2JZ-Swapped Lexus SC300 Churns out 800 Horsepower

Quest for 800

In this wonderful community of ours, you have to appreciate those who go the extra mile to achieve something great. Especially when it takes several years to get there, as Club Lexus member drifterx27 (Andrew M) experienced with his quest for 800 horsepower.

Photos: Club Lexus Forums

Build Begins

This story actually stretches all the way back to the spring of 2012, when this Lexus SC already had a 2JZ under the hood, albeit with stock internals. It wasn't exactly a slouch at the time, but Andrew wanted more.

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New Internals

Thus, the teardown began. After pulling the engine, Andrew began making a wishlist of parts. That included the typical stuff like ARP components, Manley rods, custom pistons, and the guts to handle over 1,000 horsepower.

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Surprising Discovery

While the block was at the machine shop, he found out that the #5 and #6 journals had minor cracks in them. With everything corrected, the block was soon back at his residence, ready for its new components.

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Back in Place

Now seemed as good a time as any to replace the clutch, so that cost was added to the build. And with the help of some friends, the engine was soon back in the engine bay. But there was obviously a whole lot of work left to be done.

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Tedious Tasks

Wiring, valve covers, intake, etc., just to name a few. But after many more hours of work, this new Lexus heart was buttoned up and ready to roll. Well, after a little bit of welding on the turbo intake housing, that is.

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Zero Issues

With all that mechanical work done, it was time to focus on some other things. Andrew first lowered the front of his SC, which still looks pretty darn stock, we might add. And after 200 break-in miles, things were going very well with no leaks or issues.

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Grand Plans

The next step, of course, was a trip to the dyno. After fixing a minor boost leak, the new setup produced an impressive 588 wheel horsepower on 91 octane gas. But Andrew had much grander plans, of course.

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Moving on Up

With an E85 tune in the car, it was time to head back to the dyno. This time around, the car laid down 759 hp. But the day was cut short thanks to an injector seal leak. Before another attempt, Andrew also decided to upgrade the fuel system to help support this new elevated level of power.

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Goal Achieved

Those upgrades and fixes did the trick, as this beastly SC put down 809 hp and 692 lb-ft of torque immediately afterward. And the best thing is, this build isn't finished yet! So head over here to stay tuned as it continues to evolve moving forward!

>>Join the conversation about this 800-HP Lexus SC right here in the forum.

For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance and repair project, please visit our how-to section in the forum.