Once the undercarriage of the car was adapted enough to accept the new transmission, the OP installed the new gearbox already mounted up to the turbocharged engine.
Once he wiggled it into place, he tightened the engine mounts, the transmission crossmember and the new driveshaft, followed by installing the upper portion of the shifter and connecting all of the wiring needed to make the engine work with the transmission.
The Drive
Finally, after four months of work, 396 replies and 27 pages of discussion, the OP shared his insight from the first good drive of his Lexus SC400 with the Nissan 370Z manual transmission:
Took the car out for a short drive to the car wash today. This thing drives like stock. I can’t be happier with it, unless my shifter was centered lol. But I will talk about that shortly. Anyways, there are no noises, slips, chatters, clunks, knotches, smells, nothing. Literally drives like how I envision a manual SC to be. The clutch grabs, but is slippable. Easy getting going in 1st just like any stock car, and easily shifts into every gear (1-3 and R, haven’t tried the 4-6 yet). The pedal is a tad bit heavier than stock, but nowhere near as heavy as it could be for the amount of power it holds. This could also be due to the fact that I have a larger master cylinder than stock and it takes a bit more foot pressure to move the piston. The Wilwood master cylinder extends the oem slave smooth and effortlessly. The hardline to 8″ braided line is not spongy at all. It hasn’t seen over 2k rpms yet, maybe one time to about 2500 because the rpms get up so fast with the stock SC400 diff, but just took the whole drive slow. I will continue to update reviews as I put mileage on it.
To anyone out there that has been contemplating a manual swap. Do it! It enhances the driving experience 5 fold. And that was only for my quick 5 minute drive to the car wash because my inspection is up so have to be careful. Also, it could just be that I’m happy that the project is finally just about done, except for some little clean up stuff. I can’t wait until this clutch is all broken in.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
