Aaron's 97 SC300 NA-T Build
#76
The oil feed line was $113 plus the cost of the filter so just say $145 total, Slightly costly but IMHO totally worth it. better to buy a new filter then a new turbo
#77
Finally got around to drilling out the Oil drain line into the pan. I must say that doing this while the pan is still in the car is quite challenging.
Space is tight and getting the punch dead center of the hole is near impossible due to visibility and angling. I did manage to get it as good as I could but still came out slightly off center due to the drill bit walking. I think I may have gotten lucky because any further off and I would not have been able to tap the hole.
My recommendation is to take the time to pull the pan and weld the bung on, this is the safest route to ensure no leaking what so ever but I am confident mine will be good and not leak also
Half way through the pan you can see how the hole is slightly forward and down.
Before tapping to accept the 1/2 NPT to -10 AN Drain Bung
Tapping the drilled hole, you can see in the picture the correct Drill bit size and Tap to use when going this route.
The Drill bit is a 45/64 and the Tap is a NPT 1/2 -14
Before installing the drain hose bung into the pan it is highly recommended that thread sealer of some sort is used to help prevent leaking. IMO this liquid teflon from Permatex is the best available, lightly coat the threads before installing the bung and as the NPT threads tighten the liquid teflon will compress and squeeze out creating a perfect seal
There are two types of this sealer offered, one is Permatex High Performance Sealer and the other is Permatex High Temp.
PREMATEX HIGH PERFORMANCE IS THE SEALER YOU WANT!!!
The temperature range for the Permatex high performance is 350 Degrees.. do not be fooled and buy the high temp one thinking it is better or safer.. If your oil ever reaches 350 degrees . YOU HAVE WAY BIGGER PROBLEMS lol
Space is tight and getting the punch dead center of the hole is near impossible due to visibility and angling. I did manage to get it as good as I could but still came out slightly off center due to the drill bit walking. I think I may have gotten lucky because any further off and I would not have been able to tap the hole.
My recommendation is to take the time to pull the pan and weld the bung on, this is the safest route to ensure no leaking what so ever but I am confident mine will be good and not leak also
Half way through the pan you can see how the hole is slightly forward and down.
Before tapping to accept the 1/2 NPT to -10 AN Drain Bung
Tapping the drilled hole, you can see in the picture the correct Drill bit size and Tap to use when going this route.
The Drill bit is a 45/64 and the Tap is a NPT 1/2 -14
Before installing the drain hose bung into the pan it is highly recommended that thread sealer of some sort is used to help prevent leaking. IMO this liquid teflon from Permatex is the best available, lightly coat the threads before installing the bung and as the NPT threads tighten the liquid teflon will compress and squeeze out creating a perfect seal
There are two types of this sealer offered, one is Permatex High Performance Sealer and the other is Permatex High Temp.
PREMATEX HIGH PERFORMANCE IS THE SEALER YOU WANT!!!
The temperature range for the Permatex high performance is 350 Degrees.. do not be fooled and buy the high temp one thinking it is better or safer.. If your oil ever reaches 350 degrees . YOU HAVE WAY BIGGER PROBLEMS lol
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Turbostar (05-25-21)
#78
*** Ali SC3 or Moderator - Please edit this post into my other electrical post on page 4***
Moved to page 4 post 55 per your request
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/bui...ml#post9005400
Moved to page 4 post 55 per your request
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/bui...ml#post9005400
Last edited by Ali SC3; 05-05-15 at 01:42 PM.
#79
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Wow, can't believe I missed this thread until now. Another Colorado guy! Holy crap!
What non-emissions county are you in? Elbert here, no smog FTW. I'm in the research and early parts-gathering stages of an NA-T swap into my '95 SC400. Would love to check out your car sometime.
If you're not too far from the metro, we and Ali and Brent and whoever else is local should get together soon.
Build looks great, same photo and writing style as I tend to use in my documentation threads as well, so very enjoyable to read.
