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Purchased a 2006 IS350 from Copart. See the progress of the build. (Trust me)
Hey guys! About 3 months ago I started my journey on restoring and building a 2006 Lexus IS350 that I purchased from copart. Some call me crazy for fixing up a 230k mile Lexus but people here know that these cars don't die that fast. So far Im going to post what I have done to the car from the start and then as I continue the progress of the car I will update it. Its a build I want to document because I plant on building this 2IS to be different because I don't like to copy the same build so I'm gonna try my best to distinguish this car from the rest and hopefully give you passion to do the same since these cars are worth keeping. So lets start from the very beginning shall we: This was the listing of the car at Copart the day before I purchased it. When the car first came already the condition was beyond belief that someone lead this car to sadness. It had ugly purple tints, the window trims were all destoryed, headlights too foggy and cracked to fix, and dustier than a barn find 1969 Camaro. Every single wheel has a full 360 curb rash and chip along with the front passenger rim being welded from a previous crack I'm assuming. This car was repainted grey for some reason and the paint was faded on the roof and trunk. the paint on the passenger quarter panel near the wheel arch is cracked and more oxidation above the same panel Oh yes! every common 2IS issue is inside this car. were talking sticky dash, door panels, rearview mirror bleeding from the auto dimmer, center console arm destroyed, steering wheel ripped to pieces, anh..... too much.
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Now that you have a good picture of the mess I got into, let's get started on these issues I had to address soon. While driving the car home (well attempting) the car started to overheat and I had to tow it home. Once it got home I poured hot water into the radiator and saw that it was leaking badly. OEM Radiator, Oil, OEM oil filter, OEM Thermostat housing, OEM water pump, and OEM iridium spark plugs
I ended up replacing the radiator, changing the oil, water pump (it was working but since I didn't wanna risk it at such a high mileage I replaced many things that didn't need replacing). While replacing the spark plugs the driver side was rough because none were unbolting. After 1000 cans of WD-40 and backache I managed to open them and I'm confident to say that they were never replaced or replaced once because the passenger side spark plugs unbolted very quick. The serpentine belt and a fresh battery were also replaced. Now that the engine was fully maintained I took it for its first drive and it drove strong. Then I started to notice some lag on the transmission especially from 5th to 6th gear. I replaced 3 Solenoids in the transmission. Pressure control Solenoid 35290-34010, Lock-up control 35280-30050, and the Clutch control solenoid 35210-50010.
After I did a full flush on the transmission oil and put in a new filter the transmission still felt slow and after some research on the forum I found out that replacing these solenoids brings back the transmission to its glory and after replacing them sure enough all the gears shifted smooth and under load, the shift response time changed a lot. It ain't a dual-clutch but it felt new. Moving onto the interior: Dash, door panels, steering wheel, center trim, rearview mirror, all the pillars, Front seat covers, facelifted rear seats with white stitching, all the plastic moldings, and a lot of other miscellaneous parts were replaced in the interior. Took 3 Hours to replace the dash but overall it was simple, just got to take time so everything is done correctly. The before and after is simply astonishing to me I was looking for a scouche double din conversion and I managed to find it at a junkyard for 30 dollars in mint condition. I then put in a Pioneer DMH-2660 double din (apple car play, android auto, HD radio, simply the best double din) Rewired a facelifted rearview mirror that I purchased used in great condition and it bolted on easily Picked up the rear seats from a junkyard. Old one had seen so much sun that even a gallon of conditioner couldn't make the leather soft again . Ended up replacing the steering wheel, front passenger seat covers, center console trim (grey wood), shift ****, all of the plastic molds in the interior, center and driver ac vents, new floor mats brand new from my local Lexus, and Door panels that I found used in amazing condition. Basically a new interior.
After the interior got restored I started to move on to the exterior, Starting off with the headlights, taillights, and all the trims.
Replaced the Headlights to Vland and upper grille to F sport along with a new Lexus logo from the dealer Process of installing the grille and headlights Installed facelifted taillights (I will upgrade them again I'm waiting for them to come overseas). Changed the pillar and bottom door chrome moldings
Once the exterior started to take shape I decided to wet sand After wet sand and polish before I replaced the headlights and trims
and polish the paint to revive it a bit but I'm gonna repaint it next year.
Now that your updated lets talk about the current status. I started to work on the suspension. Yup, completely shot And here is after replacing it (again OEM) no cheap aftermarket bs Process of replacing the bushings with Figs 95 durometer to increase the steering feel a bit As expected the bushings were cracked and too old to be in this car
Follow the next thread titled Ultra Racing Suspension where I started some suspension stiffness work on the car!
I contacted Ultra Racing in Malaysia and ordered their full underbracing for the IS (the name over their is under the chassis name XE20, 20 being second generation. So far 3 items have came I'm still waiting for 3 more.
I contacted Ultra Racing in Malaysia where they produce under bracing for the IS (based on the chassis name XE20) and ordered their full kit. So far the trunk/engine strut bar has came as well as the rear sub frame tie which replaces the original ones. Here is what's included on the rear subframe tie
Here's a side by side comparison from OEM to Ultra racing
Took 10 minutes to install, used the OEM bolt because they are thicker than the ones they came with Trunk bar installed easy, had to cut open the carpet a bit but not too much. Bolts take a while to bolt down due to the tight location but overall pretty straight forward
Tower bar installed easy as well
Just waiting on a few more, stay tuned these next 3 months will be a night and day difference!
Im checking it out right now I really wanna make the steering better, if you can please let me know which mods truly make a difference. So far its only Figs bushings that did a noticeable change but not dramatic. I already have the ISF steering damper Im gonna install it this weekend.
You should see what people have said about upgrading to an ISF steering ECU. Later model year ones seem preferred from what I've seen.
so 2 questions, first, what year ISF steering ECU is the best, 2, does it need to be calibrated or is it plug and play, and lastly, after you install it do you have to retune it to make it perform better? thanks!
so 2 questions, first, what year ISF steering ECU is the best, 2, does it need to be calibrated or is it plug and play, and lastly, after you install it do you have to retune it to make it perform better? thanks!
I suggest you do your own research because I haven't done the upgrade myself yet, but was planning to. I don't want to give you any wrong information, and all info I read was from this forum so it'll be pretty easy to find. I THINK it's the 2010/11 model year ECUs that are slightly more updated, and I THINK I remember reading that it doesn't have to be calibrated but one guy had to. Again, I'd do my own research if this is really something you might be interested in. Great build BTW!
Oh ok got it, im researching right now if I manage to make it work I will let you know the FULL PROCESS detail by detail so everyone else don't suffer! Also thank you, stay tuned because I'm not teasing everything yet!
Oh ok got it, im researching right now if I manage to make it work I will let you know the FULL PROCESS detail by detail so everyone else don't suffer! Also thank you, stay tuned because I'm not teasing everything yet!
Just go through my build thread, I do a full review on the 2011 ISF steering ECU
11-07-21, 11:15 PM
Purchased a 2006 IS350 from Copart. See the progress of the build. (Trust me)
