Yeah I agree, I think I’ll be able to offset the weight. If it’s an increase from the larger 1GZ-FE, or the addition of a couple turbos is the question… more on this later, but I am wavering just a bit on my commitment to the V12. I’ve been running some numbers and doing research and I’m just starting to wonder if an undertaking of this financial size is reasonable for an average Joe like me, with two kids and a wife…?

As for the sway bar, yes I want to do it but won’t be tackling that project for some time. After the wheels I’m going to do a very simple exhaust system to just look and sound a bit better and then I’m done for a while. The car will be driven and enjoyed but my focus will be shifting to other life priorities for a while.

Nick

 

[QUOTE= The car will be driven and enjoyed

Nick[/QUOTE]
👍 actually, I think thats what its all about___Joe

 

The 1GZ-FE V12 swap is seldom done for a reason and that is mostly to do with all the custom parts needed. I think the playing field is a little better since Motiontv stepped in but even then their build to order parts aren't cheap for the conversion.

I'm curious to hear some of your spreadsheet numbers even over PM if you're willing to discuss.

Now twin turbocharging the 1UZ-FE is an idea as well. Still I feel you will need to build your engine or better yet a spare 92-94 1UZ long block which would be my recommendation to enjoy the car and take your time with the engine build. There is certainly more support available even in the limited word of 1UZ aftermarket support.

Regardless of whether or not your use the 1GZ or the 1UZ with twin turbos you will add some weight at the front. I added about 100lbs of weight to the front of my SC300 once I went with a fully stock twin turbo 2JZ-GTE including all of its associated factory hardware. I don't think you should worry too much about that since you will address some weight savings over the course of your build. I'm still quite happy with my car's handling as it is.

As to the overall scope and cost of your original plan or even a Plan B I understand where you are coming from. I think time is also something you should factor in. I did say it took me eight years to do my full engine swap but being more specific I took about 1.5 to 2 years from the time of purchase to sort out all the lingering TLC issues that previous owner left me with and to upgrade the wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, LSD rear, seats and some little things. I then drove my car with the totally stock non turbo engine for several years after. I did upgrade the transmission three years into ownership because I came across a very good deal on an R154. But other than that I just left the car alone, used it and enjoyed it as it was.

What took the bulk of those years was buying a part or two at a time for the engine swap that I was *hoping* to be able to get to eventually. Once I had 95% of the parts collected after many years I only then began to go ahead with my engine build and swap.

So in essense I had a somewhat similar idea in mind as you did: take care of the very most important changes you really want on your SC aside from a dream engine swap... and then cool it and just enjoy it. On the side in your garage you can chip away at the holy grail engine of your choice to actually install much later on down the road. That way there is no rush and your car isn't an inert project that you can't enjoy.

.....

Your other more important priorities and family must come first of course.

You cannot go wrong with the modest setup you are putting together right now. You also can't go wrong with cooling it for a while and then converting to a manual transmission at a later time with just the factory stock engine.

There are many ways to consider how much into a dream build plan you wish to get and for how long it will require your commitment in addition to the investment.

As Barbary says, the most important thing above all is to always be able to enjoy the car. Another reason I feel that parking the car to put it under the knife for an extended time isn't the better choice. If a custom engine is in the cards then let it be one that you work on separate from the car in its current fully usable state.

You're doing the right thing by considering all your options. The 1GZ-FE V12 is an absolutely awesome and unique choice but it is also the most ambitious and costly choice. Given that, don't automatically say "no" to it but do consider as you are doing how it could be achieved without being a totally diverting financial or focus drain.

Nick, I am simply excited to see whatever minor or major changes your make to your SC400 in the service of it being that special car that you get to regularly enjoy and have fun with

 

Yeah, I couldn’t agree more with your take and Barbary’s. Cars are to be driven! Like you said, whatever I do, I’ll build the engine while I use the car.

As for cost analysis, I don’t have a spreadsheet made up, but I’ve just added up this and that and just the “big items” are going to cost me over $30,000 to do with the 1GZ-FE. Compare that to a 3UZ twin turbo build:

$2,000 engine
$4,000 turbos
$1,000 intercooler
$4,500 rods/pistons
$1,700 cams
$3,000 valvetrain & head work
$2500 standalone (Haltech)

Thats’s about $19,000 right there and I’m virtually guaranteed to make 600+ horsepower with that setup. That’s really what it boils down to…results. Suppose I build the 1GZ to the nines and invest all that money into it, what happens when I put it on the dyno and it only makes 420 horsepower? I’m not saying that’s grocery getter territory, but there’s a hell of a lot of cars these days leaving the factory with more than 420 horsepower. And, it’s not like I can point to examples of this engine being built by others to have any reasonable expectation of what power I’ll make.