What non-emissions county are you in? Elbert here, no smog FTW. I'm in the research and early parts-gathering stages of an NA-T swap into my '95 SC400. Would love to check out your car sometime.
If you're not too far from the metro, we and Ali and Brent and whoever else is local should get together soon.
Build looks great, same photo and writing style as I tend to use in my documentation threads as well, so very enjoyable to read.
#80
Wow, can't believe I missed this thread until now. Another Colorado guy! Holy crap!
What non-emissions county are you in? Elbert here, no smog FTW. I'm in the research and early parts-gathering stages of an NA-T swap into my '95 SC400. Would love to check out your car sometime.
If you're not too far from the metro, we and Ali and Brent and whoever else is local should get together soon.
Build looks great, same photo and writing style as I tend to use in my documentation threads as well, so very enjoyable to read.
What non-emissions county are you in? Elbert here, no smog FTW. I'm in the research and early parts-gathering stages of an NA-T swap into my '95 SC400. Would love to check out your car sometime.
If you're not too far from the metro, we and Ali and Brent and whoever else is local should get together soon.
Build looks great, same photo and writing style as I tend to use in my documentation threads as well, so very enjoyable to read.
My car is registered at my parents house in El Paso County down in Colorado Springs, but I actually live in Centennial just outside of Parker.
Thanks for the compliment on the thread. I knew starting it I wanted an mass photo bomb with tons of info because I have a 97 and at the time I started OBDII cars were kind of uncharted territory
Personally IMO it would be smarter and cheaper for you to do a full GTE swap. Considering you need that V8 out of there going NA-T might be a bit pricey.. looking back at it the amount I have spent so far I should have just GTE swapped mine
Last edited by Aswilley; 05-03-15 at 05:06 PM.
#81
Alright so here is a little update on what all went into the build Friday night. I am going to break it down into two posts.
As some of you know when going the NA-T route the hot side IC piping can cause some clearance issues right near the turbo because of the lower radiator hose. Here is a super cool mod I stole from 8052JZ's build thread.
*** WHEN DOING THIS MOD, THE NEW LOWER RADIATOR HOSE WILL BE A - GATES HOSE PT# 21794***
So this is how your factory T-stat housing sits.Notice how the housing tube sits facing outward from the pump.
When building your SC the NA-T route you may come into clearing issues with the hot side IC piping right off the turbo, so here is a little fix that I stole from 8052JZ build thread on page 16
The housing has a notch on it so you can only install it one way from the factory
here you can see the notch on the upper right side of the housing.
up close shot of the notch
When you grind this notch away it will allow you to install the housing whatever way you want, allowing you to flip it 180 degrees form factory mounting.
Once flipped and installed, the T-stat housing now faces almost straight down and as you can see here.
This allows for you to run a 90 degree hose to the lower radiator and eliminate any clearing issues you may have when running your hot side IC piping.
As some of you know when going the NA-T route the hot side IC piping can cause some clearance issues right near the turbo because of the lower radiator hose. Here is a super cool mod I stole from 8052JZ's build thread.
*** WHEN DOING THIS MOD, THE NEW LOWER RADIATOR HOSE WILL BE A - GATES HOSE PT# 21794***
So this is how your factory T-stat housing sits.Notice how the housing tube sits facing outward from the pump.
When building your SC the NA-T route you may come into clearing issues with the hot side IC piping right off the turbo, so here is a little fix that I stole from 8052JZ build thread on page 16
The housing has a notch on it so you can only install it one way from the factory
here you can see the notch on the upper right side of the housing.
up close shot of the notch
When you grind this notch away it will allow you to install the housing whatever way you want, allowing you to flip it 180 degrees form factory mounting.
Once flipped and installed, the T-stat housing now faces almost straight down and as you can see here.
This allows for you to run a 90 degree hose to the lower radiator and eliminate any clearing issues you may have when running your hot side IC piping.
Last edited by Aswilley; 05-03-15 at 05:52 PM.
