SC300/SC400 New Member Thread! Introduce yourself here!
03-27-12 | 12:03 PM
#2566
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 19
Likes: 1
From: Ca
I am a new member and have a 2000 SC300 with 72k miles on it. I bought it because I wanted a coupe and wanted RWD. I also like the straight 6 engine. It's easy to work on and straightforward.
I also have an old Camry coupe but don't like the sideways V6 engine. I actually had to change it - very difficult to work on.
I also have an old Camry coupe but don't like the sideways V6 engine. I actually had to change it - very difficult to work on.
03-29-12 | 09:09 AM
#2571
Hi everyone! My name is Jake from northern Iowa. New to the forum. Looking to buy my first Lexus, 1995 SC400, this weekend. Looking forward to learning more about the car and making elegant mods to her. I've read on here about people stating that info is in DIY section. I'm having problems finding it. Can anyone direct me to the DIY section?
04-01-12 | 01:23 AM
#2572
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Chattanooga's Soarer 4.0GT project!
Hello Club Lexus!
First I would like to say that this forum has been invaluable to me. The advice, DIY's, information, and assistance I have recieved from this group goes beyond the norm, and borderlines passionate obsession.
A big shout out to O.L.T.! This guy is the real deal! Not just a moderator, not just an enthusiast, nay not even just a good guy; this man embodies "The pursuit of perfection". 100% Pure Lexus genetics runs through this man's blood! (Even though he's not japanese! Lol.)
So now moving on to my car!
I purchased my 92 SC400 in July of 2011. At that point it had 205,350 miles on it, and a 'salvaged' California title. Of course by registering it in Georgia I recieved a new 'Rebuilt' title.
The car was in 5 out of 10 exterior condition, and probably a 5 out of 10 interior as well. Being that the last owner obviously hadnt cleaned the car...possibly ever.
It had a check engine light, a shattered sunroof with a gaping hole, a sub that didnt work, 4 bald tires, random missing interior trim, lightless instrument cluster, potted and flaking chrome wheels, a bad wobble, an off center sterring wheel, worn LCA bushings, no power steering, a rigged cooling reservior from some other unknown lexus model, condensation in the lights, a hard clunky shift, minor dents in one quarterpanel, a terrible second-hand paintjob, a large chunk of paint/plastic missing from the front bumper, missing emblems from front and back, missing body moulding from one door, pulled up carpet (with stains on EVERY INCH), a non working cd changer, the passenger door only opens from the inside, and the interior trim for both pillars, and the driver side door was gone... thats all i can recall immediately.
I realize a 5 out of 10 may seem generous, but i have restored worse, and I have wanted an SC since i was 15 (i was 25 when i bought it). So i saw tons of potential, and the opportunity to get a good deal. I made this trip with four SC3/400's to see,. With the intent of buying one, and refusing to settle for anything else. This would be my seventh car in nine years...between falling asleep behind the wheel, driving faster than i should in the rain, and natural disasters (tornadoes, women, etc.).
The real reason i was able to write all the wrong off was the engine and drivetrain. Never before had i come across a 200,000 mile car that showed NO signs of fluid seepage ANYWHERE. The engine growled beautifully, the acceleration, although sputtery, was true and silky, and the tranny, although shifting rough didnt seem to have any issues in any gear, under any level of throttle.
(I later discovered it was 'salvaged' because a tree fell on the car.)
So i reasoned with the owner, and after a lonnnnnng call to the California DMV, and two hours of negotiations I was driving my first Lexus home from Atlanta. You should have seen the show this guy put on. He literally cried, and asked for a chance to say goodbye. Then followed up with hugging the car, and leaving a BIG sloppy kiss mark on the windshield. In retrospect, I will probably do the same thing one day...
On the way home i got over 30mpg.
I had some issues later on that I invested almost $800 in diagnostics to discover NOTHING (damn dealerships). And found out myself after they falsely 'fixed the problem' by 'recalibrating' my TPS, IACV, and some other sensor....liars. The issue was a leaky sunroof, and a wet ECU...of course they offered no refund for their 'work' (letting my car sit at their dealership for three days).
