GloriousSC

I hear ya. I bought a 3UZ-FE almost two years ago thankfully, as the prices on UZ's has doubled in the past couple of years. I have not installed it yet as I have gotten married, am selling two homes, and trying to build my Jaguar, Sell my GS460 and fix my SC is kinda last in priority even though I would like it to be first. I felt that way about 2JZ's because they used to be $2500 for 30 years and then one year in 2020 went over $7k and stayed there. So silly.

Dart just released a new . It looks promising as a starting point. If I wanted a heavier I6 engine but it can accept a 94mm stroker kit and thicker deck and siamese bore I wold just drop that in with twin charging it with a supercharger and turbocharger getting rid of lag and keeping the low end torque of a much larger engine with high comp pistons on E85

CLass of 1

Yeah, I wish I could convince my wife to let me spend $5k on a spare engine lol

It’s strange times, for sure. I’d like to think it’s temporary but prices tend to only go up. It does seem like things have plateaud a bit now though, with interest rates going up.

Going 2JZ is the easiest and most straightforward way of making power, but it’s just too damn commonplace for me.

Nick

GloriousSC

I just got off the phone with https://1uztech.com/ in Virginia. They have full built UZ engine packages. They said they were familiar with the 1GZ V12 and would be interested in building one. I told them that Hartley offers parts for it now and that got their interest peaked.

But onto what I called for, to build my new 3UZ to the NZ superstock levels, They said my 1UZ could be built to 500WHP easily, and my 3UZ could break 600WHP N/A easily with the better flowing heads and built high compression bottom end and custom valvetrain and intake. He thinks I can rev past 9K comfortably on the road course too. All good news and I don't have to buy or ship anything from NZ just right here in US in Virginia. Now if I can design/build the custom intercooled intake mani with the S/C deck for a R2650, I think I have a beast of a motor on my hands. 600WHP N/A, double that supercharged and still no lag. Add a wastegate and 3 port controller on the intake we have boost by speed/gear and can rock this UZ into infamy on a Time Attack circuit or Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge. I think I will start out N/A and get the chassis dialed in before I add boost.

Great to know we have options now. Right here in the US for our motors. So different from even 2 years ago.

CLass of 1

Wow! I had my suspicions about the kind of power levels one could achieve with a full NA build, but I did not think 600 to the wheels was possible!! That’s insane!

I’d love more details on this. Honestly, that kind of power, the for the cost of UZ engines is very, very appealing. I REALLY want a V12, but between the engine and just getting it in the car (mounts, dry sump, 100 other small things) I think it’s gonna be north of $10k. To then START building the engine, there’s no doubt that investment is another $15k probably when it’s all said and done. Possibly more. It’s gonna cost me $30k-$40k before I figure out a transmission solution lol

So, by contrast, to use a 3UZ or a 1UZ and spin 500-600 to the wheels…man that’s really, really tempting.

Did you get a ballpark on pricing? I have looked around their website before and just poked around again. It’s not cheap, but if the power is there, it’s probably well worth it. For me, if I went this route, I wouldn’t put a blower on it. I’d be content with an all motor SC “corvette killer”!

Thanks for the info!

Nick

CLass of 1

Since purchasing our home in December I have basically done nothing with the car. It’s been at my sister’s house in her garage since mine is full of tools, material and junk from the move. The renovations aren’t complete but they’re lessening each week.

Tomorrow, I’m receiving a shipment of overhead garage shelves to store some stuff in and free up enough space to get the car back home! I cannot wait to wash her and take a couple pictures in front of our new home! I’ve purchased some LED headlight bulbs and will be finishing up the last of the lighting upgrades soon. After this, the only bulbs which aren’t LEDs will be the ones in the gauge cluster and AC controls. One day, I’ll get to those.

I’m just throwing up some recent(ish) photos here. I haven’t been putting pictures in here, but I probably should be:





















Will post some new pictures soon!

Nick

bron_karr

Man, that color is simply amazing. I regret not buying a 5spd sc3 in this color when I had the chance

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Nick, your car looks so clean and beautiful as always!! It may be resting in a garage at the moment but you'll get it out of there and get some more work and seat time with it again when the time is right!

I'm glad to hear that your house renovations are going well! It sounds like you're making good progress on that front!

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

It is a beautiful rare color, the RSP. Even rarer to find in a factory 5-speed. Still, I think you made an excellent purchase with your extremely clean 2000 model

CLass of 1

Thanks. Yeah that is the unicorn. If you had an original SC300 with a manual, black interior and Royal Sapphire Pearl, you could basically ask whatever you want for it. I’d like to think I have the next best thing! Lol

Truth he told, I only ever wanted the V8. The way it drives is just different. I drove a friend’s IS300 plenty and it was fun and exciting but there’s no comparing the cruising torque of the V8. It’s just effortless. Add to that I never owned a V8 and I just wanted to have one!

To date, I’ve had an I4, V6, Rotary and now the V8. I suppose I am due for an I6 at some point! Hoping I can manage to bring a V12 to this chassis though…we’ll see. With the prices continuing to soar, I am beginning to feel like I won’t be able to do it, but time will tell.

