Friends,

My name is Will and I am 37 years old. I earn my keep by turning wrenches at a Lexus dealership. Additionally I am a Nissan and Infiniti Senior Specialist and spent a year turning wrenches at Maserati. Prior to working as an auto tech, I worked in Washington DC for the US House of Representatives as a Congressional aide specializing in telecommunications, national security, and intelligence.

First of all I want to thank the group of you who have helped me thus far. A few of you know that this is my mid-life crisis, no expenses spared build and some some don't. I wasn't going to post on here because I know many people will think I am a fool for spending enough on this car to buy a used GS-F, but I thought my experiences thus far and going forwards will help others who want to do a similar build.

I call this my mid-life crisis build because I have built 2 Honda S2000s and an E36 BMW M3. The crisis part is because my wife and I were, up until recently a high earning middle class family. She was working as a Master's degree RN until she contracted pneumonia and septic shock. She was not expected to live and spent 2 weeks in a coma. While in a coma she had TIAs, which are like mini-strokes. Her right side goes numb and she cannot feel her right hand or foot. After she recovered, it was obvious she could not work again and she is now on SSA disability. Building this car has helped me get through these tough times.

In May of 2016, I purchased my car, a one owner 2004 GS300 with 88,000 miles from a local Toyota dealer.

Currently, my car has a lightly modified engine, however I am in the process of finding a 2JZ-GTE VVTI engine with the ultimate goal of building a daily driven track/show car making 400 WHP low boost and significantly more one high boost.

I want to thank Miyagi at RHD Japan for hooking me up with APP (Aviation Performance Products) and KJ at My Japan Direct for his friendship, advice, and connecting me with Abflug and a few other companies to be named later.

Below is a list of my current modifications. If it is in italics, it is ordered but not installed.

I could definitely use you guys help to provide me with advice and help in the 2JZ-GTE swap department.

Exterior:

Abflug – CV front lip and diffuser in carbon fiber
Final Konnexion – trunk lid lip spoiler in carbon fiber
Ganador – aero mirrors in carbon fiber
TOM’s Racing – mesh grille

Abflug - CV side skirts in Carbon and FRP
Abflug - CV side strakes in Carbon
Abflug - Rear diffuser in Carbon
Abflug - CV rear strakes in Carbon
Abflug - Mirror finishers in Carbon
Abflug - custom spoiler in Carbon
Varis - vented hood in Carbon

Wheels:

TOM’s Racing – TN-06 - 7.5 inches +35

Ordering 2 more sets of wheels. Both will most likely be 18s. One set may be 19s, but no bigger. I absolutely hate the "stanced" look, but I respect those who do it because everyone has his own style.

Brakes:

Endless - SSY front and rear brake pads
EBC - brake rotors
Stoptech - front and rear stainless steel brake rotors

APP - 355 MM 6 piston front big brake kit in Titanium
APP - 355 MM 4 piston rear big brake kit in Titanium


Suspension:

TEIN – Flex Z coilovers
Ikeya Formula – rear lower control arms
Ikeya Formula – rear traction arms
Ikeya Formula – rear toe arms
Ikeya Formula – rear knuckle pillow ball bushings
JIC Magic – front inner tie rods
Super Now – front outer tie rod ends
Ikeya Formula – front lower control arms
Nagisa Auto – front caster arms
Ikeya Formula – rear member spacers
Super Works – transmission tunnel brace
TRD – front lower brace
Nagisa Auto – Fender Braces;
Nagisa Auto – oil pan protector
Night Pager – front roll center adjusters
TOM’s – front strut tower bar
Cusco – rear strut tower bar.

Interior:

Abflug is producing me a custom leather and Alcantara interior. The front seats will most likely be reclinable Bride or Recaro seats.

Currently: Bride/Cusco Zeta III driver’s seat and Bride Streams passenger seat.

Engine and powertrain

HKS - drop in air filter
Seicle - response ring (tapered spacer)
Abflug Carbon intake duct
HKS - High Power mufflers
TOM's - Barrel mufflers (not installed)
Brian Crower 264 Camshafts (not intalled)
Tomei Adjustable Cam Gear (not installed)

Abflug/HKS carbon fiber air cleaner box
HKS Racing Suction Reloaded

2JZ-GTE - ordering one soon

I hope you guys enjoy the progression of my build and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. The only criticism I don't want to hear is "You are wasting your money." There are no compromises in my build and I am well aware that for what I have already spent I could easily buy any number of new or used high end cars.

Will

PS: I am really tired so I may have edits to my current and ordered parts tomorrow.

 

 

This... is gonna be awesome.



Add more pictures please!

