Hi all!

I've been reading and researching for a while now on possible routes to take to make an SC300 even faster (as I'm sure many of us have). I've read all kinds of different thoughts and opinions and build threads, so I am going to take what I have learned from them and consolidate them here in one place. All advice, thoughts, and opinions are welcome as I am trying to consider all possibilities.

As an extra step that I thought of today, I am going to work on archiving all of the links I have used by using the wayback machine / wayback machine chrome extension. I know how frustrating it is to come across old threads with dead links, so I want to preserve as much as I can for future reference for not only me but others as well.

Some other things I say may come across as basic or noob-ish, but I'm just trying to get all of the thoughts floating around in my head in writing (or typing I guess) as well as putting things down for the future reference to help any others who are starting to look into project ideas.

BACKGROUND ON MY CAR:

I picked up a 1995 SC300 with a factory 5-speed not too long ago. She's got a whole 335,000 miles (and counting) on the stock 2JZ-GE/W58 and still seems to be running strong. The first owner was religious about maintenance as the carfax showed so I felt confident in the old 2J's ability to keep the car moving.

Since my car is a Non-VVTi 2JZ-GE, it is the stronger of the 2JZ-GE's (the other being VVTi). It has many similar components to the 2JZ-GTE like the crank and rods. Look here for extra info. [Archived thread here]

With the car being a 1995 and manual, this means it is a Non-VVTi 2JZ-GE mated to a tripod-style W58. This thread here explains that 92-94 W58's are different than 95+. [Archived thread here]

MY GOALS:

• At least into the 400whp range.
• Daily drivability. I love to just cruise and I have a 30 minute commute each way that's all open interstate/country highways perfect for a car like this. I'm not a hardcore track person so I'm not concerned about track stuff.
• Sleeper status since no one would expect anything from a 20+ year old Lexus until it blows their doors off.
• MANUAL ONLY. I searched for a manual SC300 for a reason.
• Keep the project as straightforward as possible. I want to minimize the chance for any hiccups or extra steps to have to go around, so the simpler the better. However I am not afraid of taking on a few challenges.

PROJECT OPTIONS

As an engineering student and somewhat of an organization freak, I've started working on a spreadsheet to document all of my crazy ideas. I use it to keep track of costs as well as a basic home page for everything SC300 project related.

Keep in mind that the parts lists are a rough estimate of what I believe it would take to get a swap running + some BPU stuff. Your build could be very different than where I want to take mine, but could take a similar route and use my spreadsheet as a guide as to what to look for.

The project ideas/parts spreadsheet can be viewed here.

I tried my best to break up each sheet with a different project option and to keep them as up-to-date as I could in the event a price changes or an item sells. Note that some are more detailed than others (particularly the 1JZ's as that is what I have researched the most) and serve as a rough road map to get a swap into the SC300 with some minor BPU goodies.

Anywhere I have written that says "SEH" means that I would extend the wiring harness myself (usually found in the 1JZ sheets) rather than sending it off somewhere.
Links that have "FB" written in them mean that I have found a part on the facebook marketplace and I don't feel keen on linking it as facebook links can be a disaster. On top of that I mainly just search the facebook marketplace on my phone while on the toilet. Facebook may be crap but the marketplace can be useful for finding parts as quite a few people seem to part out their builds and list them there.

Any feedback on improvements changes, replacements, etc... would also be appreciated. (Going to work on updating and getting all links archived for future reference)


I am also including a link for anyone to use to look at a spreadsheet I've made containing just about all of the links I have been bookmarking for references. The majority are 1JZ are related, but can still apply to other builds.

Check out this spreadsheet for a nice collection of 75+ different SC300 project related links.




And now onto the project ideas.

1st OPTION: JZZ30 1JZ-GTE Non-VVTi

Probably the most straightforward of all of the swaps. Find a JZZ30 Soarer motor that has a tripod R154, clean it up, extend harness, get right driveshaft, drop in and go. While it may be the most straightforward options it can also come at a price as Soarer 1JZ-GTE's seem to be harder to find and command a slight premium over other 1JZ's such as the front-sump 1JZ's and the Mk3 1JZ's. Some BPU goodies to go in and have a healthy motor to drive on for a while before the ceramic twins wear out and the time for single turbo comes. W58 could also be an option for a motor that is automatic or does not come with a trans. I would treat the W58 with care, but it is still a 335k mile W58. CD009 could very much be a possibility in the near future.

For a single turbo I like the idea of a Holset turbo as many people seem to have great results from them and they can be had for cheap. Standalone ECU is still kind of up in the air, but I do that it is still possible to run the factory ECU with a single by using a few minor tweaks. A Holset HY35 turbo would be good for the 400hp range while a Holset HX35 turbo would be good for the 500hp range.

2nd OPTION: JZZ30/JZX100 1JZ-GTE VVTi

The less straightforward option as wiring info can be a little scarce. On the flipside, more low-end torque and already has a single turbo with upgrades available like ones from Tomei. Some people seem to say stick with non-vvti for tuning purposes while others say that if your tuner can't tune with VVTi then to find a different tuner. I'm assuming now in 2018 that most tuners should be able to handle VVTi. And to also reiterate VVTi GTE engines (both 1JZ and 2JZ) do not have weaker rods/pistons. Only the GE VVTi's are weaker.

JZX100 would take a little extra work with wiring and changing from front sump to rear sump so there's that. JZZ30/rear sump VVTi's seem to be few and far in between.