Since then i have replaced the ECU, the IACV, the fuel pump, fuel filter, transmission mount, body moulding, sunroof, new tires and balanced, rear speakers, cooling reservior, and taillights. I have also removed the sub until a replacement can be found. Polished the wheels as good as possible. Purchased and placed a 'Soarer' badge on the back, as well as a Soarer Griffin on the front. Rebuilt (with the help of LexTech!) the cluster with LED's and blue needles. AND oxycleaned as much of the front carpet and trim as humanly possible. I'm sure there is more here I have forgotten as well, but alas it has been a nine month span of time since i started.
Also I have purchased a W58 five-speed manual transmission from a 92 SC300!!! And am looking forward to a swap to marry this gorgeous $400 million dollar 1UZ to the W58 making it truly a "Luxury export to the United States" Soarer. Now if only the price on Quantum Auto's conversion kit would drop, or someone was willing to sponsor the project, or I could find the parts and purchase them seperately over time. Of course more than likely I will have to deal with my auto transmission for a nice long while until i can afford to make that dream a reality.
The next most important things on my list are:
LCA bushing replacements
Bigger wider wheels
Black Paintjob and minor bodywork, maybe with a body kit.
Power steering restoration
And maybe a BFI 3.2
Pictures soon!
And to fill you in, with the work i've put in this car now goes like hell. No shifting issues (trans mount!), no sputtering or CEL (fuel system cleaner and new ECU + premium gas), She sounds and runs BEAUTIFUL! And to top it off, with 211,000+ miles now it is STILL the only car allowed to park at the top of my parent new concrete driveway. Seeing how even their 20,000 mile brand new cars leave small oil spots on the driveway, but my Lexus has NEVER seeped one drop of oil or ANY fluid for that matter. The engine bay looks like a brand new car still
Damn I Love My Soarer!
First I would like to say that this forum has been invaluable to me. The advice, DIY's, information, and assistance I have recieved from this group goes beyond the norm, and borderlines passionate obsession.
A big shout out to O.L.T.! This guy is the real deal! Not just a moderator, not just an enthusiast, nay not even just a good guy; this man embodies "The pursuit of perfection". 100% Pure Lexus genetics runs through this man's blood! (Even though he's not japanese! Lol.)
So now moving on to my car!
I purchased my 92 SC400 in July of 2011. At that point it had 205,350 miles on it, and a 'salvaged' California title. Of course by registering it in Georgia I recieved a new 'Rebuilt' title.
The car was in 5 out of 10 exterior condition, and probably a 5 out of 10 interior as well. Being that the last owner obviously hadnt cleaned the car...possibly ever.
It had a check engine light, a shattered sunroof with a gaping hole, a sub that didnt work, 4 bald tires, random missing interior trim, lightless instrument cluster, potted and flaking chrome wheels, a bad wobble, an off center sterring wheel, worn LCA bushings, no power steering, a rigged cooling reservior from some other unknown lexus model, condensation in the lights, a hard clunky shift, minor dents in one quarterpanel, a terrible second-hand paintjob, a large chunk of paint/plastic missing from the front bumper, missing emblems from front and back, missing body moulding from one door, pulled up carpet (with stains on EVERY INCH), a non working cd changer, the passenger door only opens from the inside, and the interior trim for both pillars, and the driver side door was gone... thats all i can recall immediately.
I realize a 5 out of 10 may seem generous, but i have restored worse, and I have wanted an SC since i was 15 (i was 25 when i bought it). So i saw tons of potential, and the opportunity to get a good deal. I made this trip with four SC3/400's to see,. With the intent of buying one, and refusing to settle for anything else. This would be my seventh car in nine years...between falling asleep behind the wheel, driving faster than i should in the rain, and natural disasters (tornadoes, women, etc.).
