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My name is Scott and I am addicted to cars and performance. Currently in my garage are two V8s. The first is my 2013 BMW M3 and I recently added a 1997 Lexus SC400. That SC is probably the most fun cheap car I have ever owned.
So anyway, the SC is going to be a project for my son and me to build and run in the local Club Loose and Lone Star Drift circuits. We are three weeks into the build and up to now we have been fixing what the previous owner(s) half-assed and broke. Today we take out the A/C and power steering, then we are removing the hydraulic fan and upgrading the radiator.
In the end, we are swapping in a T56 six-speed, Vertex widebody, and twin turbos.
Welcome!! That's a big project you've got planned.
The 1UZ's one main issue with boost in the SC body is engine bay packaging for the turbochargers and piping unless they are remote mounted but it can and has been done. Just very tight!
It was a day to take the off the SC and go for a drive yesterday. The came replica XXR 18" on all four, stretched tires, an older Kenwood DDX headunit, and gold badges.
Below you can see some of the damage left by the previous owner.
We've got our first gremlin and it is electrical. The best kind of gremlin said no one ever.
So it turns out the previous owner had an amp and sub in the trunk and when he went to take it out he left a hot wire the connected directly to the battery. Needless to say that wire hit something and shorted out. When it happened there was a bang or pop followed by all of my electronics stopping. The car didn't die but the dash went black, no power steering, no radio, no windows. I pulled over, cut power, and popped the hood to take a look. Nothing stood out to me but she would no fire back up. So I had her towed back to the house where I could begin my tear down.
I pulled out the problem wire, it had fused with another black wire and melted that other wire. The black went along the door jam, just like a typical aftermarket install, and then under the dash where someone tapped it into the red and white wires in the harness. So far I have not been able to trace those red and white wires but they go deeper into the dash somewhere. I did remove that tap and the entire rats nest from the radio. I have also double-checked all the fuses in both the footwell and engine bay. Everything checks out however she still does not have power. Right now all I get are headlights, locks, power seats, hazards, and wheel tilt. I took out the battery for most of the day while I tore things out and traced wires. When I did put it back in there wasn't even a spark when I connected the positive terminal. Yes, the battery is still putting out 12.9v right now.
While I had the battery out we did go ahead and remove the rest of the AC system. Does anyone need a compressor or control module?
Nice find! Any gear head can go on all day about having bought a car with a ****ty stereo set up that had been removed and left to cause gremlins like this (I've had several, now lol).
Nice find! Any gear head can go on all day about having bought a car with a ****ty stereo set up that had been removed and left to cause gremlins like this (I've had several, now lol).
Needless to say, that entire problem has now been removed. Must have been 8lbs of wires alone.
Next on the to do list is an aluminum block off for the center console. We are going to install our switch panel there and we are going to do things a little different. I want to retain the hazards and rear defrost functionality has well as separate out fuel, acc, and ignition. We will also be putting in new lightweight door cards.
Widebody SC400
