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Just got a quote from the most reputable shop in my area. They want $850 to do the extension. Driftmotion's aluminum one piece driveshaft for only 600 bucks including the diff adapter is really tempting right now. If I went that route, I could also sell my current driveshaft and maybe get the cost down to around 400-500 bucks. Still thinking though.
Just got a quote from the most reputable shop in my area. They want $850 to do the extension. Driftmotion's aluminum one piece driveshaft for only 600 bucks including the diff adapter is really tempting right now. If I went that route, I could also sell my current driveshaft and maybe get the cost down to around 400-500 bucks. Still thinking though.
That is ridiculous! I got an excellent job done with mine with the shop I used near me for about $200-$250. I did the final repaint myself and have had zero issues with it.
Get a quote from another shop. That is price gouging for the work you are asking them to do.
1-piece driveshafts need far more accurate balancing and even then above 70-80mph there are oscillations that can come into play which OEM two-piece driveshafts do not have by design.
A quote for $850 is a "laugh your way out of the driveline shop's office and never come back" figure.
Other shops will be able to do what you ask for FAR less than such an unreasonable figure. It sounds more like the shop you went with just doesn't want to do it and thus gave you a ridiculous price they knew you would refuse.
Seek out another good shop. They're not all like that. The one I used looked like a hole in the wall upon arrival but based on their Google and Yelp reviews I felt I was using a good place and I was right-- they did excellent work, knew exactly what they were doing and charged me a fair price for the length modification and balancing.
Yeah I have called over half a dozen shops at this point and either they don't do it or they charge insane prices. I'm going to ask some friends who may know somebody I don't, but worst case scenario, does anyone know where to locate a R154 Soarer driveshaft. I figured with a few thousand of them made, I could find at least one for sale online. I've had no luck.
Yeah I have called over half a dozen shops at this point and either they don't do it or they charge insane prices. I'm going to ask some friends who may know somebody I don't, but worst case scenario, does anyone know where to locate a R154 Soarer driveshaft. I figured with a few thousand of them made, I could find at least one for sale online. I've had no luck.
Yikes. I am sorry you're having those kinds of results. It should be much easier to do this.
A genuine Soarer R154 front driveshaft is very hard to come by and is often very expensive. It looks exactly like your SC300 Auto front driveshaft except for it being too short for an R154. An MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft is somewhat easier to find and is less expensive but as I mentioned before also requires some modification (shortening by 3/4") and its rebalancing is a little harder to do because it has a barrel bulge in the middle whereas all SC and Soarer front driveshafts are the same diameter at their barrels. Still, I had my MKIII R154 front driveshaft modified and it works so long as it is length modified correctly.
For the work required for either one in my opinion I'd still just have an SC300 Auto front driveshaft modified. It'll be the most "OEM-like" solution when finished and the uniform barrel thickness makes it easier to do the length modification.
If you wish I can contact the same drivetrain shop that I used in Stuart, FL and ask if they would take on another driveshaft modification job like this-- which I am 100% certain they would. It is what they do. As long as I have the necessary donor parts to start from this should be a very simple job for them as before without it costing an arm and a leg. They were professional, no-nonsense and did an excellent job for me.
This would also require that I ship the finished modified front driveshaft to you via FedEx so there would be extra cost for the shipping involved with that as well. I wouldn't be looking for any fee for any of this so long as costs are covered. Overall I don't know what your total cost would be at the end of the day but I know this work can be done well by professionals to get you the right modified driveshaft to install and have trouble-free use of.
I am just appalled that this is such an ordeal for you in your area. It should not be. This is a very, very common thing to have done in the custom truck world and in the hot rodding community in general.
This is a great offer, and I might have to take you up on it, even though I would feel a bit bad about asking you to do this. I am going to make a few more calls next week, and if I can't figure something out, that would be absolutely amazing!
I've called a lot more places in my area to no avail. Even if I could find a place to do the extension for me, I cannot find a place that can balance a two-piece driveshaft. I called up the shop that Kahn sent me to see if they knew of any other places closer to me, and to find out how much they are currently charging for the modification. He estimated somewhere around $350 with balancing. He also said that the shipping is insanely expensive, since he would need my entire driveshaft, not just the front half. He had a similar driveshaft shipped only to Georgia, and it cost 75 bucks. So I could pretty safely assume that the prices to get an entire balanced driveshaft shipped, even one way, would be astronomical.
