97-SC300 Single Turbo Build Thread
05-28-17, 01:29 PM
#377
Time for an update on Dmitry's car.
I guess let's start with the new carbon fiber interior trim.
A little backstory, I had a complete spare set of 97 SC300 wood trim stashed away for years in my basement for when the time came to change up the look of the interior. Didn't quite know what look I wanted, originally we were just going to have my dad's work paint it in pearl black and call it a day. Then I sat in an 07 Audi RS4 6spd and fell in love with the carbon fiber trim in that car and noticed the layout of the interior is very similar to the SC. I immediately knew this was what I wanted.
I originally sent out my spare set of trim to a Club Lexus vendor that does carbon fiber work, with only a few pictures of their work and not seeing any reviews, I took the chance and shipped the entire set of trim and my mint condition spare center vent assembly for test fitting. To make a long story short and not to bad-mouth anyone publicly, let just say I was not pleased with their carbon fiber work/ruined center vents and was issued a full refund and sent the parts back to this CL vendor.
So, the second time around I did my research and came across a company based out in Phoenix AX, called oCarbon. If you look at their website and Facebook page, they have probably thousands of pictures of all the various carbon fiber pieces they make. The work looks incredible.
http://ocarbon.com/
After exchanging a few emails with the owner Matt, he assured me the parts would be done exactly as I need them. I was able to locate another full set of 97 SC300 wood trim set from CL member "t2d2" who by the way was amazing to deal with in every regard and had it shipped directly to oCarbon.
I had oCarbon delete the memory seat buttons and do their standard 2X2 carbon fiber pattern. Matt was SUPER nice and a very cool guy who answered all of my questions in a very timely manner sending me a ton of "in progress" pictures and keeping me posted on the progress of the parts. Turnaround time was amazingly quick, but what was even better is the quality of the work. I work in high end detailing, literally looking at cars "under a microscope" for hours on end, it's a very OCD career that is obsessive at times. We try to make cars as perfect as possible to the naked eye and have a reputation for doing so in the Chicago area, so before getting the carbon trim back I already planned on doing a final polishing step at work to make them as glossy as possible (even exotic cars have a ton of defects on their OEM interior trim including hand/DA sanding marks, holograms, minor dust specs, etc.).... but when I got the trim and put my LED lights on them.... they were absolutely flawless, zero orange peel, no sanding marks, no haze or holograms, no contamination inside the resin and clearcoat layer, just like glass. On par with the best OEM or better that I have seen and we work on $350k+ cars all the time. The trim was ready to go with no finishing work needed whatsoever. I honestly could not believe my eyes and was super excited.
After many hours of searching and cold-calling, I was able to locate a mint center vent assembly from a random individual on the AZ craigslist that had an SC400 parts car and a mint condition right-side vent assembly from a company in CA. The vents fit in the new carbon trim like OEM and the trim fits in the doors and dashboard like a glove.
Here are some pictures of the trim that Matt took before sending the parts back to me:
I guess let's start with the new carbon fiber interior trim.
A little backstory, I had a complete spare set of 97 SC300 wood trim stashed away for years in my basement for when the time came to change up the look of the interior. Didn't quite know what look I wanted, originally we were just going to have my dad's work paint it in pearl black and call it a day. Then I sat in an 07 Audi RS4 6spd and fell in love with the carbon fiber trim in that car and noticed the layout of the interior is very similar to the SC. I immediately knew this was what I wanted.
I originally sent out my spare set of trim to a Club Lexus vendor that does carbon fiber work, with only a few pictures of their work and not seeing any reviews, I took the chance and shipped the entire set of trim and my mint condition spare center vent assembly for test fitting. To make a long story short and not to bad-mouth anyone publicly, let just say I was not pleased with their carbon fiber work/ruined center vents and was issued a full refund and sent the parts back to this CL vendor.
So, the second time around I did my research and came across a company based out in Phoenix AX, called oCarbon. If you look at their website and Facebook page, they have probably thousands of pictures of all the various carbon fiber pieces they make. The work looks incredible.
http://ocarbon.com/
After exchanging a few emails with the owner Matt, he assured me the parts would be done exactly as I need them. I was able to locate another full set of 97 SC300 wood trim set from CL member "t2d2" who by the way was amazing to deal with in every regard and had it shipped directly to oCarbon.
I had oCarbon delete the memory seat buttons and do their standard 2X2 carbon fiber pattern. Matt was SUPER nice and a very cool guy who answered all of my questions in a very timely manner sending me a ton of "in progress" pictures and keeping me posted on the progress of the parts. Turnaround time was amazingly quick, but what was even better is the quality of the work. I work in high end detailing, literally looking at cars "under a microscope" for hours on end, it's a very OCD career that is obsessive at times. We try to make cars as perfect as possible to the naked eye and have a reputation for doing so in the Chicago area, so before getting the carbon trim back I already planned on doing a final polishing step at work to make them as glossy as possible (even exotic cars have a ton of defects on their OEM interior trim including hand/DA sanding marks, holograms, minor dust specs, etc.).... but when I got the trim and put my LED lights on them.... they were absolutely flawless, zero orange peel, no sanding marks, no haze or holograms, no contamination inside the resin and clearcoat layer, just like glass. On par with the best OEM or better that I have seen and we work on $350k+ cars all the time. The trim was ready to go with no finishing work needed whatsoever. I honestly could not believe my eyes and was super excited.