#82
I finally decided on a mounting location for my gauges, let me know what you all think
I absolutely hate pillar pod gauges, I think they are distracting and you are forced to look away from the road when you want to see how you car is reacting
SO I decided I wanted my Gauges as close to natural driving eye sight as possible and here is where they will be.. I will be running corrugated tubing up from behind the dash centered between the two windshield vents. the tubing will run across the driver side and enter behind the A-pillar. this makes wire routing very simple as the rheostat for dimmer lights is on the driver side just behind the cluster and the cluster has 12v power wires I can jump into. I will post more pics of all that as I install more.
This is probably going to be the most tedious portion of the build and take me probably all of next week to finish
until next time, hope you all enjoy so far
I absolutely hate pillar pod gauges, I think they are distracting and you are forced to look away from the road when you want to see how you car is reacting
SO I decided I wanted my Gauges as close to natural driving eye sight as possible and here is where they will be.. I will be running corrugated tubing up from behind the dash centered between the two windshield vents. the tubing will run across the driver side and enter behind the A-pillar. this makes wire routing very simple as the rheostat for dimmer lights is on the driver side just behind the cluster and the cluster has 12v power wires I can jump into. I will post more pics of all that as I install more.
This is probably going to be the most tedious portion of the build and take me probably all of next week to finish
until next time, hope you all enjoy so far
#83
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Nice man I am totally down to meet up and scope each others cars out, Me and Ali have meet up but only so I could buy his Injectors and snag some ECU Pins lol.
My car is registered at my parents house in El Paso County down in Colorado Springs, but I actually live in Centennial just outside of Parker.
Thanks for the compliment on the thread. I knew starting it I wanted an mass photo bomb with tons of info because I have a 97 and at the time I started OBDII cars were kind of uncharted territory
Personally IMO it would be smarter and cheaper for you to do a full GTE swap. Considering you need that V8 out of there going NA-T might be a bit pricey.. looking back at it the amount I have spent so far I should have just GTE swapped mine
My car is registered at my parents house in El Paso County down in Colorado Springs, but I actually live in Centennial just outside of Parker.
Thanks for the compliment on the thread. I knew starting it I wanted an mass photo bomb with tons of info because I have a 97 and at the time I started OBDII cars were kind of uncharted territory
Personally IMO it would be smarter and cheaper for you to do a full GTE swap. Considering you need that V8 out of there going NA-T might be a bit pricey.. looking back at it the amount I have spent so far I should have just GTE swapped mine
About how much do you have into yours so far?
#84
Ya think? That's what I've been going back and forth trying to decide. Not to derail your thread, but it seems like if I'm going to end up resealing an engine and going single anyway, it might as well be an NA-T GE. Save the money I'd spend on a GTE and put it toward a turbo, or engine management, or a manual tranny, etc. Of course there's extra costs with the GE as well, like a new TT headgasket, FFIM, etc, but so far it seems to be a wash. The decision then becomes whether or not to go VVTi, as those are the GTE swaps that are the most affordable. Once the price for an engine goes up into the $2500+ range, I can't even justify not building a GE from the start.
About how much do you have into yours so far?
About how much do you have into yours so far?
whoa man hahah.. let me think lol.. I have got to be coming up on $5,500 total so far, and I didn't even touch the fuel system besides Injectors, bottom end of the engine, or do the manual R-154 swap yet. That's literally everything to do the NA-T swap though. APR Head studs, tt head gasket, turbo timer, ECU,gauges, etc. etc. I think when I am fully finished with everything I will probably be around 10K .. I don't even want to think about it lol.. I think if I were to do it again I would just do a full GTE swap and single turbo that sucker lol.. less headache still a ton of info on the swaps and builds.
You can find GE engines for under $500 sometimes, and building it on a stand wouldn't be hard compared to doing it in the car. there is just too much to mod on the GTE and places selling them, but it becomes slightly more complicated when building a GE.
