Intro
Hey all! Been debating starting a build thread on my '00 UCF20 and decided to document it here for any of those interested.

My plans with this car are a little different form the norm and I'm a 'broke' college student so some mods will take time before happening or being written up on.

My plans with this car are to lower it enough to sit well but not be on the ground, still be fairly comfortable yet sporty (think E39 5-series) and still being tossable on the occasional canyon runs with my friends or sisters (E93 328i and E46 330ci ZSP). Kind-of an F-Sport tuned version, I guess.

I got my car in May 2025 after suffering an inevitable headgasket failure on my beloved '92 ES300. Bought the LS with 229k miles — more than I'd prefer but the car presented really clean. Timing belt and water pump had been changed and documented, regular maintenance by POs and current seller who was an ex-Lexus tech. No ripped or torn seats. Completely stock, though was briefly on bags. Found nothing mechanically wrong with the car what-so-ever. Idled and revved smoothly with a glass of water on the intake. Couple marks from minor fender benders but original panels, door dings from 25 years of parking. Only things that would need addressing were suspension and drivetrain rubber.


Day I got the car. Drove 80 miles straight to my sister's graduation.

Tilt steering wheel worked flawwlessly

Center caps were peeling chrome so I decided to remove them for the time being.

Small rear bumper damage from a fender bender

 

First Few Changes
First few months of ownership. I pulled apart a couple of things just to further see what I was working with. I also DIY modified some things to not have a grandma-spec car while not spending too much.

May 2025

• pulled the center console and cleaned all the dust and sticky stuff that was preventing the ashtray and cupholders from opening
• Washed the car (also to see if there were any water leaks which there weren't
• polished the headlights and fog lights with Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish
• pulled the door panels to see what sound system the car had — Nakamichi (had an Alpine aftermarket head unit that I replaced with a Pioneer AVH-221EX from my ES300)
• Installed Rear JP Neck pillows
• cleaned and detailed the engine bay

June 2025

• removed and cleaned dusty trunk panels
• resolved clogged gas filler neck ventilation problem
• Installed 3000k LED fogs removed metal bracket for higher fog output
• Modified corner reflector pods to light up like on JDM models, wider fog output
• Wrapped fogs in yellow film
• Installed clear side markers, replaced bulbs with 6500k LEDs
• Installed Jaguar Vanden Plas rear trays
• Installed corny interior LED lighting
• Bought and clear coated matching woodgrain tissue box

Aug 2025

• Removed exterior lights to clay bar and paint correct with Griots FCC
• Cleared front corner lights to run 6500k switch back LEDs
• Installed 6500k Auxito LED Hi Beams
• Bought single 20x9 +20 Lowenhart and 19x10 -5 Autocouture Supreme wheels to test fit and take measurements off of

Sept/Nov 2025

• Came up on some DEPO smoked LED tails - installed Red rear indicators to be different
• Took OEM wheel clearance measurements to spec out wheels that would fit when I eventually decided to get some
• Came across some staggered 19" HRE 895Rs and some staggered 18"/19" SSR Werfen GT-03s, decided on the HREs to be different. Drove 2 hours to grab them
• Test fitted HRE wheels- 19x8.5 and 19x9.5. They cleared everything better than I thought
• Decided on 255/35R19 F and 275/35R19 R Continental DWS06 + tires
• Removed rear set of mufflers for more sound but not obnoxious
• Made and installed JBrady Intake - utilized heat isolating foam board to isolate intake from engine bay heat
• Installed corny shift **** and Tan "Crown" Shift boot
• Switched to Valvoline Restore and Protect oil. Using Motorcraft FL400S oversized filter.
• Changed Diff fluid
• Cleaned and painted front calipers VHT Gold

Feb/Mar/Apr 2026

• Installed TRD Door Stabilizer strikers
• Painted grille center VHT black
• Installed RX300 Steering wheel in place of OEM wood wheel
• Installed SerialNine front tension arm bushings (87ShA Poly)
• Second round of Valvoline R&P Oil after ~ 4300 miles. Same FL400s Filter for now.
• Installed CUSCO front Strut Brace
• Installed Kawai Works rear trunk bar
• Installed FCF Neck Pillows and Seat Belt Covers

Probably missed some things in there, but that's the up-to-date on what's on my car at the moment.

