SC95

Sam a.k.a. SC95's 02 GS300 SportDesign Build





History: I bought this car as the test vehicle for my undergrad thesis at my university. Purchased from the original owner with just over 97k miles on it, completely stock and dealer-maintained at Bell Lexus here in AZ, with the original intent of turbocharging it for the project. That didn’t work out as planned due to horrendous fitment of the kit I bought, so I’ve done a few light modifications at this point in the direction of an OEM+ build, but overall I won’t be going too crazy since this car is my daily “beater.”


Specs:

2002 Lexus GS300 with the 3.0L 2JZ-GE I6

Millennium Silver with Light Charcoal Interior

5 Speed A650E Automatic

100k Miles

Pretty close to mint condition





Mods:


Engine and Performance

- HPS Intake
- NGK Iridium Plugs
- NGK Silicone Spark Plug Wires
- Tanabe Medalion Touring Catback Exhaust


Wheels and Tires

- NOS GS400 Chrome 5 Spokes with Goodyear Eagle Sport A/S 245/45R17 Square


Interior/Sound

- KDLINKS X1 Dash Cam
- GROM Audio Auxiliary Input Module


Suspension

- Tanabe NF210 / KYB Gas-A-Just


Exterior

- Rep TTE Lip
- JDM Aristo Yellow Fogs
- Clear Marker Lamps
- LED Replacement Headlight Bulbs (low beam)
- LED License Plate Bulbs
- "GS" License Plate


Future Mods

-Wheels and tires
-Any other cool mods I come across


Now that we've been through all of that, let me introduce my other build that is realistically complete and walk you through what I’ve done to the GS thus far.


First off, my pride and joy, my 1997 4Runner. Originally equipped with an NA 3RZ-FE I4, it’s now boosted and has been cosmetically converted to its JDM counterpart, the Hilux Surf, just like some convert their GS to an Aristo. If you’re interested, check out my build on t4r.org, my username over there is Mc1337sauce.








The day I brought the GS home:






Not looking too bad, although the work the Lexus dealer did on the car was a bit subpar in areas. I keep uncovering things as I do work on the car.

"Instead of replacing the vacuum line we charged the customer for on the receipt, lets electrical tape the old cracked one instead." (top center)


Super loose kickdown cable, likely never adjusted.


Engine bay looking clean and stock.



First maintenance items were fluids and cooling system (not pictured), as well as LBJs and OTREs. Still chasing down a front-end clunk, which I believe to be the caster arms or sway bar bushings/endlinks. You can see that the ball joints and tie rods were toast, puking grease everywhere.




Once I got the car all up to speed on maintenance, I was finally able to daily the thing. A couple pics posted up at ASU with car friends.










First real “mod” was changing out the yellow side markers for clear ones. Super easy job if you pull the fog light on either side and just reach up through there. On mine, I trimmed the edges out in black vinyl, giving it more of an OEM look IMO.






After that, during December 2016, I went for boosting the car, but reverted back to stock after realizing that nothing in the CX Racing kit fit correctly. Fortunately, I was able to return the kit, but now I have some nice shiny turbo parts sitting in storage (GT3582R, nice wastegate and BOV, etc). No matter, they’ll be used in another project down the road.








First thing I did after reverting back to stock was install the rep TTE lip I had sitting in storage since I got the car. Fitment was alright to start with, but now that the lip has been sitting in the AZ sun and has been heat cycled so many times it has molded itself to the bumper quite a bit better. Still not OEM-level finishing, but not bad.




Next was installing the HPS intake and Tanabe exhaust. Again, this car was for a university thesis, and modifying these parts of the car was my backup plan.






Testing out the exhaust cruising with my friend and his M3.




Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to check out my humble build. I hope you enjoy, because even though it is not as modified as many others' cars, that's not what I am after. I want an “OEM+” daily with some tasteful mods.

SC95

Been a while since I updated the thread, so I figured I'd do a massive pic dump/timeline since my OP.

Last summer, I lowered the GS on NF210 springs. Super happy with the ride quality, and the height is functional for a daily driver (my use for the car). Here it is right after lowering:


Did a bit of engine bay dress up (Genuine HKS and TRD parts, per all of my builds):



Swapped the original Lexus keychain from 2002 with a nice new one my dealer gave me:


Parked up in the garage (taken back in January):


Parked next to my W140 in my parents' garage...pulling the Benz out of storage:


Brake job...all new OEM Lexus pads and Brembo rotors (old front rotors had .020-.030 of runout...yeeeeeeesh):



Up on the Race Ramps to fix the front lip brackets I keep bending because I am, apparently, attracted to curbs when parking.


Mint condition (pretty much NOS) GS400 5-spoke wheels went on, wrapped in Goodyear Eagle Sport A/S tires, 245/45R17 all around. My favorite OEM wheel for these by far. 15mm front spacers went on at the same time to complement the 25mm rear ones.




We have liftoff (first car on my Quickjack):






That's it for now...don't know what is next for this car other than re-tinting the windows once it cools down here in AZ. It's monsoon season here and with the unpredictable weather and frequent flooding, the Lexus has been parked and I've been daily driving my Xterra - nothing like being able to plow through foot-deep water with a supercharger whining away in front of you. Stay tuned for tint (and whatever else I decide to do to the GS)!

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

subscribed.. This GS is so clean with 97k miles.. Someone took great care of this car. Nice mods

SC95

Thanks bud, it's not too shabby and is a perfect daily. 1-owner cars are all I purchase if not new...when you pay full sticker price for a vehicle, you tend to appreciate it more (car enthusiasts aside, of course...we appreciate our cars whether we're the first or fifth owner).

It's at almost 115k now, still a great ride!

captainva

iTrader: (1)

That car looks so clean. Mine 02 SD has little scratches all over the paint and bumpers from being in the city...maybe one day I can fix those. Nice build though and keep up the progress!

SC95

Thanks! Mine has a bit of irreparable (without repaint) oxidation and clear coat microcracking on the rear spoiler and bumper from the Arizona sun - they're 13+ year old cars now, so almost none are perfect without some sort of restoration. For me, it's nice to have my daily be slightly flawed so I don't sweat the small stuff as much.

Will_GS400

iTrader: (1)

Really like this clean build. You can tell how good of a condition your car is by looking at the lower door trim..none of them are peeling off lol.

I also really like your garage. Nice floors, I've been eyeing the quick jack system. Wooden planks and Harbor Freight jacks get a bit tiring after a while..

SC95

SC95

Just did a couple quick mods this weekend - installed some LED turn signals in the rear, and swapped out my old plate frame for a carbon fiber one. Nothing too drastic, but figured I'd keep on the update streak.

Old vs new bulb:


Installed:


New frame (same one, now in carbon):


I may end up sourcing LED replacements for most of the lights around the car, so we'll see how that goes. I like the safety aspect of them being instant-on and brighter, but don't like the lack of originality (and questionable longevity).