The real reason i was able to write all the wrong off was the engine and drivetrain. Never before had i come across a 200,000 mile car that showed NO signs of fluid seepage ANYWHERE. The engine growled beautifully, the acceleration, although sputtery, was true and silky, and the tranny, although shifting rough didnt seem to have any issues in any gear, under any level of throttle.
(I later discovered it was 'salvaged' because a tree fell on the car.)
So i reasoned with the owner, and after a lonnnnnng call to the California DMV, and two hours of negotiations I was driving my first Lexus home from Atlanta. You should have seen the show this guy put on. He literally cried, and asked for a chance to say goodbye. Then followed up with hugging the car, and leaving a BIG sloppy kiss mark on the windshield. In retrospect, I will probably do the same thing one day...
On the way home i got over 30mpg.
I had some issues later on that I invested almost $800 in diagnostics to discover NOTHING (damn dealerships). And found out myself after they falsely 'fixed the problem' by 'recalibrating' my TPS, IACV, and some other sensor....liars. The issue was a leaky sunroof, and a wet ECU...of course they offered no refund for their 'work' (letting my car sit at their dealership for three days).
Since then i have replaced the ECU, the IACV, the fuel pump, fuel filter, transmission mount, body moulding, sunroof, new tires and balanced, rear speakers, cooling reservior, and taillights. I have also removed the sub until a replacement can be found. Polished the wheels as good as possible. Purchased and placed a 'Soarer' badge on the back, as well as a Soarer Griffin on the front. Rebuilt (with the help of LexTech!) the cluster with LED's and blue needles. AND oxycleaned as much of the front carpet and trim as humanly possible. I'm sure there is more here I have forgotten as well, but alas it has been a nine month span of time since i started.
Also I have purchased a W58 five-speed manual transmission from a 92 SC300!!! And am looking forward to a swap to marry this gorgeous $400 million dollar 1UZ to the W58 making it truly a "Luxury export to the United States" Soarer. Now if only the price on Quantum Auto's conversion kit would drop, or someone was willing to sponsor the project, or I could find the parts and purchase them seperately over time. Of course more than likely I will have to deal with my auto transmission for a nice long while until i can afford to make that dream a reality.
The next most important things on my list are:
LCA bushing replacements
Bigger wider wheels
Black Paintjob and minor bodywork, maybe with a body kit.
Power steering restoration
And maybe a BFI 3.2
Pictures soon!
And to fill you in, with the work i've put in this car now goes like hell. No shifting issues (trans mount!), no sputtering or CEL (fuel system cleaner and new ECU + premium gas), She sounds and runs BEAUTIFUL! And to top it off, with 211,000+ miles now it is STILL the only car allowed to park at the top of my parent new concrete driveway. Seeing how even their 20,000 mile brand new cars leave small oil spots on the driveway, but my Lexus has NEVER seeped one drop of oil or ANY fluid for that matter. The engine bay looks like a brand new car still
Damn I Love My Soarer!
04-01-12 | 01:01 PM
#2573
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: TN
What's up guys. My name is Sage, from Tellico Plains, TN. Been wanting an SC for a while, did a lot of debating between a 300 or a 400. To be honest, I would have been happy with either, but I'm now a proud owner of a '95 SC300. It has several of the common problems I've been reading about on here; saggy nets, passenger door handle doesn't work, AC screen is hard to read, trunk doesn't want to stay open, alternator whine from an aftermarket head unit, and worn leather. Thanks to this site, I've been slowly working on fixing these things. Being a mechanical engineering student in my junior year, I don't have a lot of time, or money, to work on it, but hopefully I will find some time and money this summer to get some of these things fixed.
The car is old man gold, with an old man tan interior. The tan interior doesn't bother me much, but I plan on painting it a different color. It will be either white, or Lexus DSM. I've already painted one of my previous cars DSM and I love the color, and since my name is Sage it's very fitting haha. So far the only modifications to the car are black wheels (which look pretty good on the gold paint), and some exhaust work. Future plans include lowering/slamming it, manual conversion, and either NA-T or swapping it. Been looking into the pros and cons of each. I'm a pretty big DIY'er and have plenty of access to a full shop, so doing the work myself isn't a big deal. I take pride in doing my own work, and even had a hand in the full paint job on my previous car.
