hey guys wanted to see if anyone has could chime in on what turbo kit i should get for my 1997 sc300 plan on going na-t but want to keep the auto trans for a while cause im not done collecting parts for my r154. also never turboed a car by myself so tuning is really new to me and need to know what kind of electronic components i need to look into i know i will need a air fuel controller, a boost gauge, fuel pump but as far as tuning and the hardware itself im like wtf and need to know if anyone from denver has a turbo lexus obdII and what i will need to pass emissions. thanks in advance for the help

 

What are your power goals and budget? If they are modest, then you can do the GTE ecu mod and a COP conversion. This will also help with emissions. Then you can either A, piece together your own turbo kit, or B, buy a turbo kit from either Dave-H, Boostlogic, Sound Performance, Driftmotion, XSPower...there are a lot even ebay if you want but I'd stay away from their wastegates and turbos if you want longevity.

The amount of information here is insane. I recommend you read a lot. But welcome and I'm sure other people will chime in and help.

edit: You can also follow other peoples' builds and see what you like more then follow that as an example.

 

well right now im hoping for 300 because of the weak trans . i was actually considering at drift motion kit the 60-1 but didnt know if that was too much cause i dont want to overshoot this goal because i heard the trans. are weak

 

You could always control the amount of boost and that will save your tranny. Once your get the R154 you can turn the boost up. As for the Driftmotion kit, I think a few people have run it with good results. Don't ignore the idea of piecing together your own kit though. You can always find the best brand name items for cheap and only slightly used. Check classifieds daily here and on supraforums.com. The most important thing you should do is research. Make sure you do a lot of it, a lot of it, a lot of it and a little bit more before you begin to purchase a bunch of stuff. My current project is as simple as they come and I have a thread on it here in the build section. Check out mine and "Tabaka"'s build threads. They're pretty similar, basic, simple and the best part reliable and proven with great results by others before us.

 

I'm tired of studying for my midterm and am brain dead at this point so excuse my tasteless and grammarless post.. I agree with ashtray. Just head to the build threads section and read up on everything, literally. I've read through countless threads that are even intended for things I never plan on doing but in the conversations there are priceless tidbits that will help along the way. Learn from others mistakes both from tuning and buying things in a hurry that ultimately didn't work or wasn't required.

To answer your question; I agree with the transmission deal, anything over 375-400 is going to be pushing it for the stock a340. Definitely piece together and finish the r154 setup. If I had to draw a quick and budget friendly sketch I would buy:

ARP head studs and TT gasket - 150
Timing belt - 200
CXracing: manifold, down pipe and intake - 400
BW s300 turbo - 750
LQ9 coils and GTE ECU - 400
Injectors - 350
255 Walbro - 100
eBay inter cooler - 250
Emission friendly exhaust - 650
Odds and ends, broken bolts, tools, zip ties and stitches etc etc -???

Obviously there will be speed bumps and numerous smaller things to buy but this is where your research and questions come..
Start a build thread of your own and start asking question and throwing up some pictures. There are numerous guys with A LOT of background and info here for you. Good luck buddy.

 

thanks guys that list actually helped a lot once i start will definitely post pics of progress

 

that list is a good starting point, but there is no reason to use lq9 coils unless you are looking to break some hp records and also you may want a standalone. mainly you will have issues with the tach not working, even if you get the extra igf simulator. And if you use a standalone your emissions port will not work, so you probably want to stay away with that.

In short use the vvti coils they will perform well into the 900+hp mark and works like factory, including the tach and everything. If you want to keep emissions and have a good running setup, then pretty much you have to piggyback your stock ecu (this is a bad idea, bad drivability and you will be constantly fighting cel's), or you have to use a USDM 2jzgte ecu that is odb2 (96+).
Normally the tt ecu mod is done with the jdm ecu for odb1, but for odb2 for emissions sake you want to use that particular US ecu, and everything should be able to work in the end including the odb2 port, and it will drive and boost perfect, it will even control your egr properly.. lol.

so check out my tt ecu mod page (link in my signature), you will need a tt maf and map sensor since its a usdm setup, and the maf should plug into your harness as it is right now, just need to wire in the map sensor, install your injectors, install your coilpacks/ignitor, and a couple small things and you are good for boost with an awesome coil on plug setup, and best part is you won't have to get it tuned if you use 550cc injectors.

 

thanks Ali SC3 for breaking that down emissions was one of my biggest concerns

 

Hey guys. Looks like some of you guys are in Denver. I am a month into my turbo project on my 1996 SC300 and have ran into nothing but headaches. I got a bolt on eBay kit and nothing is bolting on! Few on the forums has told me that I do not have to do anything to fuel or computer if I am under 8 pounds in Colorado. Is that true? I work at Kuni Lexus and I am a car nut. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

With OBDI you should be fine with a piggyback. If nothing is bolting up call Ebay for a refund...thats a joke obviously. Double check sutff...they cant be that bad at fitment. Make sure you didn't buy a GTE single kit.

edit: Also, what exactly is not bolting up?

 

The prices on that list is somewhat in accurate unless its all used prices. Arp head studs is 140-150 by itself new and so is a Tt hg. That list is a good list to start with.

 

The exhaust manifold's holes had to be drilled out much bigger, the turbo was too big to clear the intake manifold (they said it was for the SC300 but I think it is for a side mount intake), downpipe will not line up, already broke the boost controller testing the waste gate, the waste gate dump pipe was the wrong size (they sent out the wrong one twice now), all the pieces were cheap. What a learning experience. I can see now how people become experts after the first build because you get you know so much about the car during it.

 

Post pictures of your new parts you bought and how they align.

 

everyone just cuts the wastegate dump tube in half, they just give you a generic one there is no one that "fits".
maybe post up a seperate build thread Rodan, if you get really stuck let me know I can help you out.

 

Yeah, me and Ali are always messing with our cars... Post your own thread so we can see what youre doing. Im local as well... and the wife needs some work on the IS... lol