats not an issue. Plus I have a friend that has tons of 7M stuff that he will sell me for cheap and he has had great luck with them for years. I am also lucky enough to have an engine shop in my family so I can do engines for cheap. I also have no plans for making crazy power in the car so a GTE setup with a MHG and arp studs should hold up pretty well I hope.

Don't get me wrong I think a JZ or a 1UZ would be great but the 7M for me is still a good option. Now if I come across a great deal on a JZ or UZ Id take it but I will probably stay 7M. I definitely appreciate your reply though as you do make some good points.

if he has the hook up i'd like to know what his prices are like. most 7mgte engines i've seen start around $1500 for some reason. a sort of complete engine, no transmission or flywheel is in the $3000+ range on craigs right now.

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Well he just has stuff laying around from all of his cars (he has like 5 supras) that he uses for parts. That's kinda crazy that prices are that high there for the engines. There are a few whole cars here for around 4-5 k.

im with lolumad on this one, that looks like a nice car to keep stock.

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1980 Cressida MX32
Old Series Garage

I dont know. I may do that. I do appreciate stock cars for sure especially rare ones. I will probably at least do some bushing upgrades in the suspension and maybe some wheels from a late model Lexus.

you could also look for the 16" 5 spokes from a mkiii supra turbo. maybe your friend has a set lying around you could get for cheap. they look great on a stockish x8 if you're cash strapped.

edit: supra sawblades are a good option too.

if you're going for maintenance just keep it running without dumping much into engine/transmission repairs. start saving for a new engine when the 7m in it dies. trust me on this, it is your most cost-effective option.

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Yea i have thought of both of those wheels before and I would like to have either on the car.

Well I had plans to replace the transmission mount on this thing today but the weather didnt cooperate! I cant wait to get a damn garage!

Don't listen to the 7M haters. You have a 91, so the headgasket issue was solved from the factory. That issue really on effects the 89-90 models. The worst thing on the 7M is the metal cover over the sparkplugs. The mounting holes for these, for some brilliant reason, go right into the oil galley in the head. The metal weakens over time and the oil then starts to seep into the plug galley. Just take it off and throw it away. Get some oil pan bolt gaskets at the parts store that fit the three bolts and bolt them back down. Problem solved. You should get new valve cover gaskets while you are at it, but for budgetary reasons, if you are careful, you can get away with out them.

Other than that, as long as it was taken care by the previous owner, you should be good. 7M is just a 5M with a new head. 5Ms are bullet proof, so the 7M can't be that bad... Most 7M problems are the result of owner abuse.

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1976 RA29 project car, now a driver!!!!!
1985 MX72 soon to be...
1985 Celica GT, driving the wheels off
1991 MX83 soon to be 7MGTE

haha. okay.

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Oh yeah, my 91 has 180K+, leaks oil like the valdez(cause I am lazy and haven't done the valley cover thing plus some others) and runs like a scalded ape! I can get it sideways with the stock auto tranny as well. Just gotta check the oil weekly. Build the car and have fun!

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1976 RA29 project car, now a driver!!!!!
1985 MX72 soon to be...
1985 Celica GT, driving the wheels off
1991 MX83 soon to be 7MGTE

Thanks okieRA29. I will definitely consider that about the valley cover. I really like the 7M too and for what I have planned it should be fine. Mine currently has about 173k on it and it runs great. I have already replaced the valve cover gaskets once as they leaked when I bought the car. While I was at it I replaced the stupid philips head bolts with proper hex head bolts. I forgot to mention I work at NAPA so that helps with budget concerns Even better is my uncle has an engine shop so whenever engine work happens that will be more affordable too!

OK I have not been on here in quite a while due to being quite busy getting ready for my wedding coming up in 20 days now. I figured I would jump on here though to say that I have actually sold this car to a friend of mine (the same one that has all the 7M stuff). I had mixed feelings about selling it but he needed a good car haul a few people around in. I am also getting a killer deal on a Civic from my uncle (after all I am a Honda guy at heart) and dont have room for a third car so off to a new home for the Cressida it is. Fortunately I know where this car is going so that makes it easier to sell since I know its in good hands.

yep. i guess you can be thankful that you managed to make a 7M last as long as you had the car. which kind of sounds like it's a race between Cressida owners to see whether they sell or break down first. but that's okay because for 90% of us, it is.

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