If you're like me you love a good build log. Since my LS looks like it will be coming together soon I figured i'd get started now rather than wait and get behind.

I bought the car at the end of May '09. My first gen Q45 had me really feeling old school styling so I figured I'd get a first gen LS to go with it. The car was old lady owned and dealer maintained for a good portion of it's life, unfortunately it had been handed down to the daughter and negelcted for the last few years. Nothin wrong with a little project though. Tons of records, all scheduled maintenance until beyond 100k miles as well as some costly repairs. 128k on the clock at the time of purchase.



It had some of the common problems; power steering leak from impoper ICV bypass and associated alternator failure, no CC display, etc. and a dealer once-over revealed some common wear and tear items that needed attention as well. No biggie.

 

This is my focal point. I love suspension work and brakes upgrades. I am also a wheel geek with a preference for old school/classic/rare/discontinued JDM/Euro wheels. This section will start off pretty basic but may get a little more advanced down the line.

Wheels:



Current wheels are 19" Lowenhart LDR. These were some of my favorite wheels circa 2000 when I couldn't afford some of the things I can now. I had bought these a while back for another project. After showing up in less than great condition (although technically new) and being flooded they were recently refinished. I had had about enough of these wheels because of the issues I experienced but once I saw them looking how they should I fell in love again. I expect these wheels to be on the car for a while, although plans to change some stuff up have been made.



Ended up trading the Lowenharts for some new 18" Carving Head 40s. Fitment was much better, which was my only issue with the LDRs.



I also bought some OZ made MAE 3 piece with the intention of rebuilding. Decided i wasn't feelin it and sold them. Back to the Carvings.

Suspension:



JIC FLT-TAR VIP waiting to be installed along with Arnott UCA's and '95 OEM LBJ's.



Coilovers on.



UCA Clearance.



SS Kit added.

Brakes:



I'm going with a 2LS front/92 rear setup powder coated to match the wheels' faces. More to come upon installation.



Installed with R1 slotted rotors and Goodridge lines.

 

I have played with the audio a little bit so far. Initially, I planned on going very simple by just swapping out the drivers and trying to get some decent sound. I tried a couple things and wasn't satisfied. Fortunately, I came up on a nice trade for some DLS Reference series amps and won some free Damplifier Pro courtesy of Second Skin Audio. I will be buying another IB sub and going with some 6.5" components up front. Factory HU will remain for cosmetics sake. I also upgraded to a 200A alternator when I replaced the PS pump leak damaged original.







Some pics of the original deadening job. At this point I was planning on a low power scenario so I went with a minimal coverage approach.

For those interested in improving your substage performace deadening is step 1, especially in the IB scenario common to LS400 factory and aftermarket installs. The purpose of deadening is to reduce the vibrations of the panels (resonance) with the added bonus of better sealeing of the cabin from the trunk (depending on application).

I have used a couple different brands of similar deadening products (previous versions of second skin products, dynamat, cascade... off the top of my head). The Damplifier Pro is beefy. This makes the deadener work well but can make it a little tougher to work with. Second Skin has been regarded as the value leader by many for a while and I would agree. Good product for a fair price.







I had some stained/missing grill cloth so I went ahead and rewrapped them in brown speaker cloth. It was not expected to be a perfect match. I will be doing a multi-tone interior with an accent color if things go as planned so this will work but could possibly be changed out down the road.



First I ran some Hi-Vi Coaxials just to have some sound.





Then I had a set of DLS Iridium 8.2 components installed along with a DLS Reference amp. Unfortunately they blew my tweeter and messed up my factory radio.



I had to pull my old school NIB Eclipse ECD-414 out of the stash. It developed some noise on one of the RCA channels so I just took everything out.





Sinfce my factory HU was toast I threw in and Eclipse AVN20D with a Beat Sonic dash kit. The Hi-Vi coaxials went back in up front and I threw some Tang Bang 4" woofers in the rear doors.

 

Not too much going on here and there probably won't be. Right now my style is simple, clean, almost OEM. That being said, I do have a couple subtle things I'd like to do eventually and I have been known to go 180* for no reason at all so anything could happen.



Painted grill matte black. Other than that I added some stainless pillars. Like I said, "not much".





Clears all around.

 

Expect even less here than the exterior. This will probably consist of little maintenance. Nothing to speak of yet.

 

As she sits today (9/14/09).

 

good stuff, lets see what you got

 

I love build threads and, being a new Lexus owner, it's sad to see how many people here and other "VIP" forums keep their stuff "secret".

Good work, I look forward to updates.

 

i can dig it. never understood that myself.

i take just as much , if not more, pride in the process vs. the final result. since almost everything is done by me or my network i'd rather showcase the knowledge/ability that went into it rather than just plop down a pic of a modded car.

 

where did you get the car from and how much if you dont mind me asking? I'm in dfw and have been looking for a old skool LS for a daily. MY plans when/if i get one is a drop, rims (similiar to yours i like that style), clear front corners and the red and clear tails. I also prefer black just cuz its looks badass imo.

 

bought mine from an individual on craigslist for $3300. had some minor issues but nothing major.

(mines dark green btw)

 

It looks black lol. Good price i have been looking at cl but its been junk, asking way too much or over 200k miles which doesnt interest me.

 

it might take a while. i was actually looking for a different car with an ls on my "to do" list but was having the same problem looking for the other one. the ls popped up at a better value than the car i was looking for were showing up at so i went ahead and scooped it.

 

looks great BoB.

 

nice..i wanna do a build like this in the future when cash is a little more less limited for me. looking forward for the finish product bro.