Possibly have 5k to play around with ;) 1jz swap or respray w/97-2000 conversion
01-10-13, 01:51 PM
#1
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Possibly have 5k to play around with ;) 1jz swap or respray w/97-2000 conversion
Hey guys, i'm entered in a weight loss competition right now and every month they pick one winner and the grand prize is 10k! I've lost 70lbs in the past year and what i'm hearing my chances are REALLY REALLY good of winning as of now!!!!! 
With that being said, HELLO MODS!!!!!
after taxes being deducted i'll probably end up getting 8k but 3k of that will be going into a clean daily driver looking at a solara as of now! (I had one for my first car and know everything about it)
So 5k to play around with this is where it gets intrestiing. I have 1992 SC300 Garent Pearl Red that could proably use a good respray of it, along w/doing that I would love to do a 97-2000 conversion w/some new wheels and black interior. I have a buddy that works at a body shop and can get lexus parts for half of cost so I know i could get a deal.
But then I would really love to have a sleeper 1jz swap. As of now if i would do it I wouldn't upgrade to the single turbo just make sure the factory twins are in deceant shape along w/bigger injectors 3" exhaust and intercooler. Honestly just looking for about 300-350whp plently enough for me. A shop would be doing the swap for me, I'm mechanically inclined but not to do a full engine swap.
So what i'm asking is what do u guys think? Go for power or go for looks? Or do you think i'd have enough money to do both?
-Nick
With that being said, HELLO MODS!!!!!
after taxes being deducted i'll probably end up getting 8k but 3k of that will be going into a clean daily driver looking at a solara as of now! (I had one for my first car and know everything about it) So 5k to play around with this is where it gets intrestiing. I have 1992 SC300 Garent Pearl Red that could proably use a good respray of it, along w/doing that I would love to do a 97-2000 conversion w/some new wheels and black interior. I have a buddy that works at a body shop and can get lexus parts for half of cost so I know i could get a deal.
But then I would really love to have a sleeper 1jz swap. As of now if i would do it I wouldn't upgrade to the single turbo just make sure the factory twins are in deceant shape along w/bigger injectors 3" exhaust and intercooler. Honestly just looking for about 300-350whp plently enough for me. A shop would be doing the swap for me, I'm mechanically inclined but not to do a full engine swap.
So what i'm asking is what do u guys think? Go for power or go for looks? Or do you think i'd have enough money to do both?
-Nick
01-10-13, 02:06 PM
#2
Post up photos of her and lets see. I always say to do all required mods/maintenance to get the car back to "in like new condition" before I start modding her. Paint/Suspension/Wheels/Interior always comes before power. Trust me, you dont want to be dealing with stuff breaking/falling/rusting and dealing with turbo headaches all at the same time.
In short Id rather have a gem broken in my garage than a rust bucket with a cool engine swap which will probably break down too LOL... Break Necks before you break speed records
In short Id rather have a gem broken in my garage than a rust bucket with a cool engine swap which will probably break down too LOL... Break Necks before you break speed records
01-10-13, 05:11 PM
#5
For the SC? Without question since you're in Missouri, swap to a 1JZ or better setup and after that you can work on restoring the car as Luxor suggested. Don't forget to pay attention to the suspension, front brakes, radiator/cooling and other bits first though.
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01-10-13, 08:58 PM
#9
Wow, talk about a tough decision! I think I'd restore it first and do the engine swap later. Less chance of getting speeding tickets now = more money for engine parts to get speeding tickets later.
01-11-13, 08:06 PM
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I'd say do stuff that you would be able to transfer or part out first. Just in case you need money in the future or ( knock on wood) crash your chasis. You just never know when someone is not paying attention and you just happen to be in wrong palce at wrong time (happened to my last 2 cars). Here in socal sc chasis are dirt cheap, I dont know if thats the same case for you, but if you decide to invest on something you can't transfer/part out all your effort, time and money will be gone in a blink of an eye. Atleast if you choose to do a swap, suspension, tranny etc. you'll just get yourself new chasis and transfer everything out. Try tranfering a $5k paint and body work. Lol I just got traumatized with my old cars, put too much time and effort on them, babied them for atleast 3 years and both got crashed within 2 miles trip!
Used to take me 2-3 days just to wash, wax, deatail my cars but now with the sc after owning it for almost 1 year, Ive only washed her 2x. 
Used to take me 2-3 days just to wash, wax, deatail my cars but now with the sc after owning it for almost 1 year, Ive only washed her 2x.
Last edited by Tac1sc; 01-11-13 at 08:29 PM.
01-12-13, 03:00 AM
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id say use 1-2k on a daily and spend the rest slowly piecing together parts for whichever of the previous two you decide on. pics of the car and pics of your before and after weight loss.