It sucks that I can't find an alternative cheaper than $850 in my area, but I may have to go through with it, because it seems that Drivelines NW is the only shop in my area that can do it, time constraints in mind. I am going to call them again to see what the specifics are on the modification.
Keep in mind, this $850 quote is for a generic two-piece driveshaft extension, and they have yet to see my SC300 shaft in person, along with the exact length needed. My hope is that these factors could help decrease the price.
On another note, I have been looking into buying an exhaust to give the car a little personality. I'm looking at the Blitz Nur Spec R. It's a little confusing, because so many people say that it is out of production and super hard to find, yet it is readily available to buy on this site: https://www.nengun.com/blitz/nur-spec-r. Does anyone have any experience buying from this website? I have heard they are trustworthy, but I'm a bit skeptical.
In any case, I just hope to get this thing swapped as soon as possible to start having some real fun! I've got 6 days until I hopefully start the swap.
^^ $350 sounds like it is in the right ballpark for Driveline Center in Stuart, FL. And he would do an excellent job for you just as he did for me.
When I had him do this work for me I did have to give him my MKIII R154 front driveshaft (to be shortened in my case) and SC300 rear driveshaft. My car set unused for a week or so until he had my parts ready. I wanted him to just focus on re-balancing the front shaft only but you do need to have both front and rear sections on the balancing machine in order to make sure that the whole system is within spec and ready to go back into the car.
He's right about the shipping through. Driveshafts are large and heavy parts and even if I had a spare set of them here, finished and ready to go via Fedex in some heavy duty bins it would probably still be a lot to have them sent out to you.
I was thinking before that *IF* it saves you money on the entire job to buy a used SC300 Auto front and rear driveshaft set and have them sent to me... I currently have to make periodic drives to south Florida every 3-4 weeks (I actually have to do this again in about a week from now) and so dropping off a driveshaft set to Drivetrain Center and later picking them up again would be on my route. Then I could arrange shipping the finished driveshafts to you from my end.
However... even doing all that I am not sure if you would ultimately beat the figures quoted to you by one of your local driveline shops within driving distance from you. You are probably right that given all the extra steps involved to buy or ship parts out, have them worked on out here and then shipped back to you it may just be worth it to have the work done out your way.
I wish your local shops were even a little more reasonable on price.
....
The Blitz Nur Spec R has been a popular single exit exhaust for many years. It is loud with a turbo JZ engine and is louder with a 2JZ-GE NA engine. But it does look very cool and has a distinctive sound!
I considered one of them when I got my engine swap underway but I stuck with the M2 (aka Manzo) Manzo axle-back aftermarket mufflers for 92-00 SC's that I had been using since 2011. I believe copies of those are still made and on sale on ebay and on some sites. They sound great with an NA engine!
I am familiar with Nengun and have seen products on their site for years. I have never used them personally though but have never heard anything bad about them.
I have usually purchased my new aftermarket parts from RHDJapan, Driftmotion, MVP Motorsports and other big vendors in the JZ community. But if they have a brand new exhaust system in the model you are looking for then I do not think there is anything to be concerned about so long as the parts are in stock.
Double check the fitment of that exhaust system. Usually it is listed for the MKIV Supra and while those generally will fit the SC and Soarer the hangers might be in slightly different spots in a couple of places and there might be a slight length difference between one listed for an MKIV or SC (it has been a while since I've bought a new exhaust system for one of these cars so I'm not 100% sure). Just check first before purchase but even so people run these types of systems all the time on SCs so just copy what someone else did if any adjustments were needed at all to adapt one specifically listed for an MKIV Supra.
