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That stock exhaust looks good! Now you're making me wish I'd sprayed my stock exhaust center section with VHT as well
Also, very very interesting: I never knew until now that 1997+ (and maybe also 1996) SC's had their 3rd O2 sensor on the exhaust pipe rather than on the 2nd cat itself like early Cali-Spec SC's.
This would explain why the Catco #6266 "direct fit" CA-legal replacement cat+exhaust pipe section that I bought years back for my 1993 had an O2 bung way up in the same location of the piping rather than on or next to the aftermarket cat.
Maybe it was overkill to have the 3rd 4-wire heated O2 sensor bung right IN the cat since all it did was check for efficiency and have no effect on the ECU's engine control. The O2 bung being on the pipe itself is much easier to replicate and replace than what my car came with.
Gerry, do you know if this pristine low miles 1997 5-speed SC is a Cali-Emission or Federal Emission car? I'm just curious to try to learn if this O2 sensor location was standard for all 1997 SC's or just the Federal cars.
It's also interesting to note that the MKIV Supra TT secondary cat pipe kept the same O2 sensor bung location IN the cat just like my SC300 CA-Emission original cat did. It all bolted up perfectly in my car and was convenient to that end... but it's weird and interesting to learn why Toyota made this change with the NA Non-VVT-i cars by 1997 at least.
Craig - I will check the ECU part number for you to see if it is a Cali version but I really doubt it.
Finally , after literally 18 years locked up in a garage with an unfinished 2jzgte / v160 and only 5 years on the road (1997-2002) , the car is back on the road running with its original drive / power train . With all the accumulated dusts in the past 18 years still untouched and uncleaned , decided that I drive it around the neighborhood using some roller wheels / tires to see what else I need to do with it. One . is the damn brakes need to be bled and I hear some clunking at the rear for which I believe I haven't tightened the 3 rear bolts of the differential or my rear wheels nuts are not well tightened .
A good friend of mine, to whom I sold a Supra MKIV and the NA-T SC300 , volunteered to help me do a complete detailing of the car both in and out of the car plus the engine bay. He had been doing it in all his cars / toys he said. Meanwhile before that , I will touch up three very small paint chips though are not really visible 10 feet away.
Took some pictures of the 1997 Lexus SC300 5 speed with 57k miles on the chassis while driving around the neighborhood . Once it is fully detailed , I will install the original brand new Lexus Wheels with Nitto Tires pictured a page or two prior this page and take some good pictures at a good location .... then on to building a new engine and refreshing a W58 trans for this car as an extra stuff that will come with it when I auction it in a couple of years. I need to enjoy first the fruit of my labor .
Now it is time to document the other 1997 SC300 5 speed that I acquired 4 years ago . It was a GA / southern car and so all it had was surface rusts from sitting after the accident but definitely no stubborn rusts . Everyone on this forum who saw the thread said it was not worth saving but I begged to differ in opinion. I decided to buy it and build it from the ground up and make it my highest making RWHP among all my SCs .
I bought it sometime Nov. 2016 . The former owner sent me this picture of the accident . At a first glance , you will think it is a junkyard bound car . But if you observe it well , the damage was all above the chassis which I thought is all replaceable. I told myself , this is a 1997 SC300 original 5 speed so if I can save it , it will be nice. After all , with what I am paying for it plus my expenses to pick it up , if it is not doable , I can still get back my money and some just by selling it in parts since it is a 5 speed SC.
Pictures of how he stored it while trying to sell it. Pitiful to say the least , that is why I guess no one had the courage to buy it.
Traveled around 100 miles and got my wife to come with me to pick it up . When she saw it , she said , are you damn crazy ? You are picking up this car for what , to bring it to the junk yard ? Well, she had no idea of my plans. She never did in any of my toys after all. But when I reminded her of how much I was selling all the 9 MKIVs that I had, mostly 6 speeds, it was a different story . It was a sickness / addiction that no one can stop me. I was buying the 6 speed MKIVs left and right before their prices started going up the roof which I would say had paid off at the end even if my own wife and kids said I had to go see a doctor for having so many of them . My passion for these 2jz cars made me enjoy them as my toys but once tired of them got me quite some pretty penny I would say.
I had to replace the wheels for me to tow the car .
Interior was not too bad aside from the busted air bags
Both of those 97 5-speeds are beautiful. The green one just took a lot of elbow grease to get it there, which you performed handily
Thanks Craig , will call you one of these days . We haven't talk in ages. BTW , the red car wasn't a Cali spec ecu .
Yeap , the green one which is Classic Green Pearl (6P2) was a color code that was used only for the 1997 year models so I kept that color . True ,a lot of sweat and tears went into that car. Three or Four times I have posted it for sale and I know even offered it to you for your Uncle at one point just because I totally lost interest with it. I guess it was meant to be finished and done by me at the end .
SC above is same SC I sold to him more than a month ago pictured below which he got painted white . He left it at a cousin's place and without his knowlege , said cousin went for a joy ride and at the middle of the night he got a call and was told of the accident. People have to learn how to respect boosted cars cause they won't respect you if you don't know how to drive them . Luckily his cousin came out without getting hurt or not even a scratch after hitting the railing , a 720 degree spin and into the ditch on I-75 North of Atlanta at the middle of the night . To get both sides of the chassis frame bent 45 degrees will give you an indication how fast he was going before he lost control of it .
Not even my grown up kids I allow to use my boosted cars because of the temptation to show off how fast they can go . Sad to say , a lot of people think , because of their ego , can drive a high hp car until they find out the hard way that they can't especially a car that they don't know.
Told my buddy to get the car towed to my place North of Atlanta cause I want that interior back and he can keep the drive / power train which was a damn good setup after all instead of just being crushed or going to the junk yard . That interior was in really good shape and the drive / power train doesn't seem to have been damaged. He said , his cousin is paying the cost of what he bought the car from me after all.
Gerry, that’s awful. I’m so sorry to your friend that this happened to such a good car and without his knowledge. It’s right that his cousin is now paying the cost of what was paid for that NA-T car.
With someone having no respect for any classic turbocharged or V8 car while driving it there is always the possibility of bad things happening if they push beyond their capabilities.
These cars are fun but they are not toys to be abused.
I’m glad to hear that there is a plan to transplant the driveline into another SC (sounds like it) and to save the interior and other bits from this damaged chassis.
And yes, we need to get on a call soon! I have been meaning to call you as well. Too long between our catching up my friend
10-14-20, 03:28 PM
. With all the accumulated dusts in the past 18 years still untouched and uncleaned 
, decided that I drive it around the neighborhood using some roller wheels / tires to see what else I need to do with it. One . is the damn brakes need to be bled 
and I hear some clunking at the rear for which I believe I haven't tightened the 3 rear bolts of the differential or my rear wheels nuts are not well tightened 
.
.
. 
because of the temptation to show off how fast they can go . Sad to say , a lot of people think , because of their ego , can drive a high hp car until they find out the hard way that they can't especially a car that they don't know. 
