Marcos SC400 weekend warrior
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Marcos SC400 Weekend Warrior (Updates)
So I started out with a 91 rx7. N/a (slow as hell), cut springs and welded diff
And found a trade for this sc400 that obviously had the v8 and a new set of Megan coilovers. Had minor front damage so I hit the guy up and set up a trade
Went from working on this
To this lol
To start off the car had loads of problems. Previous owner hacked up the main harness under the wheel well and did the ****tiest wiring repair job I have ever seen. Twisted wires together and electrical taped it up and that's it... And the brakes were practically non existent and were metal on metal. So we immediately got it in the shop and looking like this
Then we started making a ton of junkyard runs to piece back the damaged front end. I did however manage to get this sweet wing for $5 lol
My buddy Kyle helping me with the wiring nightmare
Started sanding down the ugly bumper and hood so I could paint it
Drilling holes to fix the big cracks
Painted
Fixed
Then started the process of gutting the interior and taking some much needed weight OUT!!!
For comparison. Sparco bucket clocked in at 15 pounds. Stock driver side weighed in at 65 pounds!!!
And found a trade for this sc400 that obviously had the v8 and a new set of Megan coilovers. Had minor front damage so I hit the guy up and set up a trade
Went from working on this
To this lol
To start off the car had loads of problems. Previous owner hacked up the main harness under the wheel well and did the ****tiest wiring repair job I have ever seen. Twisted wires together and electrical taped it up and that's it... And the brakes were practically non existent and were metal on metal. So we immediately got it in the shop and looking like this
Then we started making a ton of junkyard runs to piece back the damaged front end. I did however manage to get this sweet wing for $5 lol
My buddy Kyle helping me with the wiring nightmare
Started sanding down the ugly bumper and hood so I could paint it
Drilling holes to fix the big cracks
Painted
Fixed
Then started the process of gutting the interior and taking some much needed weight OUT!!!
For comparison. Sparco bucket clocked in at 15 pounds. Stock driver side weighed in at 65 pounds!!!
Last edited by marcojdm; 06-09-12 at 06:22 AM.
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Can you believe that the spare tire, driver side seat, and rear bench weighed 135 pounds? The price of "luxury" I guess lol
Got some dry ice to take out the sound deadening
Decided that I absolutely HATE tan interior so I got some duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint (which works amazing btw) and went to work!
Taking the dash and all out to paint and to clean/organize the chassis and all the wiring bs
Got some eBay goodies that needed to be test fit beforehand. Had to order it for an mr2 or mk4 supra hub
Dash out
All interior pieces painted. I think it came out nice for rattle can : )
Now here's where I stopped picking at the project and just dove in head first. If I wanted to seriously drive this car how I wanted I had to address the infamous curse sc400's are known for.... Being automatic. After shopping around and looking at prices I decided to try something different and went with our local Brett Collins adapter kit for the ka/sr/350z trans.
Going under the knife
After a bit of work I got this heavy piece of crap out
Decided to go with a ka transmission. Can't beat the price and being that the 1uz makes around the same power as an sr I feel plenty confident that it'll hold well. Not to mention the weight difference between the auto and the manual. I wouldn't doubt it if there was an 80-100 pound difference.
For comparison
What it looks like under there lol
To install the adapter plate properly you have to remove the emissions line that runs from the passenger header to the intake manifold and also break/bend the hard plastic piece in the driver side that holds a piece of harness in there.
While I was in there I installed the pilot bushing adapter and replaced the rear main seal
Got some ARP flywheel bolts (had to order them as mr2 bolts)
And installed the flywheel (yes I cleaned it before putting the clutch on)
Clutch in. I'm pretty sure it's eBay. And if it is I had it in my 300hp ka-t car and it held up great
Got some dry ice to take out the sound deadening
Decided that I absolutely HATE tan interior so I got some duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint (which works amazing btw) and went to work!