Well, I went for it. My Dad is loaning me his car for the next few days, and so I am able to extend my downtime to about 8 days, which started yesterday. Here are a few pictures of what it looked like a few hours ago: This is my 'before' interior picture All bolts are now torqued down I was really nervous that the C clips were going to be super difficult, but with two people, we were able to attach the entire clutch release hub and throwout bearing in about 10 minutes. Car on jacks. I have 4 ramps and 4 jacks, plus a hydraulic jack under at all times. This was enough to make me feel safe to go under this 3500 pound hunk of metal
Broke a few exhaust bolts in the process of impact-gunning them out. The only parts I am missing are the 6 pressure plate bolts. I was stupid not to order them further ahead of time, but I am ordering them today. I am a little confused on the wiring, though. So far, this has been both easier and harder than I thought it was going to be.
It is usually the case that even with plenty of research, preparation and pre-ordering of parts there will be something that makes a straightforward project a little more time consuming and involved.
Did you spray all the exhaust system bolts and nuts with PB Blaster? I highly recommend that stuff specifically for anything that needs to be broken loose in the exhaust system (although DO wear a mild respirator mask and protective eye goggles when using it-- health and safety comes first!).
I am also always extra careful choosing my supports when I have my SC up in the air and need to get under it. Good call there as well. Jack stands with locking pins are what I use along with two 3.5 ton hydraulic truck jacks (on for each side of the car).
....
Wiring for a 1998-2000 SC300/400 VVT-i which never had any manual ECU available should refer you to threads that CL member "Cartmill" made a few years ago explaining how to get his 98-00 SC300 manual swap working with the reverse lights.
Going further than that you will either need to physically remove the A/T shift solenoids from your automatic and secure them somewhere in the undercarriage so that they can remain plugged in to make the ECU happy. Or... you can try to get hold of a transmission shift simulator module called an "ATEMU" that other members have used in their 98+ VVT-i manual swap builds.
Even in Japan the 2JZ-GE VVT-i was automatic only for the late model NA Soarer JZZ31's. Japan market later model Supra NA's with manual transmissions continued to use the 2JZ-GE Non-VVT-i engine alongside the JDM Supra NA automatics of the same model year which used the 2JZ-GE VVT-i engine. The 1st generation IS300 with a 2JZ-GE VVT-i and W55 manual does have an ECU that can technically control the engine but that ECU is not really feasible or worth it to get working in an SC chassis. Especially when you will eventually go with another manual-capable ECU that is also designed to control a boosted JZ engine.
...
For the pressure plate bolts you can go with new OEM or you can go with ARP bolts. The install instructions are the same (I think) for either. NEVER re-use pressure plate bolts or flywheel bolts. Always replace with new ones.
xdTau,
Glad you reversed the ramps when you put the car on them. ( I know you had the stands and floor jacks.) My neighbor across the street borrowed my ramps and I did suggest that he reverse them but being that he knows everything he did not and guess what happed while he went into his house. It could have been bad. This is just a safety warning do not ever use ramps without reversing them. Good luck on your transmission swap. I envy you. I would love to take a ride in a manual SC.
Bill
I'm going through the same process now too. Started a thread and everything.
Quick questions on clutch pedal install. How much of the sound deadening did you cut out. Any tips/tricks for me? I'll be test fitting tonight if time allows.
Im about to do it to mine, and gotta be honest I am dreading having to drill all the holes.
I am also trying to source a drive shaft. Kahn recommended the cutting down the mk3 supra driveshaft as well. But all the quotes I have been getting are around that same $800 ball park. I'm considering just going in on a one piece although it would set my project back a couple months.
I'm going through the same process now too. Started a thread and everything.
Quick questions on clutch pedal install. How much of the sound deadening did you cut out. Any tips/tricks for me? I'll be test fitting tonight if time allows.
Im about to do it to mine, and gotta be honest I am dreading having to drill all the holes.
I am also trying to source a drive shaft. Kahn recommended the cutting down the mk3 supra driveshaft as well. But all the quotes I have been getting are around that same $800 ball park. I'm considering just going in on a one piece although it would set my project back a couple months.
Best of luck to you man! I'll be checking in!
