Sc2jzGoodz

I bought my Lexus sc300 about 4 months ago with 180k mi automatic trans. I was with a buddy of mine who recently bought an mk4 supra so this was exactly what we were looking/hoping for. It was a beautiful machine in excellent condition and this was also my first car. Long story short due to old habits causing me to not feel the need nor be in the condition to take care of my care of it I accidentally ran it without oil. I always checked but only dipped the stick once not realizing. But anyways I didn't totally trash it it still starts but had a awful knock. After I put oil It quieted down a bit but still doesn't sound good. So I've been wanting to totally gut it of oem interior such as all carpet, dash, leather, seats, and most of the exterior like doors, hood, trunk bumpers and fenders. I want to replace all with fiber glass I want a wide body kit and throw a roll cage in it and just forget the back seats they're to small anyway. But my real question is on a low budget of about 700$, and the profits from all of the oem parts ( all in excellent condition) shouldn't I be able to cover the fiber glass exterior and rebuild my motor along with two front bucket seats and harnesses and some minor interior remodeling?

scENFORCER

So many things wrong with this post I dont even want to start...

But I have to ask, since you've trashed the engine, WHY do you want to spend money on other stuff and not use it to FIX the engine? Makes no sense. You're going to have a carbon fibre car (probably gonna look like junk judging by this post and your budget), but its not even going to run. I think you should stay away from cars completely TBH.

scENFORCER

On second thought, I think you're completely trolling us. You're getting me all worked up for nothing lol

tfwnoturbo

this is a joke, right? right.

crenfro

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, sell us the interior pieces, then go ahead and sell the whole car as well!

No but really, why invest in aesthetics when you need to rebuild an engine? It's like a fat person getting a haircut and a new wardrobe. Still doesn't function well....

Sc2jzGoodz

Said in post I want to rebuild the engine I'm planning on na-t but now you all have embarrassed me and made me feel ****ing stupid and ****ty. Thx later

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

We all have bad ideas or are misguided. When I bought this car I didn't even know it had a 2jz, and I remember buying this interior neon kit when I was 16 for my first car that was described as orange. But once it arrived it turned out to actually be like OEM factory halogen interior light amber so it just looked like I had really bright OEM footwell lights. I also painted half of my interior panels in my first car this mix of orange and red, and left the rest of them brown because I couldnt figure out how to get them all off but had already painted a few. In fact, all of my friends did the same thing and all of our cars looked horrible together.

But those silly ideas and mistakes didn't define me. Take your time and read around on the forum. Focus on fixing the engine first, and also take this as a learning experience to stay more on top of your fluid levels in the future so that you don't create unnecessary extra work for yourself.

As far as fiberglassing a whole exterior it's been done before on other cars, but it simply costs too much in time and materials and the finished product is often rough and not shapely or terribly aesthetic. If you want exterior aesthetics you could upgrade to 97+ exterior or buy any one of the ground effects kits out there, or even go with an aftermarket widebody kit. They're out there and probably cheaper in time and money than trying to make a fiberglass kit. But that's a decision you can make later. Right now focus your priorities on fixing the engine and any other drivability issues the car may have.

scENFORCER

Lol sorry new-bro, we here at CL dont take kindly to mistreatment of SC's

Luxor

iTrader: (15)

Low budgets and Lexus do not belong together. You should sell the Lexus and buy a Nissan.

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

Completely agree. I hate it when I see people say their gonna build a Lexus for cheap. You already know its gonna turn into a hack job. Since when did luxury cars become cheap to build/restore? The older they are the more expensive parts become.

maaaaackle

Get your priorities straight. Make sure the car runs before you make it look cool.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Absolutely. This applies to just about any luxury OR 20+ (and ++++) year old classic. Restoring anything the right way is going to cost some heavy investment eventually. Rarely is doing something the cheapest way going to give a result you can be proud of.

OP, I'll just focus on the main issue. What money you do have has to go into repairing your SC's driveline, not body or interior work. Hold off on selling your interior for now because you might actually want it down the road (and it is getting harder to find replacement original interior parts).

That $700 you have plus whatever you can scrounge together should go directly into finding a used complete 1992-1997 USDM 2JZ-GE with reasonably moderate mileage (even a 125k-150k engine in GOOD shape is fine). Pull your old one and store that away to possibly NA-T if the bearings are still OK or just cannibalize later. Install the replacement 2JZ-GE in the meantime and get your car back on the road. And be sure to replace the t-belt, water pump, spark plugs, distributor cap and possibly even the harmonic balancer (aka crank pulley) on that while you're at it.

These engines can last a tremendous amount of mileage but maintaining (and changing) the oil is a big one. One of the most common causes of oil consumption on a 2JZ is leaking valve cover gaskets.

You probably have trashed your current engine's bearings but not being there to hear the idle and revs I can't say but you have to stay on your oil levels. From your post I gather you already know to stay on it so just chalk it up and always do so in the future. Keep a spare quart or two of 10W30 in the trunk and always check the level regularly but especially after a few hard drives, a long trip (or throughout a long road trip at gas stations), and keep your regular changes between 3k-5k miles. A good synthetic oil goes a long way, too.

soarrabun

is this some kinda joke?

drastiq619

$700, to not do maintenance, fiberglass a whole interior, plus bucket seats, and rebuild the engine.........YOU GONNA LEARN TODAY (Kevin Hart voice) ��