cringram

My hat off to you...your SC is something we can all aspire to.

rushgator

Great job. If you keep it up, I will expect to see your Sc at the 2050 Pebble Beach Concour D'elegance. Thanks for treating your car like the future classic that it is. BTW, I like the perferated leather on your seats & the tastefully done steering wheel and brake upgrades. Only a true Lexus enthusiast will be able to tell you car has been modded. Very clean.

siniquezu

Saw the car in person. VERY clean. I was afraid to touch it because I may devalue it. Let me mention that he had the door arm rests were custom made. I never got to ask Ryan, how does the car run, power-wise? Good as new?

Ryan

Wow! I am really amazed with the level of support everyone gave today. I really felt a bit alone when everyone has been so focused on mods here. I was asking these strange little questions like how do I get the nets on the back of the seats tightened like new again (I did it of course) and everyone else was focused on body kits. I guess when you put all the little pieces together it makes a big difference. I was also surprised by how many people responded that I normally don't see actively posting. I guess I was not alone in the relentless pursuit of perfection.

A few answers:
The steering wheel was done by American Stitches. Look in the group buy section and talk to Manaray on this - he is the expert. I think it cost about $450. If you like wood, read the article I wrote on William Rau here on the SC forum.

The leatherseats.com purchase was probably the best money spent. The mechanical stuff is a must have - but you never feel great about laying out big dollars on things like tranny servicing. This is one purchase where you feel like you get big value immediately. I also like the new wheel a lot; it really feels nice in the hands. Even if you don't like wood, I would recommend you get your leather redone with extra padding...I can't tell you how much more fun cornering is when you have a better grip on the wheel!

The car runs like new in pretty much every way. The idle sounds like a new car. The other day my neighbor was mowing the lawn across the street so there was a little noise outside, I turned the key to start the car and when I heard the starter I realized the car was already running - it's that quiet and smooth. Not one oil leak or any fluid leaking for that matter. It obviously handles better than new with my modifications - Tokiko/Eibach combo (1.5 in. drop) with Daizen bushings all around.

I'm taking a break from doing much else to my car for now. I consider it to be 97% what a new car should be. i.e. If an unaware person who didn't know much about cars walked into a Lexus dealer, could he sell my car as a new model? With a few minor things done I would be there (i.e. carpeting and some of the plastic pieces on the inside that are not perfect, but expensive to replace). When you go down the path of perfection it gets more difficult than you think – the minor things nobody else can even see start to bug you. It also stops being fun when your daily driver is the car being worked on. So for now I am going to take a break and enjoy what I have.

Thanks again for all the kind words!
Ryan

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

......

legendary

excellent job....that is what is forgotten soooo much.
Before modding a beater, restore its condition(if it is),then work up from there.
I love the work done, and can appreciate that as I did an almost frame off restoration of my car last year..LOT of work and money. BAsically, everything you did and then some (my other car)

nextlevelcoupe

iTrader: (1)

very well said...take a bow! i would have this same content in my posts(we're in the same boat)

lexcoupe

I get that too, people think that my car is a 02!! it really makes me feel good when people ask me what year my car is, and im proud to tell them taht it is 11 years old!!! Keep your heads up boys!!

Kevin

siniquezu

Not the way his springs were! Ryan's got ONE weird rear spring.

SC3005SP

Hello,
After reading all of this I deffinetly want to do this. Especially the bushings. Also my car just came back form the body shop because someone sideswiped my rear panels. It makes me want to get the entire car painted to look brand new again. Great car dude.
-Brian

Ryan

Yeah, Todd is going to look into that spring in the next few days. Thanks for the correction onehot. I thought it was one inch and then when Thang and I were talking the other day it looked closer to one and a half - I guess that's the springs settling.

Ryan

BTW this is a great time to paint the entire car if you have other problem areas you want fixed. If your insurance (or someone elses) is paying for part of the car to be painted you can usually work out a great deal on the rest. They spend a lot of time on prep and getting the paint mixed, etc. so there are big economies of scale. They also will not have to blend the paint around the repainted area, so there are other cost incentives. On my last car I took it around to a few body shops until someone was willing to make me a good deal on painting the rest of the car. Don't forget that even if the insurance is paying, you are still the customer as most insurance companies allow you to choose from a list of approved shops. Turn an unfortunate incident into a win-win situation - you may be able to get the rest of your car painted for $1K instead of the $3-4K it would cost otherwise.

Thanks again for the complements!

bmsport

I guess i was lucky because when i bought my 92 sc300 5 speed, it had recently been painted, same color again. I would rate the quality of the paint job about a 6 out of 10, 10 being immaculate, 8 being the original paint. My interior was pretty decent too, not including my floorboards which are lookin kinda raw now.

Its nice to restore a car back to its original shape, to some people thats all they need to label that car as perfect, but other people (like me) will probably never be satisfied until the dyno reads 1000hp and the every inch of the car is "tastefully" customized with only the best of aftermarket parts. Hats off to you on that awsome restoration, it looks awsome, i wish i could be happy with that, lol.

SC3005SP

Hello,
Yea I wish I could have gotten the insurance to pay for it but the guy/girl who hit me just drove away. I wasn't home when it happened infront of my house and I drove up with my girlfriend. I was like "Are you F-ing kidding me?" It's one thing to hit the car but to leave and not leave your info, that's just being a D-ck. I mean it was alot of damage, I would have understood if he/she left if it was say only my mirror, but it was my entire rear quarter panel. Any way I mean it's my car, and I don't like it all hurt. It's my car man.
-Brian

LexFather

I am actually gonna sticky this for those that want to follow suit.