 

Suspension/Setup Mods/Review
19" HRE wheels on Continental DWS06+
This wheel and tire combo feels great on the car. The unsprung weight hasn't changed much due to the wheels being aluminum. I can drive in the wet with much more confidence than the aged Michelin Defenders offered. 255/35 is smaller diameter than OEM and hard to find so will look at going to 245/40 when I need tires. The NVH is a couple of decibles just from rolling resistance and having a smaller sidewall than stock. They quiet down as they wear in a little. The DWS is a do it all performance all season tire that still has fairly good treadwear. I leaned on the car a little with these on and they held up the whole time. They do have a rounded and softer sidewall, so they flex more. I found out that I rolled about halfway onto the sidewall following a modified BRZ one night.

SerialNine Tension Arm Bushings (87 Durometer)
They replaced my old ones that were completely shot and causing knocking going over bumps and heavy braking. I had a shop install these for me since I don't have the tools to press bushings in and out. I picked up some road texture after installing these which is negligible in all honesty. I'm not a viable source for NVH comparison to stock due to my old ones being obliterated. Initial turn in and front end responsiveness increased with just this application, since they flex less than rubber. I haven't leaned on the car yet but they should definitely make a difference at pace. I looked at running StrongFlex in 80ShA but didn't have the time and they cost more all in.

TRD Door Stiffener Plates
Might be a placebo effect, but I noticed slightly more direct steering input due to not having as much flex in the door jambs. My doors don't rattle as much over rough surfaces, nor do I hear them flex when going over uneven surfaces (ie: leaving a driveway at an angle), or around corners at pace. No more rattle when closing doors, either. I got mine really cheap for 4 of them. Super easy install - had to grab some torx bits to swap strikers. You might just be better off running a strut brace for the same effect and cost.

CUSCO Front Strut Brace
&
Kawai Works Rear Trunk Bar
I installed both of these at the same time so individual input isn't applicable.

Front:
I had to swap the bar around on the front, since they're made for a RHD car. Very easy front install - make sure your car is on level ground, and remove the top three strut mounting bolts. I think I still might have it flipped 180° out. Bar looks good and I believe I can still get the engine cover off with some finesse. If not, the bar mounts easily enough I can undo one side and swing the crossbar up.

Rear:
This bar took a little longer to install. I have an oversized 20x10 wheel in my spare tire well to hold my trunk mat up — had to move the wheel forward in order to get the bar to mount cleanly. I used the existing trunk frame rail holes located under some black circular stickers to mount the end mounts up. Do not drop these into the frame rails. I didn't see an easy way to get them out of there. You will have to trim your trunk liner and mat to fit over the remaining part of the bolts sticking up. I cut a fitting hole in the liner, and a simple "X" in the mat to allow the bolts to poke through.

Feedback:
These two bars make the car way more responsive to steering input. I feel less body roll in the chassis as well just based on some freeway turns I took the last couple of days. I have yet to lean on the car and see what these all feel like together, but I'm impressed at how they feel already.

Everything else underneath the car is stock for now, though I believe my car may be on Toyota Century front struts — long story but sits a little high IMO. Need to look at getting some camber put back into the car to account for tire flex when I'm taking corners. Thinking anywhere from 0.75°-1.5° front and rear. Ultimately not looking to chew through tires or make this thing a racecar.

I have Endless pads being made to run on this thing. Lead time is 1.5 months and they're coming from Japan. I like the thought of having a little more bite and heat resistance than stock, but still keeping the wheels fairly clean by running a ceramic compound. Not sure what rotors I'm going to pair with them. Something slotted, and vented ideally. Just enough to deal with heat and keep from glazing. Wanting something coated as well so the hub and edge from rusting. I'd run DBA T2s, but I think those are totally overkill and a little pricey. Recommendations would be appreciated!

Let me know any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer them completely and timely. I'm taking classes as well as working a couple of jobs, so updates might have some time in-between them.

 

Following along as I start my own UCF20 build!

 

for a college student, i'm glad to hear (read) that you're doing things tastefully, put good thought into things, and not all clapped out!!! it's very refreshing. sorry to hear about your ES but the LS is on the right track - makes me miss my 97 which was also white!

so you're still on stock suspension with all of this? I think going with a decent set of coilovers will really complement the direction you're going (if not a nice set of lowering springs and quality shocks). as for rotors, i would stick with brembo blanks, but if you want to some design then go with slotted only. cross-drilled is way overkill for any street car!

show some pictures! i gotta see the RX steering wheel swap!

