My friend is looking at getting an '88 TII and getting it up and running. It needs a new engine harness. Are these a real pain to find, and how much do they usually go for? It also needs a turbo, exh. manifold, radiator, I/C, and exhaust. Will an S5 intercooler fit an S4? Also, there is a title issue with the car; apparently the previous owner filled out the title incorrectly so the current owner couldn't get it registered without getting the title issue corrected. We were initially thinking of doing a full TII swap on my friend's '88NA but then got to thinking: what if we just swapped the dash VIN plates from the '88NA to the TII instead of parting it out? It's not exactly legal, but wouldn't it work theoretically? He'd have to apply for a color change but that'd be about it. The NA car would be useless but oh well.

 

a t2 harness is kinda difficult to find in good condition and will run you about $100-$200. the rest of the stuff is easy to find. the s4 and s5 intercoolers are different. switching the vin plates is definitely illegal.

 

ok, my car had a serious title prob. No title. In Harris Co. (TX) I applied for a bond title (through a title agency). I really checked into it (carfax, etc. definitely not stolen etc) , as the seller appeared to be unsavory of character. turns out the guy was cool, he owns several rx's. The bonded title costs a pretty penny ($400 depending on where you go) and you will need a bill of sale. Get it notorized for peice of mind as well. All of that said, it was well worth it. I love my rex, just be careful when it comes to titles. Save another rex from annihilation.

DO NOT switch the plates/vins. I had an invalid registration sticker (the clerk at the courthouse made an error, a BIG one) and I got pulled over a while later (this was a work van I was driving at the time) and I could have easily gone to jail for it. Here its a class A misdemeanor, fictitious registration. The cop was really cool about it. He made me peel off the invalid sticker and wrote me a ticket for no registration.