TXMAG

iTrader: (1)

Sorry Chief, didn't see anywhere in the post that you were in college or working on a limited budget right now. If that's the case then my suggestion would be to spend your money on getting the car running right and buying good used parts that you can hopefully re-sell later for most of what you have into them. Obviously buying used components carries some inherent risk so shop smart if you go this way.

The type of setup you've been talking about in this thread is going to cost you $20K+ if you decide to follow through and you'll need a really solid suspension + driveline + wheel/tire combo to get it to the pavement. Hell, the TH400 swap done properly will probably cost you $6K-$7K alone if you can do all the work and fabrication yourself.

oSUPRAo

How is that possible? I see TH400s for free all the way up to ~$2,000 for a built one. The bellhousing adapter is $250, and then I would have to buy the SC400 driveshaft and a shifter for a couple hundred. I figured it would be less than 3 grand for sure if I do it myself...

CoOl21

Best thing you can do for your SC300 is make sure it's running in good condition till you graduate. (sounds like this will be your daily while you're in school)
No point in dropping money that you don't have on upgrades that may or may not see to the end of your dream car build.
Do the things that'll keep you safe and keep this baby on the road, I've seen too many get gutted, stripped and turned into drift sl*ts.
SC300/400+Soarer deserves better than that, If I was looking for something fast, I'd get a Supra, 240SX etc, but chose the SC400 because it glides on the road effortlessly.

Anyways I've said enough, you do what feels right to you, you're in a totally different ball game now compared to your pistol days.
I donno much about gun prices, but I'm sure going from a pistols to a sniper rifles would feel like the same thing. etc...

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I think it's wise to focus on: wheels, brake calipers, suspension, general maintenance and any needed interior cosmetic restoration or conditioning. And maybe an exhaust if you want. I swear by M2 dual catbacks-- close to stock looking but with a nice sound.

Getting into a 700whp engine built for 1000whp is going to cost you quite a lot and will require some time to figure out what setup works best and as reliably as it can be. With a limited budget I would put more immediate focus on the first categories mentioned and then possibly consider a swap in the form of a 1JZ-GTE (Non-VVT-i or VVT-i) with the A340 Automatic. Why? Because while it will not be able to beat a factory 650whp Corvette it will be a hell of a lot faster and more fun day to day than it is with the stock engine. Also, since your car is a 1998 SC300 you would have to upgrade the connecting rods, pistons and rings to safely run NA-T boost anyway. You could possibly keep the original engine to build up as your big power project later.

Now that would still add a significant expense beyond just brakes/wheels/suspension while you're still in school but I guarantee you the cost for entry into a working 1JZ swap is going to be much lower than a 700whp+ build will be.

Just giving you food for thought options, oSUPRAo. We all get to our project goals in different stages. I've modified my own SC in every aspect except the original engine, which is still 225hp NA. Six years since I bought the car I am only now getting my turbo engine build underway at a slow pace, but in that time the car has been thoroughly gone through and prepped to safely handle the extra power. It's not a bad way to go about it when you have to watch your budget and the stock NA GE engine does not have all that many running costs apart from oil changes, gasoline and your required timing belt, water pump and spark plug maintenance. Yours is a distributor-less coil pack system as well so there is less to do every 60k.

TXMAG

iTrader: (1)

You'll need a built one. Expect to spend that $2K and then some depending on the options you want.
You planning on running the stock SC300 diff? You'll probably want to swap this for a TT LSD as the stock auto is an open diff with a steep gear ratio. This would be TERRIBLE to run in a high HP car with a 3-speed transmission.
A custom drive shaft will probably be needed as I doubt a stock SC400 one will work. Even if it did I don't know about it at those power levels.
You'll also need a torque converter, adapter plate, bellhousing, flexplate, shifter, and a cooler never mind a bunch of little odds and ends. With a swap like this I can almost guarantee there will be parts you don't realize you need along the way or some items you damage in the process.

$3K is in no way a reasonable estimation to get this done properly in my opinion.

I was contemplating this sort of swap for myself but will probably go with some form of an OD tranny if I ever get serious about it. Here is a great thread that you should use as a reference:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...nsmission.html

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

To be fair, I've been riding on the 600/325 Gixxer suspension for over six years despite my feeling that I want to switch to 500/250 springs and rear helper springs. So far I haven't gotten around to making the switch because of other projects but mostly because most of the time it is only on horribly maintained stretches of road that I get annoyed. The rest of the time it really is a great high quality spring combination. However... Hypercoils are linear springs and not progressive springs like the stock SC or Supra TT springs. This is why 500/250 is preferable to tone down any harshness you may encounter on bad sections of road-- still a linear rate (and therefore more predictable) performance spring but with a bit less potential harshness. The Bilstein AK shocks really are good, too.

The majority of the time I love the excellent chassis control and predictability of the Gixxer setup as designed. It's the 10% of the time when I have to deal with some of the crappier roads in Los Angeles (since this is a daily driver car for me) that I get annoyed and resolve to eventually switch to the 500/250 Hypercoil springs I have stored on a shelf. I don't really want to introduce a slight bit of body roll by stepping down to 500/250's since I love taking the car onto technical mountain road drives but I'm sure I would get used to the difference. 600/325 is supposed to be a basic "street and light track" setup. 500/250 is supposed to be a high performance street setup.

