Nice job st3rnly

 

Thanks Bruce! I feel your pain on using a cheap android. While I love the new unit, my only wish is that I got one with wireless Android Auto integration. For some reason I haven't been able to get tethering to work with mine either, nor Torque Pro pairing with my OBD2 dongle. Either way, i'm thoroughly happy with the upgrade over the outdated factory nav unit.

Thanks Harold!

 

I finally got around to installing some more goodies this weekend. Didn't take many pictures since both of these are well documented, but the improvement is well worth the effort.




17mm rear sway bar (48812-30400) paired with Superpro poly bushings.




HUGE thanks to @Seattle SCone for the reduction spacers! If you're wanting to upgrade your rear sway bar, this is a great thread to follow.

Next on the list was the . I didn't notice any slop in steering, but figured after 135k miles, my bushings could use a refresh. The largest bushing, pictured below, was extremely thin and loose. Here is a great write-up to follow - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension-and-brakes/246613-diy-daizen-steering-rack-bushing.html



Impressions: The rear has such little body roll now and feels way more planted around corners. I'm still waiting on the coilovers I ordered in December, which should eliminate the remaining roll I feel from the blow factory struts. As for the rack bushings, steering inputs feel more positive and firm now. Overall both mods were extremely worth the few hours it took.

 

Did you have to cut a bolt to get the steering rack bushings replaced? (I'm referring to the nut/bolt cutting on your bench.)

 

Actually that was from the end links that came on the replacement sway bar. They were seized and I didn't plan on using them, so they received some persuasion from my angle grinder.

 

It's great you're giving this car a new lease of life.

My suggestion is also putting the twin turbo supra caliper in the fronts. It's a direct bolt on, you just got to cut the brake shield and replace it with a Twin Turbo surpra rotors as well. Slap on some BC Coilovers & this car transform instantly. Add Cusco strut Brace as it helps with rigidity & cornering.

All of which I mentioned could be had for less than 1800

 

Thanks! It's really rewarding making these changes incrementally and feeling improvements every step of the way. I actually already ordered a set of MeisterR coilovers in December, they've just had some production delays. The owner says I should have them this month though, so I'm really excited to see how they transform the car.

Supra front brakes are definitely on my list of future modifications, I'm just trying to find a set for a reasonable price. I would love to add a supra diff too, but the mkiv tax is crazy these days. If you know of a good set of brakes, please send me a link, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I actually found a Carbing strut brace in Japan and tried ordering it, but got outbid in the last minute. I'm hoping to find another in the next couple months, or else I'll just get a Cusco. I'll probably add a Cusco underbody brace as well.

 

You can buy the front caliper hardware on Rockauto under mk4 supra twin turbo. They require a core so you might pay extra for that. Its bare iron caliper so it's best if it's painted or powder coated

 

What kit did you use to redo your headlights? I have a couple turtle wax kits, and I have some extra sandpaper, to gradually go finer and finer before the polish and seal. The turtle wax kit has a wipe on sealant.. I am a little afraid to use the Megiars headlight clear coat since I am ws a little afraid it will show signs of being sprayed? I have an extra headlight fixture from my totaled 2009 and they are extra ****ty and yellow, so I am going to experiment with that first. I just do not trust some of these headlight kits that hardly have any abrasive material.

Instead of the final seal, I see people using ceramic wax/seal on the headlights aa well.

I recently changed all the lights on the entire front end, and used stock Lexus 6000k lights - while they are supposed to be less bright than the 4300K, they arent.. They are brighter, though its likely because the headlights are fresh, and I LOVE the color!

 

I recently changed all the lights on the entire front end, and used stock Lexus 6000k lights - while they are supposed to be less bright than the 4300K, they arent.. They are brighter, though its likely because the headlights are fresh, and I LOVE the color!

I thought the higher the number , the brighter( and bluer) the light. You might want to check your bulbs again.

 

I looked there, but the with the core price factored in, it makes it a bit out of my budget. Luckily I just found a set of already powder coated Supra TT calipers with rotors for $450, so I'll probably scoop those. I was debating going with LS400 calipers I found for $250, but I see you also need to run RCA's.

 

I actually used a I had laying around to restore mine. It has a spray/wipe sealant vs using a clear coat, but has held up fine so far. I also used a DA with some polish to finish them off before sealing. If I had to do it again, I would just buy an assortment of sandpaper and a quality clear coat.

As for the new bulbs, the perceived brightness increase could be attributed to the color difference, or the fact that they are new. Unless you upgraded to a higher wattage bulb, 4300 and 6000 should be the same brightness, just different color. Here's some good reading on the subject

 

You should either go with the Supra TT calibers & rotors or LS460 calipers & ISF rotors (need RCA). $450 with calipers & rotors is a good price, just need a good set of pads and you are in business.

 

I found the Lexus Philips OEM 6K bulbs on eBay for under $20 for the pair which was a great deal. I chose the 6K because I like the color more, and saw them on the Prius. The brightness of these new bulbs is simply because they are not worn out... the lower the color temp, the brighter is supposed to be apparently. These have the shade of blue that I like will still being an OEM choice and completely legal. I almost dropped over $200 on some high end Philips 6700k bulbs which I could only find for sale on eBay from a seller in Japan.. While the bulbs have a higher lumen count, they would be bluer and are not DOT approved.. The extra money was not worth it, since these are more than bright enough. I also changed out the daylight running bulbs with 5K Philips, new turn signals, and the little 194 bulbs at the top of the fixture which are Putco branded and are 6K as well, but I may change those out for some Philips LED 6K lights.

I ran over a horrible pothole back in 2016, and lost my AFS.. when upgrading my brakes, I found the arm was completely bent. I found the extra one I have from my wrecked 2009, and I am going to finally swap them on so the damn AFS works again and the stupid light on the dash turns off!

 

I thought about this... but then saw the caliper adapter brackets that allow you to run the huge 4 piston LS460 calipers, and 14" ISF brake rotors. They will not fit all wheels, but I am pretty certain they will fit mine since I have staggered wheels and on the front the spokes are at the edge compared to the back where they go inward a lot more. supra store sells these brackets which are expensive, but you can get them with the direct match braided brake lines for our car.. If I cant manage to make the brackets myself, then Ill buy those and the braided lines.. the rest of the stuff Ill get on ebay. I found OEM ISF 14" new rotors a while back for under $200.

ceika is another option but it gets expensive here.. they make custom kits for almost every car, and they guarantee whatever they send you will bolt up, and most of the time it does. You can get massive 6 or 8 piston calipers, huge rotors, but if you start getting all the options and goodies they offer, then it soars well above $2K for the front brakes alone.. Addition $1600 for the rear kit, and if you select carbon rotors, then it goes up in the high thousands.

I think I may try the LS460 brakes.. the calipers are beefy, and I want the brakes to fill up the area behind my TSW wheels, which will really show off the brakes.

I am running to a shop today hopefully to get one of my radiators properly repaired so I can end this fiasco. I found out that it may cost around 900 to 1k for a full aluminum custom radiator and Im throwing so much money at the engine/performance coming up soon. The stock radiator has never had issues cooling this car, and I have seen forced induction applications use these stock radiators and be fine. I just want to get it fixed/modded so the damn tanks wont pressure leak any more. Then I can focus on getting the Lextreme torque converter installed when it gets here.. I am picking up my engine and trans from my friends house in another week, and will start tearing it down. It will be rebuilt with forged internals, and will run in NA form with lots of upper end work done to it just to see how much hp NA these engines are capable of. When I start, Ill make an engine thread to post progress.