Thanks Craig. Yeah man, the floors are done, that was a big one! Still doing door casings and baseboards, some lighting, tiling a shower and two handfuls of “smaller” projects. My daughter’s first birthday party is April 16 so I’ve got to get a majority done by then. It’s a lot for one man, let alone a man who isn’t particularly skilled at any of this, but I’m learning!

Nick

- V -

iTrader: (1)

man I miss my black interior. Made the car feel so much more modern.

CLass of 1

Agreed man. I wasn’t ruling out tan interiors when I was hunting for cars but I REALLY wanted black. My RX7 had a tan interior and it always bugged me.

I’m planning to update the wood trim, just unsure if I should take on the tricky task of staining them a different color — was thinking a modern looking black wood — or just doing the tried and true carbon. If I do go carbon, I want the corn carbon with that little pattern in it. I think it looks really cool and differentiates it from just “any old” carbon fiber you would normally see.

Beyond that, a new steering wheel and that’s 90% of the interior. Whether or not I integrate a large screen in the center stack, well that remains to be seen. I’ve been kind of debating if I want to take on such a custom component.

I swear I should make a new thread. This isn’t a build thread it’s a dream thread! Lmao

Nick

- V -

iTrader: (1)

There was someone on the forums years ago that took all his wood trim, including the steering wheel, and sent it somewhere in japan where they redid all of it in custom ebonized wood. he also had them mod the steering wheel to be a flat bottom. The final pictures of the steering wheel and trim looked phenomenal but if i remember correctly it cost him north of $3k. If someone still has that thread or pictures from his post, its worth seeing.
That being said, I had the chance to drive one of the new RX models that had the open grain wood trim in it and i gotta say i LOVE that look. That in ebonized or dark oak would be amazing. Thats my new goal but i have no idea if I'll be able to get there.

I've considered doing the screen thing with wireless carplay/android auto but honestly I like the analogue look of our center console. Its easy to use and not distracting during driving. If i could have an android auto HUD instead that would be awesome. I could still control my music/radio/etc on the center but have things like map, nav, etc right in front of me. That being said the center screen does add the ability for a reverse cam and dashcam. If you figure out a way to incorporate a screen cleanly into the center, let me know. Fun fact, our center consoles are not perfectly straight. In fact i don''t think our cars have any straight lines lol.

CLass of 1

Wow! Yeah, $3k is about what I would expect. Probably more today when factoring in inflation and all the other supply chain issues!

Whatever I would do, I’d do it myself, so there’s no chance it’s gonna cost that much! But, I don’t know how good it would come out either. I’ll probably find a beat up set somewhere and recondition them before I try on my own. I think the wood look kind of fits the car better than carbon, though the carbon still looks good.

I agree with you about making the screen less distracting. Part of that is making it sit higher up, like modern cars, instead of at the bottom of that stack. I found this photo on the forums and superimposed the stock *****, which is the final look I would be after:



My idea is to use a little raspberry pi or similar with a step ladder resistor on the stock volume **** so I can keep the stock **** intact. Likewise, the AC **** would be positioned on the other side so I can adjust temp.

Relocating the AC controls may not prove to be easy but it seems worth it to me. It’s just so clean and more appropriate for today’s cars. Have the controls up top and the radio low just doesn’t make sense in 2023.

Nick

pockrosj

I don’t know why but for whatever reason whenever I browse through all the SC sale listings through eBay, Autotrader, Craigslist, etc, I usually see higher mileage on the 400’s. I’m thinking the UZ may be less prone to oil leaks, etc hence going the extra distance. I love my 300 but your 4 definitely has that rarity factor over mine especially with that black interior that holds its age so much better than tan. Clean build!

- V -

iTrader: (1)

Finding a piece of trim for the SC shouldn't be hard given that the trim on the doors stayed consistent over the years. You could probably buy a beat up door trim off ebay and experiment with it for fairly cheap. Junkyards are also an option. I've worked with wood before and removing the OEM coating is gonna be the hardest and most tedious part of that project. I'd almost say to buy a 1/2 inch plank of whatever wood you want and sand it down to shape, then attach it to some kind of flat material to match the overall thickness of the trim. For an open pore design, thats probably what I would have to do which is gonna be a long project to take on.

for the center console, moving the AC controls down is something I've always considered but never figured out how to do in a clean way, this gives me inspiration. I will have to brainstorm and experiment with this to see if I can come up with something. I've also thought about pitching the screen a bit down by customizing the bezel around the center console. Having a center screen that allows for dash cam, reverse cam, android auto, map and all that stuff would be very useful though I still dislike screens like that in cars so it would have to be a very high end screen that goes pitch black at night. None of that TFT crap lol. One thing I like though is the placement for the AC and Volume *****. I don't know if I would move them down but then again I've never thought about it. I'd keep them functional though and try to wire the volume **** to work with the headunit which i think is what you meant with raspberry pi which is something I never thought off and would definitely look into!