Taking the dash and all out to paint and to clean/organize the chassis and all the wiring bs
Got some eBay goodies that needed to be test fit beforehand. Had to order it for an mr2 or mk4 supra hub
Dash out
All interior pieces painted. I think it came out nice for rattle can : )
Now here's where I stopped picking at the project and just dove in head first. If I wanted to seriously drive this car how I wanted I had to address the infamous curse sc400's are known for.... Being automatic. After shopping around and looking at prices I decided to try something different and went with our local Brett Collins adapter kit for the ka/sr/350z trans.
Going under the knife
After a bit of work I got this heavy piece of crap out
Decided to go with a ka transmission. Can't beat the price and being that the 1uz makes around the same power as an sr I feel plenty confident that it'll hold well. Not to mention the weight difference between the auto and the manual. I wouldn't doubt it if there was an 80-100 pound difference.
For comparison
What it looks like under there lol
To install the adapter plate properly you have to remove the emissions line that runs from the passenger header to the intake manifold and also break/bend the hard plastic piece in the driver side that holds a piece of harness in there.
While I was in there I installed the pilot bushing adapter and replaced the rear main seal
Got some ARP flywheel bolts (had to order them as mr2 bolts)
And installed the flywheel (yes I cleaned it before putting the clutch on)
Clutch in. I'm pretty sure it's eBay. And if it is I had it in my 300hp ka-t car and it held up great
Last edited by marcojdm; 05-22-12 at 08:16 AM.
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Transmission in!
how it lines up in the Lexus chassis. Keep in mind all the people that go with Toyota manuals have to cut the shifter hole forward to make it fit and as you can see the Nissan trans is a bullseye. Lol
A comparison in neutral, first, and reverse with a stock shifter. Soon I'm going to purchase an Isis short shifter which should make it a lot easier to keep from banging the center console once the interior is back in.
how it lines up in the Lexus chassis. Keep in mind all the people that go with Toyota manuals have to cut the shifter hole forward to make it fit and as you can see the Nissan trans is a bullseye. Lol
A comparison in neutral, first, and reverse with a stock shifter. Soon I'm going to purchase an Isis short shifter which should make it a lot easier to keep from banging the center console once the interior is back in.
Last edited by marcojdm; 05-22-12 at 08:17 AM.
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#10
i was thinking about this a couple months back but i was wondering about the adapter plate and driveshaft. i got a couple ka trannys here from my 240 i was always wondering about putting to use. the KA transmission can take alot of abuse. i was running over 400 hp on my last dyno right before i sold my s14. and yes these trannys are easy to come by. i got three in my yard as we speak
Last edited by runabout; 05-21-12 at 02:51 PM.
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Thanks guys! I get paid Friday and all that's left is buttoning up the under body and fabricating a transmission mount which also lines up almost perfectly. And once that's set taking some measurements and maki g a 1 piece driveshaft and it should be good to go! : ). I'll drive a few hundred miles to break the clutch in and then see what this setup has to offer. I kno a 1uz in a 240 with the same clutch/transmission setup will rip all the way thru 2nd.
As far as a site it's Brett Collins and I believe the site is www.swap1uz.com. Look him up on Facebook if anything. Tell him Marco referred you an I'm sure he'll give you a good deal. He offers swaps and mount kits for 1uz's into 240's but we're working on making it work for sc's. I've personally never heard of anyone doing this specific swap. So am I the first?
As far as a site it's Brett Collins and I believe the site is www.swap1uz.com. Look him up on Facebook if anything. Tell him Marco referred you an I'm sure he'll give you a good deal. He offers swaps and mount kits for 1uz's into 240's but we're working on making it work for sc's. I've personally never heard of anyone doing this specific swap. So am I the first?
Last edited by marcojdm; 05-21-12 at 05:57 PM.
#15
Wow. Lots of efforts put on to this build.
I've only been in this forum for quite a short time, so I cant answer that.
But is a KA24 similar to the R154 as in withstanding the same amount of torque?
I've only been in this forum for quite a short time, so I cant answer that.
But is a KA24 similar to the R154 as in withstanding the same amount of torque?