After many hours of searching and cold-calling, I was able to locate a mint center vent assembly from a random individual on the AZ craigslist that had an SC400 parts car and a mint condition right-side vent assembly from a company in CA. The vents fit in the new carbon trim like OEM and the trim fits in the doors and dashboard like a glove.
Here are some pictures of the trim that Matt took before sending the parts back to me:
05-28-17, 01:43 PM
#378
A few other things we did was to replace the Driver Side door lock actuator assembly and installed new OEM interior door handle assemblies. We were finally able to program to OEM remotes for the car and have everything functioning. While the door panels were apart I sprayed some Boeshield T9 inside the door cavities since it was so easy to do, added some Dynamat Xtreme to both doors, and epoxied the upper door trim from the inside where they tend to crack so now the doors look brand new. I noticed a huge difference in the feel of the car after the Dynamat in the doors. They shut much nicer and have a more solid feel to them and quieter when driving.
Also got new EVO rear brembo calipers and new SC400 rear rotors. Had the Powder Pro powdercoat the calipers in a 3 stage color, silver base and red powdercoat Brembo logo, gloss clear over everything. No vinyl or stickers.
Also got new EVO rear brembo calipers and new SC400 rear rotors. Had the Powder Pro powdercoat the calipers in a 3 stage color, silver base and red powdercoat Brembo logo, gloss clear over everything. No vinyl or stickers.
Last edited by 97-SC300; 05-28-17 at 01:51 PM.
05-28-17, 02:12 PM
#379
Next up, I put new seats in the car. The old 97 Supra TT supra seats are sold.
We purchased these seats from a gentleman in Las Vegas, NV. It is the only known set in the country. They are essentially brand new condition.
Basically, these Sparcos are OEM equipment and were never offered as an aftermarket seat so you'll not see them listed on their website. These seats are widely used in a number of high end European supercars and serve as the base for cars like the Maserati MC12, Ferrari Enzo, and GT MC Stradale. They are stupid expensive to order from the manufacturer at 7,600 Euros ea.
I currently have them installed on the factory Sparco sliders and Planted seat bases for the SC300. I like the position as is at the moment but since I have Bride MO low-profile bases/sliders on order with Real Street due late June, I will try that out as well to see which position I like more.
These seats were custom ordered and imported to the US by Greddy to be used as a display in their first RC-F SEMA vehicle.
Here's a picture of the seats on the RC-F during their SEMA photoshoot as well as a couple pics when I assembled them. Also a few pics of the center vents.
We purchased these seats from a gentleman in Las Vegas, NV. It is the only known set in the country. They are essentially brand new condition.
Basically, these Sparcos are OEM equipment and were never offered as an aftermarket seat so you'll not see them listed on their website. These seats are widely used in a number of high end European supercars and serve as the base for cars like the Maserati MC12, Ferrari Enzo, and GT MC Stradale. They are stupid expensive to order from the manufacturer at 7,600 Euros ea.
I currently have them installed on the factory Sparco sliders and Planted seat bases for the SC300. I like the position as is at the moment but since I have Bride MO low-profile bases/sliders on order with Real Street due late June, I will try that out as well to see which position I like more.
These seats were custom ordered and imported to the US by Greddy to be used as a display in their first RC-F SEMA vehicle.
Here's a picture of the seats on the RC-F during their SEMA photoshoot as well as a couple pics when I assembled them. Also a few pics of the center vents.
05-28-17, 03:20 PM
#382
I also obviously added the Weld wheels and have driven the car on numerous occasions. Honestly, this is the best mod I've done to the car since making the bigger power. I absolutely love this setup. The traction is unbelievable and still rides like OEM. I didn't know what to expect but I am very happy I made the move. Not pictured yet is the 3" air duct I made going from the passenger foglight to the airbox, can't load pics from my phone for some reason but will figure out shortly.
Did a little photoshoot at a nice location, completely unplanned so the car wasn't even wiped down. I plan on doing a proper shoot with good lighting soon.
Did a little photoshoot at a nice location, completely unplanned so the car wasn't even wiped down. I plan on doing a proper shoot with good lighting soon.
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97-SC300 (05-28-17)
05-28-17, 06:26 PM
#386
Thanks man. Yeah it's a quick jack. I actually got lucky because my boss got it for our shop but it doesn't work on every car, so we basically used it on like 3 customer cars and put it aside, he offered it to me for sale for a very cheap price and I picked it up. Works great for the SC, makes working under the car a breeze. Beats the hell out of jacking up every wheel one at a time etc.
05-28-17, 07:08 PM
#387
Thanks man. Yeah it's a quick jack. I actually got lucky because my boss got it for our shop but it doesn't work on every car, so we basically used it on like 3 customer cars and put it aside, he offered it to me for sale for a very cheap price and I picked it up. Works great for the SC, makes working under the car a breeze. Beats the hell out of jacking up every wheel one at a time etc.
I bought a long frame Arcan XL2T floor jack specifically to lift the center point on the SC, but it still didn't work. I have to use my aluminum jack to lift 1 corner about an inch to fit the Arcan under. If I have 1400 to spare at the end of the year, then maybe I'll get it for Christmas. Or if I can convince my friends they should rent it from me for track days, then I can get it sooner.
05-29-17, 07:10 AM
#389
Yes!!! Dmitry and Roman, my hats off to you two! You both have been a huge inspiration to my build and I appreciate everything you do for the SC and Lexus community. Thank you for sharing your build and everything you do with your car. It helps us dreamers and beginners to see what our cars could really become! When my car grows up I want it to be just like yours. Can't wait to meet up soon
- Jim
- Jim