 

Sounds good! We'll probably be going back and forth on things since we're both doing things to our cars at the moment. Will keep you updated!

 

Thank you, Timmy! I get it from how I was raised so that'd more to my parents. I'm raised old school and very much a do-it-once and do-it-right type of person; thus, like doing all the research and mapping out everything before executing it. I take very good care of all my stuff and want it to all last longer than intended. The ES was unfortunate. It was my Nana's car since new and I grew up with it. It was resurrected a couple times — most notably when some people stole and wrecked it. replaced body panels in my parent's driveway after getting the front suspension fixed and having it transported some 400 miles back to SoCal. Went another 20k miles before the HG gave up the ghost. A condensed version of that latter story is here:

One More ES Off the Road

Noted on rotors. My though behind slotted is a little style and being able to clear the pads of gas/dust. Drilled and slotted would be best for heat dissapation, though I fear the increased probability of cracking with drilled - might think dimpled, in that case? I was originally planning on running LS460 front calipers and ISF rotors per XAT or 360phi's kits but I don't think I want to deal with the unsprung weight increase until after I'm on coilovers and get a feel for the setup and brake pad/rotor combo. There's also no reasonably compatible rear rotor size increase and piston upgrade, though I believe XAT's rear Willwood kit might fit these cars. I'm also going to be getting stainless steel reinforced brake lines for better pedal feel and running slightly better temp resistant brake flid (I need to change the fluid anyways). Just not sure what fluid I'm going to go with, yet.

Still on stock for now. I've been trying to dial in spring rate numbers for my drop to maintain comfort and still be able to get down. I initially though BCs like everyone else, but on Swift springs, then decided on Silvers Neomax on swift springs, then though about saving up for Fortune Auto's Mullins set. Think I'm going to save the extra grand and get Silvers. The grand will go towards supporting mods: RCA, adjustable sway bar endlinks, and poly sway bar/steering rack bushings. I know I'm going to love it when I get it all set up. I'm also trying to avoid having to cut my front knuckles to prevent the FUCA from hitting the strut tower. I want to be able to run similar or slightly larger overall wheel and tire circumference so I can fill the wheelwells without being as physically low to the ground (save the oil pan and some exhaust bits from being obliterated). Looking yesterday, I believe the holes I have on my strut towers are relief cuts to avoid this contact when the PO had the car was on bags . I initially thought they were just holes to run an extra canister or something. Guess that's the only distasteful thing I've found on it!


Coming up! I have to sort through my hard drive of photos. I work as a professional photographer so things get buried fairly quickly.

 

Great thread, looking forward to following along your progress.

 

if you can swing FA coils, i would def go that route. i cheaped out and went BC but also went bags so i cannot tell you how the factory springs felt. i had a buddy with a similar 97 on megan coilovers and it rode decently well (subjective i know) and i attribute it to the sheer weight of the car! yes if you have holes in your strut towers, that's to clearance the upper ball joints when riding low and airing down for moar lows! i didn't do that and just aired down until the UCAs rested on the towers...low enough for me. you should not need to shorten the knuckles unless you want to ride slammed, but regardless you have the towers clearanced anyway.

as for brakes, i've always thought the pedal feel on the LS400 is abysmal but i know it's not a sports car so i remain contented. i'm sure there are BBKs out there that can improve things! keep in mind lots of IS/GS/SC guys took the LS400 calipers for their BBK, so there might be some cross compatibility there where aftermarket BBKs for those cars fit the LS400! any car benefits from SS lines, at least from a pedal feel perspective. dimpled rotors would be much better than cross drilled but this is subjective. i have never seen a street car show cracks with cross drilled - only on track cars that see drastic temp swings.

 

Photos Part 1:

Masked the front end to buff the paint


Pulled the rear tails to buff the trunk panels and clean behind the tails.


Post paint-correction. Cleaned up well, wrapped fogs in yellow Amazon film.


Closer look at cleared corners, modified fogs output, and clear side markers during the day.


