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Free mod to my doors with hope it will help the body flexing a little less. Got the idea from this thread but not willing to pay 200+ bucks for it so I fabricated my own using the cut out from my hard rubber floor mat.
Doors are much tighter now.
It looks ghetto but oh well, if it works 50% as well as the real thing, I'd be happy.
What kind of doormat is it? How thick was it? Please share details, for this low cost I will try it...
Thanks.
It was an exceed piece that I trimmed of off my Husky floor mat (
)
The thickness is about 4.9mm. It just happens to be perfect for the gap on my car. I put some Honda Shin-Etsu Grease to make it easier to close/open.
Ok this brings back memories. I believe there was a thread on this and discussions were heavy.
I clicked on the website of the Japanese vendor and you can see there are 2 components, one fits the door and the other fits the body. There was a lot of discussion on effectiveness of this add on in terms of the structural integrity of the SC (flexing).
The only connection between the door (attached to the Front body on 2 hinges) and the rear body is on the latch itself (which is basically the latch hook on the door and U bar on the rear body)
To increase body stiffness, this “spacer-shim” located on the 2 sides (body and door) act like a “bridge-connector” thereby some of the flexing is contained (with forces spread out on the mating surfaces through friction), the benefit is felt especially when the top is down.
The only reason a bunch of us did not get these was the cost and availability. I thought somebody local tried to develop something similar.
I don’t but I am intrigued. There multiple sites where they can be purchased but, they are pricey. Really not sure to what extent they would improve driving characteristics. In other words....I’ll need empirical rather than anecdotal data to justify the expense.
bacardi11 is the only active member who purchased them back in 2013. The only problem with this is you still have to shim it until it snug fit your car per rouge
I am with you VVTiBob, to much expense to experiment with, and can not be returned easily if you wanted to. If these worked, it would have been a longer thread.
Lovin my 04 SC so much that I have decided to sell my 04 Corvette Convertible and make this my go-to car. Started doing what I can to improve the look of my car since I am not a techie like lots of you fellow owners are. Here's what I've done already or are in the process of doing or have plans to do very soon.
Done: Plasti-dipped my Spider wheels in a Black Cherry color which now match my rear emblems. Different, I know, but I believe the color is very complementary to my Millenium Silver paint.
Done: Re-finished my headlights using one of those store bought kits and I have to say my headlights not only look crystal clear but I definitely notice how much brighter the low beams project now.
In Process: Clay barred car and then used paint cleaner on some spots that didn't look so good. Well, noticed many more scratches and a few badly repaired "nicks" I just can't live with, so I've gone to a body shop and picked up a few semi-mangled fenders I can practice on before trying to actually repair the flaws on my SC. Just started this process but I have to say I'm very surprised how hard it is to try and put scratches or"nicks" in the paint on my "practice" pieces.
In Progress: Removed the trunk luggage cover and am in the process of repairing area where the seam has badly separated. Apparently every time the cover retracts back into the "roll" at the front of the trunk it makes the damage worse, so in doing the repairs I'm taking my time and making sure whatever I end up with can hold up to frequent use.
Coming Soon: There are places in my Beige Interior where the color has rubbed off on the drivers side seat and arm rest. So I've located a local vendor who the area Lexus dealership uses to repair the interiors of their "for sale" used vehicles, and I have scheduled an appointment for this professional to come to my home to do "their" magic.
My SC is always on my mind, so essentially these are all of the things that I've done or thought about doing for my SC today.
Tomorrow is my birthday so:
1. Ordered the door rigidity kit from Japan. We'll see if this is still available.
2. I amassed all the parts necessary for the rear sway bar upgrade from the 12mm stock bar to the powder coated 17mm ISF bar. Installation will be Wednesday as the MOOG links will be in Tuesday PM.
3. After removing the SC430 and Lexus logotype from the rear, (I saved them.) I washed the car. Then I hit these spots with NuFinish.
4. I ordered a junkyard replacement NAV screen. I will modify this to accept the iPhone: WAZE and backup camera upgrade. I'll keep the present unit as a spare. I like the look of the walnut hiding the screen when it is not in use.
5. I washed the car again with what used to be DuPont #34 powdered wash. I like it better than the liquid washes because it is highly resistant to storage temperature fluctuations. It also is very economical and is just a wash. I think I have had the same canister for 5 years.
6. Just for laughs I hit the spots in 3. above with NuFinish again.
7. I am about to order a Dr. Colorchip kit. I've looked at the door, etc. and cannot find the paint code. Does anyone know the paint code for a black '02 SC 430?
Spent my weekend to redo my front brake. Clean & paint the caliper then install with new rotor/pads & stainless steel line. So much time spent on cleaning and painting the calipers. I wouldn't do it again.
When I bought the car almost 8 months ago, I immediately bought the brake components. If I didn't, I would have gone the Supra TT BBK route. It would have looked so much better. Oh well, this would do for now.
Tomorrow is my birthday so:
1. Ordered the door rigidity kit from Japan. We'll see if this is still available.
2. I amassed all the parts necessary for the rear sway bar upgrade from the 12mm stock bar to the powder coated 17mm ISF bar. Installation will be Wednesday as the MOOG links will be in Tuesday PM.
3. After removing the SC430 and Lexus logotype from the rear, (I saved them.) I washed the car. Then I hit these spots with NuFinish.
4. I ordered a junkyard replacement NAV screen. I will modify this to accept the iPhone: WAZE and backup camera upgrade. I'll keep the present unit as a spare. I like the look of the walnut hiding the screen when it is not in use.
5. I washed the car again with what used to be DuPont #34 powdered wash. I like it better than the liquid washes because it is highly resistant to storage temperature fluctuations. It also is very economical and is just a wash. I think I have had the same canister for 5 years.
6. Just for laughs I hit the spots in 3. above with NuFinish again.
7. I am about to order a Dr. Colorchip kit. I've looked at the door, etc. and cannot find the paint code. Does anyone know the paint code for a black '02 SC 430?
#3. Isnt there an indent in the metal where the rear Lexus logo is? Any pics finished??
06-05-19, 02:14 PM
Making my SC my #1 Vehicle
