seanyyy

Hey guys, So i have a sc sitting in my driveway at the moment.. a 92' to be exact. I was wondering if a tranny swap would be worth it? or just put that money towards other mods.. It needs a new battery and wheels. Not sure what else i should do to it.. if someone can guide me in the right direction. Ive browsed all over this forum and multiple others. Thanks guys

Aron9000

Pics would be helpful. Miles? Condition?

Personally I'd just put any spare money towards neglected maintence. Change the coolant, auto tranny fluid, diff oil, p/s fluild, oil, new tires, and replace any worn suspension parts. I'd just drive it if it were an SC400 unless you plan to get rid of the V8 for a turbo 2JZ swap with the manual, in which case I'd budget about $5000 to do that job correctly.

Sactolex

Like said above, maintenance.

It would cost a lot of money to make it fast. But it doesn't cost a lot to make it sound nice.

The 1UZFE sounds great with exhaust.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

For a slightly different perspective to the above comments, those who have done M/T swaps on the SC400 have often said it's the single best mod you can do to the car, and better bang for the buck than turbo/supercharging.

Kris9884

iTrader: (7)

I'm not sure on the current condition of the car but I agree with t2d2^^^^, its a total game changer for the 400 to get a manual swap, even if you plan to get a motor swap you'll still need all those parts minus the adaptor plate anyway.. But as also stated, please check on the common maintenance issues first. They will nickel and dime you to death lol.

seanyyy

Heres some pics of the sc.. I'm still debating what to do. Thanks for all the honest replies though

Kris9884

iTrader: (7)

Oh damn its clean AND its white... Lucky duck.

VOrteneau

I was just thinkin' the same thing...those Florida benefits, tho

seanyyy

Thanks guys! Any recommendations?

VOrteneau

How many miles? What maintenances things does it need right now? I'd start there as others have mentioned.

Kris9884

iTrader: (7)

Well I'll just go ahead and say if it were me: 350z manual swap, full cat back exhaust and mufflers, dark window tint, remove or Chrome the badges, Gold is too old school, 97+ sides and rear OR the new polyurethane kit coming out from APTech. Obviously coilovers and 18/19" wheels in a polish/machine/chrome color.

After all that you can fall in love with it and do a motor swap later.

Or, just drive it how it is, comfy and classy all day.

Aron9000

Oh man that is nice. You can buy new chrome badges from the dealer to replace the gold ones, its less than $100 for all of them. Did that on my 1992 SC300 and it looks so much nicer now. Also noticed the exhaust tips are gold too lol. I'd swap them too, but if they're part of the muffler and aren't really removable, that's a great excuse to change that up and get a bit of a meaner sound. I know Magnaflow makes a quality muffler that has a nice tone when you step on it but isn't obnoxiously loud just cruising around.

Sactolex

How difficult is it to replace the badges? I too have white sc with gold.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Are those gold exhaust tips actually gold or is is just the lighting and aging from heat? You actually can remove the tips pretty easily from the stock setup. When you get under the car, you can see how they clip on with a bit of pressure. A combination of a rubber mallet, flathead screwdriver, and some wiggling will pop them off without too much trouble.

Aron9000

Getting them off can be a little tricky, like everything else, Lexus used only the best glue to hold them on there.

Heat the badges up with a heat gun on low setting, or use a hair dryer. Get some fishing line(and gloves so you don't slice up your hands), and slowly pry them off. Once you have them off, use a little bit of goo gone to remove the chunks of adhesive left behind. It doesn't have to be perfect, just get any big chunks off that might interfere with the new ones sticking on. Just be careful not to get overly zelous with the goo gone, as it will damage the paint if you rub too hard/use too much.

The new ones are super easy to install, just pull the tape off and stick them on. Luckily Lexus still used pegs/holes in the body to hold the badges on, so you can't stick them back on crooked.

Also don't be suprised if you destroy the old badges trying to get them off, that glue holding mine on was crazy.