 

Hey buddy, good to see you're starting a build thread. Will be interested to follow your progress. I'm all for the build and don't mind the wrenching time myself either. But before you get started I just wanted to throw out there, if you check out Craigslist and Offerup in the San Diego and Los Angeles area , there are currently 4 or 5 GS300's with GTE swaps anywhere from $6000 to $12,000 depending on how modified they are. You can probably save a small fortune if you made trip to get a fully swapped and derivable one to start with. Just swap what you have over. Not saying you are at all interested in that, but now's the time to think about it before you go crazy lol. We know how long, and difficult, and expensive these swaps can turn into.

 

Nice look . The rear wheels NEED to be wider.

Great that you can get over such a turmultuous period of your life and find something positive.

I too am going through a similar crisis with a 2010 Hilux dsily driver that i dont drive, a z32 tt parked for 2 months with a flat, a B210 with big cam and dellortos in need of a body job (rust) and my Aristo which is the reason all else is neglected.
toms barrel exhaust
toms ecu
Trd cluster
Pioneer head with kicker sub
Currently on A set of 9.5/ 8.5 Anhelos 19s
one pair of enkei pf07 8 x 19.(waiting to source 2 x 9.5 x 19 +45 used
one pair of 9.5 x 19 rays progressive me waiting to source 2 8x19 for the front.
Double pod and gages to install etc.
Borg warner 177257. I think the biggest of the s200 efr

Single was to get away from the twin clutter and make it easier.
us supra injectors and resistor box yet to install as are fuel pressure regulator and lots of stuff.

Look at yahoo auctions japan via buyee and zen market. Beat advice i can give.

Currently having troubld with sdcid and evc5 booat controllers as i am hearing the wategate opening way too early so defeating the purpoae of electronic boost cintrol using solenoids.
But i too am amassing parts for my Aristo in a vulgar manner while loving it all

Cheers and if you have the patience, do the bpu on the twins then boost control before thinking about single.

 

This actually sounds like a pretty reasonable idea. Would we may need to talk more about this. Perhaps this is an excellent way to do it. Plus, most of my parts are being shipped to port of Long Beach. I could buy a car and have the parts shipped back to NC together.

 

Regarding the Tom's barrel exhaust - have you installed it? If so does it drone? The HKS High Power muffler drones quite a bit. How exactly does it sound?

Regarding yahoo auctions, I have purchased quite a few things from them already. I have several places I use for processing my bids.

With regard to BPUs here is the list of parts I have in my cart on a certain website. Please let me know what I am missing.

Auto Staff Insulated Intake manifold gasket
Greddy Pulley Kit
HKS Fuel Cut Defencer
HKS Racing Suction Kit to go with the Abflug/HKS Carbon Airbox
Sard Fuel Pump Upgrade Kit - 265 Liters per hour
Tomei Oil Baffle Plate
Greddy Intercooler Kit - not sure if I should get the LS Spec or M Spec Kit.

What BPUs am I missing?

 

Wow, that's like a who's who of period JDM parts. Definitely keeping an eye on this build...

 

Thanks. I have made an effort to be period correct as much as possible.

 

Great therapy project. Enjoy.

 

Any chance you can send me some links for the listings? I was looking earlier but couldn't find anything on my Iphone.

Thanks,
Will

 

Type CV side skirts I have ordered.


Type CV side skirts, side strakes, and rear strakes


Rear diffuser without rear strakes


Carbon Fiber mirror finishers. Yes, I will probably be selling my Ganador mirrors.


Abflug CF airbox for HKS Racing Suction - if anyone has the Abflug strut tower bar, I'm willing to pay what it is worth.

 

Sure, here’s a few from offer up. Not sure how to send a link, but you can see what they are labeled and do a search.



Here’s one from Craigslist. This one is pretty sweet. All ballered out. But the most expensive.

 

I have the Tom's exhaust on a non-turbo and the drone is pretty bad from 2600-3200 RPM. I'm sure with a turbo it would be much better since it was designed for the turbo engine. It sounds amazing as soon as VVT hits and I would highly recommend it.

Also what buying sites would you recommend for yahoo auctions. There are a bunch of them and very few reviews

 

[QUOTE=Muffinizer;10724230]I have the Tom's exhaust on a non-turbo and the drone is pretty bad from 2600-3200 RPM. I'm sure with a turbo it would be much better since it was designed for the turbo engine. It sounds amazing as soon as VVT hits and I would highly recommend it.

Also what buying sites would you recommend for yahoo auctions. There are a bunch of them and very few reviews[/QUOTE

I believe that Nengun has the lowest rates and best service. I have used them quite a bit.

Also on your exhaust how did you attach it to the car? The flanges are at a different angle than stock.