This article will explain how you can upgrade the looks and performance of the stock ignition system for the MK2 Toyota Supra. I purchased an Accel "Super Stock" coil from my local Autozone for $45. Above you can see the parts that make up the kit. It includes the coil, an 8.8mm coil wire, some plugs to adapt it to Ford or GM applications, instructions, and stickers. The part number for the kit is 140008. I also purchased an 8.5mm spark plug wire set from www.summitracing.com for $59. This kit includes custom spark plug wires, an extra long coil wire, aluminum termination blocks, plug wire markers, instructions and stickers. The part number for this kit is MSD-32639.

Above in the first picture you will see the Accel coil and the stock Toyota coild side by side. Both coils have the same bolt locations and spacing making this swap possible with minimal modifications. The difference in the high voltage coil wire terminal will not be an issue with any brand of spark plug wires as all types will work with the stock coil or the Accel coil with no modifications. The second picture shows the modifications that will be nessecarry to make the Accel coil mount correctly onto the ignition module that the stock coil was bolted to. I sawed off the legs of the Accel coil and trimmed some of the plastic "siding" that was near the legs. This will not affect the performance of the coil as all that was removed was plastic and none of the internal parts of the coil were exposed, however this WILL void any warranty issues that you may encounter in the future.

The first picture above shows the ignition module with the coil removed. The two wires that are coming out of it are the power wires that power and trigger the coil. On the stock system these wires have a proprietary plug attached to them that allows them to just be plugged into the stock coil, unfortunatley there are no aftermarket coils that I could find that would accept the toyota plug. The second picture shows the Accel coil sitting in its place ready to be bolted on using the original screws.

The next step is to extend the wires that are coming out of the ignition module approximately 3 inches. Once that is done crimp on some small round connectors that fit the threadded connections on the new coil. Use the bolts that came with the coil to secure the white wire to the positive (+) terminal and the black wire to the negative (-) terminal. Then one at a time replace your orginal spark plug wires with the new wires, try to keep the wires from touching one another as much as possible to avoid crossfiring. Once you have replaced the wires you will need to measure and terminate the coil wire that is either the yellow one that came with the coil or the red one that came with the MSD wires like I chose to do. Both terminate in the same way using the terminal blocks that come with the MSD kit, further instructions can be found in the kits on how to do this.

It takes a little practice to get a nice crimp but if youve ever termianted plug wires before this will be very easy to do. The MSD plug wires seal around the plug holes very well which was my main reason for this upgrade. You can finish off the job by placing the markers on the plug wires for their corresponding cylinders. Also it should be noted that if your distributor cap and rotor are worn those should be replaced as well as your spark plugs. I am currently using Bosch Plus 4 Platinums and they work fine, but the reccomended plugs are ND P16R availiable from the dealer, or NGK BPR5EP11 availiable at most parts stores but most likely a special order item. New plugs need to be gapped at 1.1mm or .043in when new, however a used platinum plug should NEVER be adjusted as the condutor will most likely break. Below is a picture of the finished project installed on my 1985 P-type.

Any questions or comments should be adressed to wjh@ufl.edu