I look forward to being an active member on this forum, learning as much as I can about these cars, and sharing the knowledge that I learn with new members in the future.
The car is old man gold, with an old man tan interior. The tan interior doesn't bother me much, but I plan on painting it a different color. It will be either white, or Lexus DSM. I've already painted one of my previous cars DSM and I love the color, and since my name is Sage it's very fitting haha. So far the only modifications to the car are black wheels (which look pretty good on the gold paint), and some exhaust work. Future plans include lowering/slamming it, manual conversion, and either NA-T or swapping it. Been looking into the pros and cons of each. I'm a pretty big DIY'er and have plenty of access to a full shop, so doing the work myself isn't a big deal. I take pride in doing my own work, and even had a hand in the full paint job on my previous car.
I look forward to being an active member on this forum, learning as much as I can about these cars, and sharing the knowledge that I learn with new members in the future.
04-02-12 | 01:16 PM
#2574
Hey guys! Glad to finally actually post on here instead of just lurk. After a few months of searching I finally found an SC that I couldn't live without. It's a 96, black, tan interior, original 5 sp, supra TT suspension, Stern ST-2 wheels, exhaust, 97 front end, 97 tails. I'll be posting some pics soon.
I plan to keep the car as is, while I build either a 1jz or a 2jz outside the car. Once everything is built the way I want it, I'll switch setups.
I look forward to meeting any other lexus guys in the phoenix area, and contributing to this awesome forum!!!!
I plan to keep the car as is, while I build either a 1jz or a 2jz outside the car. Once everything is built the way I want it, I'll switch setups.
I look forward to meeting any other lexus guys in the phoenix area, and contributing to this awesome forum!!!!
04-02-12 | 04:34 PM
#2575
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Ny
Waasup CL im Eli, ive been a member here since i bought my 94' SC300 in April 2011. i havent really been posting cuz i mainly used my sc to go to work and come home since i do road construction in NY and had a leased 08' TL and didnt want to fck it up, but my lease is up and i dont wanna be paying for another new Car at the moment. so i want to make my SC look sexxy as fack like some i've seen here on CL..
So i bought the car from some lady in NJ which was the only owner. car had 98k miles on it when i got it now it has 103k. ( i work on the hwy 10 mins from my house so its not a lot of driving ). has a few dings but nothing major, no accidents, just got a tune up she runs like a champ thought it was lacking power for a 2jzge but after the tune up she was let off her leash.. lol i love Supras so im thinking of a 2jz-gte not sure yet, first i wanna do the body.. thinking flat charcoal gray with takata green varrstoen 2.2.2's 19x9.5 in the rear but idk about the frot cuz i didnt see 19x8 0r 8.5's in their website.. i wanna go with Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110.. thinking 225/45/19 in front and 265/45/19's in the rear.. i ordered some Espelir ASD springs for now and the lip kits all around just waiting for them to get here. pics will be up on the next post, any info i can get from you guys will be much appreciated. thanks
So i bought the car from some lady in NJ which was the only owner. car had 98k miles on it when i got it now it has 103k. ( i work on the hwy 10 mins from my house so its not a lot of driving ). has a few dings but nothing major, no accidents, just got a tune up she runs like a champ thought it was lacking power for a 2jzge but after the tune up she was let off her leash.. lol i love Supras so im thinking of a 2jz-gte not sure yet, first i wanna do the body.. thinking flat charcoal gray with takata green varrstoen 2.2.2's 19x9.5 in the rear but idk about the frot cuz i didnt see 19x8 0r 8.5's in their website.. i wanna go with Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110.. thinking 225/45/19 in front and 265/45/19's in the rear.. i ordered some Espelir ASD springs for now and the lip kits all around just waiting for them to get here. pics will be up on the next post, any info i can get from you guys will be much appreciated. thanks
04-02-12 | 08:38 PM
#2580