On the better maintained and newly repaved roads in L.A. and other areas out west I have no issues-- 600/325 is great then. When I drove my car in Florida with this 600/325 suspension I had fewer complaints because the roads tend to be better maintained overall. Driving cross-country it was a wash. When I drive my car on good roads I still feel like I am driving a Lexus... just one with a firmer performance-oriented suspension that I am confident on technical roads with.

I think it ultimately comes down to personal preference, how you use your car and the quality of the roads you drive most often. The reason this is even a discussion is because the Hypercoil springs are linear rate in a non-adjustable system. This is a double edged sword with tradeoffs: the springs combined with shocks offer very good control on par with some pricer coilovers but are fixed once installed and not being progressive rate type springs they are both predictable at the limit (very important) and highly durable... but they do not isolate out road imperfections the way OEM TT springs will (some of which are discontinued now btw).

I'll say again that I've been on this combination for over six years now and 90% of the time I am very happy with it. It is only a city's really, really badly maintained roads that make me want to switch to 500/250. I've been lazy about switching... and I will mostly because in the end I am not driving a weekend-only track machine but a daily driven car that handles well that I take all over the place. I'm also not ever planning to run more than about 450whp through my chassis.

The higher spring rate combinations listed in the Gixxer_Drew thread are, no question, for weekend-only or mostly track cars. But I feel it's a tough choice between 500/250 and 600/325 for the street. Erring on the side of caution in terms of more comfort, go with 500/250. Realizing that only the worst roads will interrupt most of your comfort, go with 600/325 if you want something a little more street/track focused. Also, the SC's standard front and rear double wishbone suspension suspension helps when making these decisions.

Bottom line, a really astute race suspension engineer put this system together and determined the original options. Short of buying a much more expensive coilover system that has more adjustment I trust that 600/325 and 500/250 both have their purposes

....

As for lowering... I wasn't interested in that either and that's another reason I got into the Gixxer setup. With helpers and correct preload you will not look like you have a "4x4" at all. Correctly adjusted the car should have either a "stock looking" or "1" lower than stock" ride height as if it were a showroom or near showroom ride height for a Supra. Personally I prefer the preservation of shock travel and near original suspension geometry for compression and rebound even with the AK Bilsteins.

This is why really good pre-assembled coilover setups will cost some money. The Gixxer doesn't change anything about the car's suspension geometry. It's just different shocks and quality linear rate springs adjusted to sit a certain way.

For an affordable quality system (that doesn't allow for lowering, really) that you set up once and pretty much forget about to enjoy the car with, it's hard to beat.

mikef

iTrader: (3)

your in the wrong car for the best bang for your buck . its true there is many other cars that modding cost 1/8th of this chassis, the people who pick these cars up for "cheap" and go on ebay and order a turbo kit is sad. I always price everything out before I buy a car that I will be modding, and I knew these cars are expensive but worth it in the end.

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

Well I will say this, if you're going to splurge on something, tire's are a great item to splurge on. Michelins are definitely the way to go. I have Michelins with 40K on them, and they are probably 9 years old... You save a lot in the long run avoiding cheap tires. Not to mention the better grip benefits they offer. Personally don't like 350z wheels at all, especially on our car, but that's me. I'd look for chrome Supras and call it a day.

Ramblerman

If you want a cheap car to mod on a college budget, get a mustang, or a 3 series bmw. You have exams to study for and girls to chase etc. To do what you want to do to your SC you'll be tied to the dragon and that won't be fun! I'm 4 years of working on mine to bring it back to showroom condition with some slight mods and look like it's going to be another 3 years before completion and it's worthy to post pics on the forum. There are a lot of things to get in your way while building a car and these ones aren't cheap!

scsexy

iTrader: (1)

Don't scare him off, I had my Sc300 through college and it was a sexy rwd 20mpg plus cruiser that shocked people when the found out how old it really was because they look so good and you've got to keep it clean. Plus a few people know what the 2jz is and the potential you car has.

Like i said I'm extremely happy with my Teins i've had for over a year now and the IS350 rims that are 18inches 8 inches wide front 8.5 inches wide rear. they weigh 28 pounds but i think your overthinking your money to performance ratio here. Sure lighter tires help but at nearly 1,000 dollars or more you could be turbo charged and have nearly twice the horsepower for 2,000. instead of a 2% upgrade for 1000.

Tires arn't bad at all i get ones with 50k or 60k tread warranty for like 120 each. I always use the rears fast but its nice only paying 50% for your next tire because you went through it before the warranty mileage.

I went the performance route while spending what i needed to on the suspension, new bushings and mounts all around, and the Tiens. roughly 1,000 all said and done

I put an xs power turbo kit because it was my first time and it came with most of what i needed 1250, miscellaneous gaskets and lines and brass npt fittings silicone hose another 150. ARP studs and GTE head gasket 200. Jdm GTE supra ecu 400, injectors 400, TT fuel pump and new fuel filter 150. So 2550 for the turbo project and It's a whole different animal under the hood. i'm only on 12 pounds right now but the kit came with turbo timer and boost controller so i can turn it up if i want to 15 psi or so before i run into boost cut issues with the ECU.

I'm just saying spend the money right the first time, Get quality but you don't have the buy the best while your in college, You can upgrade later when the car is going to serve a different purpose. i still daily drive mine. I just got an 03 SS Silverado for winter snow but car has AC/Heat Radio works great and i'm about to take it for a 3.5 hour road trip.

It will be expensive if you don't know how to turn your own wrenches though. I did it all myself with the help of this forum.


I've still got the stock brakes but that is next on the list after a Limited slip diff.