Akha5802

I have seen the ad. I like the wedsports but the advan rz's just look so good

Akha5802

Hey guys, been a while. Not to get too technical but a lot has been done to the car. Since the last update I sourced an ISF drivers seat in mint condition to match my brand new isf rear seats (2012 model with alcantara). Rear bumper was replaced with a real OEM isf bumper because the conversion kit version looked cheap so around 400 went to that. Rear lower control arms have also been replaced with new oem ones because since i wanted many things to be new i got them for a good price locally. The engine ended up going out on the car while driving so a month ago i got a used engine with 130k miles and before installing it it got disassembled and every single gasket, o rings, rubber, you name it, was all replaced to insure the longest life, call it a refresh. With that I also decided to replace some IS350 known sensors that go out (common issues) such as the fuel sensor, oil temperature sensor and the PCV sensor (got a good connection to new OEM parts so took the advantage to replace a lot of things that dont need to be replaced but new is better than used!). Currently the only thing left on the car is to install my new refreshed Lexus eneki rims (also called the G-spyder) in gloss black with new caps, lug nuts, and locker all OEM. Now that the car has been fully restored to basically new apart from anything else that doesnt need to be replaced. Im going to list the car for sale soon. Its unfortunate that I went through so much for just an ordinary IS350 but last week a family member of mine was diagnosed with leukemia and i will be selling the car with a 5k loss to pay for some of the medical bills. A life is worth more than a piece of metal I can tell you that much. My price is set to be 16k but offers are open. By the end of the month the car will be finishing up for a new buyer to insure that whoever buys this vehicle has a piece of mind that everything has been taken care of. The only thing left is a passenger alcantara ISF seat to finish the ISF conversion for the interior. Other than that the car is ready to go. Apart from all the imported bracing the shocks are still the original sports package TAKICO blue series. I decided to not touch that because not only will it butcher the car for a new buyer but no point in buying a coil over because that's more personal to whoever wants to change them. So whatever I have done to the car has been either OEM parts to replace (which many things were excessive replacing since I planned to keep the car) or tasteful cosmetic mods that would be like by the general. I promise when I say that there was no cost cutting for this build. No cheap eBay cosmetic add ons and no tune. Whoever buys the car next can then modify it to their liking but as it stands the car is now ready for anything. Final pictures will be posted soon to finish this thread and then It will be listed for sale. I appreciate everyone here so much for the support and help. This is the first time where I had many people supporting something I have built and it has motivated me in the future to buy a lexus again once Im financially available and hopefully come back here with something new! Until then, I with everyone good health and I will see you guys soon!

AMIRZA786

Is this the second engine you've changed? I remember previously you mentioned the original engine going out. Pics please

MrHarris

iTrader: (1)

Wait so you did all of that including the purchase of new sensors and gaskets etc (not cheap especially when you add them all up), all for you to not enjoy it but for the to-be future buyer to enjoy it?

Price seems high no?

Akha5802

no second engine no, when the original engine went out I replaced it with a used one, and yes pics will be uploaded soon.

Akha5802

price is low. When I upload the final pictures and make the list of what I have done (which is going to excessively be long) then the price will make sense. Just give me a few weeks to set that up since there's a lot going on right now just need to make time for it.

Akha5802

After a month and a half the diffuser came in! Note: when install these take out the bumper and don't struggle. Take your time to make sure it sits flush. Here is the results.

Drilled and measured on each side to make sure they look OEM. Two in the center and one on the ends to secure the diffuser to not have any gap

Akha5802

So far I have my lightweight crank and waterpump pully that needs to be Installed. Working on the Lexus Spyder Eneki rims to refurbish them back to new, will paint them gloss black with new caps and black lug nuts. Since my rear shocks leaked I went ahead and ordered some tien flex z and in the future will install the edfc system. I'm really curious to see how these coilovers work on a fully braced is350 since I have never seen one done. Will take it to crest and push the car to its limit.

Akha5802

Update: Next week I will be starting to install my new sound system. I went with 2 sets of Pioneer Z65H which I also have in my Pajero. Its Audiophile certified and the quality is just breathtaking. I will be pairing it with the Pioneer 874 1200W amplifier and I also purchased sound deadening pads to go in the door panels, around the speakers, floor, and the whole trunk to reduce road noise and ensure that when the music gets blasted there's no hollow noises or any unnecessary noise. I will also be replacing the carpets (not the floor mats those have already been replaced new) since mine has a rip on the drivers side and cigarette holes next to the drivers seat and once this is done I can cunclude for the most part (apart from sourcing a passenger Alcantara ISF seat and the black headliner) that the interior will be fully restored to new with the sound system it deserves. A powerful and luxury worthy system. On the same week I will also install the backup camera which is OEM (yes I can go aftermarket but I want to keep the OEM look) and will also install my front splitter which took months to come since my bumper is a 4IS facelift and I had to get it from the company directly. Will also install a 2021/2022 IS350 front camera that I got very lucky with finding and since my bumper is the same as the new IS350 the screw holes match perfectly with the camera and the bracket, and its gonna be OEM how cool is that! I already installed my lightweight waterpump pully and will install the lightweight crank pully soon just didn't get the time. And once I slap on the new black coated wheels for the most part the car will officially be restored back to new and in a new way, have created my own 2022 IS. Stick around for the final parts of the build!

Akha5802

So about 3 weeks ago I didn't have the time to post but I finally purchased Tien Flex Z coilovers. After installing them and having them tested on stiff and soft all I can say is wow. Since my car is already fully braced I didn't want to go anything extreme because even with my blown shocks the car took corners better than my friends stock IS350 that I tested. On soft settings (usually 8 to 10 clicks) the car feels the same as my old OEM sport suspension. Handles comfortably. I did notice some bounce on the freeway on soft but in the end it keeps the car planted and its a stiff yet soft feeling. On stiff you start feeling the road more so not the best for a daily I keep it for the weekend. Overall I'm glad I chose this over the BC racing coilovers. I just trust Tien more since they have been in the business for a long time. With that being said I will also install the EDFC system which will enable me to adjust the stiffness of each shock or front to back adjustment using the controller in the car. It adjusts the dampers instead of individually doing it. You can also set it to automatic where when your driving it normally it stays soft but the moment you start to speed up and accelerate hard on corners it automatically stiffens it up. It ultimately becomes a new car and I love the system but will get the system later since its 750 dollars for the motors and the unit itself with the wiring. But anyways here's how it looks!
Installation was very easy btw. If I can do it anyone can

Akha5802

Bottom pic was the 3rd day taking the car to my friends house to sand and polish the faded paint Top pic is current with the new front lip (yes rims are in progress of getting replaced)

bbaugher47

Awesome job bringing it back from the dead.

Akha5802

Thank you! September is a big month, just getting started, stay tuned!

Akha5802

Lets not talk about it...

qnt469

Wow. You basically stripped the car down to the chassis and revived it Frankenstein style. It's an art that few can understand and appreciate. I can only imagine how much love and hate has gone in to making this happen. Much respect man.