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Hey all, just picked this up today and want a place to keep track of what I do to fix her up along the way.
Owned since new by a single family, traded hands between brothers, 120K on the clock, and in great shape inside and out with only minor things needing attention. Plan currently is to thoroughly detail it in and out, fix the few small things, then list it high to see if I can turn a quick/significant profit on it. Listing high is also in hopes that it won't sell and I'll get to hang onto it for a while(EDIT: I'm keeping it!!!)
More pics to come once I get it home and start diving into it.
Got it home and tucked in the garage next to Lexus Luthor over lunch today. The drive back was uneventful and she really is still in great shape. There's some missing when in low RPM, both under load and at idle (not as frequent though), but it still accelerates and cruises beautifully. And SOOOO quiet, even when compared to my 460L.
Checked it out further when I got home and here's what I've found so far:
Trans fluid is overfilled
Leaks from a few more spots than just the oil pan gasket that I was told about
Upper control arms, ball joints, and bushings looked good from what I could tell with it on the ground
The issues aren't particularly worrisome and can/will be remedied. Will be putting it up on stands to really see what I'm working with in the coming days. Need to get some parts on order, namely everything for a tune up and the seals. Not sure when the timing belt was done either so I'll probably knock that out at the same time. Anything else I should be looking for/replacing while I'm going that deep?
Busted out the pressure washer, foam cannon, and SpeedClay last night. Also hit the leather with Griot's Leather 3-in-1 which made a HUGE difference.
Stopping for touchup paint at Lexus on my way home today, then I'll be breaking out the orbital and products to try and correct whatever I can as far as the paint goes.
Before
After
Back of the seats conditioned, bottom of the seats not. Difference is slight but still noticeable
Thinking about the leaks I have and the fact that I don't know when the timing belt/water pump was done, I'm seriously considering just pulling the motor and doing a master gasket kit (minus head gaskets if a leakdown test comes back fine). We'll see, but I just couldn't wait to clean her up
Ordered some touch-up paint today, paint code 4K7 "Champagne Beige Metallic". Gonna have a go at correction while I wait the close to 2 weeks for it to show up, but will wait until after it arrives and I can hide some rock chips to JetSeal the car.
Also potentially picking these up this weekend to replace the worn out wheels and mismatched tires currently on it.
Looks fantastic with those 2nd gen wheels. Very nice car and find!
I've wanted to do paint correction on my car for a long time, but never wanted to risk damaging the paint.
One thing that I noticed was missing: For the air cleaner assembly, the last mechanic forgot to put back the two bolts that hold the assembly to the car. There is also a third bolt that could be missing in the front, under the air cleaner cover. Looking from the front, the cover just pops off from the right (held in by two plastic retainers) and slides out from a groove near the fender (on the left. The cover slides into this groove during installation, then the retainers snap into the center cleaner assembly duct).
Two other miscellaneous engine bay parts missing are the positive battery terminal cover, and the front "battery cover" which is there to hide the gap in front of the battery. I spent ages looking for that part.
Also, check your front left fender liner, to see if it's seated properly. I think it may be sticking out a little:
Can't wait for future updates! This is a very cool thread.
And thanks for calling out those missing items, I definitely want to put it back as close to original as possible. The little black cover you commented on is actually just resting there as well, both small clips are broken. The splash guard is torn so I'll likely just get a replacement.
Paint correction isn't scary with the right gear and process. These LS' have better paint than most and so can be very forgiving. A good orbital, some decent pads, Meguiar's 105 and 205, and a little patience can do magic.
I couldn't leave well enough alone and dove into the correction yesterday and last night. She was pretty rough all over but I was able to get a lot of shine back out of her. The decklid and hood are the worst of it as I couldn't get all spiderwebbing out but they definitely look better than before. Pics to come but she looks phenomenal beyond 5ft
Think I'm going to get out today and try to nail down all sources of leaks so I can get going on that. What specific Toyota sealant should I use for the oil pan?
Paid the $20 for 2 days access to TIS and took 2+ hours to download 128 PDF's for the 400. Didn't grab everything, but I should have everything important and can search/forum the rest. Tried to get the manuals for both our Tundra and the 460 but they're heavily HTML driven. Each page only gives you the steps for the specific job and links you to other procedures at points in the process. Oh well, worth the $20 for what I got.
And thanks for calling out those missing items, I definitely want to put it back as close to original as possible. The little black cover you commented on is actually just resting there as well, both small clips are broken. The splash guard is torn so I'll likely just get a replacement.
Paint correction isn't scary with the right gear and process. These LS' have better paint than most and so can be very forgiving. A good orbital, some decent pads, Meguiar's 105 and 205, and a little patience can do magic.
I couldn't leave well enough alone and dove into the correction yesterday and last night. She was pretty rough all over but I was able to get a lot of shine back out of her. The decklid and hood are the worst of it as I couldn't get all spiderwebbing out but they definitely look better than before. Pics to come but she looks phenomenal beyond 5ft
Think I'm going to get out today and try to nail down all sources of leaks so I can get going on that. What specific Toyota sealant should I use for the oil pan?
Toyota recommends sealant 08826–00080 or equivalent in the repair manual (oil pump section):
I will also consider paint correction again. My main reservation is that the OEM paint is good, but definitely not as thick as it once was. Looking forward to your results
Spent yesterday finishing up the paint correction, which involved taking acetone to the trunk where the 'LS' badge had been reattached with superglue :|
Before:
After:
Just need some good adhesive to put the badge back on correctly. Any recommendations?
Used '4K7' touch-up paint to fill the rock chips. Touch-up is definitely not the same color as what I've got but I don't imagine anyone could nail this color. Regardless, sanded them all down smooth then cut and polished so they won't be getting any worse.
Finished and ready for JetSeal:
Oh, and I'm leaving the natural LS yellow bumper patina, really rounds it out for me
And forgot to get before pictures, but both of these covers were being held on by scotch tape, having been superglued on before but that had given up a while ago. Both had superglue residue on them and generally looked terrible so they got the same treatment as the trunk. Came out great, though the 3M adhesive is a smidge thicker than whatever held it originally. Still, better than it was:
Went ahead and knocked out the JetSeal but won't spam any more pics.
That wraps the cosmetic work she needed. I'll get the oil pan gasket done, see where else she's leaking (likely valve cover gaskets), and she'll be ready to roll. Don't know if I'll be able to let her sit till the new year.
10-09-18, 08:21 AM
21337's 94 LS400
(EDIT: I'm keeping it!!!)