Test fitting and taking measurements off of 19x10 ET -5 Autocouture Supreme wheel


Test fit and measurements off of 20x9 ET +20 Lowenhart LD5


Testing front 19x8.5 fitment on wood blocks.


Rear 19x9.5 fitment on wood blocks.


Arby's meats on front wheels in the backseat


Doublemeat on rear wheels in the trunk

 

Photos Part 2:

Beam pattern from modified fogs, switchback corner lights, and white side markers. My car runs HIDs so non LED lowbeams (not a fan in reflector housings anyways). I am running some super bright Auxito 6500k HiBeams, though. Specific model is discontinued but had them for 3 years dating back to the ES. I don't get flashed for having bright lights since everything is aimed properly.


Rear DEPO smoked tails at night. This is in the running position. They are pretty bright when braking. Need to get an LED 3rd brake light to match.


RX300 steering wheel mounted up. Bag was plug and play. Swapped my cruise control over. Woon grain is yellower than I hoped. Wish I pulled the RX wheel out of my ES before I junked it. Wood grain on that one matched better.


Function controller added to the RX wheel using the phone mounting bracket. It is inverted horizontally. I grounded it to the RX's cruise control grounding tab since the LS CC didn't need to be grounded.


Trimmed the cover panel to close the gap. I can rotate the controller to be able to remove the panel when needed.


Better photo of the RX wheel in the car.


How much the trunk brace bar sticks out of the carpet. Need to see about finding/making a cover for these.


Passenger's side mounting of the trunk bar. Used OEM holes to mount.

Driver's side mounting of the trunk bar. Ignore extra use of storage space.


Cusco front strut bar. I swapped the sides of the mounts so that I could clear the brake master cylinder.


Wider view of Cusco front strut bar.


Rear fitment on 19x9.5 Wheel and 275/35R19 Conti DWS06


Rear fitment with camber still applied. about 2°


Front wheel shot. 3 piece HRE 895Rs. Probably going to disssemble, clean, and strip the black paint off the faces. Not sure yet.


Front 3/4 Hero shot.


How the car sits now. Recently had rear negative camber zeroed back out momentarily. No rubbing what so ever on anything, even with a full load of college stuff in the trunk/backseats. I really need some low and a front lip. Painted the grilled VHT black between these last two photos.

 

Noted. Buy once, cry once. I need to see if I can find someone around here on stock BC ish rates and see how I feel about it. Consensus I've heard is that 12kF and 8kR is a tad soft still. I might look at 13k and 10kR. Big key is swift springs no. matter what I end up running. Silvers doesn't have a 2 way adjustable for these cars, however, running FA's means I can always install that later ifI decide to. We'll see what my find look like in a few months, I'm also saving up for a photo workshop later this year that's gonna run my pockets but hopefully be a good return on investment.

You should have seen my face when I realized that's what those holes were for, haha. Good thing is PO tucked the wiring harnesses correctly so I don't have to worry about them.


I feel this. I do like the firmness from the SS lines. Also less prone to failure since they don't flex as much, and should have better heat resistance. I'll run into larger brakes when that time comes. It'll probably be more of an aesthetics thing and the calipers will have to have practically fallen in my lap. Fun (expensive part) is those big friggin ISF rotors, though I do like the thought of being able to run 2-piece rotors to limit weight increases.

True on cracking. Think my dad runs drilled and slotted on his OBS Suburban, haha. I shouldn't be getting these too terribly hot if I'm doing this correctly. Definitely won't see deep heat cycles like a track car would. I'll just see what I come out with to match these SSM pads. Appreciate your input!

 

Replaced my valve stems with some new metal bolt-on ones from Amazon. My old ones were pretty worn out and I believe one was the source of some leaking that led to me getting a puncture on my driver front tire. Took that time to get a measure of how big the lips on my wheels are as I plan on eventually running a 1" deeper lip in the rear to make that wheel a 19x10.5. I'll have to roll/trim the fender to fit it when I do that, though.

Planning to go get a degree or two of negative camber dialed into the car tomorrow before going on a canyon run with some friends on Friday. Just enough for sidewall flex without destroying my inner shoulders. Will feel out how the strut and trunk braces feel with some pace following much more nimble cars.


Tire that gave up the ghost while I was taking my girlfriend to class. I don't have a functional spare at the moment.


Rear Lip size measured on 19x9.5s