3rd OPTION: Supra or Aristo 2JZ-GTE

Likely the most expensive choice of the bunch. Non-VVTi 2JZ's can be on the pricey-er side while VVTi's are almost always Aristos (meaning front sump and since VVTi there is ETCS-i). Information is out there and the swap is definitely able to be done, granted at a slightly higher cost. I would probably opt to keep the W58 for a little bit until I can play around with either an R154 or CD009. Torque is what will kill a transmission, so I'd have fun with a light-BPU 2JZ and see how long the W58 would last. I'm not one to push cars super hard, just some occasional on-ramp fun, highway pulls with strangers at 1 am, and other light hearted fun.


4th OPTION: 1.5JZ

This one I've been toying around with and may be the least likely option depending on feedback. I was thinking since rear sump Soarer 1JZ's seem to a little harder to find I could find a much cheaper front sump, take the bottom end off, and throw what's left onto the 2JZ-GE bottom end with a little modification to support the turbos and some wiring trickery. So basically having a 1JZ with an extra .5L of displacement. Downsides are using a 335k mile bottom end and then seeing how long the W58 would last (granted with light driving).


NA-T isn't really something I'm looking into much cause 335,000 miles (funny considering I want to use the bottom end for a 1.5JZ). Maybe after digging deeper into the motor to see how it's looking on the inside would convince me to look into the idea more.


And that's about it so far. Any kind of feedback/advice/suggestions/etc... would be appreciated!

 

 

I should have also mentioned that the piping for NA-T has been a slight question mark for me as it looks like it could get real hot real fast. Just seems weird to me to put the turbo/exhaust right under the intake.

I'm well aware of transmission capabilities. W58 can hold ~350whp with easy driving. R154 can hold more than that, and V160 ($$$) / CD009 would handle the most. One of the things I've been debating is the W58/R154 comparison as some people seem to say they like the feel of the W58 over the R154. I haven't tried a R154 before and my W58 needs a new throwout bearing & shifter bushings so I have yet to try both in good condition to see which I like better. CD009 is probably where I would end up if I keep the W58 and save a little more to get the full collins kit (unless there is another adapter manufacturer that offers a good kit for less).

Prices I understand as well. The first spreadsheet I linked breaks down (rough) prices of each kind of build + links to the parts/prices themselves. And as far as a 2JZ-GTE goes, I have the ultimate lexus supra 2jz-gte swap pdf that details all of the wiring and such that you need to do for a Non-VVTi supra 2jzgte into an SC300 and it looks fairly straightforward. The rest of the guide is pretty detailed for other things. Mechanical bits and stuff from swaps I'm not really afraid of, wiring is getting into more of a gray area so I made to sure to try and gather as many different threads/links to help with them. 1JZ-GTE swaps seem pretty straightforward and have lots of documentation on swaps/builds (plenty of which I have saved in the resources spreadsheet I linked).

 

 

I'll check around and see which machine shops are good around my area.

And yeah for the JDM twin on both 1JZ/2JZ they won't last as long cause ceramic blades. Not sure how much USDM 2JZ turbos go for, but still would make more sense to put money spent on that towards a single. VVTi 1JZ CT15B doesn't seem too bad, but could always opt for the Tomei Arms upgrade which seems reasonable.

Agree on the CD009. I want to get in before they get too expensive and catch on with a larger crowd. Reading this thread in the future could be funny when people see that CD009's can usually go for $600-800 used and something like $1,500 new. Would also try and find a 3.266 diff from a 97-00 SC400 or whatever else they came on. God knows how much a Supra TT 6-speed lsd is.

 

If you decide to go with either option using ceramic turbines, Driftmotion among other companies will upgrade them to steel and it's much cheaper/easier than going single, if you are okay with staying in the 500 horsepower range. https://www.driftmotion.com/VVTi-1JZ...d-p/dm2339.htm

Kitabel is right, budget for needing to do maintenance items. Count on bushings and other wear items as well as supporting upgrades like injectors.

On top of that, If you are planning on swapping transmissions you will need a custom driveshaft so a LSD from another car is not out of the question. Best piece of advice I can give you: Always shop around at local shops before ordering fabricated parts online. For example, a good local machine shop can fabricate a custom driveshaft for a fraction of the price it would cost to have one shipped from a company offering swap parts. I live in Scottsdale, Arizona, a generally wealthy area and good local shops will do a custom driveshaft for $200-$300 dollars.

 

Another option could be a NA-t with a reworked block and FFIM since you're worried about heat soak. As was mentioned, there are many NA-t projects running 500-750HP with the stock intake manifold (and the torque benefits that come with it).

 

I'll recommend the 2JZGTE Supra/Aristo route mostly because I'm biased. If reliability/dependability plays into it at all -- I think this raises this option higher. I have 9 years on the motor in my thread. The last 3 - I have treated it horrendously and it has not let me down ever.

At any rate, an amazing amount of well-thought out research. Prices look ballpark and realistic. I was about 7,000 in and I used a Tweak Harness + no manual trans (2009)

Nice work and I'm sure whichever direction you go - you'll do it well.

 

Okay, first I just want to say that I'm not a fan of buying a motor from half way around the world sight unseen with ceramic turbos that could die at any moment. I know guys on here do it all the time but that route just isn't for me and my build suggestion will reflect that. If I were in your situation with a high mileage motor that I wasn't sure I wanted to build as is I would find another 2jz NA motor locally and start an old school rebuild on it. This way you know you've got a rock solid bottom end that will serve you well for years. Once that's done just do a normal NA-T build that will get you to your desired horsepower. You can also get your transmission in order so you can swap them in together to minimize down time. This option is more expensive initially but you don't run the risk of engine damage when the ceramic turbos die and you don't have to worry about whether to rebuild them or go NA-T at that point. You can also sell your engine and trans to recoup some of the costs. My car has 237k on it and if it hadn't just had most of this work done 20k ago this is the way I would build my car.