Hartley did a complete redesign, they used the casting for the block and the head and that’s it. Everything else is their own bespoke work and made 700 horsepower at 10,000 RPM. How much would that cost to replicate? Probably in excess of $50k. Is that even a streetable package? Probably not. Is it reasonable for me to hit my target of 500+ horsepower, achieving 70% of their result, doing it myself? Perhaps. But, it’s a major uncertainty. That’s the beauty of boost isn’t it? If I cram enough air into a 3UZ, it will make power, simple as that.

Plus, a 3UZ is lighter, though two turbos and an intercooler may just about even it out. There’s more aftermarket support and experts to work with like XAT and Mazworx, both of whom are “local” to me. It’s just hard to give up a sure thing. Ultimately, I think I need to do some soul searching and figure out if I am more concerned about power than I am about exclusivity. That’s basically what it boils down to, right?

In other news, the tires are mounted. Will try to find time this weekend to install the coilovers and all that jazz but my wife works all weekend so that’s doubtful. I’ll just have to wait till next week to get it all done.



I was hesitant to use a big chain tire shop but Discount Tire is actually a CCW dealer and when I raised some concerns with the manager about the skill level and care required for my pricey, custom wheels, he actually did the whole job himself with me hanging out and chatting with him. I was so impressed and really shocked. Anyone who is in Orlando and needs some work done, you should absolutely go to this location on Alafaya Drive. Outstanding stuff.

Nick

 

Wow! wheels look awesome. Have that highly crafted custom look. I guess thats what polishing ea individual bolt does. Wow! again
Amazing shine to the wheel itself. Did you mention what tires they were? Coming spring driving season (for me) I'll be getting 4 new tires too, but they will be the Goodyears I have now. GL

 

Thanks Barbary! I actually am going to polish the wheels before installing so they will get a little shinier lol. They have a slight haze in person and I scratched one of the lips slightly when my hand slipped while torqueing the bolts to build the wheels.

For tires, I went with Pirelli P Zero. 255/40 front and 285/35 rear. Same diameter of 26”. Stock wheels are 25.7” diameter. This was the closest I could get to stock, which was my goal for speedo accuracy and comfort

Nick

 

Coilovers installed. Wheels mounted.













I still need to make some height adjustments. The suspension is still settling. I’m thinking I will drop the rear a bit more and I need to roll front and rear fenders. I’m having the car aligned by a local shop who’s owner is an accomplished racer. I won’t have any crazy alignment for track use, but they know how to set up suspension, so I’m going to ask them to just level it all out while they align the car. I want to have the car as low as possible without ANY rubbing. That takes a lot of fine tuning, so I’m hoping their expertise will yield the best results and just save me a ton of time.

While installing the coilovers I also replaced both front upper control arms with good, used parts. I cleaned them up with a wire wheel and they came out very clean. I’m happy with the result.





After removing the fender liners, I noticed the most insane thing! I think the car has lost a few pounds, not just from lighter suspension, but I also removed several pounds of dirt accumulated in the fender, behind the liner!












At first I thought it was just part of the fender, and then it crumbled a bit and I realized the extent. Then I got worried that maybe it was mud from a flood but if you look at the third and fourth pictures you can see there are layers, which indicates the accumulation of all this dirt happened over dozens and dozens of different times. I was very relieved. The other side was the same but not as bad.

All in all the installation was pretty painful. I tried to make some adjustments to the coilovers to fine tune the bump travel and droop travel, only to find that my coilovers — Fortune Auto MSC-1 Muller— cannot be adjusted for bump and droop travel. That was probably a day in of itself.

Then I had a hang up with the front passenger install where my sway bar end link’s nut was frozen with some rust and the stud was just spinning in the ball joint. I used a 5mm hex in the center of the link and tried to get it off but could only get it about 80% of the way. So, I had to go buy a reciprocating saw (I’ve been wanting one so this gave me the excuse) and cut the damn thing off. That was two days between trying to get it off, buying the tool and then finding the time to cut it.

The rears were pretty easy, though not without their own hiccups here and there.

So far I only took the car around the block cause I don’t have the liners back in, I’m treating them with a special ceramic coating for plastic to restore them back to original black. I also found out that the lug nuts I purchased don’t really fit the wheels properly so I just drove around 35 MPH to make sure nothing was amiss. My dust shields were touching on the passenger front rotor, so I made that adjustment, but other than that everything felt good. The ride was excellent but I purposely avoided bumps and stuff so I won’t know for sure until the ride height is dialed in and the fenders are rolled and all that. Early impressions are very positive though! They rode very smoothly which is exactly what I wanted.

I’ve ordered the correct lug nuts which will be here Friday. Hopefully early next week I’ll have all the other odds and ends finished and I’ll be able to test the suspension fully.

I’m also planning on doing the exhaust and a big brake kit in the next week or two as well, so more on that soon.

Nick

 

The new wheels and coilovers look great! I noticed your CCW’s look a little different than all of the others I’ve seen.

