NMTIS300

Four months ago, I bought a 2001 Solar Yellow is300 with 148k miles on the clock.

Unknown mileage since timing belt/water pump. Unknown maintenance history. 6 previous owners. Body damage. Destroyed aftermarket from bumper. Peeling clear coat. Underglow. Purple tint. Carbon fiber interior trim. Flashing shift ****. Most bulbs burnt out. It was rough to say the least.

This is what it looked like.

corradoMR2

It looks like it's got potential. Any after pics?

NMTIS300

Replace blown shocks.

I chose Koni yellows based on very positive user feedback. I have 12k on them and absolutely love them. I'm running 75% stiff on the front and 50% on the rear on stock springs.



Timing belt/ Water pump

I went for the DIY option to save money. I bought the "kit" on eBay which advertised OEM parts. No problems after 12k miles.



OEM front bumper bought on eBay. I also entered a local AutoX. The car did amazing and was only outpaced by a modded STI.

NMTIS300

I'm a college kid. I don't have a very large disposable income. I chose to build a booth and re-spray the car in my garage. I used professional paint sprayed with an HVLP spray gun. I chose a slightly different shade of yellow.



I'll likely catch some heat for what i did next. I decided to delete the trunk lights. I welded in some plates and used bondo to make it match the contour of the trunk as best i could. I also had to weld in some plugs for the holes where the ugly wing was bolted to the trunk.

NMTIS300

Paint in the door jambs and other hidden areas was in good condition. I decided to spray with the doors closed. Here it is in the home made booth.



Painting the car was not enjoyable. Not at all. It took me a week to do the body work, sand, build the booth, mask, and spray. It was one of the least enjoyable experiences I have had working on vehicles.

Here it is after the new paint with some evo 8 17" enkeis with 245/45 tires, they fit with rolled fenders, and I have driven the car quite hard. I did cut some corners on the body work, so it is not perfect. Although I am happy with the results. I have yet to color sand/buff.





I'm not sure if i Like the look of the deleted trunk lights. It looks a little "slow" I could grind out the plated and re-spray the trunk at a later date.

NMTIS300

Here are some pictures from the legendary Mulholland Highway in Southern California. The Koni yellows on factory spring are fantastic. It is quite predictable at the limit for a mostly stock car.









It feels fantastic to drive the car as a uniform shade of yellow

Just rolled 160k on the odometer on the way back to school.



I've been wondering if anyone else has the same problem of the "R" and "M" positions on the cluster having black circles? I guess the previous owners didn't use "D" very much. That must tell me something about how the car was driven!

corradoMR2

The work looks good. I agree with the rear about taking out the lights on the trunk. It looks less a Lexus and more of an '02 Lancer or Civic coupe.

NMTIS300

Thanks man. I think I have to agree with that. It was an experiment, and they don't always go as planned.

On a different note, here is a shift **** I machined up.



I've made a few different styles, although the one above looks the best with the auto. The delrin is nice because it stays comfortable in the winter and doesn't get too hot in the summer.

Here are a few different types I experimented with.



While I'm on the topic of machining, I also made some solid steering rack bushings on the lathe. The job took about 3 hours, including making the bushings. Nothing was very difficult, but care must be taken to press the aluminum in straight. The resulting increase in steering feel and precision was quite nice, and is certainly something I would recommend. I observe no clunking or other abnormal noises as some people have mentioned.

NMTIS300

This is the "bad" side with the aids fender. I didn't want to spend the cash to buy a new fender, so I repaired it as much as I could. It doesn't line up with the hood or bumper quite right.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Honestly bro, these things look 'perfect' without the middle lights. It would be my first thing to do on an IS300, smooth the entire body, no molding, no inners, no spoilers. It cleans up the car so much!

You cannot ever mistake an IS for a Mitsu, I can see where the other guy states that but you know it's a mitsu by the sheer 'itsy bitsy-ness' of it... the IS is wider & longer, not to mention smoother looking [with its edges] when compared to that Mitsu lunchbox

BTW, there's always sets of OE IS300 fog lights for sale over on www.hidplanet.com [forums -> member classifieds] for dirt cheap! Saw a pair last night for 60$

NMTIS300

I'm glad someone likes it! Thanks for the link, I actually forgot about the fogs. haha.

BOOOGS

iTrader: (1)

the tail light delete might look better if you got oem dark chrome instead of just chrome

NMTIS300

Thanks booogs, I will look into that option. I bought some red vinyl for the tails on eBay, but completely FUBARed the install.

dammitjim

The trunk light delete would look much better with darker tails.

jdm_altzza

iTrader: (9)

Looks really good man. I applaud you for the hard work and dedication you put into this car. You revived it!