To be clear, with an R154:
With a 1986-1992 Supra MKIII Turbo R154 front driveshaft -- you need to *shorten* by approximately -3/4" and rebalance
With a 1992-2000 SC300 Auto front driveshaft -- you need to *lengthen* by approximately +50mm / +1.96" and rebalance
Did you get the eBay links I PM'd you for used SC300 Auto front driveshafts? There are at least 2-3 of them on sale there right now as complete sets for $200-$300 shipped.
Again I am sorry about your dilemma in finding a good local driveline shop who won't charge you an arm and a leg for the modification. I am still game to help you out by having the driveline shop south of me do the work for you and then ship the finished driveshaft to you myself.
A thought might be that if I have both front and rear SC300 Auto driveshaft pieces here (spare obviously) I could have them balance with the whole system but then only ship just the modified front driveshaft to you myself. That would be cheaper with shipping to you. And then you would need to take that newly modified driveshaft with your SC300's existing rear driveshaft and have both of them re-balanced at your shop.... hopefully for reasonable money.
As for the rear driveshaft leftover... that could be resold.
Maybe that is still too complicated for not enough cut down in overall cost but it's another idea.
With a one-piece you need to pay far more attention to getting it balanced perfectly. And as a one-piece it would probably be better in more expensive high strength aluminum rather than heavy steel. And even then there might be some additional NVH that you will get just because of the nature of it being a one-piece system rather than a two-piece system which can absorb and mitigate driveline vibrations very effectively. For your purposes driveshaft system strength won't be an issue as the OEM two-piece systems are very strong.
But as to costs that you're looking at I understand and sympathize with your dilemma.
A little update on the driveshaft situation: I took the auto shaft into the physical Drivelines NW store, and acted like I never called. I told him I wanted a 50mm extension to the front shaft, and a rebalancing. He said he could provide me with two prices: $340 and $630. He described the $340 modification as okay at best, and didn't trust the longevity. This would all be done in-store. The $630 price included a new tube and joints for the front shaft made out of state, which would then be shipped in, fitted, balanced and painted. I went with the latter for peace of mind. Overall, I'm not mad about the price and I trust it will be proper.
I went to my local Toyota dealership and picked up 6 oem pressure plate bolts. Hopefully I can get the clutch on tomorrow in between school and work.
I also took my center console out:
Don't worry, I cleaned it all .
It was pretty scary to be pulling on the trim hard enough to get everything out, but nothing broke. I also cut the tunnel to fit the tripod shifter a little after this photo. I plan on buying a tripod tunnel later for when I have more time, but cutting it will work for now.
Kahn, I didn't spray the bolts with anything, I just went for it . They were really rusty anyway, so I don't mind replacing the bolts with a few new ones. Also, I really don't care too much about any check engine lights; I just want to be able to start my car and have the speedometer and reverse lights to work. I figure since I am going standalone in the future this won't matter anyway.
The problem that I'm having is that everyone who I have seen or talked to online has a different answer for how to wire these, so it's been really confusing.
Bill, that's exactly what I was afraid of! Even with all the safety precautions I had, it was still a little scary to be all the way under the car for minutes at a time.
Joe, I thought I would be able to get away with cutting almost no sound deadening out, but I was very wrong. You definitely won't cut out enough the first or second time. I cut a little at a time to make sure I wasn't being excessive, but it kept not being enough .
Most guides on installing the clutch pedal in these cars say that you have to remove the fender liner to get the bottom assembly bolt in, but this isn't true (if you have someone else who can help). If you jack up the car right behind the driver's side wheel there is enough room to reach behind the fender liner and push a bolt through to the footwell.
I also considered going one-piece, but I have heard of vibration issues too many times to want to try it. Plus, Driftmotion requires you to measure the length needed after your transmission is already in, so like you said, that pushes the project back a decent bit.
I don't know what year SC300's have this problem, but at least in my car, the telescoping steering wheel computer mount was directly in the way of the pedal. I just took the mount off and tucked the computer as far back as I could. Not sure where that computer goes on a factory manual.
The more holes you drill, the easier it gets . I don't know if you have one, but I had to buy a special drill bit to drill the center master cylinder hole, at (I believe) 1 1/4 inch.
Once everything is drilled, the pedals fits like it was meant to be there.
03-28-23, 01:35 PM
