Hello all,

I am new to the forum and am here to get some expertise and opinions from you experienced Lexus enthusiasts. Many of the topics in this thread have been covered many times in many forums but I have done my research for quite sometime and I think I am ready to pull the trigger on buying a 2GS300 next month and want to confirm that my decision is the way I want to go. Without any further ado, here we go...

So I would like to get a 2GS300 in decent shape hopefully in the $5000-$7500 range. My goal over the first 6 months or so is to daily the car and enjoy it. I may put some tint on it an exhaust and maybe some wheels at most. During this time period I will start accumulating parts to do a full build on this car. My goal is to have a really fun car to drive on the street on weekends and maybe take it to the drag strip once or twice a year. I think building the 2jzge to about 600hp would be a fun goal to meet. I understand these cars aren't the easiest or cheapest platform to build a drag car on, but I love the way these cars look and I love Lexus in general. I also think the 2JZ is one of the most iconic engines ever and would love to build one.

With that being said I understand that if I want to come close to that power I will have to address the transmission situation. From some quick google research, I think the easiest and most cost effective method would be to send out the stock transmission to Power Dynamix as a core and get their beefed up a650e and I assume I will need a new TQ converter as well. The website rates them at 800whp as well as mentioning a customer or 2 has had them up to 1000whp. I like this idea since it will bolt right up and should be the easiest to accomplish labor wise. Also for the price of $2500 and my HP goal, it seems like I cant get a transmission much cheaper once you include adapter kits, clutches, bellhousings, etc. My question with this built transmission is will it leave me wanting more performance from it? Will it still be a good trans to go down the 1/4mile with as well as drive around town?

If I go the route I plan on with the transmission, then I will install it and work any bugs out with the stock 2jzge in the GS300. Once I do a little more research, save some more funds, and get some free time, I'll start buying the engine components. I am torn on getting either stock 2jzgte pistons and rods or going forged. At this point I think i will try to locate some stock gte rods and pistons but please chime in If you disagree with that choice. I plan on rebuilding the entire engine once I go to install these. I think fresh cylinder walls, new rings and bearings will only help me, plus I can precisely balance the bottom end. Also at this power level is it worth looking into getting an upgraded cam? At this point I will drive the new motor around to see how everything runs. I'll begin with upgrading the injectors to 800-1000cc. I also plan on getting a high flow fuel pump at that point. Now that the motor is built and fuel addressed, its turbo time. I haven't decided what size turbo to purchase yet but there are many sites that have 2jz turbo kits (not CX racing) that offer a hot side kit with a turbo for just about $3k. I'll size it for power I'm trying to make. Then I can install the turbo kit and pipe in the cold side. I've seen these with front mount intercoolers so I'll have to pick out one of those as well and get some piping running to it. Now this is where all the 2jz enthusiasts say to get a standalone ECU. From quick research the best bang for your buck is ecu master but I could be dead wrong on this so please correct me if that is the case. From here on out its just tuning and trial and error.

Okay tell me what I'm missing lol. I'm sure I overlooked some items which is kind of the point of this post. Is this a solid recipe for a fun street/strip car? From rough pricing I think I can do this including the price of the car for $20-$25k if I do the labor myself and budget carefully, but maybe I am way off. I'm hoping I can do this all in 5-6 years time so I'm sure I'll learn along the way if I pull the trigger but please let me know your thoughts and opinion on this plan. I think having a 4 door 2jz Lexus is about the coolest car to build but If this plan sounds like I'm just dreaming then please wake me up.

 

Not a dream at all, but will be once completed, your price range for the car itself seams a bit high (but I do not know your location). You should be able to find a modified car that has a lot of the modifications you are looking for out the gate for under $7K. I just heard of a deal for one with air suspension, 3 piece wheels, front mount intercooler and a fully built 2JZ GTE for $20K. The body and interior could defiantly use a refresh but no significant issues. I would keep your eyes out for deal like that. May take some searching, but I believe it will save you time and money in the long run. If you want to build your own, I get that! I have had mine for 17 years and just can not seam to part with it. Enjoy the search/build, it is a fantastic platform!!!

 

Now that you mention that I've seen a few that are manual swapped and one that came with a 2jzgte motor not yet in the car. I've seen the stock cars for less that $7k but they're often beat to hell lol. I'll keep my eyes out for a good deal and see if any of those deals come with some of the upgrades I'll be looking for.

 

Here in southern Cali you see GTE swapped cars in the $8-10K range pretty often, many on air suspension and expensive wheels etc. Some Aristo's and even Vertex edition V300's (RHD) in the $15-20k range. I'd seek one out because a ground up build is very expensive and can take years to achieve. Ask me how I know .

 

I 2nd this quote lol!