It’s good that Discount Tire was able to mount your tires. I use them for all of my tire mounting. That’s interesting that they sell CCW’s now, but they do sell a few other higher end wheel brands as well.

 

Thanks Kira. They are the “Race” version. If you notice, there are extra holes. They hone out the centers to reduce the overall weight. They are also typically sold without center caps. I have a set obviously but you often see them without center caps.

I actually prefer the Classic Race, as they’re called, because they are a little different, like you said, lighter and come in that silver, slightly pewter finish. I don’t like the fully polished look, so this suits me perfectly.

Here’s the same wheels on my RX7 in their old spec; 18x9” and 18x10”:





The old setup was 1” lips front and 1.5” rear. Now I’m 1.5” on the front and 2.5” on the rear. Makes a big difference to me.

Nick

 

Restored my fender liners today using GTechniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer.



I was following my wife home in her car as she drove mine a few weeks back and noticed just how pale and old the fender liners looked. You could really see it at night when our ‘21 Passport’s bright LED headlights shone onto my car. The jet black tire contrasted so severely to the liner. It just looked dirty and unkept.

I first cleaned up the liners with degreaser and all purpose cleaner. Scrubbed them with a bristled brush and then scraped them with a plastic scraper to take off as much little pieces of tar and other crap as I could.

Before applying the coating, I used a paint prep product designed to strip off any coatings or waxes before polishing or applying a coating to paint. It really dried out the liners and turned them chalky white. This is ideal to allow the coating to soak in and bond to the plastic.

Here are a few side by side photos. I forgot to take pictures along every step — I typically forget and just go about the work — but, hopefully there’s enough resolution in these photos to show the drastic difference:







Save for a few scrapes and scratches here and there, they honestly look brand new. I’m extremely pleased with the results. From my research this should last at least one to two years. Seeming as I won’t drive the car in rain, like almost ever, I would guess it may last me two to three. Future applications will be done with the liners on the car to make it easier. But, I figured as long as I was doing the coilovers, I may as well take them out and do it proper.

Highly recommend this product.

Nick

 

looking good man, the fender lining came out awesome. I've been wondering how to get mine to be like that too, i may end up using that same stuff

 

That explains it! I’ve heard of the race version but never actually seen them on a car before. The finish looks nice and the bigger lips look great as well. They were nice on your RX7 too! What brand of tires did you choose?

Are the CCW’s pretty lightweight? I’ve had multiple sets of multi piece wheels and the only truly lightweight set was a set of SSR Professors I had. I always wondered about the CCW’s.

 

Thanks man. I bought that RX7 almost exclusively cause it had these wheels already, but it helped that it was a one owner car with less than 50,000 miles on it lol

I went with Pirelli P Zero tires. I got a killer deal on the rears, only $163 each! The fronts were like $280 each so that sucked but it is what it is.

I don’t think that the CCW’s are that light. I sadly didn’t weigh them, but I did a little research and they should be between 21 and 24 pounds. I’d say that’s pretty light but not truly lightweight. I mean the hardware alone is probably a pound or two. Then you’re adding sealant in between the inners and outers, I mean there’s just a lot of stuff that a monoblock wheel would never need or use. In saying that, the tires are probably heavier or at least as heavy as the wheels. 285/35 tires are kind of hefty.

Nick

 

Absolutely beautiful, Nick!! Those custom remade CCW's look exceptionally good on your SC400. And they've got that period-1990's classy tuner car look through and through.

Very cool to see more pictures of your old FD3S RX-7 as well. There will never be a time that I don't stop to appreciate those timeless Wankel machines.

The coilovers look to me to be very well adjusted in your pictures. I assume these were taken after bringing it to your race suspension specialist. I am curious to hear of your impressions in the curves now. Down the road I think you will feel the car dialed in even *more* with an MKIV rear swaybar and subframe mount swap... and an LSD. But more things in good time!

Whenever it works out I cannot wait to see your SC in person!!

I wish I had known about that permanent trim restorer product when I was still doing my engine swap. I had so many trim pieces removed that it would have been a perfect time to apply and make the old original liners look like new.

The dirt buildup you found is one of the SC chassis' dirty little secrets (literally!). Over a long period of time dirt deposits do tend to collect in there and require cleaning out when detailing. It is not an indication of any prior flood damage. After I bought my SC I found that there were a couple of pounds of the stuff in the same crevices of my SC's trim panels as well that had to be cleaned out.

 

Thanks for your kind words, Craig. Yeah I agree that the CCW Classics have that quintessential 90’s look. I think they suit the car so well. I’m super pleased with the look.

Yes, I am planning on either the Supra sway bar swap, or perhaps the entire subframe, depending on what my research yields. My feeling is since I already have SC coilovers that a subframe swap would be out of the question unless I swapped those for Supra coilovers as well, but maybe I’m overthinking it.

Glad to hear also that the dirt accumulation isn’t something unique to my car! Lol

Nick