#85
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whoa man hahah.. let me think lol.. I have got to be coming up on $5,500 total so far, and I didn't even touch the fuel system besides Injectors, bottom end of the engine, or do the manual R-154 swap yet. That's literally everything to do the NA-T swap though. APR Head studs, tt head gasket, turbo timer, ECU,gauges, etc. etc. I think when I am fully finished with everything I will probably be around 10K .. I don't even want to think about it lol.. I think if I were to do it again I would just do a full GTE swap and single turbo that sucker lol.. less headache still a ton of info on the swaps and builds.
You can find GE engines for under $500 sometimes, and building it on a stand wouldn't be hard compared to doing it in the car. there is just too much to mod on the GTE and places selling them, but it becomes slightly more complicated when building a GE.
You can find GE engines for under $500 sometimes, and building it on a stand wouldn't be hard compared to doing it in the car. there is just too much to mod on the GTE and places selling them, but it becomes slightly more complicated when building a GE.
#86
Ouch lol. Yeah, that's pretty brutal, but it seems to me that you'd be spending most of that on a GTE swap as well. Turbo timer, gauges, etc. I intend to pick up a junkyard GE for less than $200 and go from there. There's really no "cheap" way to build a 500hp combo that isn't a grenade, but I do come from a background of A) being on a tight budget and B) junkyarding everything I can, both of which come from starting with Turbofords lol.
Do it once.. Do it right..
It always winds up costing more in the long run and more headaches when you try and cut corners. Either way best of luck on your build man, I am definitely interested to see what route you choose and how everything falls together
#87
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So totally just a question, someone else made a thread about their return line and I thought of this method. How confident do you feel about the fitting not leaking or coming loose? I feel like from the pictures it doesn't seat very well around that hole, unless it's sunken in and I cant see it?
#88
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Yeah I don't believe in cheap builds. I am all about:
Do it once.. Do it right..
It always winds up costing more in the long run and more headaches when you try and cut corners. Either way best of luck on your build man, I am definitely interested to see what route you choose and how everything falls together
Do it once.. Do it right..
It always winds up costing more in the long run and more headaches when you try and cut corners. Either way best of luck on your build man, I am definitely interested to see what route you choose and how everything falls together
But enough about me, I'll start an engine build thread when the build consists of more than an oil pan.
When do you imagine you'll have yours up and running?
#89
Lexus Champion
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Man looks like its coming along great, keep up the good work.
moved your electrical post to page 4 as requested, btw you should be able to edit your own posts to do that.
Kriss the fitting does sit in deeper you just can't see it (used many of those fittings), it seals on the threads not on the outside part.
Asha'man why don't you bring that sc400 here and lets just throw a supercharger on that thing. you put alot of work into the chassis might as well keep up the hard work. I can help you figure out the ecu/wiring side of it, maybe start an engine build thread so it doesn't clutter here to much.
802JZ's T stat flip is super helpful, back when I did my install had no idea about that so I just cut the hose shorter and put it back on, I really need to get around to doing that next time the coolant is drained just for extra clearance.
Definitely some hardcore gauge placement, try and put your more important ones on the left I notice its hard to look right past the middle of the dash when going fast, the angle will help for sure.
moved your electrical post to page 4 as requested, btw you should be able to edit your own posts to do that.
Kriss the fitting does sit in deeper you just can't see it (used many of those fittings), it seals on the threads not on the outside part.
Asha'man why don't you bring that sc400 here and lets just throw a supercharger on that thing. you put alot of work into the chassis might as well keep up the hard work. I can help you figure out the ecu/wiring side of it, maybe start an engine build thread so it doesn't clutter here to much.
802JZ's T stat flip is super helpful, back when I did my install had no idea about that so I just cut the hose shorter and put it back on, I really need to get around to doing that next time the coolant is drained just for extra clearance.
Definitely some hardcore gauge placement, try and put your more important ones on the left I notice its hard to look right past the middle of the dash when going fast, the angle will help for sure.