tjschnei

I have a '97 SC300 and I am just beginning to get into performance modifications. I want to get into the turbo's and what not but I cannot decide whether to do an engine swap to a 2JZGTE then swap the turbo's or go for a full turbo kit. Any suggestions as to which will be a better performer and advice would be greatly appreciated. Also does anyone know of places that carry the Lexus 5-speed manual tranny because all the places I have contacted have said they do not have that manual transmission. Thanks guys.

vipsoarer

basically its your decision as to which route you want to go. both have pros and cons. both motors will last just about as long as the other with the same hp and tuned well. if the turbo kit is well put together (aka has fuel upgrade and atleast a head gasket to drop the cr) you will make more power. if you are going with a gte swap you will get an upgraded auto trans that can handle a good amount of power. but again you will have to decide. as for the 5 speed trans look in the classified section on this forum and supraforums.com . you should definately do some searching before you go either route and get yourself aquainted with how they are different.

SCoupe

You are going to need a lot of wallet to do this right, especially with the change to a manual. Other than the engine, swapping out to a 5-speed, what else are you going to do? You should know going in that the w-58 five speed is prone to failure at much above 400 rwhp, a number most well tuned singles are going to easily exceed. This fact is easily searched both here and on SupraForums.

From a post by Gene on the SupraForums, where I strongly suggest you spend some time. "... the limit of the na 5spd (w58) is definitely apparent with a strong turbo supra engine, mainly because of the weight. The r154 5spd is another story tho. This gearbox is nearly as strong as a v160 (6-speed), it's main weakness is a weak 1st gear ?selector washer? - minor part to upgrade anyway, and still a really good gearbox. As far as i know, they were in the mk3 turbo supras, jzz30 1jz-gte soarers/sc400's, 1jz-gte chaser and maybe a couple of others. The most likely place you'll find one is from a mk3 supra, but you'll have to have the bell housing adapted to fit the 2jz, unless you manage to find one off a 1jz (unlikely).

BTW, the sooner you learn that the SC300 and the Toyota Supra (93-98) share many engine, drivetrain, brake, suspension and electonics, the better for you. A great example of this is in the above post, as all of this was written about the Supra but directly applies to your SC as well. The NA Supra and the SC300 are extremely close with the same engine.